When it hit the airwaves in 1986, Pee-wee’s Playhouse was a rare mainstream triumph for a bunch of weirdo subculture types. The late Paul Reubens developed his Pee-wee Herman character on the LA improv-comedy scene in the ’70s, turned it into a stage show, appeared in a Cheech & Chong movie, and fully got the chance to go nuts in the classic 1985 cinematic vehicle Pee-wee’s Big Adventure, which happened to be Tim Burton’s directorial debut. When the film was a success, HBO produced an actual children’s television show for this fake children’s entertainer, and he made it into a lively, bugged-out hallucination. Rob Zombie was a set decorator. Laurence Fishburne was the recurring character Cowboy Curtis. It was really something.
The post Kate Pierson Sings <em>Pee-wee’s Playhouse</em> Theme At Netflix’s 40th Anniversary Tribute Concert appeared first on Stereogum.
