In We Are Stupid. Bleeding. Naked History, J. Tyson Dickson looks back at the reckless, absurd, and strangely beautiful misadventures of youth—from streaking through Albertson’s in T-shirts and nothing else, to selling fake ecstasy at a Kool Keith concert, to hitchhiking across Alaska with nothing but books and a backpack.
But behind the chaos—beneath the firecrackers, the road trips, and vending machine heists—there’s something else: the slow, weird, beautiful process of growing up.
Told with biting humor, raw honesty, and unexpected grace, this memoir (of sorts) captures the messy, ridiculous, and deeply human illusions we all carry. It’s part road trip, part oral history, part mixtape—stories that blur comedy and chaos with the ache of growing up.
If you’ve ever laughed at your worst decisions, winced at your best stories, or wondered how the kid you were became the person you are now, this book is for you.
Fans of J.D. Salinger, Joseph Heller, Hunter S. Thompson, and Kurt Vonnegut will find echoes here—not in imitation, but in spirit: the reminder that life is hilarious, humiliating, and sacred, often all at once.
This is a story about music, friendships, and maybe God.
