Waiting for Nerdrotic: From Prison to YouTube

by Gary Buechler

Gary Buechler—Nerdrotic to his legions of YouTube subscribers —built a breakout online personality with his opinionated takes on pop culture. But before becoming Nerdrotic, he was just Gary: a guy who used to sleep beneath a bush in front of a Long John Silver’s in San Diego.

In Waiting for Nerdrotic, a hybrid written and graphic memoir, Buechler chronicles his transformation from underdog, addict and petty criminal to game-changing YouTube star.

Featuring illustrated spreads, Waiting for Nerdrotic walks readers through Buechler’s journey from Betty Ford Clinic to Folsom prison to comic shop owner—battling abusive teachers, psychopathic cellmates and bureaucratic gatekeepers along the way.

By turns comical and harrowing, Buechler's extraordinary story offers powerful insights on childhood trauma, family dysfunction, modern media and addiction. For anyone who feels close to rock bottom, Waiting for Nerdrotic is a rallying cry on how to find a second chance.

Genres: Nonfiction

282 pages, Hardcover

First published December 10, 2025

Reviews

[Tay DePetris · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Every time we complain about something external, we’re giving up our power in our own life. We’re saying that we want someone else to make decisions for us…”

This, along with many other life lessons I’m going to be taking away from this book.

I laughed, I felt inspired, I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

Way to go Gary

[Thomas Or Felicia · Rating 5 out of 5]

An unbelievable story of addiction, comic books, and recovery

I'm a fan of Buechler's YouTube channel and was very excited to read his autobiography. It's a tough, hard look at the life of an addict who was able to turn his life around with lots of help.