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In Between New Girl and Broad City, Eliot Glazer Turns Pop Music on Its Head
In Between New Girl and Broad City, Eliot Glazer Turns Pop Music on Its Head
The acclaimed writer of New Girl, Younger, and Broad City (and occasional actor) has a new concert featuring the songs from his youth.
One of the out masterminds from the writers' rooms of New Girl and Broad City has a new form of entertainment for us. In a recent interview with The Advocate, Eliot Glazer -- who you may recognize for his role on Broad City, where he guest-stars alongside his real-life sister, Ilana Glazer -- illustrated the basis of his new concert, Haunting Renditions, which seeks to reimagine the nostalgic musical essences from his youth.
The Advocate: What is Haunting Renditions?
Glazer: Well, it's a live concert that's also a comedy show but not a "musical comedy show." It comes from my being a classically trained singer but also resembles a college acapella group. Our musical director and I always used to try and add a grounded sense of comedy into our college a capella, but it wasn't really the right fit. So it's basically the evolution of our a capella group from college and a collaboration between me, my friends, and family. It's a live concert that includes absurdist comedy, but it's never a quote on quote musical comedy show.
What were your first experiences with music?
Well, I always felt isolated in my musical taste. As a kid I was listening to what my parents had in the house, which was a lot of jazz and R&B -- so all that rubbed off pretty easily. Music was your shield or inner craft growing up. It was the thing that helped build your identity and dictated how you dressed, how you wore it, and where you shopped. I don't believe these things go hand in hand anymore, which I don't think is a good or bad thing, it just is what it is. As I got older, I wasn't listening to what the other teenagers were listening to, which was a lot of "fuck you" middle finger punk and pop. I was always more interested in cerebral music, and it really bent toward R&B. I was sort of quietly listening to this music in an atmosphere eddled with youthful angst and hate directed toward machines. And ultimately it influenced my career and musical taste all the way to present day -- including Hauting Renditions.
Is there a difference in the music industry now versus the time of your musical idols?
As I've grown older, I've noticed a surge in desire for authenticity. I think that that idea has replaced the notion of selling out. I remember, as a kid, that it was almost like a crime for a musician to sell out and have their music on a soundtrack or played as music for a commercial. Now you're trying to make money any way you know how ... except for Donald Trump.
Have you ever wanted to jam with Sutton Foster, Zooey Deschanel, Hilary Duff, or any of the stars from your shows?
I've definitely talked to Sutton and Hilary about my show, but I never felt forward enough to straight up ask them to do shows with me. As a writer, there's a boundary there that I wouldn't want to cross. But they are truly awesome people, and I think one day that would be nice, but in the meantime I think it's nice to call organically from guests in my life, which has helped the show work so far.
