Back when we first kicked off this Gilmore Guys series here at the blog, I planned to have guest posters stop by each week and chat about our favorite men from one of my/our favorite shows: Gilmore Girls.
But an awesome thing has happened in the past couple months. I’ve discovered there’s a fair amount of MEN out there who like Gilmore Girls, too. Just so you know, I’m doing my best Motel impression as I type this. (Wonder of wonder, miracle of miracles!) One of those guys is spec fic author and pastor John Otte from Minneapolis. Wait, spec fic, you say? And he likes Gilmore Girls?
Yes, yes he does. And he’s about to tell you why. So enjoy the post and be sure to enter the giveaway at the end, which includes a copy of John’s book, Numb, and more. And if you missed any of the past posts, you can catch up here.
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I suspect I’ll have to turn in my man card by the end of this article. But they do say that confession is good for the soul, so here we go:
Hi, I’m John. And I’m a Gilmore Guy.
That doesn’t mean that I was ever on the show (if only). No, I’m a die-hard Gilmore Girls fan.
We own all seven seasons on DVD, which I “bought for my wife” so “she” could watch them whenever “she” wanted.
My wife and I have gotten into debates similar to the ones Melissa has hosted on her blog (my wife is convinced Jess is Rory’s soulmate; I would agree with her except for the way he treated her after he learned he not only couldn’t graduate, but he couldn’t take her to the prom. He was a little too date-rapey for my taste. Thus, I’m a Marty supporter all the way). I’ve tried to convince myself that the abysmal final season was simply a collective nightmare that never really happened. My sons have learned to use the phrase, “Oy with the poodles already,” when they’re frustrated. I still want to know what Amy Sherman-Palladino’s final four words.
Here’s the final proof: about seven years ago, someone bought my then infant son a very odd cuddly toy. My wife and I had never seen anything quite like it. We had no idea what it was. Well, my son was too little to name the thing himself, so my wife and I did the honors. The toy became known as “Hep Alien” (or Hep for short) and quickly became my son’s favorite item. Little did he know he was snuggling with a Gilmore Girls in-joke.
This is John’s little guy’s Hep. Named after the band Hep Alien from Gilmore Girls.
Now I suppose I could write about the Gilmore Guys Melissa’s guests haven’t mentioned. I could talk about how much Richard grew as a father during the show’s run (even if he did show occasional streaks of viciousness that rivaled Emily’s from time to time). I could maybe talk about how Sebastian Bach was a genius piece of stunt-casting that paid dividends for the show.
YES Sebastian Bach was on Gilmore Girls. Basically one of the most brilliant pieces of casting work ever.
I could talk about how bizarre it is that the best and most mature couple on the show is also one of the goofiest, namely Sookie and Jackson. Or I suppose I could write a passionate defense about how Christopher Hayden really was the best choice for… I’m sorry. I can’t finish that sentence with a clear conscience. I despise Christopher and his immature, whiny existence. The only good scene with him is the one where Luke drives to his apartment just to punch him in his smarmy face.
Instead, I want to talk about why I’m a Gilmore Girls fan. It seems antithetical, right? I’m a speculative fiction author, after all. This is a show about the tortured relationship between three generations of women and it doesn’t have any aliens in it. Unless you count Kirk.
You might think I became a fan to impress a girl, but that’s simply not the case. I didn’t start watching it until after I got married. My wife would commandeer the TV so she could watch her show. At first, I would vacate the room so she could watch her “girl show,” but eventually, I started looking forward to each new episode.
I think a big part of it was the writing, especially in the early seasons. Lorelai and Rory not only talked fast, but they talked smart. I never knew what they were going to reference in their snappy conversations. When Paris made a reference to Mankato, a small city in southern Minnesota, I nearly fell out of my chair.
So take the fast, smart dialogue and lace it through with a ton of wit for the characters and the charm of Stars Hollow, and you have a recipe for a show that could reach past its genre and hook someone who most adamantly did not want to be hooked.
So yes, I’m a guy, and I’m a Gilmore Girls fan. And I’ll proudly fly that flag because you should be a fan too.
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John W. Otte leads a double life. By day, he’s a Lutheran minister, husband, and father of two. He graduated from Concordia University in St. Paul, Minnesota, with a theatre major, and then from Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, Missouri. By night, he writes unusual stories of geeky grace. He lives in South St. Paul, Minnesota, with his wife and two boys.
Giveaway Time!
The winner of last week’s Gilmore Guys giveaway is Lisa Johnson Cowell. I also recently did a Needtobreathe giveaway. The winner of Needtobreathe’s latest album is Carol Moncado and the winner of Breaking Out of a Broken System by NTB bassist Seth Bolt and his brother Chandler Bolt is Angela Dueck. Lisa, Carol and Angela, I’ll be emailing you soon!
This week one winner will win a copy of John’s book, Numb; a copy of my book, Here to Stay; and a $10 Starbucks gift card.
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I’m a girl, and to my knowledge, I don’t have any guy friends who watch. My mom got me hooked on the show. To be honest, when it was originally aired, I wasn’t old enough to watch it! (Also, I have LOVED this Friday series! I wish it could go on forever!)
Author
Well, thankfully, we do indeed have another Gilmore Guys post coming up next week. A brave, brave friend is tackling…DEAN! 🙂
Now I think my new goal is to find a guy who has never watched GG, get him to commit to watching a few seasons and then have him write a post.
That would be interesting.
The Hep Alien toy made me literally laugh out loud. Wish my husband was a Gilmore Guy!
Author
I wonder if it’s appropriate to work into marriage vows a promise to watch GG once in awhile together…?
So last night, my wife and I went to see “Guardians of the Galaxy.” It’s a hilarious movie and well worth your time. But for us, there was one scene that just about killed us.
One of the alien baddies was in a store, getting ready to rough up the shopkeeper. As he snarled and made his threats, I looked over his shoulder at his henchman. And I started jabbing my wife in the ribs, whispering as loud as I could, “IT’S KIRK! IT’S KIRK! IT’S KIRK!”
The rest of the audience was probably wondering why the two of us kept laughing every time he appeared on screen. 🙂
Author
I want to see that movie SO much…as soon as my deadline’s over. And now that I know Kirk’s in it, I’m even more excited.
Thanks so much for this post, John!
Another Marty supporter and a Jess denoucer! Love. It. 🙂
You know, here’s the thing. I think that Rory could have wound up with Jess when she was in college. The Jess who opens his own bookstore, that’s a Jess that I could have supported. But as he was in high school… I just can’t do it.
Author
LOL Amy, I had a feeling you and others would appreciate that piece of John’s post.
And John, as much as I adore Jess, I do agree that adult Jess was the better fit. Teenage Jess had some issues. I like to think later in life they reconnected. Problem is, by the time Jess pulled himself together, Rory lost a LOT of her cool factor. At least in my view. I mean, the whole S4-5 Dean thing was ridiculous enough but when she dropped out of Yale, I feel like that was the point at which they completely butchered her character…
Total agreement. Absolutely.
As much as I “like” to rag on the writers for season seven, ASP really dropped the ball in some of the things she did leading up to that final season. The whole “Rory leaves Yale” thing was ridiculous.
Great post! I don’t know of any guys who watch Gilmore Girls. Maybe I can get my husband to watch. ☺
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Good luck getting him to watch, Velma… 🙂
I was introduced to Gilmore Girls by a friend. I fell in love. I love the conversational writing of the show; the speed of the dialog. My husband hates it! I can only watch it when he is gone.
Author
The dialog is FABULOUS…it’s definitely the reason I started watching and the reason I kept watching. All the pop culture references…it’s just genius writing.
I’m a girl, and the answer is, not to my knowledge!
don’t know anyone who watches
Good for you, John. I enjoyed GG too. I wouldn’t say I’m a fan as I haven’t seen the entire series but the first few seasons were regular viewing in our household.
My dad won’t admit it, but I think he likes it…
I think my husband likes to watch The Gilmore Girls *secretly*
my husband loves the show.
I think my friend’s husband would watch episodes with her but that’s the only guy I know who watches it! 🙂