The Solid Foam Band

[minor muppetz]

I just realised that on The Jim Henson Hour, Solid Foam only performed one number of it's own, and was more or less a back-up band for other numbers. And most of the members appeared eithe rregularly in solo scenes, or in group scenes. So I'm wondering, was the Solid Foam name only used in one episode, or not?

It makes me wonder if it was meant to be a band at first, and if all were meant to be individual musicians. Digit and Clifford were the only members to appear in the first episode, and I don't know if any others were in the second episode.

 

[armslength]

I would think it was meant to be the band for JHH, much like Electric Mayhem was the band for TMS - but of course individual band members can lend their talents seperatley as needed, but with a short number of episodes and the show being axed before anyone in production would have liked, Solid Foam never really got its chance to shine.

 

[minor muppetz]

Well, I watched every episode on YouTube, and it seems that the band slowly became a major part of the show. Digit is the most major character in the group, due to his prominence in the controll room and since he appeared in every episode (that had MuppeTelevision). Out of the band Clifford seemed to be the second most important character in the band, appearing frequently on his own.

Beard, Flash, and the drummer all didn't appear until the thrid episode, and even then, they wer ejust in the background. The band performed back-up in the closing number, but after that, they weren't seen as aband until the Smokey Robinson episode, when the band provides back-up in Smokey Robinson's first number, appear backstage before the number, and also apear in the closing number (though the drummer was absent from that).

Then the band got their big break in the enxt episode, having a major presence in the controll room, and having their one big hit, The Music Just Keeps Us Rolling Along. This is also the only epsiode to really develop Flash as a character, and the only one where the drummer talks.

Then, in the k.d. lang episode, Flash, Beard, and Clifford provide back-up as a country band in k.d. lang's first number, and are joined by Rowlf. I guess Digit wasn't there because of Rowlf, and who knows why the drummer wasn't there. Then in the "food" episode, Flash and the drummer are replaced with Zoot and Animal. I'm not sure whether this was intended to be a permaneant change to the band or not, but the band is heavily featured, appearing in most of the controll room scenes, taking "requests" from Kermit, and performing in teh closing number (so I guess then that they did have more than just one main song).

And in this episode it seems like they were trying tod evelop Beard as a main character, and judging by that episode it looks like he might have been the leader. Beard was also a little bit major in The Secrets of the Muppets. He wasn't that major, but he was the only member of the band to appear when the puppeteers are shown with their characters, and besides Digit, he's the only one who appears in the special (outside of the behind-the-scenes footage from The Music Just Keeps Us Rolling Along).

For awhile, I had thought that The Muppets at Walt Disney World should have had the whole Solid Foam band there, perhaps forming rivalry with The Electric Mayhem. But as they weren't very major until the end, I guess it makes a bit of sense that they weren't developed after the show ended.

 

[ryhoyarbie]

I just watch the "Food" episode and notice two things, Kevin Clash was doing the voices for both Animal and Zoot, which I find strange since Dave was doing Gonzo and Digit. Must have been a mistake during the dubbing process.

Oz wasn't even there to voice Animal, so I thought it was strange to see him there along with Zoot.

 

[minor muppetz]

I just watch the "Food" episode and notice two things, Kevin Clash was doing the voices for both Animal and Zoot, which I find strange since Dave was doing Gonzo and Digit. Must have been a mistake during the dubbing process.

Oz wasn't even there to voice Animal, so I thought it was strange to see him there along with Zoot.

I didn't know Clash voiced Animal. I think Muppet Wiki says it was Rob Mills. But Animal's dialogue isn't that clear.

It would make sense for somebody else to perform Zoot sicne Goezl was performing Digit, but Clash was performing Clifford as well as Zoot. And the song audio is recorded before the video is shot.

 

[LamangoNumber2]

I noticed something weird about the Solid Foam. The only one, I beleive, to be created and designed by Jim is Clifford, and he's the only one to make it to stardom. Plus, he's the only one in the band with a 'techni-colored' skin complex. Not meaning to sound racist or anything, but he seemed like he was more at home with the Electric Mayhem.

His skin tone was perfect for the Mayhem band. Plus, it'd give all the major puppetteers a member for the band, wouldn't it?

In the Music Keeps us Rolling along video, I noticed Dr.Teeth in a recording booth, bobbing his head to the music. Animal and Zoot appeared with them one time as well. So maybe the Solid Foam and Electric Mayhem are in cahoots. To bad ZekeImean Beard didn't get to raise to stardom. And I can't stand Flash. Zoot is always going to be the man.

Here are my gripes about the Solid Foam.
Never got as many preformances as the Mayhem.
The band always seemed to be able to do anything. With the Mayhem band, most of the members usually stay in a group, with Floyd usually being the voice of reason for them, while Dr.Teeth is the leader of the band on Stage.
The Solid Foam was to....human-ish. I'm used to Abstract Humans of the Mayhem band. And don't get me started on the Muppet's Tonight Band. I dunno *** they where supposed to be.

 

[minor muppetz]

I noticed something weird about the Solid Foam. The only one, I beleive, to be created and designed by Jim is Clifford, and he's the only one to make it to stardom.

Actually, according to Muppet Wiki, Clifford was designed by Kirk Thatcher.

 

[LamangoNumber2]

Actually, according to Muppet Wiki, Clifford was designed by Kirk Thatcher.

Odd, thought Jim designed him. Or built him. I dunno. But the thing is, the purple guy fits more in with the Mayhem band, I mean, look at Rocking all Around the world.

 

[minor muppetz]

I think Jim Henson mostly stopped buiding and designing characters around 1977.

 

[minor muppetz]

I recently saw some scans from an article on The Jim Henson Hour from Muppet Magazine, and that article referred to Solid Foam as a mix of new and old, referrignt o Animnal and Zoot as members, in addition to Beard and Digit. It did not mention Clifford, Flash, or the drummer.

Considering this, I wonder if "Food" might have been the first episode made. It's a shame that we don't know the official production order for the MuppeTelevision segments (Henson.com seemed to list all series epsiodes by production order, yet JHH was one of the few to not have an episode list on the site). More evidence that it may have been made first is the fact that this epsidoe has no cold open, and Jim Henson's introduction is not immediately followed by a MuppeTelevision scene (the only other episodes lacking these are Monster Maker and Living with Dinosaurs).

The first broadcast episode did include mention of that being the first episode, in Jim's introduction, but that doesn't mean it was the first one made. The first broadcast episode of Fraggle Rock properly introduced the characters and situations, yet wasn't the first one produced, either. And if it turns out that I'm right, then it would be ironic, as I think the characters are better developed in "Food" then in "Science Fiction".