Occasionally the visuals are a bit much, but then I just shut my eyes and it’s easy to lock in on the music because the audio is impeccable.

Phish is definitely playing to the visuals a bit. Extending jams or shaping them to fit with visuals (see bird launch on Sigma). But segues need planning.

I really liked N2 S2. But yeah, weird when Hey Stranger and Mull are the most interesting songs in the first set. Still enjoyable, just nowhere near the level of last night’s S1.

Take the wins when you can find them.

I got to see Colonel Forbin’s Ascent (> Camel Walk) at my first Phish show in 1997. It was the only time it wasn’t paired with Fly Famous Mockingbird, so I’d never seen Mockingbird before… until last night. The wait was worth it.

From now on, I want Joe Walsh to go to every Phish show I go too.

I think I could write 20K words about that Phish show. But for now, I’ll just say Phish + Sphere + psychedelics is like shooting fish in a barrel.

If you’re dancing, short sleeves are fine. I wore a long sleeve tee last night and was comfortable too.

So as I head into unemployment, I’ll do what I always do. Live within my means. Write. Hustle. Lean on the people I’ve built relationships with. And… hope to get lucky. It’s a tough business. Not for the feint of heart. But it can be done. Even today in these shitty times.
9/9

Writing is hard. Making a living as a writer is even harder. But it can be done. I’ve been writing full time for 15 years. There’s been some rough patches, but I’m a stubborn fuck and managed to stick ‘em out. And that’s largely been possible because I have an amazing partner and I live simply.
🧵8

This was of course before I had kids. Providing for a family on assistant wages is rough. I’ve had friends who were on government assistance because they made so little despite working so much. Again, if you wanna write to get rich, pick a different job. Be a finance bro. It’s easier.
🧵7

But what about when you’re trying to break in? Before you ever get that first decent paying writing gig. I was an assistant making 25-35K a year my first 5 years in LA. My money went to rent and gas and not much else (I ate for free when I was at work and I was working like 60 hours a week).
🧵6

So how do writers make it work at time when more people than ever want to do the job, but green lights are few and far between? It helps to be come from money! Or to have a partner who has job security. But in lieu of that, you really have to live within your means. Financial literacy is a must.
🧵5

Rooms are smaller, seasons are shorter, residuals are less. I know a lot of writers who have a side-hustle or 9-5 when they’re not on staff. Just to pay the bills. The seasons on kids animation are longer (often a year to 1.5 years), but the pay is far less than a WGA show. It’s a grind.
🧵4

You have no idea when you’ll work again. In the age of broadcast and cable shows, with 20 episode seasons and lots of repeats, job lengths were longer and residual payments were better. So if you staffed one year, you could afford to go without work for a bit if you budgeted wisely. Now…
🧵3

My agent is fond of telling me, about 10% of her clients are always in demand for work. They go from job to job to job. The other 90% - many of whom are just as talented as that 10% - have to scratch and claw for every gig they get it. You get staffed on a show, work a few months, and then…
🧵2

Yesterday, the writers wrapped on S5 of Big City Greens. I’m hopeful we’ll get another season, but for the time being, I’m unemployed. So I figured I’d do a quick #Scriptsky #Screenwriting thread on THE ECONOMICS OF BEING A SCREENWRITER. Spoiler: if you need job security, pick another job.
🧵1

My kids love My Hero Academia.

Which weekend are you going?

Arrive tomorrow. Gonna do the Eggy aftershow Friday night.

Happy Phish Sphere Day! I won’t be there tonight, but I’m coming tomorrow. If we’ve never met in person, come say hi. I’ll be the nerdy middle-aged man with a beard.

Just one night of Sphere?

I didn’t mean you.

Is it a bot or a certain someone on the group text?

Who needs a night 0 when you can have a night -1?!

Here’s a list of my favorite #Coachella 2026 sets:

-Creepy Nuts
-Kettanice
-Terror Cotta
-Les Bow
-Fleshwater
-Freak Slug
-PEED
-Wet Leg
-Sexyy Red
-Stance
-Lil’ Spoon
-Boys Noize
-Panda & Chok
-sMEgol
-Scab
-Prospa

(Half of these are very much real and half are very much made-up.)

She’ll be a junior guard at one of the South Bay beaches, but we don’t know which one yet. There’s a lottery, but hopefully Torrance, Redondo, or Hermosa Beach.

I try to focus on process with my kids. If the process is good, we praise them regardless of the results. We cheer hard work! But I also say a good process usually leads to good results. So it was a very gratifying day for us when my 11YO crushed her Jr Lifeguard test after weeks of prepping for it!

Whew, this was a long one. I just spent an embarrassing amount of time writing these posts and sometimes it feels like only the same 20 people ever read these weekly #Scriptsky #Screenwriting threads. So if you got something from this, please share it. Hopefully others will too.
17/17

If you know there’s a problem but can’t for the life of you figure out what it is OR how to solve it, put it down. Then come back to it with fresh eyes later. It’s hard to see the forest from the trees when you’re in the thick of a glade. A little distance can do wonders for your vision.
🧵16

You don’t have to follow any one person’s notes, but if several people are bumping on the same thing, there’s probably an issue. And if no one is responding to the story but everyone has different bumps, that’s a sign there’s some fundamental problem that might be hard to put into words.
🧵15