12 years and a smattering of months ago, we were sitting on a plush couch in Chateau Marmont, surrounded by a motley throng of well-wishers including Bill Maher, Richard Lewis, and Ron Jeremy as our first book was launched with full-fledged fanfare. It was an ugly little morsel, both visually and materially, that was being met with nothing less than enthusiastic response. Within weeks it climbed to the #1 spot on the L.A. Times non-fiction list. Bookstores sold out as soon as shipments came in. Reviews—what few we received—were favorable. Our mugs turned up on CNN and local news shows alike. Our mellifluous voices drifted from the radio.

L.A. Bizarro had arrived.

Then, just in time for the holiday season, the book vanished from shelves. Printing enough copies for eager gift givers just slipped the publisher’s mind. And the scarcity continued into the new year, until bookstores and readers alike kind of forgot about the strange little bastard and moved on to sleazier pastures. Nevertheless, over the ensuing decade, the book enjoyed more than 20 printings, and became a cult favorite. It was hard to run into someone in L.A. who had not heard of the book; some claimed it changed their lives. Some called it “their bible.”

Initially, Matt had no interest in doing a new L.A. Bizarro. He had nothing but bad memories (we were burned seven ways to Sunday by numerous parties), had moved on  to his other titles PAD, and PAD Parties, relocated to the Northeast, and better things to do with his time than write another low-paying sequel. Matt gave Tony his blessing and said that the title was Tony’s to do with as he pleased. Tony did nothing. The subject was dropped for a year or so, and in that time, Matt apparently warmed to the idea.

And that’s all it was going to be at first. An update. Throw out the places that had closed, clean up our sloppy writing (which we found incredibly awful; our first publisher didn’t see the need for a copy editor), add a few new photos, and we’d be done.

Instead, over overachievers that we are, we rewrote every entry in the book, added more than 80% new material, took all new photos, and ended up with a book almost twice as long and four times as legible as the original. It was a project that took almost two years to complete from start to finish. Thanks to Chronicle Books (who is NOT our previous publisher), it’s now available worldwide.

Though we won’t be enjoying any star-studded parties at the Chateau (or anywhere for that matter), we’re hoping for a reading/signing here or there if Matt can pry himself away from Boomerang, his Vermont clothing store and come to L.A. We’re also open to the occasional plug on TV and radio—especially the latter since it’s easier to get us both on the phone.

You can find the book at many fine local L.A. bookstores, or order it online through our website , which took a year of bad decisions, wasted money, and heartbreaking setbacks to launch (long, ugly story). Currently the website only touts the book, but soon there will be a place where you can post your own bizarro experiences, read our blogs and new reviews, and buy vicodin from foreign pharmacies.

Just wanted to make sure you were still reading.