The most comprehensive biography ever written of Muppets creator Jim Henson, compiled with unprecedented access to his personal archives and with the full cooperation of the Henson family
For the first time ever-a comprehensive biography of one of the twentieth-century's most innovative creative artists- the incomparable, irreplaceable Jim Henson.
He was a gentle dreamer whose genial bearded visage was recognized around the world, but most people got to know him only through the iconic characters he created- Kermit the Frog, Bert and Ernie, Miss Piggy, Big Bird. The Muppets made Jim Henson a household name, but they were only part of his remarkable story.
This extraordinary biography--written with the generous cooperation of the Henson family--covers the full arc of Henson's all-too-brief life- from his childhood in Leland, Mississippi, through the years of burgeoning fame in Washington D.C., New York, and London, to the decade of international celebrity that preceded his untimely death at age fifty-three. Drawing on hundreds of hours of new interviews with Jim Henson's family, friends, and closest collaborators, as well as unprecedented access to private family and company archives--including never-before-seen interviews, business documents, and Henson's private letters--Brian Jay Jones explores the creation of the Muppets, Henson's contributions to Sesame Street and Saturday Night Live, and his nearly ten year campaign to bring The Muppet Show to television. Jones provides the imaginative context for Henson's non-Muppet projects, including the richly imagined worlds of The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth-as well as fascinating misfires like Henson's dream of opening an inflatable psychedelic nightclub or of staging an elaborate, all-puppet Broadway show.
An uncommonly intimate portrait, Jim Henson captures all the facets of this American original- the master craftsman who revolutionized the presentation of puppets on television, the savvy businessman whose deal making prowess won him a reputation as "the new Walt Disney," and the creative team leader whose collaborative ethos earned him the undying loyalty of everyone who worked for him. Here also is insight into Henson's intensely private personal life- his Christian Science upbringing; his love of fast cars, high-stakes gambling, and expensive art; and his weakness for women. Though an optimist by nature, Henson was haunted by the notion that he would not have time to do all the things he wanted to do in life-a fear that his heartbreaking final hours would prove all too well-founded.
An up-close look at the charmed life of a legend, Jim Henson gives the full measure to a man whose joyful genius transcended age, language, geography, and culture-and continues to beguile audiences worldwide.
The most comprehensive biography ever written of Muppets creator Jim Henson, compiled with unprecedented access to his personal archives and with the full cooperation of the Henson family
For the first time ever-a comprehensive biography of one of the twentieth-century's most innovative creative artists- the incomparable, irreplaceable Jim Henson.
He was a gentle dreamer whose genial bearded visage was recognized around the world, but most people got to know him only through the iconic characters he created- Kermit the Frog, Bert and Ernie, Miss Piggy, Big Bird. The Muppets made Jim Henson a household name, but they were only part of his remarkable story.
This extraordinary biography--written with the generous cooperation of the Henson family--covers the full arc of Henson's all-too-brief life- from his childhood in Leland, Mississippi, through the years of burgeoning fame in Washington D.C., New York, and London, to the decade of international celebrity that preceded his untimely death at age fifty-three. Drawing on hundreds of hours of new interviews with Jim Henson's family, friends, and closest collaborators, as well as unprecedented access to private family and company archives--including never-before-seen interviews, business documents, and Henson's private letters--Brian Jay Jones explores the creation of the Muppets, Henson's contributions to Sesame Street and Saturday Night Live, and his nearly ten year campaign to bring The Muppet Show to television. Jones provides the imaginative context for Henson's non-Muppet projects, including the richly imagined worlds of The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth-as well as fascinating misfires like Henson's dream of opening an inflatable psychedelic nightclub or of staging an elaborate, all-puppet Broadway show.
An uncommonly intimate portrait, Jim Henson captures all the facets of this American original- the master craftsman who revolutionized the presentation of puppets on television, the savvy businessman whose deal making prowess won him a reputation as "the new Walt Disney," and the creative team leader whose collaborative ethos earned him the undying loyalty of everyone who worked for him. Here also is insight into Henson's intensely private personal life- his Christian Science upbringing; his love of fast cars, high-stakes gambling, and expensive art; and his weakness for women. Though an optimist by nature, Henson was haunted by the notion that he would not have time to do all the things he wanted to do in life-a fear that his heartbreaking final hours would prove all too well-founded.
An up-close look at the charmed life of a legend, Jim Henson gives the full measure to a man whose joyful genius transcended age, language, geography, and culture-and continues to beguile audiences worldwide.
The most comprehensive biography ever written of Muppets creator Jim Henson, compiled with unprecedented access to his personal archives and with the full cooperation of the Henson family
Brian Jay Jones is an award-winning writer and biographer and presently serves as vice president of Biographers International Organization, the world's largest organization of practicing biographers. Brian is a devoted member of the Jim Henson generation, having been two years old when Sesame Street premiered in 1969 and nine when The Muppet Show debuted in 1976. A former policy analyst and advisor in the U.S. Senate, Brian abandoned politics for the pen in 2008, with the publication of his award-winning biography of Washington Irving.
"Illuminating . . . As Jones expertly shows, Henson remained
throughout his life an artist who was continuously in motion,
conceiving, pitching, and managing multiple projects at
once."--"The Atlantic"
"Consistently surprises . . . Highly readable and never long-winded
(even at nearly 600 pages), "Jim Henson" joyously documents its
subject's knack for combining old-fashioned puppetry with the
world's newest entertainment medium to forge a kind of furry,
felt-covered vaudeville."--"The Wall Street Journal"
"This is a biography that earns the label "definitive.""--"The
Dallas Morning News"
"In his new biography, Brian Jay Jones tells the story of how
Henson turned a quaint art form into an entertainment empire. . . .
The result is an exhaustive work that is never exhausting, a credit
both to Jones's brisk style and to Henson's exceptional
life."--"The New York Times"
"An insightful look at the gentle artist.""--Parade "
" "
"If ever you had a single question about the felt magic Jim Henson
managed to create, chances are Brian Jay Jones' sweeping new
biography of the puppeteer will answer it. . . . Jones offers a
meticulously researched tome chock-full of gems about the Muppets
and the most thorough portrait of their creator ever crafted. . . .
It is a better world with the Muppets. And we are better off with
this careful account of their master."--Associated Press
"Compulsively readable . . . evocative . . . Much has been written
about Henson--during his life and after--but nothing with the same
sense of authority and access as "Jim Henson: The
Biography.""--"The A.V. Club"
"There are so many enjoyable aspects to this book that it's hard to
know where to start. . . . "Jim Henson: The Biography" is a
fantastic story of a brilliant life cut short, but it can also be
read as a blueprint for following your bliss."--"BookPage"
" "
"Brian Jay Jones draws upon new interviews with family and friends,
reams of archivale
"A heartwarming, endearing, and joyful study . . . [Jones] gives us
a real Jim Henson, not a saint to be sure, but a man who devoted
his creative genius to making the world a better place. . . . In
many places it seems that Henson is doing the talking right off the
pages. This book is fast-paced like his life, zany like his
characters, full of fun and laughter. . . . It is all here in this
sweeping portrait that is a mix of humor, mirth and
poignancy."--"Washington Independent Review of Books "
"Sure to be savored for its exhaustive look at the late
Muppet-master.""--Variety "
"Masterful . . . Jones continually shows that Henson left the world
a better place, which serves as the book's theme. . . . ["Jim
Henson"] can be enjoyed by readers of more than one
generation."--"Kirkus Reviews"
"The story of the innovative puppeteer's life that Muppets
completists have been waiting for . . . The section on Henson's
death and funeral is one of the best parts of the book--moving and
elegiac. I dare you not to cry."""--"Hollywood Reporter "
"[Brian Jay Jones's] lucid style, wide-angle perspective, and deep
immersion in Henson's exuberantly innovative approach to puppets,
television, and film make for a thoroughly compelling read. . . .
With verve and insight, Jones illuminates the full scope of
Henson's genius, phenomenal productivity, complex private life,
zeal to do good, and astronomical influence."--"Booklist "(starred
review)
"I'm a rabid Jim Henson fan--his brilliant ideas spawned shows that
entertained and educated millions, myself included. "Jim Henson"
vibrantly delves into the magnificent man and his Muppet methods.
It's an absolute must read!"--Neil Patrick Harris
"I worked with Jim for more than thirty years. He was one of my
closest friends. And yet I found out things about him in "Jim
Henson" that were new to me. Brian Jay Jones has captured the
layers of Jim's genius and humanity, as well as the flaws that made
Jim, lik
Praise for "Jim Henson"
"A heartwarming, endearing, and joyful study . . . [Jones] gives us
a real Jim Henson, not a saint to be sure, but a man who devoted
his creative genius to making the world a better place. . . . In
many places it seems that Henson is doing the talking right off the
pages. This book is fast-paced like his life, zany like his
characters, full of fun and laughter. . . . It is all here in this
sweeping portrait that is a mix of humor, mirth and
poignancy."--"Washington Independent Review of Books "
"Sure to be savored for its exhaustive look at the late
Muppet-master.""--Variety "
"Masterful . . . Jones continually shows that Henson left the world
a better place, which serves as the book's theme. . . . ["Jim
Henson"] can be enjoyed by readers of more than one
generation."--"Kirkus Reviews"
"The story of the innovative puppeteer's life that Muppets
completists have been waiting for . . . The section on Henson's
death and funeral is one of the best parts of the book--moving and
elegiac. I dare you not to cry."""--"Hollywood Reporter "
"[Brian Jay Jones's] lucid style, wide-angle perspective, and deep
immersion in Henson's exuberantly innovative approach to puppets,
television, and film make for a thoroughly compelling read. . . .
With verve and insight, Jones illuminates the full scope of
Henson's genius, phenomenal productivity, complex private life,
zeal to do good, and astronomical influence."--"Booklist "(starred
review)
"I'm a rabid Jim Henson fan--his brilliant ideas spawned shows that
entertained and educated millions, myself included. "Jim Henson"
vibrantly delves into the magnificent man and his Muppet methods.
It's an absolute must read!"--Neil Patrick Harris
"I worked with Jim for more than thirty years. He was one of my
closest friends. And yet I found out things about him in "Jim
Henson" that were new to me. Brian Jay Jones has captured the
layers of Jim's genius and humanity, as well-
Advance praise for "Jim Henson"
"I'm a rabid Jim Henson fan--his brilliant ideas spawned shows that
entertained and educated millions, myself included. "Jim Henson"
vibrantly delves into the magnificent man and his Muppet methods.
It's an absolute must read!"--Neil Patrick Harris
"[Brian Jay Jones's] lucid style, wide-angle perspective, and deep
immersion in Henson's exuberantly innovative approach to puppets,
television, and film make for a thoroughly compelling read. . . .
With verve and insight, Jones illuminates the full scope of
Henson's genius, phenomenal productivity, complex private life,
zeal to do good, and astronomical influence."--"Booklist "(starred
review)
"I worked with Jim for more than thirty years. He was one of my
closest friends. And yet I found out things about him in "Jim
Henson" that were new to me. Brian Jay Jones has captured the
layers of Jim's genius and humanity, as well as the flaws that made
Jim, like all of us, so delightfully imperfect. Jim needed this
book to be written. I thank Brian for giving Jim life again. This
book has captured the spirit of Jim Henson."--Frank Oz
"Masterful . . . Jones continually shows that Henson left the world
a better place, which serves as the book's theme. . . . ["Jim
Henson"] can be enjoyed by readers of more than one
generation."--"Kirkus Reviews"
" "
"The book's most engrossing passages explore the extraordinary
technical demands of creating naturalistic puppet spectacles in the
age before computer graphics: 'performing' a Muppet was an
intricate, almost contortionistic dance of two puppeteers crammed
into a single sleeve. . . . A fascinating making-of
documentary."--"Publishers Weekly"
"I loved it. Brian Jay Jones vividly portrays Jim's journey, and
also the intersecting journeys of his colleagues and friends. In
spite of the fact that Jim and I worked together closely for many
years, there were compartments of Jim's life that I hadn't known
about be
Advance praise for "Jim Henson"
"I worked with Jim for more than thirty years. He was one of my
closest friends. And yet I found out things about him in "Jim
Henson" that were new to me. Brian Jay Jones has captured the
layers of Jim's genius and humanity, as well as the flaws that made
Jim, like all of us, so delightfully imperfect. Jim needed this
book to be written. I thank Brian for giving Jim life again. This
book has captured the spirit of Jim Henson."--Frank Oz
"I'm a rabid Jim Henson fan--his brilliant ideas spawned shows that
entertained and educated millions, myself included. "Jim Henson"
vibrantly delves into the magnificent man and his Muppet methods.
It's an absolute must read!"--Neil Patrick Harris
"Every Muppet fan has wondered who was behind the wide-mouthed,
bug-eyed, furry creatures. Before now all we had was a credit line:
Jim Henson. Now, with Brian Jay Jones's riveting "Jim Henson, " we
have a nuanced portrait of the puppeteer--part genius inspired by
his Mississippi Delta roots and his Christian Science faith, part
flawed human with tastes too rich in everything from his art and
cars to his women--that brings new understanding of and empathy for
an icon of American popular culture."--Larry Tye, author of
"Satchel "and" Superman"
Advance praise for "Jim Henson"
"I'm a rabid Jim Henson fan--his brilliant ideas spawned shows that
entertained and educated millions, myself included. "Jim Henson"
vibrantly delves into the magnificent man and his Muppet methods.
It's an absolute must read!"--Neil Patrick Harris
"Every Muppet fan has wondered who was behind the wide-mouthed,
bug-eyed, furry creatures. Before now all we had was a credit line:
Jim Henson. Now, with Brian Jay Jones's riveting "Jim Henson, " we
have a nuanced portrait of the puppeteer--part genius inspired by
his Mississippi Delta roots and his Christian Science faith, part
flawed human with tastes too rich in everything from his art and
cars to his women--that brings new understanding of and empathy for
an icon of American popular culture."--Larry Tye, author of
"Satchel "and" Superman"
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