WARNING: This is cranky Ken today.
I will on occasion repost a story from years gone by on the weekend. I figure enough time has passed that most of the people reading it are new to the blog. I used to say they were reposts but figured if the subject matter hadn’t dated then why announce it’s a rerun? Someone might say “Oh, then I probably read it” and skip it when in fact they hadn’t and miss out. And often times I will revise the stories so they’re not dated or new information will be added. Again, someone sees rerun and doesn’t bother.
Once a month I try to repost a Friday Questions entry from ten years ago or more. And for those I specifically say when they first appeared. Context is important in that regard I believe. I’ve answered well over 3,000 questions and at least six of them deserve to not just be buried in the archives.
Okay, so that’s my policy.
Lately, I’ve received some angry comments from readers ripping me because I don’t post that certain weekend entries are reruns. (Here comes the cranky part.). To those people and anyone else who has major issues with this humble blog:
How much are you paying for this? Or, put another way, how much am I making for this? Sixteen years of posting mostly every day and my compensation is what again? How many blogs are even still going after sixteen years?
You’ll also notice I don’t clutter my blog with ads. I’ve been approached numerous times to do that. I’ve also been approached to move my blog to a subscription site behind a paywall. I’ve declined.
The bottom line is after sixteen years it’s getting harder and harder to maintain this blog. The reruns are necessary. And how I choose to frame them is my call. The alternative is ending the blog altogether. And when that day finally comes, I fully expect these same people to angrily write in demanding refunds.
Hopefully I never have to rerun THIS post again.
UPDATE: Thank you all for the wonderful comments yesterday. I'm not cranky anymore.
84 comments :
Keep it rolling, Ken! For every negative feeling expressed, there are probably a thousand that like what you are doing.
Don't let the idiots get you down. Most of us appreciate having the chance to come here almost every day and see your content.
It's only the very rare day when I want my money back.
Wait - what?
The entitlement of so many knows no bounds! The walk down memory lane with the reruns has been enjoyable to me. Some were before I began reading the blog, or since I don't have a photographic memory, rediscover some of these posts. They're a nice bit of insight and enjoyment (we all can use some of that, nowadays). Whether it's reruns or new material, I'll keep on reading.
I could swear I've read this post before.
A favorite local blogger of mine has a couple of responses:
- Bite me.
- Get your own blog.
No kidding.
Who thinks it's easy, requires no commitment, and takes no time or effort to come up with something every g.d. day for a blog?
Everyone who doesn't maintain one, that's who.
I've done it since 1995 and think you are not the only one who deserves a pat on the back for doing so.
-Kate
I’m not sure if he originated it but the following quote is attributed to Ricky Gervais.
“When you are dead, you do not know you are dead. It's only painful & difficult for others. The same applies when you are stupid.”
Instead of or in addition to stupid you can add … ungrateful, entitled, ignorant or ass-hole.
Ken, I hope you don't let a few idiots squash a blog that has been a source of interesting information, belly laughs and community for 16 years. The rest of us are happy to read whatever you post and would mourn if you stopped! I hope others chime in to say the same....
Hi Ken. Even if you posted new material just once a week with reruns for the remaining 6 days, I'd still read your posts (well, maybe ducking out of the baseball ones once I realized the topic). Hope that ranting today has released some steam to help you keep posting on whatever basis works for you.
Personally, I think of your posts as gifts, and it is churlish (and worse) for people to take you to task for perceived shortcomings. Then again, we live in a society significantly coarsened in recent years. Does anyone who reads you seriously think you are trying to get one over on anybody? A friend from Scotland once advised me: People. Best to stay away from them.
You have a great BS detector, and I am not trying to be grand. Just that your perspective really adds to my day. Each day would be less interesting and a little barren without word from you. Even if that word was posted first 12 years ago.
Thanks for your posts and for the time and effort you spend in creating them!
I just look at is as your blog posts getting their chance to have a second run in syndication. :-)
When I have noticed a repost, I thought you were just telling a story again, not copying and pasting. Either way, your adventures and memories never get old. Having grown up with your shows and other greats from that era, I've enjoyed this blog as a fun distraction from the news for 11 years. It's much appreciated.
Ken, I hope you never have to rerun this post either. I've been reading you for most of your 16 years, and you're always one of the high points of my day. If posting the occasional run will keep you online here, then consider this an enthusiastic vote for the reruns!
The old line "Stand in a bread line and ask for toast" comes to mind here. Also the old Mort Sahl line, "Don't let the bastards wear you down".
I enjoy your blog very much. Period.
As someone who ran the classic Hollywood blog "Carole & Co." from 2007 to 2021, with more than 4,300 entries (giving it up only because I've been here in rehab for more than a year), I'm 100% with Ken on this one. I know from personal experience that maintaining a blog isn't easy, and he does a terrific job; as a prospective screenwriter, I've learned a lot from this site. Keep up the good work, sir.
There are only two blogs that I still check almost every day, and yours is one of them. Thanks for all the great work! Sometimes the reruns are MORE interesting, because they address something that has been forgotten, not just whatever is being batted around today on Twitter.
Thank you for your blog Ken
I'm relatively new to the blog, having discovered it two or three years ago. I appreciate any and all blasts from the past. Keep doing what you're doing.
I've been blogging for nearly 14 years, but I've had websites for over 17. When I merged the blog with the original mikechimeri.com in 2012, I kept the mikechimeriblog.com domain for the sake of referrals from old links.
I was going to say that I'd read this before but Geoff already did and when any two readers pitch the same joke it must be thrown out.
I'm another one of the thousands here (see Mike Barer above)who reads every day and has since the beginning. I truly appreciate what you do and the time you clearly put into it. Remember, haters gotta hate. That's just how it is. And feck 'em if they can't take a joke. Levine forever!!
I'm reminded of a story about my favorite writer, Russell Baker. He was doing his column three times a week and Max Frankel, an old Washington bureau colleague, had just taken over editing the Sunday paper and asked Baker to move one of his Op-Ed columns to the Magazine. Baker said, "Which one?" as in, the Tuesday, Thursday, or Saturday one. Frankel replied, "The best one." Baker looked at him and said--and Frankel said it was a brilliant response that captured writing opinion pieces--"Max, if you're going to print the best of Russell Baker, you're also going to have to print the worst of Russell Baker."
Well, Ken, your best is great, and your worst is really good. I'll take what I can get!
AND- those of us who missed seeing the blog the first time it was posted would have been DEPRIVED of EVER seeing it. We got rights too! It's your bog,, your rules!
Back in the once-upon-a-time, I heard tell that TV networks had a rule of thumb: for every angry-complaining letter received, there were another 100 people who are also angry but didn't bother writing.
I've always suspected there should be a third number attached: for every complaining letter, there are possibly 1000 people who couldn't be bothered to express their admiration and/or appreciation.
I try to remember to offer compliments when deserved. I don't always succeed. One repeating bittersweet moment is telling a manager of a fast food place that they and their staff did a bang-up job for me today. It is truly sad to see them flounder attempting to react to a moment of praise. They have no experience or training for that.
Keep up the good effort, Ken!
Well, I know I'll sound like a suck-up, but I have learned so much from this blog that the occasional rerun often acts as a refresher course.
I think that a lot of people enjoy being angry. I love your blog, Ken, even the reruns, which always appear new to me because I can't recall what I did ten minutes ago, let alone ten years. Keep doing that thing you do.
If I were you, I'd just suspend the blog and focus all my attention on the podcast instead.
I have read this blog every day for years. I don't comment often, unless I really have something to say (such as now). Firstly, thank you Ken. Secondly, ignore the whiners and they will eventually find another place to complain.
Another writer, the late Harlan Ellison, echoed the sentiment of Humphrey Bogart: "The only thing I owe the public is a good performance". Harlan Ellison said, "I write 'em, you read 'em. That's the deal."
Over the years, he maintained his dislike of certain technologies. He wrote on manual typewriters, HATED electric typewriters ("...I won't even have them in the HOUSE!") and wrote "I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream", a nightmarish short story that features a sentient computer confining and torturing the last few people on earth. He even started KICK, to deal with internet piracy.
Even though the above showed just how much he disliked computers, he had one that he used to occasionally visit a message board set up in his name. HE would answer questions and post thoughts there as well, and yes, there was the usual foolishness to be had.
I say the same about my experiences there as I do here. I read this every day and it is a treat and an honor to read the writings of someone whose work I enjoy. It's not part of the "deal" and it is greatly appreciated. I've had a chance to say thanks to both men (and, by default David Isaacs) for cracking up my whole family, up to and including my late Mother-In-Law, who, even after her late-in-life health and cognition issues, still cracked up laughing at Dick Van Dyke and Cheers.
Ken Levine is under no obligation to continue this blog, but I am, and remain, quite grateful that he does. The fact that some grumble about this blog is nothing more than the waste matter of a cow's husband.
Funny, this weekend I was thinking about the number of posts you do. If you choose to go the Carson route and do three a week and take the rest of the week off, that's understandable. Of course, you'd have the option to post more as current events (such as celebrity deaths) warrant. Realize that 99.99 percent of the readers appreciate the time you take and the expertise or opinions you share. As that great philosopher, Donny Osmond, once sang, "One bad apple don't spoil the whole bunch, girl."
The first time I noticed a repeat I thought “gee that sounds familiar, didn’t I read this before?” So I did a search and found it along with several other items that interested me so I read them too. It was enjoyable, thanks!
I don't at all mind the occasional re-runs, heck I tend to be forgetful so they are like reading new stuff anyway! This blog is a gift from you to those that enjoy it and it does not go without notice it is not cluttered up with ads and stuff. Thank you for it and those that are complaining should move on to other avenues.
Yeah, Ken,
Let them try to collect those refunds.... ;)
Seriously, some people just have too much time on their hands....
“It’s new to me.”
I've enjoyed your insights for many years. Always appreciated. Sorry I haven't said it very much.
Yours is always the first blog I read every day. Then Mark Evanier.
Some comments are the equivalent of "You missed a spot" or worse, "Yes, fine, but you failed to get that one spot, and therefore..." to the painter.
Ohhhh, how I really do understand. But there are more of us who appreciate you and delight in reading your posts, and just a few of them. Really.
That's exactly why it is that they DO do what they do, to paraphrase Madeline Kahn.
This reminds me of Youtube videos where people in the comments demand the OP upload (insert whatever show), or get indignant about leaving a certain part out of the video. I started reading this blog in the last couple years, and always love the storytelling. Social media and the internet in general have made us way too comfortable in how we talk to each other.
Hey, I'd seen the story before about the porn star saying she'd do anything except for a 40 yr old guy, but so what, it's a funny story! I enjoy the reruns, cannot imagine bitching about it.
Ignore 'em, Ken. 16 years? Man, that's a long time. That means you have about 14 years' worth of blogs that I haven't yet seen, since I only discovered your blog a year or so ago. (I think I followed a link from Mark Evanier's blog, or perhaps it was Paul Harris. The three of you are my morning rituals.) So, timely and entertaining repeats are fine with me. Some people just like to complain, and some people just wait for opportunities to get their panties in a twist over the silliest things.
Hey Ken, I’ve often wondered how you manage to crank out your blog on a daily basis. I have trouble deciding what’s for breakfast on most days. I have not been a reader of your blog since the beginning, so there is a good chance that any of the reruns might be something I hadn’t read before. And at my age, it’s quite possible I’ll forget something I have already read. Senility is just one more thing to forget. I envy your talent and enjoy it immensely.
I don't always have time for the podcasts but I never miss a post. And as a blogger I do appreciate the amount of effort you put in. Those who come here only to complain can find other things to do with their time. Meals On Wheels is always looking for volunteers.
I like reruns.
Read almost all comments, don't remember any complaining of reruns
maybe I missed those?
I'm not sure who's worse, those who complain about reposts, those who point out the tiniest grammatical error, or those who keep saying things like "I'd like to say more but political correctness prevents me" under posts about shows or movies that feature Black people.
"I often quote myself. It adds spice to my conversation." -- George Bernard Shaw
Your house and your blog - do whatever you damn well please. After 45 years of free entertainment you don't owe us anything. You could drop the Saturday post though to preserve the weekdays. I'll keep reading as long as you keep writing.
I read your blog twice every day, in the morning for the posting and in the evening for the comments. I don't mind reruns, labelled as such or not. Please consider this comment to be a formal letter of appreciation :-)
Shucks I don't mind re-runs. Needless to say, I enjoy your blog very much and have been reading it for years.
Ken - I've been reading your blog at least weekly for nearly ten years and I don't think I've ever left a comment. (I may have posed a Friday question years ago... or just thought about doing so haha). I'm sure you have analytics to show who your audience is. These people complaining are a vocal minority. I'm certain there are far more people like me who just like to read what you have to share. If post is uninteresting to a person or something they've read before they can just skip it! Keep up the good (and unpaid) work and don't let these people get you down.
I've enjoyed repeats, reruns all my life. I've watched episodes of my favorite classics countless times. The same applies to your blog. Why, sometimes I can almost recall lines by memory.
I worry you don't know that I really appreciate what you do for me. Well, you know how it is with bloggers and readers. I have trouble saying that stuff.
Thank you, Mr. Levine.
(Suddenly loud) Did you hear what I said? I said, "thank you!"
Behind you 100%, Ken. I'd like to see your critics write a blog post once a week or even a month if it's so easy.
There are some people that I'll never understand, but dismissing them as ungrateful jackasses is about all that can or should be done. I am certain that most of your readers appreciate what you've done here: sharing experiences and insights gained from successful experience, and providing a lot of laughs along the way. I thank you, and I wish that those who feel like complaining would just shuffle off to some other place.
Agree.
It must it be arduous challenge to publish a blog like yours five days a week. All gratis. I've often thought of how exhausting it must be for you just to read, review and publish all of the many comments you get from your readers as well.
I can't help thinking of the old proverb, "No good deed goes unpunished".
Thanks for this, Ken. After 15+ years blogging myself I like to do "reruns", but still havent figured out the best way to do them. 🤷♂️
Glad you're not him. That would be an overreaction to a small percentage of malcontents.
"How much are you paying for this?"
Are you saying that the email I received making this a subscription service was a fake? And you don't really have a Venmo account for your blog?
You'll be hearing from my lawyer for restitution.
But more seriously, THANK YOU for this blog. I hope it remains a labor of love for you, to the degree possible. You have a gift. Thank you for sharing it with us for free.
Ken, will you be reviewing Deep Water? I'd like to read your take on it. I'll withhold my opinion for the moment.
Love everything about the blog, save for the baseball stories (not a fan) & I prefer reading to listening (quicker for me). Keep the reruns coming. I enjoy them and to hell with those that don't.
I had a minor stroke/TIA back in 2006. One benefit is I can't recall everything I've read or seen. Bring on the reruns! As my dear old grandmother used to say about people who are rude or demanding, "Fuck 'em".
People don't understand how much time something like this takes to write and maintain. They seem to think that if it took them three minutes to read it, it took you three minutes to write it. I did social media for a publishing company for two years, and it was an enormous amount of work just to come up with an idea every day, much less write it, find images for it, etc. I find this blog and your podcast fascinating, and I often think about the fact that it's free. Thank you.
I feel seen
Illegitimi non carborundum.
That's still fewer reruns a month than Johnny Carson gave us.
Ken
Just like to say thanks for posting my answer to a Friday question.
Ken, I found your blog when someone linked to your Dave Niehaus tribute when he died, and I've been here ever since. I appreciate this blog and your podcast even when we occasionally disagree.
So let me try to improve your mood. A Mariner on a minor league contract, Stephen Souza, Jr., grew up in Everett, Washington as a Mariners fan. In his first at-bat on Saturday, he hit a grand slam. According to Corey Brock in The Athletic, in his head he heard Dave telling us it was Grand Salami time. He's wanted to be a Mariner his whole life. He tweeted, "The only thing that would have made today better would be if Dave Niehaus was still alive!"
Continue to be amazed at how prolific and brave you are sharing your inner thoughts and insights. Please keep it up! And for the re-runs, please send my refunds to Larry Balmagia.
Don't let a cheap game get under your skin. There are trolls who act like they're perfectionists "disappointed" by some lacking they declare you have. The sleight of hand in the trick is that they're not putting themselves on the line actually creating anything, just presenting themselves as authorities.
Where are THEIR blogs? Let them show us how much better they can do the job before presuming they're in a position to "punch down."
You probably don't mean to disparage Meals on Wheels but just making a joke about people with too much time on their hands. But that program really helped me when I was ill and homebound a few years ago. It was a rough winter and I was in temporary housing but that volunteer always persisted in getting the weekly deliveries to me and she was cheerful and attentive even though she had some physical limitations herself. The modest meals were tasty enough and sustained me and I was so grateful for them. The MOW program has been in the news because volunteers have been hit with rising gas prices and they use their own vehicles for deliveries. I wish they were paid well for their service, they deserve it.
There's an astrologer I follow who posts free, in-depth reports on each sign. They're great reads. But if she's a day or two late posting after the first of the month people pile on with savage comments about her legitimacy. And if their month goes astray from the predictions they get very irate. It's a FREE read. That's a lot of entitlement.
I enjoy everything Ken posts, and he fosters an atmosphere in comments where people can freely express their responses. It's fun. I'm amazed that some big lugs try to criticize anything about how the blog is run.
I read your blog every day, and I hope you keep it going. I've learned a lot, even though I'll never be a screenwriter.
I have been blogging about six weeks short of 17 years, currently at rogerogreen.com. Two thoughts:
There are a bunch of people who are looking at my blog who weren't looking at my blog 10 years ago and vice versa. Currently, I'm writing about my life in 1972. Ten years, I did the same. I've changed them a bit because of my recollections changing. Yes, a daily blog is HARD!
The other is when somebody posts some songs under a theme. One of my blogger buddies wrote a St. Patrick's Day post about songs with green in the title. And someone did that What About thing. "What about Van Morrison and U2?" Which was not even what was promised.
I've gotten offers for ads, but it's just not me.
Only Blog I read. Reruns are appreciated.
Wow, some people....
Keep doing what you do.
And thanks!
Spike, no disparagement intended, I just pulled a worthy charity out of the air. MOW is awesome. I'm glad they got you through the winter and hope you no longer need them.
I'm going to repeat what I wrote yesterday because, as someone who has been a professional writer for more than half my life, writing is rewriting and these comments cannot be revised.
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Yours is always the first blog I read every day. Then Mark Evanier. Some comments are the equivalent of "You missed a spot" or worse, "Yes, fine, but you failed to get that one spot, and therefore..." to the painter. Oh, how I do understand. But there are more of us who appreciate you and delight in reading your posts, and just a few people are compelled to pick at things because it validates some need inside them. That's exactly why it is that they DO do what they do, to paraphrase Madeline Kahn.
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I didn't think one of the sentences made sense when seeing it again later. I think some folks do not understand that, when you do this for a living, even when you write for free or for "fun," you're still plying your trade and what you write (and even present again) is part of you. They can't always appreciate it as they might a chef's creation or something visual. Almost everyone can write to a degree so they think that even the most casual thing a writer writes is fair game. Some think they are being helpful, and in some cases they are.
My big issue is when, on the posts I write elsewhere, a few people feel it necessary to publicly point out errors or perceived omissions in the comments section, even if I intended to do some of them intentionally. The most considerate people send me the messages privately (it’s very easy to contact me), but it just seems a little self-serving to "make you stand up in front of the class" and have everyone see your mistakes. No one would show everyone someone else's paycheck or personal evaluation, would they?
But in today's social media/reality show world, I guess they might. Everyone can review goods, services, and restaurants online, and often they personalize it. We never used to be able to do that except with notes, letters to the editor, and limited things like that. The public pillory is wide-ranging.
Just keep the good people in mind. They are in the majority. They just usually keep their mouths and keyboards shut unless they have something of value to add.
I think you should just post when you want and not feel pressured to post every day or week. A blog should be fun - if you feel like you have to post a certain amount of times a week, it becomes a pain in the ass.
What ever you do is fine with me. Just never stop.
Wow, some self-righteous self centered folks complain about an occasional rerun from an incredibly competent, experienced and clever writer? The writing is so good it’s usually worth a second read.
Ken, I really enjoyed the St Patrick's Day scene from Cheers that you posted recently. I'd like to read more scenes you wrote/cowrote whether new posts or reruns.
I have no problem at all with you reposting. If anyone has a problem with it, they can start their own blog and never repost.
On October 5th of last year, you asked who was out there. So, here’s my belated response to those questions, along with one of my own.
Who are you? Mike. I work in the IT industry.
Where you from? Life long Minnesotan
How old are you (or at least what “Gen”)? 46
How long have you been reading? About four years now.
How did you find the blog? Looking for interesting CHEERS nuggets of information. I absolutely love CHEERS. It’s not too often a day goes by I don’t have episode(s) playing. Having it on is like hanging out with an old friend.
Do you also listen to my podcast? A few of the CHEERS ones. I struggle to focus on just listening to something and start browsing the net and then give up on listening. Not because the content isn’t interesting, it is unfortunately my seemingly ever-shrinking attention span.
What topics do you like or dislike? I like most all topics and enjoy hearing your views on them. I especially enjoy anything about CHEERS, MASH and baseball (three loves I inherited from my dad and grew up with). Though, I’ve been thoroughly disappointed with baseball in recent years, and being a Twins fan doesn’t help.
What features do you like or dislike? Friday Questions is great.
Any suggestions or general comments? I hope you keep on rockin’ just as you have been. Reading your blog every day adds a little brightness to my life in a turbulent world. On Sundays I dig deep into the archives and randomly find a post to read. This is the only blog I have ever followed and I truly hope you keep it going.
Friday Question - If you were Sam Malone, would you rather be with Diane or Rebecca and why?
Is it just me?
This feels like a repost.
Pretty sneaky, Ken.
I travelled over the weekend and waited to get home to catch up. Keep them coming, Ken. If you need to re-run some more great content or god forbid - SKIP A DAY, that's OK too. After reading your writings for 16 years, I feel like we know each other (or at least I know you)
You are a mensch. I will follow you to the ends of the earth. Let them eat cake.
Dude, I'll take what I can get... you write the best blog on the internet for people like me.
@Mitch
Not that Ken will let you see this, but I was one of the people who complained. I can say for myself that I wasn't angry when I complained, but perhaps some of the others were. Since Ken censored the comments, we'll never know.
I'm just now catching up from the weekend and felt I should add my voice to all of those telling you that those complainers are idiots and they can take a hike somewhere if they don't like what you're doing. It's weird to say it, but at this point this blog constitutes one of the longest relationships I've ever had, and I look forward to it every day. Do what you need to do to keep your creative juices flowing, as it were -- many, many thousands of us will be here for it!
I'm always shocked when I read about people being this way. I should be used to it by now, but still....it's like when someone posts a top ten list of their favorite whatevers, and people will proceed to tell them how they're wrong. The world is doomed.
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