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TUESDAY, JANUARY 22, 2008
10 Years & Still Going Strong! (er, kinda)
First off, I know it's been a bit since I've posted anything. I've had people threatening suicide unless I updated, but frankly, I've been rather preoccupied (& no offense Bill Jaworski of Topeka, but no one cares if you kill yourself. Maybe your mom, but even that's a stretch). But since it's been months since I "blogged", and because 2008 marks 10 damn years since this site launched, I thought I'd write a super-sized deluxe anniversary edition blog (with collectors tin!)
Chapter 1: Reflections
I really can't believe it's been 10 years since this site was spawned. I was 16, and while most guys were trying to impress girls with touchdowns and bench presses, I was trying a different approach: A personal website! (Surprisingly, I graduated a virgin). Though I lost the 1998 version of this site years ago, thanks to the Internet Archive you can check out the October 1999 version here (the first page is a spoof of the warnings on most porn sites at the time). If you continue on the archive is fairly complete, though for some reason the menu colors have been inverted (menu is on far left), and some of the pages are from the 2001 version of the site. Check out the news page-I'm still procrastinating on some of those promised updates! I forgot how much I loved the 2003 intro page (be sure to click on the handicapped accessible entrance). If you're curious about other versions of the page, just visit the index here.
Chapter 2: Current Justin
I haven't been on stage since October, as events in my personal life have been...consuming. I won't comment on that any more until everything is resolved, but a good friend has been helping me through the entire ordeal. He's been a real pal, through good times and bad, he's always been there for me.
My bestest friend & secret lover
I've spent my months off from stand-up writing some new jokes, but mainly just reading and watching DVDs. If you're interested in joining the Justin Book Club, you may start with the following:
Steve Martin: Born Standing Up
What a great freakin book. I'm not sure if people not interested in comedy, film, etc. would find it all that interesting, but it's a very well written account of his struggle at being a stand-up comic. It was relief to learn that he experienced many of the same sh*t experiences I've dealt with, and that maybe there's a light at the end of the tunnel. Of course at the pinnacle of his career he abandoned stand-up forever, which is kind of disheartening, but his story is still very inspiring. A must-read if you're a comic or someone sleeping with a comic and trying to get to know them better.
Dude, this book is really awesome. Seriously, it might be one of my top five favorite books. Really, that good. Really funny, too. The funniest part? The author never believed it would go anywhere, so he ended up killing himself, and his mom published the manuscript 10 years after this death. Wait, that's not very funny...sorry. Anyway, you can read it for free here, you cheap prick.
I've also been watching lots of TV shows on DVD, and I mean lots. Here are some shows that are worth quitting your job and watching right anyway:
Entourage-Seriously, why has no one forced me to watch this earlier? It's like the writers huddled in a room and said, "Ok, what would Justin Hagerman find funny?" I'm willing to bet that's what happened. I found a great clip reel of Ari here. I think he's probably the greatest comic TV character of the last decade.
Dexter-Props to Paul for shoving this down my throat. A show about a serial killer who kills serial killers? Sounds like great family entertainment to me! It's on $howtime, but the first season is on DVD. I recommend breaking into someone's house to watch the second season On Demand.
The Office-Ironically, I caught up on all of these episodes at my office. I don't care for the British version, but this one rocks. Also, Jenna Fischer rocks. Rocks my c**k!
Chapter 3: The Future
Who knows? I'll be making some sort of big move come May, either with a roommate or into a toaster box size apartment above a pizza restaurant. Starting next week I'll be going back to Helium on a fairly regular basis, as I need the approval of a crowd of random drunks to feel good about myself. Check the About Justin page for dates.
So what's keeping me from pulling a Heath Ledger right now, you ask? (& speaking of gay cowboys, check out Midnight Cowboy. It really blew me away. And who knew that Jon Voight was ever young?) Well next month I'll finally be going to a Foo Fighters concert, which I'm really stoked about. And who knows, maybe Led Zeppelin will launch into a full blown world tour? Their reunion concert was pretty radical (that's right, I'm bringing radical back). A year from now I'd like to be in either L.A. or NYC (I think the latter seems more plausible at this point). It shouldn't be too hard to find a job-this economy just keeps on blossoming! And with Mitt Romney as our next President, you know things are going to be just swell!
Sorry for rambling on for so long. See you in another three months!
P.S. I've added a brief stand-up clip from a performance in October to the Audio page.
JH
Posted by Justin Hagerman at 10:39 PM | Comment on the message board
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