Once in a Lifetime

[e_r_e_n_e_t_a]

Recently I read a profile of David Byrne from 1993 which went into some detail on the televangelists that inspired Byrne to write the song "Once in a Lifetime," which became a hit single for the Talking Heads in 1980. In the article, Byrne also noted how much the gestures of these evangelical preachers informed the choreography he and Toni Basil

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[e_r_e_n_e_t_a]

While the format of the Muppet Show relied on spoofs of pop culture (especially songs, but occasionally specific movies), their comedy was mostly standalone. The Swedish Chef works as a gag even if you've never seen Julia Child or a cooking show. The Koozebanian mating ritual is more enjoyable if you've seen nature documentaries, but it doesn't depend on a knowledge of Wild Kingdom.

Kermit doing "Once in a Lifetime," though, falls flat because you have to understand the object of parody first. On its own, it's not funny. (Truth be told, I never saw the whole episode of Muppets Tonight that this was in, and we are missing some context here. According to the Muppet Wiki, there was some subplot about Kermit filling in at the last minute to do this number because the guest couldn't appear... and this explains why the suit doesn't fit.)

It reminds me of those collections of literary parodies I used to skim at the library in high school. The J.D. Salinger and Mark Twain parodies had me laughing, but I'd be scratching my head at the Evelyn Waugh and Emily Bronte parodies.

And "I'm looking through you" looks like an overzealous chance to test some new video puppet technology than any real attempt at comedy.