An awkward moment sprang up toward the end of my conversation with kid sensation Jeff Fatt of The Wiggles last week.
"Are you coming to see the show?" Fatt, known to children around the world as the purple Wiggle, asked with enthusiasm in his thick Sydney accent.
"No," I replied, unapologetic and without hesitation.
The popular kids group comes through the Tucson Arena April 2, and normally, when asked such a question by a performer, I would at least pretend that I might make it.
But my wife and I don't have kids yet and my nieces and nephews are all grown. A 20-something with no children at a Wiggles concert would be, let's face it, kind of creepy.
That doesn't mean they wouldn't provide the perfect evening out for families with small kids. The Wiggles have sold millions of DVDs and CDs since releasing their first recording in 1991 with appearances on television sets around the globe.
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Fatt chatted with the Star about the group's success and the "Pop Go the Wiggles Live" show they are bringing to Tucson.
The performance begins at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $18-$35 through Ticketmaster, 321-1000.
The Wiggles have been a touring force to be reckoned with over the last six years. Do you still enjoy it all?
"Yeah. I mean, you get to see some places and meet interesting people. It does seem like a heavy grind from the outside, I guess, but we have a camaraderie amongst the cast and the crew. It can be enjoyable when we're away, but there is really no place like home."
What do you like doing when you are home?
"I like to do a little bit of surfing. I live in a beach area so I'll surf or take a casual bike ride. Simple stuff. On occasion, I will go out on the harbor with Anthony (Field, the blue Wiggle), but we already see so much of each other on the road.
"We are able to do that sort of stuff without being recognized because we are only known amongst people with children. That excludes a fair bit of the population. We can go to the supermarket and not get recognized. The local people recognize us, but they have gotten used to us."
You were in a pub rock band called The Cockroaches with Anthony before creating The Wiggles. Do you miss the rocker lifestyle?
"Not at all. As you get older, you miss it even less. The late nights catch up with you. It is nice to lead a healthy lifestyle performing for children."
What can families expect from your visit to Tucson?
"We've got a new set of props, huge blow-up castles. We've got songs from 'Pop Go the Wiggles.' Plus, we will have the usual songs, the ones that people will demand we do or they'll run us out of town. We have new numbers to introduce to the show, wiggly dances, Dorothy the Dinosaur, Henry, Wags and the Captain will be there too, of course."
National Geographic explores border
The National Geographic Channel will air a documentary examining illegal immigration in the Tucson Sector Wednesday night.
Camera crews accompanied Border Patrol agents along the Arizona border for the show. They filmed in and around Nogales and in Altar, a rallying point in Mexico for crossers.
The program, "Explorer: Border Wars," gives insight on the technological advances made in how illegal immigrants are caught and processed.
"Border Wars" starts at 8 p.m.
