Neil Hamburger

Neil Hamburgeris astandup comedianand singer character created and portrayed by Australian-American entertainerGregg Turkington. Distinguished for his misanthropic jokes andanti-comedystyle,Turkington has released a number of albums as Hamburger and has appeared as the character in various films, television shows, and other media. In 2015, the act inspired the feature-length filmEntertainment, which stars Turkington as a "variant" of the character.
Turkington developed the character in the 1990s and originally envisioned the concept as a "weird recording project". It originated from aprank callthat had appeared on the albumGreat Phone Calls Featuring Neil Hamburger(1992). He followed the LP with three more albums issued onDrag City Recordsbefore he began receiving offers to perform as the character for live shows.His albumsNeil Hamburger Sings Country Winners(2009) andFirst of Dismay(2014) feature original songs andcover versionsbacked by "The Too Good For Neil Hamburger Band".
Hamburger's live act, which is quite different from his many albums, features a barrage of question/answer jokes aimed often at celebrity targets as well as barbs aimed at his ex-wife. The confrontational aspects of his act drew comparisons toTony Clifton.One of his gags is "Zipper Lips", in which he asks an audience member a question. If the audience member doesn't respond, Hamburger derides them for being a "zipper lips". A common phrase used by the comedian is "But that's my life!", which he uses when he mentions being humiliated or degraded for some reason.
Turkington's first Neil Hamburger recordings were self-recorded, imagining an unfunny, poorly recorded self-released stand-up comedy act. Turkington used recordings of audience laughter that were intentionally out of sync with his jokes, to replicate the private pressing albums byoutsider artiststhat he enjoyed.These early recordings found a cult audience, which led to record labelDrag Cityissuing his albumAmerica's Funnymanin 1996.Several more albums were issued on the record label.
After originally conceiving Hamburger to be a studio-only character, Turkington was convinced to perform as the character on stage. His first shows were supporting punk rock bandFrenzal Rhomb, who flew Turkington from the United States to Australia especially for the performance.Neil Hamburger would later appear in the music videos for the songs "Ballchef" and "Punisher" from Frenzal Rhomb's 2003 albumSans Souci.
Hamburger was a frequent guest on the Internet talk showTom Green's House Tonight(2006–2013). In 2006, Hamburger started doing his own show calledPoolside Chats with Neil HamburgeronThe Channelat Tomgreen.com. Guests on his show have includedTim and Eric,Kyle GassofTenacious D,Buzz Osborneof theMelvins, andBonnie 'Prince' Billy.
In 2006, Hamburger had a briefcameo appearancein the filmTenacious D in the Pick of Destiny. Over the next year, he opened forTenacious Dduring theirPick of Destiny Tour.  However, his performances incited mostly negative reactions, with booing and heckling ensuing in countries such as Ireland and England. His performance atMadison Square Gardenwas referred to bySia MichelofThe New York Timesas likely "the greatest night of his career."
In 2008, Drag City released an album of country and western originals and covers recorded by Hamburger. During the sessions, Hamburger was backed by musicians includingPrairie PrinceofThe TubesandTodd Rundgren's band, David Gleason,Atom EllisofDieselhedandthe New Cars,Rachel HadenfromThat Dog.
In December 2010,Special Entertainmentreleased an iPhone App calledShaky Advice from Neil Hamburgerthat functions much like aMagic 8 Ball, with 30 video clips of Hamburger giving comical advice.
In 2015, the Neil Hamburger act was dramatized for theRick AlversonfilmEntertainment. In it, the character is shown repeatedly on and offstage; as well as the life of a fictional portrayal of the man behind the act separate from the real Gregg Turkington. The film's script was written by Turkington, Alverson, and comedianTim Heidecker, although the dialogue was improvised.
In 2021, Neil Hamburger won "Best Guest Host" of Tim Heidecker's podcastOffice Hours.