Three reasons we get to blog this video of Buddy Rich, the world’s greatest drummer, in a drum battle with Animal on the Muppets in 1981: (1) He was Jewish. This blog’s core demo is Jewish and interested in Judaism…….

Having once met and chatted with Krupa during one of his gigs in Virginia Beach, VA (a hundred years ago). I feel partial to him. He was a really ‘down to earth’ dude and I appreciated it when he gave me his autograph and a couple of his drumsticks after he had broken the tips off making rim shots.

Glad to hear it OBX Pete, especially considering Buddy was not a pleasant guy. Sensational artist but not much of a people person. The fact that other musicians – good ones at that – put up with this guy’s antics is as strong a testament to his musical genius as anything else I can think of. And that YouTube clip of the solo is a keeper -

Here’s another rare clip for Muppet fans. Henson appeared on Carson’s Tonight Show and performed this unique piece.

Limbo, the Organized Mind

Interestingly, it works well (but in a different way) with just the audio.

Scot on November 27, 2006 at 2:57 AM

Yup, both Animal and the Tasmanian Devil of Bugs Bunny fame are based on one person……

ME!

Subsunk

Animal! Taz like! Subsunk like!

http://www.amazon.com/Saturday-Night-Live-Complete-Season/dp/B000JLQPYK/sr=8-1/qid=1164657184/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/002-0449232-9648044?ie=UTF8&s=dvd

$45 for 8 discs .. good deal.

I have one of the series staring a stone Idol and a bird. I would like to see them all and cannot find them anywhere. There are more than one. I imagine that Jim Henson’s family has destroyed the prints or copies because they are adult-themed and oriented. It would be nice to laugh seeing them, they are lost but for the memory.”

I’ve read that the first season of Saturday Night Live is supposed to be coming out on DVD in the not too distant future, so they should be all over those discs.

I don’t think the Muppets lasted much beyond that season, as the SNL writers hated scripting their segments, and Henson didn’t approve of SNL’s harder-edged humor. So when the deal closed with Sir Lew Grade in England to do a half-hour variety show, Henson & Co. were more than happy to cross the Atlantic.

And, iam7545, I’d have given up the drums too if I had seen that duel. ;^)

My vote for the next Muppet show replay….
Alice Cooper singing Welcome to my Nightmare.

That gets my vote.

Among them is the Gene Krupa drum battle, OBX Pete. And please don’t miss the Westside Story solo on youtube, everyone! There’s a reason Rich is considered a legend.

When your signature move is a one handed drumroll… well, I’m convinced the man had a third arm. It moved so fast mortal eyes couldn’t track it.

Who is this Buddy Rich guy? Did he play for the Beatles or something?

JasonG on November 27, 2006 at 7:47 AM

Heh.

Buddy is God-like.

If you have 15 minutes or so, go watch this special about the Henson statue that was built at the University of Maryland as a memorial to him.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=wzIXvm4U3zo

I have one of the series staring a stone Idol and a bird. I would like to see them all and cannot find them anywhere. There are more than one. I imagine that Jim Henson’s family has destroyed the prints or copies because they are adult-themed and oriented. It would be nice to laugh seeing them, they are lost but for the memory.