If you or someone you love grew up watching "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood," you may remember Joe Negri as Handyman Negri, the affable guy who solved problems in the Land of Make Believe. But jazz fans know him as a guitar virtuoso. At the age of 84, Joe Negri has just released a new CD, his first in the stripped-down setting that showcases his finger-work. Reporter Joel Rose paid a visit to Mister Negri's neighborhood.
Joe Negri may be famous to generations of Mister Rogers fans as a handyman. But Negri says his character on the show is pure make-believe. In real life, he in not handy. Not in the least bit. My wife is actually handier than I am! She can fix things, she's really good at it.
Negri says he warned Fred Rogers about that early on. I'll never forget, we had a big joke about that. Cause I said to him, handyman? You've gotta be kidding. He said don't worry about it, it's pretend. So I pretended my way to being a handyman. For more than 300 episodes over 35 years.
But you don't have to pay them until the work is finished, sire.
King Friday: I know but I wanted to have the check, ready. They've been working very hard, Handy.
Negri: Very well, sire.
But since the show went off the air in 2001, Negri has had more time to focus on his first love: the guitar. Joe Negri was born in Pittsburgh. And he still lives nearby, on a quiet side street in the South Hills. You're good! Everybody has trouble finding this place!
Complete on >> http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=128821517&ft=1&f=10002
Joe does a medley of Gershwin tunes performed in Morgantown, WV on Labor Day 2009.
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