GBBP 113: Steve Burns

The Great Big Beautiful Podcast, Episode 113: Steve Burns

You can listen on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, and YouTube; you can follow the RSS feed; or you can listen right here!

Despite what you may have heard, Steve Burns is not dead. For reals. We promise. He’s here this week to prove it.

Burns, who is perhaps best known as that excitable guy from Blue’s Clues who REALLY loves the mail and pleated pants, has become something on a phenomenon online in recent years. After leaving Blue’s Clues in 2002 after almost a decade on the show, he pretty much disappeared from the public eye. This was intentional. Though the show thrust him into the spotlight (among the preschool crowd, at least), it was actually an anomaly in his career.

Well, Burns is back. Next month sees the release of a new album of “children’s music for everyone” that he recorded with Steven Drozd (from The Flaming Lips). Together, they form Steven Steven, and their album Foreverywhere is “part concept album, part legend, all play, fun, and filled to the brim with immediate music that will be enjoyed by kids, parents, fans of The Flaming Lips and grownup fans of Blue’s Clues alike.”

And that’s not just PR talk. I’ve heard the album, and it’s a LOT of fun. Part of its charm is that they cover a spectrum, alternately singing about self-empowerment and poop.

What can you expect? Well, the album is inspired by “wondering, Burt, Black Sabbath, cephalopods, Grover, toy commercials from the 1970s, Harry Nilsson, Dr. Seuss, science, Bill Conti, Queen, Futzees, Rocky Balboa, Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, true love, Neil Diamond, the zoo, Holly Hobbie, fairy tales, David Bowie, and Mister Rogers.”

On this episode, we talk about Foreverywhere, the legacy of Blue’s Clues, his experiences on the show, how he handled the potential pressure of teaching and inspiring millions of kids, and – perhaps the most pressing question of all – how on Earth did Mr. Salt and Mrs. Pepper conceive Paprika??

We mention this on the show, but if you’re in the Brooklyn area, you might want to check out Steve in concert (with Steven Drozd) on 2/26 at the Brooklyn Bowl. Tickets are available here.

Also, do yourself a favor and preorder Foreverywhere on either iTunes or Amazon. And as you wait, feel free to enjoy this video for “The Unicorn and Princess Rainbow.” Multiple times, if necessary.