Name Dropping
A while back, I came across the newest sensation in online time-suckage: the social-network, ala Friendster. I signed up some months ago, but found few actual friends on the system. Using the search, I discovered a guy in Chicago who shared my name, and then for fun, sent connection requests to some “celebs” I only casually knew. Imagine my surprise when I logged in a couple of weeks later and saw that my Friendster network was now over 300,000 strong, and included actual semi-famous-type comedians.
Comedians, particularly of the alterna-set, tend towards the nerd spectrum, and thus are early adopters of such innovations as CD-players, computers, video games and D&D 3rd Edition. Take Chris Hardwick, of MTV “Singled Out” and syndicated “Shipmates” hosting gigs. He lists his favorite music as:
“Radiohead, Neil Finn, Elvis Costello, Grant Lee Phillips,Cousin Lovers, The Sundays, World Party, Zeppelin, Glen Campbell, Nirvana, Weird Al, there’s obviously not enough room to give you a valid representation of my musical taste. don’t fucking judge me”
Can we say, nerdy, boys and girls?And not to forget Wil Wheaton who, thanks to his funny and insightful Weblog, remade his image into an Internet nerd rockstar.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not dissing nerds.* Hell, I’m a card-carrying member of Mensa. These days, the real Revenge of the Nerds is that they run the world– well, the parts that have to do with making money, at least. In the past, the tycoons of industry were in manly businesses like the railroad, steel, oil and fur trades. Now, the riches fall on software geeks, investment wonks and the beneficiaries of countrified super-salesman Sam Walton.
Checking today, my Friendster network has grown to 486,010. It’s like the Borg. Soon, you, too will be assimilated.
There are some popular peeps out there. Mr. Show’s Bob Odenkirk, f’r instance, has 147 people directly connected to him. The Friendster claiming to be Janeane Garofalo has 184. (My suspicion is that’s not actually Janeane, since she told me she doesn’t own a computer, ’cause she doesn’t know how to type.) And the aforementioned Mr. Harwicke has 85– but those are quality comedy-type friends, like Brendon Small (of Home Movies), Patton Oswalt and Brian Posehn, the big lug who plays hilarious bits in Mr. Show and Just Shoot me.
And lo and behold, I discovered former fellow Austinite funnyboy Brad “Chip” Pope in my list, too– via the Hardwick connection. Not that I knew him that well. And there’s cute ‘lil Jessy Schwartz with a scandalous picture…
Excuse me while I go back to time-wasting.
* After I apologized to Chris Hardwick for slamming his tastes, he wrote,
simon, i would never be upset for being nerd bashed. the very thing that
kept me from having any social layer as a kid has now become like that
crusty, but lovable uncle we all have who is endearing in his old age, even
though he fucked you all through school.
