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Pee-Wee Herman

Paul Reubens’ final performance as Pee-wee Herman is widely considered to be the feature film Pee-wee’s Big Holiday, produced by Judd Apatow and released by Netflix in 2016. But Reubens actually returned as the character at least one more time, albeit in a completely different format: radio.
Airing Nov. 26, 2021, the Pee-wee Herman Radio Hour was a one-time broadcast that saw the iconic character play KCRW music DJ, with guest appearances from Jack White and Charo as well as Pee-wee’s Playhouse characters like Chairry (Alison Mork), Conky (Josh Myers) and Miss Yvonne (Lynne Marie Stewart). While ostensibly a way to port Pee-wee into a new format, one of the broadcast’s producers — Maximum Fun owner/founder Jesse Thorn — says it also fulfilled a longtime fantasy for Reubens, who died Sunday (July 30) at age 70 following a six-year bout with cancer.

“We had ideas to incorporate elements of the Playhouse and all of that, but central to it was that Paul loved the idea of being an FM radio DJ” of the sort that dominated the airwaves during the FM radio revolution of the 1960s and ’70s, says Thorn. In fact, Reubens was so earnest about the gig that while recording the broadcast, Thorn says that he, fellow producer Julia Smith and Myers — who wrote much of the broadcast with Reubens — “had to remind Paul repeatedly that it was a comedy show,” adding, “It was very clear that this was a sincere career dream of his.”

While the press release announcing the project contained a letter written by “Pee-wee” that made it sound like the result of a last-minute, fan-driven campaign, in reality, the broadcast took nearly three years to come to fruition. It began, says Thorn, after a KCRW staffer read an interview with Reubens in which he mentioned his affinity for the station. That led to a meeting between Reubens and then-KCRW program director Gary Scott; the station subsequently reached out to Thorn to produce.

Thorn’s first meeting with Reubens about the project took place at Café 101 in Hollywood, where Reubens told him his reasons for wanting to debut the character in the radio format. “He loved doing Pee-wee Herman and was trying to find ways to do Pee-wee Herman without having to go through what he had to go through in his 60s to be Pee-wee Herman on screen,” Thorn remembers.

Produced on a budget of just $10,000, the show proved to be a time-consuming process in part because Reubens was “an extraordinary perfectionist,” says Thorn. Paul Bennun, then KCRW’s chief content officer who oversaw the project for the station, says Reubens was “a natural producer” who was “punctilious and demanding” (the show went through countless rounds of edits before making it to air, says Thorn) but also “joyful and gentle and inclusive.”

“He found himself in this position with moral and commercial ownership over this character, and he wanted to make sure that it was projected in ways that were as true to his moral objectives as to anything else,” says Bennun.

For added star power, Reubens enlisted celebrity friends Charo (who had previously appeared on a 1988 Pee-wee’s Playhouse Christmas special) and White — who first met Reubens when the actor appeared in a Raconteurs music video — to guest star on the broadcast.

For the show’s music playlist, Reubens leaned heavily on classic soul, weaving in such tracks as “Back Stabbers” by The O’Jays, “You’ve Got the Love” by Rufus, “I Can’t Get Next to You” by The Temptations and “Come Back Baby” by Aretha Franklin.

“Paul had a specific vision, and the vision was driven by that idea of being a classic FM radio DJ, like being Sly Stone on KSOL in San Francisco before he was a singer,” says Thorn. “There was never a moment where he said, ‘What if we threw Huey Lewis in there?’ It was always going to be Stevie Wonder and Aretha Franklin.”

Neither Thorn nor Bennun knew that Reubens had cancer when they worked with him on the project, but in hindsight, Thorn believes Reubens’ desire to play the character on the radio — which exacted less of a physical toll — may have been a clue. “The only indications that I had were that I knew that he didn’t have it in him to do the character physically anymore,” he says.

While there were discussions to produce additional episodes, the Pee-wee Herman Radio Hour remained a one-off. Being the fastidious performer Reubens was, it simply couldn’t be done to his standards on a regular basis with the kind of budget the station had to work with. “[KCRW had] this idea, like, ‘Oh, we could just make a bunch more of these,’” says Thorn. “And I was like, ‘I would love to, but Paul does not want to do the cheap version of this.’”

“There was a lot of goodwill and we really wanted to find out a way of extending the life of that project,” says Bennun. “But sadly, we weren’t in a position to make any very firm commitments at the time.”

Thorn and Bennun both have fond memories of collaborating with Reubens.

“He was the sweetest, most humble person to work with…He really cared about how the character was portrayed,” says Bennun. “It really mattered to him that the finest detail was going to be done in the way that Pee-wee would do it.”

For Thorn, who had watched Pee-wee on screen while growing up, working with Reubens was the realization of a childhood dream.

“My job is to meet people I admire,” says Thorn, who also hosts the Maximum Fun/NPR interview podcast Bullseye. “It’s a big deal to sit in a room with Pedro Almodovar or talk to David Letterman. But I was sitting in that studio in KCRW and I [thought]…the rest of my life I can say, ‘I made something with Pee-wee Herman.’”

You can listen to the full Pee-wee Herman Radio Hour broadcast here.

The entertainment world mourned the loss of an irreplaceable talent on Sunday (July 30), when it was announced that Paul Reubens, the comic actor behind the beloved Pee-wee Herman character, died at age 70.
The sad news was posted to the star’s Facebook and Instagram pages, revealing that Reubens was battling cancer for years. “Last night we said farewell to Paul Reubens, an iconic American actor, comedian, writer and producer whose beloved character Pee-wee Herman delighted generations of children and adults with his positivity, whimsy and belief in the importance of kindness,” read the message. “Paul bravely and privately fought cancer for years with his trademark tenacity and wit. A gifted and prolific talent, he will forever live in the comedy pantheon and in our hearts as a treasured friend and man of remarkable character and generosity of spirit.”

The announcement asked that fans who wish to honor his memory donate to Stand Up to Cancer and organizations that are involved in dementia and Alzheimer’s care, research and support.

Reuben’s Pee-wee appeared throughout the 1980s in his Saturday morning children’s show Pee-wee’s Playhouse, and later made waves in feature films like Pee-wee’s Big Adventure (1985) and Big Top Pee-wee (1988).

Since the news of his death broke, celebrities and peers have been posting tributes in celebration of the legendary comedic actor. Read on for heartfelt tributes from Lance Bass, Tegan & Sara and more.

“The great Paul Reubens has moved on to a better place. Creator of the genius character Pee Wee Herman, and an actor and comedian of incredible talent, Paul was a good friend to me and reached out any time he felt I was in need. A generous soul who never forgot a birthday or christmas card for those he loved. He had incredible taste in music and was very funny in everyday life. I first got to witness his gift while filming a video for the Raconteurs together, and we became friends instantly. I was just thinking about you last night Paul, peace be with you.” – Jack White on Instagram.

“I got a Pee Wee Herman doll for Christmas when I was seven. My mom let me open it on Christmas Eve. I worked myself into a frenzy over the doll and later threw up in bed (on the doll). My personality between 7-9 was all Pee Wee. RIP Paul. Thanks for the laughs and inspiration. – Tegan & Sara on Twitter.

“’Au revoir Pee Wee! OVWA’! 1952-2023,” – Lance Bass on Instagram.

“Man. Of my 80s teen years, I’ve prolly seen maybe 2 other films slightly more than I seen #PeeWeesBigAdventure ——I mean on #ThatSite I’ve used ‘…& knitting & knitting….’ umpteenth times to emphasize a never ending story. I mean man. This dude was one of the most beautiful coolest dudes EVER man. There is a certain amount of us that thought we were in an exclusive club because this mofo would never let Christmas or a birthday go by without acknowledging it. And his music tales and concerts he went to all those stories. Even our (@qls) friendship with #AleeWillis got sparked off with him when it was Paul who told me who authored the lyrics to Earth Wind & Fire’s ‘September’——-he told me how influential her personal design taste helped inform the house design of Pee Wee’s Playhouse (we visited before she passed and it’s pop culture heaven). Paul was one in a million. Always made you feel like no matter what you did it was important (he gave NOTES on the Elvis Costello lp lol!!!)——this dude was one of the kindest amazing humans ever. I’m really sad about this. I’m also expecting to hear kind blowing stories of his generosity & his humor from all of his friends. Thank you Paul (@PeeWeeHerman) some of my best jokes were authored by you when I was a kid. Rest In Power Paul!” – Questlove on Instagram.

“No tweet can capture the magic, generosity, artistry, and devout silliness of Paul Reubens. Everyone I know received countless nonsensical memes from Paul on their birthday, and I mean EVERYONE. His surreal comedy and unrelenting kindness were a gift to us all. Damn, this hurts.” – Conan O’Brien on Twitter.

“Pee Wee got his wish to fly. Thanks Paul Reubens for the brilliant off the wall comedy. Our boy Pee Wee…” – Steven Martin on Twitter.