Comments on: Bring on the roasted potatoes! Bring on the beaujolais!

Bring on the roasted potatoes! Bring on the beaujolais!

vortex genie 2 — Wed, 22 Aug 2012 15:54:06 -0800

Julia Child, Fred Rogers, and Bob Ross, autotuned.

John Boswell was hired by PBS to make songs out of these favorite personalities, with surprisingly delightful and inspiring results. As heard on All Things Considered. Previously.

By: darkstar

darkstar — Wed, 22 Aug 2012 16:07:17 -0800

These are awesome. And the three folk in question are like the trifecta of what it means to be a wonderful person. I'd like to vote for Julia Childs, Fred Rogers and Bob Ross to be my representatives at the next Galactic Assembly.

By: MegoSteve

MegoSteve — Wed, 22 Aug 2012 16:10:22 -0800

Boswell also did this beautiful Carl Sagan autotune (previously).

By: DarlingBri

DarlingBri — Wed, 22 Aug 2012 16:11:02 -0800

I thought the Fred Rogers one was great and it genuinely made me weepy with nostalgia. The Julia one was not as good; it somehow didn't really convey the feeling of that show, though I suppose if you didn't watch it the Melodysheep video would be chaming. The Bob Ross one was better than the Julia Child one but Jesus I just... can't. I understand he inspired legions of people to embrace a hobby they enjoyed, but his work is the lowest common denominator of landscape painting and I cannot drag myself on board that train.

By: phaedon

phaedon — Wed, 22 Aug 2012 16:12:22 -0800

MetaFilter: bring on the roasted potatoes!

By: darkstar

darkstar — Wed, 22 Aug 2012 16:21:11 -0800

Awesome, MegoSteve. We can include Carl Sagan in the Galactic delegation. Meanwhile, it's really a testament to the awesomeness of PBS that it has brought these four personalities and their particular passions to such a broad public.

By: briank

briank — Wed, 22 Aug 2012 16:22:19 -0800

These have all been posted here before.

By: vortex genie 2

vortex genie 2 — Wed, 22 Aug 2012 16:26:37 -0800

I missed the Carl Sagan one, how beautiful. And as far as I can tell, the Fred Rogers song was posted a few months back as a SLYT, so I decided to go ahead with the more comprehensive post. Mods, delete away if my post is amiss.

By: cmoj

cmoj — Wed, 22 Aug 2012 16:30:38 -0800

Is this a 2/3uple or a sextuple?

By: Doleful Creature

Doleful Creature — Wed, 22 Aug 2012 16:37:04 -0800

I miss Mr. Rogers so much. *wipes tear*

By: MegoSteve

MegoSteve — Wed, 22 Aug 2012 16:49:10 -0800

I understand he inspired legions of people to embrace a hobby they enjoyed, but his work is the lowest common denominator of landscape painting and I cannot drag myself on board that train. While that sentiment is something I understand, having been through several semesters of painting classes with a professor who expressed the same sentiment frequently, I think that, ultimately, the quality of Bob Ross's actual painting doesn't matter all that much. His work on his show was as much about the process as the result. He wasn't teaching painting so much as he was teaching how to experience joy by creating something and not worrying so much about the results. That may not be capital A art, sure, but his lesson that you don't have to be perfect and you don't have to be afraid is important and worthwhile. In that respect, that old hippy Bob Ross was punk as fuck.

By: item

item — Wed, 22 Aug 2012 16:53:04 -0800

Metafilter: The Bob Ross one was better than the Julia Child one See how uselessly useless that meme is?

By: fancyoats

fancyoats — Wed, 22 Aug 2012 16:56:50 -0800

I was not expecting to cry at these. But I did. And now Mr. Oats is teasing me. But I am not ashamed.

By: a box and a stick and a string and a bear

a box and a stick and a string and a bear — Wed, 22 Aug 2012 17:03:36 -0800

In total agreement with MegoSteve. I have more than one friend with a career in art that can be traced back to seeing his show as a child and realizing that being a painter wasn't exclusive to some special class of beret-wearing bohemians in the big city. If you want to be a painter, you paint, and you paint your heart out. Same for Julia; we're all chefs if we want to be. Same for Fred, whose assertion that we're all special was really a negation of the idea of specialness. We're here, and at our best, we're doing stuff. Absolutely DIY punk as fuck, all three of them.

By: a box and a stick and a string and a bear

a box and a stick and a string and a bear — Wed, 22 Aug 2012 17:09:08 -0800

Also, more of Boswell's work can be found at his site Symphony of Science.

By: jsturgill

jsturgill — Wed, 22 Aug 2012 17:15:12 -0800

I experienced a strong emotional reaction to the Bob Ross one. Hearing his simple statements of encouragement, positivity, and affirmation moved me far more than I expected it would (i.e., not at all). Something about his tone, even when autotuned, screams authenticity and genuine kindness.

By: FelliniBlank

FelliniBlank — Wed, 22 Aug 2012 17:28:35 -0800

The only thing the Bob Ross one is missing is Peapod the Pocket Squirrel [sniffle]. I've never painted anything, but Bob and Fred still liked me just the way I am, which is not a job for the weak. You know who else needs a remix like this is the very supportive Mary Ann Wilson from Sit and Be Fit, but please not the mean scary guy on the Yarnell School of Fine Art.

By: Burhanistan

Burhanistan — Wed, 22 Aug 2012 17:36:11 -0800

It's pleasantly surprising just how effective a tribute style this is. Really touching encapsulations of these gentle people.

By: ChuraChura

ChuraChura — Wed, 22 Aug 2012 17:39:59 -0800

I went to a beer tasting at an independent movie theater this weekend full of hipper-than-thou 20- and 30-somethings. While people were finishing their cups of beer in between pourings, the theater showed clips from Funny Or Die and they also showed the Mister Rogers song. I was not the only person in the audience singing, nor was I the only person in the audience who gets misty eyed due to that song. It really does capture Mister Rogers' essence in a really nice way, and it was awesome to see how many of us grew up PBS kids with Mister Rogers as a surrogate grandfather/impressed older friend of sorts.

By: nickyskye

nickyskye — Wed, 22 Aug 2012 17:42:50 -0800

*sigh of bliss. Loved that. Thanks.

By: dutcherino

dutcherino — Wed, 22 Aug 2012 17:43:55 -0800

I don't think any of these would be nearly as compelling if the subjects weren't so into what they were doing. You can see the visceral delight in what they've devoted their lives to. Bring on the roasted potatoes in the garden of your mind because there are no limits here.

By: BozoBurgerBonanza

BozoBurgerBonanza — Wed, 22 Aug 2012 18:02:03 -0800

Here's Julia Child and Mr Rogers boxing on the Battle of the PBS Stars, because, you know, when would you ever get to post something like this?

By: sonic meat machine

sonic meat machine — Wed, 22 Aug 2012 18:05:48 -0800

lovely.

By: Chrischris

Chrischris — Wed, 22 Aug 2012 18:31:50 -0800

Jesus, it seems like all you have to do on Metafilter is post something with the words "Mr." and "Rogers" and --BAM--you've got me all weepy. If Family Communications, inc. could bottle that stuff up--I guarantee they'd be bigger than Apple...

By: Eyebrows McGee

Eyebrows McGee — Wed, 22 Aug 2012 18:54:40 -0800

Good (?) news, Chrischris, they're coming out with a Mr. Roger's sidequel, Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood. PBS Kids has been promoing it all summer. I'm reserving judgment; setting it entirely in the Land of Make Believe is a pretty good idea for not holding itself up to the unmatchable original. But otoh, spin off of Mr. Rogers. SRSLY???

By: vogon_poet

vogon_poet — Wed, 22 Aug 2012 19:09:54 -0800

I'm reserving judgment; setting it entirely in the Land of Make Believe is a pretty good idea for not holding itself up to the unmatchable original. But otoh, spin off of Mr. Rogers. SRSLY??? I mean, if it's made in the spirit of the original, and they work hard at it, I'm sure it will be good. Mr. Rogers wasn't an exceptional genius, he was just an incredibly kind person who was willing to put a lot of work into making his show good.

By: smirkette

smirkette — Wed, 22 Aug 2012 19:17:11 -0800

We need to foster more joy of creating. We've become a society of you-have-to-be-awesome-or-don't-do-it-at-all which is ridiculous and counter-productive. And these show not just how PBS is awesome at keeping such content in the public eye (and good content will ALWAYS be relevant regardless of its age; witness the Woodwright's Shop--that technology is far older than what most woodworkers would use)--but also the power that good educational media has on our lives. ROCK ON.

By: mubba

mubba — Wed, 22 Aug 2012 20:43:45 -0800

I will always love Fred Rogers, Julia Child, and Bob Ross. Mr. Rogers might have been second only to my parents in shaping my pre-school sense of personal dignity and emotional intelligence. Without Julia Child's cheerful enthusiasm for food and her example of having fun cooking even the most difficult dishes, even through the occasional accident or failure, I might not be the cook I am today. And what can I say, Bob Ross was awesome. Let's just smear a big old majestic brown tree here, right in front of the happy little stream and that range of misty mountains. There are no mistakes, just happy accidents. EXCEPT FOR AUTOTUNED REMIXES, WHICH ARE ALWAYS AN INSULTING MISTAKE. (Yeah, yeah. Get off my lawn.)

By: Crotalus

Crotalus — Wed, 22 Aug 2012 21:53:36 -0800

God how I miss the old neighborhood.

By: Sys Rq

Sys Rq — Wed, 22 Aug 2012 23:15:00 -0800

Each one of these has featured in its own FPP: 1, 2, 3.

By: Brocktoon

Brocktoon — Thu, 23 Aug 2012 00:12:39 -0800

This reminds me of Pogo. I'm on my phone or I would link it, but check the latest video he did of himself and a Wizard of Oz remix. It's called "Wizard of Meh"; it's really great and will put a big smile on your face.

By: Brocktoon

Brocktoon — Thu, 23 Aug 2012 00:14:04 -0800

And kudos to NPR. Love or hate this, I love knowing that fun things like this are encouraged by the brass.

By: JohnnyGunn

JohnnyGunn — Thu, 23 Aug 2012 07:08:22 -0800

I guess this is as good a place as any to tell my Mr. Rogers story. Back about 30 years ago, I went with a bunch of buddies skiing in Vermont. I was a first time skier (only time) and was more interested in the drinking and other things going on that weekend than trying to learn to ski on a sheet of ice in 12 degree weather. One friend who was going to school at Carnegie Mellon brought a friend along with him. He was introduced to us as [first name] Rogers. I didn't think anything of it as I had a friend from college with the last name Rogers too. As it turned out, Rogers was hurt and wasn't going to ski, he was just there for the weekend fun. About 2/3rds of our group heads out to the mountain while the rest of us head to the bar. By 3:00pm we were quite loose having been drinking for 5 hours. The skiers come off the mountain and we all head back to our rented house. We are sitting on the couches pretty primed when Rogers says, "Anyone want to smoke a joint?" There was a chorus of "Fire that baby up"s. At which point he says, "I knew you would." The phrase and the voice were instantly familiar. I am trying to place it, but not working so well. Finally, it occurs to me. "Are you Fred Rogers son?" I blurt out. "Yup." At this point we all start grilling him. Where does your dad get those sweaters? What's up with the nerdy sneakers? Have you ever been to the Magic Kingdom? I am sure he had heard it all before because he just kept on smoking and smiling. So my claim to fame is I got pied eyed and smoked a joint with Fred Roger's son.

By: edgeways

edgeways — Thu, 23 Aug 2012 07:42:47 -0800

So honest question, who has replaced these folks? One of the things that makes these people great is how honest ordinary in appearence coupled with their entusaism and dedication towards one thing, being an authentic master, not a dabbler in many things coulped with a youth obsession. I am sure there must be equallyfantastic people doing simular stuff right now, but I am too disconnected to know of them

By: lackutrol

lackutrol — Thu, 23 Aug 2012 08:13:35 -0800

smirkette, exactly right. The first time you do something, you will almost invariably suck, but as time goes on and you stick with it, you learn what to do with your mistakes and gradually get better. Each in their own way, I think all of these guys taught that basic lesson. And they were all, by all accounts, kind and generous with their time.

By: Capt. Renault

Capt. Renault — Thu, 23 Aug 2012 08:24:05 -0800

I approve of these autotunes, and eagerly anticipate Norm Abram's turn.

By: Sreiny

Sreiny — Thu, 23 Aug 2012 17:21:26 -0800

The Mr. Rogers slide whistle solo touched my soul.

By: Monkey0nCrack

Monkey0nCrack — Fri, 24 Aug 2012 16:41:57 -0800

Anyone out there doing Paula Deen piece featuring BUTTER?

By: sourwookie

sourwookie — Sat, 25 Aug 2012 06:17:57 -0800

Metafilter: See how uselessly useless that meme is?