Fred Armisen: Comedian-In-Chief

Photo courtesy of NBC Universal, 2008

The cast of SNL's 34th season on NBC. From top left, Casey Wilson, Darrell Hammond, Fred Armisen, Kristen Wiig. Middle from left, Amy Poehler, Seth Meyers, Will Forte. From bottom left, Kenan Thompson, Andy Samberg, Bill Hader, Jason Sudeikis (not featured, Bobby Moynihan)
Courtesy of NBC Universal, 2008

Armisen seen as the 44th President of the United States, Barack Obama seated next to Amy Poehler as Senator Hillary Clinton. Photo courtesy of NBC Universal, 2008.

Armisen as the lovable Fericito, the Venezuelan entertainer with Salma Hayek on the March 15th, 2003 episode on Saturday Night Live's Weekend Update segment. Photo courtesy of NBC Universal, 2008.

Armisen seen as CNN news anchorman, Larry King. Photo courtesy of NBC Universal, 2008.

During the election earlier this month, Armisen was seen on the Thursday edition of Weekend Update spoofing the electronic map popularized by CNN anchorman, John King. King has said that Armisen's sketch was, "hilarious" and that it "was flattering, in a way". King believes it was also a way to show how not to use the map. Photo courtesy of NBC Universal, 2008.

ThunderAnt creators, Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein form the ultimate comedy duo. Photo courtesy of ThunderAnt, 2008.

If some say humour is a universal language, then Fred Armisen must be a master linguist. Armisen, who plays the President-Elect Barack Obama flawlessly, has a lot more to be happy with the election results earlier this month with his impersonation of the former Chicago Senator knocking out Darrell Hammond's impression of Senator John McCain.

Week after week on Saturday Night Live, Armisen has played several different characters but most recently has garnered the attention of audiences from near and far with his impersonation of the country's first black President. Several cast members had originally auditioned for the coveted role but SNL producer, Marci Klein suggested Fred to creator Lorne Michaels.

Fred Armisen, 41 has been on the show for the past six seasons and has had the ability to transform into many characters like the President of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, musician Prince and even British Duchess, Camilla Parker-Bowles. Upon being asked to take the role of Barack Obama, Armisen gave it a second, "I thought, yeah, I'll try it".

Born December 4 in Manhattan, Armisen spent a part of his childhood in Rio de Janeiro before his family settled in Valley Stream, NY. He then became acquainted with music and told Dave Itzkoff of the New York Times that it meant everything to him. He listened to new-wave and punk-rock groups and soon enough began playing the drums at the age of ten, forming a garage band of his own. Armisen mentions to me that he always wanted to be an actor and growing up, was considered a funny person. "People said [that] as much. That was nice," he says.

After dropping out of the School of Visual Arts in New York, Armisen focused on his drumming for the punk band, Trenchmouth, a Chicago rock quartet whose music is described by fans as coarse and heavy. When the band broke up in 1996, Armisen continued his passion for drums and soon joined the famous Blue Man Group and responds that there is not much of a difference between being a member of Blue Man Group versus being a sort of loquacious chameleon on SNL. "[The two are] Similar. The Blue men in their own way speak volumes."

In the summer of 2002, Armisen traveled to New York and auditioned for Saturday Night Live and was soon hired as a featured performer. He instantly scored huge laughs with audiences portraying the character, Fericito featured on the "Weekend Update" segment featuring SNL alumni, Tina Fey and Jimmy Fallon.

I had the opportunity to ask Fred Armisen a few questions and much like a modern day Peter Sellers and the selected few politicians he's portrayed on the live sketch comedy, Armisen responds to each question quite demurely and his short quips are evident of his inherent shyness off stage bordering on cautiousness.

22 QUESTIONS WITH FRED ARMISEN (Why 22? Because 21 Refers to Poker)

Did you watch Saturday Night Live growing up? Who did you admire most?

Yes I did! Phil Hartman.

What steps did you take to get into acting?

I played drums in a punk band. Went on tour all the time and tuned my drums really high.

How do you handle the pressure of portraying a character that is currently in the limelight?

I study study study.

Did you ever get direct feedback from some of the characters you've played over the seasons?

All positive! Steve Jobs, Tony Danza and Gene Simmons.

Do you get recognized by people on the street? What's the overall feedback like?

Yes! People are always nice.

Is there any added pressure when a sketch goes really well and more hype is created?

Nah...

Thus far on SNL, have you ever been nervous playing any characters?

Not really.

When performing live, how does the audience impact your overall performance? Has there ever been a situation where you got distracted?

Not distracted, no [but] I definitely feel the mood of the audience.

How do you ever manage to keep a straight face on a live show?

I just concentrate...

What's the overall step-by-step process like for creating a live episode?

On Monday, pitch. Tuesday, write. Wednesday, read. Thursday, we re-write. Friday, rehearse and Saturday, live show.

Do some of the sketches you and the others come up with reflect upon personal experiences and situations you've been through?

I hope so.

If you ever had the chance to portray any person, who would it be and why?

Keith Moon. Why not?

This season is fast becoming a favourite amongst audiences and critics, how is this season any different from other past seasons?

It's hard to compare, they're all my favourite.

Personally, I loved Fericito but are there any characters of yours that you'd like to reprise without looking redundant?

Oh, that's a tough one. Maybe.

There's a certain amount of pressure when performing live on SNL as opposed to starring in a feature film or a television show like 30 Rock. Do you ever prefer one over the other?

I love LIVE!

In regards to the hosts and musical guests featured on the show week after week, most recently being Ben Affleck and David Cook, do you ever find yourself becoming a fan of theirs and have a new found appreciation after seeing them perform on the show?

I like getting to know them. It's always cool.

It's been mentioned that music is a big part of your life and has influenced you to where you are now. What kind of music are you currently listening to?

Marnie Stern and Zach Hill.

When you're not acting Fred, what do you do to unwind and relax?

I never unwind!

So, what makes you smile?

Chocolate.

And well what makes you frown then?

The sun...

Other than SNL, what's your favourite TV show?

America's Funniest Home Videos!

Really? And what's your favourite movie?

Brazil.

One thing that audiences may not know about Fred Armisen is that he and friend, Carrie Brownstein, a musician, formed a comedy duo called ThunderAnt, a series of comedy shorts where the two explore artsy humour. The comedy shorts created and written by the two of them have received more than 20,000 views on YouTube and have made way for a new fan base by way of the three-month writer's strike earlier this year and immediately took off for them. Armisen tells Dave Itzkoff of the New York Times that ThunderAnt is something he'd like to keep on doing with Brownstein, saying, "We're not like, 'oh we're the funniest people in the world.' We just like it and we just have to keep doing it."

He will surely continue the independent comedy skits with Brownstein on ThunderAnt but also tells me that he hopes to one day direct or write his own TV show or movie much like his former SNL co-star, Tina Fey who has gone to great heights with the television series 30 Rock and the movie, Mean Girls which she wrote and made her feature film debut in.

A lot of kids growing up dream about being on Saturday Night Live and Armisen has some quick yet easy to follow wise words, saying simply, "Go, go, go!"

When I asked him what were some words of encouragement he had received growing up, he simply says, "My neighbour Gloria used to say, 'you're gonna make it Freddy!'"

With all the success Fred Armisen has achieved throughout the years with his music and career in film and TV, it makes me wonder; if only Gloria made a few bets on Freddy, who knows how rich she'd be today.

Catch Fred Armisen and all his comedy antics on Saturday Night Live, every Saturday at 11:30pm ET on NBC and read his blogs over at NBC.

Be sure to check out the original comedy shorts he and partner, Carrie Brownstein created at ThunderAnt.

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