Thought-provoking ideas from Jeff Tweedy, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Esther Perel, Wesley Morris, David Sedaris, David Simon, and more. — I write a weekly email called the Rubesletter containing interesting/funny stuff. Sign up here. Here it is, my annual list of fave paragraphs I read in the past year (last year’s version). To be clear: These weren’t all written in the past year, that’s just when I read them. So…

“Get Back” shows what the creative process really looks like. — From the Rubesletter by Matt Ruby (comedian, writer, and the creator of Vooza). Sign up to get it in your inbox weekly. The “Get Back” documentary is astounding and horrific at the same time. It’s like watching your parents fight for hours on end except in the middle of arguing…

The language of trauma cracked the code of the attention economy and turned mental health into the new luxury item. — From the Rubesletter by Matt Ruby (comedian, writer, and the creator of Vooza). Sign up to get it in your inbox weekly. Fine, I’ll play along: I’m sitting with discomfort, respecting boundaries, and being present while naming the trauma of my lived experience. I’m processing my pain and examining the…

An examination of the beginner’s mind approach of Norm Macdonald. — From the Rubesletter by Matt Ruby (comedian, writer, and the creator of Vooza). Sign up to get it in your inbox weekly. “Norm Macdonald’s Comedy Was Quite Christian,” read the headline of a NY Times opinion piece that went up a few days after Norm passed. “It is by viewing…

It’s an anti-semitic film about how a girl needs to be liberated from the shackles of middle-class Judaism by a sexually skillful salsa-dancing sheygetz. — The following is an excerpt form my weekly email called the Rubesletter. It contains funny/brainy thoughts on tech, pop culture, politics, and more. Sign up here to get it in your inbox. The other night I decided to stream Dirty Dancing. Not that Havana Nights sequel nonsense. (And don’t even…

Lost masculinity, mental illness, victimhood as currency, and more. — The following is an excerpt form my weekly email called the Rubesletter. It contains brainy/funny thoughts on tech, pop culture, politics, and more. Sign up here to get it in your inbox. Elections have consequences. But what about failed coups? They’re calling for unity. We need to “move past things,” they say. Well, I’m tired of moving past…

Thought provocations from George Saunders, Miranda July, Andrew Sullivan, Isabel Wilkerson, and more. — I write a weekly email called the Rubesletter containing smart/funny stuff like what’s below. Sign up here. Let’s start with two quotes I love about the trickiness of families: “If you think you’re enlightened, spend a week with your family.” -Ram Dass “A family is a dictatorship ruled over by…

Thoughts from comedian/writer Matt Ruby. Want more? Sign up here to get my newsletter. I lack awareness. You’ve explained that to me very clearly. Like a plague, I have brought sand upon your house. Clearly, I should be more thorough when I hose off my feet. Also, I should coil…

NYC is not five boroughs, it is a way of thinking and living. — Thoughts from comedian/writer Matt Ruby. Want more? Sign up here to get my newsletter. Occasionally, someone who is curious about doing standup comedy will ask me if I have any advice. I invariably reply that if you can do anything else, you should. There’s no reason to subject yourself to…