I’m old enough to remember when Howard Stern was the bad boy of radio and to listen to him was, unto itself, scandalous. But here’s the thing — the man is one of the best interviewers out there today. He’s a great. This is why so much of the media elite listens to him on a religious basis.
Howard Stern
I will note, of course, that he has an extremely annoying tendency to descend into such crassness that I just can’t listen to him on a regular basis. It’s all very jarring and the part of his media persona that I can not abide by.
And, yet, weirdly enough, I have an extremely tenuous connection to him that in the back of my mind I always think maybe I could use to get my novel published. I have, on occasion spoken to the ex-girlfriend of “whack pack” member Benji Bronk (even spoken to Bronk himself).
But that’s rather fantastical. I’m not putting too much weight on the possibility that that extremely weak connection to Stern might get the novel in front of Stern at some point after it’s finished. But it’s fun to think about
Anyway, the ultimate weird thing about Stern is he should have been hard canceled full stop a long time ago — and yet he continues to be very popular and very influential.
After a number of years of hard work, I’m now finally transitioning my first draft into a second draft. I never knew how much re-reading and re-writing writing a novel would require.
But here I am.
It really hits home every day how little time I left on this earth and, as such, I need to hurry the fuck up. I really need to get something, anything done. I would prefer to have at least three novels done when I try to sell something, so I could follow in the footsteps of my hero Stieg Larsson.
But, we’ll see, I suppose.
I just need to finish something, anything. I need to get the first novel done and then I can use it as a calling card for other writing. I read my stuff now and it’s not nearly as embarrassing as it has been in the past.
It’s a all a lot of hard work, though. I keep having to read and reread and write and rewrite over and over and over and over again. But I just don’t want to embarrass myself. It’s really hard getting your writing good enough to the point that someone who doesn’t know you can read your work cold and not throw the book across the room.
The first ping as to which way things will go will be when Roe is overturned at some point very soon. If people are just too tuned out when the Dobbs decision is handed down to care, then it’s very possible we’re going to just going to turn into a MAGA themed autocracy.
But if people freak out and there is violence because of Dobbs then, holy shit is there a good chance that Dobbs will be a modern day Dred Scott and, as such, a precursor to an extremely violent “national divorce.”
As of this writing — before Dobbs comes out — I just don’t think there’s going to be any violence. (I hope.) While American definitely feels likes like its in the scary montage before a civil war, Americans are in general pretty copacetic. I just don’t see Americans getting riled up enough to finally start murdering each other for political reasons.
The fucking fascist MAGA cocksuckers are just too passionate, too organized and have too much name brand leadership for Blues to attempt any sort of secession. (Make not doubt about it, if there’s a civil war, it will be because Blues, on a state level, try to leave the Union — Reds are ascendant and have no reason to rock the boat. But they are very stupid, so anything is possible.)
But even if there is not political violence because of Dobbs, from the moment it comes out the clock will be ticking. Republicans are now old school fascists who hate democracy — don’t even believe in it — and, as such, once they have power again that’s it.
Unless there is a civil war, we’re never going to have another free and fair election. We’ll be just like Russian once Putin became president. I’m not saying it’s going to happen overnight and, in the end, it’s probably going to be a “very American autocracy” but long term the drift will be towards a Russian-style autocracy. What’s worst, it’s not like MAGA thought leaders are hiding that this is their goal.
That’s why, like, there should be some low-key panic going on within the elites that at the moment I’m not seeing. We know what’s coming and…lulz? Nothing is being done to save our democratic republic? No drive to have some sort of unity ticket that might at least punt our problems down the road a little bit longer?
I totally agree with this by Jamelle Bouie of The New York Times.
The state of our democracy is very dire at the moment and the lack of willingness to acknowledge that by the American Establishment is concerning.
Maybe if there was some panic now, we would be willing to seriously consider a unity ticket in 2024 of, say, Cheney / AOC. But, as it stands, we’re slouching towards autocracy.
When the crisis strikes in 2024 – 2025, we’re all going to be sucker punched and that will be that. But the entire system is designed to keep people complacent and to avoid panic.
As such, I think it’s a foregone conclusion that the fascists are going to win and that will be that. We’re going to slip into autocracy and 20 years from now President-for-Life DeSantis will be thinking about invading Canada for this or that reason.
Things really are that dire in the United States right now, especially given how a huge swath of MAGA doesn’t even believe in democracy in the USA anymore to begin with.
I learned a lot about myself in Seoul. I know what I’m good — and bad — at. I’m a good organizer and good at articulating ideals. I have a very broadcast type personality. But I have a huge weakness — I need help persuading anyone. In short, I have no friends and no one likes me.
Annie Shapiro and me way back when in Seoul.
But I know that under the right circumstances, I have the skillset to do Something Great. At the moment, that Something Great is writing developing and writing six novels between now and whenever I shuffle off this mortal coil. Yet there is also the possibility that should the US go tits up as part of a Second American Civil War that the finger of God will point at me.
I’m being extremely speculative — and egotistical — but given the chance, I think there’s a fairly decent chance that I might rise to the occasion and do something Historic with my life. I usually excel in chaos, as my time in Seoul as expat attests.
I think way too much about this, in fact.
I wonder if it’s still possible for me, being the big old loser that I am, to be a Child of the Revolution. Or, put another way, if I’m ever going to live up to my expectations for myself, something pretty astonishing would have to happen one way or another. And a Second American Civil War would definitely fit the bill on that front.
I always though of myself as more of a Trotsky.
As I’ve said, if there is some sort of “national divorce” I’m heading north. It could be a lot of fun living in revolutionary New York City that might spring up as part of a Second American Civil War.
Then I think about how no one likes me and I have no friends. The only reason why I got to have such an interesting experience in Seoul way back when was I had a partner, Annie Shapiro, who was able to get people to listen to me.
Anyway, I guess we’ll know soon enough, huh. It could be as soon as January 2023 if we’re going to have a civil war or not. It could happen that soon, of course, if Trump becomes speaker and personally demands that Red States leave the Union in an effort to put pressure on the Senate to convict both Biden and Harris.
It is a testament to where things are right now with American pop culture and media that Julia Fox is out there, being a walking meme…and there’s not really any one blog or magazine (or even podcast) that I associate with her rise.
I mean, back in the day, there was Gawker and Julia Allison. That was an interesting dynamic that was a lot of fun to see unfold. She was young and dumb and Gawker enjoyed documenting her hot girl silliness.
In fact, I would go so far as to say that Julia Fox is one of a number of post-pandemic things that are part of the general “vibe shift” that is occurring in America at the moment.
And, in a different world — one where I had, like, friends and stuff — I would try to start a blog or a podcast that would do what the old Gawker did with Julia Allison. But, in a sense, I think that says more about my lost, squandered youth than anything else.
I just love the process of starting a new media outlet, however small, and it would be so much fun to start a new blog or podcast that hoped to not only document Julia Fox’s ever twitch, but also follow in the snarky tradition of Spy, Late Night With David Letterman and, of course, Gawker.
But it’s not to be.
Even if I managed to pull it off, it couldn’t be a blog, it would have to be a podcast. That’s where all the buzz and energy is these days. I can go months without looking at any media outlet other than Twitter and YouTube. And, I suspect, millions of other people are the same way.
I look at New York Magazine’s blog or the Undead Gawker’s blog and…it’s all very underwhelming. Meh. So what. Give me something hyper modern that talks about all the interesting, cool cultural developments in post-pandemic America.
Things are going really well — so far — with this now six novel project I’m working on. Though, I have to admit that obviously Serious Writers can not bring themselves to take me seriously given that I can’t even get an hour of their time if I pay them.
If that’s not sad, I don’t know what is.
But anyway, I working on the second draft of the first novel and seriously contemplating the development of the second. I know this huge universe I’ve come up with really well and it’s a lot of fun to bounce around it as necessary
And yet.
I know if I had a wife or a girlfriend, she probably would suggest that my ambition is far exceeding my actual ability. She would say, “Honey, maybe work on a scifi novel just in case? Or find a real job so you can afford to buy the photographic equipment you want so bad?”
In short, she would tell me “no.”
But I have no one to tell me no. So I can keep working on a six novel project, not knowing if I’m going to make a massive fool out of myself or not. But, in all honesty, I have to admit that I wouldn’t listen to a wife or girlfriend even if I had one.
I’m just too stubborn.
Which, maybe, is why I’m alone in the first place.
Gather ye rosebuds while you may — things are going to get bumpy pretty quick, maybe even as early as Wednesday. As you may know, Wednesday is the next day when SCOTUS hands out decisions. And it could be that Wednesday will be the day when we finally see Roe overturned.
Now, I’m growing more and more confident that we’re not going to have a civil war. Trump seems — seems? — to be receding in power and, as such, fucking fascist Ron DeSantis (who my conservative relatives love, love, love, love) could very well be America’s Putin very peacefully.
He becomes POTUS in 2025 and that, as they say, will be that.
But either way — civil war or autocracy — this is it. These are the before times. American life is going to change in a pretty dramatic fashion one way or another a lot sooner than you might think.
There could very well be real political violence this summer when it begins to sink in to people that Roe has been overturned. And, yet, I have my doubts. It’s not until wealthy white liberal women in Blue States can’t have abortions that shit will hit the fan. Lulz.
But stranger things have happened, I suppose. It will be interesting to see if the overturn of Roe really is a modern day Dred Scott decision or if we just continue to slouch towards autocracy.
America is on edge, has been for some time and it’s like we all feel that Something Big is going to happen pretty soon. None of us know what that Something Big is going to be.
This is the twilight of one age and the beginning of a new one. We may be about to enter a Second American Civil War with all the destruction that comes with it or we might be simply going to turn into a Russian-style autocracy. But one thing is for sure: a lot of macro trends are coming to a head right about now. It will be interesting to see how things break.
It makes you think if The Fourth Turning was on to something. (I think the writers were full of shit, but it definitely is spooky how well they predicted what’s going on right now.)
Like I keep saying — get ready. Prepare. Pick a side. Figure out what you believe in. That’s all I got.
I may be just a lowly drunk Internet crank that can’t even get literary types to give me the time of day even if I pay them, but I have a pretty good bead on politics in America.
At least, sometimes.
I know a lot of the time, ok, most of the time, I’m totally wrong. But this one time I was right — I have long suggested that Twitter liberals / progressives are so desperate for some sort of leadership that they would embrace people like Liz Cheney for POTUS.
And, lo and behold, since the beginning of the January 6th Committee hearings, this very thing has happened. A number of pieces have been done suggesting Cheney should run as either a Democrat or as part of some sort of “Unity Ticket” of Biden / Cheney.
U.S. Representative Liz Cheney (R-WY) delivers an opening statement during the opening hearing of the U.S. House (Select) Committee investigating the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, on July 27, 2021 at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC. During its first hearing the committee, currently made up of seven Democrats and two Republicans, will hear testimony from law enforcement officers about their experiences while defending the Capitol from the pro-Trump mob on January 6. (Photo by Jim Bourg-Pool/Getty Images)
I probably should give you links, but I’m too lazy.
But this raises an interesting question, if liberals are so ready to embrace Liz Cheney for high office just because she hates, hates, hates Donald Trump and MAGA, wouldn’t the same principle apply to the big kahuna of Mike Pence? Just imagine if Mike Pence went to the January 6th Committee, totally turned on Trump and MAGA to the fullest extent possible.
He would instantly become a liberal darling — despite everything else — and he could very well bankshot himself into being the Democratic nominee in 2024. That sounds totally fucking bonkers, but we’re in very, very dire times for our democracy. So dire that a Unity Ticket of Pence / AOC makes a huge amount of fucking sense to me.
Of course, there would have to be some sort of power sharing agreement for that to work, which would make the US government very schizophrenic, but at least we would be able to punt a severe political crisis down the road a few more presidential election cycles.
There are two obvious problems with this above and beyond the obvious . One is, the administration of elections could be so corrupt in 2024 that not even a Hail Mary Unity Ticket could work. The other is, I’m not so sure that we actually have the gumption to do something so drastic to save our democracy.
Americans talk about democracy in the abstract very well, but the country is too big and too divided for a Unity Ticket to work. If we were Canada, maybe. But we have 335 million people to get on the same page, not 35 million.
Anyway. We’re fucked. Nothing and on one is going to save us. Get ready. The next few years will be lit.
Blue States have a woeful lack of leadership at the moment. While Red States have a plethora, a panoply of very name brand leaders (most of whom want to be our first American autocrat) the center-Left is very, very weak willed and divided.
That is why I, in general, don’t believe we’re going to have any sort of Second American Civil War starting in late 2024 – early 2025. The leadership just isn’t there for Blue States. Blues just aren’t bloodthirsty enough. Nor passionate or organized enough to properly stand up to Reds.
But, as I have mentioned before, there is one group that could provide Blues with the wartime leadership necessary to pull off a successful “national divorce” — the #NeverTrumpers. It would be surreal, but if push came to shove and Blue States attempted to bounce from the looming Very American Autocracy under President Trump or DeSantis (or whomever) the one group of people who could rise to the occasion to give them the leadership they need would be people like Liz Cheney.
U.S. Representative Liz Cheney (R-WY) delivers an opening statement during the opening hearing of the U.S. House (Select) Committee investigating the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, on July 27, 2021 at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC. During its first hearing the committee, currently made up of seven Democrats and two Republicans, will hear testimony from law enforcement officers about their experiences while defending the Capitol from the pro-Trump mob on January 6. (Photo by Jim Bourg-Pool/Getty Images)
I think of #NeverTrumpers as “Radical Moderates.” Even though, relative to me, they aren’t very moderate, they do believe that the US is a democracy and that that democracy is worth defending. I’ve been so wrapped up in thinking about the possibility of a Second American Civil War that I totally forgot to think about what Blue war aims might be.
And, sad to say, those war aims wouldn’t be to keep the Union together, to found a Third Republic, but to destroy it. Blue States would want the very national divorce that Republicans keep beating their meet to all the time. And, the great irony will be — it will be Republicans who try to stop the very national divorce they keep talking about they believe is necessary.
It will be interesting to see if the #NeverTrump Radical Moderates will be willing to abide by the Blue State war aims of tearing the Union asunder. Given how dire things would have to be for such a national divorce to happen….I don’t know…maybe?
Anyway, the point is — keep an eye on #NeverTrumpers. They could very well play a far bigger historical role than one might think at the moment.
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