trent on the street

Jodie Foster. Hillary Clinton. The Red Hot Chili Peppers. What do these people have in common? They have all been considered for or appeared on the PBS children's program Sesame Street. And today this groundbreaking television show pushed the envelope of juvenile entertainment even further with the appearance of controversial nine inch nails frontman Trent Reznor in a guest spot.

"My daughters listen to nine inch nails, and they are 12 and 8," says Sesame Street programming director Laurie Fairfield. "His audience is getting younger and younger, and I thought if I could just get him to tone down his lyrics a bit, he could be quite a draw for our program."

Ms. Fairfield says that at first Reznor thought the call was a prank from his assistant, Chris Vrenna. But once he realized the offer was serious, he began to consider it. "Recently," Reznor said in an interview, "I have been feeling more upbeat, more positive about life." And what better place to demonstrate that than Sesame Street?

Fairfield said they had to get Reznor on the program in a hurry, and due to his recent tour schedule, he didn't have time to write a new song. So he reworked the lyrics of the only song deemed musically appropriate, his hit single "Hurt."

"We were very pleased with the results," Fairfield says, "in spite of the one obscenity. I guess it wouldn't be Trent to leave that out." Indeed, the show was one of the most popular episodes to date....

(cut to set of Sesame Street. Trent is sitting on the stairs of Maria's apartment surrounded by children and various Muppets, holding a guitar.)

Trent: Okay kids, okay, quiet down, I have a little song for you.

Grover: What's it about, Trent?

Trent: Well, Grover, it's about you.

Grover: About me?

Trent: (with a big smile) It's about all of you, here on Sesame Street.

(strumming guitar)

I learned the letter "A"
And how to count to ten
I come home every day
And watch it with my friends
The Cookie Monster tries
To gobble everything
And the Martians talk to phones
and get excited
when they ring

Kermit and the Chef
(our Swedish friend)
Mr Hooper's store,
down the street,
at the end

Snuffleupagus
Grover, Ernie, Bert
Elmo and Big Bird
kids in stripey shirts

Oh, Barney's full of (bleeeeeeeep)
He doesn't really care
but if you need a friend
Luis is always there
Beneath his trashcan lid
Oscar disappears
Gordon waves hello
Prairie Dawn is here

Kermit and the Chef
(our Swedish friend)
Mr Hooper's store,
down the street,
at the end

Snuffleupagus
Grover, Ernie, Bert
Elmo and Big Bird
kids in stripey shirts

The clouds are swept away
It's a sunny day
Sesame Street calls,
can you tell me the way?

(applause)

(little girl hugs Trent -- Trent accepts cookie from Cookie Monster and eats it happily)

-- lily j. anderson

can you tell me how to get...