Musical Monday - It's Not Easy Being Green by Big Bird

This past week has been something of a lost week for me. During first part of the week I was swamped at work, and in the second half of the week I got sick and as a result I was unmotivated to do anything productive for two days. I followed this week up with an emotionally draining weekend that involved dealing with a passively-aggressive surly teenager who was himself dealing with a tough situation. And although the surliness is understandable, it didn't make it any easier to deal with. To top things off, I was so worn out that I forgot to try to call my mother until fairly late in the evening yesterday, and she didn't answer her cell phone. So now she's annoyed with me too. I think I'm just going to forget last week ever happened and start this one as if it was actually May 6^th instead of May 13^th.

So I'm going to kick off this week on a down note with a Musical Monday that is both depressing and bittersweet. This Thursday, May 16^th, will mark the 23^rd anniversary of Jim Henson's death. Anyone who has been paying attention will know that Henson's work has played a significant role in my life. I grew up on Sesame Street, was enraptured by The Muppet Show, eagerly rushed to the theater to watch The Muppet Movie, The Great Muppet Caper, The Muppets Take Manhattan, and The Dark Crystal. I loved the Jim Henson Storyteller series and Fraggle Rock. Even after his death, the influence of Henson's legacy continued for me, with the release of his production company's space opera Farscape. I have determined, based on the range that Henson's work covers, that everything he did counts as science fiction or fantasy, and thus will probably eventually review and comment much of it on this blog. I am who I am, in no small part, because of Henson. And that is why his untimely death from an untreated streptococcal infection was such a blow.

After Henson died, his friends and family organized a public memorial service so that the millions of people whose lives he had touched could say goodbye. As was typical for Henson, he left some instructions: No one was to wear black, and he wanted singing and butterflies. Big Bird came to the service and sang It's Not Easy Being Green. Just try not to tear up when he says, "Thank you Kermit".

Previous Musical Monday: Blake's 7 Closing Scene and Theme

Subsequent Musical Monday: Band of Brothers Opening Theme

Caroll Spinney     Musical Monday     Home