A Conversation with Actor, Comedian, Satirist, and Radio Personality Phil Hendrie, “The World of Phil Hendrie,” Theatre West, by James Scarborough

Phil Hendrie’s upcoming performance, “The World of Phil Hendrie,” at Theatre West promises a unique blend of satire and character acting. Hendrie’s career has been defined by his ability to inhabit a multitude of voices, each a hilarious caricature of societal archetypes. From the lisping Chris Norton to the self-important Jay Santos, Hendrie’s characters expose the absurdity of human behavior through exaggeration. His radio show’s innovative format, blurring the lines between host and caller, further underscores the constructed nature of public discourse. This one-night stand-up event presents us with a valuable opportunity to witness Hendrie’s comedic genius firsthand and explore the power of satire to challenge social norms and expose hypocrisy.

JS: How has your approach to satire evolved throughout your career, particularly in the context of the changing media landscape?

PH: I think it all started just as “humor” for me. Just what made me laugh. Satire, as Gary Trudeau described it, is humor with a point of view. So as I was affected by things I began to have that “point of view.” I wasn’t just laughing at mom and her egg salad sandwiches, for instance. I began to have a point of view on her generational, immigrant experience, her working beyond the age of 50 experience. Today, the more you focus your commentary on the human, “egg salad,” “weird clothes” stuff as opposed to the larger political or cultural things, the more you connect with people. Everybody is hypersensitive to the political nowadays because they feel their very lives are at risk. Nothing funny there:

JS: What inspires your creation of characters? How do you ensure they remain both humorous and socially relevant?

PH: Characters come from real people you either meet or hear or see. You accentuate various aspects of those people making them sound even more regional, more narrow-minded, more petty or arrogant. They become unique and different from the original inspiration. So, to quote Stephen King, story follows character, not the other way around. I see something in life or the news and one of my characters immediately comes to mind. I saw an AI video of a giant crack in the earth opening and threatening to consume everything in its path. I thought of Steve Dooley, the husband of my character Bobbie Dooley, as an idiot that would buy into that horse dung because he’s a tabloid reading simpleton who thinks everything in those pages is real.

JS: What are the distinct challenges and rewards of portraying your characters on the radio versus a live stage setting?

PH: In radio you are a one man show -  actor, writer, producer, special effects, you are making the whole movie, so to speak, and getting up and taking a leak during the commercials. You’re creating a light show in people’s heads, a revolution of humor and effect …. And you’re sitting there in your shorts eating Reese’s. With a live stage show you are able to add the characters movement, the facial reveals. It’s like you were talking to people on the phone and now you are meeting face to face. So much more information and it becomes a real relationship in a way, not mage believe.

JS: How do you navigate the balance between mocking societal figures and generating empathy for the underlying human struggles they represent?

PH: These days I stay away from mocking well known figures in the political realm because, as I mentioned, people are tense and see the political situation as critical. When it comes to other noted people, since I’m not an impressionist, commentary on them comes from other opinions of them. My entertainment gadfly “Margaret Grey” character is perfect for commenting on the entertainment world. She’s a reporter who is superficial, entirely affected and impatient. Yet lovable. A pain in the ass but somehow warm and hilarious. What people may think of entertainers, she embodies as the reporter.

JS: What is your perspective on the future of talk radio, particularly in light of the rise of podcasts and social media?

PH: Well, as I like to say, I destroyed talk radio. I’m only partially kidding. Our show illustrated the silly dishonesty of canvassing honest opinions when everything is screened and edited heavily anyway. Radio in general is not in a healthy state. The industry was really caught flat footed by the new media explosion. No one in radio really understood the attraction of new media, particularly its on-demand appeal and its massive crushing of the wall between creators and consumer. Talk radio today is relegated to the older demo, super conservative AM radio band, a big echo chamber. No more on-air conflict. Too messy and uncontrolled and ultimately embarrassing. In the sense we knew it, talk radio is gone. Performance radio, radio theater, is back.

JS: How can humor be a catalyst for social change, and what role does laughter play in your artistic process?

PH: I think humor begins the conversation that ultimately has people sitting down at the same table. The topic of what people are laughing at or about doesn’t really much matter so long that isn’t one of those polarizing political sermons. The best satire these days for me is satirizing individuals and their pettiness, their stupid meanderings, their tragic personal mistakes. Nome of it politics with a capital P, all of it politics with a small p. If we can keep it on politics with a small p and the question of why do we believe what we believe, not from current events, but from our own life experience and upbringing, there’s the start. 

JS: How do you plan to incorporate audience participation into your “World of Phil Hendrie” performance?

PH: This will be a performance intended for viewing only, straight up, to start. We may invite audience members on stage for the Jay Santos-Citizens Auxiliary Police segment as Jay demonstrates his ridiculous apprehension techniques. They will all have to evolve. But this is strictly a performance and a getting-to-know these people.  

JS: What does your upcoming induction into the Radio Hall of Fame signify to you, and how does it reflect on the impact of your work?

PH: It was completely unexpected, I’m very grateful and very humbled. Frankly, I didn’t think I had a, as I said to my friend Kraig Kitchen, snowball’s chance in Hell of getting into any Radio Hall of Fame. I always felt my work was far too countercultural for the radio establishment. I think people should know my show was difficult to sell, and it was difficult to affiliate. It had a passionate audience, but the mainstream radio machine struggled with how to present it because it was essentially a satire of Radio itself. Having said all of that marvelous stuff, I believe my induction signifies a great possibility for Radio to really invest in artists, in performers, in creators the way motion pictures and television and the literary world have for decades.  Quit seeing it as content you jam between commercials. See it as the money where the real gold is. 

JS: What are your plans for future projects beyond radio, encompassing acting, animation, or other creative endeavors?

PH: Well, like everyone else in this world, we’re shopping a pilot, an animated pilot featuring characters from my show. I really want to sharpen my skills on stage. I think theater is the future for many actors as the business works out streaming and AI. I love doing house over and if the Gods are really smiling I’d love to land a recurring or regular role as the weird mad in the house at the beach with a cat who is also, in truth, the reincarnation of ……… you fill it in. I have my idea but I’d probably be put away if I articulated it. 

JS: What advice would you share with aspiring satirists who seek to use humor as a tool for social commentary?

PH: Don’t ever come at it with the attitude that you want to “comment on society.” Come at it from the angle that you’d like to comment on people. That’s where it starts. This person, that person. What’s interesting about them? You’ll find your way to social commentary overall. And don’t ever let anyone tell you what is funny. You already know.