Fereydun Robert "Fred" Armisen (born December 4, 1966) is an American actor, comedian, writer, producer, and musician best known as a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 2002 until 2013. Armisen has portrayed characters in comedy films, including Anchorman. With his comedy partner Carrie Brownstein, Armisen was the co-creator and co-star of the IFC sketch comedy series Portlandia. Armisenfounded ThunderAnt.com, a website that features the comedy sketches created with Brownstein, and is the bandleader and frequent drummer for the Late Night with Seth Meyers house band, The 8G Band.
Music
In 1984, Armisen played drums in a local band along with his high school friends in Valley Stream, New York, but the group soon ended. In 1988, he moved to Chicago to play drums for the punk rock band Trenchmouth, and in the 1990s he played background drums with Blue Man Group .
Armisen played drums on three tracks for Les Savy Fav's 2007 album Let's Stay Friends,.as well as tracks for Matthew Sweet's 2011 album Modern Art and Wandering Lucy's 1996 album Leap Year.
Some Recurring characters on SNL
Leonard – the strange European host of the foreign music show Club Traxx.
Mackey - senile drummer who often does rimshots at inappropriate moments and appears in the "Rialto Grande" sketches.
Garth – part of Garth & Kat (with Kristen Wiig), a musical duo who appear on Weekend Update unprepared and make up songs on the spot.
Giuseppe – the saxophone player for What's Up With That?
Ian Rubbish – A late-1970s/early-80s British punk rocker, a parody of Sex Pistols' John Lydon, who caught heat from his bandmates Derek Gash (played by Bill Hader) and Keith Grimshaw (played by Taran Killam) and fans for writing and performing songs supporting Conservative Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.
One of His Celebrity Impressions
Prince - parody of the musician as the host of a talk show called The Prince Show , with Beyoncé Knowles[/b (played by Maya Rudolph) as his co-host. Armisen, a fan of Prince since childhood, created the sketch as a way of improving his chances of meeting the musician.
Fred Armisen - His Music
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Other Works
In 1998, he posed as a music journalist for the short film Fred Armisen's Guide to Music and South by Southwest. It was filmed by then-girlfriend Sally ]Timms and featured Armisen's "pranking musicians and industry types" during the South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas. In various segments he asked self-described "stupid" questions, pretended to be German, and also acted blind. A year later, Armisen starred with alternative rock legend Steve Albini in Chevelle's Point #1 EPK
Armisen is part of ThunderAnt, a comedy duo with Sleater-Kinney guitarist Carrie Brownstein.
Armisen has directed music videos for bands like The Helio Sequence. Armisen also had a role in the Wilco documentary I Am Trying to Break Your Heart, which featured footage from his stint opening for front man Jeff Tweedy's 2001 solo tour. He also appeared in video segments on
Blue Man Group's How to be a Megastar Tour 2.0.
Armisen occasionally writes for Pitchfork Media and interviewed Cat Power for that company. Fred appeared as Jens Hannemann on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on October 19, 2007, promoting a 28-minute DVD called Fred Armisen presents Jens Hannemann: "COMPLICATED DRUMMING TECHNIQUE".
In 2010, Armisen briefly joined Joanna Newsom's tour for her album Have One on Me as his character Jens Hannemann. On SNL, Armisen often plays musical instruments in sketches, has two recurring characters who are musicians (Mackey the drummer from the Rialto Grande and Ferecito from Showbiz Grande Explosion), or impersonates famous figures in the music world such as Liberace, Phil Spector, Lou Reed, and Prince .
Armisen appeared in the official music video for Man Man's song "Rabbit Habits", playing a man who charms his blind date (Charlyne Yi) but runs away after she turns into a werewolf.
In 2013, Armisen appeared in the official music video for Portland, Oregon based band Red Fang's song "Blood Like Cream."
Armisen performed as a singer/drummer/comedic actor in the
Blue Man Group's "How to be a Megastar Live!". He played the part of a salesman on TV who advertises for the Megastar Rock Manual. He also drummed in the performance and was a backup singer.
Armisen is a longtime fan of punk rock music and can be seen in the documentaries Salad Days and The Damned: Don't You Wish That We Were Dead.
In 1998, he posed as a music journalist for the short film Fred Armisen's Guide to Music and South by Southwest. It was filmed by then-girlfriend Sally ]Timms and featured Armisen's "pranking musicians and industry types" during the South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas. In various segments he asked self-described "stupid" questions, pretended to be German, and also acted blind. A year later, Armisen starred with alternative rock legend Steve Albini in Chevelle's Point #1 EPK
Armisen is part of ThunderAnt, a comedy duo with Sleater-Kinney guitarist Carrie Brownstein.
Armisen has directed music videos for bands like The Helio Sequence. Armisen also had a role in the Wilco documentary I Am Trying to Break Your Heart, which featured footage from his stint opening for front man Jeff Tweedy's 2001 solo tour. He also appeared in video segments on
Blue Man Group's How to be a Megastar Tour 2.0.
Armisen occasionally writes for Pitchfork Media and interviewed Cat Power for that company. Fred appeared as Jens Hannemann on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on October 19, 2007, promoting a 28-minute DVD called Fred Armisen presents Jens Hannemann: "COMPLICATED DRUMMING TECHNIQUE".
In 2010, Armisen briefly joined Joanna Newsom's tour for her album Have One on Me as his character Jens Hannemann. On SNL, Armisen often plays musical instruments in sketches, has two recurring characters who are musicians (Mackey the drummer from the Rialto Grande and Ferecito from Showbiz Grande Explosion), or impersonates famous figures in the music world such as Liberace, Phil Spector, Lou Reed, and Prince .
Armisen appeared in the official music video for Man Man's song "Rabbit Habits", playing a man who charms his blind date (Charlyne Yi) but runs away after she turns into a werewolf.
In 2013, Armisen appeared in the official music video for Portland, Oregon based band Red Fang's song "Blood Like Cream."
Armisen performed as a singer/drummer/comedic actor in the
Blue Man Group's "How to be a Megastar Live!". He played the part of a salesman on TV who advertises for the Megastar Rock Manual. He also drummed in the performance and was a backup singer.
Armisen is a longtime fan of punk rock music and can be seen in the documentaries Salad Days and The Damned: Don't You Wish That We Were Dead.
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Blue Jean Committee - from Documentary Now!
Massachusetts Afternoon
https://youtu.be/ePU8ssCqHws
Catalina Breeze
https://youtu.be/Dr9MCyl5gZs
Freeway Song
https://youtu.be/N9hYhOvU5Eg
Gentle and Soft
https://youtu.be/cO8PeDa8tAo
Going Out to Hollywood
https://youtu.be/Q2pPNLXWkIs
Mama You're a Dancer
https://youtu.be/kK2nwwJm914
Mr. Fix It
https://youtu.be/FpH8Q7ADpvs
Walking Shoes
https://youtu.be/gZ4mjpdgj8c
Embrace Me
https://youtu.be/eTJi9KmpA94
Gene Allen live with America - Freeway Song
https://youtu.be/mjF13HSF0Hc
Documentary Now! - Blue Jean Committee preview
https://youtu.be/5DhkS98yHUY
Hollywood Reporter - Documentary Now! Interview.
https://youtu.be/_AUXkpPLiqs
Catalina Breeze - official video
https://youtu.be/PfrHCNo2I3M
Fred Armisen - Live
https://youtu.be/t-5z10GsahY
Massachusetts Afternoon
https://youtu.be/ePU8ssCqHws
Catalina Breeze
https://youtu.be/Dr9MCyl5gZs
Freeway Song
https://youtu.be/N9hYhOvU5Eg
Gentle and Soft
https://youtu.be/cO8PeDa8tAo
Going Out to Hollywood
https://youtu.be/Q2pPNLXWkIs
Mama You're a Dancer
https://youtu.be/kK2nwwJm914
Mr. Fix It
https://youtu.be/FpH8Q7ADpvs
Walking Shoes
https://youtu.be/gZ4mjpdgj8c
Embrace Me
https://youtu.be/eTJi9KmpA94
Gene Allen live with America - Freeway Song
https://youtu.be/mjF13HSF0Hc
Documentary Now! - Blue Jean Committee preview
https://youtu.be/5DhkS98yHUY
Hollywood Reporter - Documentary Now! Interview.
https://youtu.be/_AUXkpPLiqs
Catalina Breeze - official video
https://youtu.be/PfrHCNo2I3M
Fred Armisen - Live
https://youtu.be/t-5z10GsahY
Lenin, Marx
Marx, Lennon
Good Dog...
Marx, Lennon
Good Dog...
- sgt.null
- Jack of Odd Trades, Master of Fun
- Posts: 47250
- Joined: Tue Jul 19, 2005 7:53 am
- Location: Brazoria, Texas
- Has thanked: 1 time
- Been thanked: 6 times
Final Transmission the last concert of Test Pattern. - Documentary Now!
Interview about the episode - Fred Armisen and Seth Meyers
https://youtu.be/1kXApUy8txQ
Chris Frantz & Tina Weymouth (Talking Heads) react to episode
https://youtu.be/NtLvxHYExcU
Test Pattern - Art + Student = Poor on Seth Meyers
https://youtu.be/HcLDzcmkSqI
Test Pattern - Everybody's Moving Around from Final Transmission
https://youtu.be/l_JBnZlb8lc
Five Ways. Test Pattern vs. Talking Heads
https://youtu.be/AAa0lZyRdic
Final Transmission teaser from IFC
https://youtu.be/pUlSjOZjq6c
Fred Armisen / Seth Meyers / Bill Hader - discuss episode
https://youtu.be/q9UwkLuRQeg
Test Pattern live - This is My Street / Art + Student = Poor
https://youtu.be/vGn2GiD2QYI
_______________________________________________________________
This is My Street
https://youtu.be/rFjTC-rDjUY
Art + Student = Poor
https://youtu.be/EVpSWjTobwY
Everybody's Moving Around
https://youtu.be/lkGNyM-sAe4
Interview about the episode - Fred Armisen and Seth Meyers
https://youtu.be/1kXApUy8txQ
Chris Frantz & Tina Weymouth (Talking Heads) react to episode
https://youtu.be/NtLvxHYExcU
Test Pattern - Art + Student = Poor on Seth Meyers
https://youtu.be/HcLDzcmkSqI
Test Pattern - Everybody's Moving Around from Final Transmission
https://youtu.be/l_JBnZlb8lc
Five Ways. Test Pattern vs. Talking Heads
https://youtu.be/AAa0lZyRdic
Final Transmission teaser from IFC
https://youtu.be/pUlSjOZjq6c
Fred Armisen / Seth Meyers / Bill Hader - discuss episode
https://youtu.be/q9UwkLuRQeg
Test Pattern live - This is My Street / Art + Student = Poor
https://youtu.be/vGn2GiD2QYI
_______________________________________________________________
This is My Street
https://youtu.be/rFjTC-rDjUY
Art + Student = Poor
https://youtu.be/EVpSWjTobwY
Everybody's Moving Around
https://youtu.be/lkGNyM-sAe4
Lenin, Marx
Marx, Lennon
Good Dog...
Marx, Lennon
Good Dog...
- sgt.null
- Jack of Odd Trades, Master of Fun
- Posts: 47250
- Joined: Tue Jul 19, 2005 7:53 am
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Ian Rubbish & the Bizzaros
the History of Punk - Ian Rubbish
https://youtu.be/EEmIIl96zk0
Webby Awards - Ian Rubbish
https://youtu.be/CmsUJ7J-NLI
Ian Rubbish & the Bizzaros - greatest hits
https://youtu.be/cr6a0ojiw7A
Top of the Pops - Ian Rubbish
https://youtu.be/g7iF1pPwq_w
the History of Punk - Ian Rubbish
https://youtu.be/EEmIIl96zk0
Webby Awards - Ian Rubbish
https://youtu.be/CmsUJ7J-NLI
Ian Rubbish & the Bizzaros - greatest hits
https://youtu.be/cr6a0ojiw7A
Top of the Pops - Ian Rubbish
https://youtu.be/g7iF1pPwq_w
Lenin, Marx
Marx, Lennon
Good Dog...
Marx, Lennon
Good Dog...