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Changed line(s) 15,16 (click to see context) from:
Is famously close friends with Music/WeirdAlYankovic and has appeared with him in several works, including Al's 1989 vehicle ''Film/{{UHF}}'', his 1999 video for [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qpMvS1Q1sos&ob=av2e "It's All About The Pentiums"]] and a couple of episodes of ''Series/TheWeirdAlShow''. He was also the opening act for Al's 2018 live tour.
to:
Is famously close friends with Music/WeirdAlYankovic and has appeared with him in several works, including Al's 1989 vehicle ''Film/{{UHF}}'', a cameo appearance in ''Film/WeirdTheAlYankovicStory'', his 1999 video for [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qpMvS1Q1sos&ob=av2e "It's All About The Pentiums"]] and a couple of episodes of ''Series/TheWeirdAlShow''. He was also the opening act for Al's 2018 and 2022 live tour.
tours.
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Changed line(s) 26 (click to see context) from:
* AccentUponTheWrongSyllable: Frequently, particularly with the word "theater".
to:
%%Please remember tropes examples must be more than just a quote%%
%% * AccentUponTheWrongSyllable: Frequently, particularly with the word "theater".
%% * AccentUponTheWrongSyllable: Frequently, particularly with the word "theater".
Changed line(s) 28,31 (click to see context) from:
* BaitAndSwitch: The entire premise of his comedy.
* BestialityIsDepraved:
-->"''I have a love of animals which is almost illegal.''"
-->"''I caught a 30-pound bass [...] I was dying to mount it... but there were a lot of people around.''"
* BestialityIsDepraved:
-->"''I have a love of animals which is almost illegal.''"
-->"''I caught a 30-pound bass [...] I was dying to mount it... but there were a lot of people around.''"
to:
%% * BaitAndSwitch: The entire premise of his comedy.
%% * BestialityIsDepraved:
%% -->"''I have a love of animals which is almost illegal.''"
%% -->"''I caught a 30-pound bass [...] I was dying to mount it... but there were a lot of people around.''"
%% * BestialityIsDepraved:
%% -->"''I have a love of animals which is almost illegal.''"
%% -->"''I caught a 30-pound bass [...] I was dying to mount it... but there were a lot of people around.''"
Changed line(s) 34,52 (click to see context) from:
* BreadEggsMilkSquick: A common approach to his humor.
* BrooklynRage:
-->''New York's such a wonderful city. Although I was at the library today. The guy was very rude. I said, "I'd like a card." He says, "You have to prove you're a citizen of New York." So I stabbed him.''
* CatchPhrase: Appears to be, "Well, live and learn . . ."
** Also "Oh, ''memories''...", usually when recounting tales of his [[HilariouslyAbusiveChildhood childhood]].
* ExtremeOmnisexual:
-->''"My classmates would copulate with anything that moved, but I said to them 'why limit yourself?'"''
** Potentially implied in the song ''[[http://www.emophilips.com/video/audio/114 Don't Put Back The Fuse]]''.
* FirstSnow: When Emo was a kid, his favorite time of year was always that first snowfall of winter. Whenever he woke up on a winter's morning and realised it had snowed during the night, he'd squeal with delight, run to the front door of the house and shout to his parents "You know the deal! Let me in now!"
* GilliganCut: In the song "Downtown Downers Grove":
-->''I went into the clothing store and I made up my mind\\
I wasn't going to let any pushy salesman\\
Pressure me into buying something I didn't need\\
...So after I bought the kilts...''
* HilariouslyAbusiveChildhood: ''"My parents were very protective. I couldn't even cross the '''street''' without them getting all excited, and [[SideBet placing bets]]."''
* ILoveTheDead:
-->"''I was with this girl the other night, and from the way she was responding to my skillful caresses, you could have sworn... [[DudeShesLikeInAComa that she was conscious]]. Yeah, from the top of her head to the [[CrossesTheLineTwice tag on her toe]]...''"
* ImThinkingItOver: The drowning woman Emo offers to save in exchange for sex.
* JiveTurkey: Yes. Really. He will occasionally stick tidbits of urban slang into his routine to throw you off. Needless to say, it's PlayedForLaughs.
* BrooklynRage:
-->''New York's such a wonderful city. Although I was at the library today. The guy was very rude. I said, "I'd like a card." He says, "You have to prove you're a citizen of New York." So I stabbed him.''
* CatchPhrase: Appears to be, "Well, live and learn . . ."
** Also "Oh, ''memories''...", usually when recounting tales of his [[HilariouslyAbusiveChildhood childhood]].
* ExtremeOmnisexual:
-->''"My classmates would copulate with anything that moved, but I said to them 'why limit yourself?'"''
** Potentially implied in the song ''[[http://www.emophilips.com/video/audio/114 Don't Put Back The Fuse]]''.
* FirstSnow: When Emo was a kid, his favorite time of year was always that first snowfall of winter. Whenever he woke up on a winter's morning and realised it had snowed during the night, he'd squeal with delight, run to the front door of the house and shout to his parents "You know the deal! Let me in now!"
* GilliganCut: In the song "Downtown Downers Grove":
-->''I went into the clothing store and I made up my mind\\
I wasn't going to let any pushy salesman\\
Pressure me into buying something I didn't need\\
...So after I bought the kilts...''
* HilariouslyAbusiveChildhood: ''"My parents were very protective. I couldn't even cross the '''street''' without them getting all excited, and [[SideBet placing bets]]."''
* ILoveTheDead:
-->"''I was with this girl the other night, and from the way she was responding to my skillful caresses, you could have sworn... [[DudeShesLikeInAComa that she was conscious]]. Yeah, from the top of her head to the [[CrossesTheLineTwice tag on her toe]]...''"
* ImThinkingItOver: The drowning woman Emo offers to save in exchange for sex.
* JiveTurkey: Yes. Really. He will occasionally stick tidbits of urban slang into his routine to throw you off. Needless to say, it's PlayedForLaughs.
to:
%% * BreadEggsMilkSquick: A common approach to his humor.
%% * BrooklynRage:
%% -->''New York's such a wonderful city. Although I was at the library today. The guy was very rude. I said, "I'd like a card." He says, "You have to prove you're a citizen of New York." So I stabbed him.''
%% * CatchPhrase: Appears to be, "Well, live and learn . . ."
%% ** Also "Oh, ''memories''...", usually when recounting tales of his [[HilariouslyAbusiveChildhood childhood]].
%% * ExtremeOmnisexual:
%% -->''"My classmates would copulate with anything that moved, but I said to them 'why limit yourself?'"''
%% ** Potentially implied in the song ''[[http://www.emophilips.com/video/audio/114 Don't Put Back The Fuse]]''.
* FirstSnow: When Emo was a kid, his favorite time of year was always that first snowfall of winter. Whenever he woke up on a winter's morning and realised it had snowed during the night, he'd squeal with delight, run to the front door of the house and shout to his parents "You know the deal! Let me in now!"
%% * GilliganCut: In the song "Downtown Downers Grove":
%% -->''I went into the clothing store and I made up my mind\\
%% I wasn't going to let any pushy salesman\\
%% Pressure me into buying something I didn'tneed\\
...need\\
%% ...So after I bought the kilts...''
%% * HilariouslyAbusiveChildhood: ''"My parents were very protective. I couldn't even cross the '''street''' without them getting all excited, and [[SideBet placing bets]]."''
%% * ILoveTheDead:
%% -->"''I was with this girl the other night, and from the way she was responding to my skillful caresses, you could have sworn... [[DudeShesLikeInAComa that she was conscious]]. Yeah, from the top of her head to the [[CrossesTheLineTwice tag on her toe]]...''"
%% * ImThinkingItOver: The drowning woman Emo offers to save in exchange for sex.
%% * JiveTurkey: Yes. Really. He will occasionally stick tidbits of urban slang into his routine to throw you off. Needless to say, it's PlayedForLaughs.
%% * BrooklynRage:
%% -->''New York's such a wonderful city. Although I was at the library today. The guy was very rude. I said, "I'd like a card." He says, "You have to prove you're a citizen of New York." So I stabbed him.''
%% * CatchPhrase: Appears to be, "Well, live and learn . . ."
%% ** Also "Oh, ''memories''...", usually when recounting tales of his [[HilariouslyAbusiveChildhood childhood]].
%% * ExtremeOmnisexual:
%% -->''"My classmates would copulate with anything that moved, but I said to them 'why limit yourself?'"''
%% ** Potentially implied in the song ''[[http://www.emophilips.com/video/audio/114 Don't Put Back The Fuse]]''.
%% -->''I went into the clothing store and I made up my mind\\
%% I wasn't going to let any pushy salesman\\
%% Pressure me into buying something I didn't
...
%% ...So after I bought the kilts...''
%% * HilariouslyAbusiveChildhood: ''"My parents were very protective. I couldn't even cross the '''street''' without them getting all excited, and [[SideBet placing bets]]."''
%% * ILoveTheDead:
%% -->"''I was with this girl the other night, and from the way she was responding to my skillful caresses, you could have sworn... [[DudeShesLikeInAComa that she was conscious]]. Yeah, from the top of her head to the [[CrossesTheLineTwice tag on her toe]]...''"
%% * ImThinkingItOver: The drowning woman Emo offers to save in exchange for sex.
%% * JiveTurkey: Yes. Really. He will occasionally stick tidbits of urban slang into his routine to throw you off. Needless to say, it's PlayedForLaughs.
Changed line(s) 66,68 (click to see context) from:
* TrademarkFavoriteFood: He mentions cole slaw at least once in all of his shows.
* TurnTheOtherCheek
-->''"That way, the swelling comes out even."''
* TurnTheOtherCheek
-->''"That way, the swelling comes out even."''
to:
%% * TrademarkFavoriteFood: He mentions cole slaw at least once in all of his shows.
%% * TurnTheOtherCheek
%% -->''"That way, the swelling comes out even."''
%% * TurnTheOtherCheek
%% -->''"That way, the swelling comes out even."''
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Changed line(s) 26 (click to see context) from:
* AcCENTUponTheWrongSylLABle: Frequently.
to:
* AcCENTUponTheWrongSylLABle: Frequently.AccentUponTheWrongSyllable: Frequently, particularly with the word "theater".
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Added DiffLines:
He wrote was was voted [[https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2005/sep/29/comedy.religion the Greatest Religious Joke Of All Time]] - and is a little miffed that most people don't know he wrote it.
Added DiffLines:
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Changed line(s) 50 (click to see context) from:
* LocationSong: "I Like to Shop in Downtown Downers Grove", about the Chicago suburb where Philips grew up. In the liner notes for the album in which it was included, he facetiously claimed to have written it for a Chamber of Commerce contest. He added that it won 5th prize, "honorable mention."
to:
* LocationSong: "I Like to Shop in Downtown Downers Grove", about the Chicago suburb where Philips grew up. In the liner notes for the album in which it was included, he facetiously claimed to have written it for a Chamber of Commerce contest. He added that it supposedly won 5th prize, "honorable mention."
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 50 (click to see context) from:
* LocationSong: "I Like to Shop in Downtown Downer's Grove," written for a Chamber of Commerce contest. Won 5th prize, "honorable mention."
to:
* LocationSong: "I Like to Shop in Downtown Downer's Grove," Downers Grove", about the Chicago suburb where Philips grew up. In the liner notes for the album in which it was included, he facetiously claimed to have written it for a Chamber of Commerce contest. Won He added that it won 5th prize, "honorable mention."
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
Moving Emo Philips' page to his correct name. Will redirect "Emo Phillips" here shortly.
Added DiffLines:
[[quoteright:313:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/1224316519emo_philips_6626.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:313: "Probably the toughest time in anyone's life is when you have to murder a loved one because they're the devil."]]
->''"I find you can often find humor just by turning something upside-down. Like a... small child."''
-->--'''Emo Philips''' on ''WesternAnimation/SpaceGhostCoastToCoast''
Emo Philips (born Phil Soltanek, February 7, 1956) is an Illinois-born comedian who is best known for his dark and surreal stand up routines, as well as his flat-out bizarre stage persona, which is characterised by a flutey, dreamy, almost childlike vocal tone, scruffy, mismatched clothing and excessive body language (he often walks with his arms held at right angles to his body, and then runs his hands through his hair whilst talking, if he's not struggling to assemble a trombone that he never uses). A lot of the humour comes when he merges this innocent character with [[BlackComedy Black Humour]], much of which occurs when the audience least expects it. He is very good at twisting standard punchlines, taking a predictable end to a joke and swapping it for an unexpected and often very grim one.
As well as performing stand up comedy, he has acted in a few television series and films, appeared on UK panel show ''Series/EightOutOfTenCats'', and was the executive producer for the 1992 version of ''Film/MeetTheParents''.
He has also lent his unique vocal talents to ''WesternAnimation/DrKatzProfessionalTherapist'' ([[InkSuitActor as a version of his on-stage persona]]), Dooper in ''WesternAnimation/SlackerCats'', Shannon in ''WesternAnimation/HomeMovies'', a series of Creator/BillPlympton-animated commercials for Sugar Delight and three episodes of ''WesternAnimation/AdventureTime'' as Cuber, the narrator for the ''Graybles'' episodes.
In the late 90s, he changed up his look and comedy style, ditching the trademark pageboy haircut and mismatched attire for a more conventional appearance, leading many journalists to comment on his "new grown-up image" and question him on his hair ("''It's like having a child and you think, 'How can this child be any more the center of my life?' And then he's kidnapped.''") He'd drop the new look by the end of the 2000s and has since returned to his old style.
Is famously close friends with Music/WeirdAlYankovic and has appeared with him in several works, including Al's 1989 vehicle ''Film/{{UHF}}'', his 1999 video for [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qpMvS1Q1sos&ob=av2e "It's All About The Pentiums"]] and a couple of episodes of ''Series/TheWeirdAlShow''. He was also the opening act for Al's 2018 live tour.
In 1988 he married fellow comic Judy Tenuta, but the couple later divorced.
Not to be confused with EmoTeen, although to be honest, [[http://www.emophilips.com/writings/emocopia/125 the risk of that is pretty low.]]
----
!!Tropes that apply to Emo Phillips:
* AcCENTUponTheWrongSylLABle: Frequently.
* AlterEgoActing: You rarely, if ever, see Emo Philips being himself in public. The stage persona is more or less all you get.
* BaitAndSwitch: The entire premise of his comedy.
* BestialityIsDepraved:
-->"''I have a love of animals which is almost illegal.''"
-->"''I caught a 30-pound bass [...] I was dying to mount it... but there were a lot of people around.''"
* BlackComedy: Emo's jokes often consist of him cheerily discussing tragic or depressing events that have happened to him, or violent actions he himself has committed.
-->"My Cat gave birth to kittens, and My dad took me and the kittens down to the lake and we drowned them, and I was crying my eyes out because I couldn't get them to skip."
* BreadEggsMilkSquick: A common approach to his humor.
* BrooklynRage:
-->''New York's such a wonderful city. Although I was at the library today. The guy was very rude. I said, "I'd like a card." He says, "You have to prove you're a citizen of New York." So I stabbed him.''
* CatchPhrase: Appears to be, "Well, live and learn . . ."
** Also "Oh, ''memories''...", usually when recounting tales of his [[HilariouslyAbusiveChildhood childhood]].
* ExtremeOmnisexual:
-->''"My classmates would copulate with anything that moved, but I said to them 'why limit yourself?'"''
** Potentially implied in the song ''[[http://www.emophilips.com/video/audio/114 Don't Put Back The Fuse]]''.
* FirstSnow: When Emo was a kid, his favorite time of year was always that first snowfall of winter. Whenever he woke up on a winter's morning and realised it had snowed during the night, he'd squeal with delight, run to the front door of the house and shout to his parents "You know the deal! Let me in now!"
* GilliganCut: In the song "Downtown Downers Grove":
-->''I went into the clothing store and I made up my mind\\
I wasn't going to let any pushy salesman\\
Pressure me into buying something I didn't need\\
...So after I bought the kilts...''
* HilariouslyAbusiveChildhood: ''"My parents were very protective. I couldn't even cross the '''street''' without them getting all excited, and [[SideBet placing bets]]."''
* ILoveTheDead:
-->"''I was with this girl the other night, and from the way she was responding to my skillful caresses, you could have sworn... [[DudeShesLikeInAComa that she was conscious]]. Yeah, from the top of her head to the [[CrossesTheLineTwice tag on her toe]]...''"
* ImThinkingItOver: The drowning woman Emo offers to save in exchange for sex.
* JiveTurkey: Yes. Really. He will occasionally stick tidbits of urban slang into his routine to throw you off. Needless to say, it's PlayedForLaughs.
* LocationSong: "I Like to Shop in Downtown Downer's Grove," written for a Chamber of Commerce contest. Won 5th prize, "honorable mention."
* MajorInjuryUnderreaction: When he appeared in ''Film/{{UHF}}'', [[http://www.emophilips.com/video/video/278 his scene]] involved him accidentally sawing off a finger. His reaction was one of mild embarrassment at his clumsiness.
** In his own stand-up, he tells a story about going to a bar and being puzzled as to why people are giggling behind him, and when he turns round he realises they've been throwing darts into his head for half an hour.
-->"''It's a good thing I heard 'em!''"
* MoodWhiplash: ''Animal Square Dance'' is Emo's vision of what it might be like if the animals in the zoo were freed. The song starts out jaunty and merry with the animals dancing but very quickly devolves into murderous chaos.
* PsychopathicManchild: His stage persona sort of fits this, as rather than being deliberately violent, he gives off an impression of not totally understanding right from wrong, or serious incidents from trivial ones, resulting in horrible anecdotes being delivered in the same way someone might talk about the weather.
--> "''Some mornings, it's just not worth chewing through the leather straps.''"\\
''"I love to go down to the schoolyard and watch all the little children jump up and down and run around yelling and screaming.... They don't know I'm only using blanks."''
* RapidFireComedy: Most of his routines are a series of one-liners, each of varying sanity.
* RiddleOfTheSphinx: One of his jokes involves telling this riddle to an assassin about to kill him, on the terms that Emo goes free if he answers incorrectly. The assassin gives the most well-known answer, but naturally, he's wrong. Emo's answer: [[spoiler:A donkey has four legs in the morning, then you saw off two of them in the afternoon and then you glue one of them back on at night.]]
* ShaggyDogStory: He tells a long story about going to a library to find out information about the Heimlich maneuver where he has multiple long exchanges with librarian, has to make a side trip to get change for a Xerox and so forth [[spoiler:when he finally gets back to the car, his sister is purple from the chicken bone she's choking on. So it's a subversion]].
* SillyWalk: He often walks unusually slowly with his arms held out to the sides of his body.
* SingleMaltVision: "The principal said, 'Emo, Emo, Emo...' I said 'I'm the one in the middle, you drunken slob.'"
* TrademarkFavoriteFood: He mentions cole slaw at least once in all of his shows.
* TurnTheOtherCheek
-->''"That way, the swelling comes out even."''
----
-->''"Other than that, though, it's been a good day."''
----
[[caption-width-right:313: "Probably the toughest time in anyone's life is when you have to murder a loved one because they're the devil."]]
->''"I find you can often find humor just by turning something upside-down. Like a... small child."''
-->--'''Emo Philips''' on ''WesternAnimation/SpaceGhostCoastToCoast''
Emo Philips (born Phil Soltanek, February 7, 1956) is an Illinois-born comedian who is best known for his dark and surreal stand up routines, as well as his flat-out bizarre stage persona, which is characterised by a flutey, dreamy, almost childlike vocal tone, scruffy, mismatched clothing and excessive body language (he often walks with his arms held at right angles to his body, and then runs his hands through his hair whilst talking, if he's not struggling to assemble a trombone that he never uses). A lot of the humour comes when he merges this innocent character with [[BlackComedy Black Humour]], much of which occurs when the audience least expects it. He is very good at twisting standard punchlines, taking a predictable end to a joke and swapping it for an unexpected and often very grim one.
As well as performing stand up comedy, he has acted in a few television series and films, appeared on UK panel show ''Series/EightOutOfTenCats'', and was the executive producer for the 1992 version of ''Film/MeetTheParents''.
He has also lent his unique vocal talents to ''WesternAnimation/DrKatzProfessionalTherapist'' ([[InkSuitActor as a version of his on-stage persona]]), Dooper in ''WesternAnimation/SlackerCats'', Shannon in ''WesternAnimation/HomeMovies'', a series of Creator/BillPlympton-animated commercials for Sugar Delight and three episodes of ''WesternAnimation/AdventureTime'' as Cuber, the narrator for the ''Graybles'' episodes.
In the late 90s, he changed up his look and comedy style, ditching the trademark pageboy haircut and mismatched attire for a more conventional appearance, leading many journalists to comment on his "new grown-up image" and question him on his hair ("''It's like having a child and you think, 'How can this child be any more the center of my life?' And then he's kidnapped.''") He'd drop the new look by the end of the 2000s and has since returned to his old style.
Is famously close friends with Music/WeirdAlYankovic and has appeared with him in several works, including Al's 1989 vehicle ''Film/{{UHF}}'', his 1999 video for [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qpMvS1Q1sos&ob=av2e "It's All About The Pentiums"]] and a couple of episodes of ''Series/TheWeirdAlShow''. He was also the opening act for Al's 2018 live tour.
In 1988 he married fellow comic Judy Tenuta, but the couple later divorced.
Not to be confused with EmoTeen, although to be honest, [[http://www.emophilips.com/writings/emocopia/125 the risk of that is pretty low.]]
----
!!Tropes that apply to Emo Phillips:
* AcCENTUponTheWrongSylLABle: Frequently.
* AlterEgoActing: You rarely, if ever, see Emo Philips being himself in public. The stage persona is more or less all you get.
* BaitAndSwitch: The entire premise of his comedy.
* BestialityIsDepraved:
-->"''I have a love of animals which is almost illegal.''"
-->"''I caught a 30-pound bass [...] I was dying to mount it... but there were a lot of people around.''"
* BlackComedy: Emo's jokes often consist of him cheerily discussing tragic or depressing events that have happened to him, or violent actions he himself has committed.
-->"My Cat gave birth to kittens, and My dad took me and the kittens down to the lake and we drowned them, and I was crying my eyes out because I couldn't get them to skip."
* BreadEggsMilkSquick: A common approach to his humor.
* BrooklynRage:
-->''New York's such a wonderful city. Although I was at the library today. The guy was very rude. I said, "I'd like a card." He says, "You have to prove you're a citizen of New York." So I stabbed him.''
* CatchPhrase: Appears to be, "Well, live and learn . . ."
** Also "Oh, ''memories''...", usually when recounting tales of his [[HilariouslyAbusiveChildhood childhood]].
* ExtremeOmnisexual:
-->''"My classmates would copulate with anything that moved, but I said to them 'why limit yourself?'"''
** Potentially implied in the song ''[[http://www.emophilips.com/video/audio/114 Don't Put Back The Fuse]]''.
* FirstSnow: When Emo was a kid, his favorite time of year was always that first snowfall of winter. Whenever he woke up on a winter's morning and realised it had snowed during the night, he'd squeal with delight, run to the front door of the house and shout to his parents "You know the deal! Let me in now!"
* GilliganCut: In the song "Downtown Downers Grove":
-->''I went into the clothing store and I made up my mind\\
I wasn't going to let any pushy salesman\\
Pressure me into buying something I didn't need\\
...So after I bought the kilts...''
* HilariouslyAbusiveChildhood: ''"My parents were very protective. I couldn't even cross the '''street''' without them getting all excited, and [[SideBet placing bets]]."''
* ILoveTheDead:
-->"''I was with this girl the other night, and from the way she was responding to my skillful caresses, you could have sworn... [[DudeShesLikeInAComa that she was conscious]]. Yeah, from the top of her head to the [[CrossesTheLineTwice tag on her toe]]...''"
* ImThinkingItOver: The drowning woman Emo offers to save in exchange for sex.
* JiveTurkey: Yes. Really. He will occasionally stick tidbits of urban slang into his routine to throw you off. Needless to say, it's PlayedForLaughs.
* LocationSong: "I Like to Shop in Downtown Downer's Grove," written for a Chamber of Commerce contest. Won 5th prize, "honorable mention."
* MajorInjuryUnderreaction: When he appeared in ''Film/{{UHF}}'', [[http://www.emophilips.com/video/video/278 his scene]] involved him accidentally sawing off a finger. His reaction was one of mild embarrassment at his clumsiness.
** In his own stand-up, he tells a story about going to a bar and being puzzled as to why people are giggling behind him, and when he turns round he realises they've been throwing darts into his head for half an hour.
-->"''It's a good thing I heard 'em!''"
* MoodWhiplash: ''Animal Square Dance'' is Emo's vision of what it might be like if the animals in the zoo were freed. The song starts out jaunty and merry with the animals dancing but very quickly devolves into murderous chaos.
* PsychopathicManchild: His stage persona sort of fits this, as rather than being deliberately violent, he gives off an impression of not totally understanding right from wrong, or serious incidents from trivial ones, resulting in horrible anecdotes being delivered in the same way someone might talk about the weather.
--> "''Some mornings, it's just not worth chewing through the leather straps.''"\\
''"I love to go down to the schoolyard and watch all the little children jump up and down and run around yelling and screaming.... They don't know I'm only using blanks."''
* RapidFireComedy: Most of his routines are a series of one-liners, each of varying sanity.
* RiddleOfTheSphinx: One of his jokes involves telling this riddle to an assassin about to kill him, on the terms that Emo goes free if he answers incorrectly. The assassin gives the most well-known answer, but naturally, he's wrong. Emo's answer: [[spoiler:A donkey has four legs in the morning, then you saw off two of them in the afternoon and then you glue one of them back on at night.]]
* ShaggyDogStory: He tells a long story about going to a library to find out information about the Heimlich maneuver where he has multiple long exchanges with librarian, has to make a side trip to get change for a Xerox and so forth [[spoiler:when he finally gets back to the car, his sister is purple from the chicken bone she's choking on. So it's a subversion]].
* SillyWalk: He often walks unusually slowly with his arms held out to the sides of his body.
* SingleMaltVision: "The principal said, 'Emo, Emo, Emo...' I said 'I'm the one in the middle, you drunken slob.'"
* TrademarkFavoriteFood: He mentions cole slaw at least once in all of his shows.
* TurnTheOtherCheek
-->''"That way, the swelling comes out even."''
----
-->''"Other than that, though, it's been a good day."''
----
