H. Jon Benjamin: Speaks From His Voice. Maybe His Heart, Too…I Can’t Say. [Shrug]
From the reckless and cocky secret agent with a slightly impressive drinking problem, to the homely and good-natured family man who is continuously on the edge of losing his burger restaurant, H. Jon Benjamin is the voice that brings these characters to life.
Watching Archer and Bob’s Burgers is a common pastime of mine. Both shows are instant classics and I personally don’t think it would’ve been the case with anyone else voicing them.
Sure, H. Jon Benjamin isn’t the most talented or versatile of voice actors, but what he does, as minimal effort as it may seem, he does to perfection.
He’s a natural. Plain and simple.
I’m not saying he doesn’t work hard… but I’m not not saying that.
I don’t actually know how hard it is to use your own voice to play a variety of characters. Although it seems not hard at all, really.
But it could be. I’m not one to say.
That is what I love about H. Jon Benjamin, though. His comedy style is effortless.
Literally, no effort. Whether it is or not isn’t the point, rather, it’s the joke.
And a solid joke at that. It’s clear that he’s talented and capable of making people laugh.
But H. Jon Benjamin doesn’t force that to be what he displays at the forefront. He likes to accentuate his less-admirable character traits and isn’t afraid of esoteric projects that will only be consumed by a small portion of people.
That’s what makes him so respectable. He’s not chasing trends or trying to make it big, he’s just doing what he enjoys and making people laugh… sometimes at himself.
Archer is quick-witted with catchphrases, comebacks and one liners that absolutely kill.
I can never get enough of his relationship with Woodhouse, the heroin-addicted butler that raised him. It’s a volatile and tormenting one… but it’s undoubtedly amusing.
And of course–Cheryl and Pam…iconic.
Although sweet and unassuming to look at, are both unapologetic in their lunacies.
Their sexual fetishes, obscene drug use, violence, and sociopath tendencies are quite frankly... unmatched.
You get a team of morally bankrupt characters who you can’t help but root for because they are simply too funny to hate. They literally possess no other redeemable qualities.
Sterling Malory Archer is tumultuous and still, somehow, very lovable. I think this is due to the style and delivery that H. Jon Benjamin brings to his otherwise harsh persona.
Bob’s Burgers is vastly more tame in nature, but it has some serious heart, too.
They record Bob’s Burgers together as a cast, allowing something very unique in animation–improv. And you can feel that quality and connection when you are watching. The conversations feel believable and the humor flows naturally.
It’s hard not to love the Belchers.
Bob loves what he does. He loves making burgers and coming up with punny names for them. He is just trying his best to be a good dad and husband while running a less-than successful restaurant.
Linda and their three kids (Tina, Gene and Louise) are incredibly supportive and are always taking Bob out of his comfort zone.
On top of it being a wholesome show, Bob’s Burgers is genuinely funny. I love it.
In 2015, the album, Well, I Should Have… Learned To Play Piano was released by the Jazz Daredevil himself, Jon Benjamin.
Yes, It is a Jazz album. Yes, H. Jon Benjamin plays the piano in it. And yes, he plays it very badly.
Most note-worthy… Yes, I love it.
I know next to nothing about Jazz, so clearly I am a perfectly qualified reviewer of such things.
The album starts with the “pianist” calling the devil’s office to inquire about selling his soul.
Turns out, the devil is pretty picky about the souls he purchases. Then what comes next, is a whole album filled with what I believe to be genuinely, very pretty Jazz playing- consistently interrupted by laughably offensive… piano-ing.
I wasn’t having the best day when I decided to listen to this very odd album. I was feeling down and being very hard on myself for not getting enough done that day–and in life in general.
I was overwhelmed and just needed to sit still and listen to anything but my own mind badgering me. I put on the album. I was understandably confused. But, when the piano solo came up on track #2, (beautifully named, ‘I Can’t Play Piano, Pt. 1’) well, I laughed. I laughed really hard.
After reading his book, Failure Is An Option: An Attempted Memoir, I feel even more appreciative of H. Jon Benjamin’s self-deprecating style of humor and personality.
It felt so fitting for that moment. I felt like the world around me was the intuitive, oh-so-elegant Jazz that filled the air, while I was the struggling and clunky piano keys trying to keep up with the tune and blend in… but failing miserably.
I didn’t feel any less inferior afterwards, but I laughed. And on the hard days, being able to laugh is a total win.
This comedy album isn’t for everyone. But the people that it is for…they will really appreciate it just as I did.
The punchline stays the same on nearly every track, but the delivery is playful and thoughtful every time. Like in the telling of any joke, the unskilled piano playing has perfect timing.
Timing is the goal in comedy, and it is a difficult one to nail. But again, Jon Benjamin makes us feel like he put no effort into this feat.
His memoir pin-points his many (big and small) failures. He recognizes that he may look like a success to others, but makes it clear that his failure to success ratio is heavily leaning towards the former. Although, a lot of his examples are more humorous anecdotes, than actual failures.
His points are made clear: you can fail over and over …and over … and over …and over again, but EVENTUALLY you will succeed at something if you stay in the game. But, he also stresses how we should appreciate our failures, because they can be more valuable, and they definitely make a more entertaining story, than our successes. They are the springboard to who we become. Kind of inspiring, right?
One of my favorite pieces of advice in the book goes, “In comedy, or any other endeavor self-promoted and self-sustained, just sticking around is half the battle.”
He modestly suggests that it’s his laziness that kept him from changing career paths, even when there was no reward or recognition for the projects he was doing. He never boasts or admits to being skilled at anything he does, he even leans into this “talentless” self view. Making light of how he’s not really adept in comedy, voice acting, writing, making music and yet, we clearly know that it hasn’t stopped him from doing them all.
The book is relatable and comforting. And… I’m pretty certain it’s better than he thinks it is.
As I transition into a writing career, it’s good to read about having a positive, even humorous mindset during failures–especially the MANY failures you are bound to experience.
It’s incredibly hard to make a self sustaining career out of following your creative dreams. Normalizing the speed bumps and continuing on, is the push that this book offers. A push that people like me need more often than not.
I love the idea that, even if you don’t end up exactly where you thought you’d be… you’ll still be somewhere that makes you happy if you keep doing just that- following what makes you happy and “fail well.”
To be even more clear, this blog post is an expression of my admiration for H. Jon Benjamin. I’ve mentioned him in a previous post and upon someone getting to know me, it’s quickly learned that I’m a fan of his work. Diving deeper into who H. Jon Benjamin beyond his characters made me an even bigger fan.
Sterling Archer and Bob Belcher do have the same voice but somehow, still feel distinct and different from one another. He gives them so much unique character that you can feel the self-assurance in one, and the humility in the other. I am no expert in the voice acting field, but I feel pretty confident in saying that it’s because he’s fucking good at it.
His comedy in general, is a comfort to me. It’s always unassuming and feels honest… and intentionally lazy. I like to think that he puts tireless effort into portraying himself this way. Like how many takes of shitty piano playing did it take on each track of his Jazz album before he thought it was the ‘perfect amount of shitty?’
I hope it was a hearty number. And I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s actually a very talented piano player in real life. But no, I will not google it to find out.
The person that gave me the idea for this post, wrote the concept as:
H. Jon Benjamin appreciation post (why do you like him, Chy?)
So I took his (slightly bossy) advice and started writing this in a hesitant manner, because I didn’t really know how to express why I liked H. Jon Benjamin… especially a whole blog on why I did.
But looky here. I did it. It’s made.
This is why I like H. Jon Benjamin.
The end.