Bye-bye, my love, goodbye. — Three and a half years ago, I pitched Medium an idea for a publication that they greenlit and co-produced. I called it Humungus. I was the editor. I wanted Humungus to be a conversation about masculinity and pop culture written by and for anyone who identifies as a man or…

Just a few words for the fellas — I once smoked a cocaine-laced joint with an ex-con whose arms were decorated with white supremacist tattoos because, like a beggar, addicts can’t be choosers, so I puffed away as he gave me the only concrete advice I’ve ever been given about masculinity: “You’re not a real man unless you’ve…

9 weeks in 2020. 12 essays. Covid-19. — Hi. My name is John. This collection is possible because of the support of Medium subscribers. Thanks to them, I’m able to write weekly essays about pop culture, politics, and feelings. If you’d like to learn more, click here. Prologue: December 19th, 2021 When I first heard this joke, it was about a Jewish…

Here’s to thirteen more years, God willing — I have been sober for thirteen years now. Phew. I briefly considered writing a list for the internet. Something like “13 Things I Learned After 13 Years On The Wagon.” But I did not write that list. I did not write that list because life is too short to chase…

This isn’t a Hollywood story — it’s about the future of work, too — There are many reasons to support the Writers Guild of America’s strike, which has shut down Hollywood for the moment. One of those reasons is purely selfish: I am thoroughly enjoying the final season of HBO’s hit Barry, a bleak half-hour comedy starring Bill Hader as an aspiring actor and…

Rufio! Rufio! Rufio! — The most insufferable colloquialism of the past ten years or so was the transformation of the noun ‘adult’ into a whiny verb. To be an adult is to be a fully-grown human being who has successfully exited childhood and entered the rest of life, a journey full of wonder and…

You should be, too — I was afraid Beau Is Afraid would never end. And that is not Beau’s fault. Played by a fragile Joaquin Phoenix, Beau is a neurotic middle-aged man with mommy issues who lives in a hideous alternate reality populated by predators. …

I thought I understood gun culture. But I didn’t — Oh, I understand now. It’s taken a few years, and I feel a little naive. But I get it. It’s not about liberty or personal protection. It’s certainly not about tyranny. It’s about control. Strength. Boots, smashing faces. The current conservative project has a simple goal: keep guns in the…

‘Succession’ is not a tragedy — There is a moment near the end of every classic tragedy when the main character is forced to confront their tragic flaws and the consequences of their actions. The Greeks had a word for this realization: “anagnorisis.” Lear experiences anagnorisis after the death of his youngest daughter, the only person…