Remember the days when alternative music and indie movies were actually alternative and independent? When I was in high school in the late 80s and early 90s, you got beat up for liking Hal Hartley movies, listening to bands from Athens and thinking Crispin Glover was the best part of Back to the Future. Members of Generation X that had taken a liking to punk rock or arty movies had to wait until college to find like-minded folks. This may, of course, be my romanticizing memory at work, but if your glory days were anything like mine, than The Adventures of Pete & Pete was your show.The Nickelodeon show started out as a series of shorts and developed into a show which ran for three seasons between 1993 and 1996. The show's eccentric cast of characters included two brothers named Pete, their mom, the metal plate inside mom's head, dad, the eldest Pete's best friend Ellen, Artie the strongest man in the world and little Pete's tattoo Petunia. The show followed the kids' adventures in the suburban town of Wellsville.
The show was narrated by the eldest Pete, but the younger, uber-cool Pete stole the show. In his red flannel hunting cap, young Pete took on the International Adult Conspiracy, led his classmates to dodgeball triumph over a team of snooty brats and had a superhero for a best friend. The show's surreal comedic sensibility always gave way to a non-saccharine, yet maudlin core.
The greatness of Pete & Pete was sealed by its countercultural credibility. The show's soundtrack was provided by bands like Magnetic Fields, Apples in Stereo and Polaris. The guest star list was beyond hip - David Jo of The New York Dolls, Iggy Pop, Martin Donovan, Debbie Harry, Patty Hearst and Steve Buscemi.
A recent issue of Filter magazine featured a full-length article on the Petes, which some nice soul has uploaded in scanned form to TV.com. In Filter's interview with the show's co-creator Will McRobb, McRobb states that "our big goal was to make the show four things: funny, sad, strange and beautiful...to have those be the informing ideas and nothing else...Anybody who felt like a misfit growing up appreciated the show, because more than anything, the show is trying to say that weird is good."
Lucky for you, you can now give The Adventures of Pete & Pete to some weird kid you love. Seasons One and Two are out on DVD. Rumor has it that we may not see Season Three as it was yanked from Paramount's release schedule earlier this year. A petition for its release is available online.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
11-09-2006 @ 11:49AM
reb said...
My all time favorite half hour of television is the episode where Little Pete forms a band with Marshall Crenshaw and Syd Straw. Go, Pete and Pete!
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11-09-2006 @ 1:52PM
Mase said...
I graduated high school in the late 80s and stumbled across TAoP+P on Nickelodean one day in law school and instantly loved it like you did. The guest stars, as you mentioned, were great. Mostly because they actually worked in the story and show universe (unlike the gazillion ones on WILL & GRACE that didn't). Thanks for pointing out the article.
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11-09-2006 @ 10:50AM
Jordan Running said...
Pete & Pete was such a brilliant and sincere show. I doubt we'll ever see anything like it again.
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11-09-2006 @ 10:53AM
Malcolm said...
But!! Did you know who played the part of Ice Cream headed Mr. Whippy? It was Michael Stipe from REM. Pete and Pete rocked and was way ahead of its time. If you were to put it back on TV today as a "new" show it would still work for kids. It lived in a timeless environment.
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11-09-2006 @ 11:17AM
trachein said...
Loved Pete and Pete and the Adventures of Alex Mack. When is that going to be on DVD. I've never seen it.
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11-09-2006 @ 12:19PM
JW said...
Back in the day when Nickelodeon was the coolest, and MTV actually played music videos. I miss Pete and Pete and who can't forget Salute your Shorts and Are you Afraid of the Dark??
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11-09-2006 @ 12:52PM
Zach said...
I watched a few episodes recently and it brought back alot of memories, The soundtrack was amazing, one of the best theme songs of all time.
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11-09-2006 @ 1:10PM
Liza said...
i just rented Pete & Pete on netflix! ha. would love to own it though, and hoping Salute Your Shorts will be out on dvd!
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11-09-2006 @ 1:59PM
kerry said...
I'm with Malcolm -- How could you not mention Michael Stipe as the ice cream man?!
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11-09-2006 @ 2:30PM
jOHN said...
Michelle Tractenburg had a recurring character as young Pete's friend.
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11-09-2006 @ 3:10PM
Liza said...
the girl from Welcome to the Dollhouse, ahhhhhh what's her name, she was on too. HEATHER MATARAZZO
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11-09-2006 @ 8:41PM
Patrick Wynne said...
"But!! Did you know who played the part of Ice Cream headed Mr. Whippy? It was Michael Stipe from REM."
He actually played Captain Scrummy, who sold sludgesicles at the beach in the episode where the Petes and Ellen searched for the missing Mr Tastee, the ice cream-headed guy.
I've never craved a DVD set more than I do the third season of Pete & Pete.
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11-11-2006 @ 2:43AM
jeff stiefer said...
Another guest star not mentioned was Kate Peirson(sp?) from The B-52's (the red head)
another bonus, more obscure guest star was the lead singer of Velocity Girl, Sarah Shannon. VG was one of my favorite indy bands of the 90's.
LOVED Pete and Pete!!
jeffro
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1-15-2007 @ 4:29AM
Amanda said...
I thought that Toby Huss (who played Artie) also played Mr. Tastee... Adam West played the principal of Little Pete's school, and Janeane Garefelo (sp) was on it too.
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