The Barretta Brothers

Kirk Thatcher!

The brothers are joined today by Kirk Thatcher, an Emmy award winning writer/producer, an award winning television, commercial and viral video director, as well as a creature maker and character designer for both films and television.

 

Expect to hear...

 

...How and why Kirk became an artist in spite of having parents that did not see it as a lucrative or even practical career path.

 

...what it was like to design and create creatures for Return of the Jedi, Star Trek II and III, E.T., and others.

 

...the process behind writing Muppet films and the secret to bringing Muppet characters to life.

 

MEMORABLE QUOTES BY KIRK

• “I was interested in the cinema as not only a diversion but also as a career. Seeing that there were, indeed, vocations and avocations in the industry of cinema, or film if you will, I realized that not only did I enjoy viewing these productions, but I was also quite curious and interested in making them.”
• “They’re dead. They’re dehydrated, mummified Muppets. Whereas, when we’re in the moment, and the characters come alive, particularly once you create out of yourself, that’s the magic.”
• “Performers are more than just the people who read the lines. The Muppets, because they’ve been around so long, the performers are so integral, so it has to be much more of a collaboration.”

 

OUTLINE OF THIS EPISODE

• Growing up in Los Angeles as an adopted child [05:18]
• Where Kirk discovered and developed his artistic abilities [12:48]
• Working on Return of the Jedi [18:12]
• Kirk’s life in snapshots [24:30]
• Becoming an associate producer on Star Trek IV [32:10]
• Co-writing Muppet Treasure Island [46:30]
• Bringing that “extra insanity” to storytelling and character development [52:03]
• Taking risks with the Muppets [59:27]
• Collaborating with the brothers to create Pepe the King Prawn [1:01:40]

 

ABOUT OUR GUEST

Kirk R. Thatcher is an Emmy award winning writer/producer, an award winning television, commercial and viral video director, as well as a creature maker and character designer for both films and television.

Kirk began at nineteen working at Industrial Light and Magic, designing, creating and puppeteering creatures for blockbusters such as, Return of the Jedi, Star Trek II, Star Trek III, E.T., Poltergeist, and Gremlins. He was also an associate producer on Star Trek IV, in which he had a memorable cameo as the Punk on the Bus, rocking out to the Punk anthem he both wrote and sang, called, “I HateYou!”

Kirk has co-written several Muppet films including Muppet Treasure Island and directed four television movies: “The Muppets Wizard of Oz”, which premiered at Robert DeNiro’s Tribeca Film Festival, “It’s a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie,”  “The Muppets Letters to Santa” as well as the Lifetime Network Thanksgiving movie, “Jim Henson’s Turkey Hollow” starring Mary Steenburgen. He was Supervising Producer on the Emmy Award winning ABC series, Muppets Tonight, and co-producer on the ABC series Dinosaurs, on which he designed most of the characters, working closely with one of his mentors, the Muppet’s creator Jim Henson. As well as his long form work, Kirk has directed over thirty Muppet commercials and web shorts including, Muppet’s Bohemian Rhapsody, which has been viewed over 72 Million times, and all of Neil Patrick Harris’ web comedy series, “Neil’s Puppet Dreams”. Kirk has also written episodes for the Cartoon Network series Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends and directed episodes of Nickelodeon’s series Lazy Town, PBS’ Sid the Science Kid and Comedy Central’s Crank Yankers. Kirk was also one of the three recurring judges on the Syfy channel series, “Jim Henson’s Creature Shop Challenge” which had over 11 million viewers.

More recently, Kirk created, wrote, and Executive Produced a series for Netflix entitled, “The Curious Creations of Christine McConnell” with Christine McConnell and the Jim Henson company. Kirk directed every episode and the series has a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes! Kirk recently directed an episode of, “The Kids are Alright” entitled, “Mailbox” for ABC Network. He also directed 3hrs of episodes of the Muppets new series, “Muppets Now” on Disney +, which debuted in 2020. He also co-wrote and co-directed the hit Muppet Live Shows that played at the Hollywood bowl and in London’s O2 stadium.  He is currently developing shows for Netflix, Disney + and the Amazon. When he isn’t busy creating or directing shows, Kirk is also a voice talent and has done many of the memorable voices on the feature films, Spaced Invaders, Gremlins II and the animated series, “Klutter” as well as playing Dr Thatch in Medal of Honor, Above and Beyond, released in December of 2020.

Dinosaurs Month, Week One

Dinosaurs Month, Week One

WIth the announcement that the entire Dinosaurs series is going up on Disney+ on January 29, the Brothers have decided to dedicate an entire month’s worth of episodes to the beloved show. Expect features on the characters, as well as on the designers, builders, performers, and voice actors that brought those characters to life.

On today’s show, the Brothers are joined by Stuart Pankin, John Kennedy, Allan Trautman, Jane Gootnick, Marian McCoin, Nikki Lyons, Julianne Buescher, Brian Henson, Tony Sabin Prince, and Lisa Rocco.

 

Expect to hear...

 

...how the puppeteers and performers developed a working chemistry to bring their characters to life.

 

...puppeteering innovations that came out of Dinosaurs.

 

...what it feels like to be inside Earl’s, Fran’s, and Ethyl’s body suits.

 

MEMORABLE QUOTES

• “I visited the set a bunch of times. It was fantastic. It’s too bad that the people who watched it, who loved the show, couldn't get a chance to see that. That set and those people, those animatronics, it was beautiful and unbelievable.” ~Brian
• “We’re just controlling the face, and we’re doing the dialogue. We’re all puppeteers, so I imagine what I want to see the character do. I’m not just doing a voice or making faces. As a puppeteer, I’m always thinking about the body and how I want to compose things and the emotion I want to get across. ~Allan
• “It wasn’t about us. It was about those characters. No matter who you were, we were all working to make sure the characters were great and the relationships between them were great. And that took all of us to do that, no matter who was doing what.” ~Bill

 

OUTLINE OF THIS EPISODE

• Introducing our first round of guests [04:02]
• Puppeteering innovations on Dinosaurs and creating Earl Sinclair [07:30]
• Developing Earl’s voice [22:31]
• How Lisa helped Bill survive in the body suit [27:46]
• Reminiscing over behind-the-scenes photos [34:50]
• Introducing our second round of guests [40:10]
• The complexity of performing while utilizing controls to manipulate expressions [45:02]
• Marian’s typical day on set [48:45]
• How Tony and Allan built up their working chemistry for performing Fran [57:17]
• The relationships made along the way [1:02:11]
• Mannerisms or quotes from characters that showed up in their performer’s lives [1:04:40]
• Going through a few more behind-the-scenes photos [1:08:55]
• Introducing our third round of guests [1:10:27]
• Puppeteering Ethyl [1:12:56]
• Jane’s memories of Caroly Wilcox [1:33:09]
• Closing remarks [1:38:10]

Muppet Performer and Actress Fran Brill

Fran Brill

The brothers are joined today by actress, voice-over performer, and legendary puppeteer Fran Brill, best known for her work on Sesame Street. She was the first female puppeteer hired for the show, and over a 45-year career brought to life characters such as Prairie Dawn, Countess von Backwards, Zoe, and many others.

 

Expect to hear...

 

...Fran’s diverse and storied career in entertainment.

 

...what it was like to work with legends in the industry such as Jim Henson, Robert De Niro, and others.

 

...from two surprise guests who drop in halfway through the conversation!

 

MEMORABLE QUOTES BY FRAN

• “When I came to [Sesame Street] in the 70s, it was Women’s Lib and I think it was Dulcy Singer who said we really need to get females onboard as puppeteers to make more authentic female characters in this day and age. This is how things changed with the television show over time.”
• “Ride in the direction the horse is going. Sometimes you want desperately to be this. And yet people are screaming for you to be that.
• “I had a blast doing Doug. I loved that show. I thought it was just a lovely show. Jim Jinkins, the creator, was a huge fan of Jim Henson’s. I played so many different characters on that show. I loved it. I was so sorry when that stopped. [...] I loved the freedom of it.”
• “I’ve had a great life. I had great chances to work with wonderful people. No regrets, really. No regrets.”

 

OUTLINE OF THIS EPISODE

• Fran’s first professional gig [05:36]
• Why Fran decided to retire [10:46]
• Getting her start with Sesame Street and other early roles [12:55]
• Balancing her work as a puppeteer with acting for film and television and theatre [20:07]
• Working with Frank Oz and Dave Goelz [31:36]
• The first time Dave and Frank met Fran [38:16]
• Dave’s and Frank’s heartfelt messages to Fran [45:46]
• Fran’s classic film roles [53:15]
• Fran’s voice work [59:27]
• The boots made for female puppeteers on Sesame Street [1:05:54]
• Fran’s work on The Jim Henson Hour [1:09:08]
• Fran’s roles in other prestigious TV shows [1:13:06]
• Why Fran has no regrets [1:18:05]
• Sharing Hirschfeld works [1:19:06]
• Saying goodbye to Fran [1:26:14]
• The brothers take a few questions and announce what to expect in future episodes [1:31:04]

 

ABOUT OUR GUEST

Fran Brill is an Emmy Award winning performer who has had successful careers as an actress, voice-over performer, and puppeteer.

 

She was the first female puppeteer hired by Jim Henson for Sesame Street and has created the iconic characters of Zoe and Prairie Dawn and many other loveable Muppets. Over the years, she has also worked on Saturday Night Live, The Jim Henson Hour, The Muppet Show, Dog City, The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland, Play With Me Sesame, Men in Black and many CDs and DVDs including Zoe's Dance Moves with Paula Abdul.

 

Upon getting her B.F.A. from Boston University where she received classical training as an actress, Fran got her first acting job with Theatre Atlanta. Within months, one of the productions, a musical called Red, White and Maddox, got picked up and Fran found herself on Broadway.

 

As an actress, Fran has appeared in the films What About Bob? directed by Frank Oz and starring Bill Murray and Richard Dreyfuss, Midnight Run starring Robert DeNiro and Charles Grodin, and Being There starring Peter Sellers. On television she has been on numerous soap operas including long runs on All My Children and the infamous How to Survive a Marriage for which she received an Afternoon TV Best Actress Award. Her other television credits include Spenser: For Hire, Third Watch, Lip Service directed by William H. Macy, Conan O'Brien, Hyde in Hollywood and several Law and Orders.

 

Her appearances on the New York stage include Look Back in Anger with Malcolm McDowell, Desdemona, Shirmishes, and Hyde in Hollywood. She was twice nominated for the Drama Desk Award for What Every Woman Knows and Knuckle. She has also played Stella opposite Shirley Knight and Peter Weller in A Streetcar Named Desire and appeared in Otherwise Engaged with Roddy McDowall.

 

For three years she was the on-camera spokesperson for Actonel and has recorded hundreds of commercials including the famous Beautymist Pantyhose commercial starring Joe Namath. She has also provided voices for several cartoon series including Doug and Sheep in the City.

 

Fran served on the Board of Directors for the Screen Actors Guild and currently serves as Vice President on the board of the Jim Henson Legacy.

Ricky Gervais, Matt Vogel and Constantine

On this episode, the Barretta Brothers welcome Ricky Gervais and Matt Vogel to speak about their experiences in the comedy, acting, and puppeteering industries. They delve into their influences and some of their favorite bits and characters. Ricky discusses how people live vicariously through comedians and the value in enjoying yourself and living to have fun. Then, Matt speaks on vocal matching, specifically with Kermit, what peaked his interest in puppets, and how acting fuels great puppeteering.

 

We address:

 

What draws people to Ricky Gervais?

 

What inspired him to create Afterlife? Will there be more seasons?

 

How did Matt get into acting and puppeteering?

 

What’s his new podcast, Below The Frame, all about?

 

What have their experiences with The Muppets been like?

 

We get old because we stop playing! Tune into this week’s episode to hear how Ricky Gervais enjoys life and for a fun look into the world of being a puppeteer, a comedian, and an actor. Plus, we get a call from a very special friend whom you may know and love… Constantine!

 

 

3 MAJOR POINTS DISCUSSED

• Free speech is the petri dish of ideas. Ricky describes his candid thoughts on free speech and how comedy comes from sharing your opinions, being honest, and saying what’s on your mind.
• Cancel culture inspired Ricky Gervais to create Afterlife. After seeing the negative side of cancel culture on social media and all the extremes that social media presents to the world, like the extreme right vs the extreme left, he was inspired to develop the series Afterlife. He knew that people feared sharing their opinions. He thought: If you lost everything and you have nothing to lose, you could say what you want. What is losing everything? Losing everything would be losing your life partner. Tune in to find out how many more seasons of Afterlife you can expect Ricky to create.
• To be a great puppeteer, it’s helpful to have a strong background in acting. Matt details his background and how he got into acting after a not so fun experience puppeteering. He relates the two and notes what he learned from acting that can be directly applied to puppeteering.

 

OUTLINE OF THIS EPISODE

• What’s coming up? [02:04]
• Welcoming Ricky Gervais [02:42]
• Are people living vicariously through your naughtiness and brutal honesty? [04:10]
• Ricky has always tried to just have fun and enjoy himself [10:52]
• Biggest influences in our lives + Some of our favorite bits [11:58]
• What made you decide to do a live broadcast on Twitter during lockdown and did you ever think it would help people get through lockdown? [19:57]
• Our experiences with The Muppets + Ricky’s two favorite Muppets of all time [23:03]
• What inspired you to develop the series Afterlife and do you have a sense of how many seasons you’ll create? [30:17]
• A bit about Ricky and Christopher Guest’s friendship [33:54]
• Talking about Billy Crystal’s Don’t Get Me Started [37:20]
• Constantine calls in [38:33]
• Transition to Matt Vogel [44:35]
• Welcoming Matt Vogel [45:25]
• Remembering “The Goelz Greeting” [48:00]
• A bit about Matt and what peaked his interest about puppets [49:20]
• How Matt got into acting [53:08]
• Matt’s college sweetheart [55:40]
• A strong acting background helps make a great puppeteer [56:37]
• 3 of Matt’s biggest influences [59:49]
• We discuss Matt’s characters [1:06:02]
• Vocal matches: People have been discussing Matt’s Kermit voice [1:08:05]
• Playing a game of Pick A Number [1:11:50]
• Matt talks about his podcast Below The Frame [1:20:07]
• Outro [1:22:40]

 

ABOUT OUR GUEST

Ricky Dene Gervais (/dʒərˈveɪz/ jər-VAYZ; born 25 June 1961) is an English comedian, actor, writer, producer, and director. He is best known for co-creating, writing, and acting in the British television series The Office (2001–2003).[5] He has won seven BAFTA Awards, five British Comedy Awards, two Emmy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, and the Rose d'Or twice (2006 and 2019), as well as a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination. In 2007, he was placed at No. 11 on Channel 4's 100 Greatest Stand-Ups[6] and at No. 3 on the updated 2010 list.[7] In 2010, he was named on the Time 100 list of the world's most influential people.[8]

 

Gervais initially worked in the music industry, attempting a career as a pop star in the 1980s as the singer of the new-wave act Seona Dancing and working as the manager of the then unknown band Suede before turning to comedy. Gervais appeared on The 11 O'Clock Show on Channel 4 between 1998 and 2000, garnering a reputation as a blunt and often controversial social critic. In 2000, he was given a Channel 4 spoof talk show, Meet Ricky Gervais. He achieved greater mainstream fame the following year with his BBC television mock documentary series The Office. It was followed by Extras in 2005. He co-wrote and co-directed both programmes with Stephen Merchant. In addition to writing and directing the shows, he played the lead roles of David Brent in The Office and Andy Millman in Extras. He starred in 2016 comedy film David Brent: Life on the Road, which he also wrote and directed.[9]

 

Gervais began his stand-up career in the late 1990s. He has performed five multi-national stand-up comedy tours, and he wrote the Flanimals book series. Gervais, Merchant, and Karl Pilkington created the podcast The Ricky Gervais Show, which has spawned various spin-offs starring Pilkington and produced by Gervais and Merchant.[10] Gervais has also starred in the Hollywood films Ghost Town, the Night at the Museum trilogy, For Your Consideration, and Muppets Most Wanted. He wrote, directed, and starred in The Invention of Lying and the Netflix-released Special Correspondents. He hosted the Golden Globe Awards in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2016, and again in 2020. Gervais also appears on the game show Child Support. Currently, Gervais is credited as the creator, executive producer, director, and writer for the Netflix comedy series After Life, where he plays the lead role of Tony Johnson.

 

RESOURCES

• Visit our website: thebarrettabrothers.com
• Visit Ricky Gervais’s website: rickygervais.com
• Visit Matt Vogel’s website: mattvogel.com
• “The Goelz Greeting”: www.youtube.com/watch?v=wowADscBNmo&list=LLGIQuFoDF6lKOjW9LO-_Vyw&index=8

The Barretta Brothers Trailer

Official Podcast of The Barretta Brothers. Join them and many great guests from The Muppets, Movies, TV, and more.

Bill has been a director, writer, producer and core performer with The Muppets for nearly 30 years. Gene is an award-winning author and illustrator of children’s books. He has also animated and illustrated for Sesame Street, Between The Lions, and The Jim Henson Company.

But Wait! It’s a Podcast and a Vodcast! You can Listen or Watch. 
For the Vodcast go to: www.thebarrettabrothers.com 

New Podcast episode posts every Friday.