The ask Jim Lewis thread is now open

[CensoredAlso]

Oh yeah I was thinking about this the other day. Awesome, can't wait to see!

 

[Beauregard]

Oh yeah I was thinking about this the other day. Awesome, can't wait to see!

Same here! Am very interested!

 

[dwayne1115]

Hey guys it give me great pleasuer to present the answer to some of your alls qustions. by JIM himself. here ya go, and happy reading. Oh by the way give us some more answer we both want to do ths more Jim thinks its fun and so do I.


1. Hey Jim, I have a question about "Before You Leap."

Was it a concious decision on your part to give Fozzie such a huge portion of the book? Or was it an executive decision?

I for one LOVED seeing Fozzie's name so revelled and respected throughout the book, a great addition.

As you probably read in my interview, and as you can tell by my screen name (BEARwithME) Fozzie is my hero. Needy, trusting, sweet, with an obsessive-compulsive joke-reflex; what’s not to love…or emulate? So, his major part in the book comes from my heart, not executive mandate. The fact is, they let me loose on the book, so what you see is all my fault. (As told to me by Kermit, of course.)




2. Hey, I was wondering who wrote the Muppetisms. They have a Jim Lewis-ian style to them. Was it he?


Thanks for remembering the Muppetisms. I love those and don’t think they ever got enough play. They were a joint effort of the great Kirk Thatcher and I…with Kirk directing the spots…and the Muppets doing whatever they wanted, no matter what was on the page or how much Kirk yelled “CUT!”





3. This was asked in the Terry thread by Meep so, did you know Richard Hunt and if so, what's your favorite memory?


I did know Richard, though not as well as the folks who worked with him on “Sesame Street”. And I will kick myself forever for not having included his name in the pantheon of greats listed in “Before You Leap”. (I’m sure I forgot others, but that omission was especially numbskulled on my part.) As for my favorite memory of Richard, it’s not one single moment, but rather his utter abandon and unbridled willingness to upstage anyone and everyone for a better, bigger laugh. I get giddy just thinking about it. (Plus he was really nice to me, and that counts for lots.)



4. When writing for the Muppets, how do you keep the humor both classic and modern (pop culture-y) and have it intended for all ages? Thanks for answering our questions, Jim, and I love, LOVE, LOVE It's A Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie!!!!!....Has there been a conscious effort to change, update, and/or modernize the writing style of the Muppets, and if so, what have these changes entailed and what is your opinion of same?



How to keep it classic and modern? Hmm, good question. I go classic myself (if, by “classic’ you mean the Fozzie formula: “A little song, a little dance, a little seltzer down your pants”). Modern, as in pop culture references, are okay on appearances but in movies and shows they tend to date the material quickly. As any performer will tell you—and remind me: whatever laughs you get have to come from character, interaction and, of course, the logical absurdity of the Muppets themselves. To paraphrase the Rolling Stones: “Gimme seltzer!”




5. Was there a Name for the band in the Show Muppets Tonight, also what where the band members names?


Wow, I should know this, but I don’t. Blame it on old age. The band did have a name (something something “foam”, I believe) and that one character with the wrinkled jowls—a personal favorite—had a great moniker, too. But I’m drawing a blank. Sorry. Anyone else help with this?

 

[CensoredAlso]

Awesome, thank you dwayne and Jim! Thank you both for taking the time!

And Jim's forgiven for forgetting about Richard's name. Hehe

 

[minor muppetz]

It's a shame that you couldn't remember the name of the Muppets Tonight band. So "Foam" was at the end of the title. The Jim Henson Hour Band was called Solid Foam. Weird that two bands would have similar titles. And the band member you mentioned was named Jowls. I think he was the only member whose name was mentioned on the show.

Anyway, I've got another question now. Can you describe the infamous cut Snoop Dog scene from It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie? I've seen a promotional picture (not sure if it was actually a still or taken when he was on the set) of Snoop Dog backstage (The Muppet Show's backstage, not an actual backstage) with Dr. Teeth, Floyd, and Janice, so I guess he was with the Electric Mayhem. So I'd like to know if he was with the whole Electric Mayhem (I didn't see Animal, Zoot or Lips (the trumpet player from the last season and The Great Muppet Caper, if you're not sure off-hand who he is) in the picture), and if any other characters were in the scene, and I'd like to know what happened during the scene (I'm not asking for a transcript of the scene, but a basic summary), and when it was supposed to happen in the film (my guess would be either at the beginning of the film or before Kermit went looking for Fozzie).

 

[Beauregard]

Thanks for the answers Jim! Fantastic to see that you write as the Muppets lead you, and the respect you give to the characters.

I was wondering, about VMC, was The Boss written with Woopie Goldberg in mind? And/or Rachiel Bitterman with Joan in mind?

 

[dwayne1115]

wow good qustions keep them coming i cant wait to send them and get this goiong again.

 

[theprawncracker]

Is lack of puppeteers the real reason for characters like Rowlf and the Electric Mayhem's dissapearances? Or was it a writing decission, did the characters sort of "fizzle" out? If it was puppeteers, why not try and find the puppeteers?

--Thanks Jim, for doing this for us raving fans, it means more than you know!

 

[dwayne1115]

wow that s an awsom qustion!!!!

 

[Ilikemuppets]

Great interview!