Gregg Turkington

Short Biography

Neil Hamburger is a stand-up comedian character played by Gregg Turkington. Hamburger`s jokes range from variations of "Why did the chicken cross the road?" to celebrity targets, such as Michael Jackson, Paris Hilton, Britney Spears, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Diana, Princess of Wales, to jokes about his ex-wife. His pacing is off, and he clears his throat nonstop through his entire routine (often to keep overzealous fans from shouting out his punchlines), which has caused critics to tag him as "the world`s `worst` stand-up comedian." He has performed his brand of comedy, much of it anti-humor, in front of audiences from the New York University Thompson Center to Jimmy Kimmel Live and is often compared to Tony Clifton. One of his most famous gags is the "Zipper Lips, " in which he asks an audience member a question. If the audience member doesn`t respond, Hamburger derides them for being a "zipper lips." A common phrase used by the comedian is "But that`s my life!"In spring of 2008, Drag City released an album of country and western originals and covers recorded by Neil Hamburger in a "celebrity vocals" style backed by members of Todd Rundgren`s band. During the sessions, Neil was backed by a stellar line-up of musicians including Prairie Prince of The Tubes and Todd Rundgren`s band, David Gleason, Atom Ellis of Dieselhed and The New Cars, Rachel Haden from that dog. and Todd Rundgren`s band, and Joe Goldmark. Neil also reportedly recorded a record doing guest lead vocals with legendary Australian band The Hard-Ons while in Sydney in January, 2008. The Neil Hamburger character plays the role of Osric in the 2009 film, Hamlet ADD, a live action and animated version of William Shakespear`s Hamlet.Gregg Turkington was born in Darwin, Australia in 1967. He grew up in Tempe, Arizona. He founded the San Francisco-based record label Amarillo Records, and has produced albums for Anton LaVey and Neil Hamburger. He is the co-author (with Brandan Kearney) of the book "Warm Voices Rearranged: Anagram Record Reviews, " and is a frequent contributor to Maxim UK. He currently lives in Los Angeles with his wife, Simone.