Phil Hendrie: The Voice Of A New Renaissance (In Nirvana While Residing In Hell)

The One & Only:  PHIL HENDRIE

The word genius has been applied more and more to artists than to scientists and mathematicians – The Overview on The Phil Hedrie Show from June 7 with Rick Overton opened – and it’s ok, I guess, because we are just interpreters of the thing that is happening.  Overton kept on explaining how we are living, today, the beginning of a new renaissance, and how much Phil Hendrie is having an enormous influence in pulling up that thick curtain of denial and avoidance that we all need to walk through.

Spoiler alert! When you get the chance to talk with Phil Hendrie you would never stop; there were so many topics I wanted to discuss with him, from Monsanto to Iran, especially after I had finally listened to another Overview, the one from May 31, because I don't just think about existential matters and selfish crap; I read the news, and whilst being a loner, I keep an eye on what's going on out there, believe it or not!  But I had to make choices, just like always. 

The Phil Hendrie Show

If you are not familiar with what Hendrie does, he is the inventor of one of the most genius and hilarious radio theater talk shows in America; Hendrie turns into a thousand characters and you can't help but loving the way he tricks you into it! It's through them that he shares his message and makes you laugh, today like 20 years ago; it's through their unique features and bizarre behaviors that night after night, year after year, The Phil Hendrie Show has become a trademark, something so unique that it has become impossible to imitate.  Phil Hendrie is probably not for everyone, and every time an artist or its creations are not for everyone, according to the average appraisal and critique, I can somehow see myself in their mirror, and look through what they do in the light of a more engaged nature of understanding.  

History keeps repeating itself, it’s a matter of flux and re-flux; the Italian philosopher Giambattista Vico notably described this theory, in the early 1700 (I was a depressed and suicidal weirdo in high school already, but my history teacher would be proud of this little gem of memory I summon with such a clarity of mind, and without the help of Wikipedia.)  Renaissance came after the Dark Ages after all, the Medieval Period, and hopefully it’s happening again, very slowly, with a technological double-edged sword that is transforming this process both into a dangerous battlefield of privacy downfall, and into a widespread information platform.   

I did not yet know what to expect from this exchange of thoughts and ideas with someone like Hendrie when I had genuinely asked him his professional critique on my latest audio-blog on Layne Staley, last week, and later that same day, when I had asked him if he wanted to be interviewed for WonderlandMag; I did not even think he would say yes!  He is Phil Hendrie!  But he did say 'Yes' because it turns out, as I keep learning, that true artists are humble; true artists are the ones who are willing to share, to teach without bragging the teacher medallion on their uniform, to guide you, without letting you know they are doing it. 

More and more every day I am becoming a silent observer, because I rather write, as the peril of the spoken words burned me way too much in the past, and I have never been smart enough to recognize whom the safe ears truly were; I have a clue today, but I play it safe and I rather play with words on a white page.   

I try to absorb the inspiration in every possible form, but there is something about the life of other artists that inspires me lately, probably to be ready, just in case; it is not what they need in order to create; it is not the color of the t-shirt they need to wear or whether they shower or not before sitting down at their desk; that’s just funny shit I can read on the Internet like The Daily Routine of Famous Writers, an entertaining article I had stumbled upon a couple of days ago.  What truly gets to my soul it’s the grace, the talent and the effort with which they can carry their head high and re-invent themselves when something goes wrong or when something doesn’t work the way they wanted; and God knows how much life doesn’t always go the way we want!

What inspired me about Phil, since the very first time I had listened to his show and to his story, six or seven months ago - hence from the first time when I had started researching about him, besides his immense culture, humor, a couple of things we had in common (from what I could already perceive) and his attitude, was the way he had re-invented himself with his unique talent, over the years, and no matter how much life did not go the way he probably had imagined!

All for you, my interview with Mr. Phil Hendrie!

- Your culture is mind blowing, Phil; how did you get there?  How do you remember things?  Have you been taking notes on historical and cultural events all these years or have you just been gifted with a better working memory than mine? Did you have a mentor when you started?  I know about Lenny Bruce...

PH. How did I get here? Well, observing people has always been a basic part of my person, my being. I don't even think about it. I see someone and I find myself instinctively mimicking them. I'm not a note-taker; I am a reader and an observer. History has been a passion of mine since the beginning. The first real book I ever read (not the Hardy Boys) was a biography of Howard Hughes. So history, events, moments, I retain easily, usually associating them with images. I can't say I ever had a mentor as a young person or even young professional.  I pretty much found my own way but as far as influences, comedically they were Lenny Bruce, Jackie Gleason, Laurel & Hardy. In broadcasting my influences were Bob Hudson, Tolly Strode, Firesign Theater and The Credibility Gap.

- You said that in your late 30s you were still fucking around (which reassures me, because I have fucked around enough, I am 31 and I am trying to work real hard for once!)  When did the change happen in your life, both career and attitude wise?

PH. I finally gained the focus and courage I needed to express everything I had in me creatively when I was 37.  Before that, the very extreme artistic instincts I have I kept buried because I came from a family that valued "fitting in" and I think that was the case, because we were a family filled with depressive or manic depressive people, and not standing out was valued.  So there I was, trying to fit in through the first 40 years of my life, what I called 'fucking around.'  It wasn't until I got fired for about the fifth time that I promised myself I'd not waste another minute on the air, that I would make sure I blasted everything I had in me out of me.  That was 22 years ago and I'm still not near done...

- How much did relationships suffer because of your hunger for knowledge and ambition?  Because let's be honest, the day is made of 24 hours; how did you manage to have a successful life, both culturally and professionally, while also having meaningful relationships?  The balance: when and how did you find a balance between living life and learning from it, while actually studying what had happened in life, in order to reference from the past?

PH. Well, relationships, love.. Those things were, and I suppose still are secondary ... I've always been primarily interested in women for friendship and sex, as equals and fellow travelers on the spaceship earth but not as wives. My male friends I've had longer, since men don't need the communication maintenance that women need. My male friends have been with me for 40 plus years. But my friendships, romances etc. have always taken a back seat to career.  Today I see the fruit of that.  I'm still fighting the career fight but without family support.  It's okay.  I'm happy because I’m not making anyone else unhappy.  And to be honest, I am a loner.  I need lots of alone time; it's how I survived a crazy childhood. I was also married, for 9 years and it did not go well.  And it was shattering to my career to be blunt.  So the balance for me is work and then time away to observe, live, vacation.  If there is someone who can hang with that over the long haul then fine, I've got a life partner.  If not, that's okay too.

- Was humor for you a way to fight some kind of darkness or simply part of your nature since a very young age?  Can you give me a snapshot of your childhood and on how you keep memories alive?  I have read a lot about you, as well as listened to other interviews, but I'd love to have your own words, for me, here.  (As many as you want, what you feel like - you are the boss, this must be fun, deep but pleasantly squirming!)

PH. My earliest memory of a dream is of me riding a bike down the street at dinnertime. All the other houses are our, and you can smell food cooking. But when I arrive home the house is dark, no lights. Now, I had this dream around the age of 5 (I don't get the bike-riding, I don't think I was riding yet) and yet, I recall a happy childhood filled with real curiosity and, yes, emerging humor. Both my father and older brother were funny and were my first 'humor' influences.  I don't recall conjuring humor as a way of escape.  It was really a part of me.  But my childhood became increasingly dark as my parents pulled apart. They fought often and our home became tense, unhappy, rather bleak after my dad left. But humor ran along a parallel track, never a cure or a balm but a very organic part of me.  Bobbie Dooley, a character I created, is based upon my mother and there are various characters that were influenced by my dad.  There's plenty of those days that are feeding the art now. The shame and fear that comes from a family dissolving. 

Early on we had a wonderful life in 1950's California, barbecues, block parties, the WWII vets in they street, my dad going off to work, me at June with my mother... I was fascinated by light streaming through the mail slot in the door and the small particles of dust floating in it... I loved water the first time I discovered it beyond drinking it.. that is swimming in it... I loved hats, really loved hats!  They were costumes; I recognized that. I did a lot of fantasy play that had a lot to do with television and radio. 
In fact the first character I think I ever created was as a five year old.  I called the character "the Angry Newsman" and this guy would sit on TV and try to read the news without seeming angry even though everything he read was horror-filled.  The way I'd play with this character made me howl with laughter.

Later, we moved to a bigger house, my dad made more money but my parents began arguing and I was approaching adolescence. I became cynical and grew my hair, started smoking. The usual. But my humor came with me and became a bigger and bigger part of my expression. I got turned onto Lenny Bruce, Jonathan Winters and the Mothers of Invention. I started thinking counter-culturally as well, hence more politically incorrect for the time...I never developed a good relationship with my mother and for many, many years it created guilt in me.  Why was I not close to her, why didn't I want to be close to her.  

It was a feeling that could have buried me but it didn't and eventually I discovered the source of those feelings.  I can't share what that is but finding some part of the truth gave me a bit of freedom. 

But it was a large part of why I didn't want to stand out, to let my creative self shine through ...I was more than a little afraid that there was a madness there that must not be shown.  So the real Phil Hendrie, that small boy, was or is exuberant, curious and truly in love with life.

- My mother keeps reading my blog (translating it with Google Translate on top of it, because she is Italian.  Hopefully she will never read my first novel, because it will kill her, poor woman!)  Have your parents been affected by your show in any negative way?

Some of your characters, like Bobbie Dooley, are inspired by them...

PH. By the time my current show hit the air in 1990 my father had passed on (1987) and my mother, while still alive and visiting me from time to time, was still very closed-'mouthed about my show.  I was never sure what she thought, because she never told me or volunteered anything.  My broadcasting career in general seemed to be of little interest to my parents.  I always had the feeling they were embarrassed by it, or didn't understand it, or in my fathers case perhaps a bit jealous of it, or competitive.  I gave up trying to figure that out. It does appear for me that when I gave up trying to impress my parents or figure out why I had such a tough time loving them or connecting with them ... everything became much easier, much freer.  I started on road to freedom...

- I know you are a Buddhist; I was introduced to Zen Buddhism through Leonard Cohen and even though I am still working on my discipline (among other many other things) and waiting to start my TM practice, I must say that Buddhism helped quite a lot, especially in my recovery.  What's your experience with it, and when did it start?  What's your religious background?

PH. I was raised Catholic but my generation, the boomers, went beyond the religious mainstream as you probably know, and I investigated many different religions, most of them 'eastern.'  For me it began with the Self Realization Fellowship in the Palisades after reading Paramahansa Yogananda's book.  Then reading Taoism, some Zen which was really popular back then, Transcendental Meditation, which my girlfriend at the time ('76) introduced me to and which was a teaching of the Mahareeshi Mahesh Yogi and then in the early 90's another woman turned me onto Nicharen Daishonin Buddhism, (the Tina Turner Buddhism.) – He laughs.  But truly, that is the most powerful spiritual anchor I've ever had, my Buddhism today.  These past 7 years have been the toughest of my life and my Buddhism saved me and continues to be the one great thing in my every day living.  It's all about redirecting karma, changing the cause to change the effect.

Are you happy in this moment of your life?  I want an honest answer.  I am very straight forward when it comes to that, I am never happy and even though I may sound cynical and ungrateful, that's me, that's how I am.  There are moments when I am less unhappy and that's what I consider happiness, therefore I am immensely grateful.  But how is your life today?  How's the show going?  You are healthier than ever – Phil recently lost 80 pounds and since he told me, adding that he can finally recognize himself in the mirror again, I thought I would share.  Some things you keep to yourself, but when you know they carry a deeper meaning you write them down, and I learned to trust my guts on that and to read between the lines!  You have never stopped acting while doing your show, you keep sharing your message and you are fun as fuck!  Are you satisfied?

Was there ever a time in your life when you wanted to stop time because everything was 'perfect' for one second?

PH. I'm not happy.  I'm still crawling out from under the wreckage of a derailed career and marriage.  While I own my own business and make good money again it's at a much higher price in terms of work and sacrifice.  But I am trying to turn that around, to be in nirvana so to speak, while residing in hell.  
I had an on again, off again relationship with a lady this past year that ended in early May and it really crushed me.  I mean…it really broke my heart and it shouldn't have for a lot of reasons, but it did... I would never tell her that though, because I'm way too proud.  

I guess the closest to life being perfect for me was sitting on a train - not a plane, a train... In 1996 heading west, back home to California, a triumphant return you might say after more years "on the road" heading through the beautiful desert and mountains of the west, sitting in my little first class room, drinking coffee, smoking cigarettes and watching the country roll by, knowing I'd done something miraculous... I'd set out to reinvent myself creatively and I'd done it, and was now heading into the LA market and a very bright future ... It probably didn't last more than a day, but it was a quintessential moment.

Love is elusive and that's because I never made it a priority, and now I fear life without love or family.  That scares me but I also have a strange sense of satisfaction knowing I'll be okay alone because I'd rather be alone than trapped.  I guess I'll always be that way.  

I grew up the third child.  I became the rescuer and the enabler.  I've gone through life feeling that the only way to gain love is to earn it by taking care of people.  I've learned that that has hurt me, that I've not taken care of number one, as they say, and I have to start doing that.  I guess you might say I'm entering a period of happiness where I now know and forevermore will know that it's the journey, not the destination, as cliché as that sounds.  It's about right now.

But I do have plans; I still want to produce and perform my one-man show, I want to do far more on-camera work, I want to produce my animated pilot and then.... return to Mexico for a one month vacation!!!

- Phil, I was about to forget a very important question; before I finally let you go, as you’ve been kind enough to talk to me in such a truthful way; I know you have been doing some major work for runaway kids, here in Los Angeles.  Can you tell me how did it start and talk a little about the organization and the center that was born as a result?

PH. Oh you're right! Yes, when I was in Miami I saw the money radio WIOD raised for Center One, an outreach center for people with HIV related disease.  They raised a lot of money and I realized that radio, especially talk radio provides one thing, entertainment, a release from stress but nothing more.  All this horseshit about 'informing' and 'educating' the public is utter jive.  But one area we can do some good is actually rallying resources for a social purpose, that is, MONEY!  So when I got to LA I remembered that, and realized we could do a 'Best Of' CD, sell it, make good money and turn it over to a worthy community support.  We were contacted by the organization My Friends Place, a non-profit resource center for homeless youth in California, after some charities actually turned us down (our CD material was too 'out there’.) We started doing personal appearances and our listeners responded.  We raised over a million dollars in 7 years... LA is not known as the most generous community when it comes to charities.  In fact it was tough getting people in the radio community in LA to even understand what I was talking about... 
I had a bit if a vision in Miami while I began my Buddhist practice that I could build a school for kids without the monetary resources to attend good school...that turned into our support for My Friends Place, a center for homeless and runaway kids.  That's what the center on Hollywood Blvd is about, the one you have mentioned, after my ex Maria and myself.  The name doesn't matter to me, whether our names are still there or not... That the center is there is important, and it still is!

I don't know what's coming up next on this blog, but as of now, as I am finishing to type this special interview, I am just going to enjoy the feeling.  
It won't last, but as he said, it's about right now, and right now, what I have just heard, has given me something more of an understanding, of an acceptance.  It's something that I dare calling perishable peace of mind, something that will expire in 24 hours or so, but it's also something that is making this late Saturday afternoon more breathable to my lungs.

Thank you Phil, it was an honor to have you here!

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