I have long felt that I owe the Rev. Frederick McFeely Rogers an apology for reasons I will explain shortly. Rogers, an ordained Presbyterian minister, did Mister Rogers' Neighborhood on PBS from 1968 — the year I was born — through 2001. It deservedly won four Emmys and a Peabody Award. He taught us it is good to ask questions and I have been doing that my whole life.
When I saw an opportunity to review an album of covers of Mister Rogers songs, I snapped it up faster than Mister Rogers could take off his sweater at the start of the show. But when Songs From the Neighborhood: The Music of Mister Rogers arrived, I realized there were four problems:
My interest in Mister Rogers never really had anything to do with the music.
The musicians covering his songs are not ones I like.
Each time I put on either the CD or the accompanying DVD, I fell asleep.
I was always more of a fan of Sesame Street and Electric Company than Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood.
And yet, I felt guilty. You see, one of my youthful indiscretions involved using cultural landmarks such as this series to make people laugh. And so it was I wrote a story involving Gumby referencing Mister Rogers. The story made people laugh. Laughter was — and still is, I guess — my legal version of crack. Making someone smile or, better yet, laugh or snort would make me feel good all day.
I took from that a lesson: Mister Rogers is easy to make fun of because so many people remember it. When Eddie Murphy did his own jokes about Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, I decided it was no longer cool to mock Mister Rogers. So after doing one more story, in which Libya’s leader, Muammar al-Qaddafi, goes on Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood and holds characters hostage, I decided it was time to let Mister Rogers do his show in peace.
Article comments
1 - godoggo
I've always liked the music on Mr. Rogers. The background music was played by an excellent jazz group, and his own songs were essentially well-crafted jazz tunes. I believe you when you say this album isn't very good, but I think it could have been with different performers.
I should note that Fred Rogers was a much more complex individual than his public personal. As I learned in summer camp, he was once arrested for possession of six blotters of acid, around the same time that Rod Stewart had to have his stomach pumped because he'd swallowed a quart of sperm.
2 - Elvira Black
Mr. Rogers on blotter? That might explain some things...
Very funny stuff, Scott--hope it's ok to say that!
3 - Ivan Bial
A Grammy Award wining album and you fell a sleep..
It ‘s the first review I have read that focuses more on the reviews short coming and missed opportunities then on the quality and substance on what’s being reviewed.
Quick hint..when you review an album it should be about the album..No-one cares you failed at writing a Gumby story..
Lets see??? Mrs. Fred Rogers loved the album and you did not..I wonder who cares more weight?
4 - Scott Butki
Sure it's ok to laugh. It's meant to be funny in parts.
And yes the review said as much about me as it did about Mister Rogers - that was a conscience choice since my relationship with Rogers and the music was about more than just sitting and listening to it.
When I look at the reviews I like from Griel Marcus, Lester Bangs, etc. they seem to be about many things, only one of which is the actual album.
I can write a standard review but am using the BC experience to test some boundaries and try new things.
As with this album, your mileage may vary.
5 - Scott Butki
Your comments are exactly the reason why I struggled for weeks on how to write this.
I decided to make that struggle part of the story. I cut at the last minute a few paragraphs about myself, as a friend who helped me edited this will attest.
So in short: was it too self-indulgent? maybe.
But do I need to like it just because Mrs Rogers and the Grammy's like it? No.
6 - A.L. Harper
Scott -
I like this review. It turned out rather good. I'm glad you were honest enough to tell the truth.
7 - Reed
I heard a few clips of this, but not the whole thing. The thing with Mr. Rogers' songs is that they aren't really great songs or anything (though he's a good piano player), they are just like him: honest, tentatively confident, hokey and corny and fine with that; they aren't really meant to be pop music, so when they are reinterpreted and produced with a more professional pop or jazz style produced in more by someone singing or playing as *they* normally do -- not played by Mr. Rogers -- I'm worried that they might end up sounding kind of fake or irritating.
I'll have to hear more of the album to see if the whole thing is like that though.
8 - Scot Butki
Hmm, why are all comments in italics?
Here's a very unMr Rogers anecdotethat made me laugh.
9 - Scott Butki
This is a link to the testimony Rogers
gave to Congress.
10 - Suldog
I'm a Rogers fan from way back, so was just surfing articles concerning Fred and came upon this. I haven't heard this recording yet, so no comment on that. However, your reviewing style is just fine. Lester Bangs does come to mind, actually - at least some of his less surreal reviews.
If you haven't heard it already, you might like to check out an album made by Rogers's long-time accompanist, John Costa, wherein he reworked the tunes as pure jazz. Delightful recording by the man who played those tunes in their original forms for so many years.
11 - Scott Butki
I'll have to check that out. Thanks for the tip.