Monday, May 11, 2015

I Am Big Bird: The Caroll Spinney Story - Ready For Download!

At conventions, I'm asked about what inspired me as a kid to do what I love to do.  Well, a few things, actually; but, if we consider people involved one of them was Jim Henson and the Muppet characters of Sesame Street as a driving force to puppetry.  8am or 3pm, I could watch them daily on our local Memphis PBS station, WKNO Channel 10.  I loved all the classic characters: Ernie and Bert, Grover, Cookie Monster, Count von Count, Oscar, and I would light up when that giant, down-covered yellow mass of joy walked onto the screen:  Big Bird!

I would take my records and knew each one well enough that I could set the needle down at the right spot, and perform a fantastic puppet show using my Sesame Street and Muppet Show puppets.  To see the kind of puppets I am talking about, visit David Maxine's blog about his classic toys collection.  Of course, along with Kermit, the star of my puppet shows would be Big Bird!

You may remember a while back that I was supporting and promoting the documentary "I Am Big Bird" because, after all, I'm a huge fan of both Spinney and the Bird.  I'm often heard saying, "Big Bird makes me happy."

Now, the project is complete and is ready for download from the good folks at Copper Pot Pictures.
CLICK HERE to purchase your download.

For starters, HERE is the interview I did in 2012 with Chad Walker and Dave LaMattina, two of the creators of the project.  It's fun and, per usual, off the wall (when am I ever ON the wall?).

It feels like forever that I've anticipated the release of this long-deserved tribute to a great actor, Caroll Spinney, and his career.  But, the wait has been worth it.  This is the honest story of a man's life, touching on moments we fans remember or may have no clue about (the Space Shuttle Mission, for example), and shows how love and support from family and friends can drive a man toward his success.  So much is explained about his own wonderment of the world and how that translates back to our favorite yellow bird.

Be certain you download the film, and go see it at theaters if one shows up near you.  You will be glad you did!

Supporting web links follow.  Click this image for the official website.

http://www.iambigbird.com/


I Am Big Bird - the Facebook page.
Caroll Spinney Official Website.
Copper Pot Pictures.
Sesame Street.