SNL's GE Smith and Taylor Barton Create New Children's Book

Steve Adubato goes one-on-one with Taylor Barton and GE Smith, creators of the children's book "Pedro N' Pip." Barton and Smith discuss how they met on Saturday Night Live when GE was the band leader and how their passion for music and education has transformed into this innovative picture book.

1/26/17 #2010

Excerpt:

"Welcome to the Tisch WNET Studio here in the heart of New York City. It's our honor to welcome two very special guests. Taylor Barton who is the singer, songwriter, producer and author of Pedro and Pip, and also GE Smith who is Emmy Award Winning and Grammy nominated musician. Former SNL band leader and co-producer of Pedro and Pip. Good to have you both with us. Thank You. Thank You. It's an honor and a pleasure. Now, two of you met back in 88? That's right. We were on the set of SNL and I was hired to dance for a Valentines Day cameo and GE was playing "Stormy Weather" and we were on two different stages and caught a glimpse. That's it. Who approached whom? Me, I went after her. I just need to know these things. [laughter] For folks who may not know about Pedro and Pip, tell folks not only what this is, but why it's so innovative. Well, Pedro and Pip is a story about a Rock and Roll Octopus and a little girl scuba diver who meet underwater after an oil spill and the Rock and Roll Octopus has lost all his fans because the oil wiped them out and he's found and hiding behind a coral reef and she falls in love with him and promises him that she can clean up the ocean because her dad happens to work for the oil company that caused the spill. So, that is the beginning of it and it is for kids who are interested in any kind of aquatic life or saving the ocean and for everybody who's interested in fun music. We fashioned the octopus off of Dylan, who GE actually toured with for four years. You told me before we got on the air that this has been in the making for a few years? Oh yeah.. Yeah. We worked on this a long time. 25 years to where it evolved to today. So when Taylor brought it to you, your reaction? She's always been very creative but this project, I could see that it was beyond just one song or two songs, or one piece of writing. She really had a theme and something big that she wanted to develop. So, I was impressed. The musical score. Who did you bring in to work with you on this? We have a guy named Robbie Wyckoff who is the lead singer for Roger Waters' Wall, Live. I worked with Robbie on The Wall with Roger Us and them. And he is the voice of Phineas and Ferb as well, so he works for Disney..."