V01-T11 Mr. Rogers

.....Yes, it's another cover. No, it's not the last (not by a long shot). And, yes, it's the second punky deconstruction of a childhood memory in a four-song string of childhood memories. I couldn't pass this one up though, because I knew one of the members and because this spot on the playlist was the most comfortable fit.

Volume 1: THE PITCHFORK APPROACH, track 11

• 02:48 "MR. ROGERS" (Fred Rogers)
• performed by PBS
• original source: B-side, 7" Troubled Youth Records TR-001 (US) 1986
• and my source: the same

.....First I should explain the name. In the late 70's there was a British punk band who called themselves "GBH", short for the criminal charge of "grievous bodily harm". American police use different terminology, so the meaning is lost on many people over here. To slightly nerdy northeasterners, it meant WGBH, Boston, Massachusetts' Public Broadcasting System affiliate. Because that channel produced or co-produced a great deal of programming syndicated for the rest of the network, the station's call letters became synonymous with national public television. Ergo, the name "PBS" was an acknowledgement of the band GBH.

.....Having recorded a pop-punk original for the A-side ("Girl Of My Own"), recording a b-side alluding to the network would have been too good a joke to resist. The theme to the "Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood" show (minus the instrumental introduction) would be instantly recognized no matter what they did to it, for those 'of a certain age' at least. Because they worked so prolifically for children, Fred Rogers and his free-form jazz pianist John Costa are usually underestimated as composers (Rogers wrote the songs, Costa the subtle vamps and mood music). A good rule of thumb is that when people will gladly sing along to something you wrote that they haven't heard themselves in decades and they remember all the words, you're a good composer. The new arrangements work for me, too, and lest you think that I'm letting personal bias interfere with my judgement, I should point out that Robert Christgau placed this single at number 22 on his list of top singles for 1986. It beat out Bruce Hornsby's "The Way It Is" at number 23. (From The Village Voice, March 3, 1987)

.....Speaking of punky deconstruction, it continues on the next track but veers away from television. And to switch things up a bit, it's our first medley.