P.J. O'Rourke once got me laid.

That man, that legend, that towering humorist,

passed away this week, So journalists are going around talking about what a great guy he was,

his charm and wit, the brilliance and warmth of his political satire. And that's all true, of course.

But I am the only aspiring humorist

who's going to tell you the full truth

that PJ O'Rourke once helped me pull tail.

And before I sate your curiosity about that culminating moment, however, I have to explain

the massive impact that a work made on me personally, and why I feel compelled to pay homage to him.

PJ O'Rourke was a lot of things.

A successful author, editor of National Lampoon,

lauded War Correspondent,

and a rare, arguably singular

combination of Ry Witt,

Student of Human Nature, Deep Thinker,

Smartass, and clown.

The world is a little bit less funny today than it was on Monday.

And I really mean that.

The National Gross Humor Index just dipped. But on top of all of those

things and more he was a hero to me personally and encountering his work

altered the course of my life.

I started performing stand-up comedy at the same time that I began working for Congress in Washington.

...