Ha! No book tour for that one.

Thanks, Meredith!

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Oh and also, I do appreciate your support of my podcasts, Depresh Mode with John Moe and Sleeping with Celebrities (also with John Moe but not in the title.)

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Sometimes, though, not climbing mountains sounds pretty great too. Less chance of falling to your death and all.
Anyway. So. Buy my books! And listen to my podcasts! Come see my comedy variety shows of which there will be more!

I mean, look, if I was one of those authors (hi, those authors!) who can lock in, pound out the words, have few things other than writing to worry about, and trust that audiences/sales will be there after all. that. work., I might be way more into it. Sometimes climbing mountains is exciting! ...

I think I really love podcasting. The checks aren't as big as the book advance checks but they come a LOT more often. And you can have an idea, fully flesh it out, get it out to audiences in a sliver of the time. Then move on to the next idea. And the creative satisfaction is similar...

And you've already hit up the most famous people you (at least kinda) know for blurbs and tweets. And then you have to hit up media contacts. And if you're lucky (I was!) you have a great publicist too but it's still personal networking that gets the most bang. And I felt guilty asking favors...

And then there's the waiting to see if the world wants to buy what you're selling. If you're an established bestselling author, you might have an idea, but for everyone else it's like jumping into the pool and hoping there's water. Meanwhile, you're contacting everyone you know for publicity...

If you like attention, as I do, publicity can be a blast! I got interviewed by Terry Goddamn Gross! Reviewed in the NYT! My memoir came out in May 2020 so no tour for me but those can be fun too, though often exhausting and there's the constant worry if anyone will show up to the venue...

A friend of mine in publishing talked about a wonderful book some years back, brilliant writer, about going off the grid. Unplugging from all electronic contact and living in the woods. Awesome book, sold well. My friend doubted it would get published today. No platform...

To get a book published, it reeeeeally helps to have a platform. A social account with massive following, a hit podcast, a celebrity role in which you can talk about the book and get people to buy it. Great writers who don't have it have a hard time getting deals, terrible writers sometimes do...

Then the editing! If you have an editor who actually edits (rare! but I had one every time) it can be a great way of improving your work but also takes forever. Then the pre-publication process and then finally your pub day and the massive task of high stakes publicity...

So I got the whole thing, pretty much. Had books that sold well but never a huge mega-hit and so very few books are.
It's just that it's such a long slog. I'd work on a proposal for months and months, get the deal, which was exciting, and then maybe a year or more of writing...

I've written a few books but I kind of doubt I'll write another one. At least any time soon. I had so many interesting book experiences - unknown author selling a book and doing a big tour, getting hired for a spec book, ghostwriting, selling a memoir in a bidding war where I got to pick...

The Tonight Show is built to liquify all phenomena into content. Trump, the political reactionary and demagogue, the harbinger of a crisis, was treated not as a threat to democracy or a figure of public concern, but just another wacky celebrity guest willing to play along. Fallon and his show are not horrifying because they are malevolent, actively creating suffering in the world, but because of a thoughtless, systematic refusal to perceive any of their work as having ethical consequences. Trump’s monstrosity becomes merely eccentric, as neoliberal media packaged as entertainment normalizes a failing status quo.

Illustration of Jimmy Fallon looking demonic

This is such a great encapsulation of the horror of the Tonight Show.

www.currentaffairs.org/news/the-ban...

PINS YOU WON’T IMMEDIATELY MISPLACE.

4/20/26

Did the contestants shake hands at the end of Jeopardy today?

No, they did not. They did not. No. A brief nod.

Emails For Jorge was the worst selling children’s book of 2005.

Tonya Mosely!

There is no truth to the rumor that I have already brought Tim Cook, the Secretary of Labor, and her creepo husband and dad on as producers of Your Best Life In Hell.

Let's Make Your Best Life In Hell from John Moe and Depresh Mode YouTube video by Depresh Mode

Like many of my ideas, this idea:
- intends to help people with mental health
- will require a lot of work
- has the worst name I could think of but people like it so I'm stuck with it.

Please help me build Your Best Life In Hell

youtu.be/EOwZ_SVr-5Y?...

I even reluctantly made a video!

No, I can't offer your product or service any testimonials.

I said I could offer Desdemonials. Stories about meeting a tragic end due to the deceptions of Iago.

I'm sorry my pronunciation wasn't clear, I have a cold.

Need any of those stories, though?

You sure?

He looks handsome in pictures but on Zoom he is just as handsome.

Your words were absolutely beautiful and perfect.

We still can't believe we got Gavin Rossdale on our show a few weeks ago. We chuckled about sending the invite because it was such a longshot and were delighted he said yes.

Then we invited him on for the bonus episode, laughed to ourselves again, and he said yes AGAIN.

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... @rhettmiller.bsky.social, @mike-eagle.bsky.social, @nikostratis.com, @craigsj.bsky.social .

Sad songs DO make you happier. That's a fact, says science.

But you ONLY get to hear this amazing episode IF you're a MEMBER. Which is EASY. Starts at ONLY $5 a MONTH.

maximumfun.org/join/

pictures of neko case, josh ritter, ted leo, jeremy messersmith, open mike eagle, rhett miller, gavin rossdale, emma swift, and craig jenkins

When you join @maximumfun.org, you get access to the vault of MF Bonus Content, including a new Depresh Mode episode on sad songs that make you feel better. With Neko Case, Gavin Rossdale, @joshritter.bsky.social, @tedleo.bsky.social, @jeremymessersmith.bsky.social, @emmaswiftsings.bsky.social AND

I’m Federal Way dialect all the way.

Let's Make Your Best Life In Hell from John Moe and Depresh Mode YouTube video by Depresh Mode

Beyond making regular Depresh Mode episodes that help people, we're trying to make a new limited series that recognizes the mental health impact of These Times and forms a plan so you can deal.

We need 450 new contributions to make that happen.

I reluctantly made a video.

youtu.be/EOwZ_SVr-5Y

Join | Maximum Fun If you like one or more shows on MaxFun, and you value independent artists being able to do their thing, you’re the perfect person to become a MaxFun monthly member.

Hello. It's Day 1 of the 2026 Max Fun Drive. I think I'm doing important work with Depresh Mode and fun/useful work with Sleeping with Celebrities. I'm proud to be allied with @maximumfun.org.
It all only happens with your support. It's easy to provide that and you get stuff!
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