This was a real toss up: File under “Music for Kids” or “Music for Grownups?” Well, since FRAGGLE ROCK is involved, I’m going with “kids” even though the BEN FOLDS FIVE is the responsible artist. In the footsteps of OK GO and WEEZER, BEN FOLDS FIVE have some Muppet counterparts in their new video for “Do It Anyway,” a song taken from their long-awaited comeback album, THE SOUND OF LIFE OF THE MIND (out this week on ImaVeePee/Sony).
The Phil Hodges-directed video is a production of Chris Hardwick’s NERDIST Industries, and features appearances by Rob Corddry, Anna Kendrick, and Hardwick himself. The Fraggles were of course provided by The Jim Henson Company. Ben Folds, along with returning band mates Robert Sledge and Darren Jessee, are joined by Gobo, Mokey, Wembley, Boober, Red and Uncle Traveling Matt.
{source}{/source}
My 3-year-old was really getting into FRAGGLE ROCK when it was airing on The Hub (we also have the first season on DVD), and this new blast into the mainstream psyche will only help to usher in the 30th Anniversary Celebration of all things Fraggle in 2013. Seriously, next year will be Fraggle-riffic, and The Rock Father is excited!
More about the video from the official press release…
Hardwick describes how this cluster of awesomeness happened:
“In a meeting with Lisa [Henson, CEO, The Jim Henson Company], she casually said, ‘Next year is the 30th anniversary of ‘Fraggle Rock.’ Would you want to do anything with the Fraggles?’ ‘WHAT THE [expletive]?? That’s an OPTION?!’ I loudly replied. I think I scared her a little. I knew Ben had a new album releasing in September so I threw his name out. Lisa said ‘that would be amazing‘ without hesitation. It was beautifully serendipitous. It seemed like a no-brainer to me, but I still cautiously pitched it to Ben, not really knowing his relationship with the show. I think I just spit words out, ‘YOU. VIDEO. FRAGGLES. ME PAY FOR!'”
Folds was VERY interested, it turns out, and had the perfect song in mind. “When Ben sent me ‘Do it Anyway,’ I knew within the first five seconds that the song was perfect-the bouncy piano… the dancing bass …it actually sounded like it was intentionally written for the Fraggles. I can never fully express the amount of nerdy joy that I felt on set seeing Red Fraggle jump around on Ben’s piano,” said Hardwick. “And the fact that I was able to weasel my way into the video was a dream come true.”
Formed in 1994, Ben Folds Five changed the course of indie rock in the mid-1990s before amicably parting ways in 2000 to pursue different artistic ventures. Now, after twelve years, the indie pop trio has returned to bring their unique pop sensibility to both Fraggle Rock and the Nerdist Channel.
Red Fraggle said, “We had a great adventure in Outer Space! Ben, Robert and Darren love music as much as Fraggles do, so we had lots of fun. It would be wonderful to have them come play more music in the caves with us, but I am not sure they can fit through the hole in the floor!”
Check out some behind-the-scenes footage…
{source}{/source}
