#4 – Chris Null

Christopher Null, 37, is a true Renaissance man (and somewhat of a somebody). He writes about technology for Yahoo! Tech, Wired, and PC World, covers movies for Filmcritic.com, and posts his thoughts about all manner of booze on Drinkhacker.com. Basically he spends all day typing about something on the computer, which is good because that’s what he gets paid to do. He has commented on current events and culture for NPR, CNN, ABC, CBS, NBC, and many, many other places with three-letter acronyms.

Interview With A Nobody: We initially contacted you about using an image of some very delicious gin, (Bluecoat American Dry Gin), and figured “Hey, a guy that blogs about booze every day. Probably a cool dude – we should interview him!” So our first question is obviously: what’s it like to blog about drank?

Christopher Null: Well it is tougher than I thought it would be. The drinking tends to interfere with the writing, you see. The more one drinks, the less coherent one tends to get… but potentially more entertaining.  That said, it is a dream job.

IWAN: I wouldn’t doubt it.  So when you get a bottle of wine in the mail for example, you’re not doing the whole take a mouthful and spit it out routine right?

Null: Depends on how bad it is.  But generally no – I usually drink like an average consumer would.  A glass before dinner and a glass during, enough to compose some thoughts.  The exception is going to big events.  When you have 80 wines being poured you have to spit or you’ll die.

IWAN: But what a death!

Null: Even spitting it’s difficult to make it through the whole battery… my palate gives out after about 40 wines. I’m working on that.

IWAN: Haha wow. Yes, I’ve tried doing beer tastings – by the 5th I haven’t a clue what it tastes like anymore.

Null: Exactly. Things start to blend together.

IWAN: So big events are usually wine or whiskey tastings?

Null: Almost always wine.  I go to about one a month, sometimes more, depending on the season.  Sometimes there are 20 wineries, sometimes there are 300. The bigger ones you have no hope of tasting your way through entirely. There are two whiskey-focused tasting events in SF each year, also. Those are generally my two favorite days of the year, then Christmas.

IWAN: Is whiskey your drink of choice then?

Null: Definitely.  Scotch and bourbon, really anything.

IWAN: We noticed you had reviewed A LOT.

Null: Yeah it pales to the vodka though.  Everyone and his brother has a vodka they want to send you.

IWAN: And they all taste pretty much the same right?

Null: They are more subtle than other spirits, but I definitely have identified “good” vodka and “bad” vodka. And anyone would notice the poor quality of the really cheap stuff, the plastic-bottled plonk that tastes like charcoal.

IWAN: I see, I think that’s where a discerning palate can really be in a whole other league from one of us chumps. Although we’re both well versed in the $6 handle purchased just across the border in New Hampshire.

Null: The secret is to do side-by-side tastings. Get a bottle of cheap stuff and put it next to a premium brand and see what you think.

IWAN: Gotcha.

IWAN: So we came across this fantastic quote in one of your reviews: “It’s not every day a $450 Scotch lands on the doorstep. Today we got two…”

Null: Another great day.

IWAN: Was that the best?

Null: Those were both great Scotches, but the best thing I’ve written about so far on Drinkhacker is the Martell Exquisite L’Or cognac.   $3,600 a bottle, and downright amazing.

IWAN: That’s almost absurd.

Null: Naturally the companies never send out entire bottles when things get this expensive, but I am happy just to try a shot or two.  The “record” most expensive thing I’ve tried is another cognac from Delamain called Le Voyage. $7000 a bottle, of which they made 500.

IWAN: Ok, that’s just ridiculous.

Null: Still, it’s another interesting point – does price really indicate quality? More often than not I find a $60 whiskey is better than the $4000 one.

IWAN: That’s good to know for guys like us.

Null: You have to find what you like and don’t let yourself get swayed by the perception of quality telegraphed by the price. That is very hard to do. That said, the Martell is amazing. Truly.

IWAN: How did you manage to get a taste of that by the way?

Null: I’m not sure of the specifics of that one, but in most cases the companies either ask if they can send a sample for review, or I request one after seeing their press release.  Some weeks we’ll get 20-30 bottles of samples here to work through. The backlog can be ridiculous.

IWAN: Haha, I don’t think either of us could survive that schedule.

Null: Yeah, I give away a lot of bottles of booze that are 80 percent full.

IWAN: Ok, we want to get to talking about filmcritic.com for a bit but one last question: speaking of appreciating something for more than just the price: have you ever considered reviewing a beverage we’re both enamored with: Olde English 800?

Null: I will need to get in touch with them after I finish my in-depth analysis of Mickey’s “Big Mouth” and King Cobra.

IWAN: Haha, we’re going to anxiously wait for those reviews.

Null: I’ll text you as soon as they’re up.

IWAN: You founded www.filmcritic.com back in 1995 and sold it to AMC just recently. Damn we’re envious (again). You mentioned in your blog that the media attention this got was kind of lacking. Set the record straight for us.

Null: Sure. I wasn’t really looking for the front page of the Wall Street Journal, but was surprised how long it took the word to get out. A handful of stories finally hit last week.  Anyway, yeah, I’ve been running Filmcritic.com for 14 years. Last year AMC Television (yeah, Mad Men rocks!) approached me to explore buying it. The deal took six months to work out, but in the end it did. It was all rather sudden and surprising, really. They hired me after the acquisition to keep running the site, so it’s mainly business as usual until a massive redesign is completed, hopefully before the end of the year.

IWAN: 6 months from start to finish-that must have been kind of grueling?

Null: Yes. Very nerve wracking. Lots of lawyers involved, and hundreds of pages of paperwork.

IWAN: So the conditions of you staying on afterwards for the transition and all the details that involved was a major part then?

Null: No, my hiring afterward was treated as a separate negotiation. But both worked out.

IWAN: Gotcha, so the meat of the deal was obviously price? I just have a picture in my head of two lawyers passing envelopes with numbers in them back and forth. Obviously that’s not how it works right?

Null: Not at all. In fact price had very little to do with it. They made an offer which was pretty close to what I had in mind. There was very little haggling on price. The legal nitty gritty was the bulk of it. Lots of lawyering involved there. Give and take.

IWAN: Who would think all of that for a blog? Seriously though, it must feel like a real accomplishment to have reviewed so many damn movies.

Null: Well, I do not see myself looking back later in life, wishing I had watched more movies.

IWAN: I’m sure you get the “What’s the best movie?” question all the time…but what about the worst movie you’ve endured?

Null: There are so many. It’s hard to say: Is “Speed Racer” worse than “The Net”?  They’re both awful in different ways.

IWAN: Oh thank god, you share our hatred of Speed Racer.

Null: There are so many bad ones, but I think they’re widely known to be awful.  The very worst? Maybe “Battlefield Earth.”

IWAN: Please tell me you didn’t have to pay to see that one.

Null: I can’t remember the last movie I paid to see.

IWAN: Really? Wow. You weren’t kidding when you said that being a movie reviewer is the best job in the world.  What are some other perks that come with being an acclaimed film critic? Rubbing elbows with directors, actors, perhaps?

Null: Acclaimed? Wow, you flatter me.  I did get quoted on the DVD for “Midnight Express.” Other than that it’s free DVDs and getting to see whatever you want ahead of time.

IWAN: How far ahead of time usually?

Null: Sometimes months, sometimes days. I’m seeing the new Harry Potter on Monday – that’s cutting things a little close to write a review, but it’s the first screening.

IWAN: Now, it’s our understanding you’ve appeared on television many times as a commentator/pundit. How do these appearances come about? Do you have an agent or do producers contact you directly?

Null: I don’t have an agent right now. Have a few times in the past, but really that’s the job of a publicist, not an agent. Some producers/interviewers/radio hosts contact me directly. Some go through the PR department at Yahoo!, where I also write (and which I consider my primary “job”).

IWAN: That’s a beautiful way to be. Any total disasters on camera, like a fellow talking head go ape on you?

Null: Nothing comes to mind. But god, doing live TV spots back when I was green was the most nerve-wracking thing ever. I wouldn’t sleep for a week before an appearance. I’ve had tech demos go bad on the air before. Most producers just figure out how to work around it.

IWAN: Yeah, those plague everyone – especially Microsoft.

Null: Yep, the pros plan for it.

IWAN: Everyone always talks about how “amazing” the atmosphere is at Google, what is it like at Yahoo!?

Null: I have only been to the Yahoo! campus three or four times. I work at home, so for me it’s pretty much hanging out in my socks and keeping the hours I like. The Yahoo! campus is a lot like any dot-com campus though – lots of food, open space, and cubes as far as the eye can see.

IWAN: Sigh, if only to be removed from the officious maze like you Null.

Null: It has its pros and cons.  Not a lot of human interaction when you work at home. Except for telling telemarketers to shove off.

Null: I’ve spoken to my current boss only 3 times ever. Some people would see that as a huge pro I think though.

GinDrunk: Yeah they do!

Premise Guy: A thousand times yes!

IWAN: And to bring the interview full circle, what is your best drunk story?

Null: Whew, involving myself?  Some of the details are a little embarrassing.

Null: But I will say that I have set off roman candles before… in my living room.

IWAN: Bahahaha!

Null: Took me a few days to figure out why the carpet was burned.

Null: It seemed like a good idea at the time, I’m sure.

IWAN: Well, with that awesome detail firmly etched into the stone of the Internet, let me thank you again for talking to us hooligans, Null!

Null: Thanks for the interview. It was fun.

IWAN: Do you have anything you would like to shout out?

Null: Nah, y’all have plugged all my big current projects… though I do have two books, one on how to become a film critic called “Five Stars,” and one a novel about a murderous, remorseful teenager called “Half Mast.” You can find them both at www.sutropress.com.

IWAN: Novel? That’ Premise Guy’s memoir right there.

Null He can use it to cry himself to sleep.