The Life and Times of Kevin Hipes, the New York Forrest Gump
Memoir
Date Published: July 24, 2025
From the streets of Queens to the deck of an oil tanker in the
Caribbean—meet Kevin Hipes, the real-life New York Forrest Gump.
Book of Me is not your average memoir. It’s a laugh-out-loud,
tear-in-your-eye, one-of-a-kind true story collection from a man who has lived
more lives than most of us can imagine. Factory worker. Hippie. Banker.
Entrepreneur. Rockstar (sort of). Preacher. Politician. Oil tanker owner.
Cancer survivor. Bipolar truth-teller. Kevin Hipes has worn all these
hats—and more.
Told with warmth, humor, and heart, Kevin’s stories come alive in this
unconventional autobiography. Originally recorded as a series of YouTube
episodes on his channel Planet Hipes, these 66 episodes have been transformed
into a compelling, easy-to-read book that invites you to laugh, cry, reflect,
and recognize a bit of yourself along the way.
What you’ll find inside:
✅ Hilarious tales from childhood in Queens
✅ Life lessons learned the hard way—and the funny way
✅ Private struggles and surprising triumphs
✅ A faith-driven journey of self-discovery and humility
✅ A reminder that we’re all “special” in our own unique way
Whether you're looking for a good laugh, a touch of inspiration, or a wildly
entertaining ride through 70 years of true-life adventures, Book of Me will
leave you smiling, thinking, and maybe even saying, “Hey, I’ve got
a story like that too.”
📺 BONUS: After reading the book, head to Kevin’s YouTube channel Planet
Hipes and experience the stories told by Kevin himself—animated, real,
and unforgettable.
Because life’s not about the destination—it’s about the
journey. And Kevin Hipes has one hell of a story to tell.
Quotes
We’re going to buy an oil tanker in the Caribbean. Yes we’re going to be millionaires! What a nightmare it turned out to be….
So the mortgage company called me and said, “There’s been a sighting of a ghost in your house, do you still want to buy it? I said of course I do, as far as I’m concerned if it mows the Lawn it can stay. But no one gets a free ride in my house!
When we got off the plane at the Moscow airport in 1994 to do mission work , wow totally different than in the west… us noisy Americans came flying off the plane and all the Russians stared at us continued to walk with their heads down in silence. I said to my group I think behind the iron curtain!
As the Home Depot truck backs into our driveway at 6am with hundreds of 30-pound blocks to build our new cesspool my sister says Joe’s asleep and he doesn’t know you’re doing this… I said, Tell Joe to set the alarm for now!
My boss Harry Grant was a unique Israeli guy with a long last name so he changed it to Grant. I said, “Why did you pick the name Grant?” He said, “Because everything I touch is grant!”
My boss Harry walked around with a hard hat and a card that had a picture of him standing in front of an American flag. It reads…Harry Grant #1 Developer USA. unbelievable…
We Used to love Harry‘s press conferences when he was going to build the tallest tower in the world in Newark, New Jersey with a monorail connection to Manhattan. The reporters said, “Mr. Grant how did you decide to make the tower 121 stories?” Harry said, “Because 21 is a lucky number, blackjack!
Yes, I have marriage advice. Never have a Plan B. Because if you have a Plan B, you will eventually use it…..
I was waiting for a sign from God before I asked my wife to marry m. She got tired of waiting so she followed me to my car in the middle of winter, swung me around and kissed me passionately. I said to myself, “There’s my sign!”
Yeah, I was a 19-year-old rock guitar player. I jammed with a kid named Brian Setzer. He was 14 years old and had a mouthful of braces. He blew me away! Who knew he was going to become famous….
Yeah, I was a street kid from Queens with no college education. I was surrounded by Harvard graduates in the office. I realize they knew a lot about college football and golf but they weren’t any smarter than I was. As a matter of fact, I was smarter than most of them!
To save money on the road with my rock band, we decided to be our own opening act and disguise ourselves. This were great, but they became as popular as our Beatlemania show! We tole the fans who wanted to meet them, those 50’s guys are dangerous. We keep them locked up in crates back stage…
Being in a Beatlemania band was not so easy. Especially, when our glued-on mustaches kept falling off on stage under the 100-watt par lights during our Sgt pepper set….
We had a dentist named Dr. Sotland. We called him, “Sotland the butcher” Why, because my mom couldn’t afford nonvaccine so all our cavities were drilled out with us kids screaming in the chair!
Back in the 60s. Your parents made all the decisions what you wanted didn’t matter. But do you know what, it kind of toughen up for the real world….
We did some crazy things in the rock band. Like after a show at 4 AM diving off the Howard Johnson’s balcony headfirst into 8-foot snowdrifts. Can’t believe we lived through that…..
I have a personal policy in life; When somebody offends me I have a choice. I can choose to be offended or not to be offended. I always chose not to be offended. This makes my life a lot easier……
When I was a hippie, I drove around in this big old step van that I turned into a party wagon. I got pulled over and the cop said I was driving on a restricted highway with a truck. I said I got passenger plates. This is not a truck. Well, he proceeded to check all the equipment on my old truck and gave me six tickets…..
My first car was a 1964 Malibu convertible. When I put the top up it had a big hole in it and it smelt like mildew so that’s what I named my first car….. Mildew!
Back in the early 70s I had no money. My car needed a paint job so I bought a quart of paint and a ceiling roller and painted it myself. It looked great from a distance…..
Back in 73 and me and my buddy Artie decided to hitchhike to the Elmira Summer jam. The biggest hippie rock concert ever with over 600,000 hippies. All we brought was a case of Schaffer beer and three cans a Chef Boyardee ravioli….
In 1970, I not only got Ozzy Osbourne’s autograph, I took a leak next to him in the alley next to the Filmore East!
My brother Mike and I were complete opposites… Mike would “do it” first then think about it….
I would “think about it” first then “do it.” I never get caught. Mike always did…..
I was the fastest kid on the block in street football but I had some sort of knee disease. So I wasn’t allowed to play. The doctor said you have to take the special bus to school because you can’t walk long distances. I said there’s no way I’m taking the “retard bus” to school…..
When I found out, I had bad knees and couldn’t play sports in high school, I started playing my guitar and turned into a hippie….
When my first girlfriend Judy moved away I was heartbroken. I remember my older sister playing a Lesley Gore song on her record player over and over. It was called ”Judy’s turn to cry.” Every time I heard it, I got a little tear in my eye thinking about my first love, Judy…..
My first memory is when I was 12 months old. I was in a baby carriage where my mom was pushing down a city street. I remember staring up at a blanket over the carriage to keep me warm. I was staring at the weaved blanket pattern trying to figure out how they did that….
When I became a Christian, it completely changed my life, but it didn’t change my personality, but it did change my perspective and my purpose….
Scripture taught me a lot. I became fearless and wasn’t afraid to try anything because I learned if your humble, you can’t be humiliated. You can only be humiliated if you’re prideful.
I don’t exorcise… You see you only get so many heart beats in life. I’m not going to waste any by running on a tread mill every day. That will use them up….
About the Author
Kevin Hipes is a born storyteller, lifelong entrepreneur, and proud New Yorker
with a personality as big as the adventures he's lived. Often called
“the New York Forrest Gump,” Kevin’s life has taken him from
the streets of Queens to the pulpit, to business boardrooms, and even to the
deck of his very own oil tanker in the Caribbean. As Kevin often says
“Forrest owned a shrimp boat, but I owned an Oil Tanker and my story is
true!”
With no formal writing background, Kevin still managed to turn a lifetime of
unbelievable experiences into a heartfelt, hilarious, and deeply human
book—Book of Me. Rather than writing in the traditional sense, Kevin
recorded over 100 personal episodes for his YouTube channel, Planet Hipes,
then compiled them into a unique memoir filled with wit, wisdom,determination,
and raw truth.
As an uneducated street kid from Queens, Kevin has lived many lives from
factory worker to Hippie, to rockstar (almost), banker, preacher,
restaurateur, politician and more. He shares not just the ups and downs of a
seven-decade journey but speaks intimately about being a cancer survivor who
also struggled through and dealt with a bipolar disorder, keeping the high
energy manic side while overcoming the devastating depressions that plagued
him through most of his life. You will find Kevin’s faith in God,
unrelenting positive mindset and sense of humor make for a powerful story
boldly told in his own words.
Kevin currently lives in Orlando, Florida, where he owns and runs HCB Real
Estate, a retail commercial brokerage and development firm. Book of Me is his
debut memoir and a testament to the power of authenticity, faith, and
self-deprecating humor.
Follow Kevin’s stories on YouTube: Planet Hipes and experience the
animated storyteller in action.
Contact Links
Website
YouTube
TikTok
Purchase Link
Amazon
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