|
A long overdue tribute to Jim Henson. |
Micfo
| One day last year, when I should have been sitting in a very expensive and worthless Kaplan review class, I was really driving through Little Rock and wiping the sleep from my eyes.I was visiting my Mom, who lives in Benton, Arkansas, and I drove into the city at the crack of dawn for the class until my mind wandered, taking a wide curved turn to the idea that I would play hooky, just like the old days in college.While my first inclination was to catch some sleep in my car, I drove around the downtown instead, admiring the capitol building and other structures I had not been to in years, since the time of high school when Metallica meant much more to me than architecture.I wandered the streets, passing areas of long past, the funky clothing store where I used to go back when I was desperately infatuated with my high school crush, Justin Mann.I drove past the Zoo and had images of countless time spent watching the otters play like no other animals can.As I wandered around I eventually found my true and earliest love, in the Arkansas Art Center.It was the traveling exhibit of this man, the one and only Jim Henson.From my days as a Sesame Street watcher, I was hooked.The characters seemed so real to me that I didn't even think about them being puppets.I wanted to play with Barkley, talk with Snuffy and sing along with Rowlf the dog.As an older child it only got worse, with the television show and eventually the movies.What just seemed like fun to me was a world of amazing puppetry and guest stars of an amazing range and character, for a children's show or any show for that matter.A puppet show that gets an Emmy?You bet.And to an age of years that should have brought maturity and awkward teenage sex, I was much more interested in the movies like Dark Crystal, Labyrinth, Fraggle Rock and other warm and fuzzy shows.???? |
| And to an age of years that should have brought maturity and awkward teenage sex, I was much more interested in the movies like Dark Crystal, Labyrinth, Fraggle Rock and other warm and fuzzy shows.????I grew out of it mostly but still loved it from a distance.I was lucky when my son was born, to have a reason to buy all of the old DVDs "for him."He could say "Skeksis" and "Fizzgig" before he could say "chocolate."The exhibit was amazing.It took Jim Henson chronologically from his early days with his first drawings and went all of the way through, showing storyboards and illustrations, commercials and cartoon, doodles and diagrams.I started at one end and read every single word there, not just glancing and noticing, but absorbing everything there.The exhibit is sprinkled with bits of the man, engrained into everything he touched.From the sci-fi movie shorts he created to tons of quotations that struck me to the bone."My hope is to leave the world a little better for my having been there.""I know I drive some people crazy with what seems like ridiculous optimism, but it has always worked for me."
?Those were the only two that I could find off-hand but they are good ones.But most of all I was struck by the puppets in the glass cases, where you could get up close to them but not touch them.I looked and saw them and it was so strange that they were still, not moving.Even as an adult, they were as real as to make me feel like they should be alive. |
| Even as an adult, they were as real as to make me feel like they should be alive. |
|
|
Last Updated ( Thursday, 17 July 2008 )
|
