Barney & Friends Music Director Shares Experience of Threats Due to Beloved Songs; Recalls ‘Terrible Things’
Barney & Friends was a cult classic amongst the kids because of its bright and colorful characters and the catchy tunes that the purple dinosaur and his friends would sing. Surprisingly, the songs about friendship, community, and love received backlash. Musical director Bob Singleton recalled the experience on the new podcast Generation Barney, revealing the flack he received when people learned about his profession.
“When I was nominated for a Grammy, a local talk radio station said, ‘Hey, this is great,’ ” he said. “Then someone called in and said, ‘I wish I could get my hands around the neck of that guy. I would just, I would really like to take him out,'” Singleton recalled.
Somehow, his email ID made its way into the public forum, which invited consecutive death threats and demeaning messages. The music director recalled that in the emails, people were threatening him and his family “with horrible, horrible death and dismemberment and terrible things.”
Recalling another “frightening” experience, Singleton spoke about the time he went to a luncheon and revealed to the staff that he was the music director of the beloved cartoon. At the revelation, one guy said, “Wow, my kids loved you, but I just wanted to kill you. ” Although the former didn’t know the intention behind the “joke,” it triggered him to a certain extent.
“In that moment, I have to think, ‘Okay, is this somebody that I need to watch for in the parking lot, you know?’ Or is he just, is that just his way of going, ‘My kids liked it, I didn’t’. So it was awkward,” Singleton added.
The beloved 1992 cartoon followed a lovable purple Tyrannosaurus Rex and his friends on their silly adventures. The show is still reminisced by millennials. It famously featured pop star and Hollywood A-lister Selena Gomez when she was 10 years old.
The Only Murders In The Building actress executive produced the spin-off of her other hit Disney show, Wizards of Waverly Place. Could Barney and Friends also get a remake or spin-off in the future? We never know!