Jarrod Fairclough – A few weeks back Muppet performer Matt Vogel launched a podcast version of his popular web show, Below The Frame. And honestly I think fans are sleeping on it a little bit, so I wanted to take a second and acknowledge what is legitimately a really fun show.
I’ll preface it by saying I also have a vested interest in the show, because I edited some of it, but in doing so I was lucky enough to get to really listen and pay attention, and fall in love with this show that humanizes my heroes. The passion that these performers have for their job, for their craft, for the fans, is really inspiring, and the amount of trivia and tidbits are huge. Matt and these performers talk at length about their lives before they became puppeteers, their childhood memories of these characters, and what drove them to do what they do now. Carmen Osbahr (Rosita) tells an incredibly moving tale about Jim Henson and how his passing in 1990 still affects her. It isn’t just ‘Haha how good is being Ernie!?’ – it’s about how they relate to their characters and how they develop them.
It’s also very informative for aspiring puppeteers, with advice and lessons peppered throughout. There’s some really fun sketches featuring some of the Muppet performers doing fake ads for things like ‘arm rods’, ‘eye focus’ and ‘right hands’, which leads into actual lessons. Peter Linz can teach you how to lip sync! FOR FREE, YOU GUYS!
So here’s just a few links, and now you’ll have no excuse not to be in the know about how they put together their little show!
The Muppet Mindset 