Maybe it’s because I just turned thirty, but I’ve been thinking recently about the people who I’ve admired and learned from most over the years. I listed them below, with the exception of my parents (a given).
Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim, whose collective sense of humor skewers everything inauthentic and cheesy about the world
Dan Savage, the unfiltered sex advice columnist/podcaster and civil rights activist
Stephen King, who introduced me both to writing and nightmares
Trey Parker and Matt Stone, for championing free speech in the guise of hilarious shows and movies
Penn Jillette, for calling bullshit on things that too many people accept
Dave Barry, for making me laugh until I cry
Trent Reznor, the soundtrack to my life since fifth grade and a crusader for musicians
Crispin Glover, who is weird enough to own a castle in Prague and release videos like this, yet mainstream enough to play George McFly in “Back to the Future”
Allie Brosh of Hyperbole and a Half, Matthew Inman of The Oatmeal, and Nicholas Gurewitch of Perry Bible Fellowship for the best comics and writing on the Internet
David Lynch, for making me think about movies and TV the way English class made me think about books
Anne Rice, for introducing me to alternative universes
RuPaul Charles, for making creative identity expression accepted (and cool)
John Kricfalusi, for refusing to compromise with Nickelodeon on Ren & Stimpy and showing me at an early age that sticking to your vision matters
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