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Muppet Master
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Hate to bump such an old thread, but I was inspired to read Street Gang after reading Funny Boy: The Richard Hunt Biography last summer, and I have a lot of thoughts. For reference, I read the 1st edition, so I'm not sure what changes there were in the 2nd one, but I'd love to read that one as well, especially since it has a more vibrant cover.
I really did enjoy the writing style overall, it felt somewhat poetic, especially the profiles of some of the Sesame characters (like Elmo being described as cherry lollipop red). Perhaps not the best example of a "poetic" line, but there was a lot of great imagery throughout. And the storytelling in general was very well done, especially during the darker moments. I already knew much about Jim Henson, Northern Calloway, and Richard Hunt, but I was shocked to learn about some of the others, like how Will Lee (Mr. Hooper) was blacklisted from acting at one point, how Bob McGrath became a singing sensation in Japan, and how Jon Stone felt strongly about the show's changes in the '90s. Stone's story intrigued me in particular, I had no idea he had ALS, and how a guest lecture got him banned from the set. I respect his devotion to the integrity of the series, as they truly did begin dumbing things down in the '90s (although I can definitely see the other side of that argument as they had to do something to combat Barney).
While on the topic of Barney, I was both shocked and amused to learn that the National Review championed the series while disparaging Sesame Street's multiculturalism, realistic set design, and characters who "grunt hip hop" (hard to tell who they were referring to with that last one). I'm sure millions of people (including me) grew up watching both shows, so I never knew the extent of the battle between the two, much less that it was politicized in such a way. But again, it was all really interesting to learn about.
But despite all the good, I do have some key criticisms. My biggest complaint is that the title of this book is quite misleading. This is not a complete history of the series, it feels more like a complete history of the events before episode one. Once the book gets to the point where Sesame Street makes it to air, it is already halfway done. And then whole decades of the show are condensed into a handful of chapters. I get that Davis needed to provide important context, but the final product feels a little disjointed. Did we really need 30 pages on Captain Kangaroo when Roscoe Orman (who has contributed to the show for over 50 years at this point) doesn't even get a biography section? And as others have said, there is nothing in the book about Follow That Bird, you'd think the show's theatrical debut would at least get a paragraph or two dedicated to it.
The saying "history is written by the victors" went through my head a few times while reading this. I don't think anyone in this thread has made this critique yet, but it felt like those who were still alive when this book was published were treated with the utmost respect (and deservedly so), but many of the figures who passed before 2008 (and hence couldn't tell their side of the story) have their personalities picked apart by either interviewees or the author. Perhaps I am reading too much into this, but they were very harsh on Raposo, Stone, Cooney's ex-husband, and Calloway at times. And I fully understand why given what the book claims they did, but it seems a little shady to only pick on the people who are not around anymore.
I'd give this book an 8/10 overall. It has its flaws, but it is still a very intriguing and thorough look at such a groundbreaking series. I definitely recommend giving it a read.
I really did enjoy the writing style overall, it felt somewhat poetic, especially the profiles of some of the Sesame characters (like Elmo being described as cherry lollipop red). Perhaps not the best example of a "poetic" line, but there was a lot of great imagery throughout. And the storytelling in general was very well done, especially during the darker moments. I already knew much about Jim Henson, Northern Calloway, and Richard Hunt, but I was shocked to learn about some of the others, like how Will Lee (Mr. Hooper) was blacklisted from acting at one point, how Bob McGrath became a singing sensation in Japan, and how Jon Stone felt strongly about the show's changes in the '90s. Stone's story intrigued me in particular, I had no idea he had ALS, and how a guest lecture got him banned from the set. I respect his devotion to the integrity of the series, as they truly did begin dumbing things down in the '90s (although I can definitely see the other side of that argument as they had to do something to combat Barney).
While on the topic of Barney, I was both shocked and amused to learn that the National Review championed the series while disparaging Sesame Street's multiculturalism, realistic set design, and characters who "grunt hip hop" (hard to tell who they were referring to with that last one). I'm sure millions of people (including me) grew up watching both shows, so I never knew the extent of the battle between the two, much less that it was politicized in such a way. But again, it was all really interesting to learn about.
But despite all the good, I do have some key criticisms. My biggest complaint is that the title of this book is quite misleading. This is not a complete history of the series, it feels more like a complete history of the events before episode one. Once the book gets to the point where Sesame Street makes it to air, it is already halfway done. And then whole decades of the show are condensed into a handful of chapters. I get that Davis needed to provide important context, but the final product feels a little disjointed. Did we really need 30 pages on Captain Kangaroo when Roscoe Orman (who has contributed to the show for over 50 years at this point) doesn't even get a biography section? And as others have said, there is nothing in the book about Follow That Bird, you'd think the show's theatrical debut would at least get a paragraph or two dedicated to it.
The saying "history is written by the victors" went through my head a few times while reading this. I don't think anyone in this thread has made this critique yet, but it felt like those who were still alive when this book was published were treated with the utmost respect (and deservedly so), but many of the figures who passed before 2008 (and hence couldn't tell their side of the story) have their personalities picked apart by either interviewees or the author. Perhaps I am reading too much into this, but they were very harsh on Raposo, Stone, Cooney's ex-husband, and Calloway at times. And I fully understand why given what the book claims they did, but it seems a little shady to only pick on the people who are not around anymore.
I'd give this book an 8/10 overall. It has its flaws, but it is still a very intriguing and thorough look at such a groundbreaking series. I definitely recommend giving it a read.