John Hodgman and Always Be Pitching

I like John Hodgman, but…

First a little background. I’ve never met him. Would like to, I think. Like most people who know of him and appreciate his work, I first saw/heard of him on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart as the resident expert. This led me to buy one of his earlier books of fun, fake facts and enjoyed it quite a bit. Then there’s the commercials of I’m a PC and the other guy’s a Mac. Then he was on Bored to Death (a great show) and he would appear in other shows that I enjoyed.

Then I read his book Vacationland. I loved it. We are of about the same generation, live in New England (though he primarily lives in Brooklyn, but spends lots of time in Maine and western Massachusetts), have a son and daughter, write, and a few other similarities that feel as if we share a sort of similar experience (he is by far wealthier and more successful, but so are most people than me).

In Vactionland he told stories that connected with me, some of them quite deeply, such as losing his mother to cancer. When I read his book, my mom was in a nursing home dying and, as he wrote, her death broke my life in two. In fact, over the months that I cared for my mom, I read his book twice and read a graphic novel by Roz Chast titled Can’t We Talk about Something more Pleasant twice, too. Chast’s book describes the passing of her parents with honesty and humor that helped keep my feet on the ground.

Hodgman’s book did the same. He was kind, humble in his success and generous in thanking those who helped him along the way, and without pretense. It is good, honest, funny, and moving writing from someone who is easily very likable.

I mentioned my like of Hodgman to my daughter and being the savvy teenager that she is, she pointed me to Hodgman’s podcast Judge John Hodgman.

This is where things get a little dicey.

It’s a very funny and pleasant podcast and I enjoyed it, but within each episode he and Jesse Thorn (another talented nice guy) take a moment to promote their various projects.

This is not a problem in and of itself, but it began to become too much as Hodgman’s next book—Medallion Status—was soon to be released. For months, it was nonstop pre-order my amazing book NOW! On and on and on… buy my book… And this push/pitch entered into the body of the podcast, too. Gone was the humble, generous, person, replaced by a guy with a book, success, a big following, and a big ego.

And in a number of these pitches Hodgman and Thorn repeat the slogan, Always be pitching, taken from Glenngary Glen Ross. I would say to them, this is not a good character trait, ergo its inclusion in a play and movie about desperate, inauthentic salesmen.

In all, the tone and… well… ego and lack of humility and omnipresence of the pitch, was/is too much.

It challenged my notion of the person I read in Vacationland, this generous, kind, humble person sharing thoughtful humorous insights on life that intersected with my own challenges, pains, and some joys.

Who is John Hodgman?

Well, I believe he’s a nice guy and more like the narrator in Vacationland. But I resisted buying Medallion Status because I didn’t want to reward the always be pitching version of John Hodgman.

Then I read a review and thought, okay, perhaps I’m wrong. He’s trying to have a career as a writer and that involves marketing, even if it comes across as pushy, egotistical, and inauthentic.

And I read the book. Unfortunately, the narrator this time is the always be pitching Hodgman. There are funny and some moving stories, but also a lack of authenticity and humility. Sort of a kind and funny egoist.

I didn’t like it.

I could be wrong (probably am). Perhaps I read it with a jaundiced view. But this is where an important point comes in. My view was jaundiced before even buying the book because of the nonstop pitching and style. His method of selling his book made me fall out of respect for him and that colored my reading.

Though, honestly, I didn’t enjoy the book all that much. Too much name dropping and aren’t I cool vibe. It got in the way of the stories and seeing the person underneath.