Goodbye

Well, Folks….it’s about that time. I know that Trainwreck’d Society has gone through different incarnations of departure and fleeting over the years, but it is truly time to fully dismantle the tracks, and move on. The wreckage is all but cleared and there really isn’t much else that really needs to be gawked at or has cause for wide-mouthed & rubbernecked glances. We’ve had our run.

10 years. For the last decade, I have put a lot of myself into this site. It’s served as an identity in a way, and it has yielded exciting opportunities and ventures, as well as, if I’m being honest, a bit of disappointment at times. But, why focus on the negative? Ever since that humid Independence Day that I spent alone in a hotel room in Biloxi, Mississippi back in 2011 when TWS was born, I’ve managed to move across the globe and having the digital pages of this site there to comfort me along the way. I’ve managed to establish some pretty great friendships, continue growing working relationships, and basically just discover new things to love as well as additional information on the things I already cherished so deeply.

Some shoutouts are always in order, amiright? On the professional side of the house, I have to thank all of the wonderful PR folks out there who always treated Trainwreck’d Society as a viable resource for promoting their projects and/or people. There have been a plethora of you fine folks, but it would behoove me to specifically shout out a few specific folks.

Clint Morris. Sweet, sweet Clint. Goddamn, Man. You have been through some shit lately, yet October Coast PR is still a thriving community of people who truly care about their clients. To you, and Alicia, and the rest of the team….THANK YOU! Thanks to you, I am certain that Uncork’d Entertainment and Wild Eye Releasing are my most viewed distributors of the last decade. Good or bad, I was always excited to see what you all had to show me with those wonderful screener links.

Kaytea McIntosh. Hey Kaytea! I feel an even more special kinship to you, as you followed me along my journey of putting words onto the internet since before TWS was a thing. Back in my Fensepost days, I remember getting those shimmering neon colored packages from you knowing that something musically captivating was enclosed within it. You’ve excelled at make XO Publicity one of the finest music PR firms in the country, because you truly give a shit. Your clients know it, I know it, and I am so grateful to have known you, and to watch your business and life grow into the wonderful thing that it is today.

I just realized that I am going to gush over everybody a bit too much, and probably should have reconsidered it at all while the tears start to well up. Anyway, let me just throw out some names here for the sake of encapsulating some iconic friends:

Janelle Rogers of Green Light Go! Publicity – Your digital presence in my life is one that I will also truly never forget. Thank you for being around.

Bill Benson & the entire Team Clermont team – I’m sorry that I didn’t use you guys as much as I should have. You’ve always got great stuff to share. Keep it going!

Jess Guinivan – If you ever looked at this site and asked yourself “How the hell did he get that comedian to be on this silly little site?”, the blame is solely on this goddess of a human being. For whatever reason, she believed in us enough to tell some of the biggest names in comedy right now to become involved. Thank you so damn much Jess for sticking your neck out there.

The entire Avalon Management team – echoing the same above sentiments to you. I was always shocked to hear back from your clients, sometimes directly from their own accounts. Kara Baker, Aaron Brown….all of ya’ll. Thank you!

And to everyone else I might be missing. I’m sorry if I didn’t get your name out there directly. You know you’re great though.

And……………

On a more personal level, I have some folks to digitally embrace and possibly embarass:

Dad – You’re support is obviously one of the things that I cherish the most in the world. You’ve done it with such ease ever since my self-published success/disaster of a book, and you have continued to do so to this day. Thank you for the tips on interview subjects. I don’t know when I ever felt more proud that when I got Greg Warren to do the site and have you ask the questions. And I have 3 kids! Love you, Pops!

Chris Eaves – Sir. I can say with absolute certainty that Trainwreck’d Society, for whatever it’s legacy may be, wouldn’t be possible without you. You’ve been my obvious #1 fan over the years, and I humbly bow to you. Thank you for being a part of the team. I can’t wait to have one of your now legendary burgers in the near future.

To Everyone that contributed to the site – I always wanted TWS to be a shared community. Unfortunately, it didn’t happen as much as I would have liked. BUT- it did happen sometimes. And each and every time I was extremely grateful. To the early contributions from my friends like Ray Wiggington, Dustin Retcher, and David Minne. Back to good ole Eaves himself, to one of my closest friends in the whole world, the legendary Adam Mattson. Tyler Averett, another soul who’s friendship I cherish, I’m pretty sure you got in there as well. Thanks to you all. And to all of the Guest Wreckers. Mike Phillips, you know you’re awesome. Alex Hallet (a.k.a. Bodi)….I can not begin to express what it has meant to be a fan and friend to you. Matt Beat…it’s been amazing to watch what you have managed to create in your time. You give YouTubers a good name. Michael J. Epstein & Sophia Cacciola, my favorite filmmaking team, it has also been amazing to watch you both grow. Phil the Tremolo King – another amazing early supporter, and one of the most talented human beings I know. Comedians David Gborie & Daniel Van Kirk – I’m certain you don’t even remember helping out with some questions, but thank you all the same. And everyone else that I know I am forgetting, and very sorry. But please know that you are appreciated.

To each and every one of the 633 interview subjects that we had on the site. Let’s make a list….

Just kidding. But, seriously, for anyone that has taken the time out of their schedules to share some responses for the site. Even the one guy who said he hated my questions, and won’t be named in this post, as this is supposed to be a joyous outro. Even you, thank you. From our first interview subject, Jess Walter, right down to our last subject, Sam Tallent….whether I sought you out or you were a given blessing, I’m so thankful to have you in our history.

And to those of you who managed to pass along free swag over the years? How fucking cool are you! Fred Fox – I will forever treasure the Family Matters script, and friend of the site Brady Berkenmeir will probably have a shrine to the “jumping the shark” script from Happy Days. I hope it’s okay that I gave it away. It’s a better home. Paul Chart – your art will always be an inspiration. Nobody brought out the best in Robert Forrester than you. Not even QT himself. Thank you Paul! Chris O’Conner – I honestly didn’t realize how much I loved your band until your gifts. It’s quite the testament to the longevity of this site to think about loving physical CD’s, as they were still a thing in our early days! Hillary Holladay – still one of the greatest authors to ever grace our pages. Thank you so much! Speaking of great writers…..

Sarah Darer Littman – I’ve thrown my thanks out to you quite often over the years for you giving me the “cool dad” cred that I so desperately desire. And for doing as such, you get your own block. Thank you so damn much! If Ava and I ever make our way to that illustrious northeast, we will be sure to hit you up.

Folks, I could probably ramble on forever here. There are just so many people to thank for a decade’s worth of work. So much we could look back on and smile about. Ultimately, I am so proud of what we have accomplished here at TWS. I always wanted to keep it simple. I wanted it to be about the content, not the consumerism. I never planned to make a dime financially from this site, and never did. But the memories and information and beauty that I took from my work on this site is more than enough for me. You simply cannot buy what I got out of working late into the nights and early mornings on these digital pages. It’s been a true “blessing”, for the lack of a better word. I’m going to continue down different creative ventures, and I hope you all will follow, but I will never forget what I, we, managed to create here at Trainwreck’d Society.

So without further rambling, and with a heavy heart, I bow to you all and can only say…… Have a wonderful day, and a beautiful tomorrow.