Books Film/TV

You Might Remember Me: The Life and Times of Phil Hartman by Mike Thomas (St. Martin’s Press, $32.50)

phil hartman

By Andreas Kessaris for Curtains Up!

“Phil has done more work that’s touched greatness than probably anybody else who’s been here.”

-Lorne Michaels

Are you familiar with these phrases?

“Fire bad!”

“I’m just a caveman….”

“Hello, I’m Troy McClure.  You may remember me from such movies as…”

If you recognize any of the above, then you have heard a comedy bit performed by the legendary Phil Hartman.  To know his work is to be a fan, from The Groundlings and Pee-Wee’s Playhouse, through his years on Saturday Night Live, to his guest appearances on The Simpsons (where he had a sort of “fifth Beatle” status), the chameleon-like “man of a thousand voices” possessed an “everyman” quality that brought a certain authenticity to the characters he played (so much so that his nickname at SNL was “The Glue”).  The life and tragic death of the Canadian-born comedic actor and impressionist is the subject of You Might Remember Me:  The Life and Times of Phil Hartman, a new book by journalist Mike Thomas.

I was eager to read You Might Remember Me not only because I am an admirer of Hartman himself, but of the time he spent on SNL, years that were, in my opinion, the show’s best; an era when every sketch was a gem, and every cast member a true talent.  What I got was a poorly written, badly organized, and disappointing effort that lacked any real style or originality.

While I did learn a few interesting things about Phil Hartman that I did not know before, I had to slog through pages of redundant and unnecessary details to get to them.  What really annoys me the most is Thomas’s insistence on describing all the residences where Hartman lived in such detail (including the street address, how many bathrooms there were, and what the décor was like), that at times the book seems more like a real estate guide than a serious biography.

The book also contains many omissions and factual errors (two examples:  David Letterman’s show on NBC in the 1980’s was called Late Night, not The Late Show [pg. 114], and Eddie Murphy left SNL in 1984, not 1985 [pg. 126]), most of which I knew were incorrect without even having to look up.

The author employs numerous quotes from scenes, songs and poems that seem tacked-on as crude, awkward filler material in lieu of actual, substantial content, especially in the sections covering the memorials to Hartman after his death.  In the chapters detailing Hartman’s last tragic hours, Thomas, for reasons known only to him, changes his writing style to that of a true crime reporter, clumsily switching back immediately afterwards.

Of all the personalities Hartman brought to life, the most enigmatic was his own.  I was hoping to get to know him better; a glimpse of his true self.  Instead he seems to disappear in his own biography, remaining as elusive in death as he was in life.  You Might Remember Me:  The Life and Times of Phil Hartman fails to work as either a profile or a tribute, leaving me ultimately unsatisfied.

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