Steve Whitmire (Kermit the Frog and Ernie since 1990) no longer with the Muppets.

Discussion in 'Visual Arts' started by AKA, Jul 10, 2017.

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  1. Chris from Chicago

    Chris from Chicago Experience is simply the name we give our mistakes

    Agreed. That is exactly how Kermit should sound and act. At least... exactly how my memory recalls it. If you hadn't told me it was a new guy, I'd never have known.
     
    MikaelaArsenault likes this.
  2. PaulKTF

    PaulKTF Senior Member

    Location:
    USA
    New video!

     
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  3. AKA

    AKA Senior Member Thread Starter

    I really don't like Matt Vogel's Kermit. People keep telling me he sounds more like Jim's Kermit, but I'm just not hearing it.
     
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  4. PaulKTF

    PaulKTF Senior Member

    Location:
    USA
    Well, he sounds more like Jim than Steve did, but I can still easily tell the difference between Jim and Matt (obviously).
     
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  5. AKA

    AKA Senior Member Thread Starter

    Jim had a natural quality his voice. I don't know how to pinpoint or name it, but it carried over to his characters. That characteristic somehow wasn't missing from Steve's (fully developed) Kermit, but I'm not hearing it so far in Matt's. I'm going to give him a chance and hope he grows into the role, like Steve did.
     
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  6. AKA

    AKA Senior Member Thread Starter

    This was Steve's first appearance as Kermit. It's not very good, but he got better as he grew into the role. I'm optimistic Matt will do the same.

     
  7. AKA

    AKA Senior Member Thread Starter



    I'm starting to feel a little bit better about Matt Vogel's Kermit. Now if you'll excuse me, I have something in my eye.
     
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  8. PaulKTF

    PaulKTF Senior Member

    Location:
    USA
    Me too. We must both be cutting onions, eh? :)
     
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  9. AKA

    AKA Senior Member Thread Starter

    I'm starting to hear the "more like Jim" everyone else is hearing. I think Matt still has room for growth (like Steve did at the beginning), and I have more confidence that he'll be up for the challenge.
     
  10. Vidiot

    Vidiot Now in 4K HDR!

    Location:
    Hollywood, USA
    I felt the same way at the crappy camera work (cellphone pointed at a monitor) and the AutoTune on the vocal. :realmad:
     
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  11. MikaelaArsenault

    MikaelaArsenault Forum Resident

    Location:
    New Hampshire
    There was AutoTune?
     
  12. Vidiot

    Vidiot Now in 4K HDR!

    Location:
    Hollywood, USA
    My curse is I can almost always tell when it's there.
     
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  13. MikaelaArsenault

    MikaelaArsenault Forum Resident

    Location:
    New Hampshire
    You can? Where was it noticeable?
     
  14. czeskleba

    czeskleba Senior Member

    Location:
    Seattle
    Here's a new interview with Frank Oz in which he briefly touches upon Whitmire's firing. He's pretty circumspect in his comments... it's notable that despite calling the firing "very sad" he does not condemn Disney, call on them to bring Whitmire back, or suggest this will ruin the Muppets:
    "With Stevie it’s so sad, because the situation with Stevie was a pure business situation, as I understand it. I’d worked with Stevie since he was 18 years old, and on the floor he’s terrific. We had a lot of fun. So when he’s actually on the floor — I think it was something outside that. And it’s very sad."
     
  15. Nostaljack

    Nostaljack Resident R&B enthusiast

    Location:
    Washington, DC
    When a performance is this beautiful, I couldn’t care less about any of those things.

    Ed
     
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  16. Vidiot

    Vidiot Now in 4K HDR!

    Location:
    Hollywood, USA
    There's a point where technical flaws interfere with your ability to see the performance. I concede that everybody's threshold is different, but I often resent technical tricks being used in "live" performances. I'd prefer some occasional human flaws to let me know that this is a real performance and not one crafted and molded in post.

    BTW, the new Jeff Lynne "live" ELO concert is another example where the vocals have been smashed and twisted with Auto-Tune. I think Jeff can be a very fine singer, but apparently he was concerned enough about his live concerts that they went in and tweaked everything to death in Pro Tools. Too often these days, this kind of thing happens because they can, not necessarily because it's the right thing to do. Bad judgement and excessive perfectionism can ruin a lot of things, particularly in music.
     
  17. Vidiot

    Vidiot Now in 4K HDR!

    Location:
    Hollywood, USA
    longdist01 likes this.
  18. PaulKTF

    PaulKTF Senior Member

    Location:
    USA
    I could argue that Sesame is just as good as it ever was in terms of both writing, educational goals, and the current crop of puppeteers. And I still think a lot of it is written to reach both kids, and adults (especially with the parodies) as it always has been. It's only really different because the educational goals are different (though being met in largely the same ways) and the show format is now shorter.
     
  19. Nostaljack

    Nostaljack Resident R&B enthusiast

    Location:
    Washington, DC
    Normally, I don't disagree with you. I noticed the tuning. In this particular case, the beauty of the moment registers far more than the trickery used to adorn it.

    Ed
     
  20. Nostaljack

    Nostaljack Resident R&B enthusiast

    Location:
    Washington, DC
    Matt is capturing the soul and essence of Kermit already better than Steve ever did, IMHO. He has a bit to go with the voice, for sure, but he'll get there.

    Ed
     
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  21. Zoot Marimba

    Zoot Marimba And I’m The Critic Of The Group

    Location:
    Savannah, Georgia
    Man, it was bittersweet. On one hand, I always love hearing him talk about Jim, and you can tell that underneath that sardonic demeanor there's a beating heart and a true love for the characters. On the otherhand, it's sad to think about where the Muppets are now, and to hear about what Steve was like then compared to now(and I don't hold the differing accounts against Frank, he knew Steve when Steve was almost a kid, eager to impress, and he hasn't worked closely with the guy in years).
    As far as how the characters have changed, he's not entirely wrong, because without Jim, the Jerrys, Richard, and all of those people, it couldn't not change.
     
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  22. Zoot Marimba

    Zoot Marimba And I’m The Critic Of The Group

    Location:
    Savannah, Georgia
    Yeah, his voice took me a while to warm up to, I didn't quite hear Jim like everyone else did, but yes, it does feel like Kermit, that spirit is there, so I think he will grow into the role very well.
     
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  23. kwadguy

    kwadguy Senior Member

    Location:
    Cambridge, MA
    Why can't the woman who does the voice of the annoying Elmo retire instead?
     
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  24. PaulKTF

    PaulKTF Senior Member

    Location:
    USA
    I'm sure Ryan Dillon (current puppeteer for Elmo) would be amused by this comment. :)



    Ryan Dillon
     
  25. Nostaljack

    Nostaljack Resident R&B enthusiast

    Location:
    Washington, DC
    What a cool clip. Watching Dillon perform as Elmo with both on-screen is really cool. He's got the voice down and the mannerisms too. Most of all, he has Elmo's heart

    Ed
     
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