I’m writing this on a friend’s computer in Phoenix, Arizona. Joy, one of my best friends has lived here for 7 years, and we had an epic party last night to celebrate her birthday. It’s the first time I’ve come to visit her, and I feel terrible that it’s taken me this long. After having moved to New York City in December 2006, I better appreciate how much it means to have your core friends meet your new friends and to see what your new life looks like.
In addition to being one of my closest friends on the planet, Joy and I share something else. We have a healthy appreciation for the humor and the spectacle that is Tucker Max. In the beginning of 2006, when his book “I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell” came out, it quickly became a bestseller, partly in thanks to the robust community of fans of his website, where he first began publishing his short stories.
I became a fan of Tucker’s in 2004, when a friend of friend mentioned Tucker’s website in passing and I went and looked it up. I read all of the posted stories, then found his message board. I didn’t post there, but did find the discussions to be both entertaining and intelligent.
A couple years went by, and I forgot about Tucker and his stories. Then, right after St. Patrick’s Day in 2006, he came up in conversation again. I went to check on his message board, saw that his stories (both new ones and the ones from his website) had just been published in book format.
I have never laughed so hard throughout a book in my life, not until then and not since. The book was so funny that it did drive me back to his message board, just so I could share that experience with other fans and people who knew him and these stories in real life. I joined the board, became a member of that community and a couple of months later I met Tucker in person.
As I mentioned, I moved to NYC at the end of 2006. I only knew three people in the city, one of whom was Tucker. We spent my first Christmas in the city together, and I’ve only seen him once or twice since then, as he moved to L.A. to work on a television pilot and a movie shortly after I arrived in New York.
Which brings me to today, and why I’m here. Joy and I are going to the Tempe, AZ premiere of “I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell,” tonight and I’m so excited to support Tucker in his biggest adventure to date.
People hate on him for what he writes about and what they think he stands for. I’ve been in his community long enough now to not feel like it’s my job to defend him from these people – people gonna hate no matter what. I stand by everything I’ve written about him, and hope that more people get to know him and respect him as an artist. The guy is incredibly smart, disciplined and talented. Just because he is unapologetically himself, a lot of people want to hold him back.
People shrink away from authenticity and are jealous of people who are doing exactly what they love without restrictions. Me? I learned from that. I hope this movie blows it through the roof, breaks records and makes history. He and his friends worked this project, from the blog to the book to the movie, the way they wanted to without sacrificing their vision.
That is something to admire.
The movie (screenplay written by Tucker Max and Nils Parker) opens to the public September 25.
