Jeff, One Lonely Guy

Jeff, One Lonely Guy is a 2012 nonfiction book by Jeff Ragsdale. It was published on March 20, 2012 by New Harvest.[1] Dave Eggers selected the book for inclusion in The Best American Nonrequired Reading 2012,[2][3] and it was a GQ 2012 "Book of the Year".[4] In 2014 Amitava Kumar included portions of Jeff, One Lonely Guy in his newly released book, A Matter of Rats: A Short Biography of Patna.[5] Kumar previously interviewed Ragsdale and wrote about him in The New York Times.[6]

Jeff, One Lonely Guy
First edition cover showing the flier
AuthorJeff Ragsdale
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
GenreNonfiction
PublishedMarch 20, 2012, New Harvest
ISBN1612183247
Websitejeffragsdale.tumblr.com

Background

In October 2011 Ragsdale posted several fliers around New York City as a social experiment.[7] The fliers stated "If anyone wants to talk about anything, call me”, followed by his phone number. The fliers quickly went viral after images were posted on Reddit, with Ragsdale receiving hundreds of phone calls and texts daily from people from all over the world.[8]

Ragsdale collected many of the phone calls and texts into a book project similar to Postsecret. Ragsdale compiled the material into a manuscript, illustrating major themes that appeared most often in the correspondences.[9] Ragsdale weaved personal essays throughout the manuscript to detail and illuminate his relationships, family life, and his forays into the New York stand-up comedy world.

Reception
Original "Jeff, One Lonely Guy" flyer created & posted by Jeff Ragsdale in October, 2011 in the Soho district of New York City.

Critical reception for Ragsdale's book, Jeff, One Lonely Guy, has been very positive,[10] with Bret Easton Ellis praising Jeff, One Lonely Guy: "The symphony of voices here is an overwhelming reading experience. This short book is also a verification of a legitimate new form of narrative; it’s the definitive document so far of where our medium is heading. I've never read anything like it." [11] Ellis writes on Twitter: "The most powerful reading experience I've had in the last year is Jeff, One Lonely Guy by Jeff Ragsdale".[12] He continues, "What I mean about a new art form: Jeff, One Lonely Guy by Jeff Ragsdale is really the first example of successful post-Empire reportage yet." Dave Eggers writes, "I love this—a great idea, and so deftly put together. A telling mosaic of modern loneliness and almost-connectedness." Poet and critic Nick Flynn asserts: "We have crossed over the threshold [with Ragsdale's new collage form], and are now—strangely, terrifyingly, beautifully—in this transformed world.”[13] Literary critic, JW McCormack, writing for Bookforum, describes it as "revolutionary".[14] A reviewer for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer commented that individual reader reception would be "a matter of personal taste" and that "[s]ome will be delighted at how well Ragsdale appears to know them. Others may just throw the book across the room in disgust. In the case of the latter, one should probably attempt to finish reading the entire thing first".[15]

Reality show based on flyer

In June 2013 Ragsdale was approached by Hollywood producer David A. Hurwitz (Fear Factor, Million Second Quiz, Bam's Bad Ass Game Show). Hurwitz was interested in developing a television show based on Ragsdale's social experiments and conceptual art projects. In fall 2013 Ragsdale and Hurwitz teamed up, wrote, and shot the pilot for the reality show, Being Noticed.[16] The pilot was shot in Hollywood, Santa Monica, Venice Beach, Malibu, as well as various locations throughout Sherman Oaks. The cast and crew numbered in the dozens and the pilot was shot over the course of several weeks.

Hotline documentary

Ragsdale stars in the award-winning 2014 documentary feature film, Hotline (2014 film), which The Daily Beast calls "brilliant". The film is directed by acclaimed MTV producer and director, Tony Shaff. Shaff and his film crew followed Ragsdale around New York City for weeks as Ragsdale worked his "Lonely Guy" hotline.[17][18][19][20][21][22] Hotline premiered in Toronto at Hot Docs in April 2014, where it was an official selection and audience and jury favorite.[23] On August 9, 2014 Hotline won First Prize for Best Feature Documentary at the Rhode Island International Film Festival.[24] On May 9, 2014 the Brooklyn Film Festival announced that Hotline had been selected for inclusion in its prestigious feature film line-up.[25]

References
  1. Greene, Jay (2012-05-22). "How Amazon is changing the rules for books and movies | Internet & Media - CNET News". News.cnet.com. Retrieved 2012-06-20.
  2. "Mcsweeneys". Best American Nonrequired Reading. Retrieved December 19, 2012.
  3. "Best American Nonrequired Reading". McSweeneys. 2012-06-18. Archived from the original on 2015-03-24. Retrieved 2012-08-03.
  4. "GQ Best Books 2012". GQ.com. 2012-06-18. Archived from the original on 2013-01-25. Retrieved 2012-08-03.
  5. Kumar, Amitava (2014-04-22). "A Matter of Rats: A Short Biography of Patna". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2014-04-20.
  6. Kumar, Amitava. "What Happens in Patna Stays in Patna". New York Times. Retrieved May 12, 2012.
  7. Susannah Cahalan (2012-03-18). "'Lonely guy' Jeff Ragsdale got 65,000 calls after posting fliers around New York with his phone number". NYPOST.com. Retrieved 2012-08-03.
  8. "Forever alone... : funny". Reddit.com. 2011-12-13. Retrieved 2012-08-03.
  9. Heller, Nathan. "Why Are So Many Americans Single?". The New Yorker. Retrieved 2012-08-03.
  10. "Joel Drucker: Book Review: Jeff, One Lonely Guy". Huffingtonpost.com. April 25, 2012. Retrieved 2012-08-03.
  11. Bret Easton Ellis, Amazon (2012-03-12). "Review: Jeff, One Lonely Guy by Jeff Ragsdale". amazon.com. Retrieved 2012-04-18.
  12. "Twitter / BretEastonEllis: The most powerful reading". Twitter.com. Retrieved 2012-08-03.
  13. Nick Flynn, Amazon (2012-05-11). "Book Review: Jeff, One Lonely Guy by Jeff Ragsdale". Retrieved 2012-08-03.
  14. "jeff, one lonely guy by jeff ragsdale, david shields and michael logan - bookforum.com / daily review". Bookforum.com. 2012-04-17. Retrieved 2012-08-03.
  15. NancyGail, BLOGCRITICS.ORG (2012-05-11). "Book Review: Jeff, One Lonely Guy by Jeff Ragsdale, David Shields, and Michael Logan". seattlepi.com. Retrieved 2012-08-03.
  16. "Being Noticed". Reality Shows. March 2, 2013. Retrieved June 17, 2012.
  17. "Sex, Suicide, and Homework: The Secret World of the Telephone Hotline". The Daily Beast. Retrieved November 20, 2014.
  18. "Fascinating New Documentary". New York Magazine. Retrieved November 18, 2014.
  19. "Indie Wire". Indie Wire. Retrieved November 17, 2014.
  20. "Hotline, a documentary". Shaf Productions. Retrieved April 25, 2012.
  21. "Hotline, A Documentary". TS Productions. Retrieved March 18, 2014.
  22. "Dork Shelf". The Shelf. Retrieved April 19, 2014.
  23. "Hotline is all about Human Connections". Digital Journal. Retrieved April 25, 2014.
  24. "Rhode Island Film Festival". Rhode Island Film Festival. Retrieved August 9, 2014.
  25. "Brooklyn Film Festival Announces Feature Film Line-Up". Wire Productions. Retrieved May 7, 2014.
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