When Dave Goelz walks into a room full of Muppets fans, you’d think he was Mick Jagger.
Every remark or memory of creator Jim Henson, Frank Oz, or any other number of cast members from “The Muppet Show” is met with an eruption of cheers. Everytime Goelz mentions Gonzo – the muppet he is most well-known for playing – or Zoot, or Dr. Bunsen Honeydew, someone in the crowd claps. When people line up to ask Goelz questions afterwards, some of them tear up, thanking him for his years of service. One fan in the crowd even asks him to sign her arm, so his signature can join a host of other Muppet performers already permanently inked there.
This was the warm, electric environment that Goelz stepped into on Sept. 6 at the Center for Puppetry Arts. The puppeteer began on “The Muppet Show” in the 1970s, and the center honored Goelz’s 50th anniversary as a Muppet performer with the unveiling of a rare Gonzo puppet, on loan from the Walt Disney Company and wearing a costume from 1981’s “The Great Muppet Caper.”
Goelz seemed touched and almost overwhelmed by the reception. He’s a great storyteller, the type of guy who can’t help but end every story – whether it’s funny, heartwarming, or bittersweet – with a clever or self-deprecating joke.
“I have to thank you for my career,” he said to the buzzing crowd. “I feel so lucky to have been able to do this. But I would have never had a job without all of you.”
You might remember Gonzo, with his hook nose, drooping eyes and questionable species, for his passion for stunt performance – he once threw knives at Peter Sellers, and has driven a motorcycle into Statler and Waldorf’s famous theater box. Or you might remember him for his fondness for chickens (an audience member asked him how he tells his love interest, Camilla the Chicken, apart from other chickens. Goelz answered that he doesn’t think Gonzo can tell the difference). Or you might remember him, as I fondly do, for his role as Charles Dickens in “The Muppet Christmas Carol” – unequivocally, the best version of the “A Christmas Carol” that’s ever been made.
Everyone in the crowd has a Gonzo they remember best, but a throughline for the character is his role as the outcast. Goelz described Gonzo’s character development on “The Muppet Show” as having three phases, and said that so much of Gonzo came from him as a person.
“In the very beginning … I never had an acting class. I didn’t know what I was doing,” Goelz said. “I felt completely out of place.”
That low self-esteem reflected in Gonzo at the beginning of Goelz’s run. As the years went by, he entered his “manic” phase – or the phase where he started doing stunts and developing an obsession with chickens. Then, an older, wiser version of Gonzo began to emerge. This version would have enough gravitas to do things like believably emulate someone like Charles Dickens.
Jerry Juhl wrote “The Muppet Christmas Carol,” and according to Goelz he had the idea for Gonzo to play Dickens.
“It came from the fact that he saw me going to therapy, and deepening, and softening,” Goelz said. “He saw that, I think, and that’s what maybe gave him the idea. That’s how Gonzo entered phase three, which is the soulful side.”
Goelz has a lot of stories about Juhl, Henson, Oz, and so many other members of the Muppet family. The set he described was a place for pranks, creativity, and joy.
“It was a really rich world, and you could play,” he said. “Jim [Henson] loved all this. He knew it made our work better. And I think if you’re working for IBM, it would probably make your work better too.”
Bill Barretta, famous for characters such as Pepe the King Prawn and Bobo the Bear, was watching the discussion online – something Goelz never let the audience forget. Throughout the discussion, he joked about Barretta’s presence, calling him out numerous times (“Bill Barretta is out there, I don’t know if you know that,” was one of his frequent asides). But despite all his needling, Goelz said that Barretta is one of his favorite people to work with, whether it be in character or out. They have a game they’ll play together that’s almost like an acting exercise – Goelz will make different animal noises, and Barretta will whip his head around, reacting and placing each animal in the environment around him.
One time they were both in New York City walking down a small, quiet street. Barretta was a good bit ahead of Goelz, so he decided to surprise him with the animal game. Goelz hid behind a car and made a bird call. Without missing a beat, Barretta whipped his head around looking for the imaginary bird.
“We were like kids in the hot summer sitting on the stoop in front of the house, and we have nothing to do so we start inventing games,” Goelz said. “We just play.”
While telling that story, Goelz described Barretta as having a “Muppet soul.” After the discussion, I asked him what he meant by that.
“Love of character, love of humanity. Love of mirth, play, with some emotional depth so that underneath it, there’s a soul. And Bill’s got that,” Goelz said. He stopped for a moment, before a sly look spread across his face. “I don’t know if you know, but he was watching tonight!”
