Any chance of reviving Wrongthink or otherwise reengaging with TCW? Really enjoyed that podcast (it's how I found your blog) and think it was euthanized far too soon.
I've always wondered how people who write jokes for a living make sure that they don't write the same (or same-ish) joke multiple times. Do you have a process for going back sometimes to check and make sure that you haven't previously compared, say, Mitch McConnell to a snowman melting in the Sun?
The EPA to John Oliver is … not your standard career path. Not quite Brian May going from Queen to astrophysics PhD, but then, we aren’t all members of Queen. Anyway, how did all of that come about for you?
As a comedy writer, I'm curious how you think about the 'punching up vs punching down' debates your field sometimes has.
Was watching Shane Gillis's standup recently and there were parts that I thought were really funny and clever, but also parts that seemed weirdly mean. Like, it felt unnecessarily mean in a downwards direction. I'm not trying to cancel the guy but it was distinctly the weakest, least funny part of his set. I'm not sure if it's that I've changed or the culture has changed, but it definitely feels like something has changed.
I would also be interested to hear Jeff's thoughts on this. My own view, that punching up vs punching down is an incoherent concept, is summarized by Freddie DeBoer in this post.
I'll leave it to Jeff's discretion, but I think a sun bear or panda would be the funniest. Panda's arent endangered anymore so are fair game for bear fights, right?
What percentage of your subscribers are paid and is there a substack-wide average that is known publicly?
And is there a point where this gets too big and you either quit TV writing or leverage the sub into a stand up career in the theater circuit or some network hands you a show?
I've been a longtime listener and weeks-long subscriber... and yet, NOT ONCE have you visited your fan(s?) here in Tampa. This shameful indignity demands satisfaction, preferably in a manor more suited to Astley than Burr.
😏 truly appreciate your comically delivered insights and insightfully delivered comedy!
You talk a lot about TV comedy, but are there any humorous authors/writing that have inspired you? You mentioned The Onion in its glory days, but anything else? Mark Twain, Dave Barry, etc?
Why have all the broadcast television networks chosen to hire late night hosts that have nearly identical, far left wing political views (e.g., Colbert, Kimmel, Meyers, etc.)? Aren’t these networks missing out on an obvious counter-programing opportunity? Why doesn’t, for example, one of the networks fire the lowest rated late night host and replace them with a conservative leaning comedian (e.g., Greg Gutfeld)?
I think the related question is, why won't the late night hosts also make fun of the left, because there's plenty there to make fun of too. Yesterday's Woke Kindergarten as a perfect example.
I wasn’t arguing for hiring Gutfeld from a program quality perspective. Rather, I imagine he (or a similar conservative comedian) would be likelier to draw more eyeballs than the current lowest rated late night host on one of the broadcast TV networks.
Hi Stan! I wrote a whole book about this called “A Conservative Walks Into a Bar” but the bottom line now is a super-polarized political climate that seeps into our pop culture. Just m 2 cents from an academic - looking forward to a funnier response.
I've come to be almost as annoyed by the Democrats' phrase "democracy is on the ballot" as I am by the phrase "I'm calling about your vehicle's warranty". Specifically, it strikes me as the type of thing that invites easy criticism - then why didn't you think more seriously about shaking up the ticket to make it stronger? - but also will handicap Democrats in the event of a Trump win. What do they do in the event they lose? Just yell "well not LITERALLY" or "that's curtains on democracy, tune back in in four years for a new episode of Let's Make a Republic!". In all seriousness, it seems like an abstract slogan with little concrete ability to motivate voters (compared to something pegged to a more concrete topic like abortion rights) but that also has a pretty stinging potential downside. Thoughts?
Any chance of reviving Wrongthink or otherwise reengaging with TCW? Really enjoyed that podcast (it's how I found your blog) and think it was euthanized far too soon.
Hi Jeff, I have 2 questions:
Is my tap water safe to drink?
Does recycling help the earth, or is it bullshit?
I've always wondered how people who write jokes for a living make sure that they don't write the same (or same-ish) joke multiple times. Do you have a process for going back sometimes to check and make sure that you haven't previously compared, say, Mitch McConnell to a snowman melting in the Sun?
The EPA to John Oliver is … not your standard career path. Not quite Brian May going from Queen to astrophysics PhD, but then, we aren’t all members of Queen. Anyway, how did all of that come about for you?
You mentioned The West Wing in a recent podcast. What are your thoughts on the show, and have they changed since its original run?
If a surprise appearance from Astley gets you Rick Rolled, what does a spontaneous surprise from Aaron Burr get you?
As a comedy writer, I'm curious how you think about the 'punching up vs punching down' debates your field sometimes has.
Was watching Shane Gillis's standup recently and there were parts that I thought were really funny and clever, but also parts that seemed weirdly mean. Like, it felt unnecessarily mean in a downwards direction. I'm not trying to cancel the guy but it was distinctly the weakest, least funny part of his set. I'm not sure if it's that I've changed or the culture has changed, but it definitely feels like something has changed.
I would also be interested to hear Jeff's thoughts on this. My own view, that punching up vs punching down is an incoherent concept, is summarized by Freddie DeBoer in this post.
https://freddiedeboer.substack.com/p/punching-up-and-punching-down-have
If you could tag team with another substack columnist in an MMa match against a bear, who would you pick?
What kind of bear? Might be worthwhile to find a tasty teammate and trip them and run away.
I'll leave it to Jeff's discretion, but I think a sun bear or panda would be the funniest. Panda's arent endangered anymore so are fair game for bear fights, right?
What percentage of your subscribers are paid and is there a substack-wide average that is known publicly?
And is there a point where this gets too big and you either quit TV writing or leverage the sub into a stand up career in the theater circuit or some network hands you a show?
I've been a longtime listener and weeks-long subscriber... and yet, NOT ONCE have you visited your fan(s?) here in Tampa. This shameful indignity demands satisfaction, preferably in a manor more suited to Astley than Burr.
😏 truly appreciate your comically delivered insights and insightfully delivered comedy!
First of all, how dare you?
You talk a lot about TV comedy, but are there any humorous authors/writing that have inspired you? You mentioned The Onion in its glory days, but anything else? Mark Twain, Dave Barry, etc?
Why have all the broadcast television networks chosen to hire late night hosts that have nearly identical, far left wing political views (e.g., Colbert, Kimmel, Meyers, etc.)? Aren’t these networks missing out on an obvious counter-programing opportunity? Why doesn’t, for example, one of the networks fire the lowest rated late night host and replace them with a conservative leaning comedian (e.g., Greg Gutfeld)?
I think the related question is, why won't the late night hosts also make fun of the left, because there's plenty there to make fun of too. Yesterday's Woke Kindergarten as a perfect example.
Jeff's written about Gutfeld before (he was, uh, not a fan)
https://imightbewrong.substack.com/p/why-gutfeld-is-the-highest-rated
I wasn’t arguing for hiring Gutfeld from a program quality perspective. Rather, I imagine he (or a similar conservative comedian) would be likelier to draw more eyeballs than the current lowest rated late night host on one of the broadcast TV networks.
Hi Stan! I wrote a whole book about this called “A Conservative Walks Into a Bar” but the bottom line now is a super-polarized political climate that seeps into our pop culture. Just m 2 cents from an academic - looking forward to a funnier response.
Thanks, I’ll have to check it out!
questionless babe
The best kind...
Is that your real voice on the audio version of IMBW or have you cleverly figured out how to get an AI to sound that weird?
On a related note, would you be interested in reading some of David Sedaris's memoirs.
(j/k, mostly. i enjoy your stuff and pay for it taboot)
I've come to be almost as annoyed by the Democrats' phrase "democracy is on the ballot" as I am by the phrase "I'm calling about your vehicle's warranty". Specifically, it strikes me as the type of thing that invites easy criticism - then why didn't you think more seriously about shaking up the ticket to make it stronger? - but also will handicap Democrats in the event of a Trump win. What do they do in the event they lose? Just yell "well not LITERALLY" or "that's curtains on democracy, tune back in in four years for a new episode of Let's Make a Republic!". In all seriousness, it seems like an abstract slogan with little concrete ability to motivate voters (compared to something pegged to a more concrete topic like abortion rights) but that also has a pretty stinging potential downside. Thoughts?