David Liebe Hart is a puppeteer, comedian and vocalist. You might have seen him on Adult Swim’s “Tim and Eric Awesome Show Great Job!,” and he’s coming to AS220 on September 12.
His live performance is a variety show (that exists largely in the realm of comedy) and after watching his tour promotional video (and some live footage of his performances), I was intrigued and I knew I needed to get the info from Hart himself.
How did this odd show get put together? Hart’s explanation is direct. “Hard work, fans, creativity, enthusiasm and making my dreams come true for my fans to enjoy my music and my acting and my career.
“Art and music is like painting a beautiful sculpture of a person or a figure that people can relate to, and people can see. Same as painting and drawing.”
If you’ve seen Hart on Tim and Eric, you’re probably familiar with his use of awkward and (some might say) terrifying puppets in front of a green screen, to sing songs about mundane subject matter. “Staying focused,” “email” and “the lesson that we’re not alone in the universe” are just a few of those subjects. The absurdist beauty comes with the fact that Hart completely plays it straight — voicing the puppets with consistency, never breaking character, and singing with all he’s got. In fact, he plays it so straight, that you begin to question whether he’s playing at all.
I wanted to know what Hart is looking to accomplish with his upcoming tour. “Bringing people happiness, having them have the satisfaction of joy and enthusiasm and love for my music and my art, and painting life in what I’ve been through and am going through.
“I’ve had a lot of positive responses, I’ve had a lot of wonderful support, and I’m grateful my fans have called me on the phone to say how much they enjoy my shows and the hard work I do on my shows. They feel the shows have gotten improved. They’re better than they were when I first began. They see a lot of growth and progress and success in my career.”
As someone who’s seen band after band, comedian after comedian, and concert after concert, I found Hart’s performances … refreshing. It’s almost paradoxical. The comedy is so apparent — but the delivery is so earnest. It’s a combination of the end result (the laugh) along with Hart’s bizarrely genuine route to get you there as an audience that draws you in.
As for Hart’s plans after the tour? “Well, I did my own TV show. I did ‘I Love David.’ They can see it on Channel 5 on Adult Swim on the internet. The show has been liked so well by the public (that) Adult Swim has asked for six episodes of part two of ‘I Love David,’ and I’m excited about doing season two.”
Catch David Liebe Hart on Thu, Sep 12 at as220, 115 Empire St, PVD. For more info, artbyliebehart.com or as220.org
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