Style
Hamburger's jokes range from variations of "
Why did the chicken cross the road?" to celebrity targets, such as
Michael Jackson,
Paris Hilton,
Britney Spears,
The Red Hot Chili Peppers, and
Diana, Princess of Wales, to jokes about his ex-wife. His
pacing is off, and he clears his throat nonstop through his entire routine (often to keep overzealous fans from shouting out his
punchlines), which has caused critics to tag him as
"the world's 'worst' stand-up comedian." He has performed his brand of
comedy, much of it
anti-humor, in front of audiences from the
New York University Thompson Center to
Jimmy Kimmel Live
and is often compared to
Tony Clifton [1]. One of his most famous gags is the "Zipper Lips," in which he asks an
audience member a question. If the audience member doesn't respond, Hamburger derides them for being a "zipper lips." A common
phrase used by the comedian is "But that's my life!"
Career
His first full length,
America's Funnyman
, was released in 1996. He has released a number of albums on the
Drag City record label.
In 2007, Hamburger started doing a show called
Poolside Chats with Neil Hamburger
on
The Channel
at Tomgreen.com. Guests on his show have included
Tim and Eric,
Kyle Gass of
Tenacious D,
Buzz Osborne of
The Melvins, and
Bonnie 'Prince' Billy.
Hamburger also appeared in a series of three
video advertisements promoting the release of the 2006 album by
Drag City Records stablemate,
Bonnie 'Prince' Billy,
The Letting Go
.
In 2007, Hamburger opened for
Tenacious D during their
Pick of Destiny
Tour. In the movie
The Pick of Destiny
, he made a brief
cameo appearance before
Tenacious D came on
stage to perform. He has already performed at
Madison Square Garden, a show that the
New York Times
referred to as likely "the greatest night of his career." However, his performance was poorly received elsewhere, with booing and
heckling ensuing in countries such as
Ireland and
England.
The
Australian
punk band
Frenzal Rhomb have used Hamburger to open their sets and appear in their video
clips for their songs "Punisher" and "Ballchef", and Frenzal Rhomb members
Jay and the Doctor have called him live on
air on their radio
show on the network
Triple J to report on current events in
America such as award ceremonies.
In 2007, Hamburger appeared in the music video for "Conspiracy of the Gods" by the band
Trans Am.
In September 2007, he appeared at the Global ComedyFest in
Vancouver, Canada.
In spring of 2008,
Drag City released an album of
country and western originals and covers recorded by Neil Hamburger in a "celebrity vocals" style. During the sessions, Neil was backed by a stellar line-up of musicians including
Prairie Prince of
The Tubes and
Todd Rundgren's band, David Gleason,
Atom Ellis of
Dieselhed and
The New Cars,
Rachel Haden from
that dog.
Neil also reportedly recorded a
record doing guest lead vocals with legendary Australian band
The Hard-Ons while in Sydney in January, 2008.
The Neil Hamburger character plays the role of
Osric in the 2009 film,
Hamlet ADD
, a live action and animated version of
William Shakespear's
Hamlet
.
[2]
Neil has been a regular guest on the late night Fox News Channel talk panel show
Red Eye w/ Greg Gutfeld appearing multiple times since the show's inception.
Discography
- Great Phone Calls
- Amarillo Records (1992)
- Telephuck You!
7" (with Gregg Turkington) - Stomach Ache Records (1992)
- Looking For Laughs
EP - Amarillo Records (1994)
- Bartender, The Laugh's On Me
EP - Planet Pimp Records (1995)
- America's Funnyman
- Drag City Records (1996)
- Open Ended Interview
EP - Drag City Records (1997)
- Raw Hamburger
- Drag City Records (1998)
- Tribute To Diana, Princess Of Wales
EP - Planet Pimp Records (1998)
- Left for Dead in Malaysia
- Drag City Records (1999)
- Great Phone Calls featuring Neil Hamburger
(Reissue) - Ipecac Recordings (2000)
- Inside Neil Hamburger
EP - Drag City Records (2000)
- Fifty States, Fifty Laughs
(tour only CD) - Million Dollar Performances (2000)
- Hamburger Remembers Nixon
7" - I Don't Feel A Thing Records (2002)
- Laugh Out Lord
- Drag City Records/Glory Home Records (2002)
- Great Moments At Di Presa's Pizza House
- Drag City Records (2005)
- Hot February Night
(tour only CD) - Off-Price Value Center (2007)
- Comedy Death-Ray (album)
(compilation) - Comedy Central Records (2007)
- Sings Country Winners
- Drag City Records (2008)
- Souvenir Record
(tour only 7" with cover art by Mark Mothersbaugh) (2008)
Filmography
- Neil Hamburger Live at the Phoenix Greyhound Park
(The Show Must Go Off!
live series) - Kung Fu Films (2003)
- Left for Dead in Malaysia
- Million Dollar Pictures (2004)
- ''The World's Funnyman - Drag City Records (2006)
- Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny
(as himself) (2006)
TV Shows
- Jimmy Kimmel Live
(ABC)
- Tom Green Live
- Tom Green's House Tonight
- Red Eye with Greg Gutfeld
(Fox News)
- Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!
(Adult Swim)
- Tim and Eric Nite Live!
- The Movie Show
(SBS-TV, Australia)
- Recovery
(ABC-TV, Australia)
- Special Sauce
(Starz)
- Free Radio
(VH1)
See also
References
- Hour.ca - Stage - Laughlines: Neil Hamburger
- http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0892062/