In the beginning, there was....
You can lead a writer to a keyboard...and yes, you CAN make him write.
Allow me to introduce myself: I’m a man of wealth and taste.
Wait…that sounds way too pretentious. Besides, I think it’s been used already. Some English rock band, I think.
How about this:
LIVE FROM THE ARROGANCE BALLROOM, THE SOUND OF JACK CLUTH BLOWING HIS OWN HORN!!!
No, that’s from a M*A*S*H episode…and for those of you old enough to remember M*A*S*H, Major Charles Emerson Winchester WAS pretentious. And adorable. And I cried during the finale…but that’s another story for another time.
As introductions go, this is a pretty lame way to start things off, but you’re here, you’ve made it to the sixth paragraph, and for that I’m grateful. Some of you may know me from my old blog, What Would Jack Do?, which I maintained for almost 20 years and ended on April 19th. (It’s still there, feel free to check it out.)
I published my first book, American Evolution: Reconsidering America’s Potential…And Its Future, last summer. It’s not exactly a bodice-ripper, but it did receive some decent reviews from the tens of folks who bought and read it. Currently, I’m working on a collection of essays pulled from a number of sources that I hope to have out in the next year or so. Stay tuned….
So, yeah, I’m a writer. It’s what I do, it’s who I am, it’s how I’m wired. I worship Ernest Hemingway’s intense economy of words and I believe wholeheartedly in the otherworldly power of the Oxford Comma. I believe writing should be engaging, conversational, and unpretentious. I believe I hit that target more often than I miss.
I stopped writing for What Would Jack Do? because I’d long since tired of writing about politics. It had become so habitual that I came to realize the only way I was going to break free of that habit was to leave and start over…and so here I am.
I can’t tell you exactly what North Stars and Cowboy Bars will look or feel like, ‘cuz I’m not certain about that myself. My writing tends to be very much stream-of-consciousness…I think, therefore I write. I do know that I want to steer away from politics, which I’ve devoted WAY too much time, energy, column inches, and brain cells to over the past 20 years…and it’s changed exactly nothing. Go figure, eh??
I’ve always been fascinated by human stupidity. No, I’m not talking about the conventional “2 + 2 = 5” kind of stupid. I’m talking about QAnon-level stoopid. I never cease to be fascinated by the wacky things people will believe with every fiber of their being. Some of them even get elected to Congress.
Isn’t America GREAT??
This is also an outlet, a place where I can engage in the occasional brain dump, engage with readers, practice my craft, and maintain my sanity…and not necessarily in that order.
The name, North Stars and Cowboys Bars, is an homage to my having grown up in northern Minnesota and also having spent a decade living on the Texas Gulf Coast. There are stories aplenty to be told about each place.
I expect this project will evolve as we stumble along together. I’m open to suggestions and story ideas, so feel free to email me at yuppieskum@gmail.com if the spirit moves you.
For now, welcome. Please consider subscribing- feeding Magnus ain’t cheap, you know- and remember to tip your waitstaff.