Sam McDavid

Choose Your Own Advember We’re interrupting our regularly scheduled programming throughout November in order that we may bring you a Novel November Choose Your Own Adventure-style story in daily installments.

Choosing not to spam your inboxes with daily emails about the Choose Your Own Adventure story, but this handy table of contents will be updated as I add each new chapter.

open.substack.com/pub/sammcdav...

Chapter One wherein the reader is bored to tears by loads of expository dialogue

Your Novel November votes are in. You chose wrong. Here I am, trying to make the best of it.

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He needs to hold his guitar the other way. Hendrix was a southpaw!

Duly noted. And I've begun a separate tally of votes across all platforms to make sure yours is counted.

NovNov CYOA Call for Ballots Hurry up and read so you can vote before Saturday

For Novel November I'm doing an audience participation Choose Your Own Adventure story. Pop in and vote on which story I should tell.

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At 56° F and lower I can once again start finding reasons to live. What I need is a temperature-triggered stasis chamber, where I only have to live and to age during long sleeve weather. Here in the deep South, it means I'll emerge one day to find everyone I know has passed on, but it's worth it.

The Mensweaorphosis for Fiction Friday

Today on the ole Substack, we're bastardizing Kafka. Though I'm told it still holds up if you're unfamiliar with the source material. Regardless, subscribe, dammit! It's free so why not.
open.substack.com/pub/sammcdav...

Went to FilmFreeway to check for Huntsville laurels and discovered we got into Fairhope as well! So we're touring the state head-to-toe.

It ain't easy, but you can always do the first part without doing the second.

Upstaging Emerson's Hobgoblin for monster month

In my first Substack post of the spooky season, I make the case to bring back a monster who quite frankly deserves much more of our fear than it gets.

open.substack.com/pub/sammcdav...

Got accepted to Rocket City! Let's hang out if you plan to be up there.

The Printing Press A nom-de-plume I once knew often wrote in this style because he didn't think anyone was reading, but my first paid subscriber on this platform signed up specifically to read more. You may blame him.

Today on the ole substack...

open.substack.com/pub/sammcdav...

Welcome, Welcome Explain myself, young man!

Got me one o' them substacks. Still under construction but growing every day. Writing, cartoons, other fun surprises. So sub it! And stack it. Or whatever the kids are doing these days.

(reposted to correct original link)
sammcdavid.substack.com/p/welcome

You know, yes, you know them seasons be changin'
When the stink bugs launch their autumn invasion.

Hey, if you don't drink but you'd still really love a hangover, eat a load of night bacon and stay out til 4 a.m. Why, you'll be as miserable as all your non-teetotaling comrades in no time!

To speed recovery, most physicians recommend the remnants of yesterday's coffee and P5's Çà et là du Japon.

The leviathan ego doesn't represent a surplus of self esteem, but rather an overcompensation for its absence.

Now massage my ego by telling me what a clever maxim this is.

How far south you willing to come? And how far inland? Birmingham, AL, beyond your range? We're nearly equidistant from Atlanta and Nashville, so you could stop here and play between bigger cities (if you have time).

"They walk best who have learned to dance."

—Alexander Pope

BRIAN Wilson tells the story of how Don Henley once came backstage after a concert. The Eagles co-founder arrived clutching his copy of Pet Sounds, the Beach Boys' classic 1966 album, and told Wilson how much their music had inspired him when he was younger. Keen to have Wilson autograph the album, he watched as Wilson picked up a Sharpie and wrote: "To Don - thanks for all the great songs." Henley turned to leave but Wilson called him back and, grabbing the record, crossed out "great" and replaced it with "good"

incredible Brian Wilson self-edit here:

YouTube video by The Beach Boys - Topic Surf's Up

Ugh, devastated.

Devastated.

So long, Bri. You were the only one who could make me cry with sound alone. The end of this one got me every time. #BrianWilson #RIP

youtu.be/S22a1CITgj0

Just had a dream Vulcan was holding up his light again, and I was somehow able to climb inside it. A strong wind came and tossed his arm this way and that. Eventually the whole statue toppled, but I was able to escape harm. Looked back to see his pedestal crumble to the ground. Pretty exhilarating.

In my opinion, Spike Lee directed the greatest superhero movie ever made. Gets all the man-vs-self stuff out of the way in the first act.

No, wait. That was real life that did that.

RIP Aramis. Will have to watch the Richard Lester Musketeers movies again and raise a parting glass.

I sent the video to Chris Garrison. He should get a kick out of getting such a big laugh.

I think I figured out the secret to life—have your car painted pollen yellow with a matte finish. Then it’s just a matter of keeping a squeegee handy for the windows.

Never really been a fan of these, and I never thought I'd see the day they'd make a set I'd actually want. Though to be fair, I don't really need the full set. Four out of five will do nicely. We can split them, 80/20, and you can have Kokomo boy.

Pet Sounds is almost perfect, but as great as Sloop John B is, it doesn't fit with the rest of the record. The solution is just to replace it with Please Let Me Wonder off Beach Boys Today, and now PS becomes the most objectively perfect collection of songs ever assembled.

You know I'm right.

Whoa, I didn't realize you were a fellow Twigs fan! I was all set to see them when they came last May, but got called back up to AK. Love the first single off the new solo record, and really looking forward to the rest of it.