Interview: Neil Hamburger

UPDATE: 6/13/08

Yep, he is in town tonight at the Doug Fir if you are not too busy playing Wizard.




America's Funnyman joins us for some slow-balls. He will be at the Doug Fir June 13th and hopefully won't have that Bonnie 'Prince' Billy fellow keeping him up all night in the hotel room.

You can console him about his wife and the dentist here as well.

You share a name with one of America's food groups. Do you think you can attribute this to your success?

That's what we were hoping for when I first hit the show-biz circuit. It used to be that everyone loved hamburgers--but then the whole cholesterol crowd came in, and the hamburger sandwiches, my name, and my career all went on the skids.

What's your favorite hamburger(s) and preference?

I don't really eat those anymore, my stomach is full of holes and could not take it. But I have eaten my fair share of them over the years. I used to eat a lot of these 50 cent "Monster Burgers" at Pete's Fish & Chips in Tempe, Arizona. They started out the size of an LP album when they hit the grill, but by the time they were done frying, they were the size of a 45 RPM single.

Got any favorite hamburger joints while on tour?

I really like Local Burger, in Lawrence, Kansas. They have a "vegan burger" that is quite nice, and easy for stressed-out, ulcer-ridden, guilt-plagued comedians to digest. They have burgers on their menu made out of everything imaginable, from deer, to buffalo, to millet, to spiders, and possibly unwanted children. (An investigation is pending). I also have always liked the "Route 66 Bacon Cheese Burger" at Lovin Spoonfuls in Tucson, Arizona. It's sort of a "ghost" burger, in that the cheese is not cheese, the bacon is not bacon, the burger is not a burger, and the restaurant is nowhere near Route 66. But it is delicious.

You have been making quite a few TV appearances. Ever come across a hamburger in the greenrooms?

The last time I was on "Jimmy Kimmel Live" I was hungry, and they gave me a menu for a place up the street called "Hamburger Hamlet". I can't remember what I ordered...maybe the "Vodka Bucket"?

(Jimmy Kimmel Live appearance: LINK)

Got any current or upcoming projects you could tell us about?

I recently completed a new country and western album called "Neil Hamburger Sings Country Winners". It is a "personality record", in the vein of the old albums by Telly Savalas, or William Shatner, or Leonard Nimoy. Non-singing singing celebrities. I was thrilled to have Prairie Prince, the legendary drummer from The Tubes, play on the album, along with the best guitarist, bass player, pedal steel player, and backing vocalist in all of California, and as a result, my vocals are particularly shameful. But the songs are built around my miserable experiences and thus the fans may find it interesting anyway.

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Interview: George Motz

George Motz (film maker turned "burger expert by default") who's work has taken him from a James Beard nomination, PBS, LCD Soundsystem and too our delight his 2005 documentary film Hamburger America (its not that one on the Travel channel, its the one that is required viewing in a food course at Princeton and on the Sundance channel).

Here is a clip from Hamburger America about Bobcat Bite in Sante Fe, NM.



Next up is the book Hamburger America that is set for release in April and available here:

...features 100 of the best roadside stands, nostalgic diners, mom n pop establishments, and college town favorites - and tells exactly where to find them. You'll be inspired to jump in the car for a road-trip to visit any and all of these unique places. Help preserve our hamburger heritage - eat real burgers, visit real places.

And to sum it all up he recently started a blog: Hamburger America

George takes us up on some of our slowballs:

You obviously love a hamburger.  What got into your head to plunge into making a documentary and now a book?

Years ago my vegetarian wife saw a doc about hot dogs and suggested that I do a similar food doc.  I chose hamburgers.  Look what happened. I knew my aim was true when I read Schlosser's Fast Food Nation. Though we both believe corporate fast food has an evil side he totally scared the shit out of burger lovers across the land. I felt Hamburger America would set the record straight.

What Portland hamburger action do you have hiding in that book?

Giant in Lake Oswego, Stanich's in Portland, and Helvetia in wherever I was out there in the countryside.

How did you think those Portland hamburgers cook up against the rest  of the country?  Does Portland actually have a regional style?

They were all great (that's why they are in the book) and held their own against the rest of America.  The burgers at the three restaurants were all very different (and friggin' huge). I was glad to see Helvetia using the Pacific NWs regional curiosity 'goop' sauce on their burgers. No where else in America will you find good goop.

Did you notice any regional styles?

Oh yeah!  That's why I made the book (I also made the book as a guide to the thousands of burger fans that have emailed and texted me looking for burger guidance). The micro culture of steamed cheeseburgers (central CT) really knocked me over and the onion fried burgers of Oklahoma were amazing. Most burgers in LA are served wrapped in wax paper and burger without green chiles in New Mexico just ain't a New Mexican burger.

What was the strangest burger you came across?

There are so many strange ones out there but by far the weirdest was the Nutburger of Matt's Place in Butte, MT. The Nutburger is a classic, fresh-beef, thin patty on a white squishy bun that is adorned with a large dollop of salted sundae nuts mixed with Miracle Whip. WOW whata burger.

How about strangest/best/unique side order you came across?

At Shady Glen in Manchester, CT you can order a plate of fried, sliced, American cheese. It's served on a bed of lettuce and looks like a pile of yellow corn chips. Very strange, tasty, and not on the menu.

We get asked to do things like rank burgers (people love a list) and now we are going to put you on the spot.  How about a top 5 personal favorites nationally (no particular order)?

I'm not big on playing favorites, but I can give you 5 burger discoveries that I have made, 5 that you've probably
never heard of:

-The Nutburger at Matt's Place, Butte, MT
-The Pimento cheeseburger at Northgate Soda Shop, Greenville, SC
-The Heinniecheeseburger at Heinnie's, Elkhart, IN
-The King Size Beefburger at Top Notch, Chicago
-The hamburger at Nick's Hamburger Shop, Brookings, SD

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