Lunch at Michael’s with Hank Azaria, Star of IFC’s “Brockmire”

He was referring to his eightyearold son who is already well on his way to following in his dadamp8217s footsteps as a fan of the Amazins and of baseball in generalamp160 In addition to learning the sport at The Baseball Center on 74th Street Azariaamp8217s son already knows Citi Field wellamp160 Back in 2015 shortly after Azaria had moved back to New York from the West Coast amp8211 a period when he said he amp8220had a lot of free timeamp8221 amp8211 he attended approximately 30 games that season which ended with the Mets in the World Series for the first time since 1986 when they wonamp160 amp8220My son was with me the whole time and he got a big kick out of how excited I wasamp8221 Azaria recalledamp160 amp8220Even though that season didnamp8217t end with a World Series win it was pretty specialamp8221Baseball remained the hot topic on both a professional and personal level throughout the lunch during which we were joined by IFC President Jennifer Caserta and at one point interrupted by a friend of Sir Derek Jacobi who was dining at a nearby table and had requested an audience with Azaria as he is a big fanamp160 Azaria visited with Jacobi when our lunch ended before dashing off to the Manhattan studio where he records his longrunning character voices for The Simpsonsamp160 Pictured below left to right Jack Myers Hank Azaria Jennifer Caserta and Ed MartinBrockmire amp8211 the character and the series was very much on everyoneamp8217s minds as Azaria and Caserta had attended the gala event the night before celebrating the showamp8217s sophomore season which included a screening and panel discussion at Lincoln Centeramp8217s Walter Reade Theater and a blowout party on the Empire Hotel rooftopamp160 It was a grand affair right down to the details which included lifesized decals of a passedout Jim Brockmire affixed to the floors in the restrooms see photo belowamp160 amp8220I didnamp8217t know they were going to do thatamp8221 Azaria laughedamp160 amp8220I went to pee last night and amp8230 I had to take a picture of it for my wifeamp8221amp8220Last night was the latest I have stayed up in I donamp8217t know how longamp8221 Azaria laughed noting that he had left the affair at about 10 pm for his home on the Upper West Sideamp160 amp8220Ever since my son was born I find that I want to be there and itamp8217s an early jobamp160 I like to have an hour to myself before he gets upamp8220I enjoy nights like thatamp8221 he continuedamp160 amp8220I would do more but because I am a celebrity amp8230 not a superstar just a celebrity amp8230 it just turns into taking selfiesamp160 It becomes a public appearance not a social eventamp8221Strangely Jim Brockmire amp8211 a former superstar sports announcer on a longdelayed and very rocky road to redemption after a very public fall from grace amp8211 might agreeamp160 After being out of the country and the media limelight for ten years he found himself becoming a reluctant nationally known podcast star during season one of the show even though he was only calling games for a minorleague team in Morristown PA amp160Credit for that went to Morristown Frackers owner Jules James Amanda Peet who became his drinking companion and lover and digital media whiz Charles Tyrel Jackson Williams who assisted Brockmire in the boothamp160 That success led to a bigtime move to New Orleans for Jim and Charles where the podcast is making a mint while Brockmireamp8217s comeback collapses along with his relationship with JulesBrockmire is one of the more layered and complicated characters on television right now which is especially relevant at a time when thousands of characters populate hundreds of scripted series across the broadcast cable and streaming landscapeamp160 Much of that is due to Azariaamp8217s fearless and fiery portrayal of a man who has gone over the edge and back again and again and again and againamp160 But Azaria insists that the lionamp8217s share of the credit should go to head writer and showrunner Joel ChurchCooperamp8220The character is mine originally but Joel has written it for years now much better than I couldamp8221 Azaria admittedamp160 Jim Brockmire began as the star of a short video on Funny or Die written by Azaria and friendsamp160 Then Azaria started doing public appearances as Brockmire including on the NFL Networkamp160 amp8220Rich Eisen wanted me to come on his show as Brockmire and do NFL takesamp8221 Azaria recalledamp160 amp8220So I called over to Funny or Die and asked if some kid over there could take a pass at writing jokes about the sports topics of the day and I would rewrite them as Brockmireamp8221amp160 That amp8220kidamp8221 turned out to be ChurchCooperamp160 amp8220In two hours I had this document that was hilarious way better than I ever could have written it and I didnamp8217t change a wordamp8221 Azaria saidamp160 amp8220It was like a movie pitchamp160 It was before he really started writing for TV yetamp160 A 28yearold guy writing sports jokesamp160 He has never let us downamp8220Iamp8217m not a writeramp160 If I could write scripts I would amp160I have tried and Iamp8217ve had people say amp8216this is terribleamp8217 over and over againamp8221 he added with a laugh amp160amp8220We didnamp8217t even say Brockmire should be an alcoholic amp8230 we said he should have a fling with the team owner amp8230 that was itamp160 Six weeks later Joel came back with the Jim and Jules relationshipamp8221Azaria is particularly impressed with ChurchCooperamp8217s ability to write diverse charactersamp160 amp8220Joel is such a woke guy that it means a lot to him to write for people of color for women amp8230 while telling a story in a way that is fun and responsibleamp8221 he saidAs is the case with his work on The Simpsons though it is all about that voice and it seems Brockmireamp8217s has been around for decadesamp160 amp8220Iamp8217ve been doing the voice since I was a teenageramp8221 Azaria revealedamp160 amp8220I always thought the baseball announcer thing was hilariousamp160 Iamp8217ve done it on The Simpsons for yearsamp160 They have Harry Shearer doing Vin Scullyamp160 Every once in a while they would put someone in the booth with himamp160 I called it Baseball Announcer Guyamp160 And then Harry and I started talking over the years about how baseball announcers are hilarious because they can say whatever they want as long as the give the countamp160 That became the comedic premise in my brainamp8221Azaria grew up in the Forest Hills neighborhood in Queens New York in a community he describes as very diverseamp160 amp8220There were voices everywhereamp8221 he recalledamp160 amp8220My character in the 1996 Robin Williams comedy The Birdcage was based on the Puerto Rican street queens I grew up listening toamp160 I was always taking it inamp160 Forest Hills is exactly halfway between Manhattan and Long Islandamp160 Itamp8217s very urban in some ways and very suburban in othersamp8220You have room to be a kid be a little more innocentamp8221 he continuedamp160 amp8220There was a serious contingency of tough kidsamp160 Street kidsamp160 There were very wealthy kidsamp160 In New York youamp8217re all thrown togetheramp160 Some of the smartest kids were the street kidsamp160 Some of the wildest kids were the rich kidsamp160 We all played togetheramp160 We all fought together amp160Back in those days by age 10 you were out of the house having adventuresamp160 I wasnamp8217t a fighteramp160 I was a good athlete but the way I made my way in the world was by imitating people amp160Being funnyamp160 If I got confronted in the street by tough kids I started talking like amp8216You want sumthinamp8217 Huhamp8217 amp160It worked amp160It helpedamp8221When he isnamp8217t enjoying baseball or working on his show about baseball each season of which he said takes about 89 months from writing to preproduction to production to postproduction to promotion or devoting time to his son or recording segments of The Simpsons Azaria has been working with a group called The Haven at his alma mater Tufts Universityamp160 amp8220Itamp8217s a group that helps kids who discover they have substance or drinking problems on campusamp8221 he explainedamp160 amp8220Weamp8217re working with Tufts to establish Havens in New Englandamp8221He is also working to help establish an extraordinary care facility for Alzheimers patientsamp160 amp8220My mother is 90 years old and lives in Miami amp8230 her mother had Alzheimers and passed away at a wonderful senior facility under the care of this amazing doctor Dr Marcus Ronanamp160 Heamp8217s like the countryamp8217s foremost geriatric Alzheimeramp8217s guy amp160He is raising a lot of money to start what he calls an empathic care villageamp160 Thereamp8217s one in Hollandamp160 It goes beyond a nursing home for Alzheimers and dementia patients where they can essentially roam free and the staff is trained in how to deal with themamp160 Itamp8217s a place where they can engage in what interests themamp160 It is the kind of care you wish was available for any relative who is living with this amp160Iamp8217m helping him fundraiseamp160 He has a lot of patients dealing with old age issues not just dementia issuesamp160 His empathic care facility will be right in the middle of Miamiamp160 Itamp8217s similar to what I am trying to do with Tufts create a modelamp8221Of all the characters Azaria has created including the animated ones to which he has given many voices he says Jim Brockmire is his favoriteamp160 amp8220I probably had the most fun doing Spamalot on Broadway because Iamp8217m a Monty Python freak and Mike Nichols directed itamp160 The Simpsons is totally iconicamp160 I was on Friends and Mad About You amp8230 but my favorite is Brockmire for so many reasonsamp8221 he musedamp160 amp8220I was on Friends Mad About You amp8230 as someone who has worked in television for 30 years and has been so organically frustrated by the network TV experience but to watch television turn into cable where you can do Brockmire is greatamp160 In the past Iamp8217ve had many similar ideas be put through the sausage factory and watered downamp160 I have ultimate respect for people who can actually find a way to be relevant and funny and real through the medium of network television amp160Itamp8217s an astounding feat to meamp8221He turned toward Caserta and smiledamp160 amp8220Iamp8217m not blowing smoke amp8230 but IFC was the only place that would do Brockmireamp8221 he saidamp160 amp8220There were others that were interested but in the end we got amp8216noamp8217 everywhereamp160 We would have to reconceive it and water it downamp8220Also we assumed wherever we went we would be told that Joel would have to be paired with another showrunner that we canamp8217t trust a guy with his first showamp8221 he continuedamp160 amp8220I was really blown away that IFC let Joel have that opportunity amp160We didnamp8217t know he was going to be that brilliantamp8221Myers agreed declaring that Brockmire is a show every baseball fan should watchamp8220It should be a ruleamp8221 Azaria knowingly repliedClick the social buttons above or below to share this content with your friends and colleaguesThe opinions and points of view expressed in this content are exclusively the views of the author andor subjects and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet Inc management or associated writersamp160

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Lunch at Michael’s with Hank Azaria, Star of IFC’s “Brockmire”

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Lunch at Michael’s with Hank Azaria, Star of IFC’s “Brockmire”

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