Emo Philips: Not a Republican...But He is Saving Up to Be One

"I woke up this morning with a bloody nose. I thought, how did THIS get into bed with me."

Anybody remember Emo Philips? He achieved a level of popularity akin almost to Steven Wright in the 1980s as a result of the explosion of comedy clubs during that decade. You remember those comedy clubs, right? They popped up in just about every town with a population at least in the triple digits and had fun names like Laffs, or Giggles, or the Comedy Factory. For a time these places were almost as ubiquitious as Starbucks is now and nearly every comedian you know by name got their start there. (Kind of like Starbucks now.) For a brief period of time it looked as though Emo Philips might become the next Pee Wee Herman-especially after Pee Wee took an ill-advised trip to a certain movie theater. And then, for some reason, he seemed to disappear off the radar.

"My dad always said `If someone hands you a lemon, make lemonade.' Plus that also works wonderfully as a metaphor."

And that was a shame because, much like Steven Wright, Emo Philips had a twisted view of the world that is needed now more than ever. Emo's stock in trade was to take a cliché and put it into a surreal blender and come out with something that not only makes you laugh, but also makes you think. But mostly it makes you laugh. Though, on occasion, it will make you think. After you laugh. Very, very much like Steven Wright. But where Wright presented his comedy through the prism of deceptively normal alienation and detachment, Emo Philips was all high-pitched bizarre showmanship; his look was as outrageous as his punchlines.

"I ran three miles today. Finally, I said `Lady, keep your purse."