Editors note: Read this article to “Dare” by Stan Bush. I’ve set it up so an average reader should finish the article in almost exactly the amount of time it takes Mr. Bush to “dare you to take a stand (or Stan, holy shit, his name is Stan, is that a pun he makes?). So just open that up and play it in the background as you read through my rebrand. If that doesn’t pump you up then I don’t know what will!
Gonna blow your mind. Ready?
I’ve rebranded!
First of all, I would like to apologize to my millions of subscribers from around the world! Ideas on Ideas was always a place where I was kind of incubating a particular style and attitude. I tried writing about a lot of things but what really got my brain hard was talking about things surrounding comedy, speech, and pop culture!
So from this point forward (Full disclosure, in the name of journalistic integrity, I actually changed all the links and Twitter about 10 minutes ago, but you don’t know that. Please bear with me as this is a learning experience and I will try and live my truth better from now on). What? Oh, yeah. From this point, forward ideas on ideas is retired!
Long live
Anatomy of a Joke
Big letters!
So what does this mean? It means I’m going to be focusing pretty exclusively on content related to comedy, humor, satire, and, well, jokes. I think jokes are wonderful and I think we live in an age where people aren’t taking humor in good faith as much as they should. People assume the worst.
So I will break down all kinds of comedy: Dark comedy, abstract, vulgar, sketch, stand-up. And also, as with my two other articles will still be breaking down jokes that seem, for some reason, to trigger people. Look at the things people who have been canceled have said. And mostly just try and talk about and figure out how it is we interact with comedy and humor on a societal and personal level.
So join me!
Or if you want, you can super-duper subscribe below.
Or, for those of you with no fear, and a will of granite, you can:
I will try, as best I can, to keep the meat (the main thrust) of everything I write free. However, going forward each post will contain a few paragraphs at the end. These will either be musings that might be related to what I’m writing. Questions for paid subscribers. Answers to those questions from my paid subs. Things I am into, things that make me laugh. Recommendations for anything really, from books to video games, board games, etc etc. to You get it, it will be a lot of personal shit!
I am going to keep all of my previous content up (for now at least; unless it gets weird). Think of it as a way of looking back to a more simple, stumbling around in the dark, kind of time!
Also, in case ctrl-c, then ctrl-v has eluded you here is a link to share this substack with people. Inflict it on them, I dare you. (Dare should be finishing up now, if you finished before the song is over congratulations you are among the top 23% of readers in the world in terms of speed! Pat yourself on the back and treat yourself to a free subscription!).
So, this is usually where the paid content would go (see the divider?) but let’s try a trial run.
The new Kids in the Hall on amazon prime is fucking brilliant! Maybe not for everyone, it’s a little… abstract… I guess is the best way to put it! The kids have always held a very special place in my heart! Growing up I was the perfect teenage age for when comedy central became the Kids in the Hall/ MST3K channel (more on them later). So they informed so much of “how” I thought about comedy. It doesn’t necessarily need to be set up-punchline. Comedy can be a mood, or just bizareness. Sometimes laughter is just not believing that someone would write this! That someone, or a group of 60 year olds for instance, would take the time and spend an incredible amount of effort to make something that is incredibly juvenile.
The new show is especially kind to fans of the kids from the past with callbacks and self-deprecation galore, but it also has enough new stuff in it that it isn’t just relying on nostalgia!
And man, that opening. It’s just awesome but dumb, but brilliant, but dumb. But also really awesome, and that earworm!
Between this and The State (yeah I will talk about the State at some point, the best comedy troupe you’ve heard of but also probably never heard of) I’m not sure which had the catchier intro for me.
Also on Amazon Prime is The Kids in the Hall: Comedy Punks A pretty amazing two-part documentary about the founding-breakup-and reunion of the kids. It’s pretty essential watching for fans, but honestly anyone can appreciate this who just enjoys brilliant comedians talk about comedy (or if you just like documentaries).
Seriously, it’s better than it has any right to be and you are pretty damned lucky to be able to watch it!
So what’s funny? What’s hilarious? Any jokes I should write about? Anything in the news pretty damned funny? What. Is. On. Your. Mind. Reader?