Emo Philips briefly attained a certain level of stardom in the 80s with the explosion of comedy clubs across America.

Emo’s bizarre, high-pitched delivery, Prince Valiant haircut, and often anti-joke style put him more in company with Andy Kaufman and Pee Wee Herman than Jerry Seinfeld.

In fact, if his routine can be compared to any other comedian it would probably be Stephen Wright. Emo’s specialty was and is taking a routine quote and adding a bizarre—often psychotic--twist. His surreal performance artist approach didn’t translate easily into film or TV and he never achieved the kind of stardom that less talented comedians did.