Showbiz Analysis: Phil Stanton Talks Blue Man Group and 25 Years of Adventure

Phil Stanton just might be one of the most creatively unique collaborators I’ve ever met. So I was thrilled to catch up with the co-founder of Blue Man Group to get the details behind those colorful characters, their new CD, and 25th anniversary.

Listen to Nancy’s conversation with Phil Stanton on her podcast Whine At 9.

Yes, it’s really been 25 years since Phil Stanton and close friends Chris Wink and Matt Goldman made Blue Man Group happen. And even the men behind the phenomenon are a little surprised. “I guess time flies when you’re having fun," Stanton says. "That’s probably what it is. And I think that’s what it’s been for us.”

Since 1991, 35 million people have seen Blue Man Group. Blue men have popped up for performances in 15 countries and there are permanent Blue Man Group theatrical productions in Orlando, Las Vegas, New York City, Chicago, Boston, and Berlin—and a North American Tour and a World Tour. Let’s just say that it’s easy to get a dose of the socially-conscious Blue Men these days.

Says Stanton, an award-winning writer and performer, Grammy-nominated musician and composer and a co-founder of the colorful force, “It really evolved out of our friendship.” With varied interests, the trio began searching for a way to create their own voice at a time when the internet had just started to become a societal force. They pondered many questions—“What is essentially human? What’s going to remain the same no matter how much our technology changes?”

“Blue Man became this way of expressing what felt like living kind of a fully human life for us. And for us, it was finding ways to express your creativity, or explore your creativity. Finding things that compel you to remain curious all through your life. And it was an excuse to have a social life. So it’s about community. It’s about being curious and about creativity…That’s what the Blue Man embodies for us today,” explains Stanton.

Drumming was central especially in the beginning because of its connection with the ancient tribal message that our human DNA is the same no matter how technology changes us. “Blue Man’s here to celebrate what’s always going to be true about humanity,” stresses Stanton.

And Blue Man really is every man. “He’s a citizen of the world. He’s not a citizen of any particular race or religion or political background even. We’re there to say something social, but it’s much more more— kind of basic.”

While it seems obvious that every person could be—and portray a Blue Man, it wasn’t always so obvious to Stanton, Wink and Goldman. It took an unfortunate accident to kickstart the launch of a little Blue Man cloning and the beginning of a worldwide force. “We thought of ourselves as a band. So we actually couldn’t get outside of it and picture the fact that other people should play the character and experience it,” explains Stanton who, along with his co-founders, had to give up that core belief, after he cut his thumb and was unable to perform. Stanton calls that the “big ‘aha’ moment”. The team quickly realized that there was an opportunity for others to experience a very important character.

These days, after 25 years of fun and important messages, Blue Man Group seems to be everywhere. The release of their third album, aptly named Three, is the perfect kick off for a milestone anniversary—blending acoustic and primal instruments with electronic and primal sounds. And because life is ever-changing, there are new instruments.

Take a listen and enjoy some of the new sounds of Three.

Phil Stanton chuckles when he reflects on the Blue Man phenomenon. “It’s one of the only, truly sort-of anonymous success stories in entertainment.” But whatever it is that captivates audiences, there’s one thing for certain—Blue Man is never stagnant.

“We feel like we’re always learning,” says Stanton. “We made a lot of intuitive choices about Blue Man in the early stages, and I think we’re continually trying to understand what it is that we’ve done…It’s such an abstract sort of character and abstract world that the character lives in, you know. And we’re trying to figure out what makes it tick even to this day. And I think I always will be…For us, we feel like we’re just on a continual learning curve.” Which is why we can’t stop watching and listening.

Find out more about Blue Man Group.

Listen to Nancy’s interview with Phil Stanton on iTunes or WhineAt9.com and follow the podcast on Facebook.