Freedom of Expression #8 (1996)

"Mr. Rogers in His Own Words"

Most people think Mr. Rogers shakes the needles on the weird-o-meter, but when one hears excerpts from his LPs released in the 1970s those needles fly into the red.

This uniquely constructed "storybook" has been designed to be read while listening to a 10-minute sound collage tape (constructed from elements contained on his albums) that is included. This cassette tape (dude, remember that audio format?) demonstrates that the guy has been buying dairy products from the funny farm for years.

Click here to hear and see audio and video versions of this collage.

It is hard to describe how the booklet has been put together, but suffice it to say that rather than folding out in two directions, like most books do, it opens in four directions revealing a disturbing centerfold.

Some of my most beloved quotes by Mr. Rogers contained in this sound collage are: "When I was a little boy, I was just sure I’d grow up and marry my mom," "You can never go down the drain," and (sung in the voice of King Friday) "Propel propel propel your craft, gently down liquid solution. Ecstatically ecstatically ecstatically ecstatically, existence is but an illusion."