John Hodgman: 2005-2441

A WHILE AGO, I briefly referred to John Hodgman, a professional writer. Then, in the post directly below this post spatially but before it temporally, I wrote an essay of sorts about Mole Men that was an homage to Mr. Hodgman's writing style. Who the hell is John Hodgman?

He's a professional writer. I, on the other hand, am not. I conclude sentences with propositions, and it is something I've struggled with. He was formerly a professional literary agent who convinced Bruce Campbell to write a book about chins, I think. He wrote a most excellent compendium of all knowledge in the style of Poor Richard's Almanck (by Ben Franklin). He appears on a famous left-wing fake news program. His likeness is used to sell a certain kind of computer while maligning (ever so gently) the competition.

I was first made aware of his existence through his writings for McSweeney's. His column, called Ask a Former Professional Literary Agent, was weird, tweedy, pedantic, and forced. In other words, I loved it. I didn't note the name at the time. While I was not aware of him before or after these items were "published" online, he was writing pieces for the New York Times Magazine.

The next time I met Mr. Hodgman was through the television. He was a guest on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. He was promoting a book that parodied a truly hot topic: popular almanacs of the 18th and 19th centuries. In his version, he made everything up. It may have seemed like a recipe for disappointment or a managerial position at Wendy's, but it was simply part of the grand drama that is Hodgmania. The interview was phenomenal. He made Jon Stewart laugh more than I've ever seen him laugh with a guest. It was the first time in my life that I bought a book, The Areas of My Expertise, that was promoted on a talk show. Unfortunately, YouTube yanked the video, but check out this legal interview done for Boston University's student-run talk show. The 21-year-old host does a pretty good job.

The book was amazing. The humor satiated my hunger for absurdist, hyper-culturally-aware parody that I never knew was burning away inside me. I don't even want to mention the 800 hobo names that he provides. Everyone does, and it's just a cliche by now. (see two drawings done by fans of the book: #550: "Douglas: The Future of Hoboing" and #728: "Moderately-Falutin' Pete").

I now own the audiobook. I've never owned an audiobook because my vision still operates, and I'm not too busy to use my hands and eyes at the same time. Nevertheless, it has some great stuff in it and some lively banter between the author, Mr. Hodgman, and his troubador, Jonathan Coulton. I was listening to the entry on Iowa and the great hobo dirt rocket and started laughingly uncontrollably on the bus. Don't worry, it's normal in Berkeley.

After the Daily Show visit, Mr. Hodgman has become a common guest and writer on the program. He functions as the show's "resident expert" and comments incorrectly on a vast array of subjects. I dare say that his segments are some of the best to grace the show. Go to comedycentral.com for some of the latest clips.

On top of all that, he plays the part of the "PC" in the new Apple TV commercials. Watch a collection of 6 ads here (via YouTube). Everything is, indeed, coming up Hodgman.