By Jae-Ha Kim
Chicago Sun-Times
August 29, 2008
Emo Philips has fond memories of Chicago. The Downers Grove native may be based in Los Angeles now, but he credits the Windy City for giving him his big break.
“I lived in Chicago until I was 40,” says Philips, 52. “So it will always be home for me. When the guys at Zanies asked me to come back as part of their 30th anniversary [celebration], I said, ‘Yes!’ I was playing a comedy show in Downers Grove 30 years ago when [Zanies] asked me to be in charge of bookings for them and to perform there. I was still learning my craft and was so out of my league there as both a comic and a booker. But I did book [late Second City founder] Del Close. I’ll always be proud of that.”
Best known for his wry commentary on life, Philips — who hasn’t played in Chicago for more than two years — has a knack for whipping out one-liners. Though he has a comprehensive Web site at www.emophilips.com, he professes to not being a big Internet fan.
“My secret to the Internet is to have a gremlin mentality,” Philips says. “I only use it after midnight. Then it’s OK.”
Talking seriously about how comedy has changed in his 32-year career, Philips says that nothing is shocking anymore.
“When I started out, there was a comic known as the Blue Comic,” he says. “He always performed last, at like 1 in the morning when there were only a few drunks left in the crowd. He was considered too dirty to perform in prime time. Now, there are guys who open a show at 7 p.m. on a Sunday and they are far dirtier than he ever was. These blue comics tended to play bachelor parties and no one wanted to be like them.
“The use of swearing at shows is the biggest change I’ve noticed, and I think it’s kind of a shame. You can take the weakest joke in the world and add the ‘f’ word and get a laugh. It’s kind of like using laughing gas.”
Though Philips has dipped his toes into film and television work, he says he’s not shopping around for anything at the moment — not even the ever-present reality TV show.
“I’ve learned that I’m a good stand-up comedian, and then there is a very deep drop off after that,” he says. “People think it’s the same skill to be a comic and an actor and a screenwriter and all that. But it’s so different and I’m aware enough of my abilities to realize that. I like stand-up because it’s the most concentrated, distilled thing I can think of. It’s what I do best.”
