Your Thoughts: Street Gang – The Complete History of Sesame Street

[Dr. Bombay]

I just finished the book today, and I'm sad that there isn't any more book TO finish It's such a great read and so informative!

I would say this is a great companion piece to "Sesame Street: Unpaved" where that book has tons of pictures and info to "Street Gang" having tons of info and pics.

Great job, Mr. Davis!

 

[goshposh]

Will the audio book be released on itunes?

 

[trekkie1701E]

I ordered the book what seems like forever ago at a local indie in San Jose (support those independents, guys!), and am finally gonna recieve it soon.

 

[Muppet Newsgirl]

I was planning to buy one the next time I could get out to a Borders or Barnes and Noble...but tonight, after I got home from work, I went browsing in the bookshop that's down the street from where I am. And I'm aimlessly scanning the nonfiction section, when on the third shelf I spotted a copy of "Street Gang."

It's a good book, very interesting. I really loved what the book had to say about Richard Hunt (I'm kinda biased, as you can tell by my signature), and I liked reading about how the show evolved over the years...but wow, Northern Calloway had issues.

 

[CensoredAlso]

It's a good book, very interesting. I really loved what the book had to say about Richard Hunt (I'm kinda biased, as you can tell by my signature)

I spend some time reading it in the store today, lol (may have to wait for my birthday!). Definitely appreciate the time given to Richard Hunt.

I'm not sure the whole world needs to know about certain cast members' lives. That felt a little odd to me personally.

However, it was nice to read about Jason, one of the Sesame Street kids. I saw this 1981 NYTimes article recently about him and his mother, who was actually a Sesame Street writer. How difficult it is finding out your child is disabled, and how the doctors advised against taking him home. But how she was told by a fellow mother, "I wish I could tell you how wasted those tears are. That child will be the joy of your life."

 

[Ilikemuppets]

Just finished reading it! I would highly recommend it! I would have to say after reading this book that I can say with confidence that I would attribute the show demise to the creation of Zoe... Trust me when I say that is the turning point. I guess I didn't think about it because I never knew? But I am glad to know that Fran eventually turned things around with her character.

Also loved learning new things about Richard Hunt as well as others who made the show what it was ans is!

Yeah, Northern was spread across many places in the book, and I have to say that it very troubling, sad and tragic the way his life played out and ended and is most most clear in the end just how sick he had become.

By the way here is a scene with Jason! I never knew the cut away scenes with David before, but it kind of creeps me out now.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xt8EuG6YPU

One thing I noticed about the book is it has a lot of recurring themes though out the whole book and coincidental things and that it's all so connected in so many ways' You truly do have top read one part for the next part or another to truly understand and for it to make sense. The who book really is connected so well and it all tied together really nicely. It will take you in one place seemingly in the middle on nowhere and make perfect sense later on. I wish I could describe better just what I'm talking about. For instance regarding recurring themes... There is a theme throughout out the whole book where evrything and force that's comes against the workshop fails because of just plain what Joan refers to as "dumb luck" and it happens over and over again. And I would not could Elmo out because he is a lot more important then he is giving credit for without even trying, knowing or realizing it. He was in the right place at the right time in history and the whole book is full of the right place and the right connections and the right people at the right time when ever things seemed to take a turn for the worst. And the whole book is eerily an example of the "six degrees" Theory... Even in years and decades and generations that at first seem to have nothing to do with each other. But it really is such a good read and the way it ended to me was more them perfect to make this one of the best reads out there. I would really suggest that the best way to read is from front to back... It is really well worth it to read it in the order!

 

[Ilikemuppets]

I do find it really interesting and a bit shocking how Abby Cadabby was John Ganz Cooney brain child of all things. And I am even more suprised that she gave her blessing and encouragement to the urban renewal project titled, "Around The Corner" I mean it was planned that at the end of every episode that a sponsor man would say “Guest of Sesame Street stay at the elegant Furry Arms hotel, Weather they want to or not.” … I mean what’s that? episode I don't want to ruin it, but their was just this one part during the making of season 25 when new management came in and wanted to "Barny-a-rize" and dumb down everything that was just too hilarious for Words! The new "PC" people and one research director put a complete halt on an episode involving a showbiz type named Walt "Dizzy" who was in search of an actor to play a chicken in a production he was doing. Well Telly catches the acting bug and obsesses over getting the part and practices clucking and flapping his wings. But Elmo gets the role instead, but Telly lands another one. As the script was being taken into the production stage, one of the newly appointed research directors put a halt to the script because as she put it "Research had concluded the material was unsuitable on the grounds of racism… And directly after she was concluded by and I kid you not that “The part of a chicken should only be played by a chicken… Essentially she is saying that they are being racists and insensitive towed chickens and possibly stereo typing them.

At first they did not think she was even being serious, but after finding out that she wasn’t, the writers tried to explain to her that “The whole art of acting is pretending to be someone other who you are in real life, other wise you wouldn’t mount a production of Hamlet unless a real Danish prince happens to show up at the audition. And Norman styles had the funniest response to the whole strange ordeal.

He “Suggested with a strait face that they should air the piece as written and see how much mail that they would get from outraged chickens. Baaaaahahahahahahahaha…

 

[CensoredAlso]

I don't want to ruin it, but their was just this one part during the making of season 25 when new management came in and wanted to "Barny-a-rize" and dumb down everything that was just too hilarious for Words! The new "PC" people and one research director put a complete halt on an episode involving a showbiz type named Walt "Dizzy" who was in search of an actor to play a chicken in a production he was doing. Well Telly catches the acting bug and obsesses over getting the part and practices clucking and flapping his wings. But Elmo gets the role instead but Telly lands another. As the script was being taken into the production stage, one of the newly appointed researchers put a halt to the Script because as she put it "Research had concluded the material was unsuitable on the grounds of racism… And directly after that it was concluded by directly after I kid you not “The part of chicken should only be played a chicken… Essentially she is saying that they are being racists and insensitive towed chickens and possibly stereo typing them.

That is truly disturbing, lol.

 

[Ilikemuppets]

Spoiler stuff!

That is truly disturbing, lol.

Tell me about it. And they had this whole big where they accused Jon Stone and Dulcy Singer of not adapting to what they called in their eye's, "change and innovation" and not doing things, "The Barney way". Newly appointed CEO for the Workshop David Britt was like "John was being pressured to do things differently, for good reason". And management was viewing Stone and Singer as " resistant to change and "thought they were comfortable old sticks-in the-mud who were opposed to change whatsoever." As John put it. But John argued that that it wasn't so much that they were resistant to all change, but they they "were resistant to ill-conceived, unreached, damaging change." And that they "were never asked about modification. We were told" But is it any wander why some people just find some of this research they they come up with to just be plain bogus, heh!

It's funny, because all of a sudden these new people step in out of no where that this new David Britt guy assembles and what the book calls "an SWAT team of executives to shake up Sesame Street" in response to Barney the Dinosaur who had made "People's" lists of the "25 most intriguing people, lol". But these people come in and there are quite arrogant and they think they know better and what's best that what was worked for a quarter of a century, only to be prover wrong in the long run of things. I just find it a little sad that Jon never got to see the street go back to more of it's original forum. The funny thing it that it was an out cry from the fans of the show who wanted focus back on the core characters who made the show what it was and off of the newer stuff. I mean When Barney first got big he was taking a bite into the Workshops ratings, but Stone dismissed it as nonsense. He was right.

 

[frogboy4]

I need to get this book! I don't understand how such a SWAT team of executives rises to such a level. This does explain how things changed.