Fuse 8 n’ Kate: Zen Shorts by Jon J. Muth

The world is in turmoil. On fire. In a terrible state. As such, it seemed a fairly good time to revisit a Jon J. Muth book that would go on to create multiple sequels as well as a series on Apple TV. And its topic? A kind of Zen mindfulness concerning the world in which we live. We’re in the mood for a little contemplation and this book serves to answer that need. Along the way we’re more than happy to discuss what does and doesn’t hold up in this book and whether or not it deserves to be considered a classic.

Listen to the whole show here on Soundcloud or download it through iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify, Google Play, PlayerFM, Audible, Amazon Music, or your preferred method of podcast selection.

Show Notes:

I mention my favorite Jon J. Muth book of all time, The Seventh Voyage. Seriously. If you get a chance to find it, I can’t promise you’ll like it as much as I do, but if you’re anything like me, you’ll read it and immediately obsess.

Kate to Betsy: “Please don’t dedicate a book to me and call me a giant panda.” Look, Kate. I can’t promise to try. But I can promise to try to try.

Kate points out that the umbrella in Stillwater’s hand probably comes from someone’s patio furniture. Size-wise, this makes sense.

Stillwater prefers to decorate his home with images of bamboo. It took us a second, and then we realized that this was the equivalent of having a Paul Cezanne still fruit painting up there.

Though not mentioned in the text, we rather liked the subtle detail of Addy removing her shoes before entering Stillwater’s tent.

This seems quite similar to a shot from My Neighbor Totoro. It epitomizes the universal human desire to relax on a large furry tummy.

Can pandas swim? Apparently so.

Here are the green sheep that Beverly Patt knitted and gave away after listening to our episode of Where Is the Green Sheep? Well done, Beverly!

Kate Recommends: Trainwreck

Betsy Recommends (kinda): Wonder Man

And for the record, this is where Danny Kaye played The Swedish Chef’s uncle on The Muppet Show:

Filed under: Fuse 8 n' Kate