Henry Phillips (comedian)

Henry Phillips (born November 14, 1969) is an American comedian, writer, actor, singer-songwriter and guitarist. He co-wrote and starred in Punching the Clown (2009) and its sequel Punching Henry (2016), and directed My First Comedy Special (2018) and TV series You and Your Fu*king Coffee (2013–). He has made many appearances in films, television shows, and on podcasts. He is notable for his unique self-deprecating comedic style, his appearance on Comedy Central Presents in 2005, his web series "Henry's Kitchen", and his 2016 comedy special Henry Phillips: Neither Here Nor There.

Early life

Phillips was born on November 14, 1969, in Los Angeles, California.[1] He started playing guitar when he was 8 years old and was inspired by Billy Joel as a teen.[2][3]

Career

In 2005, Phillips appeared on season 9 of Comedy Central Presents.[1][4] In 2009, he co-wrote and starred in Punching the Clown, and appeared in the comedy special 4:20 Hour Stand-Up, directed by Lee Abbott and starring Doug Benson.[5] From 2013, Phillips directed and starred in the television and web series You and Your Fu*king Coffee.[6][7] The series stars Mike Judge and is produced by Jash.[8] The series is described as being about "a man who politely asks for coffee, and in doing so, ends up destroying the lives of those around him."[9] On July 22, 2014, Phillips appeared on Season 2 Episode 4 of Drunk History.[1] In 2016, he co-wrote and starred in Punching Henry, a sequel to Punching the Clown.[10][11] From 2016 to 2019, he had a recurring supporting role as John Stafford in Silicon Valley.[12][13] In 2018, he directed My First Comedy Special. The film was produced by Big Ugly Laugh Productions, LLC, and stars Grey Griffin.[14][15][16]

Phillips's several web series include "Henry's Kitchen", "The Loner" for IFC,[17][18] "Loser",[4] and "The Highway Man",[19] a Patreon series.[20] He has also appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live!.[4]

Phillips has said he would not be doing stand-up comedy if not for Doug Stanhope. He also appears on Stanhope's 2000 album Something to Take the Edge Off.[21]

Cooking

Phillips holds a strong presence as a comical cook. He creates cooking content via Twitch[22] and his satirical YouTube and Patreon web series "Henry's Kitchen",[20] a cooking show where Henry gives lessons whilst being comically inept at his work.[13] "Henry's Kitchen" has been praised by critics. Writer David Britton states "[only] a true genius could purposely edit something this poorly."[23] Jenn Harris from the Los Angeles Times describes one episode as "amazing".[24] Gabe Dunn in 2013 said, "Is it parody or just plain weird? It's hard to tell, but you'll laugh either way."[4] From September to November 2018, Phillips hosted Henry's Kitchen: Masterclass, a cooking show, produced by Thrillist.[25][26] He is also the author of two cookbooks.[13]

Neither Here Nor There

In 2016, Phillips performed his 56-minute debut stand-up comedy special, Henry Phillips: Neither Here Nor There, at the Lyric Theatre in Los Angeles. It was directed by Steven Feinartz and produced by United Comedy LLC. The show featured Mark Cohen, Audrey Tess, Brendon Walsh, and Todd Glass.[27][28] The show released exclusively on Vimeo on Demand on August 15,[29][30] and released as an album on August 19.[31][32]

Style

Phillips does folk-style and comedy music.[32] His albums feature a mix of live tracks and studio recordings.[13] He is often compared to Tom Lehrer.[3][13]

Phillips typically portrays a classic loser character who is hapless with women and unsuccessful in show business. His musical style is frequently in ballad form where the sincerity of the musical style contrasts with the sad or angry lyrics which become comically absurd as the song progresses.[2][19]

Graham Reid describes some of Phillips' humor as "wickedly funny" whilst "very close to being offensive".[33]

Discography
  • On the Shoulders of Freaks (1997)
  • Number 2 (1999)
  • Why Haven't I Heard from You (2005)
  • L.A. Dream (2010)
  • Neither Here nor There (2016)[31]

Filmography

The following films and television shows were directed or written by Phillips:[1][34][35]

Film

Television
  • You and Your Fu*king Coffee (2013–)

References
  1. "Henry Phillips - Rotten Tomatoes". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2023-06-06.
  2. Kozell, Isaac (2016-08-19). "The Awkward Musical Comedy of Henry Phillips". Vulture. Retrieved 2023-06-06.
  3. "Henry Phillips Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic. Retrieved 2023-06-01.
  4. Dunn, Gaby (2013-09-09). "The most awkward how-to tutorial on YouTube". The Daily Dot. Retrieved 2023-07-28.
  5. "4:20 Hour Stand-Up | Apple TV". Apple TV. 2009-10-13. Retrieved 2023-07-28.
  6. "Amazon.com: You and Your Fu*king Coffee : Henry Phillips, Mike Judge, Henry Phillips, Daniel Kellison, Doug Deluca: Prime Video". www.amazon.com. Retrieved 2023-07-28.
  7. "Henry Phillips' Latest "You and Your Fu*king Coffee" Has Something to Do with The Hindenburg Disaster – The Comedy Bureau". 2016-04-01. Retrieved 2023-07-28.
  8. Evans, Bradford (2013-05-24). "Watch Mike Judge and Henry Phillips's New JASH Web Series 'You and Your Fucking Coffee'". Vulture. Retrieved 2023-06-06.
  9. Blazenhoff, Rusty (2013-05-24). "You and Your Fucking Coffee, A New Web Series With Mike Judge & Henry Phillips". Laughing Squid. Retrieved 2023-07-28.
  10. Moore, Roger (2017-02-19). "Movie Review: Phillips remains comic also-ran in "Punching Henry"". Movie Nation. Retrieved 2023-06-01.
  11. Wright, Megh (2017-02-14). "Check Out a Clip from 'Punching Henry' Featuring Tig Notaro and Henry Phillips". Vulture. Retrieved 2023-06-13.
  12. "John Stafford - Silicon Valley | TVmaze". www.tvmaze.com. Retrieved 2023-07-28.
  13. "Funny Music Friday: The sharp, soulful wit of Henry Phillips". The Laugh Button - 800PG News. Retrieved 2023-07-31.
  14. "My First Comedy Special streaming: watch online". JustWatch. Retrieved 2023-07-28.
  15. "My First Comedy Special" (2018), retrieved 2023-07-28
  16. "My First Comedy Special (2018)". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 2023-07-28.
  17. BWW News Desk. "PUNCHING THE CLOWN Opens At NY's Quad Cinema 10/22". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 2023-07-28.
  18. "The Independent Film Channel Partners With Film Group, "Mr. Mudd", To Develop Original Content For Web, Broadband And Television". 1970-01-01. Retrieved 2023-07-28.
  19. "Henry Phillips |". Retrieved 2023-07-28.
  20. "Tales of the Road Warriors | Listen to Podcasts On Demand Free". TuneIn. Retrieved 2023-07-28.
  21. "Episode 232 - Henry Phillips". December 2011.
  22. "Twitch cooking streamer discovers one song Alexa won't play". Dexerto. Retrieved 2023-07-28.
  23. Britton, David (2016-09-01). "Henry Phillips' New Standup Special Is Neither Here Nor There". The Daily Dot. Retrieved 2023-06-06.
  24. Harris, Jenn (2014-07-11). "Henry Phillips makes baked spaghetti, and the video is amazing". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2023-06-06.
  25. "Henry Phillips' Henry's Kitchen Is Back and Now Putting on a "Masterclass" – The Comedy Bureau". 2018-10-22. Retrieved 2023-07-28.
  26. Thrillist. "Henry's Kitchen". Thrillist. Retrieved 2023-07-28.
  27. Henry Phillips: Neither Here Nor There (2016), retrieved 2023-07-28
  28. "Henry Phillips: Neither Here Nor There" (2016), retrieved 2023-07-28
  29. "Henry Phillips' Neither Here Nor There Is Now Streaming as a Special on Vimeo on Demand – The Comedy Bureau". 2016-08-15. Retrieved 2023-07-28.
  30. "Henry Phillips new album "Neither Here Nor There" lands July 22nd". The Laugh Button - 800PG News. Retrieved 2023-07-31.
  31. "Henry Phillips on Apple Music". Apple Music. Retrieved 2023-06-27.
  32. "Henry Phillips explains that things are "Neither Here Nor There"". The Laugh Button - 800PG News. Retrieved 2023-07-31.
  33. "Henry Phillips: The Bitch Song (1995)". Elsewhere by Graham Reid. 2017-10-09. Retrieved 2023-07-28.
  34. "Henry Phillips: Movies, TV, and Bio". www.amazon.com. Retrieved 2023-07-28.
  35. "Henry Phillips". Kinorium. Retrieved 2023-07-28.
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