That is all
October 26, 2011 1:40 PM   Subscribe

That is all. We hear from the deranged millionaire once again.
posted by zuhl (48 comments total) 16 users marked this as a favorite
 
why do we even have a ferret skeleton room?
posted by The Whelk at 1:44 PM on October 26, 2011 [2 favorites]


I'm diggin' that 'stache.
posted by addelburgh at 1:44 PM on October 26, 2011


I saw him speak at Maker Faire NYC. My favorite part was him describing his confusion at the Mac/PC ads. It went roughly like this:

"I'm still not sure what I was supposed to be. Was I supposed to be a computer who thought it was a person? If so, that would have made me an android. Was I supposed to be a person trained to think as fast as a computer? That would have made me a Mentat."

(Audience laughter)

"Thank you, nerds."
posted by griphus at 1:44 PM on October 26, 2011 [19 favorites]


I'm Justin Long
posted by The Whelk at 1:46 PM on October 26, 2011


I'm waiting for the audiobook - his audiobooks are big productions with Jonathon Coulton music and silly banter. I still listen to the first two all the time.
posted by roll truck roll at 1:49 PM on October 26, 2011 [4 favorites]


I think that was a commercial about something that's coming November 1st.
posted by uraniumwilly at 1:49 PM on October 26, 2011 [1 favorite]


Yes, I do believe this is an advertisement. An amusing advertisement, but an advertisement nonetheless.
posted by wierdo at 1:51 PM on October 26, 2011 [1 favorite]


Mefi's own
posted by roll truck roll at 1:51 PM on October 26, 2011


All I saw was Kristen Schaal sulking in the background and that's enough for me
posted by The Whelk at 1:52 PM on October 26, 2011 [6 favorites]


I just finished listening to the the Nerdist podcast with John Hodgman. They cover his new book, the Mac/PC commercials, missing out on meeting Steve Jobs and other interesting things.

Worth a listen.
posted by beowulf573 at 1:52 PM on October 26, 2011


I think I'm next, but I don't feel entirely certain. I usually don't take the word of eccentric millionaires.
posted by pyrex at 1:52 PM on October 26, 2011


I'm disappointed the audiobook won't be out until next year (scroll down), I've listened and re-listened to the first two far more times than I can count.

Hobo segment from The Areas of My Expertise audiobook (warning: video is 8 min ken burns effect on one image, actually an inside joke from the book)

Jonathan Coulton (and other celebrity cameos) really makes the audiobooks shine.
posted by Nutri-Matic Drinks Synthesizer at 1:53 PM on October 26, 2011


Directed by Tom Scharpling, he of the Best Show fame. He's been directing a lot of music videos lately. Here are a some: one for the band The Ettes, one for the band Wild Flag, and one for the New Pornographers.
posted by (Arsenio) Hall and (Warren) Oates at 1:53 PM on October 26, 2011 [1 favorite]


I picked up a copy of The Areas of My Expertise from B&N in the clearance bin. It was worth the couple of bucks I paid for it and though I enjoy his bits on The Daily Show, I really don't think I'd paid full price for any book he's written. It has some novelty factor but then that aspect wears off quickly.
posted by GavinR at 1:55 PM on October 26, 2011 [1 favorite]


I look forward to what he will do after.
posted by munchingzombie at 1:56 PM on October 26, 2011


I should give the audiobooks a listen. I love Hodgman, but I bought his first book and even though I tried like hell to enjoy it, I didn't.
posted by bondcliff at 1:56 PM on October 26, 2011 [2 favorites]


It feels like he's judging me.
posted by drezdn at 1:58 PM on October 26, 2011 [1 favorite]


That was the slowest moving Beastie Boys video ever.
posted by drezdn at 1:58 PM on October 26, 2011 [6 favorites]


That's too bad, guys. I heard he loved your book.
posted by (Arsenio) Hall and (Warren) Oates at 1:58 PM on October 26, 2011 [1 favorite]


Worth it for the "Computer, send this to the computer and print it out."
posted by Drastic at 1:58 PM on October 26, 2011 [4 favorites]


John Hodgman knows Nas?
posted by danny the boy at 1:59 PM on October 26, 2011 [2 favorites]


The oddest thing I've gotten from Hodgman's books was (and this may have really happened) learning about Woodrow Wilson's wife running the country.
posted by drezdn at 1:59 PM on October 26, 2011


Hmmm. He's working that 15 minutes of fame for all its worth.
posted by LoudMusic at 2:00 PM on October 26, 2011


drezdn, yes, that happened. Edith Wilson ran the country.
posted by Navelgazer at 2:04 PM on October 26, 2011 [1 favorite]


I know the link/post are borderline, since the video truly is an ad for his upcoming book, but I felt it was worth it for the little smidgen with Dick Cavett. I mean come on, how often do you get to see that?
posted by zuhl at 2:06 PM on October 26, 2011 [2 favorites]


Edith Wilson ran the country.

That's really going to piss off Glenn Beck when he finds out.
posted by drezdn at 2:06 PM on October 26, 2011 [1 favorite]


I find the audiobooks quite a lot better than the dead tree versions. Hodgman pulls off the "straight man" persona well enough to make the made up facts and histories more entertaining, and Coulton is there to be a foil for him, to keep things from bogging down. There's a fair amount of back and forth between them, and the chemistry just seems to work.

(Admittedly, I got the first audiobook when it was offered free on iTunes, but I happily paid full price for the second. Maybe I'm just the type to enjoy long streams of just-barely-lies)
posted by Nutri-Matic Drinks Synthesizer at 2:07 PM on October 26, 2011


Hodgman also lead to the creation of The Canadian House of Pizza and Garbage jingle, sure to be included on my next mix tape. In a perfect world, someone would now open a restaurant called Canadian House of Pizza and Garbage.
posted by drezdn at 2:08 PM on October 26, 2011 [2 favorites]


Hmmm. He's working that 15 minutes of fame for all its worth

Considering he's been playing that character (the Deranged Millionaire) for 7 years, yeah, that's a long 15 minutes.
posted by mrgrimm at 2:25 PM on October 26, 2011 [1 favorite]


That's the first time I've seen a book trailer on Funny or Die.

I kind of like book trailers.

I was also intrigued by the trailer for Sarah Vowell's Unfamiliar Fishes.

And I really nerded out over this one for Murakami's new book 1Q84, which while a promotional piece, is more about the book's design by it's designer, than a commercial for the book.

Here, Ellen Degeneres unrecommends books.

Shalom Auslander: Attic Call with Ira Glass

Shalom Auslander: Attic Call with Sarah Vowell
ee
Shalom Auslander: Attic Call with John Hodgman

I like book video.
posted by Toekneesan at 2:27 PM on October 26, 2011 [1 favorite]


This is awesome and I can't wait for this book because then I will know everything there is to know.
posted by ColdChef at 2:31 PM on October 26, 2011 [2 favorites]


A Deranged Millionare clip without an Occupy Wall Street reference? I'm semi-disappointed.

Still, it was worth the whole 5+ minutes to see Dick Cavett flip the bird.

ColdChef, you made a common mistake. Reading Hodgman's books will let you know everything that's worth knowing.
posted by oneswellfoop at 2:35 PM on October 26, 2011


Of all the celebrity cameos in the celebrity cameo room I think that the camera panning slightly to the left and revealing ?uestlove was my favorite.
posted by JimBennett at 2:42 PM on October 26, 2011 [1 favorite]


Boy, I could use a dry, refreshing Plymouth Gin® martini while reading advertisements for books.
posted by benzenedream at 3:12 PM on October 26, 2011


John Hodgman knows Nas?

You don't? Come by later. I'll introduce you.
posted by dobbs at 3:34 PM on October 26, 2011 [2 favorites]


I'm waiting for the audiobook - his audiobooks are big productions with Jonathon Coulton music and silly banter. I still listen to the first two all the time.

The audiobooks are indeed great, but I find that reading them and listening to them are different experiences entirely and I buy both.

Plus the audiobook hasn't yet been recorded and won't be out until next year.
posted by inturnaround at 3:37 PM on October 26, 2011


I enjoyed the first audiobook, even though it got kind of monotonous at times, because of the alternate universe Hodgman has constructed by the end of it, complete with winking comparisons between the United States he's made and the one he's living in.

I'll freely admit that the sense of monotony might be in part because the audiobook was about the only thing I had to listen to for sixteen straight hours of playback on my MP3 player while clearing out my old house during a move.

By hour twelve or thirteen, his enthusiasm-charged reading about crabs was both the most hilarious thing in the universe and the most nightmarish.
posted by ardgedee at 3:49 PM on October 26, 2011 [3 favorites]


I like how he pronounces "robot."
posted by obscurator at 5:12 PM on October 26, 2011


Is that Jaime "Lee Adama" Bamber on the left at 3:10 mark? On a completely different note...WTF Apollo is a Brit? He has a great American accent which rivals Dominic Simon's. Simon/McNulty's British accent had the tendency to seep out once in a while. With Mr. Bamber I never suspected until i just read his wikipedia page.
posted by AElfwine Evenstar at 5:46 PM on October 26, 2011


Hodgman also lead to the creation of The Canadian House of Pizza and Garbage jingle, sure to be included on my next mix tape.

I'm a big fan of the Judge John Hodgman podcast, and as soon as he put out the request for one of his listeners to write a bi-lingual jingle for the pizza chain, I fired up my Casio, and the rest is history (I did the cassette tape image on says-it.com, btw). I'm going to see him (and Coulton) in Brooklyn on November 1st. Can't wait!
posted by ericbop at 5:47 PM on October 26, 2011 [4 favorites]


Nevermind it's Paul Rudd. Didn't see the credits down there.
posted by AElfwine Evenstar at 5:49 PM on October 26, 2011


Jamie Bamber is an Englisher, apparently he had a big problem with his accent so Edward James Olmos agreed to wear blue contacts (so as to better look like his dad) as a shared struggle thing. Bamber also dyed his hair darker.
posted by The Whelk at 5:59 PM on October 26, 2011


I'm waiting for the audiobook - his audiobooks are big productions with Jonathon Coulton music and silly banter. I still listen to the first two all the time.

YES. The books are good but the audiobooks are HILARIOUS. Far, far beyond the call of duty on those.

By hour twelve or thirteen, his enthusiasm-charged reading about crabs was both the most hilarious thing in the universe and the most nightmarish.

"Thank god that's over."

One of my favorite/one of the most horrifying parts from the first one was the song "You're In Urine." They didn't have to arrange and record the song as if it was a 1920s-era recording, they just somehow wanted to.
posted by JHarris at 6:02 PM on October 26, 2011


Seeing Dick Cavett flip Hodge the bird just made my entire week. Thank you!
posted by flyingsquirrel at 6:31 PM on October 26, 2011 [1 favorite]


Also I pretty sure I had the same reaction when I finished my book

but my library wasn't the NYC main branch so it's ALL WRONG
posted by The Whelk at 6:41 PM on October 26, 2011 [2 favorites]


I think this is one of those things where I'd need to know a lot more about certain things before I'd be able to understand this thing.
posted by Decani at 2:39 AM on October 27, 2011


I kind of like book trailers.

The only one I've ever seen or even heard about was for Inherent Vice. Is it really a thing? (I'd call this more of a promo piece than "trailer.".) I suppose so...

And I really nerded out over this one for Murakami's new book 1Q84,

YT comment: "Would like it if the jacket didn't crinkle at the touch." - ditto. I would also like a free epub version if I buy the hardcover. :P
posted by mrgrimm at 9:18 AM on October 27, 2011


I also listen to the first two audiobooks constantly. I enjoy the first one more due to the deadpan delivery Hodgman uses. His "character" is a bit more pompous in book #2 and not as interesting to me. The next time Coulton comes to town I'm going to request the state song for Colorado, the "hobo chili for dogs" jingle, and the "furry 'ol lobster" song, which might be the best song about an imaginary animal species ever conceived. All the background music Coulton does, especially during "Crabs" and "mall of america" is so subtle and excellent. The jokes that aren't funny might be my favorite bit.

I've recently started going through the "Today in the Past" page-a-day audio calendar and am amazed at his background sound person, each tiny episode has separate and unique sound effects. That must have taken days.
posted by dr. fresh at 10:29 AM on October 27, 2011


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