The Morgue has talked up the uber-coolness of Rick Reynolds and his temple, The Church of Rick, in the past. The Church has recently morphed into something a little different that he's calling "The Happiness Project". Unless he's a total charlatan, he's been working hard on this and providing his readers with daily updates. I hope this works for Rick, but he still seems bummed much of the time.
He's currently having a cash flow problem, so maybe you can help him out by purchasing one or both DVDs of his one-man shows that are available through the site (1 for $15 or both for $25). While I do not know if this will put money in his pocket - I haven't discussed the matter with him - I can only assume that it will. Before you think I'd recommend the parting of hard earned cash soley to help someone out, think again.
I caught his first special Only the Truth is Funny on Showtime back in the early '90s. It repeated a few nights later so I taped it, and over the years that tape wore down to the point where Rick could easily have been mistaken for Kevin Spacey. Earlier this year I won an even crappier VHS screener copy on eBay to replace the old fuzzy copy which I loaned to someone whom I don't think ever got around to watching it, hence it never made its way back into my hands. (Maybe they did put the tape on and thought it was a rare rehearsal copy of American Beauty?) I myself haven't exactly been basking in moolah as of late, but I plan to order both shows within the next month.
I don't know the right way to explain my love for Only the Truth is Funny, other than how I did above in saying it's something I'm able to return to time and again over the years and never tire of viewing. (Click here to check out some IMDB user comments.) Even though Rick's life appears to have changed considerably since that show, it remains a timeless monologue that everyone with working gray matter should experience. It's both screamingly hilarious and gut-wrenchingly poignant in its honesty. You'll definitely laugh, it's possible you might even cry, but mostly you'll come away from it thinking "I'm so glad that guy doesn't live next door to me".
