I was there too, Hays. I was sitting next to the cranky child at the beginning of the evening. Caroll _was_ extremely charming and very, very giving to each person he talked with.
I especially appreciated his story about Big Bird's appearance on Mr. Rogers. He was very funny and animated as he commented on his realization that he was having a 20 minute disagreement with Mr. Rogers of all people.
Another interesting comment that stayed with me was when Caroll commented on how Jim Henson was a very gentle leader and that if Frank Oz had been the sole leader, despite his giftedness in puppetry, things would have been a lot more uptight.
Puppet Builder was there too and he brought his hand built Hip Cat from the Designs and Doodles book, as well as his Kermit puppet which was signed by Jane and Brian Henson. Caroll puppeteered both of them (even going so far as to do his intepretation of Kermit...which was quite fun) and invested a good deal of time talking with and encouraging him. They were really great puppets, too.
After most people had left he shared another story about Jim's leadership. There was a time early on in Sesame Street's production when Caroll was having trouble with the lip-sync for "Everyone Likes Ice Cream". Jim kept encouraging him but Caroll said that he just wasn't able to count the beats right in his head. After a particular take, Caroll recounted how he stood behind Jim who was watching a playback. Jim didn't know Caroll was there. As Jim watched the monitor he quietly said to himself, "Garbage." Caroll felt terrible and told Jim that he shouldn't be working with the Muppets and Jim was surprised and said that it was his performance he was commenting on not Caroll's but that if he heard a little "ding" he would know when to come in. Caroll said he could tell that Jim was fibbing a little bit but that Jim had found a way to point in him the right direction.
I stayed late with a few others...Kristin (Electric Mayhem) was there, as well and we had a very pleasant chat.
Caroll was surprised that I had traveled so long to meet him and was kind enough to draw Big Bird into my inscription. I too was overwhelmed at the prospect of meeting him and found myself just a little tongue tied. But he was very, very kind and afterward allowed me to get my picture taken with him. I thanked him profusely and he told me that since I had traveled 6 hours I could ask for anything. He then allowed me to have my picture taken with him and Oscar despite the fact that he had an early morning ahead of him.
It was a memorable visit and I learned that when someone asks for a little bit of my time and attention at the expense of my own agenda, it's incredibly affirming when you just stop and invest in that person right then and there.
That was the most signifcant gift Caroll Spinney gave to me tonight and I will always remember that.
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