Tomorrow, on July the 30th, will be Lisa Kudrow’s birthday. We at This Blog Rules wish her a heartfelt happy birthday and can’t wait to see her rock the new decade (can you believe she’s turning 50?) as awesome as she’s ever been. And since we’ve been covering the Friends show recently as well, it was about time to compile a great retrospect on some of Phoebe’s best moments on TV. After all, it’s hard to choose from so many funny and awesome scenes, and this is exactly why we love her. Some fans of the show have argued that compared to the other characters, Phoebe is irrelevant, but we who like her obviously disagree. She is the embodiment of weirdness (much like the character of Jessica Day in the ongoing show “New Girl”), so she makes everyone feel good about their awkwardness. The fact that there are people out there not in love with Phoebe is beyond me.
So, without further ado, this is our list of the best moments with or by Phoebe from all the years of the show. First of all, no such list can begin without Phoebe’s famous “Smelly cat” songs. Whenever you see her play that song on the guitar, you can’t help but smile, no matter how bad your day has been. Seriously, you should try it as the perfect antidote to a bad day. You don’t need to re-watch the entire series, but just look up that song on Youtube. For now, let’s take a moment to remember Phoebe’s evergreen chorus:
Smelly Cat, Smelly Cat, what are they feeding you?
Smelly Cat, Smelly Cat, it’s not your fault…
They won’t take you to the vet.
You’re obviously not their favorite pet.
You may not be a bed of roses.
And you’re no friend to those with noses.
Smelly Cat, Smelly Cat, what are they feeding you?
Smelly Cat, Smelly Cat, it’s not your fault…
Remember, the same Phoebe who was singing this song was also going on about giving birth to her brother’s babies, and about the spirit of the old woman. Oh, and the other song she sang to those children, about how the farmer kills an animal and grinds the meat into hamburgers, is also to be remembered fondly, of course. She definitely had a special sense of music – as could be seen in that episode when Ross is playing the bag pipes and she tries to sing along by screeching. The first seasons caught her in a special kind of weirdness that seemed to have mellowed out as the show’s seasons advanced.
Another great moment featured our heroine changing her name to Princess Consuela Banana Hammock. The best part of it is that she convinced (or inspired) her partner, Mike, to change his name as well. To “Crap Bag”. Yes, you read that right. Luckily, the phase wasn’t a permanent one and she returns to her own name after finding the new one a bit impractical in this place called the real life. But she deserves a sincere kudos for trying (and delighting us while at it).
The list of Phoebe’s best moments should continue with that one time when she was at her wedding and preparing to go outside into the snow. Chandler asks her: “Won’t you be cold?” and she replies by saying “Oh, no! It’s ok, I’ll be my something blue!” Or that moment in the season 9 premiere, when she explains to Rachel how she views herself as the master puppeteer of the entire group. You just can’t help not loving her when she pulls something like that with the most relaxed and ordinary air in the world. How about you? What were you favorite Phoebe moments? Leave a comment below, we’d be happy to hear from you.