every day i want to get on my camel and ride
ok i think we all need to cleanse our musical palates after that whole berkner brouhaha. i mean, is this really what we expect our kids to listen to? fishy beards and walking along the river and "we are the marching dinosaurs" and moon moon moon? i mean, yes, fine, i admit that my charming and perfect daughter runs up to me about 84 times a day and commands "MOONMOON! MOONMOON!" complete with roughly-correct hand gestures until i cave and put the dvd on. but, really. why is this? i'll tell you why this is. because this is the best we have to offer. because children's music reached its climax (cue late-edition gen-x nostalgia) ... when stevie motherfucking wonder appeared on sesame street.
DO YOU PEOPLE HEAR ME?! Steveland Hardaway Judkins on Sesame Street when BOTH he and sesame street were at the apex of their powers. i mean, what's the equivalent today? are we, like, going to have Kanye on Sesame Street? he's probably already done his cameo with Elmo. but you know what? something tells me that mr. college dropout -- as sharp as his production skillz be -- doesn't quite measure up to Stevie Motherfucking Wonder. what other stars does society have to offer our kids today? Fiddy Cent? T.I.? T.O.? Snoop? Fergie Hagface? Yawn Mayer? Gwen Stefani? Justin Timberlake (yes, he was a mouseketeer, but now he's bringing sexy back ... )? Ruben Stoddard? ninja, please.
sorry. nobody's going to measure up to Stevie Wonder. (Boogie on Reggae Woman, anyone? I Was Made To Love Her? AS? all of Innervisions? Cash in Your Face? Do I Do? I Wish? Songs in the Key of Life? Love Having You Around? to quote no lesser authority than MC Hammer: YOU CAN'T TOUCH THIS!). so, check this out. i mean, really, really check this out. check it all the way out, up, backwards and down. flip it over, slap it, rub it and respect it. watch this 36 times in a row like i did and love every second of it:
CAN I GET A WITNESS????
and your extra-special bonus round is right here. the bad-assest version of Superstition that you never heard. on sesame street?!!? what the fuck? this is like Mother Teresa coming back from the dead, waking up at 5:30 am with you and your toddler, taking your hand and telling you that everything in the world is going to be OK forever. bad things will never happen to anyone ever again. this is beautiful.
i want to know what became of that kid in the orange sweater. you didn't see him? guess you better watch both clips again.
DO YOU PEOPLE HEAR ME?! Steveland Hardaway Judkins on Sesame Street when BOTH he and sesame street were at the apex of their powers. i mean, what's the equivalent today? are we, like, going to have Kanye on Sesame Street? he's probably already done his cameo with Elmo. but you know what? something tells me that mr. college dropout -- as sharp as his production skillz be -- doesn't quite measure up to Stevie Motherfucking Wonder. what other stars does society have to offer our kids today? Fiddy Cent? T.I.? T.O.? Snoop? Fergie Hagface? Yawn Mayer? Gwen Stefani? Justin Timberlake (yes, he was a mouseketeer, but now he's bringing sexy back ... )? Ruben Stoddard? ninja, please.
sorry. nobody's going to measure up to Stevie Wonder. (Boogie on Reggae Woman, anyone? I Was Made To Love Her? AS? all of Innervisions? Cash in Your Face? Do I Do? I Wish? Songs in the Key of Life? Love Having You Around? to quote no lesser authority than MC Hammer: YOU CAN'T TOUCH THIS!). so, check this out. i mean, really, really check this out. check it all the way out, up, backwards and down. flip it over, slap it, rub it and respect it. watch this 36 times in a row like i did and love every second of it:
CAN I GET A WITNESS????
and your extra-special bonus round is right here. the bad-assest version of Superstition that you never heard. on sesame street?!!? what the fuck? this is like Mother Teresa coming back from the dead, waking up at 5:30 am with you and your toddler, taking your hand and telling you that everything in the world is going to be OK forever. bad things will never happen to anyone ever again. this is beautiful.
i want to know what became of that kid in the orange sweater. you didn't see him? guess you better watch both clips again.
posted by mr. nice guy at 6:07 PM
18 Comments:
Thank you for that. Made my evening!!
That was fantastic. Stevie shouted-out Cookie Monster! I'm guessing that the kid in the orange sweater grew up to be Lyor Cohen.
You have to check out the Sesame Street Old School DVD. There is an extra with Listen My Brother counting to twenty. Been watching it with my 14 month old. Makes a Jewish girl want to go to chuuuuurch.
there is not a whole lot that makes me smile in the mornings...but this sure did it:)
They just don't make kids' shows like they used to...
And that kid in the orange sweater...rocked my socks:)
and as a side note...my word verification letters for this comment are "apunk" heh
andrea -- not only do i have Sesame Street Old School, but it is on the TV at this very instant. alan arkin just sang a silly song and now bert'n'ernie are bickering like an old married couple. so good. every time that theme song comes on, it brings me to my happy place.
Sweet, sweet, funk. How you wake me from my literal and emotional slumber.
Tired of Lauri and Raffi?
I have two links for ya!
http://www.babyrockrecords.com/web/page.asp?pgs=products
and even better
http://www.pancakemountain.com/
a little "what is it" news video here
http://www.pancakemountain.com/videos/pm_intro.htm
Enjoy!!!
wow. pancake mountain is freakin' rad. rufus wants to be juliette lewis' boyfriend too!
and a young al roker on guitarn too!
Oh, I say the kid in the orange sweater... this makes having kids look pretty fun!
I will be a witness, Mr. Nice Guy! Oh man, I am so white, I can't even be a proper witness. Crap.
You know they probably made up that groove in the first clip in like ten minutes, while they were waiting for the gaffer to show up or something. Nobody can touch that kind of talent now. Sigh...
yes barbara, he looks like a total carpool dad. yet he's laying down a bottom with that bass fat enough to please Sir Mix-a-Lot.
funkiest carpool dad ever.
It's not Stevie, and it's not on Sesame Street, but They Might Be Giants are making some really cool kids' music now. We've been listening to Here Come The ABC's since the bug was a few months old, and it's still enjoyable.
Laurie Berkner, on the other hand, gives me hives. Itchy ones.
Stevie on Sesame Street.
Righteous.
Orange sweater kid, I think I love you.
thank you, thank you, thank you.
MNG, you rule. Rule!!
My two year old wants to hear Superstition over and over now...
Knowing you as I do, you were as impressed by the guy playing the sax's shirt as you were with Stevie or the kid in the orange sweater.
Loved the music. Thanx.
Ok, that's just so awesome I don't have the right words to describe its awesomeness. But for me what really makes the clip is the band. Who are those guys? Somebody already fingered Al Roker; I'm putting my money on the sax player being "Blue" Lou Marini. But what about the rest? Enquiring MNG fans want to know (mostly so we can go out and buy everything ever recorded by that rhythm section). Fellow groove-a-holics, please help!
lamech -- i know that stevie played every instrument on Talking Book (the album "Superstition" is on) except horms and guitar, so the album line-up is not going to be a big help. BUT here is what i've found out via the bounty that is google. in 1973 he was touring with this band, in support of Talking Book:
Stevie Wonder - vocals, piano, keyboards
Scott Edwards - bass
Jim Gilstrap - backing vocals
Terry Hendricks - backing vocals
Lynda Laurence - backing vocals
Trevor Laurence - saxophone
Ricky Lawson - drums
Steve Madaio - trumpet
Ray Parker, Jr. - guitar
Greg Phillinganes - keyboards
Cindy Scott - backing vocals
Denver Ross (?) - sax
you can actually hear an entire concert from 1973 at Winterland for free (!) here.
Laurie Berkner is the devil.
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