My Life As A Furry Red Monster
Posted by: Alan in Biography, Book Reviews, Books, Children, Memoir
Kevin Clash and Elmo
Most of the time a book’s genre dictates its format. Mysteries typically begin with murder followed by investigation and then solution. Cookbooks start with appetizers and end with dessert. And biographies usually take a birth to death (or birth to present) approach. But Kevin Clash, the man behind (or more accurately when performing on Sesame Street beneath) my favorite Muppet is different. The chapters in his biography, My Life As A Furry Red Monster, are arranged by emotional virtues: Love, Joy, Creativity, Tolerance, Courage, Friendship, Cooperation, Learning and Optimism.
More often than not when books step outside the established format, they fall flat on their faces. But this one works. Largely ignoring chronology, Clash relates anecdotes of growing up in a small house in Baltimore filled with kids, love and laughter as a shy child obsessed from a very early age with creating puppets and performing with them for the neighborhood kids, then later at local events and on a local television show and finally with Jim Henson’s team on the mega-hit PBS children’s show with each vignette illustrating the chapter’s particular theme. The tone is light and engaging and the less than 200 page book is a quick, easy read. Recommended.
Eavesdrop Writer by Vienne is a wonderful blog in which the author relates snippets of over-heard conversations as grist for the creative writing mill. Her powers of observation are remarkable as is the skill with which she presents scenes she has witnessed in public. Her blog features a very active Comments section in which Vienne is charming and truly gracious to all of her visitors.
Jim Bashkin is a scientist and book-lover whose blog Nearly Nothing But Novels focuses mostly on crime fiction with a few literary classics thrown in. Jim’s detailed book reviews are intelligent and informative, his site well worth a daily visit.
And finally, Jim Murdoch is a novelist whose blog The Truth About Lies features observations on language, literature and the writing life. His tone and style are very engaging. I greatly enjoyed his posts about owning 27 dictionaries and musing on the assignment of gender to neutral nouns in the romance languages. A real treat.
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September 27th, 2007 at 11:49 am
I heard Kevin Clash and Elmo interviewed on “Wait, Wait, Don’t tell me” (one of my favorite radio programs). It was the most amazing and hilarious interview I’d ever heard. I’ve tried to find it for my ipod, but have not been successful.
September 27th, 2007 at 12:20 pm
I don’t have an ipod (i don’t really Do audio with hearing probs) but if you should come across the book read it. I think you would enjoy it.
September 28th, 2007 at 7:23 am
Am I the only one who finds Elmo annoying? My kids watch Sesame Street and that voice tends to grate on my nerves like nails on a chalkboard after awhile.
September 28th, 2007 at 7:50 pm
I am pretty seriously hard of hearing antibarbie and never really noticed elmo’s voice. thanks for stopping by.