New and very interesting post from Steve Whitmire

[antsamthompson9]

Bill Barretta

Huh…I will never deny or question what someone believes in their heart, because that’s who they are. But there’s a lot of assumption, misinformation and a big part of the story missing in here that...

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[Grumpo]

Bill Barretta

Huh…I will never deny or question what someone believes in their heart, because that’s who they are. But there’s a lot of assumption, misinformation and a big part of the story missing in here that...

www.facebook.com

@antsamthompson9, as always, thank you for your very informative inputs!

Speaking for myself, i found that the following reply to Bill's post resonates with me the most:

Rick Burkhardt
I was born in 1970 and grew up with the Muppets, and I have really REALLY strong feelings and opinions about them. (Of course I do — they taught me to read and count!) I don't know any of the top-tier Muppet performers personally, but it makes a huge amount of sense to me that Steve (and others) who have inhabited the world of Muppets would also have really strong feelings and opinions about them. You are all WILDLY GREAT ARTISTS, some of the very best in the world. It's (sadly) normal for great artists to have major disagreements, sometimes in public, about where their art should go (or where it's already gone). (How many great rock bands have spent decades suing each other...) I respect Steve's feelings here. I respect Bill's too. I hope it can all get worked out ultimately, however slowly, in the personal world, if not the professional world. The professional (art/film/tv) world famously can be hard and mean — which is so NOT the Muppet world... I'm sure it's very hard, and sometimes painful, for the humans who've brought us so many decades of Muppet happiness to try to inhabit both.
Grace, as Frank O'Hara wrote, to "live as variously as possible."

P.S. I tend to rant when excited, and almost started on another one of those long posts nobody likes to read, about an artist' right to have strong values and strong opinions of his own (this is even a necessity, to be a good one) -- even if that can occasionally get the best of him; about each artist having their own heightened perception and specific creative process for the depth of their characters (quoting Frank Oz creating fictional biographies for his own, or David Suchet’s rigorous preparation process for Poirot); the subtle difference between debating a principle and denigrating the person, all but forgotten these days; or that the best way to win an argument is by citing words the other guy never said (e.g. half of the web now thinks that "whitmore wants muppets to die with original performer", totally untrue); some measure of recognition for man's talent and his years of service; etc...

But this brief message exchange with Bill in comments section of his post is better than a 1000 words of mine:

Jim Hemstead
Thank you, Bill Barretta ! I'm a fan of Steves, but I never understood this stance.

Author
Bill Barretta
I’m a fan of his too. Truly.

 

[antsamthompson9]

 

[antsamthompson9]

https://stevewhitmire.website/a-grande-cuppa-joe-to-go/, https://www.facebook.com/MikeQuinnS...EyMxLhGgRucqDB19kJVBoidAnsya4MHk7D5C1UwWcHm2l

 

[FanOfOneTimers]

https://stevewhitmire.website/a-grande-cuppa-joe-to-go/, https://www.facebook.com/MikeQuinnS...EyMxLhGgRucqDB19kJVBoidAnsya4MHk7D5C1UwWcHm2l

Cue the music

 

[MWoO]

When Steve was let go he literally begged Disney to let him do the Live Muppet Show and I think he said he would do it for free. It's really disingenuous for him to say he had let go of The Muppets in 2005. He pleaded to get his job back for quite some time after he was fired.

The fact is, no one wants to work with Steve and I think this proves why. He is a gatekeeper and giving narcissist vibes acting like he is the only one who can be Kermit instead of Jim. Of all the people to agree with the online comments, he should not be one of them. He was once in Matt's shoes and he is basically attacking all performers who didn't know Jom personally.

 

[Grumpo]

A small fanfic of my own. No offence intended, to any fans, puppeteers or agencies! I like and respect them all, and i really enjoy Tough Pigs articles (except one). I had to simplify and reword things for clarity (my apologies!) which are, of course, far more complex and nuanced. None of the below is a direct quote, though every line has source(s) in recent discussions from the web. Any errors in interpretation are mine and mine only, and are deeply regretted. OK, so here's how i read the discussion so far: DRAMATIS PERSONAE: FANS1 and FANS2 - two sides of Muppet fandom from my previous post, each worried about the future of the Muppets in their own way, some PUPPETEERS, other FANS.

FANS1: Listen, we've been watching all these clips on Youtube lately, and something is off with Kermit.
FANS2: Shut up haters, you are not helping.
FANS1: But he's off! Maybe if Kermit changes the tone...
TOUGH PIGS: Don't worry. Let us tell you, Kermit sounds off to you only because he is more like Jim than ever before.
FANS2: Also, Matt really works hard at it!
FANS1: Appreciate that, but Kermit still seems not the same. Maybe if he changes his tone...
SMALL FACTION OF FANS1: It's not the tone guys, it's his personality...
FANS1: Like we were saying, if new Kermit changes the tone it will be good!
TOUGH PIGS: Let us tell you, when Steve became Kermit everybody hated his Kermit too.
FANS2: See? People hated Kermit back then.
FANS1: Not what i recall - Can you tell me who hated Muppet Christmas Carol?
SMALL FACTION OF FANS1: Right! Maybe Kermit's pitch was higher but his personality...
FANS1: Like we were saying, if new Kermit changes the tone it will be good!
FANS2: He just needs more time!
FANS1: But it's been 10 years already!
FANS2: We meant, more screen time in movies and series, to make him a hit.
STUDIOS (announces): And here comes, the long awaited, the one and only -- The Muppet Show!
STEVE (to FANS1): Listen guys, I get what you are saying. We are losing Jim's influence here and that's what really made Muppets great; they will become just a tribute band without it. Incidentally, speaking of Muppet Show, if you want proper Jim's Muppet Show you need to have proper Kermit. And it's really not just the voice, it's all of his personality. People need to recognize Kermit as Kermit they love, that's really important for the whole thing to work. Here's what's missing in his character now [(see the list in his post)] and Jim's way to pass it on was by getting a new guy to pick things from previous performer over time, not by crowd auditions. What's more, it's important to have only one person...
TOUGH PIGS: Move on everybody, move on. Just a crazy ex-employee rambling, nothing to pay attention to. We love Steve, but let us tell you, the deranged bloke wants to fire Matt and kill the franchise! And he said you have to know Jim to be in the Muppets, too!
FANS1 & FANS2: This is fascistic! Hate you ex-comrades, eh? Want to stop the show now?
BILL: Huh...If i knew i needed to know Jim I could’ve just stayed home.
SOME FAN: He didn't say that, Bill.
FANS1 & FANS2 (to SOME FAN): Shut up, gaslighter!
STEVE: What are you talking about? I have nothing but respect for the guys - i brought in David and Matt to the team myself and myself arranged for them to take over the Richard and Jerry's roles, they do a great job! Dave is like a brother to me. If you gotta have your Muppets at any cost, by all means, enjoy the show! But let me tell you, the best efforts will not be as efficient without Jim's influ...
FANS1 & FANS2: You just want your job back! Let us tell you, crazy dude, you are never coming back, so just shut up!
STEVE: Listen, at this point i do not want to go back myself! (SMALL FACTION OF FANS1 faints) As for my mental health, like Mark Twain said "The report of my death was an exaggeration" despite Tough Pigs best efforts; love them too. But listen guys, the truth is the truth, however you look at it.
FANS1 & FANS2 (continue): Narcissistic jerk, he needs a shrink! He just keeps dissing Matt and throwing the entire crew under a bus!
MIKE QUINN: A little sanity, please? Steve never said any of these things! Criticizing Kermit does not mean dissing Matt - you are just seething over things Tough Pigs told you to seethe over!
FANS1 & FANS2: No! He wants to kill the franchise and fire Matt! We saw him weeping when he lost the froggy, now he just attacks everything on sight!

(CURTAIN)

SMALL FACTION OF FANS1 (after coming back to their senses): Listen, why don't we just watch the show and have everybody decide for themselves? Apart from insults, ALL sides may be right, in their own way -- The show might be not as good as Jim's but it might be good enough for the viewers, let's all hope for that! =)