Are you still struggling with your holiday shopping? Are you having trouble finding just the right gift for that “creative” person on your list?
You know the one that I’m talking about. That person who used to tie up your kitchen table with all of their “projects” when they were a kid. Who’d turn construction paper, Elmer’s Glue & uncooked macaroni into a genuine work of art.
It’s these sorts of folks who often have problems making their dreams take flight as they enter adulthood. Who have trouble transitioning from being someone who — say — fiddles around with art to then becoming someone who can actually make a living as an artist.
If you’ve got someone like that on your holiday shopping list, then I suggest that you get them a copy of Kevin Clash’s great new book, “My Life as a Furry Red Monster: What Being Elmo Has Taught Me About Life, Love and Laughing Out Loud” (Broadway Books, September 2006)
Copyright 2006 Broadway Books
You see, Kevin … He was that kid at the kitchen table. Only — instead of working with construction paper & glue — young Mr. Clash worked with fabric and foam. Because Kevin wanted to be a puppeteer.
Of course, when your dad’s a flash welder operator & your mom runs a daycare center out of the family home in order to help make ends meet & you’re sharing a bedroom with two sisters and a brother … Making a living by performing with puppets seems like an awfully unlikely goal. Particularly for someone living in Turner Station, a blue collar community just to the east of Baltimore.
But Kevin had two loving parents who actively supported his dreams. With the money that they could spare, they’d buy their son the supplies that he needed in order to make new puppets. Mr. & Mrs. Clash would also drive Kevin to his puppeteering gigs.
Hell, Mr. Clash even sacrificed the lining of his Sunday-go-to-church overcoat just so that his son would then have the material that he needed to build a new bear puppet. Mind you, Kevin’s Dad didn’t find out about his “donation” until after his son had actually cut the lining out of that coat. As to how this man reacts to that news … Well, that’s one of the better stories that you’ll find inside of “My Life as a Furry Red Monster.”
Copyright 2006 Broadway Books
Anyway … It wasn’t just his parents’ kindness & support that eventually made Kevin’s career possible. There were also lots of lucky breaks along the way. Like that day when young Kevin was watching television and saw a news report about Kermit Love, the man who built many of the larger Muppets that Jim Henson & Co. used on “Sesame Street” and in other productions.
After that report aired, Kevin’s mom called the TV station. And — many phone calls later — actually managed to put her son in touch with Mr. Love. Kermit then invited Kevin to come visit him at his Greenwich Village workshop. Which young Mr. Clash did one day, stealing some time away from a senior class trip to NYC.
Seeing Kevin’s obvious talent & passion for puppeteering, Kermit became something of a mentor to this young man. Offering helpful advice & encouragement, making professional introductions for the boy when he could. Love even helped Clash land his first professional gig working with the Jim Henson organization. Which was back in 1979, when this high school student puppeteered Cookie Monster on the “Sesame Street” float in that year’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade.
Copyright 2006 Broadway Books
It was right after that parade that Kevin first met Jim Henson. And while — in a fairy tale, maybe — it would have been at this exact moment that Henson would recognize Clash’s obvious ability as a puppeteer and immediately offer him a job working with the Muppets. But — truth be told — it would take several more years of hard work, of Kevin learning his crafts & the ways of the business before Henson officially came calling & tried to recruit Clash to come work on “The Dark Crystal.”
But Kevin actually turned that dream puppeteering gig down. On the advice of Kermit Love, no less.
Why For? Because at that time, Clash was already puppeteering on both the “Captain Kangaroo” show & “The Great Space Coaster Supershow.” And Kermit convinced Kevin that it was more important in the long run for the young puppeteer to honor his commitments to those other two shows, rather than just drop everything & fly off to London for that high profile Henson gig.
“You don’t want to get a reputation in this business for being unprofessional, for not honoring all of your commitments,” Love explained.
Copyright 2006 Broadway Books
Following Kermit’s advice, Kevin very reluctantly turned down the “Dark Crystal” gig. Fearing that — after he’d done this — Jim Henson’s people would never again offer him another puppeteering job.
But — as it turned out — Kermit Love was right. Because Clash had chosen to honor his commitment to “Captain Kangaroo” & “The Great Space Coaster,” rather than drop everything to run off to London … The folks at Henson actually respected Kevin’s decision. They considered the way that he’d handled the situation to be extremely professional. Which was why — the very next time a slot for a new puppeteer opened up on “Sesame Street” — they gave Clash a call.
That’s the real beauty of “My Life as a Furry Red Monster.” It’s full of these great little life lessons about how one should handle a career in the performing arts. The many little sacrifices & compromises that you have to make in order to balance your professional & personal life.
Mind you, you’ll also find lots of great little show business insider stories scattered among the 224 pages of this cute little hardcover. Like that unnamed Children’s Television Workshop exec who once took Kevin to lunch and tried to persuade this puppeteer to cut back on Elmo’s laughing. Or — for that matter — how the insanely popular “Tickle Me Elmo” doll almost came to the market as a “Tickle Me Taz.”
That’s right. Taz. As in the Tasmanian Devil character from Warner Bros. Looney Tunes.
Anyway … If you’re looking for a book that cleverly mixes great having-a-career-in-the-arts advice with heart-warming family stories, then I can think of no better book to suggest than “My Life as a Furry Red Monster: How Being Elmo Taught Me About Life, Love and Laughing Out Loud.” Co-authored by Gary Brozek, this Broadway Books publication will make a great stocking stuffer for the would-be artiste on your holiday shopping list.