One dozen years and counting with Chicagoist: or, watch me get all kinds of mushy.

From an actual 2009 Chicagoist post. No kidding.

Twelve years ago today I started writing for Chicagoist.

Twelve years.

I can still remember sending Scott Smith my first email answering the call for a music writer. And his invitation to do so,  including the ask that I keep writing under the name Tankboy. At the time the new wave of online journalism was still young and the idea of working a "brand" that was already established through years of writing under that name elsewhere still seemed valuable. And the funny thing is I don't regret it, no matter how many times I meet people and say, "My name is Jim Kopeny [blank stare] ... I also write under the name Tankboy for Chicagoist."

"OOOOOH! I know who you are! I've been reading you forever!"

Yeah.

So now I'm creeping on turning 45 and more people than not call me Tankboy.

Thanks Scott.*

ANYWAY.

Chicagoist was one of the first truly original—strike that. THE FIRST truly original-voiced Chicago blog** that—amazingly—maintained some sort of focus despite channeling a dizzying number of truly talented yet insane voices at the time. There were no rules. And we broke them all.

And we still do.

Things are obviously different. Twelve years in most eras would be a long time but in today's media environment that's like saying my genesis with Chicagoist was started sometime in the 1880s. (And that was true even before our current hyper news cycle that's launched into overdrive over the last 6 months!)

One weirdo and one guy that hired the weirdo. Circa 2006.

But Chicagoist is still it's own thing. And it's a thing I'm still proud of. It has managed to not turn into a carbon copy of every other media site trend despite watching countless others do just that over the years. How amazing is that? I  am still deeply proud of the site and amazed at how lucky I am to write for it.

Thank you Jen. Thank you Jake. Thank you to every other editor and writer I've worked alongside over the last twelve years.*** Especially the folks that sent in their initial emails wanting to write for the site, worked with me,  and then gave me the pure joy of seeing you go on to incredible other opportunities after your Chicagoist tenure.

Thank you.

And thank YOU for reading the site all this time. I write because I have to—because if I didn't I would explode—but I get the most enjoyment when YOU walk up to me and let me know something I posted on the site mattered to YOU, and got YOU out to a show or event, or helped YOU become a new band's biggest fan. Or got YOU to an event or to care about something, or change a friend's mind about something.

Thank YOU.

Oh yeah, and I met my wife because of Chicagoist.

I am such a lucky dude.

THANK YOU.


*I actually mean that. Thank you, Scott.
**Chicago Metblogs and Gapers Block were great, but I'm biased. Chicagoist just had it.
***The list is a mind-boggling list of talents. Oh my gosh, SO MANY AMAZING WRITERS.