Chris Hardwick
Author of The Nerdist Way: How to Reach the Next Level
Works by Chris Hardwick
Associated Works
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Legal name
- Hardwick, Christopher Ryan
- Birthdate
- 1971-11-23
- Gender
- male
- Education
- University of California, Los Angeles (BA, Philosophy)
- Occupations
- comedian
actor
writer
producer - Agent
- United Talent Agency
- Relationships
- Hearst, Lydia (spouse)
Wheaton, Wil (college roommate) - Short biography
- [from United Talent Agency website]
Chris Hardwick is a comedian, actor, TV host, author, musician, writer, producer, and podcaster best known for his work as the host of the Emmy-nominated Talking Dead, the after-show which discusses all things The Walking Dead. His podcast, Id10t, attracts some of the world's most influential people, including Sir Paul McCartney, Jordan Peele, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Tom Hanks. Hardwick is also the host and executive producer of NBC's hit game show series The Wall, featuring everyday people and families competing for life-altering amounts of money. Previously, he hosted the two-time Emmy Award-winning Comedy Central show, @midnight, a comedy game show which ran for six hundred episodes. His production company, Fish Ladder, has a first-look deal with AMC Studios where several projects are currently in development. Hardwick is one of today's top touring comedians and is currently performing his stand-up tour across America. - Birthplace
- Louisville, Kentucky, USA
- Places of residence
- Memphis, Tennessee, USA
- Associated Place (for map)
- USA
Members
Reviews
I didn't pick this up intending to get anything out of it besides some laughs from Chris Hardwick. He is the only reason I picked up this book. I like him on Talking Dead, which I stumbled on after getting hooked on The Walking Dead. Thank you, The Walking Dead! You have introduced me to one of my new favorite people.
I have probably never read a self-help book in my life. I've never felt like I needed one. But I appreciated many of the thoughts and advice offered in this book, and I ended up show more buying it to keep as a reference (my library copy was coming due).
Whether you consider yourself a nerd or not, the cool thing about this book is that it has something for everyone. Covering subjects like addiction, fitness, nutrition, money management, time management, and self-confidence, he talks about what worked for him in the pursuit of making his life better. He's very positive and encouraging, besides being laugh-out-loud funny.
Highly recommended.
One more thing-don't let any one section define the book for you. I almost stopped reading after the "RPG Your Life" section because it did not compute. I started to wonder if I would relate to anything in the book. I'm glad I stuck with it, because shortly after that section, I got to some good stuff for my brain. show less
I have probably never read a self-help book in my life. I've never felt like I needed one. But I appreciated many of the thoughts and advice offered in this book, and I ended up show more buying it to keep as a reference (my library copy was coming due).
Whether you consider yourself a nerd or not, the cool thing about this book is that it has something for everyone. Covering subjects like addiction, fitness, nutrition, money management, time management, and self-confidence, he talks about what worked for him in the pursuit of making his life better. He's very positive and encouraging, besides being laugh-out-loud funny.
Highly recommended.
One more thing-don't let any one section define the book for you. I almost stopped reading after the "RPG Your Life" section because it did not compute. I started to wonder if I would relate to anything in the book. I'm glad I stuck with it, because shortly after that section, I got to some good stuff for my brain. show less
I was surprised by how down-to-earth and practical this book is. I didn't realize it would be so directly a self-help book, and it really is helpful. Hardwick's voice is the same offbeat, profane, sarcastic humor that you would recognize from his TV and stand-up persona, and it is relentlessly appealing here, especially because it lends a self-effacing air to what could, in less skilled hands, come off as pretentiousness. I was expecting more memoir, but Hardwick includes plenty of his own show more life experiences to give authenticity to his advice, yet no more than he needs to do so. show less
Comedian Chris Hardwick, host of The Nerdist podcast and various TV shows, offers his advice on mental health and motivation, physical fitness, organization, and fulfilling your ambitions.
Generally speaking, I have a very low opinion of self-help books. But I do enjoy things that speak to my nerdy side. (Which, honestly, is far and away the biggest side I have.) So when I found this book in one of those discount book catalogs I love so much, I figured I'd give it a look.
Well, it's certainly show more nerdy enough. I mean, Hardwick actually suggests drawing up a Dungeons & Dragons-style character sheet for yourself. It is still very much a self-help book, though, with all the rah-rah cheesiness I tend to associate with the self-help industry. Not that his advice is bad, really. Some of it, like the D&D character sheet, seems kind of dumb and gimmicky. But much of it is reasonable enough, if not exactly bursting with insight. Hardwick claims this stuff helped him get his life together, and I suppose I can see where some might find it useful. But there's not a whole lot here that really does very much for me. Maybe because my problems aren't that big, maybe because I don't have the kind of creative ambition he seems to be speaking to, maybe because I'm just not the kind of person who finds motivation in the pages of a self-help book, no matter how nerd-oriented it might be.
Also, while Hardwick's hyper-manic, goofy-twist-on-every-sentence style is entertaining in smallish doses, I find that after a chapter or so it starts rapidly crossing the line back and forth between amusing and annoying. show less
Generally speaking, I have a very low opinion of self-help books. But I do enjoy things that speak to my nerdy side. (Which, honestly, is far and away the biggest side I have.) So when I found this book in one of those discount book catalogs I love so much, I figured I'd give it a look.
Well, it's certainly show more nerdy enough. I mean, Hardwick actually suggests drawing up a Dungeons & Dragons-style character sheet for yourself. It is still very much a self-help book, though, with all the rah-rah cheesiness I tend to associate with the self-help industry. Not that his advice is bad, really. Some of it, like the D&D character sheet, seems kind of dumb and gimmicky. But much of it is reasonable enough, if not exactly bursting with insight. Hardwick claims this stuff helped him get his life together, and I suppose I can see where some might find it useful. But there's not a whole lot here that really does very much for me. Maybe because my problems aren't that big, maybe because I don't have the kind of creative ambition he seems to be speaking to, maybe because I'm just not the kind of person who finds motivation in the pages of a self-help book, no matter how nerd-oriented it might be.
Also, while Hardwick's hyper-manic, goofy-twist-on-every-sentence style is entertaining in smallish doses, I find that after a chapter or so it starts rapidly crossing the line back and forth between amusing and annoying. show less
I generally don’t read self-help books, but I picked this up because I am a fan of Chris Hardwick. Hardwick, who some may recognize as being one of the hosts of MTV’s Singled Out way back in the 90s, spent much of his 20s partying, drinking, and generally ruining his life. What happened when he hit 30 is best expressed in his own words:
"Then, when I hit thirty, I began to look around at my life: I was consuming a baby elephant’s weight in alcohol EVERY DAY. I lived in a shitty show more apartment near UCLA … my place was always a mess, I had ruined my credit, and I had no real work prospects. I had become a thing I had always feared–the fat, drunk guy who used to be on television."
Hardwick quit drinking in 2003 and started trying to improve his life. Now he has multiple projects on the go, including a successful (and extremely entertaining) podcast, a new podcast network, and several TV gigs.
The secrets to Hardwick’s success aren’t anything new. Basically, he was able to harness his innate nature (his nerdiness, so to speak) and use it to his advantage. And that’s what this book is about.
His techniques aren’t going to appeal to everyone, but if you enjoy the quantitative over the qualitative, you may find some ideas here. In general, he is advocating identifying your goals and developing a way to track your progress in a visible way. He also talks a lot about how to deal with the generally obsessive "nerdist" brain, something which I could relate to. It’s nice to know that you’re not the only one who thinks the way you do. In the final section, he talks a lot about his diet and fitness, even providing a starter fitness plan that is modeled after what he has done with his trainer.
One thing you can’t forget is that Hardwick is a comedian. The tone of the book is funny and descriptive, even during the more serious parts.
All-in-all, I enjoyed the book, even if I won’t adopt some of the more time-consuming tracking techniques. However, there is one big ding against it. Hardwick spends a fair amount of time on the development of a "character tome" that is the heart of his goal-tracking technique. He sends readers to a web site for sample templates, but that website is not functional. We’re now almost 3 months after the release of the book, and that’s really not acceptable.
Good thing it’s hard to be mad at Hardwick for long. show less
"Then, when I hit thirty, I began to look around at my life: I was consuming a baby elephant’s weight in alcohol EVERY DAY. I lived in a shitty show more apartment near UCLA … my place was always a mess, I had ruined my credit, and I had no real work prospects. I had become a thing I had always feared–the fat, drunk guy who used to be on television."
Hardwick quit drinking in 2003 and started trying to improve his life. Now he has multiple projects on the go, including a successful (and extremely entertaining) podcast, a new podcast network, and several TV gigs.
The secrets to Hardwick’s success aren’t anything new. Basically, he was able to harness his innate nature (his nerdiness, so to speak) and use it to his advantage. And that’s what this book is about.
His techniques aren’t going to appeal to everyone, but if you enjoy the quantitative over the qualitative, you may find some ideas here. In general, he is advocating identifying your goals and developing a way to track your progress in a visible way. He also talks a lot about how to deal with the generally obsessive "nerdist" brain, something which I could relate to. It’s nice to know that you’re not the only one who thinks the way you do. In the final section, he talks a lot about his diet and fitness, even providing a starter fitness plan that is modeled after what he has done with his trainer.
One thing you can’t forget is that Hardwick is a comedian. The tone of the book is funny and descriptive, even during the more serious parts.
All-in-all, I enjoyed the book, even if I won’t adopt some of the more time-consuming tracking techniques. However, there is one big ding against it. Hardwick spends a fair amount of time on the development of a "character tome" that is the heart of his goal-tracking technique. He sends readers to a web site for sample templates, but that website is not functional. We’re now almost 3 months after the release of the book, and that’s really not acceptable.
Good thing it’s hard to be mad at Hardwick for long. show less
You May Also Like
Associated Authors
Statistics
- Works
- 3
- Also by
- 4
- Members
- 277
- Popularity
- #83,812
- Rating
- 3.7
- Reviews
- 14
- ISBNs
- 16
