Interview with John Hodgman, the PC from those "Get a Mac" ads
So first things first: Mac or PC?
Here is the joke that is absolutely apt, though I once promised I would never make it: "I play one on TV, but I am not a PC." It is true. I am first of all: not a computer, but a human being; and second of all: a Mac user, almost exclusively, since 1984. There was a brief period in the wilderness between 1997 and 2003. Let us not speak of it.
Did you have to do any first-hand research to get into the PC mindset?
OK, if we must speak of it. My PC experience was relatively benign. I had two machines over those two years, and both ended with the PC, despite all of my diligent maintenance, freaking out at the end, unusable, overwhelmed with spyware and bugs, slowly singing "bicycle built for two" and plotting my demise.
Do people assume that you and Steve Jobs are bros now?
By people, I presume you mean "you." Sadly, your fantasy is a delusion. I have not met Steve Jobs, though I take great pleasure in knowing that it's now perhaps more likely than it was before.
Anyone from Microsoft contact you? I hear Bill Gates is looking for a body double.
When I and Coulton and other friends did an 826 benefit in Seattle over labor day, some Microsoft employees approached me after the show to reassure me that I could always come over to their side should I ever change my mind. I told them it was unlikely. They were nice people. I was glad they did not garrotte me.
You have a gig on The Daily Show and write for The New York Times Magazine (among other things), so I assume you weren't leafing through trade mags looking for acting jobs. How'd you get cast for the ads?
The director of the ad, Phil Morrison, who made a brilliant, beautiful movie called JUNEBUG, also apparently reads books of fake trivia, including mine, THE AREAS OF MY EXPERTISE. (Now out in paperback! End plug). Emboldened, I suppose, by the Daily Show appearances, he put my name in a very large hat. But I did not know any of this til I got the job.
The villain of any story is often the most compelling character. Justin, who is brilliantly funny, of course must play the hero, and the Luke Skywalkers of the world always catch a certain amount of flack. It's unfair, but inevitable, and I don't think it has caused people to buy more PCs anymore than it caused people to root for the empire over the Jedi. The Jedi still are the best. And they don't get viruses.
How did you maneuver me into a Star Wars discussion? Damn internet.
That is all.
Thanks for your time!
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
rokorre @ Oct 5th 2006 2:39PM
i love that man . . . and i love my mac
Jamison @ Oct 5th 2006 2:40PM
Brilliant
karmaghost @ Oct 5th 2006 2:40PM
I think asking him if he's a PC computer or if he's a Mac user is stupid; he was hired by Apple to make those commercials and make fun of PCs, so what do you /think/ he's going to use daily?
px @ Oct 5th 2006 2:46PM
exactly what karmaghost said.. I'm pretty sure the casting company that Mac hired did a good job screening for Mac users only..
jollyllama @ Oct 5th 2006 2:56PM
That's a bit harsh, I mean, it's a computer ad, not a Bush speech audience. Now that's where they screen you for affiliations...Ever try getting in one?
Rob Speed @ Oct 5th 2006 4:24PM
Uh. But Justin Long wasn't even a computer user. Period.
Pretty much proves you wrong.
Deezee @ Oct 5th 2006 2:45PM
I love that guy, but I hate all macs, and all mac users. Especially him.
Hoffy @ Oct 5th 2006 4:21PM
Deezee, that was an ultimately funny comment. I don't know why people are voting you down.
narco @ Oct 5th 2006 2:52PM
Seems like a really cool dude.
He said that he's been a Mac user since '84, so it's doubtful that he's getting paid to say that he uses a Mac. I can't even imagine that being in the contract, but who knows with all them CA-RAZY Apple lawyers.
Fishes,
narco.
resource @ Oct 5th 2006 2:55PM
Cue the flametards.
I am personally losing my patience with MS and Vista.
XP Pro is starting to piss me off.
When Leopard is released I'll give it a head to head with Vista and buy my next computer.
bandgeekndb @ Oct 5th 2006 2:58PM
http://www.realtechnews.com/blog/wp-content/worth1000.jpg
The ultimate PC vs. Mac user. I live in a college dorm and my roommate is the Mac while I'm the PC...I have to say, he plays a stereotypical Mac Noob pretty well, since he calls me over to fix his computer at least twice a day. I tell him how many times I have to "fix" my PC per day...Zero...and he just grumbles something about Dell under his breath.
I have been, am and always will be a PC user. I dabble in linux, and fix them all, but Windows is my true love!
Popstand @ Oct 5th 2006 3:05PM
"but Windows is my true love!"
This is nearly a pathological statement.
Wonderboy @ Oct 5th 2006 3:04PM
karmaghost, just so you know it's called "acting". This common art form is the procedure of pretending to be something you're not so asking what kind of computer he uses is a great question. Also, just in case you've been confused... Mel Gibson is not Scottish, Russell Crowe did not kill a Roman Emperor, Mark Hamill does not have a mechanical hand, and Britney Spears can't actually sing.
Back on topic. I love that he went Star Wars (oops, so did I). Oh the parallels that Mac users will gladly draw to the entire story-line... except I doubt they'll claim Ballmer is going to end up siding with Jobs just before he dies.
Gravity @ Oct 12th 2006 6:19PM
Mark Hamill's hand may not be mechanical, but his acting sure is!
AK @ Oct 7th 2006 12:18PM
No less than all the Mac fanboys who can't shut up about their computers for two seconds, i.e. my cousins.
syadasti @ Oct 5th 2006 3:07PM
The original commercials stink - see the good ones here:
http://tv.truenuff.com/mac/
stevehp @ Oct 27th 2006 2:23PM
How did I not know about these I actually laughed out loud the gaming one had me in stitches. "I am root!!" lol
Fazal Majid @ Oct 5th 2006 3:16PM
If Luke Skywalker didn't make you root for the Empire, think of Jar-Jar Binks.
David Balogh @ Oct 5th 2006 4:33PM
Jar Jar was the idiot who inadvertantly created the Empire by giving the Chancellor emergency powers (sorta like BUsh has, hmmm), check yer facts ;-) In that way I would say he's on the Empire's side. (WOW, I'm a dork.) Anyway, funny how it always ends up a PC vs. Mac war. Who ever has to 'fix' their Mac shouldn't own a computer period, and whoever says they don't have to fix their PC is lying (maybe not 'everyday' but when you DO have to fix it, well, let's say it usually isn't a minor issue like most Mac fixes). This guy's a great actor, very enjoyable on screen, though I would say some of the Apple commercials have lost focus and make me go 'huh?'
Rivendale @ Oct 5th 2006 3:16PM
PC > Mac
Just ask 95% of the market, and they'll agree with me...
ELmo @ Oct 5th 2006 4:51PM
That is a great statistic, too bad it includes all of the businesses that buy PCs over Macs due to the upfront cost of ownership and business software available, not to mention the entrenchment that has taken place over the past 20 years due to legacy software.
Look at the consumer market, more and more people are switching to Macs. Why because they just work and they don't keep you waiting on new releases for months to years at a time.
Douglas Bailey @ Oct 5th 2006 9:36PM
PC > Mac
Where '>' = More waiting, More viruses, More grief, Greater pain.
JRo @ Oct 6th 2006 8:27AM
PC > Mac?
How about VHS > Beta?
Sure, more people adopted VHS. It doesn't make it better.
Rob @ Oct 31st 2006 2:34PM
Porsche equals less than 5% of the automotive world. I'd still rather drive one over a FORD. The rest of the world just settles on PC becuase they are cheap.
primetime4 @ Oct 5th 2006 3:18PM
karmaghost also believes Jarrod eats nothing but Subway.
Baumann @ Oct 5th 2006 3:36PM
Man, some of you guys are harsh.
First off, I remember hearing an interview with the guy who plays the mac and he doesn't actually use a mac. In fact, he doesn't know much about computers at all.
Second, "PC > Mac. Just ask 95% of the market, and they'll agree with me..." Excuse me?!? So a Toyota is better than a Ferrari? A Big Mac is better then Filet Mignon? Market coverage doesn't mean that it's a better product. Heck, I bet you'd agree with that if I brought up the fact that iPods have a huge market share.
duder @ Oct 5th 2006 3:38PM
The dude is obviously a tool. Anyone who gets involved in a PC vs. Mac debate is a tool. Those commericials are written by tools for tools, and this dude is a tool of the tools.
vdawning @ Oct 5th 2006 3:38PM
I have to say, as a Windows user (and as part of their target audience with these ads), I'm not impressed.
The ads appear arrogant and misleading... they're not going to make me switch. In fact, they're going to make me want nothing to do with the company (very much like Sony's comments about the PS3 make me want to stop supporting them altogether)
Macs don't get viruses, huh? So... the OSX engineers magically built this perfect piece of software that will never be tainted? Seems to me that Windows PCs (and IE) get the viruses because PCs are 95%+ of the overall computer market. That may just be my theory, or maybe common sense - one of the two.
And correct me if I'm wrong, but the commercials are PC vs. Mac right? Since when is a Mac not a Personal Computer? It's subject to the same laws that any other PC is - it comes down to the quality of the hardware and software on the PC, and I'll concede that Apple has some really nice (somewhat overpriced) PCs to offer, and a slick OS... but I can't swallow their blatent arrogance.
TJ Wasik @ Oct 5th 2006 4:27PM
The ads are mac Vs. PC because the term PC is technically shorthand for IBM Compatible PC, in other words a PC that utilizes x86, and now also x86-64 processor architecture. Of course given the argument is still invalid now with the new Intel macs, because they are pc's in every sense of the term.
spil @ Oct 8th 2006 9:48PM
vdawning, although you do make a good point about macs don't get viruses because no one writes viruses for them, macs actually do have better security, based on Unix and stuff, I guess.
Heh, a Mac is technically a Personal computer, but PC has come to represent windows boxes.
I think the ads are funny, and as a mac user, I don't really care if they make me want to buy a mac or not. Now with Macs being able to run Windows, the only reason some one wouldn't buy a mac is because they are too expensive (yes, the mac mini is too expensive, basically when Apple put intels in them, they got BT and a bigger HDD as the cheapest model, which would have cost $100 more on a g4), or because their lack of customability (let's all wish for a cheaper tower!). Or they are just plain "M$" fanboys.
spil @ Oct 5th 2006 9:26PM
vdawning, although you do make a good point about macs don't get viruses because no one writes viruses for them, macs actually do have better security, based on Unix and stuff, I guess.
Heh, a Mac is technically a Personal computer, but PC has come to represent windows boxes.
I think the ads are funny, and as a mac user, I don't really care if they make me want to buy a mac or not. Now with Macs being able to run Windows, the only reason some one wouldn't buy a mac is because they are too expensive (yes, the mac mini is too expensive, basically when Apple put intels in them, they got BT and a bigger HDD as the cheapest model, which would have cost $100 more on a g4), or because their lack of customability (let's all wish for a cheaper tower!). Or they are just plain "M$" fanboys.
Poops @ Oct 5th 2006 11:54PM
"as a Windows user (and as part of their target audience with these ads)"
I disagree, unless you mean you are a Windows user who uses windows by default, i.e. because Win was what came loaded on the $299 desktop you got at walmart on the day after Thanksgiving, after waiting in line since 4am and headbutting a few other folks out of the way once the doors opened.
These ads are not particularly aimed at well-informed Windows users who are involved and hands-on with their machines - such people generally do a decent job of keeping their pcs running and fixing them when they aren't.
These ads are aimed at people who aren't terribly computer-savvy, and so have been very frustrated as their machines have fallen prey to the vulnerablilities that they don't know enough to remedy. Folks whose perfectly good pcs are crippled by massive spyware, but who don't know how or where to get a decent spyware killer, nor how to reformat and reinstall Windows if it gets that bad.
For people who are mystified by their pcs' shadowy, magical internal workings, and who stare at websites taking 5 minutes to load, etc., wishing to Cripes that there was a way out, Mac shows up during some CSI commercial breaks and tells them "There is a way out, here it is".
The rosy promises they make sound pretty damn good, and there's a lot to be said sometimes for having a lot of the difficult process of software selection taken out of your hands by a large suite of included apps. When I'm having a hard day with my machine, those ads get pretty appealing. But once the rough patch is past, I'm glad to have the Win box I've got.
On a side note, I'm a huge Justin Long fan, just from Dodgeball, and expecially the dvd's outtakes, but there's no way not to feel the massive smug-blast coming off of him in pretty much every one of those ads. I think he's doing a great job of presenting the Mac character the way it's been written, it's just written really irritatingly.
a freekin ninja @ Dec 15th 2006 2:53PM
your points are trivial. Its pretty clear what the commercial is about regardless of him being called a "PC", your just pointing out small things and blowing them out of proportion to cover the fact that all points made in those commercials are true. Unlike your "facts", like "PC's are 95%+ of the computer market". Ignoring the fact that you used an abbreviation that you had just finished whining about being improper, pulling a random statistic out of your ass doesnt fool anyone. Maybe in an office situation this would be true, but in no way is this true outside the office. All in all you wasted a good 2 minutes of my time.
Chris Miller @ Oct 5th 2006 3:40PM
*laughs his a$$ off as he uses his pc...which can actually play games...and isn't made for n00bs*
GG @ Oct 5th 2006 3:40PM
Riiiight, Karmaghost, and Tiger only drives Buicks...
kory @ Oct 5th 2006 4:38PM
tigers can't drive, pal.
Brian Goode @ Oct 5th 2006 3:40PM
If you like John Hodgman in the commercials, check out his narration of They Might Be Giants' "Venue Songs". His dry delivery fits so well with both projects.
Don Wilson @ Oct 5th 2006 3:41PM
Lmao, looking at his stupid black glasses and goofy face, it looks like he could have pulled off a mac far better than the other guy could.
skipjakk @ Oct 5th 2006 3:41PM
Gotta admit he's a pretty witty guy, and plays the part brilliantly....
Giltronic @ Oct 5th 2006 3:45PM
@Rivendale
except 75% of the market doesn't even know anything about computers and just buy according to the norm.
it really doesn't matter what kind of computer these people use, they are incompitant no matter what. Mac however is easier to use for people who know nothing. Macs are more user friendly. These people should definately switch to mac but are too stupied to do so.
giltronic
Scott Wu @ Oct 5th 2006 4:28PM
"These people should definately switch to Mac but are too stupied to do so." Definately all the stupied people don't know anything about computers.
I will concede OSX has is easier to use and is more fun to use. But besides dawdling in the OS, there arent many functions for me. I used it to surf the web and write down notes, maybe for MS Word, and Excel every now and then. That is it for me.
Windows has just so much more to offer, all those specialty programs that I can't find on OSX, CAD, and tons more games. Console is ok if you like it, but for me I have windows and every game, I need. Viruses and spam don't exist in my PC world. Now I really do like the Alt-Q command from OSX. Good thing I found a program that makes use of that command for me in Windows. I also have a program called Winroll that rolls up the programs to just show the top of the window. There is no Expose and Spotlight, but if you have a monster of a machine which would still cost you less than a Mac if you know how to put together a computer, there are many programs to assist you. Windows does copy a lot of the GUI from the Mac OS, but Windows isn't hardware proprietary based. I can put Windows on what system I want and use it (Yes, I do know about putting OSX on generic PCs, but it is illegal and the system run like a turtle.) I love the custom-ability of Windows software, GUI, its acceptability of my generic brand name PC parts, and 95% of the world programs for Windows (even the viruses and spam).
Lastly, Mac now will offer Windows Dual boot, Boot Camp. So buy a Mac now to run Windows.
Kent @ Oct 30th 2007 8:06AM
O.K. These are exactaly the kind of arrogant comments that iritate those of us who aren't as emotionally unstable when it comes to something as insignificant as choosing an O.S. To Suggest that stupid people are incompitent and therefore too stupid to switch to Mac although they should switch because Macs are better suited to stupid people, but stupid people are too stupid to switch because they are incompitent.....Huhh? Just buy what ever computer you want, making sure to do some basic research into comparative pricing so you get the most bang for your buck. For all you stupid people, bang for your buck has nothing to do with guns or terrorism , but is a metaphor for getting the best value for your money. Don't be incompitent!
By the way, isn't giving computers to stupid people right up there with books with titles like "Nuclear Physics for dummies", or "quantum mechanics for chronic underachievers" WHAT'S THE POINT!!??
What's funny is that this debate is so similar to the Harley-Davidson vs. every other brand of motorcycle debate I've been following lately. (I ride a Triumph 900 Thruxton) The Mac user equates to the Harley Davidson fanatic in the debate and the catagory of all other morons who don't like Harleys (their way of describing them)is a kin to the PC enthusiast. The debate has deterriorated into a jeuvanile bantering of "Mine's better than yours", like this one is threatening to do.
Why can't we all just get along?- Rodney King -or-
Why can't we all get Justin Long?- Kent
Drew @ Oct 5th 2006 3:45PM
John hodgeman is cute
carl @ Oct 5th 2006 3:56PM
stupied, eh?
Javaflash @ Oct 5th 2006 4:08PM
"95% of the market..."
Do you have any idea how much of those = business PCs? Yeah, the ones you didn't buy (probably will never buy), but your IT folks bought them in bulks for you.
Btw, hardcore games will migrate to consoles. Dell & HP are few quarters too late. They always are. Worse, most PC buyers don't care about playing resource-intensive games. They never do, and won't start. No.1, priority: PRICE, I mean the specific values they want to get out of what they're willing to spend minus few hundreds for incentives.
Leo @ Oct 5th 2006 5:15PM
"...most PC buyers don't care about playing resource-intensive games. They never do, and won't start..."
This statement is blatently wrong because there is a huge group of gamers out there that go out of their way to overclock every bit of hardware in their computer so that their games will run better. Price is part of the decision but performance is highly important to "hardcore gamers".
Jason @ Oct 5th 2006 4:09PM
Yeah, uses what you want. Why people feel they have to bash the other side is beyond me.
Also, before exclaiming macs are too expensive, add up all the software and factor in well-built, quality materials for your windows machine. It'll probably be close.
I used PCs for years and grew up building my own, but this new macbook pro is nice. OSX is much easier to get into and everything just works. PCs allow for more customizing and tweaking (mostly), but I spent a lot of time tweaking my PC to get it to work half as well as this mac.
Just my opinion. Nice interview.
mandarin @ Oct 5th 2006 4:12PM
Hes just doing what he's paid for. Advertise Mac.
Oh I hate Mac elitists... Theres one.. Theres another one...
shidoshi @ Oct 5th 2006 4:16PM
For those saying "of course he uses a Mac, if he was in an Apple commercial", if I remember correctly, the guy who plays the Mac (Justin Long?) was on Leno, he said that he didn't know much or care about computers.
jigzat @ Oct 5th 2006 4:16PM
The guy is cooler than the Mac Guy, the Mac guy looks pretentious and not all of us mac users are like that, the same way not all PC user are dumb assholes like some elements arround. Hey PC guys if you dont like Mac's just dont buy one and stop caring about us.