In the course of writing this book, a number of people have provided us with insight, moral support, hugs, and faves. Tradition dictates that we recognize them at the end of the text, despite the fact that we wrote it and they just kind of existed in our orbit while we were doing the real work. If we are the sun lighting up this project’s solar system and supporting all life, the following are a few of the lifeless rocks and gas clouds that have coalesced around us.
First and foremost, for making this book possible, we thank our editor, Matthew Benjamin; Lara Blackman, Abigail Novak, and the whole team at Touchstone. We’d also like to recognize our literary agent, Daniel Greenberg, for bringing this prize hog to the county fair.
Outside the immediate business of books, we’d like to thank our managers, Ben Curtis and Parker Oks, for their dedication to our inane pursuits; Brett Pain and Bryan Quinby of Street Fight Radio for being our podcast godfathers; James Adomian for his brilliant and unique contributions to the show; Eli Valley and Jon White for their amazing artwork; our producer, Chris Wade, for his heroic work in making us listenable; and the staff of Nostrand Café, who let us drive away most of their customers while we spent hours at their workplace writing this book and drinking from the same smoothie with five straws.
We’d now like to break from the collective and each individually acknowledge the people who weaned us on the milk of their virtue and character.
Will: More than anything I want to thank the haters, trolls, and everyone who is mad for making this all possible. Special thanks to Robert Weil and all my former colleagues at Liveright and W.W. Norton for giving me my first real job and teaching me everything I know about books. Also much love to my cohosts and coauthors who made writing this book so damn fun. Thank you to Marty for finding me, and to Katherine for keeping me. Finally, and of least importance to my success, I’d like to acknowledge Katherine Bouton, Daniel Menaker, and Lizi Menaker—that’s my mom, dad, and sister to you goofies. In the words of Ricky Henderson, “Today I am the greatest of all time, thank you.”
Brendan: For inspiring my contributions to this book and my creative pursuits in general, a sincere thank-you to Dave Hackel and Tim Berry, the creators and producers of the underrated and oft-maligned sitcom Becker (1998–2004). Set in the New York City borough of the Bronx, the show starred Ted Danson as John Becker, a misanthropic doctor who operates a small practice and is constantly annoyed by his patients, coworkers, friends, and practically everything and everybody else in his world. Despite everything, his patients and friends are loyal because Becker genuinely cares about them.
Virgil: This book would never have existed had it not been for my old editor, Blake Zeff, who introduced us to Daniel Greenberg to pitch another, less extant book. Thank you to everyone over the years who faved and RTed and made this go viral. Thank you to the celebs. And thank you to Blair, to whom I dedicate the good parts of this book.
Felix: Mom, Sam, Lucy: I did it. To my grandmother: I also did it. To my friends Brandon, Kyle, Jalil: Call me Steven King, because I made it. Special thanks to the Hudson boys for the Stephen King joke. Listen to the Episode 1 podcast. Piece!
Matt: Thanks to my mother, Jo Ann, my stepfather, Glenn, my sister, Sarah, and to my wife (borat), Carolyn, eternal love and gratitude.