Celeb duo brings their vaudevillian act to the BBC this Thursday
Mary Freeman, Staff Reporters

On Thur. Oct. 12 at 9 p.m. CSUMB students can look forward to a multimedia extravaganza that will “kick their fucking teeth in and then slowly nurse them back to health” when the musical comedy duo, Hard 'n Phirm take the stage at the Black Box Cabaret.

Chris Hardwick, lead singer, describes their act as a “mish mash of music, stand up, and videos... that will hopefully make people's brains explode and leak slowly from their heads.” With influences including Weird Al, Patton Oswold, Mr. Show, and They Might Be Giants, the duo is always a major smash with college audiences. Although, Hardwick attributes their success to his “supple breasts” that are “as clean as a Thanksgiving turkey.” Mike Phirman, guitarist and the other half of the duo, argues that students are more attracted to his own, “hard as rock, hairy breasts.” Either way, the pair have a unique style that has Entertainment Weekly saying they’re “dorm-room humor has become a hot online commodity.”

In the spring of 1994 the duo first began performing together when Phirman, who had been doing stand-up, sought out Hardwick, known for having a “decent voice,”hoping to make some “bad, cheesy” music. The duo entered into the annual talent contest at UCLA where according to Hardwick they, “were the only ones who weren't taking it seriously,” and yet somehow managed a sweeping victory.

Hard 'n Phirm performed until 1997 and then took a 7 year break to pursue individual interests. Hardwick went on to host shows like MTV's “Singled Out” and “Shipmates.” He also starred in “House of 1000 Corpses,” and “Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines.” Currently he is the voice for Glowface on Nickelodeon's “The X's.” Phirman went on to do mostly behind the scenes work primarily for the CSI series, which Hardwick has also been featured on. Phirman also appears regularly on VH1's “I Love the 70's.”

Currently, Hard 'n Phirm have appeared on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” twice and perform in venues such as The Improv, Punch Line, The Aspen Comedy Festival, and Seattle's Bumbershoot Festival with the likes of Tenacious D, and Robin Williams.

It’s the college audience that they've found most of their popularity.
“They're more excited... and fun,” Phirman said. Hardwick added, “It's like playing for a party... they don't expect much, so we can just have fun and screw around.”

As they spoke over the phone from Tallahassee, Flor. at a FSU show, one thing was for certain, they were excited to return home to California. “Monterey is beautiful, and really this is a trip home for us,” said Hardwick. Other than the scenery, Phirman added they're excited to perform in front of a Californian audience again.

Fans can download their music and find more information at their Web site, www.hardnphirm.com.