Emo Philips (born Philip Soltanec February 7, 1956) is an American actor, stand-up comedian, writer and producer. His stand-up comedy persona makes use of
paraprosdokian
A paraprosdokian () is a figure of speech in which the latter part of a sentence, phrase, or larger discourse is surprising or unexpected in a way that causes the reader or listener to reframe or reinterpret the first part. It is frequently used f ...
s spoken in a wandering
falsetto
''Falsetto'' (, ; Italian diminutive of , "false") is the vocal register occupying the frequency range just above the modal voice register and overlapping with it by approximately one octave.
It is produced by the vibration of the ligamentous ed ...
tone of voice. The confused, childlike delivery of his material produces the intended
comic timing
Comic timing emerges from a performer's joke delivery: they interact with an audience— intonation, rhythm, cadence, tempo, and pausing—to guide the audience's laughter, which then guides the comedic narrative. The pacing of the delivery of ...
in a manner invoking the "wisdom of children" or the
idiot savant
Savant syndrome () is a rare condition in which someone with significant mental disabilities demonstrates certain abilities far in excess of average. The skills that savants excel at are generally related to memory. This may include rapid calcu ...
.
Career
The character of Emo Philips is widely known for his unique look and on-stage antics, appearing as a fidgety, possibly mentally disturbed, nervous but highly intelligent individual with an obsession for
coleslaw
Coleslaw (from the Dutch term ''koolsla'' meaning 'cabbage salad'), also known as cole slaw, or simply as slaw, is a side dish consisting primarily of finely shredded raw cabbage with a salad dressing or condiment, commonly either vinaigrette ...
.
Philips constantly moves throughout the routine, often shifting from sitting to standing positions, wandering from end to end on stage, playing with his hair or clothing, or going as far as to partially undress as he delivers punchlines. His comedy, which is largely self-deprecating and ironic, is often delivered in a modulated falsetto. His look (occasionally described as geeky, disco and vaudeville-inspired), particularly his hair—a 1970s-style bob with straight-lined front fringe—has been a signature part of his appearance and act for most of his career.
Philips has recorded three comedy albums. His album ''E=mo²'', recorded live at
Caroline's
Carolines on Broadway is a venue for stand-up comedy situated at 750 Seventh Avenue, on Broadway between 49th and 50th Streets, in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City.
History
Caroline Hirsch opened Carolines as a cabaret i ...
in
Manhattan, New York City
Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the List of co ...
, won the 1985
New Music Award for best comedy album. It was later re-released along with his ''Live at the
Hasty Pudding
Hasty pudding is a pudding or porridge of grains cooked in milk or water. In the United States, it often refers specifically to a version made primarily with ground ("Indian") corn, and it is mentioned in the lyrics of "Yankee Doodle", a tradit ...
Theatre'' album on a single
CD. He also released an album called ''Emo'' in 2001. A joke of his was voted funniest religious joke ever in a 2005 online poll. In 2006, he appeared at the
Newbury Comedy Festival
The Newbury Comedy Festival was a festival of comedy which took place every July in the West Berkshire town of Newbury, in England. The last festival took place in 2012 although the ''You Must Be Joking'' new act competition continues on its own s ...
. He was included in the top 50 of ''E4''s 100 Greatest Comedians, and also appeared number 54 on Channel 4's top 100 greatest standups.
Aside from Philips's long career as a standup comic, he has been featured in
acting
Acting is an activity in which a story is told by means of its enactment by an actor or actress who adopts a character—in theatre, television, film, radio, or any other medium that makes use of the mimetic mode.
Acting involves a broad r ...
roles on
television series
A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite television, satellite, or cable television, cable, excluding breaking news, television adverti ...
such as ''
Miami Vice
''Miami Vice'' is an American crime drama television series created by Anthony Yerkovich and produced by Michael Mann (director), Michael Mann for NBC. The series stars Don Johnson as James "Sonny" Crockett and Philip Michael Thomas as Ricardo ...
'' and ''
The Weird Al Show
''The Weird Al Show'' is an American television show hosted by "Weird Al" Yankovic. Produced in association with Dick Clark Productions and taped at NBC Studios, it aired on Saturday mornings on the CBS TV network. The show ran for one season, fr ...
''. In 2006, he appeared on
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English, ...
television, as a guest on the
panel game
A panel show or panel game is a radio broadcasting, radio or television game show in which a panel of celebrities participates. Celebrity panelists may compete with each other, such as on ''The News Quiz''; facilitate play by non-celebrity conte ...
''
8 Out of 10 Cats
''8 Out of 10 Cats'' is a British comedy panel show broadcast on Channel 4 and its sister networks, airing since 3 June 2005. The show is hosted by Jimmy Carr; the current team captains are Rob Beckett and Katherine Ryan.
The show is based on ...
''. Philips has several voiceover credits, including work on the animated series ''
Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist
''Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist'' is an American adult animated sitcom that ran on Comedy Central from May 28, 1995 to February 13, 2002. The series starred the voice talents of Jonathan Katz, H. Jon Benjamin, and Laura Silverman. The show w ...
''; ''
Home Movies
A home movie is a short amateur film or video typically made just to preserve a visual record of family activities, a vacation, or a special event, and intended for viewing at home by family and friends. Originally, home movies were made on ph ...
''; ''
Space Ghost Coast to Coast
''Space Ghost Coast to Coast'' is an American adult animation, adult animated comedy talk show created by Mike Lazzo for Cartoon Network and hosted by a re-imagined version of the 1960s Hanna-Barbera cartoon character Space Ghost. In contrast t ...
''; ''
Adventure Time
''Adventure Time'' is an American fantasy animated television series created by Pendleton Ward for Cartoon Network and distributed by Warner Bros. Domestic Television. The series follows the adventures of a boy named Finn (Jeremy Shada) and ...
'' as Cuber the mysterious storyteller; and the voice of Dooper in the animated series ''
Slacker Cats
''Slacker Cats'' is an American adult animated sitcom that aired on ABC Family on August 13, 2007. It was created using Adobe Flash.
When the show was first announced, due to an initial lack of information, and its presence on ABC Family, many ...
''. Philips has also appeared on 4 episodes of ''
@midnight
''@midnight with Chris Hardwick'' (shortened to and formerly exclusively titled ''@midnight'') was an American late night Internet-themed panel game show, hosted by Chris Hardwick, that aired Monday through Thursday nights between October 21, ...
'', in February 2015, April 8, 2016, a 1990s themed episode on September 26, 2016, and the finale episode on August 4, 2017.
He has appeared in
feature film
A feature film or feature-length film is a narrative film (motion picture or "movie") with a running time long enough to be considered the principal or sole presentation in a commercial entertainment program. The term ''feature film'' originall ...
s including 1989's ''
UHF'' (as Joe Earley, a rather clumsy school shop teacher who accidentally saws his thumb off) and ''
Desperation Boulevard'' in 1998. Additionally, he appeared in the original 1992 version of ''
Meet the Parents'' (also
executive producer
Executive producer (EP) is one of the top positions in the making of a commercial entertainment product. Depending on the medium, the executive producer may be concerned with management accounting or associated with legal issues (like copyrights o ...
) and was an associate producer of the
2000 remake.
Around 2001, Philips began to appear more often after a hiatus in the 1990s. His look was drastically altered, appearing more "new millennium" rather than his signature bob and 1970s casual disco look. Now embracing salt & pepper spiked up grey hair and dressed in black active sportswear, Philips delivered the same comedy routine but with a much more subdued persona. Though still fidgety, Philips no longer carried random props or undressed himself as he used to. Like most of the
Reagan era comedians, Philips felt the need to adapt to changing times and styles of the flourishing
digital age
The Information Age (also known as the Computer Age, Digital Age, Silicon Age, or New Media Age) is a historical period that began in the mid-20th century. It is characterized by a rapid shift from traditional industries, as established during t ...
in an effort to stay relevant to younger audiences, particularly later year
Generation X
Generation X (or Gen X for short) is the Western world, Western demographic Cohort (statistics), cohort following the baby boomers and preceding the millennials. Researchers and popular media use the mid-to-late 1960s as starting birth years a ...
and
millennials
Millennials, also known as Generation Y or Gen Y, are the Western demographic cohort following Generation X and preceding Generation Z. Researchers and popular media use the early 1980s as starting birth years and the mid-1990s to early 2000 ...
who comprised the majority of college populations during the early part of the 2000s.
Philips only carried this appearance for a few years, retiring it in 2005 and emerging back on the comedy circuit around 2010 with his classic look and persona. He has experienced a considerable resurgence in popularity since then and has been a featured performer at many national comedy tours over the last several years, appearing at the ''Moontower Comedy Festival'' in
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the county seat, seat and largest city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and Williamson County, Texas, Williamson co ...
, and appearing frequently on
24/7 Comedy.
"Weird Al" Yankovic
Alfred Matthew "Weird Al" Yankovic ( ; born October 23, 1959) is an American singer, musician, songwriter, record producer, actor and author. He is best known for creating comedy songs that make light of pop culture and often parody specifi ...
and Philips toured together throughout the US in 2018, in Yankovic's ''
Ridiculously Self-Indulgent, Ill-Advised Vanity Tour'',
and again in
the 2022 iteration.
In 2011, Emo married actress and screenwriter
Kipleigh Brown
Kipleigh Brown is an American actress and photographic artist.
In addition to her film credits, which include the lead role in James Kerwin's sci-fi noir film '' Yesterday Was a Lie'', she is also known for playing Jane Taylor on the televisi ...
.
Discography
* 1985: ''E=mo²''
* 1987: ''Live at the Hasty Pudding Theatre''
* 2001: ''Emo''
* 2003: ''E=mo² plus the Entire Live at the Hasty Pudding Theatre''
Filmography
Films
Television
Video games
References
External links
*
1988 KCRW radio interview "Bob Claster's Funny Stuff" with performance excerpts
{{DEFAULTSORT:Philips, Emo
1956 births
20th-century American male actors
American male comedians
Living people
People from Downers Grove, Illinois
American male film actors
Male actors from Illinois
21st-century American male actors
American stand-up comedians
Comedians from Illinois
20th-century American comedians
21st-century American comedians