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Bill Barretta Interview with Rock Candy Radio
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Pig'sSaysAdios
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This was a great interview, I definitely learned a lot about him.
antsamthompson9
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If you don't mind, I'd like to share my favorite quote from this interview:
I think when I first started doing some of Jim's characters, I knew that Rowlf was very important to the Henson family, and if someone was gonna be doing that, it had to be someone that they trusted who kinda got it, and I hope that's what I've done with him. It's hard to do somebody else's character. And I don't think I think about it as much, although I know it's always there. But to try to do someone else's character, people first think it's about a voice, but that's really secondary to the character. Because the character has to come from that person. It's a part of you, no matter what you do. That character comes out of that person. It's what I believe anyway. Maybe people disagree. But, I could never be the Swedish Chef or Rowlf the Dog or Dr. Teeth, but I think I have a sense of Jim, certainly not only because I met him a few times but, because I have an understanding of him through the other performers. After 25 years, you get to hear the stories and you know the family, and you start to get a sense of who this guy was. And so, I have that that I kinda carry with me back in my brain somewhere and my heart. And then you watch the characters and what he did with them. And you try to follow those rhythms, and what you feel that perspective of that character is as best you can. And then after time, over time there's a part of you that has to become part of that character. Otherwise, it's not true. It's just an impersonation. So I think you have to slowly infuse a part of yourself in there eventually, with hopefully not doing anything to damage the integrity of that character, what it was and what people love about it. So I hope that it's okay with Jim.
I think when I first started doing some of Jim's characters, I knew that Rowlf was very important to the Henson family, and if someone was gonna be doing that, it had to be someone that they trusted who kinda got it, and I hope that's what I've done with him. It's hard to do somebody else's character. And I don't think I think about it as much, although I know it's always there. But to try to do someone else's character, people first think it's about a voice, but that's really secondary to the character. Because the character has to come from that person. It's a part of you, no matter what you do. That character comes out of that person. It's what I believe anyway. Maybe people disagree. But, I could never be the Swedish Chef or Rowlf the Dog or Dr. Teeth, but I think I have a sense of Jim, certainly not only because I met him a few times but, because I have an understanding of him through the other performers. After 25 years, you get to hear the stories and you know the family, and you start to get a sense of who this guy was. And so, I have that that I kinda carry with me back in my brain somewhere and my heart. And then you watch the characters and what he did with them. And you try to follow those rhythms, and what you feel that perspective of that character is as best you can. And then after time, over time there's a part of you that has to become part of that character. Otherwise, it's not true. It's just an impersonation. So I think you have to slowly infuse a part of yourself in there eventually, with hopefully not doing anything to damage the integrity of that character, what it was and what people love about it. So I hope that it's okay with Jim.
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