Matt Vogel's Big Bird

[MUPPETMONKEY]

A few weeks ago I was watching a "Journey to Ernie" episode with Matt Vogel performing Big Bird.
Now... Like many of you it felt sort of...weird...watching Big Bird having a different voice.
But one of the techniques I used to do as part of my puppeteer-self-train routine days was to watch Muppet episodes with no sound.
I know it may sound weird, but just like with cartoons, if you turn the volume down, you concentrate more in the movement and performance. Voices distract you in some way.
That's how I learned to notice either Jim Henson or Jerry Nelson when they were performing a puppet. Each has a particular way of puppeteering their characters.
Try watching a Muppet Show episode without sound and notice Richard Hunt performing Rowlf while Jim was with Kermit.

That was a free cheap puppetering lesson from moi , now back to the main topic.... Matt

With Matt I noticed that he mimics Caroll Spinney's movements SO WELL that you feel like watching the 70's-80's Big Bird again. Full of energy and playful like he used to be.
Now, I say these comments with all my respect to the great Caroll Spinney, of course.
About the voice, I can say that even tough it doesn't sounds like Caroll's , he actually does a perfect imitation of Big Bird's slow vocal tones.

I remember hearing Steve Withmire's Kermit way back to that special show they did in Jim Henson's memory and I almost cried! I was like..."oh, man... Kermit sounds like Pee-Wee Herman!"
But after all those years passed, I can say that Steve actually nailed Jim's Kermit perfectly.
So in my opinion, Matt's Big Bird will get better with time.

And those are my two cents!

 

[Ilikemuppets]

I also think Caroll has gotten better with time. So while Matt reminds us all of the the old Big Bird, Caroll had developed him and really improved his performance over the years. Some thing never change, they just improve but stay very classic.

That's my two cents.

 

[MWoO]

I agree with MUPPETMONKEY. When I watched Journey to Ernie for the first time before i even knew Matt exosted, I had no clue it was a different person. I thought that either Caroll had a cold or his voice just changed over the years since it had been a long time since I saw Big Bird on TV.

Say what you will about the voice not being EXCACTLY the same, but the puppet work is right on and as MUPPETMONKEY said, the tones and inflections are right. That's why I like Eric's Fozzie. His speaking patterns and tones are right, where as Steve doing KErmit is...not right. While i have come to accept it, I have also accepted the Kermit is simply a different character now.

 

[jeffkjoe]

To Matt Vogel's credit:

Of all of the Sesame Street Muppet voices to get right, Big Bird has got to be the HARDEST.

Grover's, Cookie's, Ernie's....Not as hard.

 

[Ilikemuppets]

Well, Eric and David Rudman through me off too when I first heard them doing Franks characters. I thought that sense Franks voice had changed so much from his thirties to his sixties, I thought that was the case, but I guess I was wrong about that one.

 

[MUPPETMONKEY]

I agree with MUPPETMONKEY. When I watched Journey to Ernie for the first time before i even knew Matt exosted, I had no clue it was a different person. I thought that either Caroll had a cold or his voice just changed over the years since it had been a long time since I saw Big Bird on TV.

Say what you will about the voice not being EXCACTLY the same, but the puppet work is right on and as MUPPETMONKEY said, the tones and inflections are right. That's why I like Eric's Fozzie. His speaking patterns and tones are right, where as Steve doing KErmit is...not right. While i have come to accept it, I have also accepted the Kermit is simply a different character now.

Now that you mention it, that was my first tought too. I tought Caroll had a cold or since it has been so long since I sat down to watch a recent episode of SS, maybe his voice changed because of the years.
About Steve's Kermit...Yeah...guess I got used to it too. He used to do a very high pitched Kermit voice but he toned it down with time.
We have to keep in mind that in terms of characterization, Caroll created Big Bird, Jim created Ernie and Kermit, Frank created Bert and Fozzie and so on... Which means that their actual puppeters have to follow their lead.
I must say that I admire Matt, Steve and Eric for being not only incredibly talented, but also for being so brave to follow what these legends have created.

 

[aaronmojo]

I gotta say -- I agree with the bit about Big Bird and Matt Vogel, but not about Steve Whitmire and Kermit. I gave up and quit paying attention to anything with Kermit in it post-Jim. Whitmire's voice and performance of Kermit leave a lot to be desired. Same with his Ernie. Steve Whitmire lacks Jim Henson's natural "laid back" tone, and his slightly midwestern accent, and his relaxed way of acting. His Ernie seems way too high-strung compared to the old one.

But -- Sesame Street is for children, anyway, and I'm sure kids 20 years from now will see Sesame Street from the 70s and 80s and wonder "what the heck is wrong with Ernie and Kermit??"