You might know him as a PC, or a Daily Show correspondent. But John Hodgman is also a writer, and an expert on every subject imaginable (and some that aren’t).
Believe it or not, the affable, bespectacled former Bostonian wasn’t always a humorist. He studied comparative literature at Yale, developing a passion for surrealist Argentinian novelist Jorge Luis Borges. Upon graduation, he moved to New York and entered the publishing world not as a writer, but as an editor and agent.
The short-lived McSweeney’s column, Ask a Former Professional Literary Agent (2000), launched a new career for Hodgman: Resident Expert.
“There's nothing less funny than trying to describe what makes humor funny,” Hodgman told Wired in an interview. “But it was always productive for me to stop and look at a set of presumptions, whether they were presumptions specific to the publishing industry or just life the way a caveman or a space alien or in my case a deranged, self-inflated blowhard would look at things. You know, to make sense of things simply by describing them exactly as they are, trying to erase cultural presuppositions out of your mind and just saying, oh this is what it is.”
Combine this dry, analytical thought process with an equally dry wit and a passion for the absurd and you get John Hodgman: Expert, who can whip up a lecture on any topic at the drop of a hat, but specializes in delightfully deadpan fake trivia.
For example (from NPR):
- On September 18th, 2012, the people of Madison, Wisc., will take a vow of no-cannibalism. It will last seven days.
- In Korea, it is common to give glass figurines as gifts — especially figurines of Vincent D'Onofrio, the Koreans' favorite actor.
- When SCUBA does not stand for Self-Contained Underwater Breathing American, it stands for Southern Cuba Un-Communist Business Association.
Hodgman’s come to call this narrative voice The Deranged Millionaire. (The above video, directed by Tom Scharpling, takes us on a star-studded tour of The Deranged Millionaire’s creative process.)
While The Deranged Millionaire (and JH: Expert) are just characters, Hodgman himself is almost suspiciously over-achieving. A self-professed geek, he’s appeared on cult shows including Flight of the Conchords, Battlestar Gallactica, Bored to Death and The Venture Brothers.
But he hasn’t given up fine arts for film; he’s also the editor of The New York Times Magazine’s humor section, and a frequent contributor to This American Life. He’s given a TED talk on aliens and love. He’s even got his own podcast, Judge John Hodgman, where he’ll help you solve issues of every ilk; from settling debates about what makes the perfect horror movie to mediating conflicts that arise when your boyfriend dumpster dives for pepperoni wrappers.
What else is Hodgman an expert in? Let’s take a tour through his trilogy of trivia tomes to find out:
Design by Sam Potts
The Areas of My Expertise (2005)
Full title: An Almanac of Complete World Knowledge Compiled with Instructive Annotation and Arranged in Useful Order by myself, John Hodgman, a Professional Writer, in The Areas of My Expertise, which Include: Matters Historical, Matters Literary, Matters Cryptozoological, Hobo Matters, Food, Drink & Cheese (a Kind of Food), Squirrels & Lobsters & Eels, Haircuts, Utopia, What Will Happen in the Future, and Most Other Subjects
A compendium of “historical” tales, lists, charts, newspaper clippings and errata, The Areas of my Expertise contains a list of 700 hobo names that inspired a fan art initiative (appropriately) known as the 700 Hoboes Project, a reader-submitted gallery of 800 imaginary hobo portraits.
Design by Sam Potts
More Information Than You Require (2008)
Full title: For Your Consideration, The Firms of Dutton & Riverhead Books Present in the English Language: A Further Compendium of Complete World Knowledge in "The Areas Of My Expertise," Assembled and Illumined by Me, John Hodgman, A Famous Minor Television Personality, Offering More Information Than You Require On Subjects as Diverse as: The Past (as There Is Always More of It), The Future (as There Is Still Some Left), All of the Presidents of the United States, The Secrets of Hollywood, Gambling, The Sport of the Asthmatic Man (Including: Hermit-Crab Racing), Strange Encounters with Aliens, How to Buy a Computer, How to Cook an Owl, and Most Other Subjects
Appending Important Facts left out of the first volume, More Information Than You Require contains even more nonsensical—but logical-sounding!—data. The second volume also has an artistic element, with a list of “Mole-manic Names” inspiring the 700 Mole Men Flickr group.
That is All (2011)
Billed as the final chapter in Hodgman’s Trilogy of Complete World Knowledge, That is All presumably contains all the rest of the facts we’ll ever need, ever. What is there possibly left to learn? There's only one way to find out...
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John Hodgman reads at BookPeople on Tuesday, November 8th at 7 p.m.
