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September 20, 2009 by Betsy Bird

Video Sunday: “Sometimes he shaves his head and wears a beard. Sometimes he shaves his beard and wears his head.”

September 20, 2009 by Betsy Bird   11 comments


Now you may be asking yourself, what was Shel Silverstein really like?  I mean, we’ve read his books.  We’ve seen the scary photos of him (lambasted beautifully in the third Diary of a Wimpy Kid, by the way).  We may even have heard the recordings of his poems he did, but what did he look like walking and talking and singing?  Well, in my travels I stumbled across this moment when Silverstein was on The Johnny Cash Show and it was just too good to pass up.  That moment when he becomes a screaming beard with teeth, that for me is the 1960s synthesized.

Process process process.  I love me some process.  Particularly when that process shows me how they made the movie version of Fantastic Mr. Fox.


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Thanks to 100 Scope Notes for the link!

Found a book trailer the other day from, of all places, Kane/Miller Books.  Yup!  One for a book called Conspiracy 365 by Gabrielle Lord that tilts more in the cinematic trailer direction.  When we’re discussing the different kinds of book trailers out there (can we shorten that term to something quick like LitFlicks, even though that phrase is awful?) this one definitely falls in the movie category.  Ain’t half shabby neither.  Thanks to William Waldman for the link.

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What do your Caldecott Award winning illustrators do in their spare time?  Apparently they embarrass themselves publicly on purpose.  I read in School Library Journal that Amanda Stern, who penned You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah (Hyperion, 2007) under the pseudonym Fiona Rosenbloom, had created something called The Happy Ending Music and Reading Series.  In this series "storytellers, writers, and musicians . . . read from their works as long as they’re willing to do something embarrassing."  And one of the fellows performing?  None other than Brian Selznick.  Very fun.


When I first heard about this I didn’t think it would be that amusing.  The screenwriting portion of the internet went agog and agaggle when a Josh Olson wrote a piece called I Will Not Read Your F**king Script.  People went crazy over that thing.  In any case, someone turned it into a Seuss-like poem.  Ho hum, says I.  But then they got Harlan Ellison (of all people) to read it and . . . well, let’s just say it deserves a listen.  I love how he pronounces "Seuss" too.  That Seussical the Musical must’ve really gotten to him.

Finally, the off-topic video comes today via Children’s Illustration.  All I can say about it is that both this and The Dolly Song are excellent representative examples of what my brain will play on a loop when I’m 102 and losing my mind.  It is, of course, from U900 the famous Japanese ukulele duo.

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About Betsy Bird

Betsy Bird is currently the Collection Development Manager of the Evanston Public Library system and a former Materials Specialist for New York Public Library. She has served on Newbery, written for Horn Book, and has done other lovely little things that she'd love to tell you about but that she's sure you'd find more interesting to hear of in person. Her opinions are her own and do not reflect those of EPL, SLJ, or any of the other acronyms you might be able to name. Follow her on Twitter: @fuseeight.

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About Betsy Bird

Betsy Bird is currently the Collection Development Manager of the Evanston Public Library system and a former Materials Specialist for New York Public Library. She has served on Newbery, written for Horn Book, and has done other lovely little things that she'd love to tell you about but that she's sure you'd find more interesting to hear of in person. Her opinions are her own and do not reflect those of EPL, SLJ, or any of the other acronyms you might be able to name. Follow her on Twitter: @fuseeight.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Monica Edinger says

    September 20, 2009 at 11:40 am

    Going from the screaming beard singing about the grass not growing to Brian’s Mad Hatter act was spectacular. (And, let me say, I think Brian may give Johnny Depp a run for his Mad Hatter money).

  2. martha bee says

    September 20, 2009 at 11:58 am

    A screaming beard with teeth. Briefly died laughing over that one.

  3. Diandra Mae says

    September 20, 2009 at 12:13 pm

    “So much cussing work” Love it!

    I dunno, I think Mr. Selznick is on to a new fashion trend-those tights, those mirrors…and that accent is just dashing! 🙂

  4. Gregory K. says

    September 20, 2009 at 12:40 pm

    This post is top to bottom full of fabulousness! Nuff said.

  5. Lisa Yee says

    September 20, 2009 at 5:05 pm

    Oh man, that clip of Brian is hysterical! He’s set a new standard for authorial embarrassment . . . and did it with such style!

  6. Dan Santat says

    September 21, 2009 at 8:46 am

    I don’t know, Uncle Silverstein kinda creeps me out.

  7. anon says

    September 21, 2009 at 10:15 am

    Speaking of “the 1960s synthesized”, ever see the album cover to Shel’s record “Freakin’ at the Freakers Ball” ?

  8. Fuse #8 says

    September 21, 2009 at 12:12 pm

    I have! I just wish I could find it on CD. Not easy to find, that one. But you can find some individual tracks online if you search hard enough.

  9. anon again says

    September 21, 2009 at 6:48 pm

    “Freakin’ at the Freaker’s Ball” is available on Amazon. You can listen to track samples too.

    Does telling you this make me some kind of an enabler?

  10. Fuse #8 says

    September 21, 2009 at 8:12 pm

    You are now my pusher man, I believe. Even if you aren’t a man.

  11. anon again says

    September 21, 2009 at 9:00 pm

    I know!

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