One Year Later ...
Listing my most and least popular posts as this Substack hits the one-year mark.
My first Substack anniversary arrives on Monday, August 14, so I thought I’d briefly look back at which posts seemed to work the best and which ones … did not. Substack automatically ranks my “top posts,” so I’m going off of that (and, of course, the results might change as a consequence of re-sharing them here). I’m just posting this web-only, as I don’t want to clog any inboxes with what’s essentially a clip show. (Hopefully, my clip show will be better than this one.)
Thank you to all who have subscribed! Please know that your readership and support are tremendously appreciated. I can’t promise I’ll never post a clunker, but I can promise to never take you all for granted.
The Top Five
5.
'Oliver & Company' Is a Sketchy Movie
The first Disney animated movie I saw in a theater was Oliver & Company in 1988. It was also the last Disney animated movie before The Little Mermaid became part of our world, pulling the studio out of the depths and into a Renaissance. Unaware of the greatness to come—unaware of many things, really, considering I was 5 years old—I loved
I was disappointed to learn that my first Disney movie, Oliver & Company, does not stand the test of time. And it seems I’m not alone.
4.
The Effects of Alcohol on Writing
I’m done with alcohol, but not out of necessity. I’ve never been a heavy or even daily drinker. In my experience, though, even low or moderate levels did more harm than good. No moral judgment here. I’m not telling anyone else what to do, just sharing my own experience for anyone who might find it helpful. As with many things, there’s a risk-to-reward ra…
This was more personal than I usually get. I’ll confess, after a solid half-year of not drinking, I indulged in a little bit of wine and scotch to see how they felt after a substantial break. And I confirmed that these days, I enjoy not drinking much more than I enjoy drinking. I’m still not going to judge anyone for choosing to drink responsibly, though.
3.
The Timeless Spider-Man
Nostalgia only gets you so far. If a character endures for decade after decade and appeals to multiple generations, it’s because fundamental elements resonate with people of all ages and backgrounds. The concept is timeless rather than timely. Such is the case with Spider-Man and his origin story in
Spider-Man really does have the strongest superhero origin story, and that’s because it is a proper story and not just the radioactive spider bite.
2.
The Organic Creativity of John Cleese
John Cleese has some ideas on creativity. He wrote them in a book called Creativity: A Short and Cheerful Guide. It is indeed short and cheerful—more of a pamphlet, really. The book is essentially a keynote address on creativity, and Cleese qualifies as an expert in the subject. You should read it.
Obligatory post about AI, but it was a good opportunity to talk about John Cleese, Monty Python, and his wonderful short book on creativity.
1.
‘1776’ Is a Masterpiece, I Say
“Well, I’ll never appear in the history books anyway,” John Adams says. He’s wrong, of course. A library’s worth of history books and biographies focus on or at least mention John Adams. And not even just that—he’s become a familiar figure of the stage and screen. Most recently, the Broadway musical
I would not have guessed that a post about a decades-old musical would hit the top spot. Then again, 1776 truly is wonderful.
The Bottom Five
5.
Nostalgia Finds Balance in 'Cobra Kai'
Cobra Kai raises an interesting question: How on earth is a decades-later sequel to The Karate Kid this good? It’s as improbable as a teenager winning a karate tournament after only one school year’s worth of training. Without getting into any spoilers, the fifth season just dropped on Netflix, and it’s another solid set of episodes. Granted, it’s not qui…
All of my least-popular posts are older than my most popular, so I guess I’m moving in the right direction? In any case, you should watch Cobra Kai if you haven’t already. It’s about to head into its sixth and final season, and that one more season probably is all that’s left in the tank.
4.
The Unadaptable Sandman?
Imagine adapting the Broadway musical Hamilton into a movie. Would that work? Probably not entirely. It was created specifically for the stage, not for film, and something would inevitably get lost in translation. I had a similar thought when I saw the first trailer for Netflix’s adaptation of
I really didn't think they could pull this off, but Sandman turned out to be a solid Netflix series during its first season.
3.
Severance: Grounded, Restrained Science Fiction
Apple TV+ is producing some of the best new shows that aren’t based on comic books. So what’s the best of those best? It’s not Ted Lasso (though that is an excellent show). No, so far, I’d give the top prize to Severance, a science fiction series created by Dan Erickson that debuted early this year.
I hope the lack of interest in this post doesn’t reflect any lack of interest in the series. Severance remains the best thing Apple has put out so far. As long as it doesn’t run too long, I’m optimistic that the quality will continue.
2.
Novels in Television Form
Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul feature some of the best writing and character work ever seen on television. These are novels created for a visual medium, and I absolutely loved both. Antihero shows are generally a tougher sell for me, though, even if they’re done well.
This was my first real post on this platform, aside from a general introduction. I emailed it to precisely one person—myself. (Bright side: 100% open rate! I peaked early.)
1.
DuckTales: A Reboot Done Right
Not all reboots are bad … and I’m almost embarrassed to admit that I enjoyed the recent DuckTales reboot. When I first subscribed to Disney+, I watched the first episode of the original series. It was a nice trip down memory lane, and I could appreciate that it was a quality children’s show and I had good taste back in the day. But one episode was all I …
This was just a quick web-only post, so it probably deserves the bottom spot. But the rebooted DuckTales does deserve your time if you were a fan of the original.
To Be Continued …
And there you have it. A seemingly random assortment of topics across the pop culture landscape. I don’t know if the randomness works for me or against me, but it makes it more fun for me, at least. If there’s anything in particular you’d like to see here, please let me know! (No promises, though.)
Meanwhile, in addition to maintaining this blog/newsletter, I’m continuing to work on two different novels. One will be the third and final novel in this superhero series, and then there’s an entirely different book that I’m not ready to discuss publicly yet. But I might be talking about them at some point over the next year or so.
Thank you all!