Nathan Rabin (head writer) was a bicentennial baby, an experience that somehow left him with a surprisingly low tolerance for jingoistic, hyper-patriotic country songs, although they do make some excellent points about the importance of sticking boots up various terrorists' asses. After a childhood epiphany following a viewing of Bill And Ted's Excellent Adventure, Nathan decided to pursue a career in film, a decision solidified when a well-meaning social worker enrolled him in a class on gender roles in film noir at Chicago's Facet's Multimedia when he was an impressionable 14-year-old. During a long stint as a video-store clerk, he met fellow clerk Keith Phipps, who hooked him up with this sweet-ass gig at The A.V. Club. Alas, he couldn't cut it as a video-store register-jockey, so he's worked for The A.V Club—primarily as its head writer—ever since, effectively avoiding productive work and meaningful labor in the process.