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Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem | |
|---|---|
 The six members of The Electric Mayhem (top, left to right); Floyd, Lips,Animal, (bottom, left to right) Janice, Dr. Teeth, Zoot. | |
| Background information | |
| Also known as | The Electric Mayhem |
| Origin | New Orleans,Louisiana,United States[1] |
| Genres | Rock |
| Years active | 1975–present |
| Labels | Walt Disney |
| Members | Dr. Teeth Animal Floyd Pepper Janice Zoot Lips |
| Past members | Clifford |
Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem, or simplyThe Electric Mayhem, are an AmericanMuppet rock group that debuted in 1975 on thepilot for thesketch comedy television seriesThe Muppet Show. They are thehouse band forThe Muppet Show, with personalities and appearances inspired by prominent real-liferock music andjazz performers. They subsequently appeared in various Muppet films and television specials and have also recorded album tracks and covered numerous songs.[2] The Electric Mayhem consists of asextet: Dr. Teeth onvocals andkeyboards,Animal ondrums, Floyd Pepper on vocals andbass, Janice on vocals andlead guitar, Zoot onsaxophone, and Lips ontrumpet. The band's members were originally performed byJim Henson,Frank Oz,Jerry Nelson,Richard Hunt,Dave Goelz, andSteve Whitmire, respectively; they are presently performed byBill Barretta,Eric Jacobson,Matt Vogel,David Rudman, Goelz, andPeter Linz, respectively.[3][4]
The group made their debut in 1975'sThe Muppet Show: Sex and Violence, the pilot forThe Muppet Show. Dr. Teeth and Animal were designed by Henson, Zoot was designed byBonnie Erickson, while the rest of the original band members were designed byMichael K. Frith. Animal, Floyd and Zoot also played in the Muppet Show pit band, performing the opening and closing themes and underscoring most of theMuppet Show performances. Lips and occasionally Janice appeared in the orchestra in later episodes. Lips joined the band as the sixth member in the fifth season of the series, and made some appearances with the group afterThe Muppet Show ended production; the group later reverted to its original five member line-up, until Lips returned in 2011'sThe Muppets.
The band's first film role was performing the song "Can You Picture That?" inThe Muppet Movie. They also performed "Night Life" and participated in "The Happiness Hotel" inThe Great Muppet Caper and performed "Jingle Bell Rock" inA Muppet Family Christmas. They appeared inThe Muppets Take Manhattan (sans Lips) where Dr. Teeth sang "You Can't Take No For An Answer". Following the deaths of two of the group's puppeteers, Henson and Hunt, they were limited to brief instrumental background music throughout the 1990s. However, the Electric Mayhem backedMiss Piggy for a song inThe Muppets' Wizard of Oz and performed alongsideMiley Cyrus in the 2008Studio DC: Almost Live television special. They have been a mainstay in the Muppets'viral video efforts of the 2010s and have a featured role in 2015'sThe Muppets as the house band on theshow-within-a-showUp Late with Miss Piggy. The same year, they released two music videos for "Jungle Boogie" (featuringSam Eagle) and "Kodachrome".
An Electric Mayhem "live" tour withaudio-animatronic versions of the puppets and rock bandMy Morning Jacket performing the characters was proposed in he 2000s byThe Walt Disney Company but ultimately abandoned.[5] The band performed a live five-song set at theOutside Lands Music and Arts Festival on August 6, 2016.[6][7]
The Muppets Mayhem, a series about the Electric Mayhem recording their firsteponymous studio album, premiered onDisney+ on May 10, 2023.[8][9]
| Character | Principal performers |
|---|---|
| Dr. Teeth | Jim Henson(1975–1990) John Kennedy(1991–2003) Bill Barretta(2005–present) |
| Animal | Frank Oz(1975–2000) John Kennedy(2001–2003) Eric Jacobson(2002–present) |
| Floyd Pepper | Jerry Nelson(1975–2003) John Kennedy(2005–2006) Matt Vogel(2008–present) |
| Janice | Fran Brill(1975) Eren Ozker(1976-1977) Richard Hunt(1977–1991) Brian Henson(2002–2003) Tyler Bunch(2005) David Rudman(2008–present) |
| Zoot | Dave Goelz(1975–present) |
| Lips | Steve Whitmire(1980–2016) Peter Linz(2017–present) |
Despite featuring Dr. Teeth's name prominently in the band's name, the group officially has no frontman and instead has described itself as a "rocktocracy".[1] The original pilot episode ofThe Muppet Show also featured Jim, a Muppet caricature of Henson onbanjo.
Dr. Gerald Teeth Jr. is the gravelly-voicedlead singer andkeyboardist. He is green-skinned and red-haired with a large grinning mouth of teeth including a gold tooth supposedly fashioned by melting down his gold records.[10] He sports a scruffy red beard with no mustache, a fur vest, a striped shirt and a floppy purple top hat. He has arms so long that additional puppeteers are required to guide them; this design enabled Henson to work the Dr. Teeth puppet while another performer acted as Dr. Teeth's hands in order to play the keyboard. His self-introduction inThe Muppet Movie was typically grandiose: "Golden teeth and golden tones.Welcome to my presence." He often misuses long words and mangles verb conjugation.Jim Henson originally performed him, basing the character onNew Orleans musicianDr. John. He was designed by Henson andMichael K. Frith and built byDon Sahlin. He debuted inThe Muppet Show: Sex and Violence.[11]
Dr. Teeth only sings lead vocals on the second Muppet pilot and during the first season and these songs were only written beforeRowlf the Dog had become firmly established as the regular Muppet pianist. Later performances mostly feature lead vocals by Floyd or Janice and only a few featured Dr. Teeth. His speaking roles got even smaller after his performer Jim Henson's death; an exception was the 1991 Muppets stage showMuppets on Location: Days of Swine and Roses, the voice being performed byJohn Kennedy. He performed Dr. Teeth from 1991 to 2003 but made only very brief appearances with very little dialogue, some examples being the 1999 filmMuppets from Space and once in the music video for the "We Are Family" charity song in 2002.Bill Barretta took over the role beginning withThe Muppets' Wizard of Oz. Dr. Teeth's first major speaking role since Henson's death was inStatler and Waldorf's very own show,Statler and Waldorf: From the Balcony whereVictor Yerrid performed him. Barretta, however, has been performing Dr. Teeth consistently since 2005.
Although he is the band's leader, Dr. Teeth is never featured in the regular orchestra playing atThe Muppet Show like the rest of the group. Instead, Rowlf plays the piano in the orchestra pit.
Jim Henson once said that Dr. Teeth was one of the most difficult characters to play due to the harshness of the character's voice. Although he appeared inMuppet Treasure Island, he did not appear inMuppets Tonight.
In the 2023 seriesThe Muppets Mayhem, Dr. Teeth is revealed to be an actual doctor, having worked in his family's dentistry business before leaving with Floyd to start the band. After an argument with the band, he rechristens the band's name simply as "The Electric Mayhem" out of parity for the other members.
Animal is the primitive wildman,drummer and the most published member of the band, being the only member to have a speaking role in every feature film and the only member in the regular cast of theMuppet Babies spin-off cartoon. He is named for his wild behavior and drumming. Original performerFrank Oz has stated that Animal's character can be summed up in five words: sex, sleep, food, drums, and pain.[12]
Some speculate the character of Animal is based on eitherKeith Moon,John Bonham,Ginger Baker,Mike Baird, orLevon Helm,[13][14][15] while others have suggestedMick Fleetwood.[16] In the April 8, 2002, episode ofInside the Actors Studio,Billy Joel claimed thatLiberty DeVitto was the inspiration for Animal. However, Animal's initial appearance in the 1974 pilot forThe Muppet Show occurred two full years before DeVitto made his first recording (on Joel's 1976 albumTurnstiles). Others say there is no evidence that Animal was based on anyone specifically, and is simply an amalgam of common stereotypes about rock drummers.[17]
Oz performed Animal from his first appearance until 2000; he has been performed regularly byEric Jacobson since his 2002 appearance inIt's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie.[18] InMuppet Babies, he was voiced byHowie Mandel (1984–1985) and byDave Coulier (1986–1991). Animal was also played byKevin Clash inMuppets Tonight and byBill Barretta inMuppetFest (the first Muppet fan convention). Animal's drumming was performed by British jazz and big band drummerRonnie Verrell.[17] He has had numerous appearances on television in advertising and on a U.S. postage stamp.
In the 2023 seriesThe Muppets Mayhem, it is revealed that Animal was raised by Floyd after being abandoned on his doorstep as a baby.
Sgt. Floyd Pepper is the group'sbassist andbacking vocalist. A laid back hippie with a pink body and long orange hair, he usually wore a green army cap or sometimes while in the pit, a slightly fancier cap of stiffer, glittery material and a red uniform with epaulets and ornategold braid on the buttons. He plays his bass left-handed; and although he's been seen playing a variety of bass guitars over time, he appears to have settled for playingFender basses. The character was originated byJerry Nelson until 2003. At this time, Nelson retired from performing most of his characters, citing health reasons andJohn Kennedy took over the role beginning withThe Muppets' Wizard of Oz.Matt Vogel took over inA Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa and is Floyd's current performer. Author Christopher Finch says that Floyd is most like Nelson and if there were a spin-off ofThe Muppet Show centering on his band, Floyd would probably emerge as the central figure. He was designed byMichael K. Frith and built byDave Goelz. He debuted inThe Muppet Show: Sex and Violence.[19]
A battle of the egos occurs whenever he andMiss Piggy are on screen together as he loves to poke fun at her airs and graces. He's also somewhat arrogant, referring to himself in aMuppet Magazine article as one real cool dude and duringThe Muppet Show (season 1 episode 23) he says toKermit the Frog: "Kermit, you are talking to Floyd Pepper! The hippest of the hip! I mean I have a room for life at the home of the chronically groovy!". His name and pink color are homages to the bandPink Floyd, andSgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, the album bythe Beatles. He appears backstage more often than the other band members.
Although Dr. Teeth is the leader, Floyd is the one who sings lead most often. Some of the songs he sang onThe Muppet Show include: "New York State of Mind", "Ain't Misbehavin'", "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" and "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover". He has a close relationship with Janice and is Animal's close friend and handler. In books likeThe Case of The Missing Mother, byJames Howe, Animal is practically Floyd's pet. InThe Muppets Mayhem, it is revealed that Floyd raised Animal from a young age, and inspired a young Dr. Teeth to become a musician.
Floyd has declared himself to be an excellent songwriter—when the band briefly went on strike, one of his conditions was that he be allowed to write new theme music for the show—but with no apparent contradiction, admits that everyone hates his music. "If I didn't know I was a genius," he once declared, "I wouldn't listen to the trash I write." He nonetheless seems to have made a small fortune on advertising jingles during one of the band's sabbatical.
Some sources state that Floyd is based on the guitaristJeff Baxter, who is a studio musician and a former member of both Steely Dan and the Doobie Brothers.[20]
Janice is the group'sguitarist andbacking vocalist with aflower child personality. She has blonde hair, big eyelashes and lips, and usually wears a brown hat with a turquoise gem and a feather. Though she regularly performed vocals, she actually only sang lead a couple of times on the show. She also acted in sketches periodically, most notably as wisecracking Nurse Janice in 'Veterinarian's Hospital', a recurringparody of medical dramas; in the latter role, she dispenses with much of her flower child lingo. Her name is anhomage toJanis Joplin, and she bears a resemblance toMary Travers ofPeter, Paul and Mary. Janice plays her guitar left-handed. Her favourite guitar is aGibson Les Paul with cherry sunburst colour scheme.[citation needed]
Janice was involved with Zoot in the first season ofThe Muppet Show but paired up with Floyd Pepper at the start of season two. Janice was performed byEren Ozker during the first season ofThe Muppet Show (without thevalley-girl voice), then she was performed byRichard Hunt until his death in 1992. Briefly, inThe Muppet Show pilot, in the Muppet Meeting Films and in one Season 1 sketch she was performed by Fran Brill. Due to the lack of female Muppet performers, Janice has, since Ozker's departure, consistently been played by a man.[citation needed]
Muppet characters are frequently paired together based on how well puppeteers perform as a team. Richard Hunt andJerry Nelson had established themselves as a team prior toThe Muppet Show. Therefore, the change in Janice's performer may have been the reason for her relationship shifting from Zoot to Floyd. After Hunt's death, her character was faded back to brief non-speaking background appearances until 2000'sMuppet Race Mania in which she was performed byMatt Vogel.Brian Henson also provided her voice forIt's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie and the video gameMuppets Party Cruise. InThe Muppets' Wizard of Oz, she was performed byTyler Bunch. Her most recent performer isDavid Rudman, who first performed her inStudio DC: Almost Live. John Lovelady performed her for one appearance in 1975.[citation needed]
Arunning gag in some Muppet movies was that during a scene in which several characters were excitedly talking at once and someone called for silence, Janice would be the last one still talking on a topic with no apparent connection to the situation. InThe Muppets Take Manhattan: "So I told him 'Look, buddy, I don't take my clothes off for anybody, even if it is artistic,' and... Oh". Another example fromThe Great Muppet Caper, she says: "Look, Mother. It's my life. OK. So if I want to live on a beach and walk around naked... Oh".[citation needed]
Janice is the only member of the band apart from Animal to have appeared on theanimated seriesMuppet Babies. In her single appearance, she was portrayed as slightly older than the main characters and able to read. She was voiced byDave Coulier who regularly voiced baby versions of Animal,Bunsen Honeydew andBean Bunny.[citation needed]
In the 2023 seriesThe Muppets Mayhem, Janice is revealed to have an estranged twin sister.[citation needed]
Zoot is a teal-colored, baldingsaxophone player with dark glasses and a high-crowned blue felt hat that is generally a laid-back fellow of few words. His name refers to the 20th-century saxophonistZoot Sims and per designer Bonnie Erickson is modeled after Latin jazz artistGato Barbieri. He is performed byDave Goelz. He was conceived as a burned-out, depressed 50-year-old musician but according to Goelz when the role was assigned to him, he did not know how to perform that type of character. He, therefore, made the character mainly communicate through his playing rather than by speaking.
Zoot spoke much more in the first season where he was often seen dancing with Janice in the "At the Dance" sketches. Goelz stated that he tried to give most of Zoot's lines away to other characters, particularly Floyd. Floyd's performerJerry Nelson was not performing full-time in the first season which may explain Zoot originally having more dialogue. Since his eyes are hidden by his shades, he often appears oblivious to events around him—during the band's first meeting withKermit the Frog andFozzie Bear as depicted inThe Muppet Movie, he briefly forgot his own name which Floyd described as Zoot "skip[ping] the groove again"—but he can be sharper than he seems. When Floyd declared the band to be "anklin'" during its brief strike, only Zoot seemed dubious, noting "The frog's been good to us."
Zoot's claim to fame was playing the final off-key note to the end theme of the show; he then looks into his saxophone with a bewildered expression, checks his music, gives a satisfied nod, looks around at the other musicians and gives the same nod. The note played is the lowest note on thebaritone saxophone, while most of Zoot's other playing has the sound of atenor saxophone and his instrument appears to be analto saxophone.
InA Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa, it's revealed that he celebratesHanukkah.
Lips is the band's mumbling, yellow-hairedtrumpet player who joined the Electric Mayhem during the final season ofThe Muppet Show. His name is inspired by the imagery of lips seen on posters forThe Rocky Horror Picture Show, one of Whitmire's favorite films. He has yellow frizzy hair that has been compared to achrysanthemum (much to his chagrin), agoatee, and a permanent squint. His appearances on theMuppet Show were few and far between and when he did appear in the later episodes or movies, he rarely did anything besides play the trumpet. One of his few speaking appearances was in the Shirley Bassey episode where he sang a line of "Barnyard Boogie."
He was mainly created so that Whitmire could have a character to perform in the band. His lack of character development was apparently due to Whitmire's uncertainty about performing Lips. He was less experienced as a puppeteer at the time and wanted to use a voice likeLouis Armstrong but was afraid of offendingAfrican Americans. AfterThe Muppet Christmas Carol, he was not seen at all until the 2009 NBC specialChristmas inRockefeller Center. He also appeared inThe Muppets (2011). He also appeared and spoke (albeit very briefly) in the 2014 movieMuppets Most Wanted. He appears (and speaks on several occasions) in the 2015 seriesThe Muppets having been completely rebuilt, as the original puppet from hisMuppet Show days disintegrated on set during the filming of the 2015 music video "Kodachrome".[21] Lips speaks frequently inThe Muppets Mayhem (2023), with his dialogue mainly consisting of unintelligible mumbling and occasionally a determinable sentence.
A recurring gag inThe Muppets Mayhem and media released around the same time is that Lips has inexplicable connections to a myriad of celebrities and other people the Mayhem come across. This colorful history includes, but is not limited to, being a nursery school teacher, inspiringThe Bangles song "Walk Like an Egyptian", and introducingPaula Abdul toMC Skat Kat.
Clifford, performed byKevin Clash, was briefly made a member of the Electric Mayhem (as apercussionist) in 1990. His only appearances with the group were in the television specialThe Muppets at Walt Disney World and minor publicity material.
Jim was featured in the original pilot episode as a Muppet caricature ofJim Henson onbanjo.
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Sales | Certifications | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | CAN | US Soundtracks | US Kid Albums | UK | AUS | US Digital | ||||
| The Electric Mayhem (The Muppets Mayhem: Music From the Disney+ Original Series) |
| — | — | 10 | 1 | 37 | — | — |
| |
