early access: a guide to flaming out (complete)

I'm rewatching this while I try to break a habit of bed rotting and doomscrolling on my phone until just before my work shift, and the "YEAH! YEAH FINE!! FUCK YOU TOO!!!" bit after the mention of Samuel R. Delaney made me cackle

My best friend and I have known each other for going on 24 years. Listening to your voice, it’s like I was hearing his inner monologue, locating his pain and reassuring him that he’s worthy of help and kindness. I’m going to check in with him and remind him that he’s loved. Thank you.

thank you for trusting the world enough to put this into it. i know you didnt make it for me, and i know i dont know you, but i hope the person who will one day watch this is impacted as deeply as i am. safe travels, friend.

Not even five minutes in, and the video is already calling me out for not being okay because I spent my formative years being too disabled to leave the house for much. And yes, I DO hate that I'm so far behind on all the social skills that would help me be around other people in the first place, even though I'm not blaming myself for it, by any means.

A great artist (like you) expresses what the rest of us feel but don't know how to express. Thank you.

Such a great video. Clearly so personal, but so applicable and relatable. Speaks to me in so many ways

Man, "scruffy" still hits as hard as the first time around.

This is amazing, seeing it all put together. I love it and thank you for making and sharing this.

I'm so glad I got to see this when you first posted it, it's very necessary to hear, thank you.

God damn, Ian. I hope this goes public soon. I need to share this with with, like—everybody.

Gotta say, going from a hug to a mosh pit is quite a shift. XD

Don’t know when last I watched something that felt so important, and of which I was so glad to know it existed

Thank you so much for making this video, Ian. I know I'll watch it a lot of times these days. And I hope it helped you, as you were making it, and that you're good.

Simultaneously both thank and fuck you for the "corny shit" section which I had playing as I forced myself to put on clothes for the first time today and meet my loving and beautiful and worried wife at the gym, because this is my birthday week and in addition to the depressive episodes I normally fight through, i loathe my birthday due to family trauma and hearing that section of your video LEGIT had me think for a second "Why is my inner monologue playing outside my head right now?!?" Anyway, I'm gonna go to the gym. Thanks again.

I'm so happy you took the time to stop, Ian. Excited to watch the whole thing now that it exists, too.

Congratulations!