I’ve seen a lot of Muppet 25th anniversary Kleenex boxes lately, and combined with the latest Weezer music video it has reminded me of something that I’ve often wondered about: are the Muppets in the Muppet band based on real musicians? Brief Google and SDMB searches haven’t provided any insight. Here are my ideas:
Dr. Teeth = Dr. John
the bass player = Duane Allman
Animal = Keith Moon
I think the Dr. Teeth one is the most obvious: both playing the same instrument, and it seems to me that they speak somewhat the same. Again, for the Animal and Keith Moon connection, it’d be the instrument, and reputation. As for the Duane Allman facsimile, I’m quite unsure. Duane Allman played guitar, but I think they kind of look the same. But that’s based on my very limited knowledge of the Allman brothers in general: for all I know, Greg was the guitar player. I’m not even sure how to spell Allman.
As for the guitar player and saxaphone player, I’m stumped. Any thoughts on who they are? Different opinions on the other three more than welcome.
On “Inside the Actor’s Studio”, Billy Joel said that Animal the drummer was based on his own band’s drummer, Liberty de Vito. I’m pretty sure he was joking, though Lipton was dumb enough to believe him…
According to Billy Joel, Animal was based on his drummer, Liberty De Vito.
The bass player in the Muppet Band was named Janet, BTW, and was obviously female. Add to that the fact that Duane Allman didn’t play bass and had a beard and it seems unlikely there’s a connection.
You have two members’ instruments switched, RealityChuck. In the Muppet band (Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem), Floyd Pepper played the bass, and Janice was on guitar.
Floyd Peppers uniform was clearly based on the beatles, but he doesn’t look like any of them, Janice was based on Janice Joplin. The drummer was most definitely Keith Moon, there is even a physical resemblance, and the eyebrows are indentical. Billy was being, well, Billy and he was ummm embellishing things…
Zoot (the sax player) was based on Zoot Sims.
(These guesses are based on my memory and aren’t officially sanctioned by anyone connected with the Muppets…YMMV)
I was watching The Muppet Movie the other day and I realized that Floyd is wearing a Sgt. Pepper uniform.
The sax player seems to me to be kind of an amalgam of various Jazz Sax players. I dont’ know of one that wore a hat but be-bop and later sax players could pretty much all claim to be him.