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Q&A: Shooting the poor-folk breeze with Broke-Ass Stuart
To showcase his new work, Young, Broke & Beautiful: Broke-Ass Stuart's Guide to Living Cheaply, Stuart Schuffman is bringing his Broke-As-Hell Book Tour to Philly for a reading and Q&A session followed by an after party featuring DJ Handsome Sam.
Q&A: Shooting the poor-folk breeze with Broke-Ass Stuart
Broke-Ass Stuart Schuffman has rethought the concent of a book signing. To showcase his new work, Young, Broke & Beautiful: Broke-Ass Stuart’s Guide to Living Cheaply, the author and TV star is bringing his Broke-As-Hell Book Tour to Philly for a reading and Q&A session followed by an after party featuring DJ Handsome Sam.
We were able to catch up with him for a chat about everything from how to be frugal on a date and what he means by “broke-itude” to whether we can expect a Broke-Ass Stuart’s Guide to Living Cheaply in Philadelphia.
City Paper: So you’ve had a slew of successful books and your own TV show on IFC. Do you feel any different knowing that you’re not only on TV but have an entire Wikipedia page dedicated to you?
Broke-Ass Stuart: You know what’s funny? I’m still doing the same shit as ever. I mean, I’m doing this book tour and I’m totally funding it myself, which means I don’t have any money. Which is fine, because I’m doing it for a bigger reason. It’s also just fun.
CP: Would there be a difference between “Broke-Ass Stuart” and “Rich-Ass Stuart”? What would some differences be?
BAS: Not much would be different; I’d still be going to the same shitty bars with the same shitty people. I’m a guy that thinks with his gut, so maybe I might have some nicer meals sometimes, but really it’s just the way I look at the world. I don’t need “things” to be happy.
CP: Where does your phrase “you are young, broke and beautiful” originate?
BAS: I actually woke up one day with it. It was one of those things where I was 25, maybe 26, and I was just thinking of something pretty and poetic, something I might run into if I were to look at a poem. And it just sort of came to me from that.
CP: Do you think your tips for living cheaply in cities like San Francisco and New York extend to other cities as well?
BAS: Yeah, a lot of them do. The new book is a general guidebook, and it covers how to live in any city cheaply where you can travel, have a drink, all of that stuff. It’s applicable anywhere.
CP: What’s the best tip you could give to a broke-ass college kid?
BAS: Buy my book. [Laughs]
CP: You mean assuming they can scrape up money after their alcohol allowance?
BAS: There’s an entire section about drinking that a lot of college kids would love. Have you ever gone to a big festival where you’re not allowed to bring your own booze in, but you can bring food items in for a picnic? What you do is make a big tin or pan of JELLO shots and let the people at the gate think that you’re bringing it as dessert for your picnic. There’s an entire section on vodka, building your own home bar cheaply and also traveling. I spent years living out of a bag … I’ve been around the planet. I’ve traveled a lot.
CP: So you’re sort of a rags-to-riches story?
BAS: But I’m still broke, dude! [Laughs]
CP: What would be the ideal date revolving around the idea of “broke-itude”?
BAS: Ideal date? Good question … I would hang outdoors, have a drink [or] share a burrito. Otherwise there’s all kinds of cool stuff: You can check out a museum for free, go for a walk on a nice day, go to a public park and hang out if it’s cool. There’s so much to see for free in a city, whether by yourself or with someone, no matter what city you’re in. And dates have nothing to do with what you’re doing; it has to do with who you’re with and how you’re vibing with each other.
CP: Will we ever see a “Broke-Ass Stuart’s Guide to Living Cheaply in Philadelphia”?
BAS: I would love that! I’d like to extend to a bunch of different cities — and Philly, I love Philly. And I’m not just saying that because you’re a local paper. It’s such a cool town. A pretty walkable city. People are friendly once you engage with them, and there’s lots of cool history and shit going on.
CP: Why should Philadelphians be interested in coming out to your book event on Friday?
BAS: You should come out because it’s going to be a good fucking time! I’ll be reading a short story that I just published today, I’ll be reading from the book on how to live cheaply and we all get to hang out, dance and have fun. I don’t do anything “normally.” I’m a weird person. Anybody can do a book reading and a signing, but not everyone gets to dance about it.
Tonight, 8 p.m., free, Smith's Restaurant and Lounge, 39-41 S. 19th St., 267-546-2669, smiths-restaurant.com.
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