This Thing I Do
It’s not exactly breaking news to suggest that the life of a freelance writer isn’t always wine and roses, but some moments are more frustrating than others, and the news today that character actor and Second City alumnus Mike Hagerty died at the age of 67 really brought some of that frustration front and center.
For years, I’d thought that Mike was a perfect candidate for the A.V. Club’s Random Roles feature. I mean, the guy had been in so…many…things, you know? I want to say that I pitched him at some point years ago, but I know I definitely pitched him when I found out that he was part of HBO’s Somebody Someplace. They passed. From there, I pitched another one of my outlets on a whim, but they passed, too. Then I finally managed to secure a slot to talk to him for this very newsletter, but due to a scheduling glitch, the interview never happened, and I know I tried at least once to get it rescheduled, but it never happened…and now it never will. Still, it almost did, and while that’s small consolation, the fact of the matter is that if I hadn’t started this newsletter, I wouldn’t even have gotten close to talking to Mike.
That’s why I felt like it was worth taking a moment out of my day to pen this post and offer my thanks to each and every one of you for appreciating my work enough to subscribe to this newsletter. And to those of you who’ve taken money out of your bank account or off of your credit card in order to offer your financial support, I’ll thank you a little bit extra, because otherwise I’d be even more in debt than I already am.
There are so many interviews I’ve wanted to do over the years that were rejected by editors for one reason or another, and it was almost never because they thought it was a bad idea. It was invariably because they didn’t have the budget, didn’t think it would score enough viewers, or - once in awhile - because even though I pitched it, they knew someone else in-house wanted to do it. (Funny, I always thought that by this point in my career I’d be the one being approached by the editor saying, “Thought of you immediately, there’s no one who can do it better.”)
Fortunately, now I have That Thing They Did.
This is a place where I can live the dream that I wanted to live at the A.V. Club once upon a time: to interview people whose work I enjoy even if the readers of most mainstream entertainment publications don’t know who they are, write about obscure movies, TV shows, and unsold pilots, and have conversations with character actors whose names won’t drive clicks because people can’t always remember their names.
I’m always going to regret not getting the chance to interview Mike, but the more support I get for this endeavor of mine, the more likely I am to have the opportunity to interview some of the other folks who remain on my wish list. If there are people you’d like to see me interview, please let me know. I mean, if you’re reading this, then you already have a pretty good idea of the sort of folks who are in my wheelhouse, so hit me: I’m all ears.
If you’ve been reading for awhile and you’ve never thought about upgrading to a paid subscription, hey, I get it, I can’t afford to pay for all the subscriptions I want, either. But if you do, I can assure you that it won’t go unappreciated, and it will result in more content. And if you can’t afford it, then can I ask you do to something that won’t cost you anything? Pick an article - any article - and share it to social media with the assurance that this newsletter is well worth a read. In lieu of paid subscriptions, I will not turn down more eyes on my work.
Okay, that’s all I’ve got for you: just a whole lot of thanks and a request to keep reading and keep supporting me, be it emotionally, financially, or spiritually.
I’ll take it all, people. I’m not proud. I’m just a guy who likes to write about pop culture.