Fred_Armisen

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Fred Armisen Fred Armisen Year 1996 1994 1993 1991 Title The Broadcasting System Trenchmouth Vs. the Light of the Sun Inside the Future Construction of New Action: Volume 1: First There Was Movement Fred Armisen Music career Armisen began his career in 1988 when he moved from New York to Chicago to play drums for the punk rock band Trenchmouth.[1] In the 1990s, he played background drums with the Blue Man Group in Chicago. In 1997, he toured with Those Bastard Souls, a project of David Shouse of The Grifters which also featured The Flaming Lips’ Steven Drozd. He plays drums on three tracks on Les Savy Fav’s 2007 album, Let’s Stay Friends.[2] Armisen at the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival Born Years active Spouse(s) December 4, 1966 (1966-12-04) Valley Stream, New York, USA 1987 - present Sally Timms (divorced) Official website Discography Television and film career While playing with Trenchmouth, Armisen’s interests switched to performing. In a January 2006 interview with The AV Club, he explained it this way:[3] I wanted to be on TV somehow. For some reason, I always thought it would be an indirect route, I didn’t know that it would be comedy and Saturday Night Live. I just wanted to do something with performing that would lead me there. Armisen’s subsequent television work, such as some "memorable Andy Kaufman-esque appearances" on Late Night with Conan O’Brien as well as work for Crank Yankers and Adult Swim, led in 2002 to a role as a featured player in the cast of Saturday Night Live.[4] In the 2004 season, he was promoted to a repertory cast member. Armisen has done a handful of supporting roles in comedy films, such as the creepy Italian man in the film Eurotrip and roles in Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo, Armisen performing at Webster Hall in 2001. Fred Armisen (born December 4, 1966) is an American musician, comedian, and actor, best known for his work as a cast member on Saturday Night Live. 1 From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Year 2008 2008 2008 2007 2006 2006 2006 2005 2005 2004 2004 Title Role Notes Fred Armisen Tim and Eric Awesome KJ Nutt Show Great Job Squidbillies Aqua Teen Hunger Force 30 Rock Freak Show Miguel Male Robot Raheem Dane Cheff Guest star, episode: "Pepperoni" Guest star, voice only, episode: "Krystal Light Guest star, voice only, episode: "Robots Everywhere" Guest star, episode: "Somebody to Love" Guest star, voice only, episode: "Elections" Guest star, voice only, episode: "Jeffy the Sea Serpent" Guest star, voice only, episode: "Giant Foam Dickhat Trouble" Guest star, voice only, episode: "Office Politics Trouble" Guest star, voice only, episode: "Take This Job and Love It" Television special Guest star, voice only, episode: "Hypno-Germ" Guest star, multiple episodes Series regular Guest star, multiple episodes Series regular, failed television pilot Guest star, episode: "Episode #1.12" Guest star, episode: "Episode 1.8" Tom Goes to the Mayor Phillip Priest/ Serpent Expert Squidbillies Squidbillies Squidbillies 12:21 Aqua Teen Hunger Force Jesus Miguel Miguel Jeremy Poncho Chip Douglas Various Characters Various Characters Various Characters Fericito Father Fred 2003-present Crank Yankers 2002-Present Saturday Night Live 2002 2002 2001 2001 Late World with Zach Next! Late Friday Late Friday Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, Deck the Halls, The Ex, The Promotion, The Rocker and Confessions of a Shopaholic. Television SNL characters and impressions The following is a partial list of notable roles Armisen has played in Saturday Night Live sketches. Notable characters • Billy Smith—a Native American stand-up comedian who tells Native American themed jokes that no one gets. • Fericito—a Venezuelan nightclub comedian and host of ¡Show Biz Grande Explosion! • Gabe Fisher—a Jewish man who takes many adult classes as a member of the Adult Students. • Gunther Kelly—a man who performs songs on Weekend Update with his brother Patrick (played by Will Forte) • Leonard—The strange European host of the foreign music show Club Traxx. • Mackey—a senile drummer who often does rimshots at inappropriate moments and appears in the "Rialto Grande" sketches. • Noony Schoener—a quirky, foreign art dealer who appears with his wife Nuni 2 From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Schoener (played by Maya Rudolph) in the "The Schoeners" sketches) • Frondi—a mentally challenged character who criticizes Ben Affleck’s movie Gigli to Ben himself. • Nicholas Fehn—a political comedian who improvises his jokes but never ends up actually making his point clear and often overlaps his sentences. • Roger A. Trevanti—Greedy studio head and AMPTP member who rails against the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike. Fred Armisen Other work In 1998 he posed as a music journalist for the short film Fred Armisen’s Guide to Music and South by Southwest. It was filmed by thengirlfriend Sally Timms and featured Armisen’s "pranking musicians and industry types" during the South by Southwest Festival in Austin, Texas.[6] Armisen is part of ThunderAnt, a comedy duo with former Sleater-Kinney guitarist Carrie Brownstein. The duo specializes in creating comedic short skits often times about independent vocations such as one man shows, feminist bookstores, and bicycle rights activists.[7] Armisen has directed music videos for bands like The Helio Sequence. Armisen also had a role in the Wilco documentary I Am Trying to Break Your Heart, which featured footage from his stint opening for front man Jeff Tweedy’s 2001 solo tour. He also appeared in video segments on Blue Man Group’s How to be a Megastar Tour 2.0.[8] Armisen occasionally writes for Pitchfork Media and interviewed Cat Power for that company.[9] Fred appeared as Jens Hannemann on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on October 19, 2007, promoting a 28-minute DVD called Fred Armisen presents Jens Hannemann: "COMPLICATED DRUMMING TECHNIQUE".[10] On SNL, Armisen often plays musical instruments in sketches, has two recurring characters who are musicians (Mackey the drummer from the Rialto Grande and Ferecito from Showbiz Grande Explosion) or impersonates famous figures in the music world such as Liberace, Phil Spector, Lou Reed, and Prince. Armisen appeared in the official music video for Man Man’s song "Rabbit Habits", playing a man who charms his blind date (Charlyne Yi) but runs away after she turns into a werewolf.[11] Notable impressions Armisen has done impressions of political figures such as Hugo Chávez, Vicente Fox, Barney Frank, George H. W. Bush, and Mike Gravel. He has also impersonated film and television celebrities past and present such as Martin Scorsese, Desi Arnaz, Corbin Bleu, Joy Behar, George Carlin, Dov Charney, Joe Rogan, David Gregory, Larry King, Penny Marshall, David Lee Roth, Gene Simmons, and Lawrence Welk. His list of impressions has also included: • Barack Obama — recurring in Season 33 and Season 34 episodes as the Democratic presidential candidate (Season 33), the Democratic nominee, President-Elect, and President (Season 34), beginning on February 23, 2008. • Prince — parody of the musician as the host of a talk show called The Prince Show, with Beyoncé Knowles (played by Maya Rudolph) as his co-host. Armisen, a fan of Prince since childhood, created the sketch as a way of improving his chances of meeting the musician.[3] • Steve Jobs — Apple CEO who appears on Weekend Update to show off strange new technology. Armisen has stated that Steve Jobs is the celebrity he enjoys impersonating most.[5] • David Paterson - African-American Governor of New York, appears on Weekend Update, played as obnoxious, and frequently makes rude jokes about upstate New York and New Jersey; fumbles around the studio underlining the fact that Paterson is legally blind. Personal life Armisen’s mother is Venezuelan and his father is German and Japanese, making Armisen SNL’s second Asian-American cast member (after Rob Schneider, who is part Filipino) as well as the second Hispanic-American cast member (after Horatio Sanz, who is ChileanAmerican).[12] Filmography 3 From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Year Title 2009 Confessions of a Shopaholic 2008 Christmas on Mars 2008 The Promotion 2008 The Rocker 2008 Baby Mama 2007 Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters 2007 The Ex 2006 Deck the Halls 2006 Griffin & Phoenix 2006 Kiss Me Again 2005 Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo 2005 Looking for a Thrill: An Anthology of Inspiration 2004 Wake Up, Ron Burgundy: The Lost Movie 2004 Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy 2004 EuroTrip 2003 Frank International Film Festival 2003 Melvin Goes to Dinner 2002 Like Mike 2002 I Am Trying to Break Your Heart 1998 Guide to Music and South by Southwest Dr. Szabo Frenchman Himself Tino Tino Creepy Italian Guy Frank Vesa New Age Dad Himself Various Characters Role Ryan Koenig Philosophical and HymnSinging Astronaut Scott Kerr Stroller Salesman Time Lincoln Manny Gustave Notes Fred Armisen 2006 Tenacious D in: The Pick of Destiny Security Guard #2 Uncredited Video Video Short film, video Short film, also writer and director References [1] www.jimdero.com website [2] Allmusic.com website [3] ^ January 2006 Interview with The A.V. Club [4] 2006 Interview with Fred Armisen on Cult Cargo [5] Armstrong, Josh E. "Seven Questions with Fred Armisen". Armstrong Interviews. http://armstronginterviews.com/2008/ seven-questions-with-fred-armisen/. Retrieved on 2008-07-15. [6] Smooching Deadlines, November 5, 1998 column in The Austin Chronicle [7] ThunderAnt website [8] How To Be A Megastar Tour [9] Pitchfork Feature: Interview: Cat Power [10] Jens Hannemann "COMPLICATED DRUMMING TECHNIQUE" on Drag City Educational Music DVD [11] Man Man: "Rabbit Habits (with Fred Armisen, Brett Gurewitz, others)" [12] DeRogatis, Jim (2003-02-05). "All Ke-e-eding Aside". Chicago Sun-Times. http://www.jimdero.com/News2003/ FredArmisenFeb5.htm. Retrieved on 2008-06-12. External links • Official Website • Fred Armisen at the Internet Movie Database • Fred Armisen at Allmovie • Fred Armisen at MySpace 4 From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Fred Armisen Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_Armisen" Categories: Actors from New York, American drummers, American film actors, American musicians, American television actors, German-Americans, Japanese Americans, Venezuelan Americans, People from Valley Stream, New York, 1966 births, Living people This page was last modified on 22 May 2009, at 14:05 (UTC). All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License. (See Copyrights for details.) Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a U.S. registered 501(c)(3) taxdeductible nonprofit charity. Privacy policy About Wikipedia Disclaimers 5