7 Comments

Jeff, I came across your work via the incomparable Andrew Heaton. I wish I could remember which podcast it was, but at this point I think he has about ten, so that's not happening. I'm enjoying the 'writing' immensely. The qualifier on 'writing' here is because I'm primarily doing so via the podcast audio as befits someone like myself who is lazy and borderline illiterate. Good news though, I'm also bad with money, so enjoy some of mine.

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New to the show via The Gist. Noticed the royalty-free public domain music ya got going. You can borrow my version of Stephen Foster's "Hard Times, Come Again No More" royalty-free anytime you like. Or any of my music for that matter.

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Brother, I feel your intro. I am politically homeless and FFS, and I am in an HBO doc about electioneering against Roy freaking Moore. "Base player from Hoobastank" is the entire media at this point. I am stuck between gender gibberish on the left and Covid goobers on the right. Eff this media culture in all of its holes. You are totally on top of "what is subversive" in this bizarre, penises-can-be-female moment.

You worked for Oliver? I wonder what he makes of gender gibberish. Totally understand why he might not risk speaking wrongthink. Feel free to whisper out of school in my ear about that.

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Don't remember

Redeye?

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I remember how I used to love Colbert and Stewart when Bush was in power. Then came Obama and complete silence. Colbert roasted Bush at WH correspondents dinner like nobody before him, but then chose to ignore Obama completely. I liked John Oliver's show briefly. I was turned off because of how he covered some serious subjects, adding some horrible jokes in between. Then came 2016 and he became unbearable. I hate it when there is a clear party line in their material. Sacred cows should not exist in comedy. It was clear that now comedy has been transferred to "conservative" side, because they didn't spare their own and they covered all the democrat BS, everyone else was just ignoring. Btw, remember Wanda Sykes show on Fox? I had high hopes even though as a black, lesbian, jewish woman, she felt like token of tokens. It was just not funny and quickly turned into "defending Obama show".

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Dear Mr. Maurer,

I hope this comment finds you well! I am writing with a question about how you make money. On this podcast episode, you joked that people would purchase a paid subscription "if they're bad with money," suggesting that there really is nothing in it for paid subscribers. Do you make money from invisible advertisements in your regular newsletter or inaudible ads in your podcasts? Does Substack or Spotify send you a check for producing content? What is in it for me, a potential paid subscriber to give you my money aside from the virtuous joy of knowing that I am subsidizing your groceries and/or subscriptions to other substacks?

Best wishes,

Thom Yorke

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author

Hi Thom. I really enjoy your work. I mean, The King of Limbs was a little hit & miss, but on the balance, truly outstanding.

The answer is that I don't (really) make money on this! Not yet, except for the people who have decided to pay $6 a month out of (presumably) some abstract sense of right and wrong that I don't totally understand but absolutely appreciate. One day, I'll put up a paywall, and about half the stuff will go behind it. I don't know when that will be. For now, I'm in the "audience building" phase -- I'm trying to get the word out to the sick fucks who enjoy what I write, and I don't want newcomers hitting a paywall. Gotta let people kick the tires, ya know? So, for now, people can choose to pay $6 a month, or they can "pay" by sharing the article and telling their friends, which is how I build an audience.

For the time being, it remains basically the "In Rainbows" model -- pay if you feel like it! I paid $20 for that album, so if you'd like to kick that back to me know, I guess that would make us even.

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