For five years in the mid 2000s, the Fox prime time drama The OC was my guilty pleasure. For some reason, it felt like I wasn’t supposed to like it, like I had snuck into my older sister’s room and thumbed through her copies of Seventeen magazine.
At the time, I felt I shouldn’t like trash like that. I was supposed to be consuming high art like Donnie Darko and Reservoir Dogs and reading poetry by Bukowski.
But something about Seth Cohen just kept me coming back.
Of course I identified with him. He was the dorky, snarky kid who didn’t fit in with all of the blonde, muscled beauties that filled his life.
But it was more than that. I became OBSESSED with Seth Cohen. I started dressing like him, wearing corduroys and henleys and riding a longboard.
It’s one thing for a kid to emulate their heroes on TV, running around the house in a Superman cape, but I was 19 years old—a sophomore in fucking college.
Of course my infatuation eventually dimmed, and I traded in my cords for another pair of costume pants. But some things about Seth Cohen stuck around, and they’re with me to this day.
There’s one particular episode where Seth is putting together a Christmas gift for his girlfriend, Summer. He calls it “the Seth Cohen Starter Pack.”
It included music from Bright Eyes and Death Cab for Cutie, and books by Michael Chabon, Chuck Klosterman, and David Sedaris.
Before Seth Cohen, I had never heard of any of these artists. And now, I can’t imagine my life without them. They’ve all been incredible influences on the way I see the world and the way I write.
Dave Grohl has this great quote where he discards the idea of guilty pleasures. “If you fucking like something, like it,” he said.
I like this because it forces us to stop worrying about what other people think about the things we like. We never know when we can find gold in the guilt.
I Don't Belong Here. 