I wanted to post a picture of John Dicker at the top of this post. But that was impossible. At least by conducting a Google Image Search it was. Because all that comes up is a blurry picture of John that kind of looks like a mugshot except with softer lighting and no real identifying facial characteristics. And that does not a good mug shot make. Sure you can see his signature Flock-of-Seagulls-meets-New-Wave-punk-hair-doo, but beyond that, there was no real way of telling that this was John Dicker, the man behind Geeks Who Drink, the bar trivia empire that swept through Colorado in a matter of years, and is currently spreading across the country with much less resistance than Obamacare. There was no way of pointing at that picture as it sat side by side with many similar, blurry others and saying, “Him, officer. He was the one who turned Geeks Who Drink into a national empire! Not those others, him! Also, I’m pretty sure he was huffing gasoline from the pumps at the Conoco down the street, and he may have swiped my purse.”
So we’ll have to content ourselves with the Geeks Who Drink banner logo. Typical John Dicker, never a glory-whore – except for his annual, ridiculously elaborate dance-numbers that highlight the annual national Geek Bowl, the Super Bowl of Trivia – just the man toiling behind the scenes, making sure that your pub trivia experience is not only well-curated, but often a hilarious night out over a few drinks. I’m fascinated by Geeks Who Drink. I started playing John’s version of trivia when they had one night at one bar downtown. I’d played pub trivia weekly when I lived in Santiago de Compostela as a twenty-two year old and it was the highlight of my week – an opportunity to make new ex-patriot friends in the warm glow of the faux-Irish pub somewhere up there above Portugal, an opportunity to battle wits with English-speaking Spanish friends, and more importantly to flirt with women in a non-threatening environment, one that stressed intellectualism first. Die-hard ACH fans will delight in knowing it was this pub trivia experience that led to my ole “viene mi leche” closer. Boo-yah. So when I realized I could re-brandish my trivia sword right here in Denver, courtesy of a writing colleague name of John Dicker, I jumped at the opportunity. And I played regularly for the better part of two years. And I watched Geeks Who Drink grow. Then grow more. Then explode. Where John Dicker has taken it is truly amazing.
I’m impressed with John as an entrepreneur. A man who followed an obscure dream and penchant for quiz questions hurled toward an audience over a PA system at a bar into a full-fledged career. A have a wife and two-kids and still have enough to build a private half-pipe for you and your friends to fuck around on career. And for that, I think we should all be impressed. So enjoy this conversation with John Dicker, gang. And then go out and play some bar trivia. I think you’ll find you’ll take it way more seriously than you ever thought you would.
Because it’s serious fucking business.
John’s favorite music video? EPMD. So Whatcha Sayin’. Old school.
Check out the episode on iTunes here.