Retroactive Thinking

Retroactive Thinking: 30 Years Of Getting Weird With Al Yankovic

by SaintmortJuly 31, 2013

Back in 1983, Dr. Demento favorite “Weird Al” released his self-titled debut album. Yankovic has been one of my musical heroes; he represents everything that’s great about music, and he’s someone who the world thought would be a novelty act and a one hit wonder. Instead, he wowed them with an impressive career (outlasting about 90% of the artists he’s parodied) who can do justice to any genre and make us laugh time and time again. He’s won multiple awards, had a feature length film become a cult classic, is considered one of the greatest live performers of all time and had a beef with at least two hip-hop legends (Coolio and Eminem).

To celebrate the 30 years of music I’ve decided to sit down, relisten to every album and rank them from worst to best. There’s a few things we should discuss beforehand about what elements I was looking for in these albums:

First, we choose not to cover any of the compilations or greatest hits releases. This seems like a no brainer, but I feel like someone out there will complain that “The Food Album” isn’t ranked and that’s their favorite Yankovic record.

Second, this isn’t the most important albums or best selling albums list. This is based on how good the album is. My factoring was based on (a) how good the songs are, (b) if the parodies hold up, and (c) how good the originals are.

Third, there’s no favoritism to a popular song. Just because Fat (possibly Al’s best parody) appears on Even Worse, that doesn’t justify the record as being his best unless the other tracks hold that same strength. Again a no brainer, but people will point out that the album with their favorite song on it being ranked low. It’s not a comment on the song’s quality, but the record as a whole.

Finally, there is no bad Weird Al album. Even the lowest ranked album on this list is still a great record. Yankovic (in my highly biased opinion) can do literally no wrong.

14.Alpalooza

I’m confident that I’m going to lose people on this first one. They’ll say “But what about Polka Party?” and “I really like Bedrock Anthem”. First off, Bedrock Anthem is definitely one of the worst parodies Al ever did, even Red Hot Chili Peppers were disappointed and felt it was a phoned in parody. If you ask me, most of this album feels phoned in. It really is his “sell-out” album. Many of the songs (Bedrock Anthem, Talk Soup) were recorded for other projects (Flintsones movie soundtrack and a new theme song to the E! show). It’s contains all of Al’s worst originals and lackluster parodies. The only highlights are Livin in the Fridge and Bohemian Polka.

13. Peter and the Wolf

Few people know this record exists. I didn’t until Al was giving it away for a charity auction. I eventually tracked down a copy of it and was mostly disappointed. It’s funny. But it’s worth one listen and nothing more. The only reason this isn’t lower is that I have to admit that it’s a very ambitious project, specifically given that just 2 years earlier Polka Party’s poor sales almost ruined his career. Yankovic had JUST gotten himself back into the public eye and followed it up with this easily forgettable (and frankly unmarketable) album. If you can track down a copy it’s worth a listen… but not much more.

12. UHF Soundtrack

UHF is one of the funniest movies ever made. Sadly, the soundtrack doesn’t contain many laughs. The highlights of the record include the theme song, the Money for Nothing parody and the handful of fake commercials from the movie. However, when you remove the visuals from those commercials it’s not nearly as entertaining. It contains all of Al’s weakest parodies and personally my least favorite polka (as I’m not a huge Rolling Stones fan). Its poor sales and the disappointing box office release basically ended Yankovic’s career until Nirvana gave Al a reason to reemerge.

11. Poodle Hat

Despite having two previous releases (Bad Hair Day and Running with Scissors) being massive hits, Poodle Hat is one of Al’s worst selling records. There’s two reasons for this. First is that there was never a music video made for any songs (Eminem halted production of the Couch Potato music video) and secondly… it’s not that good of a record. It pains me to say that because I love songs on this album but it takes forever for the album to really pick up (not until the Angry White Boy Polka at track 5; which happens to be my favorite of all the polkas). Most of the parodies are forgettable and the originals (excluding the insanely impressive Hardware Store) are pretty mediocre. It’s a shame really because the few songs that work… are amazing but the rest hit the ground with a thud.

10. Polka Party!

This was/is Al’s lowest selling album (with the UHF soundtrack being a very close second). This record would have killed his career if it wasn’t for Fat two years later. Most people would probably rank this as his worst album (I’m sure even Al would) but I simply can’t: I’ve learned that while the parodies eventually become out-dated, it’s the originals that really determine the relisten value of Yankovic’s records and Polka Party simply has too many great originals to completely dismiss. Christmas At Ground Zero is a hilarious juxtaposition of post-apocalyptic story telling over a cheesy christmas tune and his Talking Heads style parody Dog Eat Dog is almost as spot on as his Devo (Dare to Be Stupid) and They Might Be Giants (Everything You Know is Wrong) style parodies

9. Off The Deep End

After a lull in his career following the disappointing box office draw of UHF Yankovic was struck by inspiration when Nirvana blew up on the scene. Off the Deep End is like the reverse of Poodle Hat. Poodle Hat I complained it took too long to get going, Off the Deep End starts off so strong and then falls apart near the end (but is saved by the beautiful closing track You Don’t Love Me Anymore). However despite complaints when this album succeeds, it succeeds in a big way. Smells Like Nirvana was huge because it was a beautiful parody of not just Nirvana but the entire grunge movement.

8. Even Worse

This is one of three albums that saved Al’s career (the second being the previously mentioned Off the Dead End). After Polka Party’s poor response Al leaped back into the public eye by lampooning Michael Jackson once again and he went big (literally). Fat is leaps and bounds a better song (and video) than Eat It. On that sad day when Al leaves this world forever it will be Fat and Amish Paradise that he will be most remembered for (you may quote me on that). Strangely enough, it was also the only song on the album to get a music video. It’s a shame since it has some fantastic tracks on it (including Lasagna, You Make Me and his Beastie Boys parody Twister). The third album to save his career was…

7. Straight Outta Lynwood

Yankovic followed up the disappointing Poodle Hat with his highest selling record (at the time) thanks to the massive White & Nerdy. This album deserved all the praise it received. Beyond the fact that all the parodies work and most of the originals are equally great this is the first album where we find Al using his comedy to get a little political. Songs like I’ll Sue Ya and Don’t Download This Song are hilarious but still contain a statement about our society. This has continued into his new more recent music.

6. In 3-D

The sophmore slump certainly didn’t exist in the world of Al Yankovic. His 2nd album was undeniably his biggest of the 80’s (and one of his biggest of all time). It was on this record that the “Weird Al” we know and love came out more strongly. In 3-D gave us our first ever Weird Al polka and our first of 2 massive Michael Jackson parodies. However while Eat It was a massive hit my favorite track is the follow up single I Lost on Jeopardy. I still can’t hear Greg Kihn Band’s original version and not immediately think of the parody lyrics instead.

5. Apocalypse

Straight Outta Lynwood was Al’s highest selling record until the following album release which outsold it and hit his highest billboard position. It contains nothing but perfect parodies and originals as he blasts through parodies of todays top artists and does style parodies for some classic groups like Queen, Meat Loaf and The Doors. Continuing the ‘sincere statements’ hidden in comedy songs found on Straight Outta Lynwood is TMZ (a parody of Taylor Swifts You Belong to Me) which discuss our generations obsession with celebrities. The highlights though are Ringtone and Stop Forwarding That Crap to Me.

4. “Weird Al” Yankovic

I’ve read/heard that Al is not particularly proud of his debut. What’s ironic is one of his complaints (There’s an accordian on every song) is part of the appeal to me. Yankovic always had an anarchic approach to music but his debut could almost be called punk rock. Between his nasally voice, his covers of The Knack and Joan Jett and the dark humored lyrics of songs like Mr. Frump in the Iron Lung all help make this record the underappreciated gem in his collection.

3. Running With Scissors

After the massive success of Amish Paradise, Al Yankovic disappeared for a few years until he found the perfect parody. It came not from a new song or artist but the long awaited Star Wars Prequel The Phantom Menace. He blended it with American Pie (released 3 decades earlier) and a massive hit was born. While I do love The Saga Begins I think the highlight of the album is in either the follow-up single It’s All About the Pentiums or the 11 minute long ranble-fest called Albuquerque. It’s hard to really pick a favorite on the record though since basically every song hits the ball out of the park.

2. Dare to Be Stupid

It may not have sold as well as In 3-D and didn’t contain a hit as massive as Eat It but Dare to Be Stupid is the highlight of Yankovic’s early career. This is the record where I believe Al’s brilliant originals really started to show their power. Songs like One More Minute, This is the Life and the title track are all the highlights of the album. On top of those classics it also contains fan-favorite (and long time encore/closing song) Yoda. This is “Weird Al” stewed to perfection. In fact only one record has been able to one up it in the 27 years since it’s release.

1. Bad Hair Day

One could argue I’m being biased. This was the first “Weird Al” album I ever owned, Amish Paradise was the first song I ever heard by him and it’s one of his most famous releases. Regardless of all that, this album has stood the test of time better than any other record he’s made. Not only do all the parodies still retain the same comedic value over a decade later but the originals are all masterpieces however the highlight of this record (and to this day the best style parody Al has ever done will always be his They Might Be Giants inspired Everything You Know is Wrong. If you are a child of the 90’s this entire album probably always will have a place in your heart.

Matt Kelly is the host of The Saint Mort Show podcast, active on twitter and constantly updating his blog Pure Mattitude.

Retroactive Thinking: ‘House of 1,000 Corpses’ 10 Year Anniversary

by SaintmortApril 10, 2013

Horror certainly has changed over the years. If you were to hold them side by side, it’d be impossible to see how Psycho lead to Hostel III. However, if you were to work your way through the various decades of horror films, you’ll be able to see just how the genre evolved (or devolved, depending on who you ask).

Here’s a quick breakdown for you though. While the 60’s focused on films like Psycho and Peeping Tom, horror was still mostly tame until Hershell Gordon Lewis came to town with Blood Feast and 2000 Maniacs. You’d think this would mark the start of gore, but it wasn’t. Lewis’ films mostly remained all his own. By the 70’s, horror became more psychologically driven. Films about stalkers, cannibals and revenge dominated the genre. This is where you started to get films like The Hills Have Eyes, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and Halloween.

Enter the 1980’s. Suddenly there was a new horror movie every week. You had a nice blend of gore films, low-budget films from Full Moon Pictures and Troma, as well as plenty of Slasher flicks. Eventually, in a sea of sequels, horror died out in the 90’s.

It wasn’t until 1996 that Horror suddenly became important again with Scream, but within a few years, the self aware slasher became tiresome. While the late 90’s/early 2000’s produced a few decent surprises (Cabin Fever comes to mind), most horror fans were clamoring for the eventual release of Rob Zombie’s directorial debut, House of 1000 Corpses.

Rob Zombie created music for Metal-heads and Horror fans (which basically has a lot of overlap). His filmmaking career at that time had been minimal.. He did some animation for Beavis & Butthead Do America, as well as directed some White Zombie music videos, but that was the extent of it.

In the 90’s, he was instrumental in helping revive Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights which opened the door for him to make a film for Universal. What he ended up presenting them was a film so demented, dark and bizarre that Universal believed it would receive a NC-17 rating and refused to release it.

The film is a throwback to the gritty psychological films of the 1970’s blended with the modern day gore. It’s packed with winks and nods to The Manson Family, Hills Have Eyes, Texas Chainsaw Massacre and the Marx Brothers. It begins with a group of 4 teenagers (Including pre-Office Rainn Wilson and fat Chris Hardwick) driving around, when they stop at Captain Spaulding’s gas station/Museum of Monsters and Madmen. It’s there that they find out about Dr. Satan, a local serial killer.

While trying to find the tree where he was hung, they encounter a hitch-hiker named Baby. Shortly after picking her up, they blow a tire and need a tow. Baby informs them her family lives near by and her brother has a tow-truck.

The group end up in a strange dinner/variety show performed by the family, and when they begin to leave the house after their tire has been replaced, they are attacked and held captive for Otis Driftwood’s (Baby’s Adopted Brother) demented experiments. It just gets dark, more deranged and in general unsettling from there.

The film was completed in 2000 but Universal refused to release it. It wasn’t until 3 years later, when Zombie was able to purchase back the rights that he managed to finally get the film released by Lionsgate on April 11th 2003. I remember seeing it the night it came out with a group of friends after work (listening to the movie soundtrack on the drive there). That same weekend, I went for an encore with my girlfriend at the time. The next week we found out her best friend hadn’t seen the movie yet, and I went and saw it a 3rd time.

I know many people who hated this film and consider it Zombie’s worst movie. While I know that The Devil’s Rejects (the films sequel) is a superior film, I have more fun watching this. The film grows in enjoyment ten years later. It’s still just as demented as ever before. Rob Zombie’s weird usage of various camera styles and filters, as well as his unrelenting gore and plain bizarre twists make the movie difficult to follow but still a ton of stupid fun.

Some people might not care, but I say Happy 10 Year Anniversary House of 1000 Corpses.

Retroactive Thinking: BeetleJuice’s 25th Anniversary

by SaintmortMarch 27, 2013

When I was a kid, there were three movies that I was absolutely obsessed with: Monster Squad, Pee Wee’s Big Adventure, and Beetlejuice (I guess that really explains a lot about me). Last year, I celebrated Monster Squad’s 25th Birthday, and this year I’m happy to do the same for Beetlejuice.

Tim Burton has had a very interesting career of hits and misses; he started off on an amazing filmmaking streak, but soon fell into a slump of making essentially the same film over and over (and over) again. Of all of the films in his career however, BeetleJuice is my favorite (Pee Wee’s Big Adventure is an insanely close second), and also happens to be the most visually interesting.

The story of Beetlejuice begins shortly after the success of Pee Wee’s Big Adventure. While working out a deal to begin production of Batman, Burton was handed various scripts (Including Hot For Trot, the talking horse movie starring John Candy and Bobcat Goldthwait). This is where he discovered an unproduced script by Michael McDowell. Burton took the dark script and made it more humorous; just how dark was this movie you ask?

Well, remember in the beginning of the film, the Maitlands (Geena Davis & Alec Baldwin) car falls off a bridge (with them in it), and that’s it (spoiler alert… c’mon, it’s been 25 years)? In the original script, they graphically hit the water with Barbara’s arm getting crushed and the pair screaming for help as they drown in the river below. Furthermore, Beetlejuice (a winged demon disguised as a Middle-Eastern Man) plans to kill the Deetzes and rape Lydia (Winona Ryder). There are a few films in existence that I wish I could see the original, darker version (1993’s Cool World for example), but Beetlejuice is not one of them.

While Beetlejuice is hardly a kid’s film, it did inspire a children’s cartoon (weirder things have happened; The Toxic Avenger also spawned a children’s cartoon around this same time), as well as a line of toys. Strangely enough, the toys were based on movie characters as opposed to the TV series.

I watched this movie more times than I can even attempt to calculate. While she was a guest on the Mother’s Day episode of my podcast, my mom told the story of when 5 year old me did my “Beetlejuice Impression”, which involved me kicking a nearby tree, grabbing my crotch and yelling “Nice Fucking Model” at the top of my lungs at the playground.

Years have not aged this film even a little bit. It still retains every second of comedy, excitement and entertainment that it had in 1988. When he began making this film, Burton made the decision to only put $1 Million of the budget towards special effects. He believed that lower budget effects (such as stop motion) would give the film a nice B-movie feel with purposely fake looking effects. It’s because of those visual decisions that the movie survives visually, while CGI heavy films from just a few years ago already look weird and dated.

Even more impressive is how little the titular character is actually in the film. We all remember the character vividly because of Michael Keaton’s pitch perfectly over the top performance. He’s so memorable that it’s easy to forget he only has 17 minutes of screen time. Despite this, Keaton has openly stated that BeetleJuice is his favorite film that he’s been in (Not Mutiplicity!).

I can understand why; this movie does not have a ton of influences, since there is nothing else out there that even remotely looks like it (that’s including Tim Burton’s filmography). It did, however, make a fuck-ton of a money (that’s a measurement, right?), and a faithful fanbase all these years later. Just check out what these fine Minecrafters built in celebration!

With the massive success of this truly original picture, the studio desperately wanted to make a sequel; enter Beetlejuice goes Hawaiian. The whole premise being a visual joke that Burton came up with. He thought it’d be hilarious to mash German Expressionism with 50’s Surf movies. The Maitlands would be long gone as the Deetzes have moved to Hawaii and discover that they’re on an ancient burial ground. When a spirit comes from the afterlife and creates trouble, Lydia has no choice but to summon Beetlejuice to save them. Keaton and Ryder agreed to do the film, but Burton was tied up making Batman movies.

Over the years, a few people were approached for rewrites, including Daniel Waters (Heathers) and Kevin Smith (Clerks), but as the years went on the film became less and less likely to get made. The film will most likely never be produced due the fact that Winona is far too old to play Lydia. Well, too old for BeetleJuice Goes Hawaiian anyways. In 2011 Warner Brothers hired Seth Grahame-Smith (Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter) to write and produce a sequel. They promised a story worthy of a sequel, Tim Burton directing, and most importantly, Michael Keaton back as Beetlejuice. There has been very little word about it since.

No film has blended comedy, surrealism and horror in the last 25 years even half as uniquely as Beetlejuice successfully did. Maybe the sequel/remake/reboot/whatever will be able to, but I’ll be skeptical until that day comes.

Happy Birthday, BeetleJuice.

Retroactive Thinking: ‘Beavis & Butthead’ Turns 20 Today

by SaintmortMarch 7, 2013

I remember kids in my elementary school who weren’t allowed to watch The Simpsons; people just couldn’t help but find Bart Simpson’s rebellious attitude too much for young children to handle. I’m pretty sure those same parents lost their shit on March 8, 1993 when Mike Judge’s Beavis and Butthead hit the airwaves.

MTV’s gruesome twosome spawned from an animated short Judge crafted in 1992. MTV immediately signed him to create a TV series which would depict our beloved braindead menaces to society as MTV’s key demographic.

The show was composed of short animated films involving our favorite dangers to everyone (including themselves) intercut with clips of them watching MTV and mocking music videos. When I was a kid, I recall only caring about the music videos, as I found the animated shorts rather stupid and repetitive. Now at 27, I think that they are an achievement of comedic gold that to this day are painfully underrated.

MTV’s decision to air the show was clearly a smart one, as it’s likely one of the most defining aspects of the station in the 1990’s. While the 80’s were very music video heavy, Beavis and Butthead kicked off the new direction of the station. In the early 1990’s there were shows like Idiot Box and Liquid Television, but Beavis and Butthead (along with The State and The Real World) really exploded the station into the realm of programmed, story driven shows and full 30 minute blocks of time not dedicated to music videos.

Beavis and Butthead spawned a widely profitable feature film as well as a spin-off series (Daria), and multiple video games. However, while finically successful, with it came much controversy; the franchise was blamed for fires, animal cruelty, and various cases of property damage. Most of these accusations were cleverly mocked by the writers in future episodes. The most popular incident was in an episode called Lightning Strikes; after watching a documentary on Ben Franklin, the two decide to fly a kite during a thunderstorm. Their reckless behaviour then draws media attention that immediately blames Beavis and Butthead’s actions on the influence of Howard Stern and Rock Music.

The music video segments are still some of the biggest highlights in the show’s history. For whatever reason, these otherwise idiotic characters have strangely brilliant observations when it comes to critiquing music videos. At one point commenting “It’s like in all these videos now – they just get a couple of weird dudes, shake the camera and just do a bunch of crap” (this was while watching Archers of Loaf’s Web in Front). One of my favorite lines in the entire series came from a segment critiquing Metallica’s For Whom the Bell Tolls, simply stating “Sit your ass down Lars and play the drums like your supposed to”. I’m fairly confident the plenty of other Metallica fans were saying similar things in 2000.

After 5 years of lambasting music videos, a wrap sheet of controversy, and a feature length film, they ended their run with their 200th episode, ‘Beavis and Butthead are Dead’ on November 28th 1997. Since the series, Mike Judge has enjoyed a successful career writing King of the Hill and directing three box offices bombs that all became cult classics on home video. Last year the series came back to its home and the duo got right to work, this time destroying UFC fights, Jersey Shore and amateur YouTube videos. I know I’m more than happy to welcome these two lovable idiots back to the airwaves!

Retroactive Thinking: ‘The Muppet Christmas Carol’ Turns 20 Today!

by SaintmortDecember 10, 2012

I will never understand people who hate Christmas. I know that they exist. I’ve had conversations with many of them. I just still don’t understand it. Maybe it’s the nostalgic person in me that fondly remembers Christmas holidays of the past. Curled up on the couch, fire in the fireplace and Christmas specials on TV.

For years, I’d eagerly await December, when I could watch Garfield’s Christmas Special, Christmas at the Playhouse and A Very Claymation Christmas. However, my favorite as a child (and as an adult) was the beautiful Muppet Family Christmas. It’s a genuine crime that this special has yet to get a proper DVD release (Little Shop of Horrors finally got a Director’s Cut release this year so I’m still hopeful that I’ll get my beloved Christmas special on DVD one day).

The Muppets and Christmas just seem like a match made in heaven. The Muppets are like Christmas 365. I’m forced to quote Walter from last years The Muppets film. “As Long as there are talking frogs and singing bears and swedish chefs and boomerang fish the world couldn’t be that bad a place. As long as there are Muppets. There is hope”

Behind the helm was Jim Henson. He had that magic “something” that made us believe anything was possible. He believed life was meant to be fun and dreamed to be a person who made the world a better place for having lived it. In the eyes of the world he fulfilled his dream and when he died the Muppets would die with him.

That’s what makes The Muppet Christmas Carol so important. The first Muppet film made without Jim as well as original muppeteer Richard Hunt the film would literally make or break the Muppets’ staying power. Henson’s son Brian would helm the director’s chair and Kermit would be performed by Steve Whitmire.

This mostly faithful (or as faithful as The Muppets could be) adaptation of Charles Dickens classic was the perfect way to show that The Muppets had not lost an ounce of their magic and power. The tale is filled with comedy (mostly presented by Gonzo’s performance as Charles Dickens and his sidekick Rizzo the Rat) as well as heartwarming (and occasionally heartbreaking) moments.

Michael Caine is brilliantly cast as Scrooge and makes the transition from mean-spirited, sorrowful and joyful so seamlessly that he forces you to go through all of these emotions along with him. Years later when I finally took the time to read the novella it was him that I visioned most out of every previous performance I’d seen.

Originally, it was proposed that the Ghosts would be performed by Miss Piggy, Scooter and Gonzo but the idea was scrapped when it was decided these iconic Muppet characters would only distract viewers from the emotional leverage of these ghosts. It was a brilliant idea. Each ghost has their own unique puppeteering style. Be it the weightless Marionette style of the Ghost of Christmas Past, the full body costume of the Ghost of Christmas Past or the frighteningly clocked Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come, they have their own innovative touch of magic that only the muppets could produce.

However, while the performances, the puppetry and script all help drive the story, the most memorable moments come from the brilliant songwriting of Paul Williams. Much like when he wrote songs for The Muppet’s debut film The Muppet Movie, The Muppets Christmas Carol contains a wonderful blending of themes. Williams’ songs all have an upbeat feeling and themes about love and the magic of Christmas, yet he still allows them to have a hint of sadness to them.

While my favorite song of the film has always been “It Feels Like Christmas”, the highlight is “When Love Is Gone”, a song cut from the theatrical release because Disney studios found it to be too serious to keep a child’s attention. While Williams and Henson both fought to keep the song in the movie, it wasn’t until the Home Video release that the song was returned to the film (leaving the theatrical release with an awkward and obvious cut). In it, the farewell song from Scrooge’s lost-love Belle eventually turns into a duet between the girl of his past and Scrooge of the present. What I love about this is it implies that after all these years, Scrooge still remembers the words Belle said when she left him.

So was the Muppets take on this classic tale of love, Christmas and redemption a box office success? Sadly. No. While the film is wonderful and was well received critically, it failed to reach the high expectations that Disney had set for it. In 1992, it faced the competition of Home Alone 2: Lost in New York and Aladdin (which was still in theaters after months of release). Still, while grossing $27 Million, it didn’t completely bomb, it did sent the early message that The Muppets may not survive without their creator. It wasn’t until 4 years later that the franchise would rediscover success, when the Muppets returned in the successful Muppet Treasure Island. But it was a temporary victory. 1999’s The Muppets From Space marked the beginning of a slow decline into obscurity, where they stayed until last year’s The Muppets revived them in a fashion that only thousands of Muppet fans could dream of a decade earlier.

Despite the poor box office (second lowest Muppet box office at the time), the film has developed a cult following and has become a quintessential film of the season. Today, the film is now 20 years old. I still fondly remember seeing it in theaters when I was 7 with my mother and then best friend Mac (who I have lost contact with and may have been killed by a bear during a circus accident). I was completely obsessed with the film, laughing at all the appropriate points and even feeling sadness when Tiny Tim had died. In the end, perhaps that’s why we love The Muppets, because no one seems to do Love and Joy quite like them.