08-06-24 Interview - Comedian Emo Phillips

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
I am thrilled to have a guy who first made
me laugh a long long time ago.

Speaker 2 (00:04):
I don't even want to say how long ago.

Speaker 1 (00:06):
Emo Phillips is going to be in the comedy works
this weekend here in Denver, and he joins me, now,
may I call you Emo?

Speaker 3 (00:16):
Oh? Yeah, yes, and thank you for saying that. When
did you see me when you were a girl? Well?

Speaker 1 (00:21):
I it was nineteen eighty seven, so it was my
senior year in high school.

Speaker 2 (00:27):
And you were part of.

Speaker 1 (00:29):
This incredible wave of comedians that came out in the
eighties that were all so different and unique from what
had come before, and you were part of that.

Speaker 3 (00:40):
Me and Bob Kake, Goldfleet, yep, Oliver North, I think.

Speaker 2 (00:50):
Yeah, his work is very funny, very very funny.

Speaker 3 (00:53):
Steve Right, Yes we were, Yes, Yes, it was an
amazing silk.

Speaker 1 (01:00):
So, Emo, what do you what do you attribute your
longevity to the in the comedy world?

Speaker 3 (01:08):
What do I? Well, I just like to make people laugh.
It's it's the best job on earth, you know. And
I and I think I've always tried to have a
clean act as well. Yeah, just where and that I
think that that's good. I think a comedian that needs
the F word to get a laugh is like a
martial arts expert that needs a gun.

Speaker 1 (01:32):
And that makes me very happy to have you on
the show because I don't have to keep my my
finger lingering over the dump button as you speak.

Speaker 2 (01:39):
You are hailed by many as.

Speaker 3 (01:41):
One of its a lot about your that says a
lot about your diet.

Speaker 2 (01:44):
Yes, yes, yes it does.

Speaker 1 (01:47):
You've been ailed by many, including one of my listeners
who said, oh my gosh, can't believe you're having Emo
phillips On. He is the greatest joke writer in the
history of joke writers. And I think that's interesting because
the way you deliver a joke is unlike anyway I've
ever heard to as you're just evidenced by dropping Oliver
North into the list of Amazing comedians in the nineteen eighties.

(02:10):
How do you tell me about that process when you
see something that strikes you as funny and you decide
to make it a joke.

Speaker 3 (02:17):
Well, I've always thought you could you could get a
laugh by by simply turning turning something.

Speaker 4 (02:23):
Upside down, you know, right, like like.

Speaker 3 (02:27):
A small child. And when I was a kid, I
was always learning to because I was I was always
bullied at school, so I had to use my wits
tip tip to survive is once. You might appreciate this. Once,
when I was a kid, I beat I actually beat

(02:50):
up the school bully. Both his arms were completely broken,
which is what gave me the courage. Okay, you always
I used to play chess, Yeah, a lot. I was
a chess I still I like to play chess with

(03:12):
old men in the park. But you know, try finding
thirty two of them. And you know what else I
appreciate is my health. I've always taken care of my health.
And I have a diet that I've been on and
it's it's called the eight sixteen diet. Have you heard
of it?

Speaker 2 (03:31):
I have not. I've tried a lot of diets, so
I'm surprised.

Speaker 3 (03:34):
Well, this is this is this is simplicity in itself.
You you're fast for sixteen hours and you could sleep
during part of it, so it's not that hard. And
you don't even have milk in your coffee, no no protein,
no calories whatsoever. And that eight hours you you could
just eat reasonably and that the waste just comes off.

(03:55):
Apparently the science is that after after twelve hours you're boy,
they starts eating itself, so you can't do it if
you're a vegan. I knew that was going somewhere, which
is fine for me because I love I love animals.
Don't wear a fur. Did you know that a single
fur cult takes fourteen trees just where the protest signs emo.

Speaker 1 (04:22):
Well, I'm not nearly as clever as you are, but
this is what people.

Speaker 2 (04:25):
This is what people, This is.

Speaker 4 (04:28):
What people forced to hide it in our society.

Speaker 2 (04:31):
Well, you know, trust.

Speaker 1 (04:32):
Me, my audience probably finds me amusing. Sometimes I wanted
to ask I wanted to ask you this. You have
a distinctive look, you have distinctive sound. Your comedy has
been described as karaoke meets comedy just because of the
unique way you deliver your jokes.

Speaker 2 (04:48):
Have you always been like this.

Speaker 3 (04:51):
Karaoke meets comedy?

Speaker 1 (04:53):
Well, in the melodic way you speak.

Speaker 3 (04:58):
Okay, I didn't know the audience could see the monitor
from me anyway, what's your question?

Speaker 2 (05:08):
My question was, have you always been like this?

Speaker 1 (05:11):
Or is this a kind of characterized version of yourself
that you've developed over the years.

Speaker 3 (05:17):
Well, when I was a kid, I was I guess
I was like this, you know, I mean, I learned
how to how to. Yeah, I was always ahead of
the game. I think other people feared me because I
was the next stage of evolution. That's how people are,

(05:37):
you know. But then when I was a kid, I
just said I wanted to be in show business. And
now my nephew wants to You're not going to believe this.
My nephew wants to be in show business as a
rap star. Yeah, so maybe I could. After I get
off the air, I could send you his music. He says,

(05:58):
I have to call him by his rap name. You're
not going to believe this. Mcxxx, I said, I'm your uncle.
I am not calling you mcxxx. You will always be
eleven thirty to me.

Speaker 1 (06:15):
Now, my friends with a Roman numerals joke for you
slow people in the audience.

Speaker 2 (06:19):
That was very well done.

Speaker 3 (06:21):
You. I always one thing I like working at the
comedy works. And by the way, I'm going to be
at the Downtown branch.

Speaker 1 (06:29):
Yes, You're going to be at the Downtown Comedy Works Thursday,
Friday and Saturday night.

Speaker 2 (06:33):
And also, just so you know, I have a blog.
It's very clever.

Speaker 1 (06:37):
I do it every day and I put a link
so people could just go right to the blog. And
buy buy their tickets right from the blog to see
you this weekend.

Speaker 3 (06:44):
Can you get a percentage?

Speaker 2 (06:45):
No, I wish, I wish I did. I just out
of the kindness.

Speaker 3 (06:48):
Of my heart. You are so kind.

Speaker 2 (06:52):
Well, you do what you do.

Speaker 1 (06:53):
I do what I do to support you, and it's
just very simpatico.

Speaker 3 (06:57):
Thank you for spreading Emophelia.

Speaker 4 (07:01):
I have a very smart.

Speaker 3 (07:04):
Audience at the Comedy Works, and that's what I like
about working there. I like smart people because smart people
don't heckle. If a smart person doesn't like a show,
he just blames himself for not having more research just
entertainment options. Right, I mean, stupid people shout you suck.

(07:25):
Smart people think I suck for not googling you.

Speaker 2 (07:29):
Exactly right, exactly right.

Speaker 3 (07:31):
And this is a great interview to do because we're
scaring away a lot of the stupid people.

Speaker 1 (07:36):
You know what, I pride myself on scaring away the
stupid people on this program every day.

Speaker 3 (07:40):
Emo.

Speaker 1 (07:41):
It's really my goal. As a matter of fact, that's
the show motto. Scare away the stupid people. That's all
it is. You've just uncovered, You've seen the man behind
the curtain on this you have to.

Speaker 3 (07:51):
Find the Latin for that. Then it'll really be impression,
you know what.

Speaker 1 (07:56):
I'll get people on that right now. Where did you
grow up, Emo?

Speaker 3 (08:00):
I grew up in Illinois in a suburb called Downers Grove.

Speaker 4 (08:04):
It's New Chicago, Okay.

Speaker 3 (08:06):
And and one of the biggest thrills of my life.
When I was a kid, our church group went to California,
I mean, to Colorado, to the Rockies, and I've never
seen mountains before, and I thought, this is where I
want to wind up in the mountains of Colorado. Have

(08:27):
you been to Illinois?

Speaker 2 (08:28):
I have, I have.

Speaker 3 (08:30):
Our big hero is Abraham Lincoln. Yeah, you know Lincoln.
This is you want a little interesting tidbit, since.

Speaker 2 (08:37):
You like smart things, I love tidbits.

Speaker 3 (08:40):
Lincoln and Charles Darwin were born the exact same day.
Can you believe it? February twelfth, eighteen oh nine. Lincoln
and Darwin the two sworn enemies of the South.

Speaker 1 (08:55):
Yes, yes, indeed, yes, indeed, Emo, you are I.

Speaker 3 (09:01):
Like the South. Of course I'm prejudiced.

Speaker 2 (09:06):
See, I.

Speaker 3 (09:10):
Used to live in Atlanta. Have you ever been to Atlanta?

Speaker 2 (09:12):
Many many times.

Speaker 1 (09:13):
I used to be a flight attendant for Delta Airlines.

Speaker 2 (09:15):
So yes, well there you go.

Speaker 3 (09:17):
Who are those fellows? Oh gosh, oh with the uniforms.
They're trying to reenact the Civil Wars, don't Yes, stay trooper,
I picked up a hitchhiker. You gotta you know when
you hit them? Anyway? Are you going to come to
the show at the comedy work?

Speaker 2 (09:36):
You know what? I just might do that. I just
might do that. I gotta check with my.

Speaker 1 (09:40):
Husband and see what he has planned. But I you know,
this is the emails. Let me ask you this because well,
here's what I'm afraid happened.

Speaker 3 (09:47):
About my husband. I want to ask you about your husband.
How long you've been married?

Speaker 2 (09:51):
We have been married?

Speaker 1 (09:52):
Oh, I'm not good at dates. Let me think here
for a second. Let me just a math.

Speaker 2 (09:56):
I've been married seventeen years.

Speaker 3 (09:58):
You must have been good on dates that had led
the marriage.

Speaker 1 (10:01):
Yeah, I'd like to think so, and it seems to
have worked out so far.

Speaker 3 (10:06):
I just did a show in Paris, and it was
very hard because that's where my wife and.

Speaker 4 (10:11):
I had our last fight.

Speaker 3 (10:12):
We're divorced. Our last fight Mandy was in Paris. Isn't
that sad?

Speaker 2 (10:18):
What were you fighting about?

Speaker 3 (10:20):
Well? She was in desperate need of a beauty parlor.
But how do you tell somebody something like that.

Speaker 1 (10:29):
Okay, just so you know, one of my listeners already
found out. Apparently whatever I said in Latin is terrence
stultorum hominum.

Speaker 2 (10:38):
So now we know. Now we know, drive away to
stupid people.

Speaker 3 (10:42):
You're doing if you're very smart listeners or they have
they're good at googling.

Speaker 1 (10:47):
Yeah, either one, we accept both on this program. We
don't need people to be authentically smart, as long as.

Speaker 2 (10:53):
They put up a good show.

Speaker 3 (10:55):
Maybe he's a priest. A priest, well, they have to
know Latin.

Speaker 2 (11:00):
Oh that's right, that's right. Yes, I think you know.

Speaker 3 (11:05):
It's really weird. I look back at my long life, Mandy,
I think I would have been a good preach.

Speaker 4 (11:10):
Oh really, not not for the.

Speaker 3 (11:12):
Traditional reasons, but to serve God. But I was raised Baptist,
and when I was a kid, I once I I
used to pray every night for a new bike. Then
I realized the Lord doesn't work that way, so I
just stle want and asked them to forgive me anyway.

(11:34):
It's good to be indoors.

Speaker 1 (11:37):
Emo Phillips is live this weekend at the Comedy Works Downtown.
He's got shows Thursday at seven thirty, Friday and Saturday
at seven thirty and Friday and Saturday at nine pm.

Speaker 2 (11:50):
Yeah, well, yeah, you probably. Well you can go to
their website. It's very easy to find, very very easy.

Speaker 3 (11:55):
I'll just go to your blog and find the line.

Speaker 2 (11:57):
That's Mandy's blog dot com.

Speaker 1 (11:59):
No apostroph because you can't have, you know, correct punctuation
in a URL.

Speaker 2 (12:02):
They don't like that. Are you active online?

Speaker 3 (12:06):
I am. I'm on Twitter mostly.

Speaker 2 (12:08):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (12:09):
And do you enjoy the format at Twitter? Because I
have to tell you I love Twitter. I'm one of
those people.

Speaker 3 (12:15):
Twitter. It's so addicting, isn't it? It is?

Speaker 1 (12:17):
And it's so fun to try and get the snork
down to just a few characters.

Speaker 3 (12:22):
Oh, I know, I know that sounds like my parties.

Speaker 1 (12:29):
Emo Phillips at Emo Phillips on X. I just followed you,
so I can't wait to see what you've got to
say there. Yes, I appreciate you coming on the show, Emo,
and I hope you have a fantastic you. Have you
spent any time other than your church trip actually in Denver?

Speaker 2 (12:46):
Have you been here in some time?

Speaker 3 (12:48):
I've been there many many times. It's one of my
app's favorite cities to visit, and especially around the comedy works.
It's gotten so crazy. City is virgined.

Speaker 1 (13:02):
Yeah, oh yes, oh yes, just wait, well, there's hopefully
far fewer homeless people roaming around since the last time
you were here. We've been shoving them all into homeless
hotels now so nobody has to look at them.

Speaker 3 (13:13):
I was the last time I was in Denver, this
man approached me. He said, I need something to eat,
I need something to drink, I need a place to stay.
So I'm thinking O okay, street improv I said, okay,
Margarita A's sa Alfredo And why Recncy you break in
Wiscondin Go dazzled me. But there's the reason some of

(13:37):
us man be be work indoors.

Speaker 2 (13:39):
Yes, Emo Phillips, thank you so much.

Speaker 1 (13:41):
This has been an absolute joy and I can't wait
to call my brother who watched all of those young
comedian specials and watched your nineteen eighty seven special with
me that we went to the video store and rented
at the time on VCR tape unless somebody else rented
it before we did, and not you know, those bastards,
they never rewound. But then I can't wait to tell
him I talk to you. You've just been a part

(14:02):
of my life for so many years, and I appreciate
you well.

Speaker 3 (14:06):
You must please come to the show and please bring
your husband.

Speaker 2 (14:09):
All right, I will see you there, sir.

Speaker 3 (14:11):
And where your uniform from Delta?

Speaker 1 (14:14):
If only I could still fit into it. I was
far younger and far hotter back then, Emo than I
am now.

Speaker 3 (14:23):
Well even different rips. Thank you, sir, have a great day,
and you'll always be a hot mama.

Speaker 1 (14:34):
Thank you so much, Thank you, Emo Phillips. We'll talk
again soon, I hope.