Medallion Status: True Stories from Secret Rooms

by John Hodgman

“[An] affecting and hilarious meditation on fame and prestige as seen through the lens of an airline loyalty program.” —The AV Club

A hilarious and honest new book in which John Hodgman, New York Times bestselling author of Vacationland, leaves vacation behind and gets back to work as a still somewhat famous person . . . and then loses his job. An uproarious read.

After spending most of his twenties pursuing a career as a literary agent, John Hodgman decided to try his own hand at writing. Following an appearance to promote one of his books on The Daily Show , he was invited to return as a contributor. This led to an unexpected and, frankly, implausible career in front of the camera that has lasted to this very day, or at least until 2016.

In these pages, Hodgman explores the strangeness of his career, speaking plainly of fame, especially at the weird, marginal level he enjoyed it. Through these stories you will learn many things that only John Hodgman knows, such as how to prepare for a nude scene with an oboe, or what it feels like to go to a Hollywood party and realize that you are not nearly as famous as the Property Brothers, or, for that matter, those two famous corgis from Instagram. And there are stories about how, when your television gig is canceled, you can console yourself with the fact that all of that travel that made your young son so sad at least left you with a platinum medallion status with your airline.

Both unflinchingly funny and deeply heartfelt, Medallion Status is a thoughtful examination of status, fame, and identity--and about the way we all deal with those moments when we realize we aren't platinum status anymore and will have to get comfortable in that middle seat again.

Genres: Nonfiction, Humor, Memoir, Audiobook, Essays, Comedy, Biography

304 pages, Paperback

First published October 15, 2019

About the author

Before he went on television, JOHN HODGMAN was a humble writer, expert, and Former Professional Literary Agent living in New York City. In this capacity, he has served as the Humor Editor for the New York Times Magazine, Occasional Flight vs. Invisibility Consultant on “This American Life,” Advice Columnist for McSweeney’s, Comic Book Reviewer for the New York Times Book Review, and a Freelance Journalist specializing in Food, Non-Wine Alcohol, “Battlestar Galactica,” and most other subjects.

This was enough of a career for any human.

But then he wrote a book of COMPLETE WORLD KNOWLEDGE entitled THE AREAS OF MY EXPERTISE and was asked to appear on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, where he continues to provide commentary as the show’s Resident Expert. Now, at 37, he has unexpectedly become a Famous Minor Television Personality, appearing as the “PC” in a series of television ads for Apple brand computers, and accepting guest roles as “the person wearing glasses” in a variety of films and TV shows, including “Battlestar Galactica,” a show he once wrote about as a journalist.

From time to time, he is asked to explain his professional life, and in particular, the effect of this dramatic and surprising change of fortune, and typically, he finds he cannot do it.

Reviews

[Chad · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you're a fan of John Hodgman's humor, this is the book for you. John was a longtime correspondent for The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and the PC in those famous Mac vs. PC ads from around 10 years ago. He's a very wry writer. His "voice" definitely comes through in his writing as well. This book details his adventures after his first book Vacationland was published. It describes his somewhat fall from fame as his popularity as an actor waned. It's a very funny book. I found myself snickering throughout as I read this over my lunch hour at work. All I can say, is that I'll be first in line for the next one!

Received a review copy from Viking and Edelweiss. All thoughts are my own and in no way influenced by the aforementioned.

[Danger · Rating 5 out of 5]

While clearly a comedy book (and a very funny one at that, if you're familiar with John Hodgman's work as a correspondent on The Daily Show, amongst other places, you'll have an idea of the tone of this) a lot of the stories in this are also surprisingly cathartic, and sometimes a bit mournful. This is deftly written, full of humanity, heart, and yeah, a lot of wonderfully absurd and wry humor. Really great stuff.

[Jamie Berger · Rating 5 out of 5]

I want to give this 4.5 because Vacationland (JH's previous book) is a 6 and only five stars are available. But reviews are important and this deserves more than four. But if you haven't read Vacationland (his last book) and think of Hodgman as that guy on TV who wrote the fake facts and history books, run don't walk to read (or listen to!) Vacationland and you'll start thinking of him as an incisive, insightful, moving, and yes funny essayist alongside names like Rakoff and Sedaris and Saunders. You can do this before Medallion Status is even available in stores! (9/10/19)

UPDATE 9/30/19: I host a podcast. John H. was the first guest, three years ago, give or take. He will be the 73rd guest, this coming week, circa 10/6 or so, about a week before the book is to officially drop. We talk about Medallion Statuses (Statae?) of all sorts, and much much more. You can find the show wherever you get your pods or at 15minutesjamieberger dot com. Join us, won't you?

10/13: that conversation with JKH is up at https://www.15minutesjamieberger.com/...

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Some of the essays in here were great, some were less compelling, but overall I just really love listening to John Hodgman. Definitely recommend the audio version for this one, I think it adds a lot.

[Snakes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Started off as just some personal life stories that weren’t all that entertaining nor were they all that funny. I smiled with mirth a few times through the first half of it. The book was heading for a solid two stars; just okay. Fortunately the book picked up in the second half, became much more insightful and funny, too. Climbing back and earning another star. Now the book never reached hilarious status, but it did get funny and because of some references to the first book, I was left wanting to read the first book since I started out of order. Pretty good and a nice start to the year.

[Nerdette Podcast · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hodgman managed to write a book all about status and prestige and make it charming as hell. This is so full of humor and heart.

[Renata · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been a fan of John Hodgman since his Daily Show days, and I thought, "Oh yeah, this should be a nice, fun audiobook for an upcoming car trip!" Smash cut to me SOBBING down the highway, to the point where I considered pulling over so I didn't get into a tear-induced accident. (Luckily traffic was light.)

(On that note: CW for animal death ;_;)

I'm glad I waited until after the 2020 election to listen to this because whew it really brought me back to that extremely depressing post-2016 mindset in a heartbreaking way. (And yes I know things are still bad etc etc but also, whew.)

Anyway, if you're a Hodgman fan you will likely enjoy this. If you're not already a fan of his I could see his whole "concerned about my straight white male privilege" deal being tiring tbh? But I think he is sincere and thoughtful and I like him.

[Carlton Phelps · Rating 5 out of 5]

Funny!
Mr. Hodgman let me take a look from behind his curtain.
He has held so many jobs that you may need a notebook to list them. And has drawn from his experiences to offer so many humous stories that I didn't find a slow part during the reading.
Having Mr. Hodgman read his story just added to my enjoyment.
His book was a great way to have a few laughs and maybe learn a few life lessons.

[Elliott Frank · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a sucker for John Hodgman's memoirs.

His dry, forever-a-fish-out-of-water humor once again had me in stitches and there is an earnestness to his writing that pulls at my heartstrings in just the right way.

It sounds silly to say it, but Hodgman's memoirs actually make me remember that I enjoy writing. He provides reinsurance that even the most mundane interactions are full of unseen comedy and opportunities for introspective growth.

If you enjoyed Vacation Land, you will not be let down by Medallion Status. If you're at all interested in a comedic memoir, you should absolutely give Hodgman a read –maybe start with Vacation Land, because there are some callbacks. That said, you can certainly enjoy Medallion Status on its own merits –even if you're unfamiliar with any of Hodgman's creative output.

[MargaretDH · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think it would be weird to be famous, and I think it would be an especial kind of strange to be a little famous, or famous for a while. In this book, John Hodgman talks about what it's like to be on tv a little bit, for a while, and all the secret rooms he's been let into because of that.

I don't usually like Hollywood memoirs, because I'm not invested enough in the gossip and name dropping, and I also don't find the craft of cinema all that interesting. But this is more about how it's a weird, constructed world, and what it's like to find yourself recognized by Paul Rudd, but not usually by the general population on the street. Hodgman exists in a strange liminal space, and I liked hearing about that, and listening to him tell jokes about that.

I listened to the audiobook, and I'd recommend that. He reads it himself, and there were a lot of parts where I think the funniness was enhanced by his delivery. And it's kind of a chatty book anyway, mostly made up silly stories and anecdotes, so having him tell me the stories directly made a lot of sense. Plus, a lot of the humour is wry and self-deprecating, and he knows just how to pull that off.

If you're a fan of his podcast, or his work on the Daily Show, I think is this definitely worth your time.

[Conor Ahern · Rating 4 out of 5]

John Hodgman, the king of holding forth, does it again. By "does it again," I mean both that this is funny, thoughtful, and human, though also nothing new if you've read his other books, particularly the recent ones. Given its evanescence, Hodgman dwells heavily on the nature of celebrity, its capriciousness and perks, but also the downsides. I related very strongly to his quest for medallion status on Delta, having once gone to absurd lengths to secure it myself (though I very much dispute his characterization that Platinum is not superior to Gold. That is pure rot).

Anyway, almost missed this in my library queue before it expired and very glad I didn't. It was a reliable and whimsical companion as I pottered about during quarantine, or took drives to grocery stores or waited in line at the post office, distracting me from the molasses-slow workers and too-close customers that otherwise may have turned my internal rage-screams into external ones. Thanks, John Hodgman!: I know you can relate to the indignation but also approve of taking the polite, sympathetic path.

[Kevidently · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve owned John Hodgman’s previous book, Vacationland, for over a year. I have this habit when I travel of buying a book about that area while I’m in that area. I was in Maine and I already had every Stephen King novel, so I picked that up. It’s still sitting on my to-read pile by the side of my bed.

And then Medallion Status, his new book that operates as a quasi-sequel came out, and I bought and read it immediately. The vagaries of reading.

I wasn’t sure what I was expecting. Probably not what this book was. I thought there would be some funny travel stories, like how funny it is to be in Bhutan or something, but of course that’s not what this is. It’s the story of a man losing his status, and trying to replace it, and what that means.

Hodgman defines himself in a lot of ways: a father, a quasi-famous person, a television actor, a cat dad, and a member of his favorite airlines’ elite status program. Over the course of this book, his hard grasp on most of these things slips away. What is it like, to be semi-well known, and then not be? What would you do to be accepted?

The fact that Hodgman is a straight white middle-aged man is not lost on him, and it is especially evident in the chapters dealing with the Trump inauguration, and how scary it all was and is. He knows he is a person of privilege, and doesn’t want to overextend that privilege, because he sees where it can lead. This becomes evident much closer to home later, as a stranger comes to town and tries to throw his wealth around.

At the same time, Hodgman is struggling to hold onto his identity, which keeps redefining itself. And it’s interesting to see how important his medallion status becomes. He recognizes the absurdity of all of it, which is why it’s funny.

And the whole book is funny. That’s the part that I almost forgot sometimes, until Hodgman made me laugh out loud. It’s maybe not the book I thought I was looking for, but it’s a better book than that. We are all trying to find out what our medallion status is, before we lose it.

[John Pehle · Rating 5 out of 5]

John Hodgman is a wonderful story teller and this book is another piece of evidence supporting that statement. I love the mild blend of snarky cynicism and self-doubt that is, without fail, built on a foundation of kindness and tolerance. The story about November of 2016 is a great example of how Hodgman can tap into a rich intersection of personal angst and universal experience. The last story in the book is similarly powerful. Hodgman always keeps the thread, in this case “medallion status”, just with reach as he wanders from one tale to the next. If you haven’t read him, maybe step back a book or two for context. If you read “Vacationland”, read this one, too. John Hodgman hasn’t lost a step.

[James · Rating 2 out of 5]

John Hodgman's "Medallion Status" offers an examination of his dwindling fame. As his TV roles dry up and his accommodations become less exclusive, he begins chasing airline miles as a fill-in for the status once afforded him by his somewhat limited fame.

Hodgman maintains a sad, wry voice throughout, but it doesn't feel entirely authentic. There are moving and sometimes memorable confessions about his limitations as an actor, but his thirst for airline miles never feels fully genuine.

The tone is frustrating too, as his "sad dad" confessional feels like a put-on for someone who's obtained more success than most people ever will. He attempts to be emotionally honest in sharing what it's like to see that luster fade, but he's not writing for an audience of his peers, and so the book can feel braggy and off-putting.

There's also a pervading sentiment that middle age--forties in the author's case--is a time to pack it up and fade away. That may be a luxury that Hodgman has, but it's not available to most of us.

[Kristin Boldon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hodgman's desert-dry humor and willingness to bare emotional vulnerabilities make for an entertaining read with depth. He admits that his shtick is white privilege comedy, but sometimes I felt it drifted so far into white-male privilege comedy that it didn't work for me. This is smart, funny (laugh out loud so, at times) but also quite sad. I thought the cat dying chapter was sad until I got to the one on election day 2016, which made me relive that trauma all over again. The final chapter, in which he returns to Maine and meditates on The Stranger was a strong, thoughtful, emotionally intelligent finish.

[Didi Chanoch · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this may be Hodgman's best work to date. Funny, sad, wise, clever, and ultimately deeply moving. It is a collection of pieces that make up a greater whole, a tale of minor fame and what happens after.

[Sharene · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was fine *shrug*

[Alicen · Rating 4 out of 5]

John Hodgman could read me the phone book and I would be entertained. So fun.

[thefourthvine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have never been so glad to have read a book mostly intended to be funny that I didn’t find funny at all. Let me explain.

I have read two John Hodgman books. The first one, The Areas of My Expertise, I read in hardcopy (because that was back when I still read books in hardcopy), mostly in doctors’ waiting rooms (because I was spending a lot of time in those at that point in my life). And my reaction was mostly: I can see he’s doing a thing, but I have a very limited appetite for this thing and wish he would stop now. And also: Oh my god, can he please stop trying SO VERY HARD to be clever? But I could also see that he had the potential to be a lot more interesting to me in the future, so I put him in my mental Try Again in a Decade file, and then — did not do that. It took more like a decade and a half. Still. I did get back to him eventually.

And he is definitely a noticeably better writer now. I could see that he’d settled perfectly into his narrative voice, into his subject matter, into his structure. But I still wasn’t laughing. I wasn’t even amused. And then, in a twist I did not see coming, he told me why. He talked about acting in a TV show, and how the director kept telling him to be smaller, more natural, not punch the jokes so hard, and I realized that’s what he does. That’s who he is. He comes in with his ukulele and weird moustache and honking clown nose (probably not) and basically screams I AM BEING FUNNY. HI. THIS IS THE FUNNY PART. He can’t not. And I am pretty limited in the kinds of humor that appeal to me, and mostly they are smaller. More natural. Not punched at all.

(An example of this: he retells Gaiman’s imposter syndrome story in this book, which is fine, because Gaiman himself has told it one million times. But Gaiman, when he tells it, stops at the actual key line. Hodgman was physically unable NOT to go on for half a page of point belaboring with many exclamation points, to help us get the joke. And for me, that made it not a joke anymore. It was just a man yelling at me.)

But. Hodgman is not only being funny in this book. He also talks about the death of his cat, about the pain and misery of the election of Donald Trump, and the even greater pain and misery of watching his children live through that election. And when he talks about those things, when he’s not trying to be funny, he’s suddenly genuine and warm and compelling. It’s amazing. And those essays, even though they were on topics I would honestly rather never read about again — those essays I loved.

So reading this book was remarkably rewarding for me. I learned something about myself! I read some really good essays! I understood a minor mystery that had been plaguing me for 15 years! I got a lot from this. I just didn’t get what I hoped to get. (A laugh.)

[Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think I, like many others, first saw John Hodgman on the Mac vs PC adds that aired many a year ago. I saw him on The Daily Show and, most recently, as the main villain on the second season of the most recent iteration of The Tick. It seems that, despite his claims to the contrary, he’s still on television. He should be.

I didn’t know what to expect form this book other than that I would be entertained and I was. This was a fun read.

I’m not sure how to describe this book. Maybe it’s a little like David Sedaris without the dark undertones and bone-deep cynicism.

In any case, I had a good time.

[Shannon (That's So Poe) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm always completely enthralled with John Hodgman's writing, but I particularly love the vulnerability and self-insight he brings to Vacationland and now Medallion Status. He reflects on his privilege and the way that the world is set up to make white men think they deserve it, as well as how addictive it is to feel special. His humor and the beauty of the writing serve to make every essay shine with both the form and the underlying meaning. Very highly recommend!

[Megan M · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m not usually into memoirs, but this one is charming, peppered with self-awareness that was necessary. A light read by a great comedian.

[John Lamb · Rating 4 out of 5]

I understand not wanting to drop names to avoid sounding pretentious, but when you talk about staying at a fancy hotel in LA (and never say the Chateau Marmont), you've already established that you have a better life than most of us. The least you could do is tell me the name of the show you're acting on so I don't have to be an Internet sleuth every ten minutes.

Otherwise, funny stuff.

[Tasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

The problem with successful humorists who get famous for their books about their lives is that they often stop living such colorful lives once they get famous, and once they've mined their pasts, they run out of the most unusual and interesting material. Not John Hodgman, who acknowledges himself as only minorly famous, then writes anecdotes about hungering after more fame, standing on the edges looking at the next tiers up, and getting invited to the kinds of C-list experiences available to a C-list celebrity.

This book is endlessly self-effacing and wryly honest about the pains of working in TV and worrying about getting shut out of TV, and the pains of being the kind of affirmation-hungry person who lusts after high-level status, even if they can only get it by paying for first-class flights and watching the mileage rack up. Hodgman doesn't seem to be chasing fall-over-laughing hilarity here, just the dry humor of getting warm fuzzies out of airline workers calling him by name and letting him in on the members-only lounges where there's sometimes interesting food. It can be a little nerve-wracking being inside his skin for so long when he's so tense about the chance at minor privileges, but this certainly feels like an intimate and honest book, and stories about him obsessing over how to get into a Hollywood party at his hotel, or about how he likes to make breakfast sandwiches at a local Maine diner for fun, really let people in on his personal life.

Just one quibble with this book: There's a story about how he goes back to his alma mater and is invited into the secret haven of a secret society, where he shares his wisdom with them: Say yes to everything you're offered that won't hurt you, it could be an opportunity that leads elsewhere. Then he promptly says no to every form of entertainment they suggest, including lying to them when they ask a getting-to-know-you question, and not even finding out the rules to the party game they bring up. Where's that spirit of adventure you'd just finished instilling in them, John? I want to know the rules to "Fantasy," whatever that is!

[Jessica Coyle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entertaining, but not great. I love him as a performer, and his stories are interesting, but I wasn’t really drawn into this book at any point.

[Harry Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Smooth like butter to read. Some nice insight here and some truly funny bits.

"Your mustache is tight," she said. "It reminds me of my dad's mustache."
"Good night," I said.

My favorite stories were the ones about the Hotel and A Stranger Comes to Town, which reminds me why I liked Vacationland so much and maybe explains why this one fell a little flat.

[Alicia Farmer · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you're looking for straight up entertainment, with some out-loud chuckles, this is a solid bet. Fittingly, since much of the book is about Hodgman's attempt to sustain airline special customer status, it would be a perfect book to read on a flight. Hodgman makes an art of self-deprication, and I'm a sucker for middle-aged white men, who embrace and roast their status. For fans of his last book, Vacationland, note that this has much less substance and introspection. I don't mean that as a criticism, just advice in setting expectations.

[Phyllis · Rating 1 out of 5]

John Hodgman’s podcast, “Judge John Hodgman,” is one of my favorites. And I always enjoyed his”Daily Show” appearances along with his ridiculous fake trivia trilogy. But, I found “Medallion Status” less than enthralling. It just doesn’t seem that the esteemed Judge had his heart in this book and would have better spent his time writing a book about why a hot dog isn’t a sandwich.

[Jason Grossmann-Ferris · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first three quarters of this book gave me an experience I have not had since middle school: plowing, engrossed, through page after page, barely noticing the world around me and nearly finishing it within 24 hours. Then, I hit the politics. Hodgman wrote this book in the wake of the 2016 election, and, like most of Hollywood, feels the need to regale us with his own perspective on the "traumatic results" of a man with a different ideology than himself getting elected, alienating some of his readers in the process. This book would have been so much better if he didn't suddenly acquire the need to remind his audience of his apparently useless and uninformed (yet OBVIOUSLY excessively privileged) status as a straight, white, cisgender, neurotypical, normally-abled, whatever-else man. It's almost as if he WANTS people to discard his opinion.

That being said, I think Hodgman's style is hilarious and riveting, and gives the reader interesting (if a bit skewed) insight into what life is like on the margins of fame. He doesn't pretend like fame-- or even adulthood, for that matter-- is all it's cracked up to be, and focuses a lot on his own insecurities and mistakes. I especially enjoyed his anecdote about falling down the stairs at Book and Snake, a secret society at Yale. I can't wait to read Vacationland: True Stories from Painful Beaches, although I fear it may contain more of his lousy political views, as it was published in 2017. It says a lot about his writing that I would return to it after his unnecessarily political anecdote about the 2017 Superbowl. Thanks a lot, John.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book might be a meditation on Tolstoy's dictum that “All great literature is one of two stories; a man goes on a journey or a stranger comes to town.” All but maybe one* of the 20 intensely personal if arch stories in this book can be characterized as one or both of those stories. The last two stories take their title from the dictum and the title of the book, once explained, ties in to it. John Hodgman comes to town on an airline that, because of his strange and wonderful career, has bestowed upon him a status and access to the good snacks. Sometimes he retreats to E.B. White's town in Maine and meets strangers who come to town.

Or maybe Tolstoy's dictum is just a gimmick. This book is not great literature. It's a good 2020 coronapocolypse book; wry and sweet and funny and unchallenging.

Or maybe he's taking the piss out of Tolstoy. Lots of great stories involve journeys and strangers, from Gilgamesh to Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. But the dictum likely excludes Emma, Romeo and Juliet, and Cinderella. There are strangers and journeys, but that's not the story.

Hodgman portrays the good things in his life mostly as happy accidents. I don't know if that's true or self-deprecation. He comes to town to act, to tour with the Boston Pops, to make breakfast sandwiches at the general store in E.B. White's town, to march against Trump. He comes home to bury his cat and comfort his children about Trump's election.

Trump looms large in this book. I did not realize that Hodgman's Deranged Millionaire character on The Daily Show was a Trump satire. Hodgman is horrified at Trump's election and horrified that he himself developed bone spurs at about that time. He recognizes his sympathies with his monster, which pleases me oddly.

Suspect it would have been a great bus book, if I was not working from home because of the aforementioned coronapocolypse.

*Nude Rider. Hodgman did a nude shot. Though he played a stranger who covered his shame with an oboe.