Phil had started out as a graphic designer, and had designed album covers for bands Poco and America. My favorite cover of his is the horse design of Poco's Legend album. It is a simply beautiful piece of work.
Like Belushi, I am sorry about his tragic death. I wish he'd been around longer. I enjoyed his on appearances on television shows, the big screen, as well as commercials. He was a unique talent that always brought something unique with him. I never got enough of him.
He once said that the one thing he could do was voices, impersonations and weird characters, and that there was really no call for it except on Saturday Night Live. I think Phil was right. When he left SNL, his career didn't really take off like many of the other talented SNL alumni before him. He was indeed among the SNL greats. He was brilliant on News Radio. As brilliant as he was there, we knew he could do so much more.
Phil Hartman was the class clown growing up. Hartman was the kind of guy that was fun to hang with. He liked making people laugh, and I like people with that kind of heart. He could do John Wayne, Jack Benny, Jack Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson and entertain his friends. But he never seriously considered it as a career choice. Opportunities just opened up as he sought out more creative outlets for his talent. He ended up with The Groundlings and hooked up with Paul Reubens and helped him create his quirky PeeWee Herman character. He ended up having a re-occurring character on PeeWee Playhouse. SNL soon followed.
Some people mourn the loss of famous singers and musicians like Elvis, but I'm one of those folks that miss the funny men. I rate Phil up there among the funniest.
"I've succeeded beyond my wildest dreams - financially and the amount of fun I have in my life."
-Phil Hartman
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