An Evening with Josh Peck
Peck, best known for his role on Nickelodeon's "Drake and Josh," wrote a memoir titled "Happy People Are Annoying." I attended his Q&A session promoting the book at East Tennessee State University.
As part of his book tour promoting his new memoir Happy People Are Annoying, actor Josh Peck held a question-and-answer session at East Tennessee State University in Johnson City, Tennessee. I live an hour away from Johnson City in a small Virginian town; naturally, I attended.
(To be frank, I planned to write this piece the day after his session. Then, the slap of the century happened. Now that the bewilderment has died down, I am finally writing this article.)
I was mainly curious about Peck’s involvement in Christopher Nolan’s upcoming film Oppenheimer, a biopic about theoretical physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer starring Cillian Murphy. It’s not hyperbole to say everyone in Hollywood is involved — a few days after I attended Peck’s event, Gary Oldman was cast in the movie.
When I arrived at ETSU, the long line was filled with young, nostalgic adults. It was a chilly day, albeit my hefty scarf provided warmth from the wind. Volunteers routinely informed us about the time doors would open.
We eventually headed inside the gym. While my mother and I got tickets, there wasn’t much supervision as to who sat where. We ended up on the bleachers right in front of the main event.
Moderated by ETSU’s housing coordinator and head of the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (my memory is fuzzy, hence the informal titles.), Josh Peck walked out to a hyped crowd, eager for details about their childhood show.
I made the grave error of not charging my phone enough, which ultimately resulted in a lack of details on my part. Nonetheless, there were several major moments during the event.
Among the highlights at Peck’s talk:
Peck vaguely mentioned Dan Schneider, the creator of shows All That, The Amanda Show, and Drake and Josh (all of which Peck appeared on during his career). Schneider, who departed from Nickelodeon amidst rumors surrounding his on-set conduct, merely was “Dan who created the Amanda show.”
During a scene with Matt Damon in Oppenheimer, Peck was star-struck by the actor. Throughout filming the scene, Peck kept thinking, “Matt Damon, you are very good.”
The main thing Peck wanted readers to take away from his book? “He was 21, locked in a treehouse, and insecure?”
One piece of advice Peck gave to the audience: “Anyone who has the desire to create art can do that [with social media].”
While talking about his encounters with celebrities, Peck revealed that he met Justin Bieber at a Russian spa in Hollywood filled with babushkas. Peck also said John Stamos smells “like the inside of an old drawer or a leather-bound book.”
Peck talked in detail about his weight-loss journey, something which moved the audience.
The very last question the moderators asked was one submitted from the audience: how do you feel about running over Oprah? “It was deeply traumatizing, awful,” said Peck. The actor recalled seeing Oprah posting on Instagram and imagining a scenario in which they met. “Yeah, I feel bad about it.”
Overall, it was a pleasant and intriguing event. In a rural region like the Tri-Cities, to see a Hollywood actor is truly a privilege. Thank you East Tennessee State University for providing the Tri-Cities a once-in-a-lifetime experience. It is something I will never forget.