So it’s come to this...

I’m starting a Substack. That’s right, I’ll be using the same platform as noted oaf, Matthew Yglesias. My ambitions are explicitly low-stakes. I don’t aim to be a pundit nor a cultural critic. I’m just seeking a writing outlet and to revive the experience of having my weekly column.

At my previous job, managing editor of a weekly newspaper in rural North Dakota, I wrote a weekly column. Initially, I focused on current events. I shifted focus after one reader sent in a column from another paper. It included a sticky note that said I shouldn’t be so serious. I took that to heart and wrote about movies, music and interesting bits of trivia such as the history of the House and Senate’s bean soups, the anniversary of Moby-Dick’s publication and a chance encounter with a stranger that led to a Super Bow party.

That will be the aim of this newsletter: Slouching Towards McDonaldland. A title I have chosen to convey my interest in high and low culture.The way those two intersect has always fascinated me and I figure that this could be a productive outlet for that and it would be nice to get writing more.

My plan is to send out a newsletter once a week, potentially more if there’s interest. I plan to publish on Fridays initially.

I have a rough outline of what I’d like to do each week:

Column: I’ll write about something that’s been on my mind of late or is of interest to me.

Music/food analog: This one could be short-lived or have legs, depending on how abstract I choose to get.

Music moments: This section will have moments in songs that make them really work for me or that I find elevates the song or completes it in some way.

Movie pick: Short and sweet, I’ll recommend a film I watched that week.

Playlist: I’m a prolific mix maker and initially I’ll choose ones from my archives. My plan is to have them available on Spotify and Apple Music and have a full track listing should you decide to remake it yourself.

I’m not wedded to this structure but I figure it might be useful while I get things off the ground.