Like a big ol' Pancake Mountain

It's no secret that I think I am stuck in a state of arrested development. There are certain parts of my personality that never grew beyond the age of ten. My incredible sister would probably tell you as much, but then, she's always been the mature one.



This is more than likely why I:
• get giddy at the idea of going into toy stores
• unashamedly like comic books so much
• still listen (un-ironically) to a few of the same bands I loved in 1985
• still have a preoccupation with Star Wars (the original trilogy, anyway)
• relate to my almost-four-year-old nephew so well

It's also probably one of the reasons why I freaking LOVE Pancake Mountain. It's a kids television show from Washington DC, where it's on public access channels in the surrounding area. I fell in love with it when I visited my in-laws in Maryland in 2005.

Where else will you see Henry Rollins getting dressed-down by a sarcastic, lateral-lisping sock puppet host sheep named Rufus Leaking? Or Ian MacKaye singing about moving your vowels? How about the Melvins doing karaoke? Hell, even funk's grand wizard George Clinton gets in on the act at one point.

The show's aim, according to its creators is to "bring back what got us passionate about music. We want to be able to tear down the barriers that make music pretentious and boring. We enjoy seeing the artist interact with their audience. We like to have fun, we love new music, and we need an excuse to act really silly and call it our job." Sounds like a dream come true to me.

Look, you comparey-comparison types, if you need an analogy, then think of Sesame Street, but hipper. Maybe not quite as educational, but certainly not dumbed-down for anyone. Fvgazi's Brendan Canty apparently helped write the theme song, too. The highlight of the the show is always the dance party, where the producers bring on whatever hip-band-of-the-moment is travelling through the area that week, bring in a boatload of kids to watch, and whole thing turns into a pint-sized champagne jam.

Man, as long as there are shows like Pancake Mountain around, then I have no need to worry that my youth will ever die. Thanks Rufus.

Here's some clips:

"Move Your Vowels" by The Evens. (This song makes me smile. A lot.)


The Melvins sing karaoke with Rufus and the kids!


Arcade Fire dance party!