Fall of 1994, Flint, Michigan. My little brother and I came home from Cody Elementary School (now bull dozed)  with an unexpected surprise awaiting for us. My mother had gone to Blockbuster and rented us the Super Nintendo port of the video game Spider-Man and Venom: Maximum Carnage. In the opening credits of the SNES classic I noticed a logo titled “Green Jellÿ” quickly pop up on the screen with a silly green circle like face with a tongue hanging out. It was an intriguing funny looking logo, but my young child mind  simply thought Green Jellÿ was just some sort of  video game programming company. Later on that same year I was watching an episode of the 1994 animated series of Fantastic 4 on Fox Kids titled  “Super Skrull”; in that episode The Thing of the Fantastic Four creates a music  video for a track about his famous catch phrase“It’s Clobberin’ Time!”. To my surprise the band credited at the end of the episode is Green Jellÿ as themselves. So my first thoughts were, “Are these guys just a cartoon rock band for Marvel Comics or something?”

That same day after watching that FF4 episode, Nine Inch Nail’s “Head Like A Hole” is finishing up on Flint’s Banana 101.5 during a car ride with my Father.  I hear the DJ listing off upcoming bands and that’s when I hear him mention “Green Jelly” (pronouncing the bands name incorrectly, Jelly) in the midst of also mentioning  Pearl Jam, Motely Crue, and whoever else.  I get excited and hope to God  the ride to the local iconic Jelly Beans Book & Music Store (it sadly burned down recently) with my Father is longer than the commercial break.  I was in luck thanks to hitting every single red light on the way there. I finally hear Green Jello’s biggest hit “Three Little Pigs” for the very first time on Flint’s Bannana 101.5 and it was hilariously awesome!  My mind was racing in musical joy with what I had just heard and I was craving for more Green Jellÿ (what I believed at the time to be pronounced Jelly. For those who somehow don’t know Kraft Foods forced the name change on the band from Jello to Jellÿ .) like a ravaging music fiend foaming at the mouth for more music!  We get to Jelly Beans and I’m randomly looking around with my Father and holy shit! Lo and behold someone had already sold their own copy of Green Jello’s “Cereal Killer”.  But the local made parental advisory sticker cocked block me and sadly my six year old ears weren’t allowed anywhere near the first Green Jello record.

Fast forward like a VHS Tape to Summer 2007. A year after I had graduated. I was watching MTV 2’s Headbangers Ball and they randomly played the video for Green Jello’s “Three Little Pigs” and I just smiled and laughed the whole time. The clay figure pigs and Rambo taking out the Big Bad Wolf is pure genius entertainment. I went online that night (still connected to Dial Up) and found the “Cereal Killer” record on Amazon and handed my friend the cash to use his card because I didn’t have a debit card at the time and impatiently waited for the album to arrive. It finally arrives and for a month straight the “Cereal Killer” album was on constant rotation thanks to its witty, gut busting,  hysterical lyrics and kick ass guitar solos.  My mind was utter-shock upon finding out the crazy fact members of Tool were originally part of Green Jello before Tool was even formed. Nearly a decade later I finally get to see Green Jello live for the very first time at the Gathering of the Juggalos 2016 and it was such a mind-melting experience that I can’t even begin to describe in words.  The punk rock puppet show needs to be experienced in person to fully truly understand the creative madness behind Green Jello’s success. Green Jello frontman Bill Manspeaker knows how to get a crowd fired up and successfully deliver an overabundant  satisfying puppet stage show from start to finish! This interview I conducted with Bill Manspeaker for Faygoluvers was a huge honor to do and I’m still lost for words by the fact Mr. Manspeaker accepted to do the interview and drop mad fresh music history that further proves his career deserves to be part of rock ‘n’ roll history and shine on forever!

Websites:

• Green Jello Social Media