The Wingman Cometh: Essential Companions for Memorable Shenanigans
Jon Levy, who was kind enough to write a blurb for The Best Year Ever, is the author of The 2AM Principle: Discover the Science of Adventure. In it, he lays out his “EPIC” formula for a great night out. One of his key ingredients: careful selection of your fellow adventurers. After all, adventure is best as a team sport, and the right people can make—or break—the experience.
His book got me thinking about my own experiences and what I learned about selecting the right crew for my adventures. What follows is my ideal roster of wing-persons (to be gender-correct) for pursuing an adventure – day or night, domestic or international, safe or otherwise. Any parallels to characters from NBC’s The A-Team are strictly coincidental, but also totally understandable because that would have been a kick-ass crew to party with.
- The good-looking extrovert. You’re going to want to make friends and interact with other groups while out on an adventure. But you need some way to approach these other groups and ingratiate yourself – the equivalent of sending a probe to reconnoiter an alien planet. This person needs to be good-looking enough to not get immediately rejected but sociable and quick-witted enough to break through any crack in the door – essentially laying the groundwork for future colonization by the rest of the group. This person probably works in sales and/or marketing and was likely a Rush Chair or Social Chair in college. Extra credit if the person is a female working for a male crew, or vice versa.
- The planner. You’ll need someone who can map out the game plan, handle logistics, get the crew from point A to point B, procure access to events, etc. This person needs to be organized, well-connected, have a generous bank account, a fully-functioning Uber app, the patience of Mother Teresa, and the persistence of a Sherpa. While the rest of the crew is lollygagging or high-fiving, this person needs to coolly execute the plan. Engineers, bankers, and consultants fill this role quite well.
- The muscle. Shit happens on a wild night out. You need someone who can hold their own in a fight—or even better, look intimidating enough to head off any trouble before it begins. Just being big will usually accomplish this, but hotheads are discouraged. The goal isn’t to start trouble (handcuffs and jail tend to put the kibosh on the most meticulously planned evening) but to keep things safe and moving along. Former D-1 college football players, bodybuilders and MMA fighters are all excellent choices provided their main asset is keeping a cool head.
- The comedian/artist/intellectual. An adventure will inevitably ebb and flow. You need someone who can keep things interesting, tell a funny story at the perfect time, select the perfect road trip playlist, and add a bit of creativity and verve to the proceedings. This person likely studied liberal arts somewhere along the East Coast and reads The Onion.
- The wild card. Baseball Hall of Famer Yogi Berra once said, “When you reach a fork in the road, take it.” Sage advice. At some point in every great adventure, you will come to a fork in the road. At that point, you’re faced with a choice: wrap things up or crank the volume up to 11. The wild card is the person who, when asked “Why?” always answers, “Why the hell not?” This is the one who shows up with a round of Red Bull “bombs” when energy flags. Who tells the Uber driver to take you to that one last dive bar or hidden speakeasy when everyone else is ready to head home. Who finds a piñata, giant stuffed animal, or fast food character statue and turns it into the evening’s mascot and photo buddy. This is the person who creates what my wife refers to as the “roving band of fun.” Extra credit if the Wild Card is also the Good-Looking Extrovert. You may want to marry that person.
That’s it. It’s neither perfect nor scientific, but if you start here, you are well on your way to a great adventure.
