Michael Nesmith's Television Parts – Could a home video release be coming soon?

Discussion in 'Visual Arts' started by Michelle66, Sep 9, 2017.

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  1. JamieC

    JamieC Senior Member

    Location:
    Detroit Mi USA
    What I find really interesting is seeing what it was that NBC censored in Whoopi Goldberg's surfer chick bit. Since I knew the original bit was about her getting pregnant from a hook up and using a coathanger to abort, never to be able to have kids because she "messed it up". She cleaned it up a bit to make it a near miss. NBC apparently spliced out two words in audio and reinserted them backwards. I knew that one was her saying "totally PG"(pregnant) because I could read her lips, the other I could never figure out was "gnarly spermatazoa". NBC could not handle those words. How quaint.
     
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  2. JamieC

    JamieC Senior Member

    Location:
    Detroit Mi USA
    Incidentally the above video was shot on the Jersey shore in I think February. Everybody was freezing.
     
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  3. Michelle66

    Michelle66 Senior Member Thread Starter

    Videoranch has been quite busy putting up new videos to their YouTube page.

    They finally got around to uploading one of my favorite "Deep Thoughts":

     
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  4. Chris C

    Chris C Music was my first love and it will be my last!

    Location:
    Ohio
    "Deep Thoughts" was the only constant sketch that used to drive me crazy on "Television Parts", as I often felt that the long set-up didn't always pay off, like the equally short "Five Second Concerts" did. At least Michael was smart enough to realize that most viewers attention span is "short".
     
  5. JamieC

    JamieC Senior Member

    Location:
    Detroit Mi USA
    The desired effect on Deep Thoughts was supposed to be Wha...Huh?:shrug:
     
  6. JamieC

    JamieC Senior Member

    Location:
    Detroit Mi USA
    And am I crazy or was Deep Thoughts with Jack Handy on SNL for a while?
     
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  7. JamieC

    JamieC Senior Member

    Location:
    Detroit Mi USA
    This one is, so far, MIA. A beautiful vocal arrangement from the Modern Folk Quartet and a memorable pretty dream themed video to go with it.
     
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  8. JamieC

    JamieC Senior Member

    Location:
    Detroit Mi USA
    I have been told that Television Parts was planned for a VHS release, but in the middle of the whole PBS video mess Nez's company was essentially broke. They had no money to sell these VHS set that they had made, but VHS was rapidly becoming obsolete. Pallet loads were allegedly crushed or landfilled taking a tax loss or something.

    This video posted to the VideoRanch channel is showing that these were what was on the tape sets.
     
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  9. Chris DeVoe

    Chris DeVoe RIP Vickie Mapes Williams (aka Equipoise)

    Looks like they'll get around to it:

     
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  10. Chris C

    Chris C Music was my first love and it will be my last!

    Location:
    Ohio
    Brilliant, thanks for posting!!!
     
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  11. Chris C

    Chris C Music was my first love and it will be my last!

    Location:
    Ohio
    I have a copy of that "Television Parts Home Companion" on VHS!
     
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  12. Pinknik

    Pinknik Senior Member

    It was. It's where most folks probably know Deep Thoughts from. I have Elephant Parts, but never heard of Television Parts. I'll have to check it out.
     
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  13. Chris C

    Chris C Music was my first love and it will be my last!

    Location:
    Ohio
    I've got a promo copy of The Coyote Sisters album on vinyl and it's pretty good. It was released on some wacky side label of MOTOWN, if I'm not mistaken?
     
  14. JamieC

    JamieC Senior Member

    Location:
    Detroit Mi USA
    Yes I have it too and play my needledrop often. Leah Kunkel should have been a star. Three of the best session singers in the business.
    The Morocco label IIRC. Was there ever anything else on that label?

    I love playing Nobody Moves Like Us for people who never heard it.
     
  15. Chris C

    Chris C Music was my first love and it will be my last!

    Location:
    Ohio
    Yes, lots of releases on Morocco, including their biggest act, "Duke Jupiter" ...

    Morocco Records
     
  16. Michelle66

    Michelle66 Senior Member Thread Starter

    Videoranch has been regularly adding videos to their YouTube channel. They have also seem to be replacing some earlier posts with updated videos (thereby removing the canned laughter that had previously marred the clips).

    The Coyote Sisters video that had been linked to earlier was sans the original intro by Nez. Here it is complete:
     
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  17. JamieC

    JamieC Senior Member

    Location:
    Detroit Mi USA
    Happy! Happy! Happy! I have not seen this one in 20 years!
    MFQ-Laura
     
  18. Vidiot

    Vidiot Now in 4K HDR!

    Location:
    Hollywood, USA
    Note that the dispute with PBS eventually wound up with Nesmith winning a $49 million settlement from the network over licensing and royalties disputes.
     
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  19. JamieC

    JamieC Senior Member

    Location:
    Detroit Mi USA
    Why can't Mike put this on a bloody DVD? I have money. No, really I will pay for a set. Cash Money! Physical copy Mike!
    True, but at that point Pacific Arts had been forced out of business. I would have never considered that PBS and unethical would be next to each other in a sentence.
     
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  20. D-rock

    D-rock Senior Member

    Location:
    Columbus, Ohio
    He still uses the "Pacific Arts - One of the Nesmith Enterprises" on his products. It was on "The Ocean". Whatever happened to Rio Records, it was also one of the Nesmith Enterprises?
     
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  21. Vidiot

    Vidiot Now in 4K HDR!

    Location:
    Hollywood, USA
    Nesmith already had tens of millions of dollars from his mother's estate, since she had the Liquid Paper royalties. If he put Pacific Arts out of business, I would bet it was a legal maneuver to give credence to his lawsuit.
     
  22. Grand_Ennui

    Grand_Ennui Forum Resident

    Location:
    WI
    Nesmith compared it to your grandmother stealing your stereo: Words to the effect of "You're glad to get your stereo back, but it's too bad to find out your grandma is a thief"...
     
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  23. JamieC

    JamieC Senior Member

    Location:
    Detroit Mi USA
    And would have bankrupted himself personally if he had propped up PA without the one major client his business model was based on at that time. He was laden with PBS titles he was legally enjoined from selling. He was obligated to pay royalties with no cash coming in. I don't think Mike ever treated Pacific Arts as a hobby. The situation as it was would have drained him. I assume that he DID spend some of his personal stash to pay off the companys debts and retaining all his intellectual property as he dissolved the brand. IIRC he never declared bankruptcy as Pacific Arts.
     
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  24. Vidiot

    Vidiot Now in 4K HDR!

    Location:
    Hollywood, USA
    I'm merely saying that Nesmith had a great deal of money, far more than anybody who normally works with PBS. He had the legal wherewithal to put up a huge fight, and I think that's a big part of why he won. I don't doubt that PBS treated him badly.
     
  25. signothetimes53

    signothetimes53 Senior Member

    Go to guidestar.org and find the IRS 990 tax returns for the various big-league PBS stations, in Boston, NYC, Chicago, L.A., for example. Those stations are swimming in money. I have no doubt PBS treated him badly, either.

    Nesmith has certainly had a fascinating life and career!
     
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