In the latest episode of The Substandard, JVL, Vic, and I discuss the new Guardians of the Galaxy flick and rank pizzas, among other things. It's a pretty amazing episode, you should probably subscribe and/or rate the show after listening. I don't want to talk about any of that, though. What I want to talk about is the pleasure of, finally, selling the f—k out.
As I mentioned on the show, I've been rewatching some old episodes of The Larry Sanders Show recently. And in the very first episode, late night talk show host Larry Sanders (Garry Shandling) is confronted with a dilemma: He's asked to shill the hilariously named "Garden Weasel" live during the broadcast. Being an ethical sort, he finds this unbecoming, and the results are hilarious.
The whole bit is hilarious and I understand the idea, I guess, but man. We live in different times now. The whole podcast industry is based on the idea of reading ad copy in the midst of the show for the benefit of businesses looking to buy a little credibility off the host people are willing to spend an hour or two in their car with each week. The last time I listened to Marc Maron's show there were about 182 different plugs, if I remember correctly.
All of which is to say that I'm thrilled that the latest episode of The Substandard has a sponsor! (You'll have to listen to find out who.) I've never wanted anything more than to be offered money in exchange for hawking a good and/or service, and finally, this week, my dreams came true. Selling out is awesome, and I encourage everyone to do it if they're given the chance.