« Foster's Down! | Main | getting stuck in salami and beer »

i'll be on VH1 tonight


If you've got VH1, you can watch me tonight on My Coolest Years: The Geeks.

VH1 says:



"Nobody gets through high school without feeling like a total loser now and again. But God help you if you were unusually intelligent, gifted in something other than sports, or a little more shy than normal . . ."



. . . or the geeky kid on Star Trek who knew more about Car Wars vehicle design than talking to girls.

I did about three hours of interviews with VH1, and I have no idea what they'll use . . . but I watched "The Metalheads" last night, and like most of the VH1 nostalgia shows, it was super cool. The show airs at 10/9c.

Comments

In between Grand Theft Auto, and Ghost Recon, ill take a break and watch you wil!

OMG CAR WARS! I used to play CW in the stairwells of my high school between classes. Thanks for yet another shove down memory lane, Wil - you rock!

Ha, I *just* wandered downstairs a few minutes ago and caught this. Now I'm upstairs and you're blogging about it. Make up your mind!

You got in funny lines about geek cred. And you got the last word, complete with freeze-frame and iris-to-black. Gotta love that.

I'll have to remember to watch this...it should come on at 8:00 for those of us in the Mile High City.

And remember, the American Autoduel Association says, drive offensively...the life you save may be your own!

(Yeah, I played Car Wars once or twice, too, back in college...)

if you are on tv tonight...then doesn’t that make today "Wil Wheaton day" too??

horray!!!! lol

I'll be glued to the set Wil!!

Argh! I wish I had VHI. I'll have to wait and pray that Much More Music imports it in a few months like they do with a lot of VHI stuff.

Could you tape it and send it to me? lol

I'll be sure to watch.

my girlfriend just called me at work to say....
"hey... what's considered a high SAT score?"
I filled her in, and then she said "you know that "Coolest Years thing they've been doing on VH1? they have a Geeks section and they just showed that Wil Wheaton got a 1350 on his SATs -- that's good, right?"

To which I said "yeah, that's better than me"

The TiVo Central Online "Tell a Friend" link for the show is:

A really long link to TiVo

Go, click on it, tell your TiVo to grab it. It's VH1, so it's airing a dozen times in the next week.

Dave

Car Wars Ruled man!

I was unbeatable.. except by the dice.

Last game I remember, Pizza's of death.. map of the campus.. The only other guy left rolled it into the campus pond.. ahh.. those were the days..

Thanks for the heads up will, I just HTTPd into my tivo from my cell phone, and set it to record.. (Ok, some of us NEVER grow out of it).

And your 1350 pales my 1290 (750 math).

-Jason

...and just to validate my geek creds, soon as I read this, I hoppped online TiVo.com to tell my TiVo to watch "My Coolest Years: The Geeks" this week.

Looking forward to watching it!

Actually I just saw your interview for "My Coolest Years". It amused my sister and I to no end.

Cdns. don't have VH1 :( OY! Would've like to see it.


I am sorry. I couldn't stop laughing at this picture; pic 22/34:
http://www.vh1.com/sitewide/flipbooks/player/index.jhtml?flipbookid=1493840&flipsection=shows&fliptypeid=13373&episodeID=85909

Andrew WK (geek superhero) is also featured, apparently. Fantastic!

I've already programmed my Tivo for the show ... can't wait to watch it.

As for Car Wars ... we're still playing! In fact, I ran Car Wars 5th Edition at KublaCon 2004 back in May. Here's some pictures.

I'll probably be running it again in 2005. Come on by and play!

--Adam

omg I was looking on ebay (bored at work...you know) and i found this

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=60&item=3848304715&rd=1&ssPageName=WD1V
(notice the spelling of the name) LMFAO!!!

plus Wil (spelled incorrect) is worth 99 bucks!!!

mechalet,

The last name is missing the "h".

I wonder, is Wil misspelling his signature? Is that where the seller got it from? Hmmm... Wil, have you been going around signing things that are missing letters of your name? I'll have to go home and check my "Signed by Wil" section :)

This... Is why (insert favorite deity here) invented TiVo :D

CarWars... I wonder why this has never been made into a great video game?

I had the version that was out a long time ago for the Commodore64, but nothing has been close to it since.

All the rules are there, just digitize them :-) I wonder what the future holds from Steve Jackson, although I have not heard much of him in some time. Not since the IRS raided his office.

Im without cable or sat access atm, but hopefully someone will u/l it to suprnova. If not, ill try to catch it on the reruns sometime!

Nice pic Wil!

http://www.vh1.com/sitewide/flipbooks/img/shows/my_coolest_years/GEEK---Wil-Wheaton.jpg

I guess Matt (THE BOURNE SUPREMACY) will have to wait.

Just saw it today did,nt you just love High School.:)

Pic of Wil as Spock - Priceless

Thread with women drooling over Wil - Absolutely Fabulous.

Looks like Uncle Willie's a popular guy lately. Kudos, Wil!

You were great!!!!! Seriously, that's amazing.

awwww dude I don't have VH1 :(
oh I miss having cable.

Well hopefully when I get home for christmas break to see my family I can catch it then, cause VH1 always re-airs things like 600 times.

I'm there for sure! This is the closest I'll get to you being here! I can't wait to see what they came up with.

I love the way they put your name 'Wil Wheaton, Author, "Just a Geek"'. Very cool Wheaton. You get 5 points. :)

im watching 'my coolest years' right this minute (2:00 pm) way too cool! im frightened that my ACT score is like up there...

mels

Dude, you as Spock is the funniest thing ever! That's just priceless. I've found my new desktop picture. ;) And did anyone else notice that the credit reads "Wil Wheaton - Author, Just A Geek" and not "Wil Wheaton - Actor, Wesley Farking Crusher" Very cool. Very, very cool.

cheers!

"If I could go back in time, I'd kick my own ass." - Wil

They keep showing that clip and I laugh every time, it is so true...

-Andy

show synopsis:

Wil has early success.

the pressures of fame take their toll.

overcoming great personal adversity, the struggle through takes Wil to the lowest possible point in his life.

emerging triumphantly, Wil is now poised for even greater success with new found purpose and drive.

or so pretty much everything I've ever seen vh1 do is scripted about like that.

Wil, I just saw "The Cool Years- Geek Special". You're on drugs. ;-)

I'm watching it right now. It's deeply disturbing that Andrew WK and I had the same kind of retainer.

And Wil, you seemed a bit bitter during the segment on gym class. Very, very funny stuff.

The line "I am Geekicus!" made my housemates and I rejoice.

We love you in Philadelphia, Wil!

I saw "My Coolest Years" and ran squeeing through the house yelling, "Wil's on. Wil's on. My GEEK KING!". That in itself makes me a geek. I thought you were great and I awwed when you talked about your wife...after glaring at the TV for a second *darty eyes* Anayway, one last thing: I AM GEEKICUS!!!!!!!

Yo Wil, I saw you on VH1, they used you A LOT. You even got the last word in. The most striking thing about the whole thing was that you and I both got the same SAT scores. 1250 4 life!

I just saw the show Wil, you did a great job.

This brings back way to many memories of my high school years. I nearly freaked when I saw the guy hugging his Oscilloscope in his yearbook photo. This hits way too close to home!!!!!

Later

Chris

Saw it! Loved It! Wil you rock! Plus, now you have a wonderful wife, so all those girls who didn't give you the time of day in high school are crying. LONG LIVE THE GEEK!!

schweet!! it was on earlier today and i just happened to catch part of it. set the DVR to grab it so's i could watch later.

i just noticed the wilwheaton.net icon in my address bar. oh how i wish i could run wheatonix on this machine. where was that pic originally from?

I just saw the show and I loved it! Oh so funny! You rock!

Saw it, thanks Tivo.

+2 Racial Modifier... I was rolling.

Come on Wil - would you really go back and kick your own ass? Your experiences make you who you are, and we all come of age! You wouldn't be where you are without them!

--*Rob

I'm watching it now, Willy Wheat-thins. Hey, I think I have a couple of warp nay-cells lying around.

KEwlness, but who the hell is ANDREW W.K.???

Hey Wil Wheaton. I just saw the VH1 My Coolest Years show and you were hilarious. Very funny stuff. My favorite was the part about D&D.
"Critical success, I rolled a natural 18..."

Watched it, Nice Stuff Wil,

How much did you have to pay for the Locker?

Wil! I saw the show this afternoon and you were awesome! It totally made my day and man, did that take me back to my geek years! (Not that I ever left them, I'm just at peace with it now) Although I'm most grateful that nobody ever gave me a name like "Willie Wheaties."

This was so great. I'm so happy to see that they listed you as Wil Wheaton - Author "Just A Geek". That was the best part in my opinion. But Wil, you were great!

Every time I see you on TV I am amazed at how young you still look. Great job on the show!

Ok, I finally get to see something recommended here, and it's really funny to me, cuz it hits home!!

I'm glad that they didn't refer to Wil as "Wesley Crusher" but as Author: "Just a Geek."

Very cool!!! :)

Oh, and a minor confession, I had some hotties on my wall, but I do remember having a Teen Beat page that had Wil on it on my wall. I guess I was just the geek type. (LOL!) Still am, cuz my sweetie is a geek - like me - too.

So, I'm watching this and starting to understand that Wil has grown up and thus... so have I.

Except I haven't in a way, because I still have the shelves up with my collection of McFarlane hockey figures on it.

I'm also starting to realize that I was a psuedo-geek. I was one in theory only. I had the bedroom, but wasn't into the D&D, or had glasses, or braces.

I did like Metal though and loved Star Trek & Star Wars ( but didn't dress up as either or go to conventions )

but I was very much and I'm still very much aloner.

This VH1 program has gotten me in touch with my inner self... and he's crying. :P

I am watching this RIGHT NOW and dude, I have to tell you, I completele agree with you about Pretty in Pink. F**K BLANE... Ducky is where it's at.

PS...your Enterprise is missing it's warp nacells. HULLO

;D
~Liz

hahaha. wil, you were great! and you got the last word! you rock! only a geek could say that!

great showing! I am Geekicus!

I watched it. Wil was hilarious as heck. Good stuff, dude. Some great one liners, too.

Excellent! I just happened upon this while flipping through the channels and called my husband down to watch, too. Wil got the last word in the program...good deal.

It was so nice to see you on screen again. You came across really well.

Man.
Geek Gods and Goddesses.
You're up there with Ben Stein, Bill Nye, The Donnas, Penn & Teller, and John Tesh!
Holy Moley!
I think it's great that you got so much air time, started the show, and ended the show. Also cool that they captioned you as "Author of 'Just a Geek'" instead of "The Ex-Child start who ruined Star Trek the Next Generation."
Geek ON!

Wil,

I just finished watching the VH1 special. You are such a cutie and I remember why I had posters of you on my walls in HS. I was such a geek too! :-)

Would you really kick your own ass if you want back in time? Man, they replayed that clip about 3 or 4 times.

I couldn't believe that you didn't go to prom. Are you still afraid of dancing? Do you ever take a break from playing RPG and poker to take your beautiful wife dancing?

I really enjoyed watching the special and it helped to put a face to the guy behind the blog. Still, you just seem to cool to have been picked on in high school.

It seems that some of the most creative and great people that I know now suffered through their teen years...are all creative minds misunderstood?

L.

Just finished watching the show. Just have to say HAHAHAHAHAHAHAH thanks for the laughs, my geek Hubby and I are sharing our most geeky high school moments, its been fun! AUTHOR! AUTHOR!

oh yeah....I have your nacells! If want them back send me two 20 sided dice. Dragon

Wil,
you're hilarious, and, now, beyond cool...
Please leave the jokes behind and start producing. Life is fun, I understand, but, for the love of whatever, get to work.

Well, now who wants to make the shirt that says "I am Geekicus!" ;)

Very cool show. I felt really bad after "My Coolest Years: Summer Vacation" because that totally wasn't my life. "My Coolest Years: The Geeks" -- totally my life. Hey, I *liked* Weezer, but I was a geek long before I knew of them. ;) Great job, Wil!

I was a total geek in High School. I got teased all the time. Never got stuffed into a locker, but only because there was no room. They were full sized lockers, but the big thing was to have these little shelves things in there that you would buy at Target or wherever...

Anyway, I had my "Geekicus!" moment in eighth grade when I suddenly had the epihany that I was bigger than the kid that was teasing me. So, in my rage, I grabbed him, slammed him into a locker and the proceeded to drag him down the row of lockers in front of everyone. No one ever bothered me again. And amazingly, I never got into trouble for it either.

True story.

My comment at the end, right after the "I am Geekicus!" line: "Love it!"

(Pamela asked me, "Was that line in his book?" I answered, "No, but it damn well should've been!")

Oh, and I've got your ship with its warp nacelles, somewhere in the computer room closet, if you're interested... :-)

Great show, dude! Rock, rock on!

Just wanted to let you know, I've been reading the blog for quite some time. I just watched the show and took the opprotunity afterwards to run out to Amazon and grab your books. Keep up the good work. And if you come St. Louis way, I'd love to sit across the table from you for some NLHE. -John

I REALLY have to get subscription TV!!!

:(

Scott

Great, great show. Reminds me so much of high school. You ROCKED Wil!

I never used my locker in high school. I carried all my books around with me. People were always trying to trip me in the hallways, just to see how far they could scatter my books. I knew I was the poster child for dork-tripping when I looked up from the ground one day and realized that the jerk that just body slammed me was my little brother.

My initials were BSB, and a guy I had a crush on decided that my first and middle names should be "Bull Shit".
"Hey, do you smell something?"
"Yeah, I smell Bullshit."
"I thought I saw Brandi down the hall."
"Yeah, her little brother tripped her again, right?"
"Yeah."

Some guy wrote me a note in class, asking me if I would like to go out with him. I responded in the affirmative and asked when. He replied, "Oh, either in a million years or when you get pretty. I would pick 'when you get pretty', because it will take WAY longer than a million years." I think he was good friends with the "Bull Shit" guy.

Ahh, the joys of being a dork. :)

I am Geekicus!

and you are awesome, you stole the show!

It's was Awesome!!!, way to stick up for the team.

WIL, You were GREAT :)

You were the best GEEK on the show.

aw that show was great! you were hilarious and i loved it. Will you be doing more episodes of my coolest years?

I know this is the wrong post but I just watched the Gnomedex thing and it was hilarious. I've been reading this since before most of the material in it but I've never heard the William Fucking Shatner story before. Wow. The world lost a good writer when you weren't born twins.

hey wil! Great show. I turned the tele on to see you on vh1! awesome.

Thank goodness for the never ending VH1 repeats.

Wed, Dec 8 12:30/11:30c AM
Wed, Dec 8 9/8c PM
Thu, Dec 9 8/7c PM
Fri, Dec 10 2:30/1:30c AM
Fri, Dec 10 12/11c PM
Fri, Dec 10 7/6c PM

Love your Spock photo, Mr. Author. I'm looking forward to hearing your comments.

Wow VH1 and now your own panel in a Dork Tower cartoon:

http://archive.gamespy.com/comics/dorktower/

and a link to the archive in case it's tomorrow now...

http://archive.gamespy.com/comics/dorktower/archive.asp?nextform=viewcomic&id=958

GEEKICUS!!!!!

I was glad that they mentioned jerry o'connell. LOL. I watched it and was like. Wil was a geek? I should of taped it. Darn it. I loved how they showed you alot though. I wasn't a geek in school, actually I wasn't in a group. I was independent.LOL. Loved seeing you on the show though and you did such a great job. I loved how you said you'd kick your own **s. hahahahahahahha. Anyway I love that your wife has a shirt that says. I love my geek. That's just so adorable.

Morgan

ive never seen this show before last night. Wil, you did great! that "kick my own @ss line was the best one on the show!

Watched it twice yesterday, missed the first ten minutes each time. I loved every segment, but the geeks having the "Last laugh" at the end was the greatest. Anecdotes like that are why I purchased your books as gifts this year for my geek friends.

I will try to catch that show this week. I got Tivo. Did I ever mention I was a Geek? I'm thinkin probably not. Tormented for 4 years by the cheerleaders. I was shoved in lockers and the boys bathroom on a daily basis. Lost count of the times I had to pick up my books off the floor. One of the cheerleaders who shall remain nameless ended up pregnant our senior year. The day everyone in the school found out was a good day for me.

I love the fact that they identified you as " Wil Wheaton - Author "Just a Geek" " as opposed to Wil Wheaton child actor or Wil Wheaton - Wesley Crusher or Wil Wheaton - Stand by Me

They're giving you props for something you did NOW not back Then....

and yes, I sat at the same table, just not in your school.

Um, if you're a geek with that SAT score, does my 1460 qualify me for ubergeek status?

Slightly regretting not owning a TV...

For all who are interested Wil is the subject of todays dork tower cartoon. 12-8-2004
http://archive.gamespy.com/comics/dorktower/index.asp

Hi, Wil. I have always loved your work. Yesterday, when I saw you on VH1, I was pleasantly surprised. My boyfriend and I were watching it. He said, "You ought to check out his blog, its pretty cool." Frankly, that concerned me a little. I was thinking maybe he has a crush on you too. However, he told me that he got your link from Fark, so I guess I wont feel threatened. Anyway, just wanted to let you know how great it was to see you and I am bookmarking this page! Keep up the great work!

I am Geekikus!

Dude you stole the show. My wife watched with me and when you came on she goes, "hey, that's the writer you like so much...the one I liked in Stand by Me."

It is true, the Geeks shall inherit the earth.

Wil,

I am glad I stayed up to catch you on "The Coolest Years" last night. You were great and I enjoyed hearing what you went through in high school. I was also a geek in high school so I could very much relate to you and the others on the show. You are what makes being a geek totally hip and cool :) You ROCK buddy!

I love your site and enjoy your posts via the feed in LiveJournal. Please feel free to give mine a peek and say hello sometime. It would be great to hear from a fellow geekster :)

Happy Holidays to you and your family :)

April in Arizona...aka BullpenBrat22

Ain't It Cool News published this year's Holiday Shopping Guide for Geeks. http://www.aintitcool.com/display.cgi?id=18956

Guess which book made the list.

So glad I caught it last night. Really fun to watch! I especially laughed when you talked about your experience playing tennis. My best friend and I were tennis partners in our tennis unit during our junior year gym class. Neither of us were athletically gifted, especially in tennis. When the class was divided up into pairs to start playing matches, our teacher told my friend and I that we should just keep practicing on a different court. Ah, the memories!

It rocked. We need to see more of you on TV.

Happy Holidays to the Coolest Geek we know and love...and to your lovely family :)

Adam-

I am glad to hear you will be running Car Wars again next year at Kublacon '05. I am one of the table top coordinators that helped you scramble for the right table dimensions this year. And I will be back next year. Julie & I tried to get Wil to come last year, but alas he is a busy boy.

Nooo! See what happens when I dotn check back once in awhile?
Oh well...VH1 reruns everything. Ill catch it again
Weeeeee!

Man, I don't check the blogs for one day and I miss something great! I'll have to watch for reruns!

Yeah, I actually caught that show by accident. Very funny stuff! I loved it when Wil related the stories of not doing drugs but "rolling alot of dice" (i.e. playing AD&D....and apparently still does). Lol!!

Dear Wil,

Congratulations on the publication of the book.

Thanks for sharing your memories of Car Wars and GURPS Autoduel.

A few old and bold autoduelists (such as myself) are still generating business for Uncle Albert and the salvage yards, even after 24 years Car Wars Ziplock Bag Edition was released.
If you ever wanted to know more about the current status of Car Wars than you wanted, check out my Web site. It links to all Car Wars data on the Internet.

Wishing you a great 2005,

Michael P. Owen
Seattle WA Autoduel Team

--------

Post a comment

(If you haven't left a comment here before, you may need to be approved by the site owner before your comment will appear. Until then, it won't appear on the entry. Thanks for waiting.)