PLUME: How difficult was it to perform live?
NELSON: Ahh, it wasn’t that difficult.
PLUME: Now, like with the skit with Lily, was that done on a side set, or could the audience see you?
NELSON: No, they could see me. I dressed in black, and I think I had a hood on. You know, one of the things that made that so good was that I was very focused. I was studying Tai Chi at the time and I was very heavily into it. I went through as much of the form as I knew and meditated several times on the Saturday that we did that, and on the break my daughter came. Richard, my daughter and I went out to get a bite to eat, and as we were walking back we passed a florist. I went and I bought a rose. I kept it hidden through the whole bit with Lily, and I gave it to her right at the very end, and it totally caught her off guard because we never rehearsed it… It was just totally spontaneous to her. Her voice caught… It was a very real moment. I thought it was one of my best performances of anything I’ve ever done, because I felt really focused.
PLUME: I thought Scred was one of your best character performances…
NELSON: I always loved that character. I felt a great kinship with Scred, and he may resurface in the Ubergonzo in the film. It won’t be Scred, but it will be his essence.
PLUME: So it was a mutual split with SNL, and that’s when you moved on to The Muppet Show.
NELSON: Right, that’s when we went to England and began The Muppet Show full force.
PLUME: And you returned to The Muppet Show around episode 9…
NELSON: Yeah, it would be around 9. I missed 9 weeks in the summer and then rejoined in September. When we came back to the States at the end of that first season, we went straight into The Muppet Movie, which we did in LA.
PLUME: When did the success of the show actually hit? Was it the middle of the first season, or the end of the first season?
NELSON: Actually, it took longer. It was second season, when we got back to England. I had just done “Halfway Down the Stairs,” and when we got back to England, it was on the pop charts… “Top of the Pops.” I believe it got up to seven. It was even on jukeboxes. So the English picked up on the show right away, but it took a lot longer in the states, probably because it was syndicated. People knew the Muppets from Sesame Street, but I don’t think there was a great furor here like there was in England.
PLUME: Did the movie come up unexpectedly, or was there knowledge that it was in the works?
NELSON: I’m sure the film was in Jim’s head for some time. I know he wanted to make movies. The movie was there in order to “catch the wave.” It was the right time to do it. The subsequent movies were that way as well. By the time The Muppet Show was over, that’s when they moved on to Dark Crystal.
PLUME: And that’s when people fractured, some going of to Sesame Street, some to Fraggle Rock…
NELSON: Yeah, Fraggle Rock didn’t start right away. Fraggle went from ’82 – ’86, I believe, so there was a two year interim. Dark Crystal happened in that interim, as well as Great Muppet Caper. Definitely while the studios, Elstree, were still there. I believe they’re gone now.
PLUME: Who was your favorite guest to work with on The Muppet Show?
NELSON: It’s hard, because there were so many wonderful guests. Roy (Rogers) and Dale (Evans) stick out in my mind, because they were like your grandparents. You just wanted to go snuggle up to them. In the same light, when Spike Milligan was there for a day and a half, because we didn’t get through all of his stuff in a day, I think I laughed the whole time. My stomach ached after he was gone. A day and a half of laughing constantly.
PLUME: What was it like working with Peter Sellers?
NELSON: Peter Sellers was wonderful. That’s another standout in my mind. Often times they would fete the guests – take him out to dinner or something. Sometimes it would just be Dave Lazer and Jim or Jerry Juhl. Dave Lazer was almost always a part of that, because he was the great schmoozer. He has infinite charm. Richard, Dave Goelz and I were included in the dinner with Peter Sellers. I went to dinner with Jonathan Winters also. Those were the moments I remember more than the show, even, because it was more of a personal thing.
PLUME: As opposed to working with them in a scene on a professional level…
NELSON: They’re just pros to work with. You couldn’t ask for anyone better. All of these people were the tops. Working with Dizzy Gillespie was so much fun. I got to sing a scat song with Dizzy. It just blew me away. People ask me all the time who would be my favorite, and it is impossible to pick one. There’s so many of them that were so wonderful.
PLUME: Any that were difficult to relate to?
NELSON: (Laughing) Yeah, but I don’t want to go there…
PLUME: Were there any stars that they tried to get but it never happened?
NELSON: They tried their best to get the Beatles, Paul was willing to do it, but we had to hire the whole band… When he was with Wings. It was too big time. We just didn’t have the money. I think George would have done it, but they kept trying to negotiate with Paul.
PLUME: I would think Ringo would have done it in a heartbeat…
NELSON: Ringo probably would have to. If they had asked me, I would have said, “Hey! Get them! Don’t dicker… Get the ones who are ready to commit.”
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