A Quote by Richard Herring

As I remember it, we pitched 'Fist of Fun' as a sort of adult version of the kids' show 'Why Don't You?' We wanted to overload it with information, really pile it on. — © Richard Herring
As I remember it, we pitched 'Fist of Fun' as a sort of adult version of the kids' show 'Why Don't You?' We wanted to overload it with information, really pile it on.
I was a crazy Pee-wee Herman fan when I was in my early teens. Before he had the kids' TV show, he had a nightclub show in L.A., and I had gotten a VHS copy of it. It was a kids' show, but onstage in a bar, so it's sort of poking fun at the kids' show. And I was obsessed with that, and then 'Pee-wee's Big Adventure.'
Everyone spoke of an information overload, but what there was in fact was a non-information overload.
I sort of was inspired by 'Friday Night Lights,' where it was a very different show, but similar in that they were both large ensemble dramas where you had many stories going on at once. I wanted to do a show that shared that element, and that's really why I wanted to develop 'Parenthood' as a series.
"Sesame Street" was really the first kid's show that my dad did. He did a couple of TV specials that were targeted for kids before "Sesame Street," but really, it was, it's kind of going back to our roots, when we start to get adult. This show gets very adult sometimes, and that's because of the audience.
Well, there's a question as to what sort of information is important in the world, what sort of information can achieve reform. And there's a lot of information. So information that organizations are spending economic effort into concealing, that's a really good signal that when the information gets out, there's a hope of it doing some good.
Well, there's a question as to what sort of information is important in the world, what sort of information can achieve reform. And there's a lot of information. So information that organizations are spending economic effort into concealing, that's a really good signal that when the information gets out, there's a hope of it doing some good...
I really had no idea when I pitched the series that it would lead to so much fun and so much connecting with kids and moms.
You can use the fun of the genre, but I also really wanted to come at it from the point of view of some really complex characterization. There was a lot that I wanted it to do, and I wanted it to be fun. It's fun, but it's not simple fun.
I'm getting a lot of stick because my character in 'Young Dracula' wanted to be vampire, so now that I am a vampire, everyone's like, 'You finally did it!' But it's cool and I loved doing 'Young Dracula.' That show's finished and I don't know why it ended, so it was brilliant to go into 'Being Human,' which is like the adult version of it.
And so they pitched the show to me. It sounded like a good idea. We pitched the show back, and got it sold and got it on the air. And that's kicking the tail.
I did have a sense of parental pride in that character. For 20 years now my films and the TV show have been the only version of Peter Parker. So I wanted this new version, for a new generation, to be really good. I still care about it.
It sounds corny to say, but it was really inspiring seeing kids that were just living and connecting with people. That was something I really understood, the need and want for connection, and fun, and it not needing to be sympathetic, just sort of good fun.
The fewer data needed, the better the information. And an overload of information, that is, anything much beyond what is truly needed, leads to information blackout. It does not enrich, but impoverishes.
When you become an adult you just make that transition and you're right... it's fun and exciting to be an adult and exciting to have independence, but once you're out from under the cover of your family's protection and love, you sort of have to take a step back and come to terms with the fact that you won't really ever have that again in the same way. You'll never be a kid again.
I don't think information overload is a function of the volume of information. It's a derivative of the volume of information plus the sense-making tools you have.
I'll get cast occasionally as sort of the jerk version of myself, and I have fun doing that. But it's really better for everyone if I stay behind the camera.
This site uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience. More info...
Got it!