Lew Zealand: Muppet of the People

 Thought it was high time I gave a shout-out to my de facto avatar, Lew Zealand, Muppet extraordinaire.  Sure, folks have their favorite Muppet: Kermit, Miss Piggy, Gonzo, Dr. Bunsen Honeydew or Beaker, or even Sam, the American Eagle, but none of those have the quiet, confident demeanor of Lew Zealand.

Lew blew onto the scene in mid Season 3 of The Muppet Show, where in his opening sketch he “played” a musical number by squeezing various “tuned” fishes.  Later, he introduced his now-famous Boomerang Fish Act, and his follow-up performances almost all had some variation on the fish theme.  His best Muppet Show performance was with Spike Milligan in the classic “Intergalactic Brotherhood of  Man, Including Things“.

Lew Zealand is one of the only (maybe the only) Muppet ever to successfully stand up to Miss Piggy, expertly wielding a large fish to fend her off and avoid the Karate Chop of Death.  In The Great Muppet Caper, he swung a fish and got a hit when pitched the famed Baseball Diamond.  His last appearance (?) was in Muppet Treasure Island, where he had a cameo knitting a Jolly Roger while the ship was trapped in the Doldrums.

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Friday Random 10

This week has been so busy with end of the school year activities, that the Friday Random 10 is the only post to make a showing.  Here goes:

1. “Radio Silence” – Thomas Dolby, “The Golden Age of Wireless“
2. “Diary of a Man Who Vanished” – Steve Howe, “The Steve Howe Album“
3. “The Rainbow Connection” – “The Muppet Movie original soundtrack“
4. “Heavenly Sarum” – Roger Eno, “Music of Neglected English Composers“
5. untitled bonus track* – Yes, “Tormato“
6. “Health Music” – Ozric Tentacles, “Bits Between the Bits“
7. “Angel Doll” – Joe Hisaishi, “Kids Return soundtrack“
8. “Tin Man” – America, “History: America’s Greatest Hits“
9. “Joanna” – Rick Wakeman, “Crimes of Passion soundtrack“
10. “Spirit of Summer” – Deodato, “Prelude“

*actually, the orchestra instrumentation to “Onward”