Loser Goes First

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On Christmas morning, 1978, ten-year-old Dan Kennedy dreams of a black Gibson Les Paul guitar to join the neighborhood band, Jokerz. Instead, he receives a real-estate loan calculator and a maroon velour pullover, marking the start of a lifetime filled with humorous failures and misunderstandings. Dubbed the “hipster Proust of youthful loserdom” by author Jerry Stahl, Dan's awkward youth transitions into an equally comical adulthood. His aspirations lead him to apply to Yale and Harvard, but he ultimately enrolls at Butte Community College in California for just four and a half weeks. Dan's attempts at various careers—rock star, professional bass fisherman, movie extra, advertising executive, health club clerk, espresso cart owner, dot-com millionaire, MTV VJ, and forest fire fighter—are met with humorous mishaps. He reflects on these experiences with a candidness that resonates with anyone who has faced similar struggles. Throughout his journey, he learns valuable lessons, crafting one of the most original and riotously funny memoirs in recent history. A favorite at McSweeney’s and Moth readings in New York City, Dan’s misadventures remind us to appreciate the humor in failure, making us grateful he took notes along the way.