Comments on: Buddy Rich on the Muppet Show (QuickTime)

Buddy Rich on the Muppet Show (QuickTime)

safetyfork — Fri, 18 Mar 2005 07:09:51 -0800

Drummer Buddy Rich's appearance on the Muppet Show (QuickTime embedded, or get it "direct").

By: safetyfork

safetyfork — Fri, 18 Mar 2005 07:12:07 -0800

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.

By: foot

foot — Fri, 18 Mar 2005 07:12:09 -0800

dig it. thanks.

By: matteo

matteo — Fri, 18 Mar 2005 07:15:18 -0800

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

By: Pretty_Generic

Pretty_Generic — Fri, 18 Mar 2005 07:15:24 -0800

That made me very happy.

By: MrLint

MrLint — Fri, 18 Mar 2005 07:19:24 -0800

i vaguely recall seeing this on tv when it aired:) boy i miss the muppet show

By: cosmicbandito

cosmicbandito — Fri, 18 Mar 2005 07:22:48 -0800

speaking of the Muppets, did anybody else see the "behind the music" parody on Robot chicken last night?

By: squirrel

squirrel — Fri, 18 Mar 2005 07:23:46 -0800

(B-Boys, Sabotage) Rich rocks, yeah. cosmicbandito , please post!

By: caddis

caddis — Fri, 18 Mar 2005 07:24:51 -0800

There is a lot of good drumming on that site.

By: mediareport

mediareport — Fri, 18 Mar 2005 07:25:01 -0800

Saw it Sunday, cosmicbandito. Cried when they had to put Animal down.

By: Neosamurai85

Neosamurai85 — Fri, 18 Mar 2005 07:26:55 -0800

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.

By: Neosamurai85

Neosamurai85 — Fri, 18 Mar 2005 07:30:08 -0800

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.

By: mediareport

mediareport — Fri, 18 Mar 2005 07:34:48 -0800

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.

By: raysmj

raysmj — Fri, 18 Mar 2005 07:37:00 -0800

I watched that about seven or eight times, then had to get back to work. Thanks!

By: The Card Cheat

The Card Cheat — Fri, 18 Mar 2005 07:46:35 -0800

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.

By: BobFrapples

BobFrapples — Fri, 18 Mar 2005 07:47:36 -0800

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.

By: raysmj

raysmj — Fri, 18 Mar 2005 07:48:00 -0800

Animal was based on Keith Moon. It would have been like dueling with himself.

By: Ethereal Bligh

Ethereal Bligh — Fri, 18 Mar 2005 07:50:14 -0800

"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.

By: petebest

petebest — Fri, 18 Mar 2005 07:52:27 -0800

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."

By: furtive

furtive — Fri, 18 Mar 2005 07:52:45 -0800

Pretty good drummer, for a muppet. I'd hit it....like Buddy Rich. /stops pretending he's on fark.

By: emptybowl

emptybowl — Fri, 18 Mar 2005 07:55:57 -0800

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.

By: fletchmuy

fletchmuy — Fri, 18 Mar 2005 08:01:22 -0800

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.

By: Ethereal Bligh

Ethereal Bligh — Fri, 18 Mar 2005 08:22:16 -0800

"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.

By: Faint of Butt

Faint of Butt — Fri, 18 Mar 2005 08:24:01 -0800

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!

By: fixedgear

fixedgear — Fri, 18 Mar 2005 08:26:18 -0800

Check out "Burning for Buddy" Vols. I and II for some tributes to Buddy Rich by lots of great drummers.

By: LeLiLo

LeLiLo — Fri, 18 Mar 2005 08:58:06 -0800

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.

By: The Card Cheat

The Card Cheat — Fri, 18 Mar 2005 09:28:17 -0800

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.

By: bardic

bardic — Fri, 18 Mar 2005 10:37:37 -0800

Buddy Rich is one of those fairly ugly guys who probably got tons of play.

By: Scoo

Scoo — Fri, 18 Mar 2005 12:01:04 -0800

Here are the audio clips BobFrapple was talking about.

By: tkchrist

tkchrist — Fri, 18 Mar 2005 12:55:15 -0800

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.

By: Four Flavors

Four Flavors — Fri, 18 Mar 2005 13:30:18 -0800

Sets of the Muppet Show seasons are floating around file-sharing networks currently. I've heard that they're decent quality.

By: mr.marx

mr.marx — Fri, 18 Mar 2005 15:07:46 -0800

I'm lost for words [this is so so good]

By: orange swan

orange swan — Fri, 18 Mar 2005 15:41:28 -0800

I squealed for joy when I read about the Muppets being released on DVD. Like, wow.</Janis the Muppet.

By: Eideteker

Eideteker — Fri, 18 Mar 2005 17:01:41 -0800

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.

By: jadepearl

jadepearl — Fri, 18 Mar 2005 19:33:27 -0800

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.