This memoir, like the title denotes, weaves in and out of sexual escapades and drug addiction whimsically. Many of his stories, if looked through a different lens, would seem depraved and abject. But he’s able to distill these anecdotes to their comedic core. At one point, I casually glazed over a moment of pedophilia without realizing the egregious nature of whatoccured . A tutor molested him, touching his private parts. The moment struck a tone of nonchalance as if it was an usual occurrence in Brand’s life, mere commonplace that older people sometimes take advantage of your innocence. A couple hundred pages later he was in an Istanbul brothel, having sex with one woman while his father, who came in and out of Brand’s life, was now going in and out of another prostitute another across the room. Such are the wonderful, wholesome stories that abound in his Booky Wook.

If you don’t know Demetri yet, you will on Febuary 11th. His new show, “Important Things with Demetri Martin,” is touted, by himself, to be one of the most popular shows ever. He’s predicting to attract an audience of 100 million people. That way he only has to tailor his jokes to one third of the American public. 33% market share is no small feat. But with Jon Stewart behind the scenes as the Executive Producer and “shepherding” the pilot, I think Demetri’s just nibbling on a piece of humble pie. The show format will be redolent of the Dave Chappelle Show, comedic stand up bits interspersed with pre-taped sketches. Demetri’s sense of humor is entirely novel for a show of this format and it just might work. Each shows themes consist of something important in our lives. We’ll see the important things from “Apples” to “Coolness” all through Demetri’s sly, witty lens.

I lay in bed with my eyes half open, philosophizing. The thrumming fan above me played as if it were a cinematic soundtrack to my prolific thoughts. Then I realized how dreadfully inane my thoughts were, how much my head ached from the unfiltered alcohol, how my hangover saturated every fiber of my being. And then the panic set. I had so many tasks to accomplish today, so many unfinished from the night before, and, like an avalanche, I was regretting the whole essence of my life. A sickening feeling emerged in the pit of my stomach, half from the hangover and half from the incessant thoughts of failure. It told me how I didn’t send out resumes for a job yesterday. It told me how I spent way too much money at Casey’s Bar and Grill the night before. It told me how I still have two parking tickets festering on my car’s dashboard. But then I embraced the despair because it reminded you how irrevocably human I was. Despite all those regrets, at least I could change them. Remember the old adage from second grade: “we all make mistakes, but what’s really important is how we learn from them.” I don’t think our second grade teachers ever dreamed of a system in which photos, videos, and links could be uploaded for the world to see. A documented mistake is much harder to learn from when it becomes an indelible mark on the way people perceive you. Facebook can broadcast your mistake and I have a perfect anecdote to help clarify this point…

If you’re a fan of “Gossip Girl,” have you ever wondered why the show is so appealing? Really probed that dark matter between your ears for an answer that goes beyond the rote answers of hot girls, hot guys, and hot parents; lots of money, nice cars, and, did I already mention, hot guys? Beyond those superficial aspects, have you ever considered the philosophical reasoning behind your seemingly explicable fascination with New York City prep school opulence and precocious yet starving sixteen-year-olds? I know the answers abound, and I don’t assume to know all the different shades explaining why we love this salacious show, however, after much reflection and rumination, I think I’ve stumbled across a reason that is both controversial and different enough from other “Gossip Girl” explications to warrant a close read of this article.