Stand-up Comedy Greats: Emo Phillips 1988

Reaganite Republican ^ | February 23, 2011 | Reaganite Republican

[Reaganite Republican]

"Most states don't end in the letter 'A'..."

Surrealist comedian Emo Phillips (dob 2.08.56) is an entertainer and comedian originating from the Chicago suburb of Downers Grove, Illinois.

The highly unique brand of self-deprecating stand up comedy that made him famous is often built upon the paraprosdokians and garden path sentences spoken in a wandering falsetto tone. It's been said that the wide-eyed, confused, and childlike delivery is employed to invoke the 'wisdom of children' or the idiot savant...


Philips has recorded three comedy albums, including E=mo², which won the 1985 New Music Award for best comedy album. It was later re-released along with his Live at the Hasty Pudding Theatre (1988) album on a single CD. 

Aside from his long career as a standup comic, Emo has been featured in acting roles on television series such as Miami Vice and The Weird Al Show. He was recently a guest star on British television and has numerous voiceover credits.

Emo Phillips  has appeared in feature films as well, including 1989's UHF (as a rather clumsy school shop teacher that accidentally saws his thumb off), the original 1992 version of Meet the Parents (also executive producer), and Desperation Boulevard in 1998.

I sure remember him hitting the stand up scene on the Letterman show in the mid 80s- I thought he was nuts, but a talented act of the sort that tends to stick in your mind.

This clip comes from Emo's exceptional comedy video made at Harvard University's historical Hasty Pudding Theatre in 1988...

OK, OK- I know he's weird, but... I always found Emo to be very, very funny- this schtick's great:

[brief 1:12 video]
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Wikipedia   YouTube   EmoPhillips.com

Previous RR Comedy Greats features -here-


More at Reaganite Republican

[misterrob]

He had a great line....

I asked a woman for her phone number and she told me she wouldn’t date me if I was the only guy left in the world. I told her, lady, if I was the last guy left in the world, I wouldn’t even let you in line.

[cripplecreek]

I don’t know about great. Emo is more along the lines of bizarre and mildly fascinating while high.

[Reaganite Republican]

I like when Emo said-

“People come up to me... concerned... that I’ll reproduce” lol

And “I’m a great lover... I’ll bet”

[Reaganite Republican]

I still take that as a thumbs-up lol

[cripplecreek]

There’s definitely something to be said for originality and Emo definitely has it.

He came along at the perfect time.

[BikerJoe]

He had a great line.... I asked a woman for her phone number and she told me she wouldn’t date me if I was the only guy left in the world. I told her, lady, if I was the last guy left in the world, I wouldn’t even let you in line.

I liked the one where he asks a girl in a bar if she wants to come back to his place. She says, "Oooh, do you have cable?". He says, "No, I think the ropes will be strong enough."

[netmilsmom]

“I was walking down the street, something caught my eye, and dragged it 15 feet.”

From the song, Downer’s Grove.

(I saw Emo in person!)

[ZGuy]

If I had to choose one comedian who actually made me laugh, he would be at the top of my list.

[Tijeras_Slim]

On a radio interview a while back....

“I weight 165 pounds stark naked.”

“At least that’s what the scale at the bus station says.”

[null and void]

Don’t go near the basement door, Emo...

[Tanniker Smith]

Never particularly cared for him. Maybe it’s guilt by association. I new a guy in college who looked like that, on purpose, a whack-job Psych major and a manipulative SOB, according to his friends, which surprisingly he had. (The guy at school, not Emo, although some people called him “Emo”.)

[Frantzie]

Anyone who can be funny without going “blue” (very vulgar) derserves credit. Must of them cannot be funny unless it gets really disgusting.

Emo could be funny without going “blue.”

[dblshot]

But sometimes his logic was impeccable:
When I was a kid I used to pray every night for a new bicycle. Then I realised that the Lord doesn’t work that way so I stole one and asked Him to forgive me.

[Deb]

“Great”? Hmmm, his material was funny, but he’s just toooo weird. Sometimes gimmicks work against ya.

[GSWarrior]

I have a sudden urge to eat some cole slaw.

[Niteranger68]

My cousin just died. He was only 19. He got stung by a bee-
the natural enemy of the tightrope walker. - Emo Phillips

[kidd]

Once I saw this guy on a bridge about to jump. I said, “Don’t do it!”
He said, “Nobody loves me.”
I said, “God loves you. Do you believe in God?”
He said, “Yes.”
I said, “Are you a Christian or a Jew?”
He said, “A Christian.”
I said, “Me, too! Protestant or Catholic?”
He said, “Protestant.”
I said, “Me, too! What franchise?”
He said, “Baptist.”
I said, “Me, too! Northern Baptist or Southern Baptist?”
He said, “Northern Baptist.”
I said, “Me, too! Northern Conservative Baptist or Northern Liberal Baptist?”
He said, “Northern Conservative Baptist.”

I said, “Me, too! Northern Conservative Baptist Great Lakes Region, or Northern Conservative Baptist Eastern Region?”
He said, “Northern Conservative Baptist Great Lakes Region.”

I said, “Me, too! Northern Conservative Baptist Great Lakes Region Council of 1879, or Northern Conservative Baptist Great Lakes Region Council of 1912?”

He said, “Northern Conservative Baptist Great Lakes Region Council of 1912.”

I said, “Die, heretic!” And I pushed him over.

[BikerJoe]

(I saw Emo in person!)

Cool! I did too.

Have some more cole slaw.

(I can't believe I remember all this stuff!)

[Reaganite Republican]

Not that many can do that- agreed, he’s got it