Pivot!

But make it funnier

Welcome back to Clay Morgan’s Substack

Hey friends, a brief note as I make a few small shifts here, and we roll into the next phase of this here site.

Some of you may have subscribed when I was experimenting with different formats, topics, and titles. You might’ve seen me think out loud, try on voices, and throw around ideas.

Here’s where I’ve landed…

I can’t help but lean into satire.

Absurdity. A raised eyebrow. The style I wrote on my way to getting an agent and book deal years back. The kind of writing I haven’t done consistently in years but still love. The kind that feels most me.

I’ve literally always been this way

I’ll always be proud to salute my influences. Dave Barry is one of my north stars. (I don’t know how north stars work). Sarah Vowell lives in my head rent free. My longer works will always be crafted with George Plimpton and Tony Horwitz in mind. I occasionally borrow a smirk from David Sedaris and try not to overthink it like Chuck Klosterman would (which of course means I do exactly that).

The world is heavy enough these days. You don’t need me to simply recap the latest hellscape headline. You can find that anywhere.

But what you might not get elsewhere is some levity to escape the madness, something snarky that’ll still make you think.

This space will still feature occasional personal essays, reflections on culture, and good ol’ edutainment. I’ll always exist to find meaning at the intersection of culture and history. That’s never gonna change. But it’ll be more clearly flavored with wit, irreverence, and hopefully some joy.

I’m just going to write.

About the weird things people have done, and the even weirder things we keep doing.

I’ll try to be funny enough so that one day people say, “you used to be funnier.” Actually, people have been saying that already, so hopefully I didn’t peak yet.

This is my clayground, a department of ridiculous affairs complete with tales from the snark side.

Thanks for reading.

-Clay