Within the last few weeks, 2 eccentric entertainers have passed away.
One was Paul Reubens, best known for his character Pee-Wee Herman.
The other was Melvin Barcliff, best known as the rapper Magoo.
Pee-Wee Herman
Being that I was
born in 1980, I grew up watching Pee-Wee's PlayHouse on
Saturday mornings. It was like a silly show and an educational show all in one.
And the most memorable part for me was when Pee-Wee yelled out his "connect the
dots" song.
Pee-Wee already had
his hit movie Pee-Wee Big Adventures where he gets into all
kinds of mischief.
Pee-Wee Herman was
basically The Big Star in children's entertainment.
However, all of that
came to an end in the summer of 1991 when Paul Reubens was arrested for
masturbating in an adult theater. Understandably, people became leery about
someone like that being involved in children's entertainment.
He did appear in the
1991 MTV Video Music Awards to make light of the situation. But his time in
children's entertainment was done.
Paul Reubens
continued to be an actor portraying minor characters in movies and sitcoms.
He eventually went
back to being Pee-Wee Herman, but this time, it was more of a nostalgia act for adults
rather than entertaining the new generation of children.
Paul Reubens died
from cancer on July 30, 2023. He was 70 years old.
Magoo
Magoo was part of
the eccentric rap duo Timbaland & Magoo.
That duo, along with
Missy Elliott, put Virginia on the hip-hop map.
They also brought a
new sound to hip-hop with science fiction beats and unique vocals that
perfectly match those sounds. It was like they were from another
universe.
Timbaland was the
producer who brought some science fiction sounds to hip-hop.
Magoo had a unique
voice & memorable lines.
The most memorable one was from their hit record "Luv 2 Luv Ya"
You so absurd I thought you heard
If you don't know, the bird is the word
Yes the bird-bird-bird, the bird is the word
The bird-bird-bird, the bird is the word
Just reading those
lines won't do it justice, you gotta hear the way he said it! His delivery was
off the hook!
By the time the
early 2000's came around, the duo broke up.
Timbaland became a
legendary producer who worked with various artists like Aaliyah,
Ginuwine, Justin Timberlake, Nelly Furtado, One Republic, Bubba Sparxx,
Jay-Z, the list goes on.
Meanwhile, Magoo
faded from the spotlight and never released a solo album, though I think he had
the potential to make a hit record on his own. However, he never really enjoyed
the business or the fame that came with it. Needless to say, he was a very
private person.
Magoo died on August
13, 2023. He was 50 years old. The cause of death wasn't publicized.
