Part I
NARRATOR: It was 1982 -- two years into the so-called “age of excess.” Many people believe that this tumultuous time began with a slightly off-key G-chord followed by rasps of A’s and diminished sixths. This is, in some respects, true. But it was also the age of the fun-loving; the age of the carefree; the age of inner-child consciousness; the age of the Fraggle, when Behind the Magic continues.
[BEGINNING OF CREDIT MONTAGE]
[Onscreen, various images and video pieces play à la VH1’s Behind the Music, with wording similar – including, but not limited to the following words: Outer Space, radish dust, gluttony, exposure, pigtails, banana trees, love, addiction, minstrels, etc…]
[END OF CREDIT MONTAGE]
NARRATOR: [As the Fraggle Rock intro plays onscreen, as well as various clips] They spent years bringing joy to the lives of many faces, and lots of energy keeping pace with a world that was developing rapidly. The cast of Fraggle Rock had much love and insight to give to the world, but they still had their own demons to tackle – priority one being that their everyday was now ours once a week.
GOBO: Gee whiz, our lives were normal up until the point the CBC and the crew from Henson came into the picture. One minute, I was sleeping in a bunk, and the next – well, I’m still sleeping in a bunk, but the point is…things changed. We were famous. Our pictures were everywhere and we were mobbed everywhere we went. Scores of screaming fans, I’ll tell you.
WEMBLEY: People were over us like slime on a doozer stick. It was nerve-racking. I can remember finishing up a day of shooting and walking back to my room, and I swear there must have been about sixty phone messages on my machine. “I love you, Wembley.” “Marry me, Wembley.” “Don’t forget milk and radishes, Wembley.” Very intense. Ever since that first episode I knew things were different. We were broadcasting our lives for the world to see.
NARRATOR: And see it they did. Throughout its glorious run on television, people were beckoned back every week to see more possible misadventures involving Gobo, Mokey, Wembley, Boober, and Red. Record Nielsen ratings were garnered by the show, and there were benefits galore for the group. Boober Fraggle –
BOOBER: When I heard about the show idea, I was skeptical. I mean, who would want to see me fold laundry and be neurotic every week? I couldn’t have been more misguided in my thoughts. But once things got rolling, I found out that I had quite a following. I’d get suspicious packages in the mail from people asking me to sign their tighty-whities. Very disconcerting…but hey – It was fame. Considering I don’t get much, I wasn’t about to pass this up! We all have our strange stories. Overall, it was a lot of fun.
NARRATOR: Indeed, the production was “fun,” but for how long? When we return…
MOKEY: There was a point somewhere around 1985 when I began to experiment – on all levels. Everything suffered: my personal life, work…even my poetry: (reading an excerpt from her book of poems)
“Radishes are red,
They’re so fun to chew –
I like peanut butter,
Can you swim?”
[Mokey stares at the camera in sad, sallow bewilderment]
NARRATOR: …when Behind the Magic continues.
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Fraggle Rock: Behind the Magic
I would so like to see that on tv. It reminds me of that Simpsons episode of Behind the Laughter.
Linear Mode
