WHO ARE JACK & JACK?
G: NO, REALLY, WHO ARE JACK & JACK?
J: YOU’RE ASKING ME? IS THIS A TRICK QUESTION? AM I BEING GRADED? IN THE LITERAL SENSE, WE’RE JACK JOHNSON AND JACK GILINSKY.
G: TWO KIDS FROM NEBRASKA WHO MET BACK ON THE FIRST DAY OF KINDERGARTEN.
J: WE WERE A PAIR OF GOOFY KIDS, ALWAYS CLOWNING AROUND AND MAKING OUR CLASSMATES LAUGH, TRYING TO BRING A LITTLE HUMOR TO THEIR DAYS.
G: Once we matured a little bit—come fifth or sixth grade—and we started listening to music and developing our musical tastes, we discovered music was a huge part of who we are, too.
J: Right. So Jack & Jack are just two kids who love entertaining people in any way, shape, or form—music, comedy, acting. We like brightening your day. I want to have a good time, and I want everyone else to have a good time, too. Which brings us to this book that you’re reading right now: party on the page.
G: When we sat down to write it, we asked ourselves: What’s the message here? What do we want to say? The answer may sound a little cliché, but we just want to spread positivity.
J: I knew you were gonna say that, because that’s exactly we’re about.
G: And you read minds.
J: That too. We try to take our fans out of any negative places they may be in their lives and flip their mind-sets. It can be something as simple as tweeting, “Hey, keep your head up,” or “Today’s gonna be a great day.” Don’t dwell on the negative; live in the positive. And when you do, it’s like a chain reaction. You spread that positivity around.
G: It’s the ripple effect: someone smiles at you, smile back.
J: Growing up is hard. Being a kid is hard. Don’t dwell on that. There’s a lot more to life. High school is just temporary.
G: Sometimes the world feels like it’s piled on your shoulders. That’s when you have to let loose, enjoy yourself, and not take things so seriously.
J: I don’t. Do you?
G: Never. I’m seriously never serious.
J: We also knew that in writing a book, it would help us reflect on this journey. It’s giving me a better understanding of where I wanna be in life, what my future goals are, and where I wanna be next. I feel like this whole journey is leading up to something—but I don’t know yet what that is.
G: We don’t even know what we’re doing next month, but we’re feeling motivated to up the ante. Plus we found a ton of old photos of us from way back when.
J: We’re always thinking bigger and better, and that’s a great attitude to have going through life. Keep pushing yourself. This is just the beginning for us.
G: If we could do it, so can you. Who would have thought that two kids from Nebraska could make it out in Hollywood in a year and a half and get six million followers on Vine? A lot of people ask us, “How did you do it?” If you read every page, cover to cover, we promise you’ll get a lot of info, a lot of inspiration, and a lot of motivation.
J: And a lot of laughs.
G: Our fans know us really well, but we want you to walk away knowing us . . . well, like I know Jack.
J: He knows everything. Everything. It scares me a little. But our story proves the power of positivity—and also of social media. But it’s true: no matter who you are or where you are, no matter what your social or financial situation, you can make it. Seriously, you can.
G: No excuses. You got this.
J: And if you want to know who Jack & Jack are, read on. ’Cause we can’t sum it all up in a few pages.
G: Definitely not. You talk too much.
J: It’s been a wild ride, and we’re happy to have you come along. . . .
