IN 2020, musicians moved online.
Without the ability to play live gigs for music fans, many musicians quickly pivoted to making videos to engage with their audiences to stay relevant. These were somewhat dark days. Our local music festival in Topanga was cancelled, and I was asked to host an online streaming event in it’s place. It was weird, but people really seemed to enjoy having SOMETHING to look at and listen to.
The good people at Topanga New Times (the sponsor for this virtual event) approached me about hosting a Virtual Artist Tour series, to make up for the Topanga Artists Studio Tour that same year. I accepted. But, I also was a very reluctant “on camera” host, and I was always looking for a way to be more comfortable in that role.
One day I had an idea. What if I had a puppet that looked like me and could give me a foil to play off of in these shows? I contacted a puppet maker in the UK, and soon I took delivery of Skip Proximo, my muppet counterpart. Skip and I did a few things together, mostly bits about how he was supposed to be in the studio, and somehow wasn’t. See Exhibits A, B, and C.
The best thing we did together was a cover of Paul McCartney’s Silly Love Songs, which we put together for Topanga New Times Valentine’s Day Music Special.
I did enjoy making these things, but also now have even MORE mad respect for puppetry and puppet productions. It’s hard, ya’ll! Also, thanks to my family and friends who never wavered on this endeavor, nor did they ask me to seek professional help. God bless ‘em. “Oh, we’re doing a puppet thing now? Ok.”
A lot of people continue to ask me about Skip. He may come back from vacation at some point. For now, I’ve got too many other things going on to drop everything for this guy who may OR MAY NOT EVEN SHOW UP!
