H. Jon Benjamin: The Hardest Working Man In Show Business

When the late great James Brown passed away, he gave his official title of “The Hardest Working Man in Show Business” to H. Jon Benjamin.

Okay, not really. I don’t even know if they ever met. And certainly, Benjamin’s music career while utterly delightful is a single atom in the universe of James Brown. That said, if I had to nominate television’s hardest working man in show business, it would be H. Jon Benjamin. The “H” stands for Harry. It’s okay if you didn’t know that. He didn’t either for the longest time, because his family always called him “Jon”. That’s not AI information by the way, it’s been verified by Wikipedia. Remember Wikipedia, that source in college that if you cited it, you would get laughed out of the room? Yet, it is now somehow more reliable than 90% of the internet. The thing is, I only brought the Wikipedia thing up, because I didn’t want you to think he told me that information about his name personally. I wish he had.

I love H. Jon Benjamin the way all Millennials and Gen Xers who have a solid sense of humor love him. He is our TV King, the Mr. Feeny of our Boy Meets World, the Obi Wan Force Ghost to our Luke. The one man that evolves his comedy to always stay relevant and hilarious in our increasingly shittier American lives. His presence has been on our screens since we were kids in the nineties, and it hasn’t left us since. Whether he’s behind the camera in the writing room, producing, voicing, or in front of it acting, performing, and even juggling many of those roles simultaneously, he delivers a quality product. He is the hardest working man in (television) show business.

H. Jon Benjamin started his career as part of comedy groups and duos. His first comedy partner, Sam Seder, an actor and progressive political commentator, still works with Benjamin, as the voice of Hugo and Harold on Bob’s Burgers. In 1995, he wrote for Dr Katz, Professional Therapist. This is where I was first introduced to him. As a kid who lived for stand-up comedy, the Dr. Katz show was one of my favorites. I loved spotting comedians I knew and researching the ones I didn’t. Benjamin primarily voiced the role of Ben, the failed to launch adult son of Dr. Katz. I remember disliking the character Ben but still being drawn to him when he was onscreen for some unknown reason.

Then came Aqua Teen Hunger Force a few years later. Benjamin voiced the Moth Monster, and I remember both the delight in recognizing that voice, and the horror of recognizing my own sense of sexuality had suddenly awakened, because of that voice. Look, we ladies love a deep, kind of dopey voice. I’m unashamed to admit to this, because as far as I’m concerned, Benjamin has continued to age well into what my friends and I call, “the peak male form.” Beyond the delicious voice, he’s been entertaining, and making me laugh for 30 years now. You all, I fear it may be true love... For me, and everyone around my age.

As the years went on, we would get fantastic shows like Home Movies, Archer, and currently Bob’s Burgers among his countless other credits. The one season Jon Benjamin Has a Van is also one that I consider a treasure. It is his contributions to these shows both in his writing, guidance, and acting that keep us hooked on every new project he picks up. As I mentioned earlier, the comedy evolves with us as we age, and stays relevant yet somehow timeless. There is also a wholesome weirdness to almost all of his work. He seems so fearless in trying new things and not above being the butt of the joke. In an industry built on the glass house of illusions, I respect his authenticity and audacity.

Beyond just television, Jon Benjamin is often seen regularly in films, on stage as a comedian, and even as a national spokesperson for companies like Arby’s and Progressive insurance. The man is also an author, and kind of a musician. He is always working.

I say kind of a musician, because the entire premise for his jazz album is that he plays piano without actually knowing how to play a piano. The album is called “Jon Benjamin Jazz Daredevil- Well I Should Have* (Learned to Play Piano).” It falls somewhere between an actual jazz album and a comedy one. He paid exceptional and professional musicians to come in and attempt to make decent songs around his banging around wildly on the piano. The whole idea is chaotic, because you have to get musicians to buy into the joke that jazz is a mess of notes, while very clearly demonstrating their incredible skill to turn Benjamin’s mess into something worth listening to. And, it is worth listening to for multiple reasons. The music is fun. It’s real jazz. Some tracks are also laugh out loud funny with the speaking segments, and the final track, “Amy’s Song (The Bum Steer)” is probably the funniest tribute to a wife I’ve heard recorded. For what it’s worth, I love “I Can’t Play Piano Pt.3” so much that I listen to it regularly and have it on other custom playlists.

H. Jon Benjamin is a quiet icon of comedy. I hope that someday more people recognize his achievement of being one of the most consistent, successful, and innovative comedians from our generation of media. Until they do, my friends and I have no problem spreading the sweet blue van gospel of Bob/Archer/Coach McGuirk, a.k.a., the hardest working man in show business, H. Jon Benjamin.