Hi, I'm a slovenly Mac and John's a well-groomed PC
You probably don’t know John’s name but the role he did for Apple Computers during the mid- to late Aughts. Other times, he is a senior correspondent on The Daily Show when he is in New York. Last night he graced Austin with his wit, observations and to plug his latest book, That is All.
John’s book-signing was the longest I’ve ever attended in which the guest was the “cause” and not the long line to get a signature (Anne Rice, Alton Brown). This is a great thing. The guy is even more hilarious in person. First there was a whole getting ready routine, similar to how Cirque du Soleil messes with the audience. Next came his monologue, recording a pair of YouTube posts followed with readings from the book. John then generously used the podium to give Neal Pollack (an old friend, fellow author) time to promote his novel Jewball. Matters returned to John: Q&A, a moustache-judging contest and concluding the evening with a sing-along.
Originally I thought I was going to out of luck on this event. His appearance was announced last Thursday and was slated in five days. Jeremy scored the wristbands, tickets were just for seats, standing didn’t bother me, I sit all day at work. We were in the third group but John was willing to sign everyone’s copy because he was glad the crowd was there for him, not the upcoming Cake Boss guy.
My question for him was how he got to be on Battlestar Galactica. John played a brain surgeon who assisted Major Cottle remove a bullet from a Cylon’s head, the one married to Starbuck. He said he wrote about the show, met creator Ron Moore and it led to the opportunity (in short, paraphrased).
Meanwhile, should the opportunity arise that John Hodgman is coming to your city, I urge you to go. It’s equal to attending a solid stand-up routine but it’s more interactive.