The Easy Reader Theme Song
“Close cover before striking. I say, Is that heavy?”
Well, it’s no secret that I think PBS sucks. There is very little on it that I find interesting, amd much of the original PBS mandate has been exceeded by the rise of private sector cable television channels that serve educational purposes.
That being said, The History Channel or The Discovery Channel haven’t come up with anything nearly as cool as one of my great heroes and role models, Easy Reader!
Back in the 1970s, PBS had quite a few shows for children – most of which left me pretty cold. I never cared much for Sesame Street (my physical resemblance to Ernie notwithstanding), and even as a young child I never connected with Fred Rogers. PBS did deliver one hip show, though – The Electric Company. Intended for slightly older kids, the show benefited from expecting a longer attention span from its viewer, as well as a very talented cast including Rita Moreno and Morgan Freeman.
Well, Morgan contributed one of the classic EC characters – Easy Reader. Easy was one cool cat who bopped around town, and he loved reading so much that he would stop to read any sign he would see. Along the way, he would interact with other EC characters. Indeed, I confess that my lifelong love affair with reading started with the strong example of Easy Reader.
So sit back and enjoy this great clip from the show, featuring Easy Reader singing his theme song, with an assist from the lovely and talented Rita Moreno. They just don’t make them like this anymore!
Also of interest:
By the way, Amy Winehouse clearly ripped off Easy Reader’s Theme for her self indulgent song ‘Rehab.’
Read On, Baby! He’s what Huggy Bear could have been, had he applied himself. Also, let us not forget Morgan’s other great Electric Company character, Mel Mounds, the DJ. Outta-sighteous!
Read On, Baby! Yes, Easy Reader is a shining example of what we can all accomplish, if we apply ourselves and open ourselves to the world of reading!
And yes, Mel Mounds is another awesome character in the world of The Electric Company! I really do think that it was a wonderful show with a very talented crew of people, and it brought us many memorable characters.
Actually, it’s really something to see how lame childrens’ television became in the 1980s. Mostly it’s just animated junk designed to sell toys – 30-minute, 5 time-0a-week commercials. As the 1990s rolled around it devolved into saccharine nonsense like Barney the Dinosaur.
The Electric Company treated its audience with respect, and indeed there is plenty of fun (and learning) for children of all ages. I enjoyed the show immensely and personally benefited from it. Outta-sighteous!
All I can think of right now is that Mel Mounds would be a good name for a p*rn star. lol
Ahem…..sorry about that. :-P
Don’t know how long this show was on but I missed it altogether because we were stationed in Germany for years.
The Electric Company was in first run for the first half of the 1970s on PBS stations nationwide, and they ran the episodes into the 1980s. I would watch whenever I could.
Easy Reader’s strong example really did spark my lifelong love affair with reading. And I do think he has the coolest theme songs! HEAVY!!!!
That Easy Reader is one SEXY nigga! (Yes, I’m a girl) But he looks WAY more cuter with his sunglass on. How you ever seen him sing “One Word Comes After Another?” http://m.youtube.com/watch?gl=US&hl=en&client=mv-google&v=aX1C9bXHv8k