Jerry
Nelson
39
Years On a 40 Year Old Street
Today
marks the 40th anniversary of Sesame Street. Other than the news , historically
the longest running show on television. Well, with the possible exception of a
soap opera or two. Still in all, it is humbling to have been a part of something
so significant in the history of the media that was born in my lifetime.
Forty
years, seems like a lifetime. Over half of my seventy five years on this planet
has been spent being what has been referred to as a Muppeteer. It’s funny
when I think about it because at least twenty of those years I denied being a
puppeteer. I was an actor who was working with puppets until a film or stage job
came along and all I really wanted to do was sing.
My
grandparents used to give me a quarter to learn and sing songs when I was a sprout
about five years old. “South of the Border” was maybe the first of a
long list of tunes and I’m still learning them and singing them and will
until the day I die. I don’t know if they knew the extent of what they were
doing and how they were prepping me to have a way to get along in the world, but
I like to think so.
I
guess everything you observe and do and experience in life adds to that oneness
that makes each of us so unique and at the same time makes us an everyman that
shares the human condition in the most fundamental ways.
Working
with The Henson Organization was like working with your family and when
I started working on Sesame Street that was another extended family so now the
family was immense. The idea behind this Sesame Street project was to use the
tool of television to teach underprivileged preschool children, but what happened
was that the show charmed, taught, and brought love and laughter into the hearts
and minds of children and adults all over the world.
Chance,
dumb luck or destiny? Who knows the controlling force that chooses where and how
we find our lives manifest? I can only say I have traveled through the breathtaking
up and down melody of a lifetime that, I studied and trained for, wandered the
paths of least resistance (following my water nature) to, and that I am either
blessed and one of the luckiest bozos walking this planet or both. In any case
Yeehaw,
Hot Dawg , you old mustang you and Boy Howdy, today I’m celebrating by getting
all my chores done for once! (Oh, didn’t I tell you? I’m also the laziest
man on earth)
Norman
Stiles, who was the first writer to write for Count, sent me this
yesterday; It's a beautiful thing.
Happy
Birthday!
Let's put 40 candles in
the cake!
Then let's light 40 candles!
Then
let's blow out 40 candles!
Then
we must take 40 candles out of the cake!
Then it will be time to lick the
icing off of 4O candles!
Then we'll eat the cake, taking one thousand tiny
little bites!
And
then we will count the burps!
Ha, ha, ha!
Norman,
obviously hasn't lost it but.... I wish I'd said that!
Jerry
Nelson
Copyright@
Dogstar 2009
