FUN STUFF

Along with all the great client work, I have had my fun along the way…

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Daft Punk and Spike Jonze

I wrote for Dirt magazine in the 90’s with an up and coming photographer named Spike Jonze. When he filmed his classic video for Daft Punk’sDa Funk”, I wrote the script. The video was so popular that Daft Punk filmed a sequel, for their song Fresh. I wrote the script for that one, too. 30 million views and counting...

 
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Von Von Von

I was a rookie New York City copywriter In 2001, when the Twin Towers went down. For a terrible moment in life, nothing made sense. The only response was making less sense. Changing my name to Von Von Von, I pretended I was from Antwerp and got on stage at the Apollo Theater in Harlem. Somehow, that made everything alright.

 

The College Essay

Long ago, I wrote the most famous college essay in the world. It won first place in a Scholastic Writing Awards contest, then got printed in Harper’s. John F. Kennedy Jr. saw it and tracked me down at NYU. He took me for a beer at the White Horse Tavern, then introduced me to his friend Jann Wenner. That’s how I started writing for Rolling Stone. Who says magic doesn’t happen?


Lenny From Vinci

My latest book is a strategy guide based on the life of Leonardo Da Vinci, called Lenny From Vinci.

Reclaiming this legendary icon for today’s creative class, I position him as an inspiring, working creative who made classic works in billable hours.

Exploring the mythic master’s survival strategy through the turbulent chaos of the Italian Renaissance, I find 15 “Lenny Lessons” for creative success today.

Entertaining, informing and uplifting, Lenny From Vinci is great motivation for everyone playing the Creative Game.

This remix of an ancient Chinese philosophy creates a breakthrough life strategy guide for modern times.

The I Ching is one of the oldest books in the world, dating back to BC China. The original author remains lost in the mists of time. But the cryptic text has since puzzled scholars, mystics, and seekers of truth for more than 3000 years. Working with the world’s foremost “YO CHING” scholar, I translated this classic work of Chinese thought for a modern audience.

Through ancient Chinese symbols and strategies, YO CHING taps into hidden universal powers, showing cosmic patterns for maximum success.

TEETH: My Underground Classic of the 1990s

Looking for a 90’s flashback? Check out Teeth, my debut novel. The adventure follows a ‘zine writer named Neil, as he navigates a world of underground 1990s culture that is fast becoming popular culture. From Las Vegas rock festivals to Hollywood nepo-baby rivals, random Asian travels and rocking British squatters, Teeth travels through a lost Gen X landscape that lingers like a slightly loose tooth in our collective cultural bite.

Buy Teeth on Amazon

Chicken 65: The Definitive Laptop Nomad Adventure

Rich Archer is a laptop nomad wrapping up a year in Asia. Plans change when his visiting friend stumbles into Chicken 65, a secret rally race running since the Vietnam War. Leaving Bangkok at dawn, drivers chase a chicken through Southeast Asia. Joining this mysterious brotherhood, the friends are thrown into a sprawling, lawless race for Chicken victory. Like Fight Club meets Cannonball Run, Chicken 65 is a hilarious, high speed collision of chaos and comedy, where laughter and insight run wild. Filled with insights and pulling no punches, C65 creates a statement for the ages.

Buy Chicken 65 on Amazon

Hear a Chicken 65 Sample read by Hugh Gallagher