Smiling

Back when I was wee youngster, I used to listen to underground college radio and longed to be a punk rock girl. Alas, being "different" was not easy in my high school, nor was the punk wardrobe something practical for my parents who handed down the majority of my clothes to my sister.

So I TAPED songs on my cassettes and listening to them on my Walkman the next day. I still have those tapes. They may be dust covered and inaudible, but they are a part of my history and i refuse to get rid of them.

On one of the tapes is a full comedy routine by the ever awesome Emo Philips. Periodically, my memory plays back this routine and makes me smile. He's not particularly funny, as he is odd and freakish, but that's what I still love about him.

In talking with my friend Erin about emo hipsters, I, obviously, wondered: What ever happened to Emo Phillips? Is he still alive? Is he still performing? Well, a quick google search later and I was watching a video clip from 1987, reciting, verbatim, the routine as he spoke. And I found myself smiling. Those glimmers of happiness from our youth...those sometimes awkward teen years...those bits of time when we felt a connection to something greater than ourselves and felt, momentarily, "understood"...that's what Emo Phillips does for me. And I'm smiling.

Yep, he's an odd duck...but here's the clip (check out: Golden Gate Bridge)if you've got a few moments to spare for a walk down memory lane.

Enjoy!