So, I'm talking to RFO about Giganews. You know, the lovely corner of the Internets that allows me to share so many great tunes with you. And I say every time we talk about Giganews, I think about Gary Gnu. And then of course, I say, "No Gnuws is good Gnus, with Gary Gnu." And RFO has no clue what I am talking about. He started to laugh even.
Wow. As a child born in the 80's, RFO has no idea who the hell Gary Gnu was and that is sad to yours truly. Well, for those of you that don't remember, Gary Gnu, hosted the "Gnus of the Week" on The Great Space Coaster (TGSC). Loved that guy and loved the intro song, rok the intro here, listen and watch the hilarious Gary Gnu, here, what a cut up.
While my memories of Gary are vivid, there was a whole sub-plot of TGSC that I forgot or never new, at least according to Wikipedia...
"The show is about three young singers (Francine, Danny, and Roy) who are brought to a habitable asteroid in space by a puppet clown character named Baxter who pilots the "space coaster", a roller coaster-like spaceship. The asteroid is populated by wise-cracking puppet characters like Goriddle Gorilla, Knock-Knock the bird, Edison the Elephant and Gary Gnu, who hosts the "Gnus of the Week". Baxter is forever on the run from M.T. Promises, a nefarious circus owner (played by a large, top-hatted puppet) who plans to capture Baxter and make him work at the circus. Each episode ends with a different life lesson, and various celebrity guest stars (such as Mark Hamill and Marvin Hamlisch, etc.) occasionally dropped by."
How about that? Anyway, I hope y'all loved this nice little trip down memory lane. How about we go old skool while I'm still in the mood? How about two of my favs from the early 80's? Here's Chaka Khan "I feel for you" and Musical Youth with "Pass the Dutchie."
Pass The Dutchie
Sorry, friend. I wasn't allowed to watch TV until I was eight years old and even then it was only for an hour a day - the local news followed by the national news. Totally screwed up my childhood. So while you were laughing at poorly written jokes I was being scared straight by Ted Koppel's folksy wisdom and the ever present threat of nuclear attack from the communists.
By the by, what channel was this fantastical program on? Just curious.
Also, there is an excellent band called Baxter. Great downtempo electronica. Look into their 1998 self titled debut.
I believe channel 43 in Cleveland was where I watched all my 3-2-1 Contact, TGSC and Sesame Street. As for Baxter, I'll get on the Giganews to-night for some Baxter.
I watched a little Gnu action as a tike, I reckon, but not a whole lot. Sometimes I think somebody wiped my early childhood memories clean from my brain. Who could that somebody have been? Dukes of Hazard is the only real craze I recall. Then later, Michael Jackson, then New Edition. I still remember the first time I heard "Cool It Now" and promptly bought a poster of Ralph, Ronnie, Bobby, Ricky, and Mike at the mall. And it wasn't even considered gay to do so at that age. Go figure. C$, how do you retain early chidhood memories, or are you just pretending to? Deet Deet? Whatever other words you used to call your short arm?
I am sorry to hear that, Linwood. Lord knows what sort of weird ass childhood memories you would have if you could remember 'em. To be honest, me hallucinating on boomers watching young Linwood looking at old Linwood on from the Kid's Beat desk was about as much as one C$ can handle. 'Course you prolly don't remember that either.
And I never pretend to remember - I know I can. Dr. Bone and I have always been the scribes of this operation. So, if I remember college, then it stands to reason I will remember some rosy childhood crap.
Oh, and deet,deet was in reference to pinches - usually on the ass. You don't want to know about buddah-buddah and hoya-hoya.
Normally I at least recognize most obscure animated or puppeteered 80's programming, but I gotta admit I don't recall ever seeing Gnu. He seems cooler than a Fraggle, and is definately heads and tails above a Snork, but I am coming to the table as an adult, and somehow all that programming just doesn't feel the same. For example, watch an episode of Ducktales. Do it and you'll be sorry.
Of course I rememner Gary Gnu. By the way, it only took me 1/2 a second to read this entire post because my hero growing up was the speed-reader from TGSC. Him and Michael Gross, whom I admired for his soft spoken sensibility and his way with the throw-away one liner. Perhaps someday I will realize my dream of seeing a C$ post on Ohio's own Keaton Family.
Quick story. The other night I was watching Thank You For Smoking, which was hilarious, as Mrs. Thunder was asleep on the couch. As you know C$, Rob Lowe is the one for whom Lady Thunder truely pines. During a Lowe scene my lesser half woke up only long enough to ask if that was Jason Bateman. I was stunned. I had to pause the movie, wake her back up and chide her for her grave error. I told her that her mistaking Rob Lowe for Jason Bateman is like me mistaking Tina Yothers for Justine Bateman. These are mistakes that simply are not made in the House of Thunder.
Hmmm...I seem ill qualified for a story on the Keatons, B. As for your dreamy Rob Lowe story, well, you brightened my day.
Thunder - Best. Comment. Ever. And you're right, Mr. C101 should represent his home state with a post on the Keaton family. Without them, where would our world be?
I loved the great space coaster. i would watch it every morning. It came on right after mighty mouse when i was 4. baxter still kind of creeps me out, but gary gnu and the french line cartoon made up for the creepiness.
Here's an idea for your next blog topic: MY BOYS, the show on TBS or TNT or whatever. Ever seen it? It takes place in Chicago, and there are two main reasons why you should dedicate some time to it. 1. The male main characters are like carbon copies of C$, Vitamin S, and P-Bone, sharing their witty banter and humorously sharp wisecracks on all things pop culture. Wow, what an uncanny resemblance. 2. The narrator, PJ, continuously gives voice-overs that are baseball metaphors (always, they are baseball metaphors) in order that she may grasp the emotional "curveballs" life sends her way. You just can't get any better than endless baseball metaphors when it comes to dealing with shit, yo. So, there you have it.
And, just in case, I should mention that this whole post was written sarcastically; i.e. the male characters' senses of humor are nothing like the genius of C$, Vitamin S, and P-Bone, and the baseball metaphor thing is so ridiculously overplayed that it becomes almost a parody of itself. Do me a favor, spark a tree and watch this piece of television. You'll see. What a horrible fucking show, but I am drawn to it like moth to flame. I think Thunderpants will get hooked if he starts watching.
Boy oh boy, thanks Linwood. I will fire up the DVR and see what MY BOYS is all about. Grease and VS will prolly be upset if it encroaches on their 8 Simple Rules fetish, but that's the ways things works.
i DO always speak in baseball metaphors. i'm fucking suing.
Linwood, I got hooked on this show last season. You summed it up perfectly. It's terrible, yet I can't help but watch.
Probably this idea has risen to the surface before and I've simply forgotten, but I was reading the last two posts from Bone and Thunder, and I was preparing to respond to them both simultaneously, when it occurred to me that together, they make THUNDERBONE. It's pure sideproject magic -- you just have to get your balls rolling, early turd gets the perm. Hop to it.
Brilliant! Reveal yourself to me Bonecutter, for you have earned three gold stars. One more and you get a trip to your choice of the zoo or Chucky Cheese.
http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2007/08/06/ap3990081.html...
eLarceny will not unionize. I mean we could, but I don't think anyone would care or notice if we went on strike.
i for one was never a fan of the great space coaster. I would try to watch it again and again but it would always leave me disappointed. Not as much as Romper Roomer or Mr. Rogers but it still was pretty bad.
Now, now - to try and draw any similarities to f-n Romper Room is just plain craziness, VS.
I used to think C$'s stilo was
phat like your girlfriend,
pregnant with twins,
after Thanksgiving dinner eatin porkskins.
But now I'm not so sure.
He not like me.