 I still remember the first time I saw Emo Philips on TV, doing stand up on one of the late night talk shows, and his incredibly unique style of humor, and uber-dead-pan delivery style, endeared him to me and absolutely shaped my (wacky) sense of humor. I was happy as a pig in you-know-what to pick up a copy of his performance at the Hasty Pudding Theater on VHS, and his performance as the hapless shop teacher in Weird Al's "UHF" cemented him as a comedy god in my eyes.Thanks to the magic of the interweb, I was able to make contact with my comedy hero and he was gracious enough to answer a few questions for you Schlockites: Where are you answering these questions from? Well, the funny answer would be, "From California." That should tell you just how unfunny all the other answers I thought of were. How is the tour going thus far? I love being on the road! Of course, I don't have a wife or kids at home... so I'm not getting the full pleasure out of it. Describe the typical Emophiliac... Think super-model, secret agent....  I can't remember whether it was "UHF" or your "Hasty Pudding Theater" VHS that introduced me to all that is beautiful in this world (re: Emo), but which would you say had a bigger impact on your popularity? Equal?At the time, both projects turbo-charged my popularity with equal vigor... but since it is now hard to find my Hasty Pudding Theater special (although there is a Chinese DVD of it floating around on eBay), in the past few years far more of my younger fans have been introduced to me through my cameo as the shop-teacher in UHF. (And I am especially grateful that UHF is now out on DVD, as the DVD features me in footage far too graphic and disturbing -- as don't forget, the film was pre-Tarantino -- for the original release.) I've been very impressed with how friendly and responsive you are to emails over the years (having written you many times and always received nothing but enthusiastic responses) - do you enjoy how technology lets you connect with your fans? A plus and a minus, perhaps? In the old days, fan mail involved stamps and envelopes. E-mail has made it quicker and easier... but something is missing. I think it's the saliva. Somehow, in a very subtle but very real way, the exchanging of dried saliva bonded us with each other. Let's hope, for the good of humanity, that some bright scientist and/ or engineer invents a way to bring it back into the communication process. What would it take to get you to come to northern California and film a role (as big of one as you want) in a no-budget, indie z-movie possibly involving kung-fu zombies and/or sasquatch ninjas? Thanks very much for the offer... but I try to steer clear of documentaries. Thank you so much for agreeing to do this, and for being a consistently funny entertainer for many, many years! You are a treasure, sir... Thank YOU! There's no doubt about it: Emo is a one-of-a-kind, true comedic genius, and the fact that he is so approachable and open to his fans speaks volumes about the man. It's exciting that he's still out there, spreading the love Emo-style, and in fact he has a new role to play: the voice of Dooper, the homeless cat (it is my way of "putting something back") on Slacker Cats, an animated TV show which airs every Monday night at 10/9c on ABC Family. Emo made a point of mentioning that, "In these trying and perilous times, I am especially proud of an important feature on the site called Dooper's Conspiracy Corner." - so be sure to check it out! For even more Emo, be sure to check out his official web site @ www.EmoPhilips.com!  Labels: fun stuff |
