BRUSH WITH A WIGGLE A 5-YEAR-OLD FAN GETS THE SCOOP OF THE CENTURY WHEN MURRAY COOK STOPS BY.Byline: Evan Henerson Staff Writer They sing, dance and play instruments - and the 6-and-under set positively adores them. Anyone out there with a child and a TV set probably knows something about the Wiggles wiggles - [scientific computation] In solving partial differential equations by finite difference and similar methods, wiggles are sawtooth (up-down-up-down) oscillations at the shortest wavelength representable on the grid. If an algorithm is unstable, this is often the most unstable waveform, so it grows to dominate the solution. Alternatively, stable (though inaccurate) wiggles can be generated near a discontinuity by a Gibbs phenomenon., the colorful-shirted children's musical group from Australia whose TV programs and concerts have taken America by storm. Anthony Field (blue shirt), Greg Page (yellow) and Murray Cook (red) met while studying early childhood education at Macquarie University in Sydney. Joining up with musician Jeff Fatt (purple), they began writing children's songs, took a tape to ABC Music and released their first album in 1991. Wigglemania had begun. The foursome, along with Captain Feathersword, Dorothy the Dinosaur, Henry the Octopus and Wags the Dog, will play the Gibson Amphitheatre at Universal CityWalk Saturday and Sunday. I could tell you more, but I needed some help from a Wiggles aficionado. That would be my 5-year-old niece, Miri Henerson of Van Nuys, a veteran Wiggles watcher and concert-goer who, on a recent Tuesday afternoon, agreed to interview Murray Cook on my behalf, with an occasional assist from her father, Matthew Henerson. MIRI HENERSON: How long have you known each other? A: Jeff and Anthony have known each other the longest, about 25 years, I think, and the rest of us for probably about 15 years. Q: How long have you been playing the guitar? A: I started playing the guitar when I was about 11. I got my first electric guitar when I was about 16, so almost 30 years. Q: Do you like the electric guitar more than the acoustic? A: That's a good question. They're good for different things. I suppose the acoustic is nicer for quieter things. I like the electric guitar if I want to really rock out. Q: Who are the oldest and youngest Wiggles? A: Ah, right. Well, Jeff's the oldest. Then me, then Anthony, and Greg's the youngest. Jeff's 51 and Greg's 32. A fairly wide range of age in the Wiggles. Q: How old are you and Anthony? A: Well, I'm 44 and Anthony is 41. Miri, are these your questions? Q: Yes. A: They're really very good. Q: Have you ever been in the Australian bush? A: Oh yes. I was born in a town of about 9,000 people, and there was bush all around the town I grew up in. We've also been way out in what we call the Outback, which is right in the middle. It's sort of like desert. I don't know if you've seen it. The white people call it Ayres Rock, but the Aborigines call it Uluru. It's right out in the middle of the country, and there are hardly any trees or anything. It's pretty amazing. It's quite beautiful, really. Q: What's your favorite food? A: I think I like spaghetti best. I usually like it hot, though, not cold. Q: I like all kinds of pasta. A: Yeah, I do too. It's great, isn't it? You can put all sorts of different sauces. Beautiful. MATTHEW HENERSON: This is one I made her write down, so I hope you don't mind my asking. Have you ever seen a great white shark white shark, large, ferocious shark, Carcharodon carcharias. Also known as the maneater, this aggressive shark can attack swimmers and boats without provocation. Although not abundant anywhere, it is widely distributed in tropical and temperate oceans and is found in both inshore and deep waters; it is most common on the Atlantic coast of the United States.? A: Not when I've actually been swimming. But I've seen plenty of them in aquariums here in Australia. I've been in the surf when the shark alarm has gone off. At the beaches here, if a shark is spotted, they set off an alarm. And when I was a kid, I remember being in the surf when the alarm went off. Everyone rushes for the shore, as you can imagine. MIRI HENERSON: Do you wear Wiggles shirts every day? A: No, not every day; when we're doing shows. If I have a day off, I wear different colors. I used to wear red a lot before I was in the Wiggles. But when I have days off, I like to wear different colors now. Q: Do you really have the big red car? A: Yes, we do have the big red car, and it doesn't drive very well on the road. We use it in the show. Q: Are you going to play ``Where's Jeff?'' in the concert like you did last year? A: I think we are, yes. We like that one, and Jeff keeps getting lost. He wanders off and falls asleep somewhere, so I think we will play ``Where's Jeff?'' Q: Is he getting lost in Australia? A: He gets lost everywhere, Miri. Yeah. So we have to sing that song a lot. EVAN HENERSON: Murray, are there any questions you'd like to ask Miri? Q: Miri, how old are you? A: 5. Q: Do you go to a big school? A: I go to Montessori and I'm in kindergarten. Q: Fantastic! And do you have a favorite Wiggles song? A: I just told you my favorite. Q: Ah, ``Where's Jeff?'' Is that it? A: Yeah. Q: Ah, OK, that's great. That's a good one. Nice to talk to you. Evan Henerson, (818) 713-3651 evan.henerson(at)dailynews.com THE WIGGLES Where: Gibson Amphitheatre at Universal CityWalk, 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City. When: 1:30 and 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Tickets: $20.50 to $35.50. Call (213) 480-3232 or visit www.ticketmaster.com. CAPTION(S): 2 photos Photo: (1 -- 2) Wiggles expert Miri Henerson, 5, asks the tough questions of the red-shirted Murray Cook, third from left, pictured with fellow Wiggles Jeff Fatt (left, purple shirt), Greg Page (yellow) and Anthony Field (blue). John McCoy/Staff Photographer |
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