Muppet Voice Comparisons - Gonzo the Great

[MuppetMollyStarGleek]

I know that they remake these Muppets every year or so, but they took a wrong turn somewhere with Gonzo. Something is off about him physically now; his eyes are too close together, or his fur is too short, or I don't know. . . Still my favorite Muppet.

[emmy6824]

I wish I had season one on dvd now....I have 3 and 4 o.o but not 1 or 2.... wahhhh CRY CRY CRY

[Theboxofme]

@emmy6824 Only seasons 1,2 and 3 of The Muppet Show are on dvd. Season 4 and 5 aren't on dvd yet.

[muhammedbg123]

what is your second youtube channel

[MuppetVoicesAndMore]

@muhammedbg123 Maybe if you clicked on the link at the end of this video you'd find out :)

[MollyKoenigStarGleek]

I miss my sadist Gonzo of the past. He was hilarious and always caught me off guard. Still, one of my very favorite characters.

[cesarjimenezanimator]

Wait! So Dave is still ALIVE!? How old is he?

[MrMetalmanRock]

@cesarjimenezanimator

He is 65 years old right now.

[MrMetalmanRock]

@cesarjimenezanimator

The '50s is when Kermit was created. Dave Goelz joined the Muppets in about 1973-1974, so he was about 27 or 28 then.

[cesarjimenezanimator]

@MrMetalmanRock Oh, okay. Thanks for the info.

[MrMetalmanRock]

@cesarjimenezanimator

You're welcome.

[GibbonOfHealth]

That turkey had the same voice as Rizzo the Rat.

[MuppetVoicesAndMore]

@GibbonOfHealth He's performed by Steve Whitmire - same performer who does Rizzo. And yes, they do have very similar voices.

[TimThomason]

Quick question: What about the Muppet Babies? I realize you're primarily a puppeteer, and interested in the puppeteering aspect, and it may boil down to you not having access to the cartoon series. But, while the Muppet Babies were performed by different actors, they did try to imitate the original muppets, and I think it might be interesting to compare their voices with that of the mainstream muppets. Maybe in some type of future special or something.

[MuppetVoicesAndMore]

@TimThomason I'm not a big fan of Muppet Babies at all. Perhaps in the future I could make some sort of comparison featuring those characters, but it won't be any time soon.

[NaiTaiDai]

It will be a said day when Dave leaves us, won't it?

[MrMetalmanRock]

@NaiTaiDai

Let's hope he doesn't leave us.

[AudieHolland]

Call me crazy but I prefer the crazy, slightly depressed Gonzo who doesn't have a clue from the late 70's Muppet Show.

I love that episode where he was about to be replaced by some other goofball who took his chicken and tried to steal his act. This was too much for Gonzo: "you can take my job, my girl but you CANNOT take my show!"

The act that Gonzo did was: tapdance in a vat of porridge while doing a Sinatra impression. He almost drowned and they had to pull him out of it.

[Moonwalker4Evr]

My gosh... Gonzo was adorable in '76!

[NaiTaiDai]

Gonzo sort of embodies what it means to be a Muppet, doesn't he? He's an abstract character who the writers can't seem to decide what he is.

[Lars99]

What would the Muppets do without Gonzo or Dave Goelz?

Luckly Dave is still around. But the ending of this video makes it like a long live tribute to him.

[Tenucha]

"No it's not! It's a Man-Eating Chicken! It wont eat whatever I am!"

LOL Ahh... I miss the days where Gonzo was a whatever. I remeber I used to think he could have been a chicken hawk, since he loved Camilla and other chickens lol

BUT NNOOOOooo... it's an ALIEN... ppahh.

[coolrunnings414]

This is wonderful - thanks so much for posting! 

[ScullyboyDX]

he has gotten older, might explain his voice changing.

[jecka1021]

If anyone wants to know, the subtitles are in Portuguese :)

[Daffyfan2006]

I was waiting for a Gonzo voice comparison. I realize Goelz has performed him since day one (not counting his appearance as Snarl in TGSCS) and still does today, but you got to expect the voice to evolve overtime since he has been portraying the character for so long now. Thanks for posting.

[bignosedbastard]

I love that version of "I'm Going to Go Back There Someday" you have at the end. It's not the original, or the horrible Muppets From Space remix, where is it from? And where can I get it? I demand answers.

[MuppetVoicesAndMore]

@bignosedbastard It's from the Jim Henson memorial. Dave Goelz sings it live on stage. This version is my favorite. I've never been a fan of the Muppet Movie version, or the Muppets from Space remix.

[bignosedbastard]

@MuppetVoicesAndMore Oh jeez, you mean I have to watch that again? I cry every single time... Thanks for your quick answer.

[antsamthompson9]

@MuppetVoicesAndMore What about the version from the Muppet Show Live? It's what the Muppet Movie version would sound like if Gonzo sang it today. I'm surpiesd you don't like the Muppet Movie version.

[antsamthompson9]

@MuppetVoicesAndMore Could you explein why you don't like the Muppet Movie version?

[MuppetVoicesAndMore]

@antsamthompson9 To me, that version is too depressing. It just seems kinda dark and downcast, whereas the Jim Henson Memorial version seems a little lighter and more uplifting, like its trying to give you hope about the future. Plus, in the original version, Gonzo's voice was still coming out of that strange, gravely, accented phase (which I HATED). But when Dave sings it onstage, its more like his voice nowadays.

[antsamthompson9]

@MuppetVoicesAndMore Okay. I understand.

[antsamthompson9]

@MuppetVoicesAndMore But at least Gonzo's accent was gone in The Muppet Movie. I prefer the Gonzo voices from then on to the ones from the first 3 season of the Muppet Show.

[MrMetalmanRock]

@MuppetVoicesAndMore

I think the Muppets From Space version is the best! Nothing will top that one.

[wolfmanfilms101]

@MuppetVoicesAndMore thx for uploading this i love the muppets

[Rubberman202]

I can't believe ho hard I laughed at Gonzo eating a tire to Flight of the Bumblebee...

[garfieldturtle]

Does anyone know if Zoot ever had a voice change or was his the same from the beginning? I don't remember his voice changing very much compared to the rest of the Electric Mayhem. :/

[MuppetVoicesAndMore]

@garfieldturtle Zoot was Dave Goelz's first recurring character, and to my knowledge, no one but Dave has provided the voice. Though, I know that Kevin Clash and Steve Whitmire (amongst many others, I'm sure) have done Zoot's puppetry synched to Dave's voice.

[garfieldturtle]

@MuppetVoicesAndMore Ah, I see. Thanks for the info! ^^

[Daffyfan2006]

@MuppetVoicesAndMore

That's actually a good question, since he doesn't usually say that much that may be hard to figure out. I guess it wouldn't hurt to do one of these of Zoot and maybe compare his different personalities and the puppetry or whatever over the years. Just something to think about.

[MrMetalmanRock]

@MuppetVoicesAndMore

In the Jim Henson Hour episode, "Food", and it even says it on Muppet Wiki, Kevin Clash performs Zoot. I don't know if I said that already, but it's true.

[garfieldturtle]

YAY! Thanks for uploading the vid! ^^

Wow, Gonzo's voice has really changed over the years. Dave has done an awesome job perfecting Gonzo's voice, personality, and tone. And I like how his design was improved to what we see today. You can really see a difference in his appearance from when he first debuted till now. ^^

VIVA GONZO! :P

[TheOtakuMusician]

;O; I used to watch a Muppet Family Christmas ALL THE TIME as a kid!

[AndrewDBarker]

Dave really found his voice by the third season of the muppet show.. and it's amazing how consistent he's kept it going over the years.

[MrMetalmanRock]

I remember seeing Gonzo in the audience of a wrestling tournament in the Muppet Show pilot, Sex and Violence. Was he known as Gonzo then?

[MuppetVoicesAndMore]

@MrMetalmanRock He became Gonzo in 1976. Sex and Violence aired in 1974. So no, he wasn't Gonzo yet.

[MrMetalmanRock]

@MuppetVoicesAndMore

Actually, it aired in 1975.

[pmgman13]

Something about the Muppet Classic Theater seems... puppetish. All other Muppet productions seem more... real.

[MuppetVoicesAndMore]

@pmgman13 Originally The Muppets were aimed toward a Teen/Adult audience. Classic Theatre was one of the first productions aimed toward children. So I think in that production, they kinda dumbed down the characters and the acting to be more appealing to small children.

[Tenucha]

@MuppetVoicesAndMore Where would you place Sesame Street and Fraggle Rock with the young audiences in relation to Classic Theater? Sesame Street was clearly designed for little kids but I cant figure a place to put Fraggle Rock.

[Tenucha]

@pmgman13 To add on... Sesame Street were for grade schools and then there was Fraggle Rock which... honestly I dont really know where to place that one. Slightly older crowd then Sesame Street? Or maybe about the same... both shows were aimed at the young kids to teach them morals, math and so on.

THEN there was The Muppet Show, which was my preferred show growing up. I just loved them blowing each other up. I also liked the characters better, even if I didn't know the jokes at the time hah.

[MrMetalmanRock]

@Tenucha

Fraggle Rock would teach about getting along in the world, so I guess you could put that for all ages? I'm not really sure. But Fraggle Rock is good!

[TianaSidhe]

What, no clip from the Bohemian Rhapsody music video? Possibly one of his greatest performances, and my personal favorite.

[burntout999]

I wonder who will take over Gonzo when Dave finally decides to pack it in

[garfieldturtle]

@burntout999 Hopefully it will be someone that can portray Gonzo very well. He doesn't have to be perfect, just try to keep it like how Dave had it as best as he can, whoever he may be.

[muppetspuppets]

His voice slowly becomes closer and closer over the years to Daves real voice.

[MuppetVoicesAndMore]

@muppetspuppets Yup.

[NaiTaiDai]

Gonzo was pretty much Dave's personal character; he originally wasn't sure how to perform since he was more experienced in designing puppets. Dave pretty much felt like an outsider, so that's how Gonzo was originally played until Dave got more experience. Jerry Juhl liked writing for Gonzo and helping Dave develop his character.

[MuppetVoicesAndMore]

@NaiTaiDai Too true! Too true!

[NaiTaiDai]

@MuppetVoicesAndMore I think by late into the 4th season and much of the 5th, Gonzo embodied the overall weirdness that came with being a Muppet. His weirdness kind of shifted between surprising and over-the-top depending on the episode he appeared in, especially during the Jim Henson Hour where he played straight-man to Jim's revealing the Muppet's secrets. Lately he seems to be one of the most semi-sane characters, but still has shades of his old craziness.

[antsamthompson9]

Awesome! 

[QIsForK12]

The original Gonzo sounds a bit like Murray from Fraggle Rock. But I know its Daniel Seagren (I think) playing him.