Even if you’ve never heard Wayne White’s name, you’ve almost definitely enjoyed his work. Wayne was a designer on shows like Pee-Wee’s Playhouseand Beakman’s World, as well as music videos like Smashing Pumpkins’ Tonight Tonight. Wayne has since developed a second career in the fine arts world and is the subject of the wonderful new documentary Beauty is Embarrassing.
This week on The Jeff Rubin Jeff Rubin Show you will hear from both Wayne and the film’s director, Neil Berkley. We discuss the influence of Pee-Wee, what shows are continuing it’s legacy today, and what message Wayne implanted in the unsuspecting brains of children.
I can distinctly remember watching Batman Returns as an 11-year old kid and being confused by the fact that Pee-wee Herman was throwing a baby into the Gotham City sewage system. The brief role of the Penguin’s father at the beginning of the film was played by Paul Reubens and not his grey suit-wearing alter ego. But, for my money, there was no difference. I was aware of the fact that Pee-wee wasn’t a real person. But it still didn’t make sense to see Reubens as anything other than the eternal man-child that made him famous.
After springing into worldwide fame in 1981 with the premier of HBO’s [...]
