Joshua Turek’s thoughts, scribblings, scalpeled word choices, excised expositions, including his poignant pretty pentameters and posted handwritten journal entries, which he calls “unintelligible,” have engaged over one billion views across platforms like YouTube, TikTok and Instagram. That would make Turek, who recently moved to Santa Cruz with his family, a massive digital creator and a bona fide influencer.
Or in Turek’s case, more of a de-influencer.
He’s so tired from being born
–Notes of a New Dad
The 41-year-old Turek, who in earlier incarnations appeared like a street Jesus meets Mr. White (Reservoir Dogs), has given way to a decidedly more Dad-looking vibe. He recoils from the term “influencer.” In fact, Turek isn’t comfortable with most labels. His most prevalent self-identifying label would be comedian, then perhaps filmmaker, with poet in last place, next to Beelzebub.
Yet, the poetry is what has risen to the top of his profile. Turek’s words, when read, seem so run of the mill that it’s misleading. But the short sentences and paragraphs have gravitas. There’s an economy of motion in Turek’s word choices combined with a comedian’s sensibility. And that formula has captured a lot of attention in the content market.
Turek’s book of poetry, Notes of a New Dad, is his latest creation. With a successful reading at Spec’s in SF, Turek will be showcasing, reading and conversing about his new book of poetry at the Davenport Roadhouse on September 14.
I rub my babies hand so he knows he is real and this world can be immediately kind
–Notes of a New Dad
Born, raised and honed in Los Angeles, Turek and his wife Siobhan decided that with a baby on the way, LA not producing any nuggets in the gold pan worth weighing, plus the Palisades Fire mandatory evacuation forcing the young couple with an apartment full of ash to leave the city that Turek had fallen out of love with—it was time to head north.
His wife, who grew up in Santa Cruz, found grateful lodging for her family at her father Randy’s house. Randy is an old-school Santa Cruzian and a believer in the power of art.
And, in almost all ways, Turek is once again reinventing himself. Or maybe he’s just refining his elemental nature into a new form.
It’s not just you this is a difficult timeline for anyone who isn’t a psychopath
–Joshua Turek on TikTok
Tropes are tropes because they are based on some sort of truth. Growing up in Los Angeles, the young Turek was indeed pushed into acting by his mother, who herself had wanted to be an actor.
“We went around trying to audition all over the city and never had much luck doing it,” Turek admits from his office in downtown Santa Cruz.
“But you know, typical stage moms, none of them think that they’re like the other stage moms. I was in a George Foreman grill commercial for Sears when I was 14, so I can’t totally say I failed.”
Think of Turek as a cross between SNL’s Jack Handey and George Bailey, an everyman who is wary of the encroaching corporate conformity that looms closer every day.
When I found out my wife was pregnant my first thought was “I need to join Costco”
–Joshua Turek on TikTok
Hollywood is a town with a storied past. Turek was caught in the eddy of an industry whose glorified star was rapidly fading. And yet for a young and ambitious creative, the allure was addicting.
“I got really obsessed with writing screenplays for 10-plus years. It was all I wanted to do, but no one wanted to let me do it professionally. I would write spec pilots. No one that I grew up with in LA had good connections. I ended up paying to submit a pitch to this small producer. He bought a screenplay of mine for one dollar,” Turek states.
Turek thought that if the movie titled The Intervention ever got made, he would then be decently positioned for further work. With one dollar in his pocket, Turek began traveling down the narrow path of stand-up comedy.
“I started doing stand-up when I was like 27 because I had nowhere else for my voice. The internet and the social media thing wasn’t happening. Which is great, because I got to go grind anonymously at open mics and be terrible for years,” the often self-deprecating Turek says.
“I think stand-up serves as this beautiful bridge for a lot of people as a means of therapy or self-expression. I don’t think I understood my speaking voice until I started doing stand-up and could just consistently have an outlet.”
When my son first learns words, I’m going to ask him what he remembers about being a baby before too many other things cloud his mind
–Notes of a New Dad
Seven years from the time Turek received one dollar for his effort, the movie (now titled) Benjamin was in production with comedian Bob Saget attached as a star and producer.
“I was just finding my voice as a stand-up, and then I found myself on the set of a movie that I had written. I was on set with Bob Saget and it wasn’t good.”
The movie came out and was distributed through the DVD-rental box Redbox. It was their first foray into providing their own content. It did not go well. Sales and reviews scraped the bottom of the barrel.
“I haven’t thought about it much,” says Turek.
Wisdom is found under heavy rocks of stupidity
–Joshua Turek
“I wanted to make my own movies. Just take a stab and I tried a few times,” Turek recalls. But in a town whose currency is “who you know” the lone wolf Turek found himself in the company of Hollywood’s shadier types. “I got into a weird relationship with a former one-hit wonder musician at the top of the Hollywood Hills.”
Hitting the Hollywood ceiling made of nepotism, Turek had a forced epiphany. “Screw it. I’m just going to make little short films. And that was by far more creatively satisfying than any of the things I’ve felt through the professional world. Every time I chase the industry, it goes wrong. I decided that I’m going to make these little films with my friends.
“I was burnt out on the industry anyway. This is kind of pre-TikTok. I was just making videos with my comedian friends on my dad’s old camcorder. They were like avant-garde comedy fake French movies and fake French Gatorade commercials and stuff. They were cool,” says Turek.
In thirty years there won’t be any vintage stores because nothing is made these days to last that long
–Of Dumb Importance
And then COVID happened and since Turek wouldn’t be able to see his friends for a while, he turned the camera on himself.
“I started making videos of myself. And those built me a little audience,” says Turek.
Turek’s “little audience” grew into hundreds of thousands as his philosophical meanderings, sometimes political treatises, and deadpan comedic timing drew attention.
For example, one of Turek’s recent TikTok posts is a selfie of him holding his new son. The caption reads, “Broke my 41 year streak of not being a father.” Its viewing number of 75K views isn’t the big story, it’s the 500 comments.
Turek’s words, even when written in one sentence, touch a large number of humans. People from around the world comment on Turek’s posts. They include sentiments from people who want to buy the book, others who share in the struggles of raising a newborn, while others comment by quoting Turek’s other posts. And one incredible thing is in the 10K comments on TikTok they are all positive.
Turek’s reach and fanbase keeps growing.
Being internet famous generated a lot of grist with little milling, in other words, Turek’s content exploded but his bank account remained middling.
Turning to poetry, Turek has found a plateau on which to rest his weary legs. Everybody wants to get to “the top” but nobody mentions the complete exhaustion you feel once you get there.
I get diapers on Amazon because I am tired and fearful and selfish and atomized as has been glamorized. I wanna find community but I also do struggle with not hating everyone
–From Turek’s recent performance at Specs Bar in SF, A Love Letter to a City in Which I’ll Never Collect a Wage
“I didn’t go to college. I just got out of high school and moved to Hollywood with my sister. We were out in the suburbs. We got our own place and were just totally clueless. No idea of how to approach the world in any way. It was always just writing and reading and always going to the library. I loved studying language and language as this sacrifice we make to try to understand one another in some sort of surrogate way. I love words. And then yeah, somewhere along the way the conversational aspect of poetry clicked. It’s just talking to people,” Turek explains.
I write for smart people who wish they were dumber
–Notes of a New Dad
When Turek recaps his past, it has a certain over-it-all Janeane Garofalo-ness to its vibe. “When I started comedy, I was this tall, jock looking guy. Everybody hated me. But I put up a couple TikToks and the world falls in love (with me)? Whatever.”
Turek stands out amongst the grotesque amount of humans broadcasting their thoughts, every second, on the internet. He’s older, but not too old. He reeks of authenticity and moves with the heaviness of the world. Or maybe he just lumbers from not sleeping because of his new dad status.
“I kind of achieved what I’ve set out to do, which is just connect with people and try to explain things to them and share in the conversation of our culture. And that really scratched a big itch. I found my own sincere path, which is trying to connect with people, have conversations, and make art,” Turek says.
At heart, Turek is a comedian trying to find the outlet that will best support his musings. It just so happens his musings run deep and feel the feels. “I think comedy should be sad and poetry should be funny. I like approaching it that way. I named my second poetry book Of Dumb Importance. And that came through me thinking, ‘What is it that I want to say?’ And, I just want to say the most important things to me or to other people, but in the dumbest way possible,” Turek concludes.
Joshua Turek will be having his book release party on Sept. 14 at The Davenport Roadhouse, 1 Davenport Avenue, Davenport. Turek’s books of poetry are also available at Bad Animal, 1011 Cedar Street, Santa Cruz and at joshuaturek.com.
