Emo Philips Collection on Letterman, 1984-2001

[@martinsmartians]

Met Emo Philips after a show at ZANIE'S in St. Charles. He signed my sketchbook: "To Martin, my favorite...oh darn, ran out of room. Love, EMO."

[@RawOlympia]

sweet

[@deltatango5765]

That's awesome. I would treasure that. Love Emo

[@dogvom]

13:17 For those of you who'd like to know the full unbleeped punchline, it's "From the tip of her head to the tag on her toes."

[@googelle7555]

I hope I die before all old clips are half bleeps.

[@Fughetaboutit101]

How pathetic that they bleeped 'tag'. Pretty soon it'll be nothing but 'chicken crossed the road' jokes only allowed.

[@Wafaloo]

Why the fuck is that bleeped

[@samsmith4216]

Thanks....

[@MeganBecker]

You're the best! ❤

[@onyx9857]

In 1989 he signed my CD, “Screw you Linda! I’ll never forget homecoming.” My name is Michael. I’m at least 10 years younger than him.

[@xbmpr]

That’s actually genius haha if I’m ever famous I’ll just sign random shit with the wrong name

[@AlanCanon2222]

He signed mine (ca. 2001) "Dear Alan, thank you for curing my poodle of impotence."

[@TheNutsoCharles]

Signed an autograph to me, his seventh favorite non-Mormon.

[@freevue7452]

@@AlanCanon2222 LOL 😆

[@googelle7555]

🤣🤣🤣 omg ....

[@scodybee]

I'm only 15 minutes in and haven't stopped crying from laughter. I've always loved Emo's bizarre humor. Thank you for all the time you've spent compiling all this great stuff.

[@mr.oppenthunder2527]

This version of "The Joker" is so much more compelling.

[@pleasepetthecat]

100% agree 😂😂

[@nerfytheclown]

Bruh. Busted my sides.

[@pmambientworks4727]

He's like a medieval joker trying to make the king laugh so that he'll spare his life. :D

[@maskof]

Ya, Dave doesn't get shot in the head.

[@theproject9577]

Dude don't make me spit my drink on my phone again. Im dead😅

[@sym667]

"Emo, Emo, Emo..." "I'm the one in the middle you drunken bum!" :-D

[@AlanCanon2222]

"Both his arms were broken, which gave me the courage." That's like Mark Twain level, right there.

[@ChrisR-ne4kn]

Emo's a genius. You know a surprise is coming with every joke, but you'll never guess what it is.

[@cdvitunac]

You are correct sir!

[@davemustaki134]

Adrian Brody could play this guy in a movie

[@rayjr62]

Why would he?

[@davemustaki134]

@@rayjr62 why not? Last thing I seen him in was Houdini this guy would be a cake walk for him

[@rayjr62]

@@davemustaki134 Dude, if this was say, 24 years ago. I could see it. But now? Adrian is too old to play Phil Soltanec (a.k.a. "Emo Philips")

[@davemustaki134]

@@rayjr62 well they have make up and prosthetics and so on I mean Johnny Depp is playing Alice Cooper in an upcoming biopic that's kind of similar wouldn't you say? You don't have to agree with my comment I respect your opinion it's fine thanks for sharing your thoughts

[@michaelcovel3793]

I was a kid when I started watching Letterman. I think he became my fave because of the many eccentric people he had on his show. All of your YT collections - I didn't realize how many times he had so many great comedians on his show.

[@SimpLeeBeth]

It's great to be indoors, indeed, Emo ❤

[@cdvitunac]

Yeah, screw David letterman, that fucking jerk, should have been BEGGING to shake Emo's hand.

[@avidodd26]

When I was a child I discovered Emo Phillips and my respect for humanity has been steadily decreasing ever since.

[@strawberrybananapeel7141]

Thanks Don, I totally forgot about Emo Phillips; always thought he was so quirky and funny!

[@hathawbj]

Was? He's still touring strong, luckily!

[@strawberrybananapeel7141]

hathawbj Cool

[@BrianKishreviews]

Your channel is the greatest gift I know. Thank you

[@danlevay5657]

I failed to appreciate Emo then. Does that mean he was ahead of his time? Or I was behind mine?

[@gonzogranny]

I dont know. But enjoy some coleslaw.

[@lowrider81hd]

He was ENTIRELY AHEAD of his time!!!

[@veronicabrowne2132]

I also failed to appreciate him then. Of course, I think it's less a comment on my taste and more a comment on me not being born yet.

[@Bwethhh]

as a younger person i'd so he was ahead of his time. people tend to appreciate weirding styles of comedy more nowadays

[@bartstarr100]

Yes

[@MerkinMuffly]

You can see Emo's delivery at the beginning is much faster than he normally does. Guess Dave had a strict time limit.

[@dongiller]

Or he was quite nervous and rushed through his performance.

[@fernandocovarrubiascomander]

Outstanding to say the least.

[@Brendan-Black]

@@dongiller Or both.

[@sammavacaist]

"I loaned my friend 8000 dollars for plastic surgery and now I don't know what he looks like."

[@TheRealDrJoey]

Man, that last appearance really surprised me. I would never have recognized him.

[@joshtiscareno1312]

He looks like an old feminist cat lady. Ironically, he looked much more masculine with his old bob.

[@synthvault]

Emo is LEGEND!

[@bassliveevil]

He signed my cd To Dave,King of Cole Slaw

[@onlyrevolutions2010]

He was great on Dr. Katz.

[@jedediahharper9092]

Also hilarious as Shannon on Home Movies

[@sunshine123-r1y]

Is it weird that I find him attractive? He’s so funny!!! Just got into him a few weeks ago actually!!!

[@jamescollins5870]

Emo had/has mad drip. I LOVE his getups

[@louisskulnik7390]

He is my eternal man crush.

[@professionalwidow]

no he’s cute af

[@briant2140]

Of course it's weird.

[@sper2557]

I never realized how quick Emo s with comedy

[@iateyourass]

it's like Tiny Tim and Pee Wee Herman had a baby

[@UberLummox]

Clever, Hugh!

[@thegardenoffragileegos1845]

Yes. I'm old, so I grew up with this guy. Always saw the connection.

[@mark1952able]

too bad...ole Emo didn't last long.......???

[@mudsharkbytes]

mark1952able he’s still around and still as weird as ever.

[@asapstan]

Brent spinner could be his doppelganger

[@the_original_Bilb_Ono]

That joke at the end of the first segment is gold! Haha I thought he was going to say he had an Oedipus complex, homosexual tendencies, and inferior complex. But it's even better with his punchline.

[@MichaelOBrien-z8i]

WOW l NEEDED TO SEE THIS!!!M.O'B

[@flakyace]

with his childlike persona, dull smiling semi feminine face and page boy hair , Emo is amazing.....

[@LeslieDugger]

He wore the same shirt in the 2nd and 3rd appearance, and on his album. I think he like that shirt.

[@spuzzlightyeartoo]

I THINK Emo Phillips was someone that introduced me to Late Night. I dunno, the mind is hazy, but I didn't really watch Letterman when I was a kid, but Emo's segments were amazing, so I started watching Late Night because of it... i think.

[@the_original_Bilb_Ono]

Times have changed most younger people wouldn't even get the joke about developing film.

[@BoomboomMountain420]

Does anyone think he was trying to hold himself back from being fully him in the first performance. Like there less “emo” movement?

[@StanKindly]

30:10 great set up and punch line!

[@Blackevilmisanthrope]

So how long till Adrien Brody plays this guy?

[@odaydrums]

EMO WAS BORN FROM THIS

[@sid7088]

Emo looks like a young Pete Townshend.

[@dylanbrown3090]

It's selling like hotcakes to Aborigines, I mean they wanna buy it, but how long will it stay on the shelf?" Omfg 😂

[@krisscanlon4051]

I wonder was he doing an male Edith Ann riff in a way? Perhaps complete originality

[@Vejur9000]

He as unique actually. First I couldn’t stand him, like Judy Tenuda, then I realized these two were ahead of the curve. Good comedy.

[@Vejur9000]

Jinx! I didn’t see your post until after I did mine. I was gonna mention Judy, she was up there too.

[@mandel12]

I think tv couldnt figure emo out. I would have loved to see him close out each appearance being taken away by mental health professionals

[@lesbonneschose]

Almost as brilliant as Nathan Dickie.

[@jonzaremba]

...to the tag on her toe...

[@drewlovelyhell4892]

Good material, not so sure about his stage persona though. Slightly off-putting and distracts from the jokes.

[@YaoEspirito]

That Dave Letterman debut was 100%. For a guy to come out with such a distinctive and uncharted persona and to hit on all cylinders like that is pretty amazing.

[@abundantYOUniverse]

At 33 minutes I realized Emo might be on Twitter, so I wrote to him and said: I am binge watching all your old appearances on Letterman and Conan. You Sir are a comedic genius! Einstein was a genius but somehow he never made me laugh." Within a minute he gave me a thumbs up and he liked my reply! Made my whole life!

[@melissap9808]

When Trump won in 2016 and all of a sudden most comedians on Twitter went full anti-Trump instead of writing jokes, there were two I followed that continued to be hilarious: Andy Richter and Emo Philips. As a political atheist myself, I will always appreciate them for that.

[@abundantYOUniverse]

@@melissap9808 Political Atheist, I love that. Now I know what to call myself, also! Thanks!

[@MerkinMuffly]

The 80s were a great time for quirky comics like Emo, Pee Wee and Jim Varney to thrive with their niche comedy.

[@maskof]

Steven Wright in that list too.

[@davidgomez3044]

You can still find dozens of people with that similar eccentric charm in your average university chemistry classroom

[@daddydoza5164]

@@davidgomez3044 HA HA

[@josephkinneary1773]

Dont.forget Judy Tenuta, The Little Flower, Slave goddess, what a riot.

[@OhanaFilms]

He was my neighbor in Chicago. It was always strange to see him at the grocery store as a normal person. One of the all time best comedians.

[@daveidmarx8296]

That would be great to see. I've never seen him break character. It would be interesting to see him in a "normal" situation.

[@OhanaFilms]

@@daveidmarx8296 You can't even find any clips of him breaking character anywhere online. He's done an incredible job of protecting that character!

[@muffdiver240]

Ohana Films: So, what was he like as a "normal person"? Did you speak to him? Does he actually look, act & sound 'normal'? Is he wearing a wig on stage? Any stories?

[@johnthorp3649]

@@daveidmarx8296 - Frank Sidebottom was another who was great concealing his true identity and never broke character as well.

[@TheJamieRamone]

B4 he found his parents or as an adult? :P

[@eltravo2112]

Emo is like Steven Wright with Pee Wee’s enthusiasm 😂

[@corkodrimples]

Introduced to Emo as a kid by accidentally stumbling across his record E=MO2, in the back of my dad's collection. I would memorize my favorite bits and recite them to kids at recess. I was confused why my fourth grade peers had no idea how to comprehend what was going on. Thank you Don for putting this together.

[@inandoutoftheabyss9953]

Harmony Korrine looks like he studied Emo for his appearance

[@driftkrinsky6537]

After I performed with Emo the first time, I bought his CD and he signed it, "To Drift, King of the Excommunicated Mormons". I never told him I was ex-Mormon.

[@katjoe1974]

Drift Krinsky hey a fellow escapee! Glad you made it out.

[@michaelcovel3793]

What. ..the. ...Fuck, Man?!

[@driftkrinsky6537]

@M Perkins I never asked him, but I did material about being ex-Mormon at a future show with him. He's very nice, always did a great show each time. If you have an opportunity to see him in a comedy club, you'd get to meet him. He meets/takes pictures with/signs autographs for everybody that wants.

[@driftkrinsky6537]

@@katjoe1974 Thank you! I was a convert, only in from '06-07 in central Illinois. Congrats to you too. It's fun to watch it starting to crumble. Church history is so much more fun to study since I got out.

[@UberLummox]

Some of us can spot you guys a mile away. ;-D Just funnun' but actually SOME people from certain parts of the Country have their own "look". From generations of the same families staying in the same region...for...generations. Though w/that beard you don't look Utahan. (-;

[@bruceules1318]

" One night I was sleeping alone ......thanks to the exterminator". Emo Philips.

[@the_original_Bilb_Ono]

Another.. "I like going to the park and watching the children run around because they don't know I'm using blanks." - Emo Philips

[@onyx9857]

7:15 Emo smells his hand after shaking Dave’s hand. Lmao

[@MichaelOBrien-z8i]

What's that about??? M.O'B

[@blessd24]

If you never want to shake someone's hand again, do that move. 😂

[@TheLordGoat]

wayyy over their heads,,,Hedberg was heavily influenced by emo

[@AnimalsAreWacky]

Interesting censorship in the 2nd clip--"tag" in the "tag on her toe" joke was muted out. So sex with the unconscious was ok, but necrophilia was just a bit too far...

[@wowmachineradio]

Thanks for spoon-feeding me that punchline... I backed it up and tried to read lips but couldn't put together. What a bit!

[@jamessoltis5407]

AnimalsAreWacky ...well, the Cosby show was still big in those days, right?

[@davidrynberk4830]

laughed so hard! thank you

[@maevey3]

@@pashadyne You mean "the former"? If so, I agree!

[@frederickpfeiffer9276]

150 IQ comedy for 80 IQ audiences. Refreshing to not have to use the f-word or screaming to get a laugh.

[@izzy_ondomink]

Funny how you're speaking of intellect while being dumb enough to get upset over swear words, as if that speaks to anyone's intelligence.

[@dherz108]

Emo is great. The type of material he does is really difficult to create. Very sharp, quirky and offbeat. Thank you for posting this collection.

[@DVD927]

He was married to comedian Judy Tenuta for awhile, check her stuff out too (might be Tenuda)

[@rleary1]

Big fan of EMO since '83. Notice how prudent NBC 'bleeped' this after 12:53 ? Fairly harmless great one liner joke! 'From the way she responded, you could've sworn that she was conscious... from the tip of her head, to the 'TAG' on her toes!'...🤣

[@kimdyer2288]

I came here looking for the bleeped part of that joke. It had been too many years since I saw it and couldn't recall. Thanks!

[@colinlarson9656]

Haha, so this is who Harmony Korine drew his inspiration when going on Letterman!

[@dejarenee5864]

Unpopular opinion, emo was kinda cute

[@thenerveensemble7810]

Just saw him open for Weird Al last night in Sydney Australia. Was hilarious as always. My sons were with me as well only aged 8 and 10. They came for Weird Al but discovered Emo and now they are fans of his too.

[@proZach380]

"A guy came up to me the other day and asked me 'Emo, do people really come up to you?'"

[@jamessoltis5407]

...it was a bit shocking to me seeing him suddenly old in that last clip. His persona was so childlike, I guess I always expected him to remain the same. This is precisely why I have avoided mirrors these last few years.

[@daclyde]

I totally didn't recognize him with the haircut. He's back to his old look, now, albeit with gray hair. I was lucky enough to see him live in the past year. Like Gilbert Gottfried, he keeps a lot of his old material in his act.

[@Brendan-Black]

@bad1dobby lol

[@PALACIO254]

@bad1dobby I don't think I worked tho

[@treywest268]

I have seen Emo at least twice since 2015. He is just as fresh, sharp, and funny as he was in earlier career.

[@annabrewer8054]

Thanks Don, this is a treat! Emo's "E=MO²" is my favourite comedy album of all time.

[@vibradiant]

It's interesting to watch Letterman slowly warm up to Emo as time progressed. Early on, it seemed like Emo genuinely weirded him out.

[@PhoenixProdLLC]

He's a very intelligent comic, and currently on tour with Weird Al. Would love to be a fly on the wall listening to those two together! 🤣

[@Brendan-Black]

So many good jokes went right over the audiences' heads.

[@angrysumoxxx]

They were sitting

[@pvshka]

@@angrysumoxxx so much about stand up comedy...

[@PMurray2694]

Just because you didn't laugh doesn't mean you didn't get it

[@saarapollonen8138]

I love Emo but he's lying about his name. I've yet met anyone with that name here in Finland in 40 years... That was a good joke tho.

[@chrisjohnston4445]

Always love the Surrealist comedians, like Emo, Steven Wright and Brother Theodore.

[@Teri.Dactyl]

I’ve seen him live a few times back in the 80’s…his quirkiness is what makes me love his sense of humor so much…he is still one of my faves to this day 😂

[@sammydavis991]

That asthmatic attack joke slays me

[@simplesimon755]

I knew you would get around to posting Emo eventually. This was great. He was/is such an unusual and clever comedian. Definitely a different sort and on Dave's show he seemed to be a good fit. Thanks Don!

[@MarkTarmannPianoCheck_it_out]

GE we bring good things to life . like triggers for nuclear warheads.

[@thebookdoc.writing.and.editing]

I first saw Emo while working in a pub in Huntington NY. He was on TV and I was able to drift out of the kitchen between orders and watch his special. Must have been 87? Later I saw him in person in Buffalo NY. It must have been around 1993. He sat next to me as the warmup was finishing. He was gaunt and I think tall. Regardless he was brilliant that night. He fielded audience input and created an experience, mostly centered around cole slaw. I am betting that being too good at strange sunk his own boat. I miss my Emo.

[@MuscarV2]

I've somehow completely missed this guy, just found out about him today. Many thanks for this collection!! Really enjoying it, he's genius!

[@dankyjoker]

Many laughs will be had!

[@izzy_ondomink]

I bet his hands are cold

[@abundantYOUniverse]

Now, I watched Letterman from day one, and nearly every single night all the way through. And I have never seen this guy before! I even did stand up for years and never heard of him. I was crying with laughter at his jokes and his demeanor. Fantastic.

[@royevansthecosmiccowboy242]

He also had a handyman show on the weird Al movie UHF

[@abundantYOUniverse]

@@royevansthecosmiccowboy242 Thanks!

[@pmambientworks4727]

"She takes her breast out and feeds him... cereal or what ever." Weird family. :'D

[@ImTheDaveman]

This is the first I ever heard of him! I love his jokes!

[@scifibri2376]

I am glad he went back to his trademark look because the spiked salt & pepper hair with glasses did not match his personality at all! It is like when Gallagher shaved his head balled in 1992!

[@yepuhuh93]

BALLED

[@vanhopecomedy]

Reminds me of Joe the shop teacher from UHF.

[@muffdiver240]

@NewsPoop: Imagine that.

[@ellessandraramsay1841]

"Is my face red?"

[@kronos5385]

I think Emo is pretty original. His material is like Steven Wright's but his delivery is his own strangeness. Not sure why Letterman had him on repeatedly as Dave seemed annoyed with him pretty much all the time. He was always on as the last act and after his first couple of visits Dave wouldn't interview him after his stand-up and just said goodnight. Still searching the Web to find any interviews with him as a regular person. Was this just a character he owns or is he really like his act? Just F.Y.I., he told Dave that Emo was his birth name but he was actually born Philip Soltanec.

[@Noomz-of-Earl]

I saw him perform in Chicago early on (in the late '70s) still using his real name Phil Soltanec. This was before he created the whole Emo character that got him noticed. His only weirdness starting out was in the offbeat nature of his material, which was already brilliant and original (including the copier joke). He had the deadpan delivery that Steven Wright (his contemporary) became known for a little later (and which Jackie Vernon had used in the '60s). His look was ordinary and his presentation was as sort of a gangly introvert who possibly had a major screw loose. I preferred that guy to Emo, but at some point it was decided that he needed a gimmick to instantly grab the audience's attention. (In any event, when Wright broke through in 1982, there was no going back.) I thought that the offbeat humor coming from a young skinny guy who could pass for normal was funnier than when it was voiced by an exaggeratedly weird character. I suspect that Dave would have enjoyed talking to the real guy. (He hated working from pre-scripted "interview" questions with other comics who couldn't be themselves.)

[@qcrew2938]

The comments are almost all positive for this guy.... I just don't get it.. The jokes are pretty good but the delivery is just so lame in my opinion

[@Automationrehab]

So this is who I plagiarized the Stolen Bike joke from?

[@Floydpink68]

@29:54 "I'm no stranger to sarcasm" hahaha perfect

[@gonzogranny]

Emo signed my CD with the sentence, "Don't take this into the MRI machine. Emo". I still have it.

[@Wildart2]

Why did they cut out "tag on her toes"?

[@wetdroidedition2549]

This guy is way ahead of his time. I know at the time he was playing a character but he actually ends characterizing a whole generation that does not exists when he invented the character. That's awesome!

[@RawOlympia]

yes!

[@onyx9857]

I remember where i was when i first saw Emo. At the initial hearing.

[@Floydpink68]

I also think he was the inspiration for Stuart on Mad TV 😂

[@Brendan-Black]

Good call, I was thinking the same thing.

[@joshtiscareno1312]

Maybe. But Stuart wasn't funny. Stuart was one of the things that made me HATE MadTV.

[@matthewfuller5209]

An Emo collection for the ages.

[@steveleslie2170]

1984 David Letterman had Emo and Cheryl Tiegs...2 things I liked back then.

[@allenanderson4911]

He did an hour for us at UGA in '87. Very funny! "I've always said that for good old fashioned kindness and hospitality... you just can't beat THE SLAVE STATES!!"

[@esausjudeannephew6317]

This guy's alot funnier than I remember

[@Katya_Lastochka]

Same here. I was too young to understand all the nuances.

[@esausjudeannephew6317]

@Jack CaseyNo. My brain never questioned it, but thanx for the correction ass soul. Now watch how every little error will be highlighted in your life

[@esausjudeannephew6317]

@Chi Sam of course I'm smarter for haven't crossed your path. Every fool, genius, clown and idiot I encounter makes me smarter

[@MichaelOBrien-z8i]

WOW I NEEDED THAT!!! M.O'B

[@Ripplin]

Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU! (thank you)

[@bapples]

He has an Adrien Brody quality about him 😂

[@Emophiliac2]

Definitely interesting to hear a few of his earlier jokes, before he got them completely figured out. His 3 albums are definitely worth getting, as well as his Hasty Pudding video, if only for the paper folding joke.

[@louissorrellv5290]

Dave: Are you Finnish? Emo: No, we have about a minute left... 😄😄😄😄😄

[@derp8575]

He signed my cd, "King of Herpes"