2025: That Was the Year That Was
Present and accounted for
Some highlights from the past year:
1. I released my special West Coasting
As my subscribers probably know, I released a special this year. I’m really doing my best not to plug this endlessly. Instead I’ll tell you, LA comedy is so nuts right now, one of my best warmup gigs was at my friend Ryan’s open mic at a Valley dive bar, where he very kindly booked me as a feature act.
I followed the other feature, a hardcore band that delivered 30 minutes of high energy loud punk rock. I was a little concerned, because I am not a high energy loud comedian. In fact, history has proven that there’s not much crossover appeal between angry young music and me complaining about conspiracy theories.
I knew my special was going to go well when I immediately followed these guys and my first bit, a medium energy dating story, did well, even with the guys playing pool who were only half-paying attention. When those guys stopped to watch me, I knew I probably had something. You can watch it here: watchliam.com
It would be hilarious if I ended the post here, and in truth as a 2025 highlights reel that would be kind of appropriate.
2. I have finished college.
I did well in all of my classes this past semester (three A’s and a B+), and so barring a couple of administrative hoops left to jump through, I should be completely finished.
Six years ago, my dad passed and, as is common in these situations, it left me to do some reflecting on my life. As I’ve said in this space, I dropped out of college after a semester to tour professionally as a comedian. I figured that since COVID had the world completely locked down anyway, I might as well go back to community college and get an Associate’s.
My lack of a degree had led me to a lot of crappy day jobs, and I figured an Associate’s would mean I could at least get a decent temp job. Instead, thanks to a few people including the head of Los Angeles City College’s film program, Dr. Jen Vaughn, I was able to get into USC.
Here’s the part of the story I don’t often tell: I began drinking when I was in high school, and that combined with a typical Gen X slacker anti-authoritarian attitude, I got pretty bad grades.
When I applied for USC, I had to come face-to-face with my high school transcripts, which were about what I expected considering I would cut class for months at a time. I also took a look at my Queens College transcript, where it turns out… I had gone back to school and did another semester I then completely forgot about before quitting for good.
Apparently, I did so well in Algebra that I took it over again in a summer class a year later where I got a D. Again, I have ZERO memory of this. BTW at LACC I got an A in Calculus so screw it.
Anyway, I tell this story not only to illustrate how meaningful it was to me to actually finish at the world’s number one film school at a prestigious University, but also:
3. I hit 15 years sober
I won’t say too much about it except that if you think you’re ready to quit, there is help.
4. I went completely broke
I know that sounds like a crazy thing to celebrate, but so is doing so much damage to my brain with alcohol that I forgot an entire semester of college, so…
It’s nothing to be alarmed about - I make just enough money with passive income to pay the bills. But I had to quit a lucrative freelance writing gig to focus on school, and humble myself by driving Uber Eats and… I don’t recommend it as a lifestyle, but narrowing my life down to the absolute essentials forced me to renew my focus on things that were making me money that I enjoyed. And also to throw away the people, places, and things that were not serving me.
Thank you to my paid subscribers, and to all the people that shop at my Redbubble store and who support my other million little side projects for being a small but essential part of my ecosystem as I continue to reinvent myself and discover who I am and what I love.
That being said, I am ready to work, and can write, direct, produce, act, do standup, edit, run a camera. As the old vaudeville saw goes, “This little lady can sing, play the piano, and in an emergency move it.”
5. I didn’t let the bastards get me down.
This has been a tough year for everyone - emotionally, physically, politically, financially. I’m not immune, and I certainly have had my share of dark days (and will undoubtedly have more in the years to come). But I’ve always been lucky to belong to various groups - great comedians, great writers, my sober family, my cohort at school - that picked me up when I fell.
Life is a sine wave, with highs and lows. I believe we’re all ready for our next high.
Goodbye and good riddance to 2025. Let’s make 2026 a year of adventure, abundance, and love.