A Daily Show correspondent is narrating three performances at Symphony Hall
John Hodgman talks about his upcoming collaboration with the Boston Pops.
The Daily Show correspondent and Brookline native John Hodgman wrote a comedic narration to Benjamin Britten’s “The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra’’ for the Boston Pops. He’s going to take the stage to perform the piece during shows on Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday.
Once a student at the All Newton Music School, Hodgman is no stranger to the orchestral music scene. While it’s been decades since Hodgman gave up his musical amibitions, he is excited—and a bit scared—to perform with the Pops.
“It all seemed so perfectly serendipitous and at the same time terrifying,’’ Hodgman said. “Having grown up in Boston, having gone to Pops concerts and BSO concerts, the prospect of performing with the Pops in Symphony Hall was very intimidating to me.’’
Despite his reservations, the comedian is a great fit for the gig due to his musical background.
Hodgman studied clarinet and viola between the ages of 12 and 16, but quit to pursue a career in writing and comedy. Now a self-described “professional fraud’’ and purveyor of fake facts, the comedian realized at a young age that he had to make some sacrifices in order to focus on his dreams.
He credits former music teachers like Paulette Bowes, director at the All Newton Music School, for being patient with him as he found his true calling.
“I ultimately made the decision to stop pretending to play these instruments in any serious way once I realized that if I want to get really good at something, I have to concentrate and focus on something that I feel most passionate about,’’ Hodgman said. “So I credit Paulette and my two viola teachers with their patience since I wasted their time. But at the end of the day, my time wasn’t wasted and I think they understood this because I was learning that, in order to get good at a thing, you really need to practice and be disciplined.’’
Hodgman notes how, over the years, comedians and musicians have been kindred spirits who often take interest in each other’s crafts.
“Comedy used to be very integrated [with music], that’s what vaudeville was. A comedy person was almost always a song and dance person, like Groucho Marx or Sammy Davis Jr. or Gene Kelly or Donald O’Connor,’’ Hodgman said. “There’s a lot of overlap there historically. Now that stand-up is a pure artform, I don’t know if we would see Louis C.K. playing the ukulele, but I bet on some level he wants to.’’
By fusing comedy with music, Hodgman’s collaboration with the Pops will also pique the interests of younger audiences, who may not be regular fans of the orchestra.
Getting the younger generation interested in classical styles of music is the core mission of the Pops. It’s also why Britten composed “A Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra’’ in the first place.
Turning kids into orchestra fans may seem like an impossible task, but Hodgman believes it’s easier than most people think.
“It’s important for young people to be exposed to the capital ‘A’ Fine Arts, of course, but my main feeling is it’s not that hard, you just got to introduce them to it,’’ Hodgman said. “I think that’s one of the things the Pops does so admirably, bridging the gap between Fine Arts and popular arts, and letting people understand that it’s okay to come to Symphony Hall and have fun.’’
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