Here's some stuff that happened in the past
Hey you beautiful people,
I would like to apologize for not starting this online project earlier. I wanted to launch it simultaneously with the Indiegogo campaign for We've Got a Great Show For You Tonight and We've Got a Terrible Show For You Tonight, but I chose to go with Buttondown, a website with one employee, rather than Substack, a large, successful corporation that's all, "We don't LOVE Nazis but what are you gonna do about them? Nothing, huh?"
I basically had to start over from scratch and build this newsletter from the ground up and I am, unfortunately, as bad with technology and computers as I am at everything other than writing amusingly about pop culture.
Once this ride starts, it's not going to stop for a very long time, so I wanted to make sure it got off on the right foot and was not undone by glitches and gremlins and various other instruments of sabotage.
Two of the big features I wanted to make sure were part of this from the very start are comments and paid subscriptions. I want comments because I want to talk to y'all—RESPECTFULLY—about this long-running television show Saturday Night Live and, secondly, I wanted to enable paid subscriptions.
This project is going to involve so, so, so much work and time and effort. I consequently need to be able to generate enough income from the pre-order and this newsletter for the project to make sense and turn a profit instead of a loss.
So what I'm saying, I suppose, is that I would dig it if you, Dear Reader, would upgrade to a paid subscription. As of now we do not have a single paid subscriber. I would like to change that and I do not think that five dollars a month is an excessive amount to pay for THIRTY ONE ARTICLES IN YOUR INBOX EVERY MONTH, EVERY MORNING AT THREE O'CLOCK. If that's not enough, you'd also be supporting independent, non-AI writing at a particularly perilous time.
I've written up the first season already. That Chevy Chase guy sure is going places! There's no way his career will crash and burn over and over again.
For season number 2 I am going to introduce letter grades and a feature where I single out the best sketch and the worst sketch. Why? Because folks dig stuff like that, and I really need to expand my audience and be a little less niche and inaccessible.
So what I want to know is can you comment on this post and/or upgrade to a paid subscription?
If so, we'll start tomorrow! If not, I'll have to spend a little more time working out the kinks.
neat, eh? Man, I LOVE this silly newsletter.
Hi! I've subscribed! Is this going to replace the Substack? I'd just cancel my subscription there and switch to a paid subscription here if that's the case.
Hey look at me commenting! Us autistic writers have to stick together, even if I’m more of a “writer” than anything else.
Received! So my question is, are you completely shutting down the Bad Ideas Substack and transitioning to Buttondown, or will they both be up concurrently? The reason I ask is that if it's the former, then a subscription here is no problem for me -- I'm already budgeted for the Substack subscription, and so I can just spend that money here instead. If you will be operating them concurrently, then I can't subscribe to both -- I will take my money away from the Nazi-sympathizing Substack and put it here. In my case that means no net loss for you, but no gain either. (Oh, and I will get in on the Indigogo upon my next paycheck.)
Hey! I subscribed. Can't afford a paid one at the mo.ent. I am excited for this project and look forward to it very much. This is going to be great.
Howdy!
Sorry you’re putting yourself out for a very silly cause (Reince Preibus has infinitely more to do with rising fascism than Substack), but I love you, and this project, so I’ve already ponied up for a subscription!
I have been wanting to go through the first five seasons for a very long time, and did actually start going through them but stopped around ep 6 or 7. One thing I’m hoping you’ll highlight during the first season is how SNL and its target audience perceived the upcoming Bicentannial. Loudon Wainright III is the most pertinent example, but it always seems to be lurking around.
I would also strongly recommend Michael Gerber’s writings on his American Bystander Substack (he hates corporate’s stance too! The both of you could bond over it!). Lots of very interesting history of the writers and performers, and where the Lampoon style of comedy was coming from, where it led to, and whether satire actually makes a difference. I think you’d like it a lot!
It's working!