Fraggles
return for Ben Folds Five video
Beloved
Henson characters and groundbreaking rock band unite for "Do
It Anyway" in honor of Fraggle Rock's upcoming 30th anniversary
in 2013
Courtesy
of The Jim Henson Company
September
17, 2012
Groundbreaking
alternative rock innovators Ben Folds Five have reunited and
on September 17th, the Nerdist
Channel will exclusively premiere the video for “Do
It Anyway,” the
first track from the band’s much anticipated album "The
Sound Of The Life Of The Mind" (ImaVeePee Records/Sony
Music) due out
September 18th.
A
production of Nerdist Industries, the video features the Fraggles,
stars of The Jim Henson Company’s
perennial fan-favorite “Fraggle Rock.” Ben Folds,
along with returning band mates Robert Sledge and Darren Jessee,
are joined by Gobo, Mokey, Wembley, Boober, Red and Uncle Traveling
Matt. Also making cameo appearances are Academy Award-nominated
actress Anna Kendrick (“Up in the Air”), comedian
Rob Corddry (“Children’s Hospital”) and Nerdist
Industries’ Founder and Chief Creative Officer Chris Hardwick.
Hardwick describes how this cluster of awesomeness happened:
“In
a meeting with Lisa [Henson, CEO, The Jim Henson Company], she
casually said, ‘Next year is the 30th anniversary of ‘Fraggle
Rock.’ Would you want to do anything with the Fraggles?’ ‘WHAT
THE [expletive]?? That’s an OPTION?!’ I loudly replied.
I think I scared her a little. I knew Ben had a new album releasing
in September so I threw his name out. Lisa said ‘that would
be amazing’ without hesitation. It was beautifully serendipitous.
It seemed like a no-brainer to me, but I still cautiously pitched
it to Ben, not really knowing his relationship with the show. I
think I just spit words out, ‘YOU. VIDEO. FRAGGLES. ME PAY
FOR!’”
Folds
was VERY interested, it turns out, and had the perfect song in
mind. “When Ben sent me ‘Do it Anyway,’ I
knew within the first five seconds that the song was perfect—the
bouncy piano… the dancing bass …it actually sounded
like it was intentionally written for the Fraggles. I can never
fully express the amount of nerdy joy that I felt on set seeing
Red Fraggle jump around on Ben’s piano,” said Hardwick. “And
the fact that I was able to weasel my way into the video was a
dream come true.”
Formed in 1994, Ben Folds Five changed the course of indie rock
in the mid-1990s before amicably parting ways in 2000 to pursue
different artistic ventures. Now, after twelve years, the indie
pop trio has returned to bring their unique pop sensibility to
both Fraggle Rock and the Nerdist Channel.
Red
Fraggle said, “We had a great adventure in Outer Space!
Ben, Robert and Darren love music as much as Fraggles do, so we
had lots of fun. It would be wonderful to have them come play more
music in the caves with us, but I am not sure they can fit through
the hole in the floor!”
MORE
FRAGGLE NEWS
• Fraggles return
for Ben Folds Five video
• Fraggle Rock returns to US TV on The Hub beginning October 10
• Fraggle
Rock "Scared Silly" DVD debuts September 14
• "Wembley's Egg Surprise" arrives
on DVD February 9
• Fraggle Season 4 and more Fraggles coming to DVD
• "The Doozers" preschool
series under development
• HIT announces Fraggle Rock Complete Series DVD Collection
• Red Fraggle live at Comic Con 2008
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