THE SECOND MOST INTERESTING MAN IN THE WORLD April 3, 2026

My favorite TV advertising campaign consisted of humorous commercials for Dos Equis beer featuring “The Most Interesting Man in the World.” Frankly, I could have been Dos Equis’ spokesperson. 

The spots ran from 2006 to 2018, and were brought back last January. (“He had a staring contest with the sun. And won.”) Fine. But I’ve packed mucho interesting stuff into my 81 years. Here’s a taste:

I skied the entire length of Mount Everest—uphill… I won the Boston Marathon running backwards—and stopping for a slice of pizza… The Golden Gate Bridge District pays me to drive across the bridge.

When I was born, I slapped the doctor on his backside… Las Vegas Blackjack dealers push chips at me before I settle into my seat at their table… Whales leave the Pacific’s Continental Shelf and swim into San Francisco Bay to go David-watching. 

I threw a flat rock into the water at Ocean Beach. It skipped its way across the Pacific  to the beach at Waimea Bay in Kauai, Hawaii. (The only surfers hurt were those scrambling for the stone.)… When I cross the street, the little man in the crossing sign bows… At the San Fermín festival in Pamplona, Spain, I chase the bulls.

When I visit the Leaning Tower of Pisa, it straightens up… I once mushed a dogsled team across the Everglades on a July day hitting 97 degrees… I read all 19 of Charles Dickens’ finished novels on a non-stop flight from San Francisco to New York. I also got in a movie.

When I stroll in a crowd on a sunny day, other people’s shadows make way for mine like the Reed Sea parting for the Israelites fleeing Pharaoh’s army… ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude asks me to answer the AI questions they can’t… One July, Niagara Falls froze for a full minute so I could stay dry on my sightseeing boat… 

When I cook Sunday brunch, the eggs scramble themselves… On a recent trip to Iceland, the Northern Lights spelled out Halló, David in three different type fonts… When I leave New York after a visit, the lights in Times Square blink out Morse Code: David, we’ll miss you!

At New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, Henri Rousseau’s The Sleeping Gypsy wakes up and plays me a klezmer tune on his mandolin… At the Louvre in Paris, da Vinci’s Mona Lisa not only smiles at me but also winks. And laughs at my jokes… While I’m at the Louvre, I check in on the Venus de Milo, who grows arms and gives me a hug.

At the Presidio Golf Club near my home, my ball took off on its own at every tee and landed in the hole. My card registered a beyond-perfect score of zero… When I played Spyglass Hill at Pebble Beach, the hole on each green moved to accommodate my wandering putts… Last Wednesday night, the prophet Elijah not only let himself into our Seder but also brought a flourless chocolate cake from Zabar’s. 

I also could claim to be the most humble man in the world, but I’m too humble to do that. For now, I’ll gladly accept the silver medal for most interesting. However, a beer-spokesman contract wouldn’t hurt. 

Barring that, neither would a six-pack of Kona Longboard.

We all need a laugh more than ever. Let yourself go. And Happy Passover, or Happy Easter, or Happy It’s Another Day.

To understand the background of today’s far-right, authoritarian descent, read my new novel, RIDE THE TYGER. Order from Amazon, barnesandnoble.com, iuniverse.com, or your favorite bookstore.