Pretty obviously, I was never a huge pop star, but I was in a popular punk band that used to play packed halls and bars. My band also opened for bands like The Romantics (who remain my friends to this day), GBH, Murphy’s Law, Social Distortion, etc.
After my band broke up, I was one of the guys described in the story, running monitor cable on my hands and knees. It wasn’t glamorous by any stretch, but at least I was in a milieu I loved.
I wouldn’t trade any of my days for anything, though I’d probably use fewer drugs (both by weight and by variety).
I got sober November 19, 2015, otherwise, there is almost no way I would have made it to a writing “career”.
Sober people seem to focus on milestones. My 600th story on Substack is rapidly approaching. It’s both an honor to have been able to do it in less than two years, and a bit of a burden at times.
The amazing amount of positive feedback I’ve gotten has kept me going, and I would love to keep going for another 600 stories and beyond.
I couldn’t have gotten sober without help, and I cannot continue to write every day without your help.
There are over 700 of you who signed up to read free stories like Suspect, published last night. If every last one of you signed up for just one month of daily stories at the price of a fancy coffee, it would buy me the time to spend more time crafting stories that people like E.Jean Carroll call “BRILLIANT!”
At the end of concerts like the one described in Fog Machine, there are routinely half-full 15 dollar beers left strewn around the theater.
I’d like to think that a month of fiction is worth at least the half of the beer that got consumed.
If you opt for the annual subscription, it’s even cheaper, just pennies that are probably in your couch cushions for stories to make you think, laugh, or even cry like I did when I read Fog Machine.
Some of the experiences Johnny had are similar to real-life experiences I had.
That’s why I cried. Many of these stories, these characters, are drawn from things I’ve seen and done.
I never made millions in music like the protagonist of Fog Machine. I never wanted to, really.
I don’t need millions. I just need 700 people who love a good story-a good story every day- to hit the subscribe button.
Thanks for listening, thanks for reading, and thanks for being part of my life.
Jimmy Doom
Detroit, Michigan
Jimmy Doom Reads Fog Machine