While for most of us 2009 might seem to be a blight on the human condition,I’m fairly certain Sean Tillman sees this year differently.
With a supporting role in Drew Barrymore’s directorial debut “Whip It”,the successful web series “Crappy Holidays”,well reviewed album “Dark Touches”,music videos starring Eva Mendes and a freshly inked production deal with HBO,Tillman is leaving his mark on all areas of entertainment.

Sean Tillman is what you might call a Los Angeles renaissance man,and I mean this in the nicest way possible. Only in LA could someone cash in on his genetic proximity to a porn star,sing delightfully subversive pop songs dressed like a hipster Prince,as well as play in a raucous hardcore side project,have glittered covered celebrities appear in music videos and make a small web series turn into HBO production deals. Tillman is essentially living the dream. My first experience seeing him perform was as Har Mar Superstar at the wedding of mutual friends in Chicago a few months ago. I had heard so much over the years about the Har Mar experience that I was both excited and worried how the act could ever go over well at a wedding,even one this artsy and filled with performers and creative types. I mean there were still grandmas there. When Har Mar took to the stage and began shedding pieces of clothing with each catchy pop song,I was instantly hooked. It was rare to see a man shirtless,doing a semi-headstand and yet,able to hit the notes that Har Mar could,all while charming an entire wedding guest list from the stage. He had found himself a new fan in me. Over the wedding weekend,I was able to get to know the man behind the stage persona,Sean Tillman,which was equally interesting and was super excited when he took the time to chat with me last week about all his upcoming projects.

His new record,“Dark Touches”,which will be released in the US next Tuesday,and its infectious dance tunes are already permeating my brains. “Tall Boy”,which was originally penned for Britney Spears,is a dirty little ditty about ladies night out and the love of 16 oz cans of booze and well-endowed dudes. Not surprisingly Spears’ handlers passed on the song awhile back,afraid it would damage the already haggard image of the pop disaster,but thankfully Har Mar decided to record it as is,mainly because Tall Girl definitely doesn’t have the same ring,nor actual meaning. In fact,Tillman thinks the song might be his best written to date. The video,which stars Tillman’s friends Eric Wareheim and Alia Shawkat,as well as hottie Eva Mendes,makes one want to douse themselves in glitter and beam up to Har Mar land.
His US tour in support of “Dark Touches”kicks off tonight at the Echo in Los Angeles and if you are lucky,you can see him charming the pants off of men and women alike at these venues all across this fine land.

If Har Mar is sure of one thing,its that collaborations with talented friends is a win/win situation,like his addition to the “Whip It”soundtrack,a cover of “Never My Love”with friend and fellow musician Adam Green,which I got to hear live at the wedding earlier mentioned. So it might not just be a happy coincidence that HBO inked a production deal with Sean and his friends Alia Shawkat and Ellen Page the same week “Whip It”opened up and Sean’s album was about to drop. The three have been friends for a while and they found some viral love with their adorable “cover” of “Don’t Stop Believing” by Journey,which was all over the interwebs early in the Summer. While working on “Whip It”,Drew Barrymore’s directorial debut,and during a vacation to Amsterdam,the three worked out some script ideas. It didn’t hurt that Tillman was finding popularity within the comedy world for his web series,“Crappy Holidays” and Page and Shawkat were becoming two of the go to comediennes in Hollywood,so it was only a matter of time until their pet projects were going to score deals. And HBO is a perfect place to develop their “Stich N’Bitch”,a comedy based on two girls who move from East Coast hipsterdome Williamsburg to West Coast hipsterville Silverlake,with their recent renewal of “Bored to Death”. The two seem a perfect fit for n achingly cute hipster comedy,which I will probably fall in love with. No word yet if Juno and Maeby will be playing the said hipster girls,but if it means that Sean could be the lecherous Super or Landlord,I am so stoked! And if the title is any indication to the characters’hobbies,it would also mean that the two would be part of mainstreaming another alterna trend for ladies,like they are currently doing with roller derby,only a few years after the height of the moment.

Whether it’s music,film or cable television,it seems that anything the Minnesota native touches is turning to gold. So if you ain’t ready to jump on board the Har Mar train,throw on some glitter and enjoy yourself,you might be missing out on entertainment’s latest little golden,er tall boy.