My performance on Saturday night in Phoenix went very, very well. I performed to a fantastic audience who filled up the room and made me feel cooler than I actually am.
I performed Blue Light Special, from Happiest Days of Our Lives, and I read my review of Justice from TV Squad. I didn’t have the means to record the show myself, but the guys from Pulp Gamer did, and they’ve posted the mp3 on their site.
It’s about an hour, and the second half contains some NSFW language. If you listen carefully, you can hear me turn off my Helio Ocean in the beginning, and turn it back on again at the end. Yeah, someday in the future I’ll remember to turn that off before I go on stage. I also made a reference to The Trade, from Just A Geek, near the beginning. If you’d like to listen to a recording I made of that story during a show in 2005, it’s here.
And now, an mp3 link that will make the googles happy: Wil Wheaton performs from Happiest Days of Our Lives at Phoenix Comicon 2008.
Update: We killed the server pretty fast, so here’s a local mirror in case it goes down again. If you make your own mirror or torrent, let me know and I’ll add it. Thanks!
Download PG-Special_080128.mp3
(41.1 MB 128K MP3)
Patrick G put a copy on Rapidshare. Thanks, Patrick!
Michael S seeded a torrent file at the pirate bay. Thanks, Michael!
Here’s another torrent at mininova from Eric. Thanks, Eric!
Excellent. Thanks for posting this. I was surfing for some stuff to listen to while I draw (this whole month is about nothing but inking art for the next novel), and this was something I’d wanted to hear but missed!
It was nice to meet you – already very impressed with HAPPIEST DAYS.
Best –
James
Site unavailable. Forget the Digg effect, it’s the WWdN effect!
I enjoyed meeting you at my very first con last weekend! In retrospect, I wish I’d chatted you up a bit more about self publishing instead of buying my books and sodding off.
BTW, my boyfriend’s T-shirt can be found here.
-Holly
Arrrggghhh! I’s not gett’n me linkage. Blasted website not be load’n onto me FurFox.
Furfox? Oh, God, I embarrass myself.
Wil – I was one of the many people who enjoyed meeting you at the con in Phoenix. (I was the one with the two small kids who were wearing capes!) I was so nervous to meet you, but you instantly put me at ease. I really appreciated that. It made me want to hang out and break out some board games.
Thank you again for coming and I’m thrilled that you have the reading posted. I’m amazed by your patience and how kind you were to all of us. My friend and I almost darted by on Saturday after the reading to let you know how awesome it was, but (a) we were afraid of pushing into the “hounding and annoying” territory and (b) you looked exhausted.
Here’s hoping you finally found Matt Wagner, though!
This was my first convention and I’m really grateful that you decided to come.
Thanks for putting this link up. I met you Saturday but wasn’t able to stay for the reading. (I had the woot shirt on)
I’ve already read your new book and enjoyed it!!
Audio of a Wil Wheaton performance I was lucky enough to attend (and yes, it was AWESOME!!!), and the first comment in the thread is from another author I like…man, I love being a geek. =^_^=
I also think it’s funny that those of us who were most excited about seeing Wil were the funny t-shirt crowd, and not the cosplay kids; it felt like by wearing a t-shirt and jeans you were hanging a sign around your neck that said “Hi! I’m OLD.” I don’t think I saw anyone under the age of twenty without at least a pair of cat ears on… (Don’t get me wrong, I thought they were all absolutely adorable, and I don’t remember seeing any costumes that weren’t fantastically well made.)
The MP3 link…it does nothing!
MP3 link and link to site not working.
Have we swamped their servers? Is it a WWDN Slashdot-like effect??
i can not has mp3 🙁
I think we swamped them, I was able to eventually download the MP3.
Wil- I really have to say…..you rock bro! You really made the Phx con for me last weekend. Me and my brother Robert were feeling the same old vibe the whole weekend (been to the desert phx comicon 2 times now) and you woke me from the dead. I really wanted to meet you and get a copy of your new book (I read some of my brother’s copy and it’s gold btw) but I was suffering from a cold. The funniest part of it all was I had just watched the episode “Justice” the night before and it was fresh in the memory. STAY AWESOME!! ~ J
zOMG, Wil crashed the Pulp Gamer site!
I’ve talked to the site’s admin about the problem, but the massive surge of click-throughs has temporarily knocked down the server.
Please be patient as the site is being repaired, the recording really is worth the wait. To quote the Teen Girl Squad, it’s SOO GOOOD!!1!
Wil, you are an amazing performer and we can’t wait to have you back as the announcer for the Phoenix ComiCon Zombie Beauty Pageant 2009!
I’ve managed to grab and upload a copy of Wil’s performance here:
http://rapidshare.com/files/87683492/wilperformance.mp3.html
Enjoy!
I’m so glad you posted this. My friends and I nearly died laughing in the audience. I’m looking forward to being able to relive it. The whole show rocked, and you totally made my weekend.
Hi Wil!
I just uploaded a torrent file at the pirate bay. I hope this helps with the bandwidth.
http://thepiratebay.org/tor/4002967
This is the next best thing to being there. I can’t wait until I can experience you live. I laughed so hard I woke my 3 year old son who was asleep in the next room. I needed that:)
~~TARA~~
Thanks so much everyone that helped offload the traffic! It was awesome to listen to and I hope everyone can enjoy. I guess we need to upgrade!
Don (Pulp Gamer)
Thanks again for coming to the Phoenix Comic Con. You were a wonderful addition to the event and the fans appreciated the time you spent with them.
Wil-
Thanks for the link. I will be sure to listen to the audio.
Also, on an off topic note, I have been re-watching the entire series of TNG ep. by ep. for quite some time now, and was very happy to see your character pop back up in 5×06 (The Game), which also happens to be one of my favorite episodes from when I was a kid. What a nice bit of nostalgia to end the day. 🙂
-Ali
What a riot – I haven’t laughed so hard in a while – thanks I needed that. I hope someday I can see you live but until then thanks for posting this.
Omg! That was hilarious. I cant stop laughing! I wish i had been there.
Thanks for posting the audio, I am really wanting to read that new book now to revel more in nolstagia. Even better, I’d love a books on tape version (an idea for the future, perhaps?). Your storytelling makes it twice as much fun. As for that ST:TNG episode, I may never look at it the same way again, and breaking into a fit of LOL’s for when I do.
Aww, crud. In my excitement, I forgot to edit my above comment. Do pardon my the silliness there. 😉
Yes, thank you! It was so awesome to meet you and I am SO glad we came out Friday night and had a chance to actually talk to you a little bit. Your performance made the stories that much greater, and we haven’t laughed so hard in I don’t know how long.
To Kendra: I totally agree! My boyfriend and I felt like we were the only ones wearing “normal” clothes until we got into Wil’s room and everyone else there was “normal” too. By which I mean dressed as a human, I guess…
We enjoyed chatting with you at the con, Wil. Hope you get a chance to read the Elizabeth Bear book soon.
It’s great that someone recorded the talk and made it available. Unfortunately, Wil’s talk was scheduled opposite the comic trivia I was running with Mark Waid. We still had a decent crowd for the trivia and had a lot of fun with Mark. Everyone who went to Wil’s talk really enjoyed it so I’m glad to be able to experience it after the fact.
I so enjoyed the listen, Wil. Even here by myself I was busting out laughing from time to time. (And I liked the Bishop reference!)
And I gotta say–you are one lucky guy, you know that? It’s fantastic that you’re able to perform your work to appreciative audiences like that one. Awesome.
I has a torrent available on Mininova.
KTHXBAI
Wil… damn, that was an amazingly entertaining hour. Thanks.
Downloaded the mp3: HILARIOUS!!!
It was so great to meet you. You are awesome! Since I was first in line to get the book after your reading you gave me the one you read…he he he…I loved your performance, you totally make me laugh! Hope to see you again. ^_^
Sherill
That was an awesome audio. I gave up an hour of TV just to listen. That’s impressive.
Wil,
That was a great hour of listening. Both segments were very funny (but in different ways) and you have definitely nailed the live performance thing.
I did have a quick question though related to the writers’ treatment of your character Wesley. It is obvious that they chose to give the character the “Star Trek’s Will Robinson” treatment. How did Gene Roddenberry feel about that?
Hey Wil!
I was honored and excited to be your greeter at the air port. It was still silly that it took an hour to retrieve your luggage! LOL and I still havent told you how I actually was even to retrieve it neither. I know. Im a bumb. Your book “The happiest days” is amazing and awesome. Stephanie and I are very glad to have met you and hope that you will return to Phoenix Comicon.
*Shannon*
Wil you HAVE TO come to the east coast sometime.
Baltimore would be good!!!
Thanks for posting this Wil, it was very enjoyable!
We also liked your performance in Episode 5 of Retarded Policeman. Funny ass stuff.
Thanks again!
–Swordman & Cutie-Girl
Baltimore, yes, good idea Heather–maybe ComicCon, which is in September at the Baltimore Convention Center. Good time of year to eat crab cakes at Phillip’s, McCormick & Schmicks, or the Rusty Scupper while enjoying a view of the Inner Harbor.
DC would work too.
Hey Wil
First time poster. I’ll keep it bref: I have enjoyed your career and web site for a while. You seem like a really cool person. That being said, um, have you seen this?
Patrick
http://fleshbot.com/350579/star-trek-o+faces-where-lots-of-men-and-women-have-come-before
Wil, I found a video of the bit you shot for Star Trek the Tour, and I gotta say… I don’t care if it’s not considered canon, your closing line “Crusher out” was amazing. It felt like Wesley finally found his place, doing what he always loved.
Will you are awesome!! After working for 8 hours and going to class for 2 and a half hours, listening to the mp3 nearly made me piss myself..lol
To thepearlady:
“I’d love a books on tape version (an idea for the future, perhaps?). Your storytelling makes it twice as much fun.” Agreed, and you should look into Just a Geek: Teh Audiobook[sic] … given that he already did an audiobook of the one, surely there will be an audiobook of this one down the road. 🙂
What can I say that hasn’t already been mentioned? Wil, you were one of the approachable and down-to-earth guests that I’ve met at a Con. I went to the Mesa Con specifically to get a hardcover of “Happiest Days” but ended up getting “Dancing” instead and have already finished it. Great read. I really enjoyed the chat but forgot to ask one question, one that the hour-long mp3 you posted begs to be asked…any plans to bring back Radio Free Burrito? Your humour and insight are a treat to listen to. Thanks again for a memorable 15 minute chat.
Wil, I just got to work, having listened to your talk on Pulp Gamer. Since we are nearly the same age our game experiences have moved along similar lines. I always enjoy hearing you speak and hope to be able to see you live some day. Also I love your tv squad reviews.
Frakkin’ hawesome, Wil. I’ve put a streaming version of the file up on my blog — for as long as the bandwidth holds out, anyway. http://starshiptim.com
You performed that so well. I’ve read the story here before and loved it, but hearing you do it just made it that much better!
Thanks for signing all the books and photos! It was great meeting you and meeting another fellow geek! Thanks for coming down!
P.S. That’s my voice asking the first question on the audio tape about the sold out Just A Geek!
-James
I love how you performed the story! made a little vid for it:
part 2 is up:-)