Before I begin, lemme try something here:

SIMON REID SIMON REID SIMON REID

Okay, now that I have some of the internet's attention....

The Simon Reid saga was recently featured in an episode of a TV series called Love Rats, airing on British TV in early 2024. Then last month, a major streaming service picked up the series, exposing the Simon Reid story to a wider audience (I don't think Love Rats is scheduled to air in the US, but you never know).

I can always tell if there's been significant mention of Simon Reid in the media just by checking the Top Locations in the "Audience" section of my blog stats. The UK is where most of my traffic comes from, of course, while the US always seems to be in second place, followed by an assortment of other English speaking countries, as well as a smattering of European ones.

But then, whenever a show like Love Rats airs, the blog stats on my "Audience" get a little more diverse and interesting. Although the UK is usually still in first place as far as my readership, in the past few weeks I've had readers in countries as varied as Lithuania, Guam, Pakistan, Vietnam, and Gibraltar. Now, seeing the Gibraltar stat made me laugh; one of Simon's more ridiculous lies was that he was involved in Operation Flavius back in 1988, helping to thwart an attack on Gibraltar by the IRA. Hahahahahaha.

Say it with me:

Another thing that usually happens is I start getting a barrage of messages on social media from people who saw the doc and looked me up. Most of the time they just get in touch to say something like, "Sorry you went through that, glad Simon got nailed." But I also get a fair amount of people writing to share their own experiences of being scammed, lied to, and/or exploited by a romantic partner, friend, colleague, or stranger. While stories like that piss me off and bum me out (especially if there's no justice or happy ending for the victim), this time they actually got me thinking back to the way I felt that time (sixteen years ago now!) in 2008 after learning that my "boyfriend," (ugh) Simon Reid, was a big fat fraud. 

It's a time I remember well; a time that I was very much "in my feelings," as the kids say. I dealt with my initial shock by going into hibernation mode for two days. I turned off all the lights and closed all the blinds in my apartment, partly to hide away from the world, partly because it was August and hot as balls. I then sank into a Malbec and Xanax haze (please don't try that combination at home, or anywhere) and blasted a bunch of angry songs. I don't remember all the music I played, but I know for sure "Liar" by Sex Pistols, Liz Phair's "Fuck and Run," and "You're Breaking My Heart" by Harry Nilsson were in the mix.                

Long story short, the latest media blitz and wave of messages I've received has inspired me to make a Spotify playlist. I started with the songs I mentioned above, then added to them with a carefully curated selection of my favorite "FUCK YOU!" tracks. It was fun! I have to say, though, many of the songs don't really reflect my attitude towards Simon anymore. Time heals most wounds, and I no longer have that same rage when I think of him and what he did to me. The thing that does royally piss me off, however, is knowing about all the chaos and hurt Simon Reid still causes anyone unfortunate enough to get close to him. And that's never ever going to change.

 

With all that out of the way, here's my playlist. It's dedicated to Simon Reid, but created for anyone who's ever been emotionally beat up by someone they trusted. And the sentiments expressed are not anti-men or otherwise gender specific. Whether you are female, male, or somewhere beyond the binary, you'll probably find something that resonates with your experience. Or maybe just discover a semi-obscure artist you end up loving, like I did! See, I couldn't find Debbie Harry's version of Liar, Liar on Spotify, but I did find a great cover of the song by a band with the awesome name of My Expansive Awareness. I've been listening to more of their stuff and really digging it. Apparently they're so indie that they don't even have a Wikipedia page, but I did manage to find their website and learned that they are "a neo-psychedelic garage band," and that they're originally from Spain (hey, like Alec Baldwin's wife! Heheheh jk jk she's a big fat liar, too).  

"How you say.....coo-cumber?"

So for anyone in the throes of heartache and in need of catharsis, here. Have some of mine. 

 

ADVENTURES IN SCAM BAITING, PART I:

FRAUD STEWART

John and I went to see Rod Stewart last Saturday night. I'm a huge Rod Stewart fan. John, not so much, but he took me and he endured it because he's an awesome husband.

Rod doing his thang at the Reno Events Center, 11/3/18

The next day while I was still buzzed on post-Rod concert vibes, I found out that Rod has an official Instagram account, so I followed him. 

FUN FACT: Apparently when you follow a celebrity's official account on Instagram, you might unwittingly become a target for fake accounts claiming to be said celebrity's "secret" Instagram. I wasn't aware of this phenomenon, because the only other famous people I follow on Instagram are Beth Stern (wife of Howard, whose Insta is dedicated to pics of cats and kittens that she fosters) and Lena Dunham. Well, there are a few other "famous, but not really that famous" people like Michael Des Barres and Apollonia Kotero and Kevin Allison that I follow just because they're fun. But none of them, in my experience, have been the type to attract scammer trolls who impersonate them and try to con their followers. 

But then I followed Rod Stewart's official Instagram page, and within five minutes I had an account that called itself "sirrodstewart0fficial" following me. Then I got a message from, ahem, "Rod." 

Now, I may be a bit naive at times (see Reid, Simon), but I'm not brain dead, and I'm astute enough to know that Rod Stewart isn't going around following randoms like me on Instagram. In fact, it's likely Rod Stewart has never even seen his own Instagram and probably employs someone with an official title like Social Media Technician to maintain his account.

As I said, I'm no dummy, but I am a bit of a smartass. So I decided to have a little fun with "Rod."

   

A quick explanation: Rod Stewart suffered a soccer injury a few weeks back and performed his two-hour concert Saturday night with his foot in a cast (because he is a total badass), hence my question about his foot. 

That part about me being a Rod Stewart fan since I was 12 is 100% true. I wanted to maintain some authenticity.

And he really did grab my hand for a second after I saw him in 2007. So that's true, as well. There's also a nugget of truth in my answer about my favorite songs. It's a very short, simplified answer, though, because the long answer about my favorite Rod Stewart tracks would require a two hour PowerPoint presentation, followed by a lengthy Q and A, which is why the real Rod Stewart would probably never ask a fan about their favorite song(s). But, of course, this is not Rod I'm communicating with. This is Fake Rod, or "Fraud" Stewart. 

And here's the point in the conversation where I just start throwing out lyrics from Rod Stewart songs. The ones in the excerpt above are from his 1986 Top 40 hit, "Love Touch." More on that in a moment. (Oh, and the "it's me, Margaret" is a Judy Blume reference, but if you're an oldster like me, you already know that.)

More lyrics from "Love Touch." A bit of background....Rod Stewart famously hates that song and refuses to play it live. But it's a cute, fun little tune and I've never understood why he detests it so. In fact, my friend Marcus and I have had that very discussion. (Marcus hates "The Motown Song," so that's a shout-out to him. Hi, Marcus!)

So below I switch from quoting "Love Touch" to throwing out lyrics from "Do You Think I'm Sexy?" which is probably Rod's most well-known song, and this numb nuts has NO CLUE. You see, this is where the scammer's laziness really started to disgust me. I mean, do your fucking research before you start impersonating a celebrity, you assclown!

Gif above is of a girl fanning herself. I'm pretending to be flattered, you see. Also, notice how desperate he is to get me off of Instagram and onto a more private platform like email or text. I choose to ignore his requests. This eventually pisses him off, as you will see.

Also infuriating: he doesn't know "Maggie May." This guy is the absolute WORST.

Yeah, I had to throw the "knob polisher" joke in there, because I'm immature like that. 

Now I go back to more lyrics. The ones I quote below are from "Young Turks," a song I name dropped several posts ago.

Rod was photographed with his son Sean in L.A. on Sunday, the day after I saw him live. Apparently The Daily Mail thought it was an event worthy of an in-depth article. (The Daily Mail paid me cash for the Simon Reid story many moons ago, so I guess I shouldn't rip on them.)

Yes, Saturday night marked the ninth time I've seen Rod live. Again, just me keepin' it real.

Below: more lyrics. I quote Credence Clearwater's "Have You Ever Seen the Rain," which was recorded by Rod in 2006, thank you very much, you're welcome. And then, like a boss, I segue right into "Tonight I'm Yours." I'm unstoppable!

And then "My Heart Can't Tell You No," right back into "Maggie May." I'm on a roll!

Okay, below is where he starts to piss me off. I mean, sure, insult my intelligence by pretending to be Rod Stewart because that's the game and I've agreed to play it. But question my status as a Rod Stewart fan? I've only been obsessing over the man's music since 1986, which is probably several years before this dickhead's parents ever met and broke a condom together. EAT MY ENTIRE ASS, JUNIOR!

                                                                   

                                                                                                                                                                 
The lyrics quoted above are from the excellent "Farewell," from Rod's 1974 Smiler album. It's a beautiful song, very mandolin-y and reminiscent of "Maggie May" and "You Wear It Well." But since this guy didn't even recognize "Do You Think I'm Sexy," he sure as hell isn't going to know this one.

Notice below (excuse the duplicate message, such is the nature of screenshots) that I chose to end my correspondence with a gif of the Dos Equis guy laughing his ass off. I thought it a fitting conclusion to this ridiculousness.

I didn't bother to block the guy after that point, because I was done playing and I figured it was the last I'd hear from him. But I made the following post on my Instagram of a Rod Stewart shirt design I found online, and guess who decided to chime in?

                                                                                          

                                                                                   
No, no, no, I didn't mean "You barely speak English" in a Deplorable Republican Trump kind of way. I am not one of those fascists. I was simply pointing out the obvious: that this asshole is sitting in some cyber cafe in Nigeria or Tajikistan or somewhere, purporting to be a world famous British rock star (for no apparent reason) when he can barely string a coherent sentence together. In short, he is a failure as a scammer and as a human being.

Then I blocked his ass and reported his account to Instagram as spam. Bye Felicia!

And finally, here's the video for "Farewell," because it's a damn good song and I love it.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       

SIMON REID: 

STILL A LYING LIAR WHO LIES

Remember this asshole?

Note: I wrote this up a few months ago, but since then I've been so consumed with our move (hello, Utah!) that it got shelved for a bit. However, today--June 6--happens to be Simon Reid's birthday, so what a perfect time to post this, no? This date has stuck in my head not for sentimental reasons, but for how apropos it is that this sociopath was unleashed upon the world on 6/6/66. Not only does he bear the mark of the beast, he is the beast.  

After all these years, I still get numerous comments and emails regarding my original Simon Reid post from way back in 2008. Most of the messages are along the lines of "Saw your story on TV, glad you guys nailed that dickweed," etc, but a lot of them--especially over the past year--have been people checking in to report their own encounters with Simon.

According to the latest scoop, Simon Reid is now living in Spain and hanging out with British and American tourists hiking the Camino de Santiago, which is a Catholic pilgrimage-type trail that winds through part of Spain. Apparently Martin Sheen made a movie about it a few years back, and the trail has seen a surge in visitors since then.

Anyhoo, the first I heard about Simon's Spanish exploits was when I got an email last summer from a very nice young couple in Texas who had just returned from Spain, where they'd hiked the Camino trail and spent some time hanging out with a friendly Brit named Simon Reid who claimed to be a "retired surgeon" (hahahahahahaha--oh, my sides) who had come to the Camino trail to connect with his spiritual side, or something. He had a woman with him, of course, but the nature of their relationship was unclear. (From what the Texas couple said, I got that this was yet another girlfriend Simon was stringing along.) For authentication, they attached a photo of themselves posing with Simon and his mark outside of a cafe.

The most recent report I've gotten is an email from a woman who (from what I can deduce) was tentatively involved with Simon for a short time while visiting Spain in March 2016, but was scared right off the lot when she Googled his name and found out all the dirt on his sketchy lying ass.

Among the torrent of bullshit he fed this would-be girlfriend? 

• He claimed to be a retired British commando sniper-turned-trauma surgeon who served in Afghanistan. 
• He claimed to have developed a form of leukemia caused by removing thousands of plutonium tipped bullets from patients. 
• Oh, and he has a maths degree from Oxford.

Excuse me for a minute. 

via GIPHY

via GIPHY

via GIPHY

PLEASE NOTE:

It's the sheer audacity of Simon's ridiculous bullshit stories that has me amused; I am not making fun of this girlfriend, or anyone else who has been swindled (emotionally or financially) by Simon Reid. No one knows better than I do how frighteningly adept this fuckhandle is at winning your confidence and portraying himself as a chivalrous, fun, self-deprecating, honorable man. He's a textbook pathological liar who is excellent at reading, assessing, and exploiting people. Although he's never quite successful in the end--as long as there is an internet he will continue to be exposed for the vile fraud that he is--but Simon doesn't play the long game, anyway. He's not the type of conman who slowly and surely gains your trust over a period of time. The guy plays the numbers and he always has several schemes (and women) going at once, and his pattern shows that he will always cut and run once he realizes that his marks are onto him, leaving everyone in the dust. No goodbyes, no explanations, no apologies. Just a shitload of hideous LIES.

So for anyone reading this who has been done in by Simon Reid, whether he's "borrowed" (stolen) money or fucked you over emotionally (he likes to do both whenever possible), please remember:

• He is a cold, calculating individual who feels no remorse for the people he harms
• He has a long, long, long history of victimizing those who are close to him, including two ex-wives, countless girlfriends, and even his own parents and children 
• He is an evil asswipe
• It's not your fault

Lastly--for the sake of your own mental, emotional, physical, and financial safety--RUN, DON'T WALK far, far, far away from his damaged, broken, sketchball ass.

And now, an important message from Billy Joel....

A digression: this is the good Billy Joel. You can tell, because of his hair. (Ever notice that when Billy Joel got rid of the Jewfro, his songs started sucking balls? It's like his mighty Jewfro gave him all his songwriting powers. Then he had to go and cut it off and his music went straight down the toilet.) Actually, I think Pressure was post-Jewfro, so maybe that song is the one exception to the rule. Now that was a cool-ass video. I love the part where he's at that cocktail party and the lady goes flying sideways into that doorway full of milk and Billy gets sucked down into the carpet. Lots of cocaine went into the making of that one, I'm guessing. 

But it was so totally worth it.      

via GIPHY

If you have your own Simon Reid sightings or stories, please tell all in the comments (or email me at simonreidtips@gmail.com if you don't want to share publicly). Keep spreading the word. Let's warn Simon Reid's future paramours, landlords, employers, "business" partners, and anyone else who Googles his name.

Knowledge = power.  

Ladies and gentlemen: the breakout star of
"Who the Bleep Did I Marry?"

Audrey is available for promotional and corporate events, and--for a slightly larger fee--she will do small parties and personal appearances...if she's in the mood.

I am acting as her booking agent for the time being. Forward all inquiries to me.  

Herself, mulling over offers in the condo that daddy bought for her.

****UPDATE JUNE 2026****

Got a Simon tip/sighting? Email simonreidtips@gmail.com

Wednesday 9/12/12 

9pm EST (8pm in Minnesota)

Investigation Discovery Channel

I'm going to be on TV again! Well, me and my friend Kate (she's my character witness) and of course Jo, Laura and Nicola. That's right, our story was chosen for the excellent--and highly addictive--Investigation Discovery Channel program "Who the Bleep?" It was formerly called "Who the Bleep Did I Marry?"  but the show's scope has broadened to include ex-girlfriends/boyfriends/significant others of con men and women living double lives (e.g. Simon Reid), and not just their spouses.

The team from Sirens Media --Brigette, Diana, Eric and Johnny--flew in from D.C. to Minneapolis to film interviews with me and Kate and film B-roll footage. It was really nice to stay put for a change--they came right to my door!

A film crew in the living room! I felt like a stah.

I had such a great time with everyone! The crew was cool, so personable and so much fun; I liked them all right away. The interview was a little nerve-wracking (they always are) but Diana, who interviewed me, was awesome and made me feel at ease. The fun part of it for me was shooting the B-roll. They filmed me walking down the street, talking on my phone, typing at my laptop, petting my cats (Audrey really took to being in the spotlight. I swear she's a Leo), writing in my notebook, making tea, and gazing out of my front window. Both Brigette and Diana kept apologizing for how much B-roll they had to shoot, but I didn't mind at all. You haven't lived until you've strolled around Uptown, trying to look nonchalant while you're being shot by a professional film crew, and everyone walking by is trying to figure out if they should know who you are or if there's some kind of weird new reality show being shot in Minneapolis or if someone is making another indie film or what. It's not like shooting on the street in Manhattan, where they're so used to film crews and famous people milling about that they barely even notice anymore.

Me in front of the duplex. This wasn't taken during the filming, but
I'm wearing the same top in the interview. Close enough.

After they filmed me, Kate came over and they interviewed her and shot some B-roll of her by herself, plus some footage of us just chatting, goofing off, sitting in the garden, and walking around the block.

Some really cool things about the experience:

• They highlighted the fact that I'm a writer, which rocked! In most of the Simon Reid stories I'm referred to as just a blogger (not that just being a blogger isn't cool) but it was gratifying to actually be taken seriously. I talked about my book a bit in the interview--I won't know until the show airs if that part made it into the final edit--but still, I really appreciated their interest. 
• During the shoot Diana and Brigette pointed out all the paintings that my roommates and I had hanging on our walls. Most of it was original work by our friend Rachel, who is a professional artist. They said they'd love to feature it but they would need a signed release from her first. Rachel was living in Asheville, NC at the time but she was able to get the paperwork quickly enough for some of her work to (hopefully) make it onto the show!
• The whole crew really fell in love with Uptown. We went to lunch twice at Common Roots (a restaurant that has a special place in my heart--the site of my first date with John) and got several gallons of coffee at Urban Bean, where Diana ended up buying an "I heart MPLS" t-shirt!

A few weeks after the Sirens gang shot my segment, they flew to the UK to chat and film with Jo, Laura and Nicola to get the rest of the story...a story which will be beamed around the world courtesy of Sirens Media and the Investigation Discovery Channel tomorrow night, 9/12 at 9pm EST (just in case you needed a reminder). Like I said, "Who the Bleep?" (now in its third season) is super addictive. Go to their site and get comfy, because once you start watching clips of the show it's hard to stop! 

And one more plug for the road....

Available now for Kindle and all other e-readers.

Hallo, I'm Andie Nash! You may know me from the 20/20 "Bad Romance" story, but did you know I'm also an author? Well, now you do. My novel is called Thanks, That Was Fun and it is chock full of bad romance. There is also a lot of sex--good sex, bad sex, and no sex--something most single women (and men) can relate to, no?

Just so I'm not blowing my own trumpet (um, no pun intended) here's a description from my esteemed publisher:  "(Thanks, That Was Fun is) a humorous look at modern love and the lengths some people go to in order to get and keep it. The witty dialogue, sharply drawn characters and unconventional ending make it a satisfying read for anyone who is single, heartbroken, in love, or in between."


My novel has also been described as "the perfect summer read," (--E. Gedan), "Compelling, whip-smart, and laugh-out-loud funny," (--Sharyn Parker Ross, author of City Zen) and Angela Weldon says it's "like gossiping with your closest girlfriends over a bottomless glass of wine." 


Thanks, That Was Fun is available for $1.99 on Kindle and not-Kindle.


What are you waiting for? Go read it now! Don't worry, my blog will still be here when you come back.


I promise.

And all I gotta do is act naturally....

Jo and me filming in Times Square, producers and crew in background.

Hey kids, I'm going to be on the teevee again! I was in NYC last week filming a segment for 20/20 about "The Great Simon Reid Smackdown". ABC News flew Jo, Nicola and me (Laura had work obligations, unfortunately) to NYC where we were interviewed by Nick Watt and filmed a bunch of B-roll (filler footage like walking down the street, typing on a laptop, etc.).

Me and Nicola.

I had a fabulous time, the producers and the crew were awesome and I think our interview went very well. 

Some of the highlights: 

• The awesome loft where we shot the interview. It's a space owned by an artist called Jacques, who rents it out to ABC to use for interviews. I chatted with Jacques on the set and he said that ABC liked filming here because it was located in a quiet (for Manhattan, anyway) residential street and any famous people they interviewed could come and go without a lot of people and paparazzi bothering them. I asked who'd been in there recently and Jacques mentioned Justin Bieber, Madonna, Bono, and Beyonce. There was this amazing spread of food laid out: fresh fruit, exotic cheeses, raw veggies, and cookies and pastries that Jacques said he'd made himself (we couldn't figure out if he was joking about doing all the baking, but either way, those chocolate cupcakes kicked ass!). I asked him if he lived there and he said no, he had a separate residence close by. He said that this loft isn't really livable, because it's too hard to sleep in a big open space like that. He said, "People started out as cave dwellers, you know. We're meant to be in a cozy space when we sleep." I honestly don't know if I'd have trouble living and sleeping in that huge fabulous loft, but...um...I'd totally be willing to try it out. You know, as an experiment. The celebrities could come in and just film around me. I'd let them.

Jacques in his loft. Seriously, the place is awesome.

• The interview was fun. I was nervous because we had to do our own hair and makeup (while being filmed! I hope they don't use that particular B-roll....) and they had to shut the air conditioner off when we did the interview because of the background noise. As a consequence, Nick (the correspondent) and I had to take frequent breaks so someone could run over with tissues and powder to keep the sheen from our faces (I was soooo grateful for that, as it was about 90 degrees that day!). During one of our breaks I told Nick that I didn't know how men could wear suits and jackets in this type of weather, and I was grateful to be able to wear light dresses and sandals in the summer. Nick said that he was glad he was a guy because he couldn't cope with all the "fuss" women had to deal with just to get ready in the morning. (Whatever, I'm still glad I'm a chick!) 

UPDATED -- Better, less blurry shot of me on set (thanks Nicola!).

• Nick was great, by the way. He asked interesting questions and kept the tone fairly light (I have no idea how it will be edited). They interviewed me first, then brought Jo and Nicola in and filmed them together, then did some of it with all three of us. We kept cracking up at Nick's reactions to some of the lies Simon told us; I mean, now that I have enough distance from that train wreck of a relationship (and I think this is true for Jo, Nicola and Laura as well) a lot of it just seems so funny, some of the crap that Simon fed us all. I hope they do show some of the lighter side, because it was pretty humorous.

Jo, Nicola and Nick discussing British stuff.

• The producers that we worked with, Alison Lynn and Emily Whipp, were fabulous. Emily took us to lunch the day of the filming and then paid for massages for us before we went in to film the interview. Then after filming wrapped Alison and Emily took the three of us to dinner at Bar Americain, where we got 5-star service (Alison has connections!). They were both so generous and professional and I was lucky to get to work with him (same goes for the crew and Nick as well!)

Dinner at Bar Americain.

• OF COURSE the best part was getting to hang with Jo and Nicola, (I'm still bummed that Laura couldn't make it...but hopefully we'll have more opportunities to fly to NYC). We had a great time. The girls entertained me with stories about their love lives and I made them laugh with my pathetic attempts at an English accent (seriously, I can't do an English accent to save my ass--something you'd think I'd have mastered by now. Thanks to my boyfriend John I've been able to imitate a reasonable approximation of a Manchester accent, but it still needs a lot of work). 

My boyfriend John in the 80's. Voted "Sexiest Mancunian Alive."

Our original air date was this Friday, June 22, but they've pushed it back to June 29 because Rielle Hunter decided this was her week to grant 20/20 an interview so she could make us all gag with tales of her sex life with John Edwards. (I'm joking--of course I'm incredibly thankful for the experience of going on 20/20. Still, why did it have to be Rielle freaking Hunter who bumped us?).

And while I'm at it, I don't understand the fascination with the Edwards/Hunter thing, it's just another greasy politician caught in a sex scandal. I mean, I guess the details of this one are particularly horrific--Edwards cheating on cancer-stricken wife, impregnating the mistress, then denying the kid was his---yeah, all pretty gross. But I still don't find it all that surprising or interesting. The Rielle Hunter I'm interested in hearing about is the 1980's version, back when she was called Lisa Jo Druck and served as the inspiration for the protagonist in Jay McInerney's Story of My Life, which was my favorite novel for a while when I was in my early 20's. (In fact, I think it was everyone's favorite novel in their early 20's.) Really, that's the Rielle Hunter I want to know more about, because that version kicked ass. She may have been a poor(er) man's Paris Hilton in reality, but in the novel she was hilarious. Seriously, read the book if you never have; I think it's aged pretty well for the most part.

Oh, and while I'm talking novels, let me just take a minute and plug mine to get that out of the way....

Available on Kindle (also on non-Kindles)

Back to Simon Reid stuff: I'm also excited to announce that our story will be the subject of an episode of Who the Bleep? (formerly Who the Bleep Did I Marry?) which will air on the Investigation Discovery network (or "I.D. Channel", as they're called). It's going to be awesome and I will post more details as I get them.

Check back regularly and often for more updates. Oh, and watch our 20/20 episode on June 29th!

     

So I've been super busy lately....promoting, marketing, and talking up my book, and I've gotten A LOT of questions in the process. I've decided to start addressing the queries here on the old blog. Below are the first two in what will probably be a lengthy (but entertaining!) series of FAQ&A's.

Here I go.

FAQ's: Thanks, That Was Fun

Q: How did you come up with the title Thanks, That Was Fun?

A: The title of my book comes from a song of the same name by the Barenaked Ladies. It’s a rather obscure track; a B-side of sorts (if you were born after 1990, ask an older person about B-sides. Don’t worry, it’s nothing dirty). It’s available on iTunes and also as a “previously unreleased” track on BNL’s greatest hits album, titled—appropriately—All Their Greatest Hits.

Thanks, That Was Fun (the book) wasn’t always called "Thanks, That Was Fun." The working title was actually Some Fantastic, another BNL song. This was mainly because I started writing my novel in late 1999, and I was obsessed with the Ladies’ seminal 1998 album Stunt.



Stunt was the perfect soundtrack for the book--funny, sad, dark, lovelorn, snarky, boozy—there’s even a song on the album called “Alcohol”—that track alone provided a great deal of inspiration. I listened to Stunt constantly and I was convinced that the title of the book had to come from one of the songs. For a while I called it “Light Up My Room” (track #3), but the more I wrote, the more I thought “Some Fantastic” (track #12) sounded a lot cooler. For those who aren’t familiar, “Some Fantastic” is probably the weirdest song on what is already a weird album. To give you a taste, here are some sample lyrics:

One day I’ll construct a satellite/And I’ll name it after you/Cause you were the greatest friend of all/Except for when you split my lip in two

What the hell did those lyrics have to do with my novel? I have no earthly idea. It was like having an unexplainable crush on someone. I didn’t know why I liked “Some Fantastic,” I just did. And once I settled on it as a title, I was very attached. It was smart and intriguing and catchy; in short, everything I thought a debut novel should be. That title stuck to my novel for years, from 2000 to 2009, to be precise.

My editor Scott was the one who got me to call it "Thanks, That Was Fun." Trust me, I needed a little convincing. I was all but married to Some Fantastic. I mean, Some Fantastic and I had been through a lot together at this point. Did I mention that it took me a long time to write this book? Well it did. It took me a frustratingly long time. Some Fantastic had stayed with me through six moves, five significant relationships, two presidential administrations…we had a history, and that title was a part of me, dammit! But Scott (talented, wise, patient, funny, straight-talking Scott, more about him later) thought that “Some Fantastic” was way too vague and that I needed a title that was more descriptive, one that fit the story. He’d been at me for a while to change it and one day he told me over the phone to do a little brainstorming and come up with some alternate names before our next meeting. Reluctantly, I sat down at my desk and typed up a short list of song titles and some random phrases, then emailed it to Scott. When I met with him a week later, he had printed out the list I’d sent—there were about a dozen names—and he’d put big X’s through all of them but one: “Thanks, That Was Fun.” He presented me with the paper and said “Here’s the new title of your book. It’s funny, it’s descriptive, it’s sarcastic, it’s teasing, and it fits your novel to a T.” Seeing it there in print, I got his point. Scott was right. It worked.

Q: Your name isn’t really Andie Nash. Why did you change your name?

A: Again, it comes back to an album, although my mom was the one to first suggest that I use a pen name. I believe her actual words were “This novel of yours….you’re not publishing this under your real name, are you?” I had in fact been planning to use my real name; I didn’t see anything wrong with it. But my mom begged to differ, citing privacy and a bunch of other parental concerns and issues I hadn’t yet considered. So I told her I’d think about it, and left it at that.

It was around this time that I received an awesome gift from my writer’s group friend Becca: her old record player. I was super excited--not only to have a real excuse to shop for vinyl--but now I had a real turntable on which to spin it! Woo hoo! Never one to do things in half measures, I hit up every thrift store, used record shop and garage sale within a 30 mile radius searching for new (well, old) vinyl and bought up everything I came across. One of my purchases was a Crosby Stills Nash album, the one where they’re all hanging out on a ratty couch on some porch.

You know, this one. I believe it’s actually called Hanging Out on a Ratty Couch on Some Porch.

So I got the album home and put it on the turntable and I was sitting there staring at the cover while it played. I’ll just go ahead and say that this was before I got sober and I was a bit anesthetized, probably on something herbal. And my mind was wandering, and I started thinking about possible pen names. I wanted to keep Andie, because it’s really my first name. Okay, it’s really my nickname, but everyone calls me Andie, and I like it that way. But what to do about a surname? So I studied the CSN album and thought, Andie Crosby? No. Andie Stills? Lame. Andie Nash? Hmmm.

Yes, Andie NASH. Now that was cool. And pretty badass. (And Graham Nash is hands-down my favorite member of CSN. I’ve always loved “Our House.”) Anyway, I made a mental note and filed “Andie Nash” away, just in case I decided to use a nom de plume when my book came out.

Then, Simon Reid happened.

Chances are, if you Googled the name “Andie Nash” and/or “Simon Reid”, one of the links brought you here. So if that’s how you found this blog I’ll go ahead and say that, yes, I’m THAT Andie Nash, the American woman who blew the whistle on her conman ex-boyfriend and blah blah blah, you probably have a little background on the story already. If you’re looking for more, you can read my first Simon Reid tirade here, a 2010 update here, and a post about my March 2011 appearance on the Today Show here (and yes, the last part was a blast. Getting an all-expense paid trip to NYC, appearing on national TV, and hanging out with Jo, Laura, and Nicola made the initial Reid drama worth it in the end.)

So I started thinking about using the name “Nash” just before I went on the Today Show. Since I was going on TV to air my dirty laundry to all and sundry, my mom was worrying—-again (I love my mom)--about privacy and internet searches and all the weirdness that you have to worry about when you’re a parent to a screwball like me. So in the end, that’s what convinced me to take the name Andie Nash, for both public and literary purposes. And there you have it.

Next time...I dish some dirt and answer more FAQs!

Cut me some slack--it was 4:00am.

Me on BBC Radio 5 interview yesterday.

The link will only be live for a few more days, so if you're interested in hearing it check it out NOW!

Here's a second link in case the first one doesn't work. The interview is listed under 1/4/11, which may look like January 4, 2011 to us Yanks, but it's actually April 1. You know how the Brits are.

;-)

Ready for some META?

This blog post helped to bring Simon Reid to justice. I wrote that angry rant about discovering Simon's deception nearly three years ago, in August of 2008. This was at the tail end of a bout of crippling depression where I could barely be arsed to get out of bed. And I didn't know this at the time, but Simon had fled to England and was already at work on a new relationship with an Englishwoman called Jo. After feeding her some of the same lies and then running for the hills--taking with him thousands of pounds he'd "borrowed" from her--Jo googled Simon's name and found my blog, then contacted me. I offered her my condolences and told her I'd be willing to help however I could. I didn't hear anything more about his UK exploits until last summer, when Nicola and Laura--two of Simon's latest conquests--also found my blog. They were understandably concerned, as they were both currently in a relationship with the bastard.

And then the women decided to do something AWESOME.

Jo, Nicola, Laura, and a fourth woman (who has declined to be interviewed in the press) invited Simon over to Laura's house, where they were all waiting to question him...along with a journalist friend brandishing a video camera. They gave him a wicked little "surprise" party, then sat him down so they could grill him for four hours (God I'd LOVE to see that entire video!). At the end of it all the women called the police, and--long story short, Simon Reid is in jail in the UK for 30 months after pleading guilty to two counts of fraud.

The week that Simon was carted off to the slammer, the story absolutely BLEW UP in the British tabloids. Jo, Nicola, and Laura gave interviews and appeared on the UK breakfast television show This Morning before flying out to NYC to appear on The Today Show with Yours Truly so we could all tell our story.


I know--crazy, right?

Anyhoo, I had a fabulous time in NYC, and it was awesome to meet the three of them. We hit it off right away (Jo, Laura, Nicola, and Kate, who was along for the ride) and we had a blast shopping and sight-seeing in Manhattan. The moral of this story? Simon Reid still sucks, but I've met some lovely new friends because of him. I guess every cloud does have a silver lining, even a dark, toxic, polluted cloud of a human being like Simon Reid.

I posted the Today Show video shortly after returning from my trip (it's no longer available online--BOO!) but here are some other links to the story that are still live.

Article from The Daily Mail (Alan Partridge's favorite newspaper!):

Shout-out to Maggie Flecknoe, pop culture commentator, stage and voice actress (and fierce Texas chick!). This is Maggie's take on our story:

Damn, what a whirlwind! SO yeah...things have been happening. It's all good though!

In spite of it all...
Thanks, That Was Fun

About 10 minutes before our live segment. Do I look nervous?

Me and the girls on the Today Show, 17 March 2011 discussing Simon Reid!

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Me on the TODAY SHOW on 3/17/11

That's me (far left), and (l-r) Nicola,

WOW

I can't divulge many details at this time but suffice it to say that things are blowing up in a BIG way over the Simon Reid debacle from a few years back. We're talking international coverage kids!

Thank you, dear readers, for all of your support.

Stay tuned. This revolution WILL be televised.

Peace. x