Comedian Henry Phillips at Go Bananas

By P.F. Wilson for CityBeat

“Music has always been my passion,” says comedian Henry Phillips. “When I was a kid, I always wanted to be in a rock band.” However, Phillips always had a funny streak inside. “I was always a fan of ‘Deep Thoughts’ on Saturday Night Live, in that it was presented in such a funny, serious way. You knew exactly what he was making fun of, and it was kind of dark, but the guy making the commentary was clueless as to the humor.” Phillips started to instill that into his music.

Still trying to be a serious musician, he started performing his funny songs at coffee shops and small venues around Los Angeles. “People really enjoyed it, and started asking if I performed anywhere else or if I had a CD. They never asked that about my other music, so I thought ‘maybe I’ll run with this for a while.’ ” Today his set is approximately half music, half traditional stand-up but still follows the same comedic approach he’s always had. “I’ve always been into making fun of things in general. If I see something, I always think, ‘it would be fun to do a funny version of that.’ I’ve always gravitated toward satire.”

INFO: Go Bananas, Montgomery. Through Sunday, June 24. $8-$14. 513-984-9288, gobananascomedy.com .

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