Bonus ROFLs: Christian Lander (Stuff White People Like)

This is the last Bonus ROFL, and we’re ending with Christian Lander of Stuff White People Like fame.  I nabbed him after his panel…

Geoffrey: You weren’t actively going out promoting your blog.  The popularity just sort of happened.  Would you recommend promotion to other bloggers?  Or would you just say to write it for a few months and if it doesn’t catch on, try something else?

Christian: The most disappointing bit of advice that I have is, “if you want to make it, stop trying.”  It’s the worst thing I can say, because there’s no better advice than that.

It comes up over and over again in all the panels.  Everybody keeps saying, “I wasn’t trying to make this happen, and it just did.”  You’ve got to be true to yourself.  It’s got to be funny to you and if other people share your sense of humor, it’ll take off.  If you find it funny, someone else probably will too.

I really wish I had better advice than that.   It’s so unfair to be like, “Oh, I always dreamed about writing a book.  ‘How’d it happen?’  Well, I wasn’t trying.”  It’s ridiculous luck.

G: Do you wish critics would stop over-analyzing your site?  Or do you like how much time and effort people put into dissecting it?

I went to graduate school, and it is a dream that someone’s going to write a thesis about this, then interview me.  I’m going to ask for a copy of the thesis before the interview and refute every point they make, so they have to start over again.

No, I think it’s fine.  I mean, people analyze The Simpsons, which is fantastic, but they’ll analyze a tree [in the background].  Discourse and analyzation is what people do in academia, and that’s great.  I just don’t want to have to read it.

G: Who are your influences as a writer?

David Sedaris, of course.  The Onion.  Bill Murray.  The Simpsons.  Anything that’s funny, really.  80’s movies.  “Back To School” starring Rodney Dangerfield.  That’s inspired everything I do.  “Revenge of the Nerds,” too.

Goodbye! »« Bonus ROFLs: Rob, Kris and Matt (Cyanide and Happiness)