Buddy Rich on the Muppet Show (QuickTime)

March 18, 2005 7:09 AM

Drummer Buddy Rich's appearance on the Muppet Show (QuickTime embedded, or get it "direct").
posted by safetyfork (34 comments total)

More on Buddy at the official site or here. There is also a previous Mefi linking to a play based on his comments that dramatizes his attitude.
posted by safetyfork at 7:12 AM on March 18, 2005

dig it. thanks.
posted by foot at 7:12 AM on March 18, 2005

But I Can't Stand Rockin' When I'm In This Place
Because I Feel Disgrace Because You're All In My Face
But Make No Mistakes And Switch Up My Channel
I'm Buddy Rich When I Fly Off The Handle
posted by matteo at 7:15 AM on March 18, 2005

That made me very happy.
posted by Pretty_Generic at 7:15 AM on March 18, 2005

i vaguely recall seeing this on tv when it aired:)

boy i miss the muppet show
posted by MrLint at 7:19 AM on March 18, 2005

speaking of the Muppets, did anybody else see the "behind the music" parody on Robot chicken last night?
posted by cosmicbandito at 7:22 AM on March 18, 2005

(B-Boys, Sabotage) Rich rocks, yeah.
cosmicbandito , please post!
posted by squirrel at 7:23 AM on March 18, 2005

There is a lot of good drumming on that site.
posted by caddis at 7:24 AM on March 18, 2005

Saw it Sunday, cosmicbandito. Cried when they had to put Animal down.
posted by mediareport at 7:25 AM on March 18, 2005

Small world! I found an old VHS of this in my house when I was cleaning. Watched it with the drummer of my last two bands. It really is one of best ways to cheer me up out there. Thanks.
posted by Neosamurai85 at 7:26 AM on March 18, 2005

The best part from this show is missing from the quicktime clip. After Buddy finishes playing. Animal, dazed and enraged by his defeat. Throws his kick drum at Buddy. Nobody messes with Animal... nobody.
posted by Neosamurai85 at 7:30 AM on March 18, 2005

Well, this sure got me wanting more. Quick search at Yahoo found this:

Muppet Show DVD season sets planned for 2005

...It was announced that the season box sets would begin arriving in the summer of 2005. That estimate may be a little optimistic. Late 2005, early 2006 may be a more realistic target date. Nonetheless, this is long-awaited news for Muppet fans. Hopefully, Disney will release the episodes uncut with UK skits and the original first season openings. Bonus material like "The Muppets Valentine Show", "The Muppet Show: Sex and Violence" and "Of Muppets and Men" would be excellent special features.

Time-Life released 45 of the 120 Muppet Show episodes on video and DVD in 2000 and 2001. "The Muppet Show" was in syndication around the world for five seasons from 1976-1981.
posted by mediareport at 7:34 AM on March 18, 2005

I watched that about seven or eight times, then had to get back to work. Thanks!
posted by raysmj at 7:37 AM on March 18, 2005

That was pretty cool, but I can't help but wonder what it would have been like if they'd gotten Keith Moon on the ol' Muppet Show. Now, that guy could have given Animal a run for his money.
posted by The Card Cheat at 7:46 AM on March 18, 2005

I wonder if the DVD will have the part where Buddy cusses out the rest of the Muppets on the bus and threatens to fire all of their asses.
posted by BobFrapples at 7:47 AM on March 18, 2005

Animal was based on Keith Moon. It would have been like dueling with himself.
posted by raysmj at 7:48 AM on March 18, 2005

"i vaguely recall seeing this on tv when it aired"

Me, too. I miss Rich's appearances on The Tonight Show. He often did dueling drummers with people—Shaunessy, probably, but others. And on at least one occasion he dueled with Johnny Carson who was actually quite a fine drummer himself. (And he was friends with Rich, thus Rich's frequent appearances.)

As a relatively not-at-all-accomplished-drummer myself, though nearly lifelong, I have always loved to watch Rich play because he is truly at one with the drumset. His sticks and the drums, even the hardware, are all an immediate and direct extension of his thoughts and his body. He is not playing an instrument, he is the instrument.
posted by Ethereal Bligh at 7:50 AM on March 18, 2005

From this month's Mental Floss magazine:

(Frank Oz did the voice of Animal, but not the drumming) "For that, Henson hired Britain's leading big-band drummer, Ronnie Verrell. Ironically, it was Verrell's turn as the 'WO-man' crazy Animal that would finally allow him to collaborate with drummer/idol Buddy Rich."
posted by petebest at 7:52 AM on March 18, 2005

Pretty good drummer, for a muppet.

I'd hit it....like Buddy Rich.

/stops pretending he's on fark.
posted by furtive at 7:52 AM on March 18, 2005

safetyfok, I was going to say you made my day, but mediareport has made my year. I'm so glad I held off buying those Time/Life DVDs that only had 3 episodes apiece. (I KNEW they were gonna release season sets at some point.) I don't care if these DVD sets will be bare-bones with no extras, I'm buying every single one.

Also, it's reassuring to watch that video and see that Buddy Rich's left hand positioning is just as bad as mine, and I got shit for it from every percussion teacher I had.
posted by emptybowl at 7:55 AM on March 18, 2005

That upward glance on the cymbals that Rich did was HOTT.

I got to see Buddy Rich play with his big band when I was about 15. I also got to meet him backstage. I was petrified that I would say something wrong and that he'd ridicule me, but he was very gracious and gave me his autograph.

Thanks for this link, safetyfork.
posted by fletchmuy at 8:01 AM on March 18, 2005

"Also, it's reassuring to watch that video and see that Buddy Rich's left hand positioning is just as bad as mine, and I got shit for it from every percussion teacher I had."

Well, you know. If you're immensely talented, you can do whatever the hell you want.

It's interesting, isn't it? I was thinking earlier how Rich was one of the best drummers ever, but as a musician in general, not as much. There's something, um, sterile, in his music. And I tend to equate that sort of sterility with a surplus of technique and a deficit of creativity. But Rich's example, to me, demonstrates that there's at least three different kind of relationships musicians have with music. The first is the full-on creative aspect, they are artists in the deepest sense of the word. The second is the technical relationship with the music. The third is the organic relationship they have with their instrument, not necessarily the music.

Rich was unparalled in the third category and impressive in the second. Not so impressive in the first, I think.

I've always (probably) overvalued the first and (probably) undervalued the second. But it's interesting to me that I do value the third quite a bit. Why? I don't know. There's something intangible about the first and third where the second is mundane. And I suppose that I believe the chief value in art in general is in its intangibles, its mysteries.
posted by Ethereal Bligh at 8:22 AM on March 18, 2005

I am simultaneously thrilled and saddened to learn of the DVD season sets, since I was one of the poor sods who bought the Time-Life crap. eBay, here I come!
posted by Faint of Butt at 8:24 AM on March 18, 2005

Check out "Burning for Buddy" Vols. I and II for some tributes to Buddy Rich by lots of great drummers.
posted by fixedgear at 8:26 AM on March 18, 2005

Interesting points, Ethereal Bligh. Buddy was indeed a technical wonder, but you're right, somehow (or maybe just with his own big band, which I only saw once) he always seemed to overpower the music.

And I love Keith Moon as much as any rock drummer, but no way did he (or any of them) have what Buddy had. For one thing, Buddy was 63 years old in that Muppet video. 63! Imagine what he was like in his 20s, or 30s. (Or imagine what Keith himself would have been like today, nearing 60.)

Anyway, to see that again was a nice start to the weekend; thanks safetyfork. I'm supposed to be off catching the ferry to Martha's Vineyard, to play drums myself this weekend . . . but not nearly as well as Animal.

p.s. Speaking of which, didn't you wonder about the drummer behind the muppet? Scroll down to the bottom here.
posted by LeLiLo at 8:58 AM on March 18, 2005

And I love Keith Moon as much as any rock drummer, but no way did he (or any of them) have what Buddy had.

I'm not really qualified to make a truly informed judgement call on who the "best" drummer is, but I put forth the idea of Keith Moon appearing on the show not because he was better than Buddy Rich, but because he was as well-known for his crazy shenanigans as he was for his drumming. I didn't know Animal was actually based on Moon, so thanks for that, raysmj.
posted by The Card Cheat at 9:28 AM on March 18, 2005

Buddy Rich is one of those fairly ugly guys who probably got tons of play.
posted by bardic at 10:37 AM on March 18, 2005

Here are the audio clips BobFrapple was talking about.
posted by Scoo at 12:01 PM on March 18, 2005

Fuck-YEAH!

In the late 1970's my highschool Jazz Band and Choir won a contest to go to a Jazz festival in Knottsberry Farms, CA. While we were there Rich was playing. Most of the my HS band mates were classic rocker stoners - and not much interested in the old school stuff. Myself included.

But our Directors INSISTED we go see Rich. To get us to go they ACTUALLY got high with us... my first insight that my teachers were human.

LSS - Rich was amazing. He came down and hung out with us for a few minutes.

It sparked an interest in an entirely different form of music that has lasted to this day.
posted by tkchrist at 12:55 PM on March 18, 2005

Sets of the Muppet Show seasons are floating around file-sharing networks currently. I've heard that they're decent quality.
posted by Four Flavors at 1:30 PM on March 18, 2005

I'm lost for words
[this is so so good]
posted by mr.marx at 3:07 PM on March 18, 2005

I squealed for joy when I read about the Muppets being released on DVD. Like, wow.</Janis the Muppet.
posted by orange swan at 3:41 PM on March 18, 2005

I remember that! I didn't know who he was at the time. I had no clue that he was my favorite professional drummer (Neil Peart)'s favorite drummer. One of the fondest memories of my father (my favorite amateur drummer) I have is when one day he gave my a look like the one Animal gives Buddy about 3/4 of the way through (I was drumming to Shiner's Semper Fi at the time; too bad I never go to show him my work on The Egg). It was the first time I'd ever "lost" him while tandem drumming.

Need to start drumming again.
posted by Eideteker at 5:01 PM on March 18, 2005

Great link and wonderful news about the season DVDs. I was about to get the Time-Life ones but now I have something to look forward to.
posted by jadepearl at 7:33 PM on March 18, 2005