Better Know a Completist: Wren

This post series profiles the wonderful Colbert Completists who work to keep this site the absolute best Stephen Colbert fan site on the internet.

Blogging handle:
wren

Age:
37

How long have you been a Completist?:
I’ve been obsessively completist in my fandom for more than 3 years, but I graduated to official NFZ Completist about a year ago.

What’s your No Fact Zone news beat?:
I do the Four Horsemen of the Apopcalypse (pop culture references) weekly posts, plus odds and ends during breaks [Ed. note: She's been doing the amazing Seven Deadly Sins series this break].

Occupation:
College professor

When did you first become a ‘Colbert Report’/ Stephen Colbert fan?:
The 2006 White House Correspondent’s Dinner. I watched it the first day it was posted online, and was just floored. It was everything about Bush, the administration, and the media that I had desperately wanted someone – anyone – to say for the past 5 years. And Stephen was saying it their company, in the most brilliant comedic high wire act I’d ever seen. Hilarious, and incredibly satisfying. I started watching various clips from TDS and TCR on YouTube (I don’t have cable). But I got systematic about it when TDS posted their archives online. At the time, if you searched for Stephen Colbert, you got about 70 pages of clips. So I methodically went through, from oldest to newest, and watched every segment. It took me a couple of months, during which I eventually came to the realization that this was not the behavior of a casual fan.

What are some of your hobbies outside of blogging?:
Between living in a house perpetually under construction and raising a young child, I don’t find much free time for my hobbies. I’d say I’m equal parts outdoorsy nature lover and indoor bookish tech geek. I’m an avid quilter, a casual knitter, a spotty gardener, and an aspiring banjo player. I love to read, watch movies, hike, and travel, though I do all of those with less frequency than I’d like.

Favorite recurring character on the ‘Colbert Report’:
Sweetness, or Barry the Starbucks barista under Stephen’s desk.

What’s your favorite part about participating in the Colbert fandom?:
There’s the obvious part about sharing my passion for the show and Stephen’s work. But I also find the show tends to attract the kind of people I enjoy spending time with, in real life or online: people who are intelligent, engaged, silly, passionate and compassionate. The range of discussions (media, politics, comedy, literature, haberdashery!) that can spin off from this one starting point is just fantastic.

Favorite quote by Stephen Colbert:
“Say yes.” (The whole ending of the Knox College commencement address on saying “yes” is really beautiful and insightful.)

Is there anything else you’d like to tell the Zoners?:

Here’s a random favorite clip – “Knox College Assault on Reason”. It’s got everything: A sharp suit and tie, great jokes, a winning smile, Stephen in academic regalia, a sweet character break, and Stephen propositioning Bill Clinton.

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