Tucker Max

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Tucker Max
Max at 140tc (September 2009)
Max at 140tc (September 2009)
Born (1975-09-27) September 27, 1975 (age 48)[1]
Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
OccupationWriter, blogger, producer
Alma materUniversity of Chicago (BA)
Duke University (J.D.)
GenreComedy, non-fiction
Notable worksI Hope They Serve Beer in Hell, Assholes Finish First, Hilarity Ensues, Sloppy Seconds: The Tucker Max Leftovers

Tucker Max (born September 27, 1975, Atlanta, Georgia) is an American author and public speaker. He chronicles his drinking and sexual encounters in the form of short stories on his website TuckerMax.com, which has received millions of visitors since Max launched it as the result of a bet in 2000.[3][4][5] He has been cited as a narcissist[6] and has described himself as having Narcissistic Personality Disorder, saying "in some ways it's beneficial".[7]

I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell was a New York Times #1 Bestseller and made the Best Seller List each year from 2006 to 2011.[8][9][10][11][12][13][14] It has sold over one million copies worldwide, including 400,000 copies in 2009 alone.[15][16] His book was subsequently made into a feature film of the same title, which received "generally negative reviews" and[17] "numerous critics considered the movie to be one of the worst of the year.".[18][19][20] In 2010, he released a book titled Assholes Finish First, and in 2012 marked the literary releases of both Hilarity Ensues and Sloppy Seconds: The Tucker Max Leftovers. He was a 2009 Time 100 finalist based on internet votes, although he did not make the magazine list.[21][22]

Early life

Tucker Max's father, Dennis Max, is a restaurant owner in South Florida.[2] Tucker grew up in Lexington, Kentucky and attended Lafayette High School before transferring and graduating from New Jersey's Blair Academy in 1995. Three years later he completed a BA in Economics at the University of Chicago, graduating with honors in 1998. He attended Duke Law School on an academic scholarship, earning a J.D. in 2001.[23]

Projects

He began his career by publishing The Definitive Book of Pick-Up Lines (2001), which he followed up by Belligerence and Debauchery: The Tucker Max Stories (2003). He was the facilitator of the website "Tard Blog", from 2002–2003.[24][25] In 2006, he began development of a television pilot for Comedy Central, but the project was canceled reportedly due to a dispute with Sony about feature film rights.[26]

In September 2006, Simon Spotlight Publishing, a division of Simon & Schuster, announced that Max was contracted to release a book in January 2008, Assholes Finish First. Undisclosed delays pushed the release date to September 2010.[27] He reportedly received a $300,000 advance for Assholes Finish First, and released a revised and expanded edition of I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell in January 2009.[28][29][30][31]

He co-founded an online company named Rudius Media. The company website stated that it was "dedicated to finding, publishing, managing and publicizing new and original content by unknown or under-promoted artists and writers."[32] His blogging network included psychologist Rob Dobrenski, journalist and television host Mark Ebner,[33] strategy writer Robert Greene, and actor/comedian Jamie Kennedy.[34][35][36][37] Rudius Media was closed down on November 1, 2009.[why?][38][39]

In 2008, The Hollywood Reporter announced that Tucker Max was producing a movie based on his bestselling book, also titled I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell.[40] He detailed the process on a production blog hosted on the movie's website.[41] Actor Matt Czuchry (The Good Wife) portrayed Tucker in the film.[42] The film was panned by critics and earned $1.4 million at the box office on a $7 million budget.[43] Max attributed the poor box office performance of the film to oversights in marketing, but expressed hope it would find an audience on DVD. In 2011, he was a guest speaker at the Ancestral Health Symposium, [clarification needed] giving a presentation entitled From cave to cage: Mixed martial arts in ancestral health.

In January 2012, Max claimed he was leaving behind the lifestyle he had described in his books and that he had been in psychotherapy.[44] In February 2012 a publicity campaign for his book Hilarity Ensues led to his account with the company Sponsored Tweets being banned for "ethics violations".[45]

Fratire

Main article: Fratire

Max, along with George Ouzounian (known more commonly by his pen name, Maddox), is considered a founding author of the 21st century literary genre "fratire".[46] The term was introduced by The New York Times reporter Warren St. John in a 2006 article titled Dude, Here's My Book.[47] The genre is characterized by masculine themes and could be considered the male equivalent of chick lit.[47][48] Both Max and Maddox dislike the label, pointing out that neither of them were ever in fraternities. In the final chapter of Hilarity Ensues, and in a [tuckermax.com/retirement post on his website], he announced he has retired from writing Fratire, explaining:

Over the last couple years, I've realized that I don't do all the funny but stupid shit I did when I was 25 anymore, and I find myself writing about the way my life used to be. I'm not the same person I was when I started writing these stories, and I don't live the same life I did then — so it no longer makes sense for me to keep writing that way.

In the same chapter, Max stated that he is currently working on an "advice book" (alongside Nils Parker, co-writer of the I Hope They Serve Beer In Hell screenplay), as well as other undisclosed projects. [citation needed]

Controversies

In 2003, he posted on his website an account of his relationship with Katy Johnson, who was Miss Vermont in 1999.[49] Johnson filed a lawsuit claiming, among other things, invasion of her privacy.[49] In response to the lawsuit, a Florida state court judge issued an order for Max not to write about Johnson; to not use Johnson's first, full, or last name; not to use the phrase "Miss Vermont" on his website; and not to disclose any "information" or "stories" about Johnson. Legal experts called the decision "kooky" and "clearly a suppression of free speech".[49] The ACLU intervened, filing an amicus brief, claiming a breach of Max's First Amendment rights,[50] which led to Johnson voluntarily withdrawing her lawsuit, and Max's story was once again posted on his website. An expanded version of the story was later published in Hilarity Ensues.

In January 2006, Max posted a thread on his message board satirizing Anthony DiMeo, a young Philadelphia socialite, for throwing a New Year's Eve party that was a disaster. The number of young partygoers showing up greatly exceeded expectations, which resulted in the food and alcohol running out well before midnight. The more than 700 partygoers got unruly, two pieces of art were stolen, and city police were called in to disperse the crowd.[51][52] DiMeo sued Max under the Violence Against Women Act claiming some comments on Max's message board were libelous and represented criminal behavior.[53][54] The lawsuit was subsequently dismissed under the Communications Decency Act, with U.S. District Judge Stewart Dalzell noting that although Max could be a "poster child for the vulgarity", the law must protect "the coarse conversation that, it appears, never ends on TuckerMax.com."[55][56]

In May 2009, Max held a speaking engagement which was picketed by a feminist group at The Ohio State University, who claimed that his writing "promoted a culture of rape."[57] In August 2009, the North Carolina State University Women's Center held a silent protest of I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell.[58] The advertisements themselves were also vandalized in multiple cities.[59][60]

For three years starting in 2005, Max was harassed by a man named Justin Massler, who sent him repeated "Unabomber type" emails, and showed up uninvited to a 2006 party hosted by Max while dressed up as a superhero. The altercations made national news after Massler was charged with stalking Ivanka Trump in 2010.[61][62]

In April 2012, Max reportedly offered $500,000 to Planned Parenthood if they named an abortion clinic after him. Planned Parenthood declined.[63]

Bibliography

Filmography

Writer
Year Film Other notes
2009 I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell Co-written with Nils Parker
Producer
Year Film Other notes
2009 I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell

References

  1. ^ Tucker Max date of birth
  2. ^ a b Staff. "Dennis Max". Max's Grille website. Retrieved January 15, 2008.
  3. ^ Darko to Serve Max's Beer Variety. "Richard, Ted and I all appreciated Tucker's gonzo style of writing in his book", Tatiana Siegel, June 10, 2008.
  4. ^ "Three in the Can for Beer in Hell", Hollywood Reporter, July 8, 2008.
  5. ^ Profile in Variety
  6. ^ "How to Spot a Narcissist", "Psychology Today", July 5, 2011.
  7. ^ "Q&A: Bad Boy Author Tucker Max Makes a Movie and Survives, So Far","Huffington Post", September 25, 2009.
  8. ^ New York Times Bestseller List Paperback Nonfiction, February 5, 2006
  9. ^ New York Times Bestseller List Paperback Nonfiction 5/7/07
  10. ^ NYT Bestseller List Paperback Nonfiction, April 13, 2008.
  11. ^ New York Times Bestseller List Paperback Nonfiction, January 2, 2009.
  12. ^ New York Times Bestseller List Paperback Nonfiction 1/1/10
  13. ^ New York Times Bestseller List Paperback Nonfiction 11/08/09
  14. ^ New York Times Bestseller List Paperback Nonfiction, April 10, 2011.
  15. ^ Lee, Chris (September 20, 2009). "Tucker Max in a 'Hell' of his own making". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 4, 2010.
  16. ^ "Facts & Figures 2009 Revised". Publishers Weekly. April 5, 2010.
  17. ^ "I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved September 27, 2009.
  18. ^ The ten worst movie moments in 2009.
  19. ^ The worst movies of 2009? A little help, please
  20. ^ "12 Awful Movies of the Last Decade". Chicago Tribune.
  21. ^ Time Magazine profile of Tucker Max
  22. ^ "The Los Angeles Times Tucker Max in a 'Hell' of his own making", Los Angeles Times, September 20, 2009.
  23. ^ "Biography and Press Kit". TuckerMax.com. Retrieved January 3, 2010.
  24. ^ Google.com
  25. ^ TardBlog Mirror
  26. ^ Goldstein, Gregg "'Beer in Hell flowing to Big Screen", Reuters, April 17, 2008.
  27. ^ Tucker Max. "Assholes Finish First". Amazon. Retrieved November 11, 2009.
  28. ^ "Gilmore Girls" veteran tastes 'Beer in Hell', Yahoo News.
  29. ^ Vance, Ashlee (March 11, 2007). "Tucker the f**ker claims blogger book deals are 'easy'". The Register. Retrieved January 14, 2008.
  30. ^ Max, Tucker (January 2, 2008). "Vote on the new cover for IHTSBIH". The Rudius Media Messageboard. Retrieved January 14, 2008.[dead link]
  31. ^ Max, Tucker (January 1, 2009). I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell (Paperback). Citadel. ISBN 0-8065-3106-1.
  32. ^ "Rudius Media". Rudius Media. Retrieved January 14, 2008.
  33. ^ Mark Ebner Bio Tru TV "He also writes a blog on breaking news from the corner of Hollywood & Crime at HollywoodInterrupted.com."
  34. ^ "About the Rudius Authors". Rudius Media. Retrieved January 14, 2008.
  35. ^ "Hollywood, Interrupted" (Mark Ebner)
  36. ^ "Power, Seduction and War" (Robert Greene)
  37. ^ "JamieKennedy.net" (Jamie Kennedy)
  38. ^ Lifeat160.com
  39. ^ Philalawyer.net
  40. ^ IMDB: I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell
  41. ^ I Hope They Serve Beer In Hell – The Movie blogsite.
  42. ^ Jesse Bradford, Matt Czuchry, and Geoff Stults in "Hell", ArtistDirect.com, July 10, 2008.
  43. ^ BoxOfficeMojo.com on film version of I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell
  44. ^ Ellsberg, Michael (January 18, 2012). "Tucker Max Gives Up the Game: What Happens When a Bestselling Player Stops Playing?". Forbes. Retrieved March 3, 2012.
  45. ^ Thier, David (February 7, 2012). "Tucker Max's Rejected Twitter Campaign and Stab at Celebrity Endorsement". Forbes. Retrieved March 3, 2012.
  46. ^ "I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell's Tucker Max Talks With Philly2Philly.com". Philly2Philly. Retrieved 2010-06-31. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  47. ^ a b St. John, Warren (April 16, 2006). "Dude, Here's My Book". New York Times. Retrieved April 24, 2010.
  48. ^ Harkin, James. "The return of the real man". Financial Times (September 15, 2006). Retrieved June 20, 2010.
  49. ^ a b c New York Times – Internet Battle Raises Questions About Privacy and the First Amendment
  50. ^ TuckerMax.com: ACLU amicus curiae [dead link]
  51. ^ "What fun: A judge's ruling on libel suit" The Philadelphia Inquirer. May 31, 2006; accessed via Lexis Nexis, February 19, 2009. "The four-hour event with food and open bar at Le Jardin, in the Philadelphia Art Alliance gallery, ended early, the judge said -and after more than twice the 325 invitees showed, the liquor ran out, and revelers turned unruly, stealing two artworks, tearing sconces, trying to make off with a donations box."
  52. ^ "Sometimes failure is funny: DiMeo's NYE party", Rudius Media Message Board. January 3, 2006.
  53. ^ "Online rudeness to the max, but is it libelous?" The Philadelphia Inquirer. March 18, 2006; accessed via Lexis Nexis, February 19, 2009. "By contending that Max's site violated the new law that prohibits anonymous annoyances on the Web – the Violence Against Women and Department of Justice Reauthorization Act of 2005 – the comments also represent criminal behavior, the lawyer alleged."
  54. ^ Duffy, Shannon. Judge: Bloggers Entitled to Immunity Under Communications Act Law.com. June 2, 2006.
  55. ^ "Courts are asked to crack down on bloggers, websites" USA Today. October 3, 2006; accessed via Lexis Nexis, February 19, 2009 "In dismissing the suit, U.S. District Judge Steward Dalzell noted that Max "could be a poster child for the vulgarity" on the Internet, but that he nevertheless was entitled to protection under the Communications Decency Act."
  56. ^ "What fun: A judge's ruling on libel suit" The Philadelphia Inquirer. May 31, 2006; accessed via Lexis Nexis, February 19, 2009. "While Dalzell wrote that "there is no question that tuckermax.com could be a poster child for... vulgarity," he found the law must protect "the coarse conversation that, it appears, never ends."
  57. ^ Itzkoff, Dave (September 4, 2009). "Rude, Crude and Coming to a Theater Near You". New York Times. Retrieved September 23, 2009.
  58. ^ "Student Protesters Stage Rally Opposing Tucker Max Film Screening". Fox News.com. August 27, 2009. Retrieved March 17, 2010.
  59. ^ "LA Not Particularly Welcoming to Tucker Max". Curbed LA. Retrieved March 4, 2010.
  60. ^ "Little Italy to Tucker Max: Va Fan Culo!". Gothamist. Retrieved March 4, 2010.
  61. ^ Balagna, Jay; Schapiro, Rich (April 3, 2010). "Alleged Ivanka Trump stalker Justin Massler also targeted 'I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell' author". NYDailyNews.com. Retrieved December 15, 2011.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  62. ^ Raymond, Adam K. (April 3, 2010). "Ivanka Trump's Stalker Wanted Tucker Max to Join His 'Group of Real-Life Superheroes'". NYMag.com. Retrieved December 15, 2011.
  63. ^ The Daily Beast coverage of purported Tucker Max offer to Planned Parenthood, April 3, 2012.

External links

Wikiquote has quotations related to Tucker Max.

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