"SLIMED! An Oral History of Nickelodeon's Golden Age tells the surprisingly complex, wonderfully nostalgic, and impressively compelling story of how Nickelodeon -- the First Kids' Network -- began as a DIY startup in the late 70s, and forged ahead through the early eighties with a tiny band of young artists and filmmakers who would go on to change everything about cable television, television in general, animation, and children's entertainment, proving just what can be done if the indie spirit is kept alive in the corporate world of contemporary media... All from those who made it happen!" - goodreads.com
If you were a kid growing up in the mid-80's to mid-90's it was next to impossible to not be familiar with Nickelodeon shows unless you were living under a rock. Mathew Klickstein interviewed dozens of Nickelodeon stars, producers, directors, writers to compile this oral history of what he calls and I believe to be Nickelodeon's "golden age." As this in an oral history, the book reads like a transcript of a roundtable discussion with the assorted talent and crew. While this style provides the reader with candid stories, it was also a little confusing at times. There was several passages in the book where one "conversation" would end and another would begin without a segue. I had to re-read several passages over again for clarity. Throughout the book, the actors, producers and assorted personnel are identified by name only. While I watched many Nickelodeon shows back in the day, I wasn't a fan of every show nor could I recall all the actors' names. I think the "Cast of Characters" section that appeared at the close of the book, would've been better placed at the front of the book to refresh the readers memory of who was who.
Regardless of some confusing passages, "Slimed" was a very interesting read. The backstage drama behind "Ren & Stimpy," was unbelievable. Marc Summers provided some great anecdotes about the making of "Double Dare." My favorite anecdotes though came from the cast of "Hey Dude." Two of the show's actors had an off-screen romance and another had a stalker problem that caused her to retreat from the public eye. Jim Jenkins, who created the cartoon "Doug" shared many great stories that left me yearning to order the entire series on DVD. I also appreciated the food for thought contrast of the "golden age" Orlando studio days of Nickelodeon to the Hollywood polish of today's Nick programming.
Special thanks to Netgalley for providing me a digital copy in exchange for a fair and honest review.
