Introduction to Stand Up Comedy Part VI: Emo Philips, the Most Important Adult I Never Met

Content: Emo Philips

Introduction: As a kid, no adult (but for the ones I knew personally) had a greater impact on me than Emo Philips. This likely says more about me than any Rorschach test ever could, but Emo changed my world when I was in middle school. He was ridiculous, surreal, clever, smart, and hysterical. His humor relied on incredibly witty wordplay, but it also made references to history and literature that bespoke a well-read mind. You had to be smart to get him. And he is a master surrealist. Consider this classic song line – “I was walking down the street / Something caught my eye / And dragged it 15 feet.” Brilliant. I can’t adequately express my love and adoration for Emo… a statement that led to some confused conversations in college when whiny pop rockers became popular. Nonetheless, I want Dream’s first exposure to Emo to be memorable. Special. I might take him or her out of school that day so we can share it together.

Dream’s Age at Introduction: 13

Reason for That Age: I first encountered Emo when I was 14, but I think I could have handled him a year earlier, and it would have been just as meaningful. It’s a funny thing about teenagers. It’s something about their stage of development. Things they love at that point in their lives matter more than they should. Teenagers latch onto things at that age in a way they never will again. We all did it. For most guys, it ends up being sports. That’s why teenage guys take sports losses so hard. It’s also why teenage girls support successive generations of teeny-bopper musicians (e.g., Leif Garrett, Menudo, New Kids on the Block, N*Sync, Justin Bieber, Random 15-Year old Circa 2015, etc.). These things matter too much to us and leave a lasting – some might say scarring – impression. Dream will be most likely to appreciate Emo the way I do if introduced to him at this age.

What I Want Dream to Get Out of It: Ideally, I want Dream to have the same adoration for Emo that I do. But that’s probably not healthy, for neither Dream in general nor my marriage in particular. When I expressed my idea to take Dream out of school to have a special Emo day, Alicia said “I’m going to go to bed to forget that you said that.” So perhaps a more realistic hope is that Dream listens to Emo and thinks he’s funny. I can live with that.

Be content,
John