It’s not often that one can say they’ve scooped Oprah. Or CNN three days later. But I can say and truly believe that…on both counts. That’s what this bonus article this week is all about. Eventual gloating.
You see, I had the opportunity to speak with Jonnie Penn of The Buried Life (pictured above holding a camera and wearing a shirt)– and I got to do so before the series ever went to air. Sure, some could say I’ve held on to this interview for far too long….those people would not be Eventualists. I liken it to being like a basketball player that has almost spent too much time in the key, but in my case it’s not three seconds, but three months. That’s just how I rock…and roll.
Here’s a paraphrased preview – or “para-view” – of what you can expect to hear on a future episode of An Eventual Life, only this is in print form so you get to read it instead. And if “reading an interview Mike Vardy did with Jonnie of The Buried Life” happens to be on your list of things to do before you die, congratulations on being able to cross it off.Me: Thanks for speaking with me today, Jonnie.
Jonnie Penn: Thanks for having me. I’m excited to be here.
(Corollary: Jonnie was not actually “here” as he was on the phone with me. If you listen to the podcast you should be aware of this or you’ll think he talks like he’s on a phone in person.)
ME: So, many people don’t really know what The Buried Life is about. It’s not about burying life or chronicling the lives of gravediggers. Tell us about The Buried Life.
JP: It’s a project that started in 2006 in a garage. Basically it revolves around three of my friends and I traveling around North America in a big purple bus called Penelope trying to complete 100 things on a list we’d created that we wanted to do before we die. The reason we started it was because we felt disillusioned by our experiences in the world. We saw a lot of problems in the world and we wanted to find a way to get people excited about fixing them. We thought this would be a good entry point to begin a discussion about life, purpose and legacy and the thins people want to do with the time we have on earth.
ME: But there’s more to it than that, isn’t there?
JP: Yes. The other side of it is that for each item we complete off of our own list while we’re traveling around is that we’ll then help a stranger complete something that they’ve always wanted to do.
ME: And now you’ve got a TV show that chronicles your journey.
JP: That’s right. That was #53 on our list. It started in January on MTV.
ME: The same network that airs the critically acclaimed The Jersey Shore…
JP: Yes, that’s the one. It’s been a pretty weird process because we initially did this to rebel against reality television and now we’re doing a show that is one.
ME: So when you’re traveling around with your friends, I’m assuming you’re also talking about Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson? I mean they’re the ones who have The Bucket List, right?
JP: Actually it’s funny; we get that comparison all the time. I can tell you the biggest difference between them and us is that theirs was a Hollywood movie and wasn’t real. Still, I hope both projects provoke the question “What are you going to do?” I’m glad that that movie was made back in the day and I’m glad that MTV is doing our show because people still want to talk about this stuff.
ME: You know you’re young when the term “back in the day” refers to three years ago.
For more on the interview – including longer answers to the “para-view” questions – be sure to eventually listen to next week’s edition of An Eventual Life. It’s the podcast that gets to the heart of all things eventual and how Eventualism can be part of your everyday life, as opposed to life that happens on days that are not every.
Have an eventual weekend!
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Im so pissed I have to wait for the rest of this. I had my cup of warm drink ready to read a nice interview.
It’ll be up…eventually.
is the nextpart up yet?
I will be putting this up on Monday – as a complete interview.
Plus, I’ll have it on the next episode of the An Eventual Life podcast. You should eventually listen to it – as well as the backlog of other episodes.