Phil Hartman was a true artist. The Ronald Reagan SNL skit where he's planning with his White House staff and generals and he's on top of every detail while everyone else can't keep up with him, that skit is superb. It is the most flattering portrayal of a US president that SNL has ever done, even though he's talking about doing shady stuff like funding the Contras. It's flattering because when I saw it as a kid I really buy Hartman's performance that Reagan crushes his tasks.
Funny that it was commenting on the exact opposite, that Reagan was senile and had lost control of the CIA. Without the context it does look like he's a superhero though.
I thought it was being ironic. That on SNL he's competent and gets stuff done. Even if those things are shady and questionnable. And as a teen who didn't know shit about anything that's the impression it made on me. And frankly that's the point I was making. Not that Reagan was competent, but rather that Phil Hartman did a good job at portraying him as competent. If you just see the skit for what it is, Phil Hartman had a lot of dialogue to deliver with precision and skill. Especially when you compare with other performers. Fast forward to a decade later and you got Jimmy Fallon who can't utter one line without cracking up
It was satire. The joke of the sketch was that the if the WH and their damage control campaign were being genuinely transparent, the response would have had to have been an act of sheer genius, and not the clear debacle everyone knew it was.
I’m always fascinated by the nuance of biographies. The big events are, of course, interesting, but I often find myself drawn to the more mundane, or unrelated-to-rise-to-fame, aspects that blend into someone’s life story when creating something like a Wikipedia blurb or summary. Before X worked as an insurance adjuster for Y years until Z happened. People like Alan Rickman come to mind. I never knew Phil Hartman did this type of work and for some pretty well known bands. Very cool
I remember his apperance on those nickelodeon outdoor showcases. I'll never forget when he said his blood type was "B positive" becaudd hes such a positive person
Great article. I had no idea about the Pee-Wee Herman connection, either.
There have been a number of musicians with strong art backgrounds or actual careers in design. David Yow of The Jesus Lizard springs to mind (https://glassworkscoffee.com/blogs/beans/david-yow) as well as Bill Drummond of The KLF.
Whenever I want to baffle someone with terminology, I always lead with “Well, I may be just an unfrozen caveman engineer but…” and then launch into as many TLAs as possible.
The only part that doesn't hold up for me is the typical 90s-sitcom nervous-giggly writing about anything sex-related. The ensemble cast is pure gold, especially Phil and Stephen Root. I still find myself thinking about the cane and quitting-smoking episodes.
The Buttafuoco bit from the second episode. And the episode where Phil is stalked. And the malt liquor bit. And the bit after the jumper with him and Dave Folly lying on the floor.
He was consistently the best part of everything he was in. Even in pretty crap-tastic films like Jingle All the Way, he was still somewhat entertaining.
I remember him being in a very mediocre shooter on the psx called Blasto. The game play was fairly meh. But the one liners were a lot of fun. I bought the game specifically because he was in it.
