Here's the latest installment of the series, which includes not only Animal, Lips, and Zoot, but 4 (FOUR!) top secret cameos from other Muppets. Get excited, people.
------------------------------------
When The Morning Light Passes Through The Windows of The Electric Mayhem Bus You Can See Clearly (How Messy It Really Is)
***********
Scene: The Electric Mayhem Bus. A truly psychedelically decorated vehicle, the bus should evoke the looming images of fast food bags and sparsely attended gigs in Wichita, Kansas (no offense to all you in Wichita). There are instrument cases scattered about the seats of the bus, guitars, saxophones, other string instruments, even a triangle. In the back of the bus, a makeshift bed has been made by flipping the back of one seat down into the base of another.
Here is where you will find Zoot, the slightly unkempt saxophone player. Sleeping in his usual semi-bohemian clothing, even with his glasses still on, Zoot looks as if he is used to such uncomfortable beds. This may even be one of the most comfortable. Using his hat as a stand-in pillow, Zoot's stringy hair flips widely over his head as he breathes in and out.
Across from Zoot, sits his fellow musician Animal. He has fallen asleep sitting up, head lying against his chest, letting out quite the window-shaking snores. His shreds of clothing move with the forces of his snores, but the one thing that does not move are the drumsticks in his hands, which are tightly gripped like a sort of security blanket. His small feet are chained to the base of his seat, a precautionary measure taken by Floyd before him and Janice left for the day.
While Zoot and Animal sleep through the early morning, Beauregard steps outside the Muppet Boarding House and lifts often the garage door, to take out a leaf blower. It's time to clean out the gutters. As the leaf blower is slowly wound up, Zoot's peaceful sleep is broken.
Zoot (sleepily, hand scratching his head): What?
Leaf blower continues blasting in the background, while Zoot lazily sits up and places his hat on his head, smoothing out his hair.
Zoot (looking out window): Oh. Beauregard. The leaf blower.
Zoot slowly makes his way to the middle of the bus, gingerly opening up an instrument case, which contains his livelihood, his lover, his therapist, his everything, his nothing, his something. His saxophone. He picks the instrument, sits down in the seat, and begins softly blowing a tune, which is barely perceptible over the din of Beauregard's leaf blower.
As Zoot plays, Beauregard continues to blow leaves around, but is momentarily distracted by a motorcycle whooshing up the street at dangerous speeds that may or not have been driven by Rizzo. While turning around, Beauregard inadvertently drops the leaf blower, which begins bucking wildly as if it has been possessed by the spirit of a mechanical bull. The leaf blower gallops throughout the yard, while Beauregard nobly chases it around in a fruitless pursuit.
Zoot (looking out other window): The leaf blower. Beauregard. Oh.
Meanwhile, the excessive noise of the bucking leaf blower and Beauregard's yells and yelps have began to shake Animal out of his slumber. Animal lifts his head, slowly, blinks, and stares out the window to determine what woke him up.
Animal (with emotion): NOISE! NOISE! WAS SLEEPING! RUDE!
Zoot (looking towards the back of the bus): It's just Beauregard.
Animal (slightly calmer): OH…. DRUMS?
Zoot: In a minute.
Animal appears momentarily placated and contents himself slapping the back of the seat he was sleeping on. Meanwhile, Zoot gently puts down his saxophone back into its case, and makes his way to the back of the bus to retrieve Animal. This would normally be Floyd's job, but he and Janice snuck away today for a date at the beach, so Zoot volunteered to take care of him.
While Zoot walks to the back of the bus, and while Beauregard continues to chase the leaf blower throughout the front yard of the boarding house, another figure appears in the foreground. Walking down the sidewalk with a newspaper in one hand and a coffee in the other is Lips. The sometime trumpeter of the Electric Mayhem enjoyed starting off his day with a quiet breakfast, with weather permitting he would enjoy on the front porch of the boarding house.
Lips slowly walks down the sidewalk and stops short, noticing Beauregard running around the yard, still no closer to capturing the leaf blower. Both George and Mildred have been drawn outside by the noise and are attempting to help corral the leaf blower as well. However, the leaf blower proves to remain elusive.
In the bus, Zoot gingerly frees Animal from his chains and begins to walk him down the aisle towards the door. Animal is eagerly gripping his drumsticks and smiling at the thought of going down to the rehearsal room to bash the drums.
Zoot opens the door of the bus and Animal steps out, blinking in the bright morning sun. His eyes suddenly dart toward the galloping leaf blower, and the three poor fellows chasing it. A look of excitement crosses his face, and he runs out of Zoot's grasp, leaving Zoot slack-jawed and dumbfounded.
Zoot (slack-jawed and dumbfounded): The leaf blower. Beauregard. George. Mildred. Oh, man.
Animal (from atop the leaf blower): YEAH! YEAH!
Beauregard, George, and Mildred make their way to the front porch, as the leaf blower has at least has been corralled and is now therefore Animal's responsibility. Besides, it's about time for breakfast by now. Zoot shrugs his shoulders at the sight of Animal on the leaf blower, and returns to the bus. The sound of the saxophone is soon heard as George, Mildred, and Beauregard enter the house and close the front door.
Lips, who has remained on the sidewalk the entire time, shakes his head and smiles. It becomes clear that he has seen a similar scene before. He makes his way up the driveway, onto the porch, and spreads out his newspaper at the table, while Animal continues to ride around the yard on the leaf blower and Zoot plays the saxophone in the background.
End Scene
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Coming up "next": A day in the life of Statler and Waldorf.
Welcome to the Muppet Central Forum!
Jim Henson Idea Man
Back to the Rock Season 2
Bear arrives on Disney+
Sam and Friends Book
