A Grown (Ass) Man & The Muppets

I'm 35 years old.

I have a Masters Degree in English.

I have health insurance.

I also love the Muppets. Like how fat kids love cake. Like how women love shopping. Like how Miss Piggy loves herself.

When I was a kid I watched The Muppets Take Manhattan probably 3-4 times a week. Those songs. Those jokes. Those life lessons about friendship. They stuck with me.

I watched The Muppet Show on Nick at Night. I was a Seseme Street Kid. Follow That Bird was a favorite too. Jim Henson Presents was a childhood favorite. The Muppet Babies were just as important as Saved By The Bell. All of it. I almost wrote my Master's Thesis on the Muppets, but my advisor wouldn't sign off.

On Saturday (9/9/17) I saw them at The Hollywood Bowl. Live. Kermit played the banjo. Fozzie told bad jokes. Miss Piggy stole the show. Gonzo was...well he was Gonzo.

The show opened with Sam the Eagle and the star spangled banner and ended with a gospel choir and Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem singing Joe Cocker's version of I Get By With A Little Help From My Friends.

The Muppets are very special to me because they are the last iconic group void of cynism.

They are inclusive. Never exclusive. Everyone gets a spot. No one is judged. It's a merry band of misfits. I felt I always fit right in.

The Muppets are what every child should be raised on. Not princess cartoons or poop humor. But old fashion imagination. The type that inspires kids to figure out their God-given gifts and embrace them.

That is what the rainbow connection is about. The dreamers. The people who aren't afraid to see the world they hope to be a part of.

In fact, there was a joke in the show where Gonzo was about to try a dangerous stunt and said:

​"Don't try this at home. Or try it. You have free will."

To mix theological and philosophical ideas with a silly cannon joke is why I love them.

But what was even cooler was watching 18,000 others partake, cheer, laugh, and sing along with each other because even though we aren't the same, through Kermit and company, we have that rainbow connection.