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The Muppets: The Sitcom: The Podcast: Swine Song · Muppet Fan Podcasts with ToughPigs.com

0:05
Hello and welcome to the Muppets, the sitcom, the
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podcast, presented by tough exact cam, this is the podcast
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where we revisit the Muppets Grand return to television in
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the 2015 ABC, series, The Muppets and see how it holds up
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five years. Later, you can follow along with
0:19
the series by revisiting The Muppets to now streaming on
0:22
Disney. Plus I'm Johannes your host for
0:25
today's show and we have a very special guest this week.
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She is one of the stars of the Of its the sitcom the talent
0:31
behind characters such as the newsworthy Denise and the
0:34
fan-favorite. Yolanda.
0:36
We are extremely pleased to welcome Julie, Ann butcher to
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the podcast. Hello Julian, thank you so much
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for joining us. Hello!
0:45
Oh, thank you. Thanks for having me.
0:46
This is such a treat because you're not only like, obviously
0:49
one of the stars of this show, but like I mean, for Muppet fans
0:53
to see, like, you've like officially joined the Muppet
0:57
troop with your own new characters.
1:00
I feel like this is a very personal show for you, so it's
1:03
great to have you here. Yay, thank you.
1:06
Of course. So we're going to be talking
1:08
about a very notable, Denise episode.
1:12
It's episode 11 swine song in which the network president
1:15
brings in a branding Guru to retool up late with Miss Piggy
1:19
while Kermit and Denise's relationship comes to in its
1:22
inevitable end. So I know very sad Denise.
1:28
We hardly knew ya. Right.
1:31
So normally we start these podcasts asking our guests.
1:37
If they watched this show when it aired five years ago, but you
1:40
obviously, I mean I assume you watched it.
1:42
You didn't just appear in it. Oh yeah.
1:45
Absolutely. Super excited to watch it.
1:47
Yeah. And were you you also like a fan
1:50
of the show? Like, I don't know how much your
1:54
appreciation for your own work goes.
1:55
I don't all performers do something different, in that
1:58
regard. For the work of the group.
2:03
It was that's why I was watching it to see.
2:06
I mean every show we do it's just you know, how much can we
2:12
do for Jim and keep his legacy going and and just crossing our
2:16
fingers and hoping that's what's happening.
2:20
And I was excited too, well, it's always exciting to see new
2:26
characters but I was especially always watching from Uncle
2:30
deadly because I love him so much.
2:34
It's amazing. I mean, this is something that
2:36
you you and Matt Vogel really had in common on the show's was
2:39
taking these minor characters from The Muppets past and
2:43
turning them into something that like not only did you have an
2:46
opportunity to take someone like Yolanda is a perfect example and
2:50
make them into like more of Three-dimensional fun funny
2:54
character like well about your respecting, what came before you
2:59
and also building something new so that this character is going
3:02
to live on you know, in the future Muppet Productions.
3:06
Yeah. Oh my gosh, I love deal on to so
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much. Yeah, we had a lot of fun.
3:11
I wish there was, you know, all the outtakes somewhere because
3:16
that's when we really get crazy. As usual me, I can only imagine
3:22
Jenai well, so I I did visit the set one day I was very it was
3:27
early on in production. I think it was for like the
3:29
second episode or something like that.
3:31
And I don't remember a few Londa.
3:33
I know you like I saw a scene with Yolanda but I don't
3:36
remember if she got the opportunity to really get off
3:41
script in that scene that I watched it was it was a great
3:47
scene with with a Zoot one-liner.
3:49
Look, great Zoot non-sequitur. Awesome.
3:52
Yeah, it was, it was a lovely moment for me.
3:56
So, we've probably talked about this, this episode that you and
3:59
I watched. And this is the one where the
4:02
network executive executive brought in a branding Guru too
4:07
kind of retool the whole show. But it feels like this is also
4:10
the episode that it was the first one after the break you
4:13
guys had a new showrunner. So it seems like the words a
4:16
little bit of meta-commentary on, you know, this show was not
4:20
really working before we need to kind of throw.
4:22
In some new spice to, to kind of engage our audience all over
4:26
again. Did you guys feel that a lot
4:28
during the during the production as well, where'd ya?
4:32
We, it was always a struggle because from the very beginning
4:37
was the concern like I was saying, you know, I we watch it
4:40
to see if our, it know, if what we're doing for her gym is
4:44
really working and there was always that concern with all of
4:48
us that you know we're just not mean The characters are not mean
4:54
it won't. And what do we do with this mean
4:56
energy? So that was you know kind of the
5:02
concern. Yeah, that makes sense there.
5:06
That was a bit of that means, obviously a bit of concern from
5:08
the fan site, as well from the viewers and as we've been kind
5:12
of recording this podcast from even seeing the show, it's
5:15
funny. There is obviously, a lot of
5:17
meanness that is going on between the characters.
5:20
But the thing that we kind of kept coming back to was like,
5:23
they all hate being there, they're just miserable and, you
5:28
know, with like the old Muppet Show, they, they always felt
5:32
like well, Well things aren't working out but like, you know,
5:35
we love Showbiz. You know, we love each other,
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maybe even but but yeah, everyone just kind of they hate
5:40
being there, the heat each other they're just like, why don't you
5:43
just quit man? Like he treats you like crap and
5:46
you get nothing in return you don't even get to be on stage,
5:50
right? Oh I know yeah that's that's the
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really difficult thing with trying to modernize something
5:58
that's really pure and innocent. I mean the old Muppet Show You
6:03
know that was their theater, they were doing what they loved.
6:05
It didn't matter. What other people think that was
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the joy and the beauty of that to, you know, people who are
6:12
feeling out of place. That's why the Muppets were
6:15
their home. But when you turn it on its head
6:19
and you're like, well, the Muppets are the ones that are
6:21
out of place and they're forced to fit into this world.
6:25
And if you don't, then You know, like you said, just quitting, go
6:29
away. That's doesn't really work.
6:33
Yeah, I like that way of thinking of it, that it's, the
6:35
Muppets are out of place. Not not the other way around.
6:38
That's that actually fits really well.
6:41
That's a, that's a good like boilerplate for for creating a
6:44
new Muppet Series, right, where it's their world, you know,
6:48
maybe, you know, if you do you come in?
6:53
Do you fit in the only way you can fit into the Muppet world is
6:56
to love and accept. Yourself, you know, instead of
6:59
fighting to fit fit into. Yeah, I don't know.
7:05
Well, we tried so hard and Denise was really Denise was
7:09
like the symbol of, you know, how mean you're going to go?
7:14
What are you going to do? What does it mean to be in the
7:17
Muppet world? She started off really, really
7:20
abrasive and mean and gold Diggie and it just look.
7:25
Like, when you say that because that was wasn't really a parents
7:29
in the show, like, obviously that seems like something that
7:31
you guys worked out of her character from the beginning.
7:35
Yeah, we were to really hard to not even bring that in on day,
7:38
one trying to come up with a character.
7:41
He knows, like, do we do what she was supposed to be like,
7:45
really sexy, and overbearing and, you know, controlling
7:48
Kermit. And it's like, do we give her an
7:50
Italian accent? Do we give her?
7:51
What kind of it's like God. No ma'am.
7:56
Just no Muppet has ever been that way.
7:58
It just felt really awkward. Yeah.
8:01
And it's funny to that you say that way because you know, her,
8:04
as many people know, in the test pilot presentation, the puppet
8:08
that was used was the old spamela handerson, puppet or
8:10
Lisa was the design. I don't know if it was the same,
8:12
the, actually the same puppet, right?
8:14
And that character was very like, like sexy first like, you
8:19
know, like beautiful first, and then, and all the guys want her.
8:23
And, you know, if that's the character that you're putting
8:25
out, Out as like Herman's new girlfriend, then it's like, well
8:27
there's it's obvious why he's with her, you know, it's not for
8:30
her personality, right? And Kermit wouldn't do that.
8:35
I mean right. Yeah, exactly.
8:37
Yeah, were you did you perform Denise in the in that pilot as
8:41
well? Because I don't remember if she
8:43
has any lines. Yeah, I did.
8:46
She did have lines. I don't know if they ended up in
8:47
the pilot, I can't remember. But so, you really were like,
8:52
you are attached to that character.
8:53
From from day one. Yeah.
8:55
Oh, yeah. That's what, yeah.
8:57
Well that's actually good opportunity to ask, like, it's
8:59
so, how did you become? Like, I mean, it's rare that
9:02
they add a new new performer to the main muppet troop of those
9:07
like six or seven, guys. So how did you become the person
9:10
that they decided to bring into the fold and, you know,
9:14
especially as like, I think you were the first.
9:17
It depends on how you you really describe, you know what the
9:22
Muppet troop is. I mean, I know there was a few
9:25
Regular female performers in The Muppet Show days.
9:28
I know people like Leslie Kirara were involved with with some of
9:31
the characters in Muppets tonight.
9:34
But aside from that like nothing until until you and thank
9:38
goodness, you've been able to stick with them up a troop, you
9:41
know, since then in other Productions.
9:44
But how did that become like your new role?
9:49
I, well, I was first to do a lot in like, 1993.
9:54
Oh wow. I didn't really think that far.
9:56
Yeah, that's what we have from like Muppet classic theater,
9:59
right? Yeah, yeah.
10:00
Right in with them for. Yeah, it's not going over 30
10:04
years. I think that was a had a lot to
10:06
do with Steve though, to Steve Whitmire.
10:08
Really, really wanted me to be on it.
10:10
Great. Yeah, that's great.
10:12
Yeah, he fought for me. Well, that's not for me but but
10:17
well, yeah, I mean hit that was his suggestion.
10:19
Mainly Mina, sometimes. That's all it takes.
10:22
Is the right person at the right time saying the right thing.
10:25
And then, you know, then you got a job.
10:28
Yeah. Ironically, though, I'm still
10:31
not include it as one of the main performers, it's still
10:35
really? Yeah, because I would have
10:37
assumed from seeing you. You know, I saw you at the
10:40
Hollywood Bowl show. I assumed you were the O2 as
10:42
well in London. Yeah.
10:45
Well, that's what Weird. I'm in this really weird
10:47
position where I'm one of the only other performers.
10:53
Who has characters but I don't know if it's because I'm a woman
10:57
or what's going on, but I'm still not officially a core
11:00
performer. Hey yeah, I'm in this weird
11:04
Middle Ground, that's really surprising.
11:07
I mean, definitely from from our perspective, from the fan
11:09
perspective, not that it means much, but it means everything.
11:13
Well, we definitely see it was a corporate performer and I think
11:15
you're right. I think it's because it's your,
11:18
you have original characters and even now, like, Muppets now
11:21
you're still creating new characters.
11:23
And I love that. I've also yeah, I had so much
11:26
fun on that challenge. I definitely want to talk to you
11:28
about her when we get around to that because I do have questions
11:31
about about your Muppets now characters, especially Beverly
11:34
plume. But but you but yeah.
11:37
You you know no one else gets to do that.
11:40
Like Mike Wynn is a talented as he is.
11:42
Like I maybe he has characters, I don't recognize his voice but
11:44
I don't I don't think I see him very often but I know he's
11:47
there. I know he's part of like the guy
11:49
so they bring in almost every performance.
11:52
Well, he's in Utrecht role too. To assist Kermit for sure,
11:56
right? Yeah.
11:57
And that makes a lot of sense, you know, why he's there but but
12:00
also like, you know, I wouldn't necessarily think like, well, my
12:02
queen is, you know, he has to be called in every single time
12:05
with, you know, the other guys because, you know, they perform,
12:08
you know, Kermit and scooter and Fozzie and etc, etc, but you've
12:12
been there for almost every, every major production in the
12:15
last five years. Yeah, so yeah.
12:18
So yeah. Like they should just you know
12:19
say you're part of the core troop.
12:21
Why not? I stopped out I do.
12:23
Don't get it, I don't know. We're waiting.
12:26
All right, all right. Well, let's get back to talking
12:29
about Denise. I mean, that's really the big,
12:30
the big topic here is, is Denise.
12:32
Both, you know, for you as a performer on this show and is
12:36
this episode in particular? So so she, when she started with
12:43
the only thing that we really knew before the show even began
12:47
was, there was this big news push that news story pushed that
12:52
Kermit piggy were breaking up. And Kermit has a new girlfriend
12:54
and there's this immediate we don't even know who she is and
12:57
we have this immediate hatred. How dare.
13:00
So some hussy come out of nowhere and steal that frog like
13:05
that's horrifying. Yeah.
13:10
Yeah. I mean it was just like any
13:12
other, you know, crazy, love triangle in Hollywood.
13:16
And, you know, I never got any hate mail or anything but but
13:20
watching the fury of What was happening online was a little
13:26
scary. Wow.
13:29
And you know, luckily we had decided that Denise was just a
13:32
really innocent office worker, you know, who just, you know,
13:39
they just fell in love. So, I hope that softened
13:43
everything. But it definitely did for me.
13:46
Personally I when I when I think of Denise the the moment that I
13:51
think of is that moment First episode where she tells her
13:55
mother, that she picked up a little Italian, Giuseppe, and
13:59
she doesn't little have cha and it's, it's like this thing
14:05
where, like people like a. So if you've ever worked in an
14:08
office and like, especially in a creative field, but there's
14:13
people who work in the office who are not in creative jobs
14:15
like like in legal, or Finance or advertising, whatever
14:20
marketing, that's what she does. She's in marketing and It's
14:23
like, well, yeah, they're fun and funny people.
14:25
They're not like comedy writers but like, you know, but not the
14:28
Cotton On comedy writers can still like give a little hot cha
14:31
once in awhile, it like it felt very pure and she felt very
14:34
real. Yeah.
14:36
But now that I say that out loud I wonder if that was part of the
14:38
problem too. Were like Muppets in this may be
14:40
more of a problem with the show than her but like Muppets
14:43
shouldn't feel too real. Like they're all exaggerated,
14:48
you know, bits of personality traits, Is another.
14:53
That was another thing. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
14:55
I was kind of being maneuvered to you know that thing of like
14:58
quote just be yourself. But yeah.
15:02
Exactly what you said Muppets are not themselves.
15:04
Are a little heightened, their little charactery.
15:09
Yeah. So that's why we tried to we
15:12
went with as the Sweet, Southern accent of just hopefully that
15:15
would kind of exaggerated her Sweetness in her pureness.
15:20
An innocence like in this world, right, but that's, I think
15:25
that's another reason why she didn't, then continue on as a
15:29
character. Also, the fact that whenever a
15:32
female characters brought in to be a love interest, you know,
15:37
how do you continue on then as part of the group, you know,
15:41
right when a character is brought in specifically as a
15:46
reaction or a hang Lon, hang on to a to another Character that
15:51
rarely, that rarely suggest longevity.
15:56
Yeah. And then you think we know all
15:58
the other male characters like, you know, who's brought on who's
16:02
a love interest in the in the mail realm, you know?
16:04
Nobody. Yeah.
16:05
Swedish Chef no Ralph. Well, especially there's no,
16:10
there's very few female characters in The Muppets group
16:12
is, it is. So, you know, just be obviously,
16:15
has Kermit and Yolanda came after Rizzo.
16:18
So, like, like who's going to be I didn't to be like, you know,
16:21
Janice's new boyfriend. Like they're just not going to
16:23
do it, right? Guys aren't run on to be love
16:26
interest. Yeah.
16:27
So it's or or female characters brought onto the be somebody's
16:32
mother. So you're like in a background
16:34
you know, Fozzie's mother will appear very rarely or you know,
16:38
somebody's yeah. Good.
16:40
Good point. Good idea.
16:41
Good point. So and also like, as you were
16:45
saying, you know, as someone who's not a performer, who
16:47
doesn't have these big personality traits, It's, you
16:51
know, the longevity of this character to like how they are
16:54
going to survive. Once were no longer telling a
16:56
story that takes place in an office because it seems like the
17:00
Muppets already kind of struggled with that with Walter
17:02
a little bit. Like, now that his story was
17:05
kind of been told from the 2011 movie, like, how does he fit in
17:08
with everyone else? And there, you know, it comes
17:11
and goes, you know, sometimes he's just there for some reason
17:14
and sometimes he's, you know, I think in his role in Muppets
17:17
now, as the guy who runs who ones that Puppet Masters, short
17:24
is perfect because he's a fan and that's what a fan would do.
17:27
And he's geeking out over These Guys, these are.
17:29
All right, let's that's what we do.
17:31
So that makes a lot of sense to me, but, but yeah.
17:33
But I don't think that's difficult because that's also
17:36
kind of scooter. So like, yes, like for sure.
17:40
Yeah. Yeah.
17:41
But then, like Denise would be what would she do?
17:43
She would come in and she would give a presentation on on
17:45
marketing. Like, that's right.
17:47
Yeah. Was it all so weird?
17:54
When the character was introduced knowing that that
17:56
there's this inevitability that the character is going to go
17:58
away soon, because there's no way that you guys could have,
18:01
could have sustained, You know, Denise and Kermit having
18:07
entertaining relationship through, you know, five seasons
18:10
of this sitcom. So, like knowing that the day
18:13
was going to come to like this episode was going to happen
18:15
where we just say goodbye. Didn't to Denise.
18:18
Yeah, there There was some discussion.
18:21
Yeah, it's like, well, what, what, what do, what do women do
18:25
after their, you know, tossed aside for a another there was
18:29
talk about like, you know, cutting her hair.
18:31
Did she like start to repeal, you know, did she go like punk
18:37
in her sorrow? You know?
18:38
Whatever. Yeah, so, there's always a way
18:44
to bring somebody back. It's just, it's a good point.
18:46
Yeah. No.
18:47
That's a really good point. Especially you're right.
18:49
And it actually could have been her way back into the Muppet
18:52
troop is like, like we kind of shed away.
18:54
A lot of that that innocence and the realness, the humanity of
19:01
her. Maybe, I don't know.
19:02
That's a terrible way to say it but like and kind of giving her
19:05
some like really unique traits that we want to see over and
19:08
over again. Despite the fact that, you know,
19:10
you know, unfortunately I'm sure she would still be, you know,
19:13
seen as Kermit sex in every one of those scenes that, you know,
19:17
this new Punk Denise would Be in.
19:21
Well, I mean, we always really hope the character but like, in
19:24
Electric Mayhem you're like, you're never really sure.
19:27
Like, who's, you know, is Janice with what, you know, what's
19:31
going on with, you know what I mean?
19:32
That unspoken stuff. You just kind of like, don't
19:35
talk about it. That way you don't talk about,
19:39
you know, you never say. I actually don't really have
19:41
legs as a, you know what I mean? Just right.
19:43
Yeah. And it's that would've been
19:47
okay. Yeah.
19:48
That lovely little mystery that keeps happening.
19:52
I do also want to talk a little bit about Yolanda a little bit
19:55
more just because it's such a gift, you know?
20:02
I mean I'm sure is everyone listening to this knows, you
20:04
know, aside from the Dave goals characters and a few the Steve
20:08
Whitmire characters almost every character on this show is been
20:12
recast to someone else because you The performers past or
20:17
walked away from the Muppets like, Frank Oz and Yolanda is in
20:22
such a unique position where yes, technically she was created
20:28
by different performer. But since ulanda really got like
20:32
a personality, it's been you, and you've gotten to see this
20:36
character through from beginning to present and and really play
20:41
with the character and see how far she can go and not.
20:45
Not be constrained by the limitations of another
20:48
performer, who, you know, you don't you think to yourself
20:50
like, you know, what would, what would Jerry have done with this
20:53
character? What would Richard have done
20:54
with this character? It's like, no, no.
20:55
You can do whatever you want with Yolanda, because you're the
20:57
only one who really knows who she is.
21:01
Oh, I love her so much. I was really happy to see that
21:06
she was what weapon did what she called.
21:09
She's a spirit animal for everybody who works in an
21:11
office. It's true.
21:15
It's true. Everyone who's ever worked in an
21:16
office if you're not the Yolanda, you know, the Yolanda.
21:21
Yeah. I really, really had fun with
21:23
her and that's, it's kind of sad to see her not coming back.
21:28
More, like, why was she not Muppets now?
21:31
I totally don't get it. That's a good question.
21:33
I don't know. Well, in especially like, like
21:36
we said earlier, you know, Uncle Dave, He has been such a
21:39
explosion of a return for a character and, you know, okay, I
21:45
understand that Yolanda doesn't have the same visibility is
21:48
Uncle deadly and she says, she doesn't, you know, because I
21:50
think it's such a weird mish-mosh of of things that
21:54
people like between like this the spookiness and the gay best
21:58
friend who might not be gay and the Mystery of him and the way
22:02
he speaks and like others. All these things like the
22:05
fashion icon stuff like There's all this stuff to him.
22:08
That like, you can pick any one of those things.
22:10
And you can take him and put him, you know, like doing like a
22:12
haunted mansion thing for Disneyland's, but at the same
22:14
time, you know, tweeting about fashion and like it works and
22:19
Yolanda. I mean, especially not we've
22:21
taken her out of the office. I don't think she necessarily
22:23
has to be in an office, of course, but like we take her out
22:25
of that that atmosphere. And, you know, she doesn't have
22:30
quite as many places where you could put her and not quite the
22:34
same visibility as Uncle deadly and so We just need to like,
22:38
find ways to get her in front of people more often so that they
22:42
get the same love for her as they do for Uncle deadly and
22:44
then we're next thing you know you know, she's she's
22:48
everywhere. Yeah, well I think that's also a
22:51
matter of her being included in all of the Social Media stuff
22:55
and you know, she doesn't have a presence in between the shows
23:01
the true. And that's because that's part
23:03
of that whole thing. If me, not being a core
23:06
performer, that there's no impetus to include female
23:14
characters in all the social media.
23:16
So it's like a vicious circle of like, well if you don't see them
23:19
in social media, you know, think the man they're not included in
23:21
the writing. Yeah, you know that's been a
23:27
problem. I would, I would say since the
23:29
90s of, you know, when The Muppets have these huge gaps in
23:34
between big Productions, people tend to Get that the Muppets
23:38
exist and we when we have a new show we have a new movie,
23:42
whatever it is. We have to reintroduce.
23:44
The concept of the Muppets to everyone.
23:47
Whether it's, you know, like oh hey like it's this troop of
23:51
crazy characters that you should know in like versus like like
23:56
Hey do you remember the Muppets? Like I know you haven't seen
23:58
them, you know, in the last four years but like here they are
24:00
again. Remember what you love about
24:01
them. And when we're doing that, we
24:05
can only really focus. On five six characters at a
24:09
time. And if you're going to do that
24:11
few characters, you're not going to include all the secondary and
24:15
tertiary characters. So I think it goes beyond just
24:18
social media. It's just about like, how are we
24:21
going to have a platform where the Muppets are just in front of
24:24
people all the time and they're going to say they want more and
24:28
more and more. Even if it's just these like a
24:30
little Yolanda or a new Toulouse, iland or Muppet News,
24:35
man or whatever just popping up once in a while.
24:37
To say like remember me I'm still here and I'll be around
24:40
once we do something big again I'll be here.
24:43
Oh right? Yeah.
24:45
Oh there's so much we could do though, you know, Yolanda could
24:47
have an office blog like every day.
24:49
You know will be amazing right now on the should have a podcast
24:54
that like that's what she's been doing at her desk this whole
24:59
time. She should be working but I
25:01
think it is actually recording a podcast people stop by here.
25:04
Does they ask for things? She hits record without them
25:06
knowing We're gonna make that happen.
25:11
That's our next. That's our next goal.
25:13
Yes. Gonna, we're gonna call up
25:14
Disney. We got that we got the next
25:16
million-dollar idea. There's so much that could
25:20
happen with all the characters, you know.
25:23
Yeah, that actually, that's a really fun idea.
25:26
I wonder if that's, that would be a fun like, low-cost way.
25:29
Like, we don't have to get the puppets out.
25:31
We don't have to turn on a camera.
25:32
It's just like, get all the Muppet performers in front of a
25:34
microphone and just record something stupid for That's all
25:38
we need, right? That's all podcast really are
25:40
anyway and have them up. It's to do theater.
25:44
Do you know just audio theater? Oh yeah.
25:47
Oh yeah, like us. Yeah.
25:50
Like an audio drama. Yeah.
25:52
Yeah. Get crazy.
25:54
Harry on the Foley. I love it, right?
25:59
It'd be awesome. Yeah.
26:01
Uh okay, I'm loving this idea now, I'm going to start making
26:04
notes. I'm going to make a pitch.
26:06
Yeah. So on top of Denise and Yolanda,
26:10
you you also I mean obviously Whenever there was a speaking
26:14
female character, it tended to be you.
26:17
So there's a few one-off characters.
26:18
One that came to mind was in an early episode.
26:21
Gonzo had a date with a woman named Debbie.
26:25
Oh my God, that was cheesy. Of going out with Liam, Liam
26:28
Neeson and not Liam Neeson, Liam Hemsworth, the other ones.
26:31
Good. I made the same mistake a comic
26:33
on I call, I call them lately. There's only two famous Liam's.
26:39
I know they're gonna get each other's mail, it's just gonna
26:42
happen. Oh, that was, that was exciting.
26:45
We had some amazing guests. He had a lot of fun with that.
26:51
That's great. I love it.
26:53
I do want to ask you, that's not good.
26:55
I was just going to say that the Debbie puppet was actually made
26:59
to, for Debbie McClellan. So, that was gonna be my next
27:03
question. We, when we reviewed that up,
27:06
Episode. I assumed it was Debbie
27:07
McClellan because I yeah, kind of like RW: who at the time was,
27:10
she was an executive producer on this show but the guests that we
27:14
had guessed it was Dave goals as wife.
27:17
Who's also named Debbie? Oh, okay.
27:20
Yeah, but not with. There you go, confirmation.
27:22
Yeah. And there's even a little
27:24
matching dog puppet that look like, Debbie's dog.
27:28
That moment with her, it wasn't in the show, but oh, I was gonna
27:30
say, I do remember there being a dog, she must've left it at
27:32
home. Well, now it's her.
27:36
Dog and Liam Hemsworth stug because the married.
27:39
Totally. Yes.
27:41
Obviously. An awkward for the three of us
27:42
to hang out. Yeah.
27:46
Now that we're all right. Yeah.
27:48
Of course because you have to be there all the time with the
27:49
puppet right? Really in their house.
27:52
Yep I have to also assume that Debbie McClellan like hat.
27:57
Like she maybe had a crush on Liam Hemsworth and that was like
28:00
a little treat for her. Are you guys gonna do with him?
28:03
You know in a weird in a weird like it's you been Really you
28:06
kind of way, right from first for the other, like background
28:13
characters in such like was there it was there a method for,
28:16
you know? Okay, we need, you know, 10
28:17
characters in The backgrounds, you know, you don't have a
28:20
speaking character. So we're going to give you lose
28:22
Zealand or Andy pig or whatever it was, or was it just kind of
28:27
like a like a grab bag of just grab something and get in the
28:30
back? No, it's mapped out.
28:32
Pretty well. That was Bill mapping out.
28:35
Who did what? But it had to be choreographed,
28:38
so we didn't accidentally double up or whatever but there weren't
28:42
many days when a lot of the other puppeteers were there.
28:47
I could try to be careful with it was super big group days, but
28:52
But yeah, I feel was in charge of all that.
28:55
So did you have did you have like certain characters that you
28:57
always kind of gravitated towards when you when you need
29:00
it to do like a non-speaking group seen?
29:03
No, hmm. Okay.
29:07
It was just like, you know, here's your work for the day.
29:11
Grab rice because we were also going super fast so right?
29:17
Yeah of course. It's like here's here's what
29:19
you're here's what you're doing and just do it.
29:21
That's like yes. Awesome right, whatever you
29:23
want. And and Bill of course being the
29:26
puppet Captain for that show which that always seemed like a,
29:30
like I understand the responsibility of a public
29:32
Captain when you're you're dealing out speaking lines
29:37
especially if they're one-off characters or something like
29:39
that, but but to make a specific decision of, you know, okay,
29:45
like you're going to play the Zealand, you're going to play
29:47
the newsman you're going to play, you know, Andy and Mandy
29:49
Pig for characters that are just kind of Filling the background.
29:52
It all seems very arbitrary to me so I wonder I wonder what
29:56
that kind of responsibility is like that.
29:58
Maybe I'll just never understand.
30:00
It's not super arbitrary because you have to I mean it has to be
30:03
somebody who's kind of the right height or somebody who knows the
30:07
character. I mean the other performers have
30:11
also been, you know, around for like 25 years, 20 years.
30:14
So, There's a, there's a knowledge of who can handle this
30:19
particular character, who, who knows the movement?
30:24
You know what I mean? There's also that so does that
30:27
mean that that you had like, there's another my performer
30:30
that has about your height and then like you would potentially,
30:34
you know, say like, you know, like you're going to double for
30:38
Peters characters because you and Peter about the same height
30:40
or about the same have a similar puppetry Styles or whatever.
30:44
Yeah, it's Yeah, it's mostly puppetry style first and then
30:49
and then I but um and also who's Big who can like who's strong
30:54
enough to do like the hold up the bear, or hold up.
30:57
Oh, sure. Yeah, right.
31:00
Yeah, I wouldn't I wouldn't be put in, you know, one of the
31:03
Gigantor characters because I can't can't manage that
31:06
physically but puppetry seems really hard.
31:09
It's really, really, really hard.
31:13
I don't think I have it in me. Well, my arm up in Yeah.
31:17
Well there's that and then it's like okay.
31:19
Um so what year will? I probably have my shoulder
31:21
replaced and my hip replaced and yeah, it's rough.
31:26
Right? All those those Old-Timers have
31:28
like matching surgery, scars. Yeah, back surgeries.
31:31
Yeah, it's kind of scary. Well, that's I'm actually trying
31:36
to formulate. I've been doing a lot of work on
31:38
trying to formulate exercises for us and how to manage that
31:41
kind of way, you know, the way we stand and things like that,
31:45
I've actually did, well that's smart.
31:46
Art. Yeah, I went to an anatomical
31:48
dissection course, actually, oh it was awesome.
31:54
Yeah, we're working with fashioned.
31:56
How do we, how, how can we stand better?
31:58
How can we hold the puppets pattern?
31:59
So we stop hurting ourselves. Well, especially like, in recent
32:02
years. I know a few years ago, I think
32:05
it was, it was Disney someone developed the there's probably a
32:09
name for it. The belt that helps you keep
32:11
your arm in the air for when they're doing live shows.
32:14
I know the oh God may have Used it at that Outside Lands show?
32:19
Yeah that's saved. Everybody's lives.
32:22
Yeah, those are amazing. But like how did it take?
32:25
You know 40 years for someone to develop something like that?
32:28
Which tells me that like there is more, there's more Innovation
32:32
that you guys could be doing to make sure that you're not, you
32:34
know, completely destroying your backs or your arms.
32:37
Yeah, absolutely. Well, that was, we've just
32:40
never. I mean, Jim was just always so
32:44
good. It's like you guys need, you
32:46
know, pull Earlier on down if you're if you're done especially
32:48
the during songs or probably the longest we've ever done the like
32:51
one song which is incredibly hard to do.
32:54
But to do a full Set on a honest on stage that was totally
33:00
different. I hear what you're saying
33:01
though. Yeah.
33:02
Innovation like that. Yeah, so let's let's go back to
33:07
talking about the the episode a little bit.
33:09
So in the the story for this episode Kermit had promised,
33:14
Denise that he would run a charity 5k with her and then
33:18
accidentally blew her off to work late because they have to
33:21
rework the show and later in the episode.
33:26
She's It's Kermit in piggy. They've worked all night.
33:29
They are asleep very close to each other.
33:32
She's not happy about it and then Kermit piggy do a duet of,
33:38
In Spite of Ourselves which is a great number.
33:40
I love that one. And Denise is in the audience,
33:44
and she sees, you know, they're, they're, they're having a
33:47
moment. And so, later, in the episode,
33:51
she breaks up with Kermit and then we never see her again.
33:55
And that's it for Denise like, Her whole storyline just
33:58
completely wraps up in this one. This one, like this, the
34:02
especially like the first episode back from from the
34:04
break. So what was that?
34:09
Did you know what the time that Denise was was not going to be
34:11
seen again? Or did you still have hope that
34:13
maybe we'd find a way to get bring her back?
34:15
Well, we were, I mean, everybody was talking as if there's going
34:18
to be season 2. So we were, you know, kind of
34:20
trying to figure out, you know what happened, when she comes
34:22
back and level. But another big later, you know,
34:26
with it with the purple hair and the whole thing, right?
34:29
Yeah. So with that said, you know, she
34:35
because this happened in specifically in this episode,
34:37
again, the first one back with the new show, runner, it almost
34:40
seemed like there was an edict from somewhere.
34:42
Maybe the network, maybe, maybe the showrunner.
34:45
Maybe One else who said, like the Denise thing isn't working.
34:48
So like, let's find a way to just kind of, you know, get her
34:51
out the door. Or maybe it's less about the
34:53
character more about just like the whole storyline of Kermit
34:56
having this girlfriend. Like it's people don't want to
34:58
see it and let's move on. So did you feel like that was
35:02
that was kind of what was being told to you?
35:05
Or was this just the next step in a potentially longer
35:09
storyline? Gosh, I'm not sure because
35:14
another thing about About not being one of the core performers
35:17
is your cut. You're not really include.
35:19
I wasn't really included in know they would it would be behind
35:22
the door discussions and stuff and so I missed out on a lot of
35:26
what was really going on. But we, we were all just kind of
35:35
thrown the whole, the whole thing was so weird, like, have a
35:38
new showrunner right in the middle.
35:40
And there's a lot of chaos and we were just Right?
35:45
My focus was to just keep doing good work in a good show and
35:49
cross. Yeah.
35:50
No, that makes that makes a lot of sense.
35:52
Yeah. Because there was a lot like I
35:54
was saying behind the doors, there was a lot going on.
35:57
Yeah, I'm sure I'm sure there was like it.
36:00
It doesn't seem like it was a, it was a cheap show to make to
36:03
produce. Yeah.
36:05
And, you know, for something that obviously, it needed a
36:07
needed work. Bad enough that that they
36:10
weren't going to see the season through, they were going to
36:12
rework it right there in the middle.
36:15
You know, it's at least, it wasn't the Disney had enough
36:18
Faith or sorry ABC had enough faith in the show to to try to
36:22
make it work and they're definitely seemed like in this
36:24
episode there's there's the seeds that are being planted,
36:28
that kind of made it slightly more what people wanted early.
36:33
So they were saying that they wanted to see ya.
36:35
Especially the part where. Yeah.
36:38
Everybody's in the room, singing the song and it's like yeah.
36:41
Okay. And then I mean it was pretty.
36:43
Oh yeah, for coming to say, Yeah, we just wanted.
36:46
We want to do our show the way we, you know.
36:48
Yeah. We need more frogs and dogs and
36:51
bears and chickens and things. Yeah.
36:53
As he famously said, many years ago and it's true like this.
36:57
So, this episode, the scene that you're referring to is their
37:01
father sitting in the in the break room, and Fozzie starts
37:04
clicking his pen and then animal starts tapping on the table and
37:08
then eventually everyone's, you know, humming and tapping and
37:11
singing and whatever, and they are all kind of doing this.
37:13
This likes cat version. The Muppet Show theme and having
37:16
a great time and it's it felt like a highlight of the of the
37:19
series for me if because we've been like on this low-level like
37:26
subtle humor and like, nothing's too big, nothing's too crazy.
37:30
And then suddenly we have this explosion of fun and joy coming
37:33
all these characters and we're like finally like it's like like
37:38
the air being let out of a balloon like like I needed this.
37:42
And there's a few I was trying to note like Like other things
37:45
that were happening throughout the episode that we're kind of
37:47
along those same lines. One that stuck out to me is
37:50
Lucille and comes out and he has a line and he throws up a
37:52
boomerang fish. And and Bill, Brady had said in
37:55
interviews before like this is not going to be the Muppet Show.
37:59
We're not going to have crazy stuff, we're not going to have
38:00
the boomerang fish guy and we were all like why wouldn't you
38:03
have the Zealand? Why wouldn't you want to have
38:06
like the bizarre you know, weird anti humor of of a guy who just
38:13
wants to throw a boomerang? Fish in any show like like
38:17
right, like, Law and Order SVU. Should have that.
38:19
Yes. And I think it's actually right
38:23
before that scene, like, Lucille and has a line.
38:25
And it's like, right, obviously, we're kind of undoing some of
38:28
those those show edicts, so that we can start to kind of push
38:32
this into a being, a more fun Series.
38:36
Yeah. And then, of course, like Kermit
38:38
makes a decision right after seeing seeing that that, that
38:42
musical number. That's, you know, no, we should
38:45
just put everyone in the show, like, everyone should just be in
38:48
up late with Miss Piggy and the segments that we see on stage
38:53
are Pepe as an Uber driver, which is pretty cute.
38:57
Although, it would have been fun if they were actually like, real
39:02
passengers, who are reacting to this shrimp, but they're
39:05
obviously script. I mean, it is what it is, but to
39:08
see Bill, especially now with Muppets now, the series Muppets
39:12
now and to see how great An improviser bill is especially
39:16
with Pepe who again is one of those characters who can just
39:18
say anything and get away with it and that would have been that
39:24
would have been really interesting and entertaining but
39:26
it was still it's all fun segment that I don't think we
39:29
ever see again in this show and Bobo does a dramatic reading
39:34
from Real Housewives of Atlanta which is ridiculous.
39:38
And then as I said earlier, Kermit piggy sing In Spite of
39:40
Ourselves. So we get this like mishmash of
39:45
Sketches and songs, and comedy, and joy.
39:49
And, like, in this, you know, it's probably three minutes
39:52
worth of content when you put it all together.
39:54
But like, that's what that's what we wanted.
39:56
That's what the Muppet Show. The new Muppet Show should have
39:58
been and we only get a little tease of it here.
40:01
Yeah. Yeah.
40:04
So you know what have been would have been nice but that also
40:07
feels like that was what you guys are trying to do with with
40:10
Muppets. Now like those three minutes
40:13
spread it out into 22. Yeah, you know like to the zany
40:18
back to ya, right back to the Joy, really?
40:21
It's, you know, this this joy that has been missing from the
40:24
show for so long and especially we need it now so much.
40:29
Oh man, you ain't kidding. And I wish we could keep going
40:33
with the live show. Well, okay, we can't do live now
40:36
anyway, but um, but those the Hollywood Bowl show and the O2
40:40
were just magical They were I saw I was at the Hollywood Bowl.
40:45
I unfortunately cannot make it all the way out to London if for
40:50
no other reason. It was it was just the Muppet
40:54
Show. It was just a really great
40:55
episode of The Muppet Show. Yeah, yeah.
40:58
And you know, it, I know there's been a lot of questions from
41:01
people of, you know, we want to see The Muppet Show come back,
41:05
but would it work now because we don't, we don't really have
41:09
variety shows or are people really going to get like when
41:12
the Muppets make a bad? Joke.
41:13
It's still funny because it's a bad joke.
41:15
Not that was just a bad joke and I'm not laughing with you.
41:19
Well, with the whole dad joke thing, you know, that's true.
41:23
That's a good point but I think that the live shows really prove
41:26
that that the format still works.
41:28
Yeah, definitely and now that nobody can do live stuff right
41:33
now or go to theaters. I think it'd be great to bring
41:35
it into that home. You know?
41:37
Yeah, the internet. Yeah.
41:40
Well and the owner of what else that those shows as far as I
41:44
know, we're filmed for if only for internal purposes so you
41:50
know, why not put them out on Disney plus may be right?
41:54
Hmm, there's an idea. Yeah, and that people will go,
41:58
this is great. I want more.
41:59
And then suddenly you're making the Muppet Show.
42:01
Ye see Donna. I've solved all their problems.
42:05
How easy is that? So also in this episode there's
42:12
some there's some guest stars and celebrities so mention Diane
42:16
Raphael who comes in as the network presidents.
42:19
She loves the show but she thinks it's too talky despite
42:23
the fact that it is a talk show which is true, she's what she
42:28
was 100% percent. Correct them.
42:31
So to much, just people talking to each other and she's
42:35
delightful. Like I don't know if she's as
42:36
delightful off. Off camera as she is on, but I'm
42:40
a big fan of hers and she seems like a genuine person and I
42:45
assume that she's not quite as, let's use the word aggressive
42:51
life as her characters tend to be.
42:53
Well, I did you is no, I mean no matter how You know, everybody
42:59
might be perceived, you know, in the outside world of whenever
43:03
you're in front of the puppets, no matter who you are, there is
43:06
just something comes out of you. That's just beautiful and
43:10
glowing and happy and that's why everybody was.
43:13
They were so excited to talk to the puppets and be part of this.
43:18
They were fast. It's of people's personality
43:20
that just You know, blossomed. And that's, that's the magic of
43:26
these guys. That's why you want to keep
43:28
putting them. Yeah.
43:30
And, and her character, especially felt very much like,
43:33
you know, like turns to a muppet and, and give her a mustache, no
43:37
cigar. And she's JP gross coming in and
43:39
making these these unreasonable demands, but like, she's the
43:43
boss. So, you know, it's not
43:45
completely out of the, out of the realm of Muppet Cannon,
43:49
right? Yeah, yeah.
43:52
Yeah, they were all little and yeah.
43:55
And then we have I hope I'm pronouncing his name like, so
43:58
I've only ever actually seen it written down.
44:00
Whoo car sambuca ambedkar Carson, ambedkar oh, that's how
44:04
you pronounce his name. He plays pace' what's, which is
44:08
spelled Pete, spelled piz Za, which is hysterical.
44:13
So stupid, it's just but Pasha is The Branding Guru Guru.
44:19
He has previously branded Katy Perry, Key and Peele some
44:22
warlord and that doggone it. G whose tongue keep sticking
44:26
out. Yes.
44:29
And honestly I know who almost all of those are.
44:32
So he did a great job. That was weird.
44:36
That was a weird character to have come in.
44:38
Yeah how so Well it's like the I have no legs thing.
44:44
It's like okay we now we're on a show.
44:48
Now we're talking about being on a show and there's you know I
44:52
don't know. Right?
44:54
Yeah, it's hard because like he's definitely coming in as as
44:58
an antagonizing character but there's, you know, there's no, I
45:05
don't know, like like there's no like returned from him like he
45:09
just kind of comes in and makes a mess and that's it.
45:11
There's no like You know, he doesn't get comeuppance or the
45:16
Muppets don't kind of meet him halfway.
45:18
It's he's just kind of like oh this guy again and that has
45:22
nothing to do with this performance, that's just the
45:23
character. But there's also like this
45:27
innate obnoxiousness. That comes with just the idea of
45:31
like branding that I think especially, you know, people who
45:36
are maybe like, you know, over the age of don't know. 25 just
45:40
like have an innate discussed For you know it's like I don't
45:46
want to do all those things. I want to put on a you know like
45:48
a hip costume or cater to the kids or get a good, a tick tock
45:53
or whatever it is, it sounds awful.
45:57
Well, it's ironic. It's at the Muppets already have
46:00
a brand and he's, yeah, they brought, you know, he's in, he's
46:04
in there introducing chaos and it's like, but that's what
46:06
Muppets do so right. Yeah, very confusing.
46:10
Yeah. Well especially like at the end
46:12
like Kermit piggy, sing a song, and it's a great number.
46:15
It's exactly the kind of thing that you would see on the old
46:17
Muppet Show and like, you know, the network loves it and he
46:21
takes credit for it, you know, as if like like that.
46:23
That's I mean, that's kind of what we expect to see from the
46:26
Muppets from with Disney now is like yeah, just do that old
46:29
stuff. Right?
46:31
And like, that's your branding. Like that's all you need.
46:34
Yeah. We've got it already.
46:35
Yeah, it's not what you got. Yeah.
46:39
And the Other famous folks who show up in this episode are Key
46:43
and Peele. Who are this is like right?
46:46
I feel like this is right before, get out came out.
46:48
So like this is this is like Jordan Peele about to be go from
46:52
like being a star to a Megastar. The they say that their old show
46:57
used pace' as their their branding Guru.
47:01
They refused to implement his changes and then the next thing
47:04
you know, should do like canceled and now they share a
47:07
one-bedroom apartment and they sell up in it.
47:10
Let's see where I love those two guys, so much.
47:15
They are. They're brilliant and hysterical
47:17
and it's such a joy to see them interacting with the Muppets.
47:20
Yeah, that was awesome. They had some day I have to
47:24
assume I have to assume that like they were also like
47:27
suggesting things for scenes that they were in just because
47:30
they're like, you know, they're comedy guys, they're writers, or
47:34
were they just kind of there, you know, to do their scenes and
47:37
be charming and then get out. I'm sure there was input.
47:41
For sure. But again, that was like behind
47:42
the door here and hmm, not not on stage while you were there.
47:46
Yeah, yeah. I mean, I was this is a little
47:52
off topic but like, I was on set for a taping of almost talk show
47:57
and John Mulaney was, was the guest that day, which is why I
48:00
showed up that day because I loved only knee.
48:02
And because like, he's a comedy writer first and foremost, like,
48:06
he was throughout the entire shoot is saying, you know what
48:09
cookie Should say this and then I'll say this or like throwing
48:13
in like somewhere non-sequitur and letting like seeing how Elmo
48:16
you know reacts to it and and almost every single one of his
48:20
of his suggestions was used in the show because they were great
48:25
suggestions and also because Again comedy writer especially
48:29
working on a show like SNL was great about making suggestions
48:33
for other people. It didn't have to be about him.
48:35
There's no ego involved. It's about how we going to make
48:37
this. Show is funny and fun as
48:38
possible and so, So I would assume and hope that Keen peel
48:42
would be similar in that regard. Let's just assume.
48:46
So let's just assume it's exactly what they did because
48:49
they're professionals. And so, in any case, the only
48:55
other thing that I feel like, I really wanted to point out about
48:58
this episode was, there's a the shot right before the sing, The
49:03
Muppet Show theme song where Kermit is in front of a
49:07
whiteboard and I paused the video.
49:10
Well, as I was watching it so I could see what was on the
49:12
Whiteboard. They were all like bad
49:15
suggestions for what they could put on the show to kind of get
49:18
people to watch and among the Things on there were give people
49:22
free puppies and kittens 24-hour dance-a-thon with Kevin Bacon,
49:26
which is a great idea. Each audience section sends a
49:30
tribute to fight to the death Fozzie, shaves, his entire body
49:37
that would get new. No, don't want that Amish for
49:41
hire. And then the one that stood out
49:46
to me, was turn the show into a podcast, which is what we're
49:48
doing here. Yeah, And some, some Muppet,
49:54
there's some up late with Miss Piggy, writers idea of turning
49:57
that shown to a podcast. And so now, here we are finally
50:01
five years later. It's all, it's all took my gosh.
50:04
I can't believe it. Oh my God, I know it's
50:06
ridiculous. It's ridiculous time.
50:09
Time also means nothing right now.
50:11
I know so five years also. Feels like 20 years also feels
50:15
like two weeks ago. Yep.
50:18
Yeah. Well, especially for Muppets now
50:20
is like, oh God, We just did that.
50:21
Oh wow. And I do want to talk about but
50:26
Muppets now but before we get off this episode, yes any other
50:28
moments whether you were there or not that you that stuck out,
50:32
this is stuck out to you as Great Moments or memorable
50:36
scenes or funny jokes, anything like that actually watching it.
50:42
I realized how How far and how beautifully everyone?
50:50
Everyone's manipulation and work became so beautifully, subtle.
50:55
And it's just lovely. Just all this, lovely work going
50:59
on. That I hadn't seen before,
51:02
people really excelled and had the time to develop their just
51:08
the craft of puppeteering. There were stunning things going
51:11
on. Subtly That's that's when I yeah
51:15
that's that's something that we've definitely noticed as well
51:18
especially with some of the more flexible characters like like
51:22
hermit and Uncle deadly where it's almost like they figured
51:25
out a new way to wiggle their finger so that so that like they
51:29
can like talk out of the side of their mouth or whatever it is.
51:31
Yeah yeah. And and it was yeah it was
51:35
because we were Just the medium had changed so much.
51:39
And you could do such beautiful close-up.
51:41
Where I mean there were just so many close-ups and yeah.
51:45
Yeah, I remembered the talking out, the side of his mouth like
51:48
Steve discovering all that, all that beautiful new stuff.
51:51
It's amazing. And I that's really what comes
51:53
from the Muppets having a Regular Show where you just have
51:57
week after week after week where you can just play and find these
52:01
characters and develop them, and make sure that they're, you
52:05
know, In Ewing, to be more, and more, three-dimensional, not
52:09
reverting back to being, you know, just the angry pig, just
52:12
the unfunny. Bear, just the the loud drummer
52:16
like that, we don't need, we don't need that.
52:18
We need more of, you know, more play more time to play.
52:22
That's it. Yeah.
52:24
Yeah. And you get to know them.
52:25
Yeah. For sure.
52:26
And for them to get to know we reacquaint with each other too
52:30
you know. Yeah.
52:32
For sure. Yeah.
52:33
Those character relationships are so important.
52:35
Yeah. Very much.
52:37
And and it's also the relationship between the
52:41
performers. Do you know when the performers
52:42
changed and there has to be time together, you know, now what's
52:47
going on? What's the new Dynamic with all
52:49
of us at because you can't hide? What comes through the puppet,
52:53
you know, for sure. Yeah.
52:58
So before before we kind of wrap things up, I do want to talk
53:03
about Muppets now for a minute which is super fun.
53:07
And you know it's it's weird because I mean I'm sure as you
53:11
know like you guys you filmed it in the segment that we're
53:15
supposed to be released individually and then they were
53:18
repackaged as like a half hour show and you know I don't know
53:25
if that makes things better. Or worse or weirder, or maybe
53:30
the weirdness is good or whatever.
53:31
But it's if either way it's like a great opportunity to again
53:38
Spotlight these these one-off characters and I don't know,
53:44
it's it's been fun to see especially for your characters.
53:49
You've got Beverly Puma is a regular the suite of chefs.
53:52
Cooking, segments, awesome. You've got, you know, folks like
53:55
Yolanda or like Like you know you're playing like a cheese or
53:58
whatever showing up during Miss Piggy's stuff, it must have been
54:03
a blast to film is really what I'm going to come down to very
54:06
much. Yeah, that was that was, that
54:10
was one of the things that were it was super exciting to have a
54:13
whole new range of characters to just play with and throw back
54:17
in. I think that's the most female
54:20
characters. And while one time that we've
54:23
seen in a long time, you know, I think you're right.
54:26
And it's something that's Has been much needed.
54:28
Like Muppets need to start passing the vegetable test.
54:33
I think one of my favorite the screaming goat was hilarious.
54:37
Hysterical Nelson. One of the puppies game shows,
54:40
right? Yeah.
54:41
Yeah and the grandmother who couldn't hear was another one of
54:45
my phone that was hysterical. Especially you guys film that
54:48
before everyone was doing Zoom calls, right?
54:51
Yeah. And now it's like that.
54:53
Yes, obviously. Yeah, the only thing is there is
54:57
so much material. They made them so short, that
55:01
there is So much material that didn't end up in the final
55:04
product make it could cut a whole other series out of the
55:08
stuff that wasn't used yet. I'm sure I'm sure.
55:12
Well, maybe we'll see some more soon.
55:15
Maybe they will do that and then you know, Muppets now season 2
55:17
and it's already done. Awesome.
55:20
Well, the, the the cuts there, there's already those.
55:24
Yeah, there's a blooper reel. It's not really a blooper reel.
55:26
It's an outtake reel. Yeah, yeah.
55:29
Ya gotta do more of those and Beverly plume.
55:33
It's interesting to see a new, a new regular character.
55:36
She is a regular character because she's in every episode
55:39
of okie dokie cooking. Yes.
55:43
How did how did you develop that character?
55:44
Because it seems like it's interesting combination of.
55:47
We need someone who, you know, obviously looks good and script
55:51
and on paper but also has the ability to improvise with these,
55:56
especially with these people who are not trained in Sirs right?
56:00
Yeah, they were all really good to work with to there.
56:05
Again, it's just so easy because they're super excited.
56:07
They just want to talk to the puppet all day but yeah, how did
56:11
how did we come up with Beverly cheat?
56:14
Well, I mean, she's just, she's just a combo like Julia Child
56:17
and and there's that wonderful British host of a cooking show,
56:22
and then, you know, some of my relatives, right?
56:27
I'm sure that happens a lot. Yeah, yep.
56:32
And and she had to be, we had to know who's going to play against
56:36
Swedish Chef, what's that going to be?
56:38
Yeah, there's always I thought of listening with Denise and all
56:41
the other characters, like okay but how are they going to relate
56:44
to how they're going to feed them character-wise in the
56:47
personality-wise? Yeah, interesting.
56:52
So so does it. Did it feel like there was a lot
56:54
of development in the character. Like once you once you have the
56:56
puppet on your hand or was it more like Like they made a bunch
57:00
of decisions, you know, in the scripting process and then said,
57:03
okay, like here's like Beverly is going to be this person who's
57:07
you know, reacting the chef in this way in reacting to the the
57:10
guests and that way. And also obviously relaying all
57:13
this important information about recipes and stuff, it was
57:17
awesomely collaborative this time, great villain Andrew and I
57:22
had a lot of discussions and then of course, there's always a
57:25
thing of, you can have all the discussions you want.
57:27
But when you see the puppet, Either the character, you know,
57:30
how is it built? How's it going to move, then
57:31
that kind of changes, then you have to go back and have more
57:35
meetings as it's like, well, she doesn't move in a way, that's
57:36
not going to make sense with, you know, if she's if it's a
57:40
flowy puppet, then you can't have like a big stiff character
57:47
characterization, you know, one thing I'm really curious about
57:50
was specially with that segment. So like we've all known like
57:54
between Swedish Chef and then Angelov, the From the they'll
57:59
Cat Cora web series. They have human hands because
58:03
they're working with real food. And there, that's just easier to
58:06
24 clean up afterward. But this segment gets really
58:11
messy especially in the Danny Trejo episode where there's a
58:16
mole that's covered in like sour cream and cheese and stuff.
58:20
Like is there a concern for like okay little Swedish Chef is
58:23
going to be like throwing stuff around, but like we kind of
58:26
can't have a stain on the turkey puppet, so likes stay away.
58:29
Oh, ways always a computer. So, I mean, the main thing is to
58:34
be, you know, it's not going to be sour cream.
58:36
It's going to be some kind of soap.
58:38
Foam is not gonna, you know what I mean?
58:42
Oh, you're releasing all the secrets in it.
58:46
So, yeah, it has to it. Can't be actual cheese.
58:50
It has to be something with the moves like cheese, you know?
58:53
Yeah, there's a whole thing. And interesting, yeah,
58:55
interested is actually, you know, Actual food, right on the
59:00
Swedish Chef side right now assume the other side is all
59:04
real food. Yeah.
59:07
And like they're really cooking, right?
59:08
Like that's a real. It's a functioning kitchen set.
59:12
I guess, the reason I'm using a hot plate or whatever but yeah
59:14
so they're actually cooking in front of you.
59:16
Yeah. That's another concern of the
59:18
puppet too especially if she's, you know, your feathers are
59:20
getting too close to the flame, you know.
59:23
Yeah. Splatter you don't want to get
59:25
splattered with anything, right? Yeah, right.
59:28
And then I've always been curious.
59:30
I'm not on a real cooking show, so I would assume it's the same
59:33
for this. What happens to the food
59:34
afterward? Who gets to eat it?
59:38
Well, see, it depends. I think it was handed out to
59:42
like, yeah, Special, folks, you get to taste this.
59:45
You do this? I'll sure that.
59:50
Did you ever get to eat anything that anyone made know?
59:53
No. No because I wasn't actually
59:56
right. Yeah because I was actually
59:59
there in the middle. What happened was everybody else
1:00:04
got to take breaks like we know we film one side Beverly and the
1:00:08
chef and then you turn around and there's Beverly and Swedish
1:00:11
Chef. So the guys on the sides we've
1:00:15
got to take breaks could have snacks but I was like they're in
1:00:18
every shot so yeah I mean you're busy working.
1:00:21
Yeah. It was almost another situation
1:00:25
where I was in a barrel once not with Muppets but you know, and
1:00:30
then everybody goes to lunch and you're still in the barrel.
1:00:33
Yeah, they forget about you. Yeah, so it almost happened with
1:00:36
other early. Oh, that's hysterical.
1:00:39
I have to, I have to assume that.
1:00:40
It happens a lot on Muppet sets were like, someone is just like
1:00:43
they got put into a crate and then they're just wondering if
1:00:48
they won't even out there, right?
1:00:49
I gotta say, it's not it's 40 for me.
1:00:51
Well, I've never heard of a Muppet situation like that.
1:00:54
But every other puppet show that has happened.
1:00:57
Muppets muppets take care of you.
1:01:00
Yeah, okay, that's guys every other show that to hear people
1:01:03
have been left inside of couches.
1:01:05
Yeah. You know, in chess cupboards.
1:01:09
No. Yeah, that's hysterical and
1:01:12
horrifying, by the way. Yeah, very nice as a
1:01:14
claustrophobic. I don't know if I could deal
1:01:15
with it. Oh my God.
1:01:16
That's why I don't do those suits.
1:01:17
There is no way you could get me inside, like, one of the big
1:01:21
suits, Yeah, I see that's funny because like I've done mascot
1:01:27
work in my past and I've always found that to be like, do it
1:01:32
like not easy, it's obviously nothing's easy.
1:01:34
But like, like manageable just because it's like I have like
1:01:37
free motion of my body and I can do anything.
1:01:41
And it's really just like being like trapped in a small space
1:01:45
and like all I have is this one hole where my arm I can just
1:01:47
barely reach out. Like that's that's where my
1:01:51
brain starts going. Like, get out, get out, get out.
1:01:54
Oh my God! Another reason why I'm not a
1:01:56
puppeteer. Oh really, what have it in me
1:01:58
really? No, no, I can't, I can't do
1:02:01
that. That's not for me.
1:02:02
I'll talk about it. But you know I mean you look you
1:02:06
put a puppet on my arm. I'm competent.
1:02:08
But that's because I've been watching your guys work for so
1:02:10
long but I pick up the pick up the tricks.
1:02:13
When one thing we do like to see if anybody wants to be a
1:02:17
puppeteer. Is while we're talking, we have
1:02:19
them hold their arm up. And move there and just you
1:02:23
know, see how long they can can do it.
1:02:26
Yeah. And then like add, you know, an
1:02:28
8-pound puppet on to that boy. Yeah.
1:02:31
Yeah, luckily Beverly is very lightweight.
1:02:34
So super lucky, is she? I was gonna.
1:02:35
Yeah. Because she looks like she's
1:02:37
heavy. I guess it's all those feathers
1:02:38
to make it. Yeah, make it look heavier than
1:02:40
she smaller. She's smaller than, you'd think,
1:02:42
and very light. Yeah.
1:02:45
Interesting, interesting. Are there any other any
1:02:50
characters and I say, aside from Yolanda because I feel like
1:02:53
she's the obvious choice. But there any characters you
1:02:55
performed that whether it's from the sitcom from up, it's now or
1:02:59
from something from your past that you want to see more of you
1:03:02
want to kind of bring back into the fold from Muppets.
1:03:09
Well, I think all the other female characters that have, you
1:03:12
know, like doing Wanda at the Hollywood Bowl.
1:03:15
Oh yeah, there is, you know, bring her back.
1:03:20
Well, that's the thing. Like how many female characters
1:03:23
are there to bring back of that were classic characters, right?
1:03:27
Yeah, let's get Hilda in there. It just a Millwright.
1:03:30
Yes, you know. Yeah, why not awesome.
1:03:35
So, okay, I, I do want to say, like, I'm very grateful that you
1:03:40
are, you know, if not an official part of the troop that
1:03:43
you are, you were there in the Inner Circle.
1:03:45
Yay. Hoping to bring these characters
1:03:47
outs. I think it's been a long time
1:03:49
coming. Since the Muppets have had a
1:03:52
regular female performer that can bring in female characters
1:03:56
who are performed by a female like I it's just, it seems like
1:03:59
such a gimme and, you know, knowing what I know about.
1:04:05
You know, the internal workings of the Muppet world.
1:04:08
Like I understand why they keep the circle small, but nowadays,
1:04:13
it's 2020. And the diversity of performers
1:04:18
is so off, whack that if we're not even we like we if the very
1:04:23
least we should be making an effort to expand that diversity.
1:04:26
And so this is the very first step and I know it's a long step
1:04:31
because you've been doing this for a long time, but but the
1:04:34
fact that that you're there. Yeah.
1:04:36
He's it means a lot to a lot of Muppet fans.
1:04:38
It means a lot to me, too. Yeah.
1:04:40
And yeah. However, that can happen,
1:04:44
whatever I can do. I also do remember, I mean, like
1:04:49
I said, I've been doing this for 30 years with these guys and I
1:04:52
do want to say that. The one thing that meant the
1:04:57
most to me, I'm going to, I'm crying.
1:04:58
I'm trying to get this out but I'm crying at the same time.
1:05:02
Lisa Henson did once say to me that I was the.
1:05:07
I was a female Puppeteer that her father was always looking
1:05:11
for. Wow, so it just means the world
1:05:16
to me to just still be in there and representing for women and
1:05:22
trying to keep Jim's Legacy alive.
1:05:25
So wow, that's beautiful. Thank you for.
1:05:31
Thank you for sharing that. Thank you for being here on this
1:05:33
podcast. Thank you for being part of the
1:05:35
Muppet troop. Like we were You thank you for
1:05:38
having me on this. This is great.
1:05:39
Thank you for including me. Well, of course, of course.
1:05:42
So as we're wrapping up, is there any place where people can
1:05:46
find you online on social media? Oh gosh.
1:05:50
Um, well, Muppet Wiki, of course my website Julie ambusher.com
1:05:57
Instagram, Twitter LinkedIn, know it's always Julie,
1:06:03
ambusher, origin a blusher so yeah, great.
1:06:07
Well, don't go out and find her your favorite social media
1:06:10
channel. Go read her, her Muppet Wiki
1:06:13
article. And please do the same for tough
1:06:17
pigs where we're also on, you know.
1:06:19
That's yeah. And I'm on tough pigs, right?
1:06:22
Like with interviews and stuff and oh, yeah, we did a tough, we
1:06:25
did an interview with you a couple years.
1:06:26
Yeah. You London and be right, which
1:06:28
is great. Yeah, yeah.
1:06:32
And you know please, you know, tell your friends about this
1:06:35
podcast. Oh gosh.
1:06:36
Yes. Bribe and give it a good rating
1:06:39
and all that fun stuff. Yeah.
1:06:40
And please do also make sure that you're checking out
1:06:45
Julian's work on Muppets. Yeah you know Disney plus
1:06:50
awesome thank you so much for listening everybody.