Gotta be honest, didn’t plan on edition 113 of #HHOTW to coincide with Friday the 13th, but there you go. And if you’re here, today, how lucky are you? So much for superstition.
I won’t say the pickings are slim this week, but I haven’t had any time to make much new stuff. That’s a lame excuse, I know, since this is what I’m allegedly doing full time. Anyway, onwards, and upwards towards the fun.
Made these a while ago, but haven’t published them here until now.
Three Film Posters
Don’t judge. A cheap laugh is still a laugh. It counts.
Speaking of laughs. Or not. This is the first posting anywhere, and it’s inspired by events at the Kennedy Centre in Washington DC earlier this week
One Shitpost
That’s it for this week. Told you not to get your hopes up too high. I trust you followed my advice. Next week’s will be super kickass to make up for my lacklustre material this week. Until then, have a groovy time, whatever you’re up to for the next 7 days.
Greetings fellow Earthlings, and all the space aliens, and inter-dimensional beings snooping on our internet. Such wonders, and horrors you all must see. Not sure where I fit on that particular scale.
I’m back for another week of fun, games, and a minor health update.
My make-believe advertising agency signed up a brand new imaginary client this week. Here’s the first, and I expect only advert I will produce for them.
One very short video
A brief hippy health update
After my A&E adventure, I saw a GP at my surgery. I need some tests, and supplements, and probably yet another prescription drug. I have compression fractures (plural) in my spine. It doesn’t sound good, does it?
I’ve written about my health before, rather extensively. Many of my health issues can be traced back to my tragic, premature birth. I was born 6 weeks early, in the early 1960s’s. I was a miracle baby, which sucks. I don’t recommend it. One of the many things I was born with, was a hiatus hernia, which is where a bit of your stomach pokes through your diaphragm. It causes chronic heartburn, and can be confused with an ulcer. My issues began when I was 13 years old, and I wasn’t properly diagnosed until I was 18.
There is a surgical option, but I was advised against it by a gastroenterologist, as my condition has been well-managed via medication for a very long time. The meds are called proton pump inhibitors, and I have been on various forms of them for decades. They keep me symptom free. The downside to them, as I’ve recently discovered, is that long term use causes bone loss, and osteoporosis. In laymen’s terms, my skeleton is fucked.
The good news is my GP says it is treatable, they can prevent it from worsening, and hopefully restore some of my bone loss. I asked if there were any activities I should avoid, and my GP told me I should not do any extreme sports. I was way ahead of her, as I have been avoiding them my entire life.
So you see, my current new health issue, is related to effectively a birth defect, which was caused by my premature birth. It’s the circle of life, or some such nonsense.
Anyway, that’s it for this week, but I will be back next week, fractured spine and all.
It’s the last #HHOTW of May, and I have an overwhelming amount of stuff to share with you. And check it out, I added the “S” to the end of “Highlight” The second “H” in the hashtag is now plural. #HHOTW now translates into “Hippy Highlights of the Week”. Update your records accordingly. And thanks for your attention to this matter.
Before I get into the highlights, I’m going to start with the lowlight. Cue the violins as I solicit your pity. I lost an entire day, yesterday, at the Whittington A&E.
My GP insisted I go, and the staff was amazing, as always. But the lack of resources, and funding means people with non-urgent issues need to wait. My GP told me I needed to urgently get myself to A&E. The A&E people told me it wasn’t urgent, and I had to chill in the waiting room for a long time. Having been an actual urgent case several times myself, I was cool with them dealing with heart attacks, seizures, and the like, before getting to me.
Once I saw the doctor, he didn’t rush with the exam, he was thorough, he did several tests, explained the results, recommended some further, future tests, and sent all of that info to my GP surgery. And when I spoke to my GP again today, she was able to quickly read the results of everything they did to me. It’s a very joined up system. When I’ve had ambulance rides to A&E in the past, the ambulance, and A&E reports were accessible by my GP immediately.
And before anyone gets too worried, I’m fine. I had a minor complaint, that out of an abundance of caution, meant my GP had to send me to A&E. I was at risk of a very rare syndrome that could cause paralysis. Already forgot its name. I didn’t think I had it because I lacked most of the symptoms, but I was a good boy, and did what the doctor told me to do. Guess what? I didn’t have it. They ruled out all sorts of stuff, and found something brand new.
They discovered an issue with my spine, that requires more tests. Yawn. I am so bored of having stupid health issues. Getting old sucks so much. Nobody tells you, but it is really no fun. I one-hundred percent don’t recommend it, so start working on your eternal youth cure, before it’s too late. Big hint, aging is in our genetic code. Turn off the right gene, and you won’t age. Don’t worry, A.I. will figure it out. You could still get hit by a bus though. There’s more about A.I. fun further down. Please try to contain your excitement.
All this leads me to what I wanted to say, and that I am so lucky to have access to the NHS. If I still lived in America, I would be sooooooo fucked. Or already dead. Hey ho.
Something from the Lazy Hippy Kitchen
Speaking of America, how’s that for a smooth segue? I’m about to share with you another Lazy Hippy Recipe. This time it’s Lazy Hippy – Ranch Dressing & Dip. It’s easy to make, and it tastes so good.
It only takes about 5 minutes to make it
I wrote a thing this week
And staying with the American theme, I’m not actually American any more. Nope, I’m not. Not me. I’m Canadian Again. Can you blame me? It’s embarrassing to be an American these days. And it’s not the first time either.
I only posted one shitpost
Not sure what generation would get this. Definitely not mine
I did make another, first posting below
It made me laugh, and isn’t that what really matters? š
A.I. is coming for your job. And yours. And yours too
Did you read the big scary warning from the head of Anthropic, CEO Dario Amodei? You really should, because he says half of all white collar jobs are about to disappear. I don’t think anyone realises just how fundamentally our lives are already changing due to A.I., except bosses, who are already plotting to replace you with an A.I. Agent. It’s already happened in some call centres. But the joke’s on the bosses, as they’re even more replaceable. Seriously, click that link, the source is the Harvard Business Review.
Chords – G C G F G C Am F G C if you want to play the home game. Send me a video of you performing the song, and I’ll send you a free copy of my book, Personal Use.
I considered performing it for you myself, but then I remembered two key things. I haven’t touched a guitar in a really long time, and I can’t sing. I thought that was justification enough for simply including the lyrics.
Told ya it was a busy #HHOTW. Go me and whatnot. Next time I post one of these, it will be June. This year is already flying by way too fast. Wasn’t New Year’s Eve just a few weeks ago? Catch ya next week.
A few months back, I had an awkward interaction with an Uber driver, and I hadnāt had one like this in a very long time.
I requested the ride, and the driver picked me up in less than 2 minutes. Turned out, he lived very close to me, and I was his first trip of the day. We got chatting and he asked me if I was American.
Technically, I am American. I was born and raised there, but I self-deported over 30 years ago, and have not even set foot in the country in over 20. I donāt really identify as American, even if I sound like one. I have a British first name, a British surname, a British passport and Iāve lived in London longer than Iived in the US of A. At this point, Iām am much more British than American.Ā
I replied to the driver in the affirmative, that I was indeed American. He said he recognised my accent, because he had spent a lot of time around Americans.
I then asked my driver where he was from originally. He said heād lived in London for over 20 years, but was originally from Iraq. My driver didnāt need to tell me why he left when he did.Ā
Then there was a bit of silence, before I uncomfortably, nervously began laughing, while apologising for Americaās terrible actions in his country. I was against the Iraq War, but that didn’t stop me from feeling guilty, and embarrassed about it. It was shameful. He didnāt seem to hold a grudge, or if he did, he kept it to himself. Like I said, it was awkward.
Similar interactions used to frequently occur to me during the second Gulf war, and it was just as uncomfortable back then. So much so, that when a stranger asked me my nationality, I began to say I was Canadian.
Everyone likes Canadians, They are friendly, non-controversial, and innocuous, so pretending to be Canadian made my life easier. My interactions with strangers of all nationalities suddenly became more pleasant. There were no pregnant pauses, no awkward silences, and no judgement, or criticism. People stopped telling me George W. Bush was a total dummy. As if I need to be informed of something so basic.
It wasnāt hard to pretend to be Canadian. My accent is neutral enough, and influenced by living in London so long that no one ever questioned my claim.
Once the war ended, and Obama was president, the USA became less of an international pariah, and I returned to being American again.
America is once again disliked by the rest of the world, perhaps more so than at any point in my life. And thatās not hyperbole. In just a few months, Trump has resurrected the whole evil empire thing, only this time itās a domestic policy, with a level of intentional cruelty that I didnāt think was possible.
Iām not doing this out of fear. Itās embarrassment. Iām ashamed of what America has become. The Trump regime is attacking freedom of speech, the freedom of the press, freedom of everything. Theyāre even attacking institutes of higher learning, like Harvard, one of Americaās oldest, and most prestigious universities. And don’t forget all the illegal deportations, er I mean the kidnapping and trafficking folks to other countries – US citizens and non-citizens alike. No one is safe in Trump’s America.
Iām hoping I wonāt have to be Canadian forever. Iām not a fan of deception. That said, I donāt know how America comes back from this. If Trump really fufils his dream and becomes āPresident for lifeā, then I might be Canadian for quite a while. Itās cool, I already like maple syrup, and Iām sure I can get a Canadian hockey jersey online. After all, Iām Canadian, again.Ā
After a 30 year career as a journalist, working for some of the largest news organisations in the world, including Associated Press and Reuters, and 15 years as a duty news editor for BBC News, Doug ā the northlondonhippy is now a full time hippy, and writer. And for the last few years, heās been #EpilepsyHippy. His life was a whole lot more fun before gaining that new title. For real.
Doug is also the author of āPersonal Use by the northlondonhippy.ā āPersonal Useā chronicles Dougās years of experience with mind altering substances, while calling for urgent drug law reform. Itās a cracking read. You will laugh, you will cry, and you can bet your ass that you will wish you were a hippy too!
If you want even more, (and who wouldnāt?) you could always check out Hippy Highlights ā which is the best of the best stuff on the site, and itās all free to read. What are you waiting for?
Yep, it’s Friday again, and I am here to rock your world. And by “rock your world” obviously I mean providing you with bitter disappointment. I’m setting the bar high this week.
Strategic Vertically Integrated Re-Brand Synergy
After threatening to make some new graphics, I finally got around to it this week. I’m not a graphic designer, but I have been playing at it for a while. I’ve gotten faster at it, if nothing else. I hope they are an improvement. I was aiming for more depth, and texture, while still maintaining my historic multicoloured theme. The palette is deeper this time, and more spread across the spectrum.
While testing out the graphics on various websites, I noticed that my new logo, and banner don’t display on phones. It looks much better on a real computer screen, or an iPad. That’s how you get the full-on hippy experience. Anyway, here’s my new banner, in case you can’t see if by default.
My giant clear out continues, slowly, and for good reason. I don’t want to toss out anything I’d like to keep. The plan is to be extra careful, and thorough.
For this one, please grab a violin, and a box of tissues. It’s a sad tale, with a happy ending.
I don’t have many photos of myself. It’s a combination of me moving continents, and a dysfunctional family. Hey ho. So imagine my surprise when I discovered a treasure trove of old photos. And by trove, of course I mean around a couple of dozen, and more than half of those snaps are from a 2 week stay in Mogadishu in 1992.
Here’s one of the most sentimental things I found: It’s my baby picture. I thought it was lost a very long time ago. I hadn’t seen it in decades.
This little guy was me a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away
I was a miracle baby way back in the olden days of the early 1960’s. They didn’t think I’d survive. Spoiler alert: You already know I did.
And that’s not all…
Here’s the coolest thing I found. And I’d been trying to find it for ages. Yes, I should have definitely taken better care of it. But then, come on, there’s lots of things I should have done, but didn’t.
Check this out:
Someone else got that autographed photo of Springsteen for me, way back in the olden days of 1978 or 1979. I didn’t meet Bruce myself until the summer of 1982.
I mentioned Mogadishu. I was there in December of 1992. I arrived just before the US military did, on what was meant to be a humanitarian mission. It was long before Black Hawk Down.
Sat-phones back then weighed nearly a tonne, and were bulky to carry as well. Also they were worth a small fortune, and the per minute call charges were insane. My new iPhone can connect to a satellite in an emergency, if I don’t have normal mobile service available. I’ve not needed to test it out, which is a good thing, but the fact that it’s possible still blows my mind.
One shitpost
I’m a meme now.
That’s probably more than enough for this week. Perhaps even too much. I’ll try and tone things down for next week. Don’t want anyone to overdose on me, I just want you hooked.
A hale and hearty hello from sunny north London. Welcome once again to another edition of Hippy Highlight of the Week!
I had another busy week IRL, so I didn’t get to make nearly as much as I would have hoped. That’s true most weeks, and my list of fun ideas of stuff to write, or make, just keeps getting longer. And I still want to give my website and graphics a fresh coat of digital paint. It’s time I blew the cobwebs off this place.
Three shitposts
Here’s the first one. It’s a little late, but I haven’t it posted here yet.
And this second one is brand, spankin’ new, and I haven’t posted it anywhere until now.
And finally, Signalgate, the sequel!
From the hippy archive:
“My Summer of Springsteen” is a piece I wrote a couple of years ago, and it has become the most read piece on my website. It’s about me meeting Bruce, and seeing him hanging out, and jamming all around the Jersey shore. It’s also about me “growin’ up”. It’s part of the “Sex, Drugs, and Rock & Roll Collection”, which is a series of pieces I wrote and published online that’s an unofficial sequel to my book, “Personal Use”.
That’s it for this week, but in 7 short days, I’ll be back with more high quality, you know, whatever it is I do around here. Until then, keep on groovin’, you groovers!
A very pleasant Friday to one and all. Greetings from north London, and whatnot.
Remember I said that #HHOTW could be anything I wanted? It’s okay if you don’t recall, but I really did say it, and it’s never been more true than this week.
My highlight was coming up with a new recipe, making it, and it being a massive success. I call it “Lazy Hippy – Welsh Rarebit Mac & Cheese”, and I’ve shared it online. I don’t think I’ve ever published a recipe before. It’s really easy to make, and it is seriously tasty.
Believe it or not, I didn’t make a single shitpost this week. Either my mental health regarding the state of the world is improving, or I’ve been staying occupied with other things. Trust me, it’s number two. I’ve been occupied. When I have more free time, I will produce more shitposts.
I did manage to make another full moon alert animation. It’s on Monday if you’re keeping score. Duck and cover motherthuckers!
I’ll be back next week for more #HHOTW fun. How about you?
A very warm welcome to my website. I hope you enjoy your stay.
I’ve had a relatively busy week IRL, which means the pickings are slim for this week’s #HHOTW.
I have been trying to clear out old junk that’s accumulated around the house for about 30 years, and it seems to be an endless task. Last week, I showed you one of my finds, my MTV baseball cap from the mid 80s. This week’s discoveries were photos, mostly of me. One of them is from 1991 or 1992, which makes it the oldest photo of myself that I have, outside of old press credentials, and passports. I won’t be posting my photos online. I expect that won’t cause too much disappointment.
All I have to share are two shitposts, both related to the passing of the Pope.
The first one features JD Pants:
And the second one was snapped especially for Instagram:
Oh, and I’ve got one quick GIF that I made. Full disclosure: The version I’ve posted here is video because for some reason GIFs stutter when I post them here. I have no idea why.
That’s it for this week. Told ya the pickings were slim. I’ll aim to do something double extra special next week, to make up for my piss poor performance today. Catch ya next Friday for more #HHOTW hilarity and fun.
Greetings groovers. It’s already Friday again. How’d that happen so fast? I’ve got a small selection of treats, but you don’t need to wait till Easter to enjoy them.
The main highlight this week is a piece I wrote about the rapidly deteriorating situation in the US of A. Whether you follow the news closely, like I do, or you just dip in and out, this piece pulls together a whole bunch of evil stuff that the Trump regime is doing. You can read the piece RIGHT HERE, or you can click the distress graphic below.
One photo
I actually went outside this week. It was good. I should do it more often.
One Shitpost
I’ll let it speak for itself. Additional commentary is not required.
An Easter treat!
If you need some entertainment this weekend, I suggest you check this out. If the special is successful, we’re hoping to take to a full series.
And that wraps us up for this week. Make sure you pop by again next Friday for even more hippy hilarity!
Good morning, afternoon, or evening, depending upon your exact location on our dying planet. Welcome to another edition of Hippy Highlight of the Week, or #HHOTW for short.
Here’s a piece I wrote about the year 1975, specifically about some media that you really should check out. You can find it RIGHT HERE, or you could click the link to the graphic below. The choice, as always, is yours.
Prediction
I made this graphic a while ago, and posted it on Twitter, and Reddit. It’s a prediction that I totally want credit for, should it come true. I’d wager it’s about 50/50 that Orange Shitler actually does it.
And for the interests of transparency, here are links to my original posts from February on TWITTER, and REDDIT. Would it surprise you if he did this?
Discovery
This is kinda cool. I have been clearing old crap out of my place for a while, and as I have been doing it, I’ve discovered things I thought were lost. Here’s one of them:
I was given that hat when I completed my internship at MTV in NYC nearly 40 years ago. If you would like to read about my time at MTV, I wrote a 4 part series about it, called MTV Redux. You should check it out.
Two quick shitposts
First there’s this one:
And here’s number two:
Housekeeping, sorta
I’ve been doing this on Twitter for a long time now. I don’t know why exactly, but I do know the full moon affects me, especially my sleep. The moon influences the tide, and humans are mostly made of water, so it must be high tide in our heads. I choose to believe itās true. Anyway, this month’s full moon alert is animated:
That’s it for this week. Check back next Friday for more #HHOTW fun!
Getting old sucks, but I donāt need to tell you that. Youāll find out on your own, if youāre lucky/unlucky (delete as appropriate). I find it really weird to be able to say shit like ā50 years ago blah, blah, blahā, but thatās exactly what Iām about to do. Howās that for a warm up?
Fifty years ago this year, two films, and one album came out that remain on my list of all time favourites. All three are well worth remembering, and revisiting. And if youāve never enjoyed them yourself, then let the 50th anniversary of all three be the nudge you need to check them out.
The first film is āJawsā, and if youāve never seen it, you absolutely should. It was the very first big summer blockbuster. I donāt mean it was the first big Hollywood movie, but it was the first hyped-up film released in the summer, that went on to set box office records. But it wasnāt just a commercial success, the film was also critically acclaimed.
āJawsā was promoted heavily, and had a lot of pre-release buzz surrounding it, prior to itās debut. The way the film was successfully marketed became the blueprint on how to advertise new films. The pre-release excitement had people queuing around the block just to get a ticket.
I was 12 years old in 1975, and I got caught up in the massive hype too. The film was based on a very successful novel of the same name, written by Peter Benchley. In anticipation of the film, I devoured the paperback, much like a great white shark might, in big giant bites. And I read it more than once.
The film is a fairly faithful adaptation of the book. They omitted a minor subplot involving Chief Brodyās wife having an affair with Matt Hooper. It was a smart decision, as it would have been a distraction, and it would have made the character bond between Brody and Hooper weaker.
I saw the film at the very first screening on opening day. The film was a blast, and a half! Dramatic, exciting, action-packed, and just a tiny bit gory. Who knew shark attacks could be so messy?
The shark in the film, named āBruceā by the crew, was a practical effect. There was no CGI back in the olden days. Could they make the shark look better today? Of course they could. Should they remake the film? OMG no no NO! The film still stands up today, and is as watchable now, as it was when I saw it in 1975. Itās extremely entertaining.
The second film Iād like to highlight from 1975 is āOne Flew Over the Cuckooās Nestā, which was also wildly popular, though the subject matter was far less commercially appealing.
Based upon the 1962 Ken Kesey novel, the film went on to sweep all five major academy awards; Best film, best screenplay (adapted), best director, best actor, and best actress. It was also a commercial success, and surprisingly funny, considering the seriousness of the subject matter.
Michael Douglas was one of the producers on the film. At one point, his father, Kirk Douglas, was attached to star in the it, but that was more than a decade before this version was produced.
The story centres around Randall Patrick McMurphy,Ā a boisterous, somewhat morally challenged, wise-ass, petty criminal, who feigns mental illness, and his locked up in a psychiatric hospital. He does this to avoid a worse fate, hard labour in prison. McMurphy is played by the great Jack Nicholson.Ā Nicholson’s performance really drives the film. It is easily one of his best.
Jack Nicholson is one of my all time favourite actors. And heās my homeboy, as weāre both originally from the same bit of the Jersey shore, though I didnāt know it back then.
McMurphyās nemesis in the film is Nurse Ratched, played by Louise Fletcher. She is in charge of the ward in the mental hospital he ends up in, and she sees wise-cracking McMurphy as a threat to her authority. Both Fletcher and Nicholson won well deserved Oscars for their performances in the film.Ā
And if youāre really paying attention, you should spot a young Danny DeVito and Christopher Lloyd in the supporting cast. The film was rated āRā in America. As I was only 12 years old, it meant I wouldnāt be admitted unless an adult accompanied me. I was ultra-hyped for the film, having read countless articles, and reviews about it, as well as seeing clips on TV. I spent weeks begging my father to take me to see it.
My dad wasnāt really a cinema goer, and I can count the number of times he went to the cinema with me on one hand.Ā But I was persistent, and extra helpful around the house. He finally relented, and off we went.
I am not going to spoil the plot, as the less you know going in, the more you will enjoy it. As I said, there are parts that are laugh out-loud funny, but there are other elements that are extremely sad. Some might even say shocking, certainly to an audience 50 years ago. I expect it would be the same for an audience today.
If you ever get the chance, watch it. You really will laugh, and you will cry, and you will thank me for turning you on to such an amazing film.Ā
āBorn to Runā, is the album that made Bruce Springsteen a household name when it was released in 1975. All I ask is that you listen to it once. Iāve listened to it countless times, but I can remember the first time I heard it, like it was yesterday.
It was a few years after itās release that I went Springsteen mad, but it was hard to miss the publicity he received when āBorn to Runā came out.
Sure, we have NJ in common, but I think it wouldnāt have mattered where I lived. I would have still been into his music, and would have still become a huge fan wherever I grew up. That said, it didnāt hurt that Bruce and I lived in the same area, it was actually very cool.
When the record was released, Bruce was on the front cover of both Newsweek, and Time Magazine at the same time. That was pretty much unheard of, back then. Talk about hype!
Jon Landau, who was a music critic back in the day, provided this often quoted line, after attending a Springsteen performance: “…I saw rock ‘n’ roll future and its name is Bruce Springsteenā.
Landau was right. He also went on to work with Bruce for a while, as a producer and manager. And he helped Bruce get out of his terrible first record contract, that was signed in the dark, on the hood of a car.
The opening track of āBorn to Runā, called āThunder Roadā is my absolute favourite Springsteen song. My favourite live version was recorded here in London at the Hammersmith Odeon, in 1975.
There are only 8 songs on the album, and itās a just under 40 minutes long, but those 40 minutes insured that Bruce became one of the biggest rock and roll stars in the world. And 50 years later, that is still true.
I would suggest you listen to āBorn to Runā at least once in track listing order. Think of it as a journey, follow the stories, and see where they lead.
In the 1970s, albums were considered an art form of their own. There were even radio stations that followed a format called AOR, which stood for Album Oriented Rock. Youāre actually meant to listen to them their entirety. āShuffleā is something else that wasnāt a thing back in the olden days.
Donāt think of all this as a homework assignment. Take it for what it is, a small, curated list of my top three pieces of media from 1975 that have more than withstood the test of time. I know there are many other films, and albums I could have name checked, but these three are special to me. One day, they might be special to you too.
After a 30 year career as a journalist, working for some of the largest news organisations in the world, including Associated Press and Reuters, and 15 years as a duty news editor for BBC News, Doug ā the northlondonhippy is now a full time hippy, and writer. And for the last few years, heās been #EpilepsyHippy. His life was a whole lot more fun before gaining that new title. For real.
Doug is also the author of āPersonal Use by the northlondonhippy.ā āPersonal Useā chronicles Dougās years of experience with mind altering substances, while calling for urgent drug law reform. Itās a cracking read, you will laugh, you will cry, and you can bet your ass that you will wish you were a hippy too!
If you want even more, (and who wouldnāt?) you could always check out Hippy Highlights ā which is the best of the best stuff on the site, and itās all free to read. What are you waiting for?
It’s Friday, which means it’s time for another Hippy Highlight of the Week (#HHOTW)! I’ve already kept this going for more than 3 weeks. I think that’s some sort of personal best.
I’m already thinking of renaming this to make it “highlights”, plural. I seem to have more than one thing every week that I want to share. Sure, they aren’t all equal, but they’re still highlights of my week. That means I have to make a new graphic just add the letter “s”. I was planning on updating all my graphics anyway. I’m rambling already, let’s get to the good shit. Literally.
I wrote a piece about why I’m shitposting so much, and so often. It’s called “Shitposting through the Apocalypse“. It tries to explain why I’ve been such a prolific poster recently. I’m making at least one a day, and sometimes more.
I won’t include any additional shitpost graphics here, as there are quite a few in that piece. Just click the above image, or link, and you’re there. I hope you dig reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. And I really did enjoy writing it.
The hippy has been shitposting prolifically since mid January. You can guess why. Itās how heās coping with everything going so wrong, so fast.
āShit, I know shitās bad right nowā¦ā. is a well known quote from a famous documentary entitled āIdiotcracyā. I highly recommend that you see it, but if you canāt, please donāt worry. Right now, we are all living it. Yay!
When the shit gets shittier, the sane start shitposting. Iād like to think that Iām sane, and I have definitely been shitposting. A lot.
Whatās a shitpost?
For me, itās something that Iāve created that is swift, sharp, pointed, and hopefully amusing to someone out there. I try to make, and post them quickly, so theyāre timely.
The jokes are meant to be basic, with a very low bar. I try not to spend more than 5-10 minutes creating them. Hereās one I just made.
The trade war is just the latest outrage. Donāt worry, the next outrage will be along soon, and it will distract you from the previous one. Rinse and repeat!
Iāve always had a thing for jokes that make only one guy in the back, laugh. I also enjoy making Trump supporters upset. Itās not that hard, many of them were born triggered, and are seeking reasons to overreact.
In the states, he is dismantling many of the federal assistance programs that people depend upon, like Medicare/Medicaid, and Social Security. And heās gutting the federal workforce, so there will be fewer people left to deal with the messes he and his henchmen are making.
Dodgy
And guess what? Heās not too bothered about whether these drastic changes hurt his supporters. He doesnāt really care about them, or anyone else. There are many Trump voters who are already publicly regretting their votes. That didnāt take long.
And then there’s Ukraine. Trumpās peace plan there involves America extracting all of Ukraineās natural resources, while green lighting Putinās desire to keep chunks of the country. If you ever doubted that Trump and the Republican party were compromised by Russia, I bet you donāt doubt it any more.
Gabbi Tulsard
Just remember, as it all goes very wrong, itās never Trumpās fault. Or his regimeās for that matter. Theyāre perfect, just ask them. I even created a shitpost about the hierarchy of MAGA blame.
The dumber my shitposts are, and the less effort I give them, the better they perform online. Simple works best
Now showing in the US Capitol!
Blow something
Look again!
Everyone copes with bad stuff differently. Shitposting is my coping mechanism. And I am coping fairly well, if the volume of my output is the metric you measure.
āShit. I know shitās bad right nowā¦ā and it is only going to get worse. And when it does, my prolific shitposting might very well save the world. (The previous sentence is a shitpost š)
Say it out loud
After a 30 year career as a journalist, working for some of the largest news organisations in the world, including Associated Press and Reuters, and 15 years as a duty news editor for BBC News, Doug ā the northlondonhippy is now a full time hippy, and writer. And for the last few years, heās been #EpilepsyHippy. His life was a whole lot more fun before gaining that new title. For real.
Doug is also the author of āPersonal Use by the northlondonhippy.ā āPersonal Useā chronicles Dougās years of experience with mind altering substances, while calling for urgent drug law reform. Itās a cracking read, you will laugh, you will cry, and you can bet your ass that you will wish you were a hippy too!
If you want even more, (and who wouldnāt?) you could always check out Hippy Highlights ā which is the best of the best stuff on the site, and itās all free to read. What are you waiting for?
The hippy provides a very long overdue update on his epilepsy. Seems like things are not as bad as they’ve been, and that’s created quite a quandary for our favourite fake hippy.
I havenāt had a major seizure in nearly 14 months. Itās the longest stretch of me being seizure-free since all this epilepsy nonsense started.
You might have noticed I said āmajor seizureā, meaning the type that lands me in the back of an ambulance for a free trip to A&E. I do continue to have partial seizures occasionally, but nowhere near as frequently as I did before I started treatment.
Partial seizures are not as scary as tonic clonic seizures. There are two types; simple, and complex, and I have both.
For me, partial seizures have often preceded, and triggered tonic-clonic seizures, but these days, I think my meds are preventing them from becoming worse.
A simple partial seizure is one where I am aware that it is happening. Itās starts with a weird feeling of unease, followed by a series of strong emotions, the first of which is desperately incredible sadness, followed by a huge sense of massive impending doom. If I donāt go on to have a major seizure, I then have a brief period of aphasia, and my heart rate increases dramatically.
A complex partial seizure is one where I am not aware that Iāve even had it. Before I was diagnosed, I referred to this phenomenon as ābrain blipsā or ātime skipsā because I would lose a few moments of consciousness. Imagine watching TV, and your mind wanders, and for a few minutes youāre tuned out of whatās happening on screen. Itās sort of like that, only youāre tuned out of life. A big clue Iāve had one is a heart rate spike, which gets picked up by my Apple Watch.
For the first three years of having partial seizures, I didnāt know what they were. I thought it was having some sort of breakdown. Now that I do know conclusively what I am experiencing, I cope with them much better. Theyāre disorienting, and unsettling, but theyāre nothing like the really bad ones that have nearly killed me. I still wouldnāt be able to drive a car, or even ride a bicycle, but it is progress.
Why am I telling you all this? Because for the first time since all this started over 6 years ago, my brain may actually be stable, and I am not at constant risk of SUDEP. I really believed epilepsy was going to kill me, and it hasnāt. And all that leads us to the title of this piece: āNow what?ā
Now what? Itās a question Iāve been asking myself a lot since I passed the one year mark of not having a big, bad seizure. My previous record was 361 days, and as of today I am at around 418 days without a major seizure. Go me!
Now what? I genuinely donāt have a clue. I miss working, and would love to find something fun to do, maybe a day or two a week. In an ideal world, working from home, but since Iāve been major-seizure-free, I have been braver about venturing out into the wider world. Well, somewhat.
There are other issues, like the fact that I havenāt properly gotten dressed in like 6 years, and my clothes donāt fit me any more. Iāve lived in sweatpants, and tee shirts, while barely leaving my house.
I also havenāt been around other humans in a very long time. Iām not sure if I remember how to do it. I wish I was joking, but I definitely feel like I have de-socialised myself to a worrying degree.
I havenāt had a coffee, or a meal outside of my home in over 5 years. I had lunch with a friend of mine not long before the first lockdown of the pandemic, that was my last visit to a restaurant. Thatās a long-assed time ago.
I genuinely donāt know what to do. Iāve been so isolated, and unwell for so long that Iām not sure if there is any way back to anything even slightly normal.
I consider contacting people I used to know, to seek advice, or some freelance work, and then I talk myself out of it. Theyāve probably forgotten me, or theyāve heard about my health issues. Or maybe they found out I am the internetās favourite fake hippy? Who knows? Not me, because so far, I havenāt pursued anything.
I also worry about rejection, Iām not sure I am as resilient as I used to be. Thereās a lot of things I used to be, that Iām not any more. Thanks to my epilepsy, I have turned into a āused to beā, full stop.
They say itās better to be a āused to beā than to be a ānever wasā, but I donāt know who ātheyā are, or if I believe them. If I was a ānever wasā then I wouldnāt know what I was missing so very much.
If you know anyone that would like to hire an old weather-beaten, broken down, short, fat, bald, fake hippy, with maybe properly managed epilepsy, then please get in touch. If I think I can do whatever it is that you need doing, Iāll do it. And if I canāt, I wonāt be shy about telling you I canāt.
Try me. I still think I can useful to someone, somewhere. Iām just lost on what to do. And I still keep asking myself the same question, over and over: Now what?
PS – Don’t forget my brand new feature – #HHOTW – Hippy Highlight of the Week – every Friday evening, right at the top of my website.
After a 30 year career as a journalist, working for some of the largest news organisations in the world, including Associated Press and Reuters, and 15 years as a duty news editor for BBC News, Doug ā the northlondonhippy is now a full time hippy, and writer. And for the last few years, heās been #EpilepsyHippy. His life was a whole lot more fun before gaining that new title. For real.
Doug is also the author of āPersonal Use by the northlondonhippy.ā āPersonal Useā chronicles Dougās years of experience with mind altering substances, while calling for urgent drug law reform. Itās a cracking read, you will laugh, you will cry, and you can bet your ass that you will wish you were a hippy too!
If you want even more, (and who wouldnāt?) you could always check out Hippy Highlights ā which is the best of the best stuff on the site, and itās all free to read. What are you waiting for?
The hippy gives you his hot take on the terrible state of Twitter, and why you should still be on it anyway.
Iām still on Twitter (the website no one calls āXā), and I still use it nearly daily. Iām definitely not on there as much as I used to be, but Iām still there. And you should be too.
When the Nazis occupied Paris during WWII, did all the Parisians flee? Iām sure some did, but the majority stayed. The French were there first, they outlasted the Nazis, and helped drive them out. I was on Twitter first. Iām not going to let some stupid, racist, fascist douchebags drive me out. Fuck them. Thatās why Iām still on Twitter.
The Muskification of Twitter has been nothing short of a disaster for us Twitter old timers. Twitter used to be a mostly friendly place, full of quality information. It was the place to find breaking news first.
When I originally signed up for Twitter, it was for professional reasons. As a journalist, Twitter was an excellent resource for guidance, or finding footage, or eye witness accounts of major incidents.
Twitter kept me ahead on many different stories, and just off the top of my head, I got first confirmation of Michael Jacksonās death on Twitter, and I saw the first moving video of the Grenfell Tower fire here in London on there as well.
Twitter is much different today. It is full of misinformation confidently posted by the owner of the platform, his acolytes, and other āfar right influencersā. Itās a lot of noise to deal with constantly, when all you want to do is find truth. People need to call out the bullshit. Thatās why Iām still on Twitter. And why you should be too.
Many people I followed, and genuinely liked on Twitter have left the platform. I miss their tweets popping up in my feed, I miss the engagement, the conversations, the sharing of ideas, and links to interesting stuff.
I still read my replies when I get them, but I donāt sit there endlessly scrolling like I used to do. More recently, I tend to tweet, and run, with only two real goals: 1) To provide some giggles for all the cool, hip, empathetic people who remain on the platform, and 2) To trigger, and piss off the knuckle draggers. Itās not really difficult, it takes up very little time, and itās fun.
Iāve become a prolific shitposter, mainly since Trump was inaugurated again. To be fair, Iāve been making silly graphics for a few years now, but never so many in such a short period of time.
My shitposting rules are simple: I donāt spend more than 5-10 minutes making a graphic. I try to be as timely, and newsworthy as possible. And I whenever I trigger a stranger enough to send me a snotty reply, I consider it a victory. Thatās why Iām still on Twitter.
Even better, I use Muskās AI, Grok, to generate many of the grotesque images I include. Thereās a certain satisfaction knowing Iām using his technology to attack him, and the far right.
Obviously I donāt pay for a blue tick, but I donāt need one. As long as I tag the right celebrity, or politician, or use a trending hashtag, I get plenty of views, and engagement. And donāt forget retweets. There are still plenty of good people who havenāt left, and they are more than happy to amplify my shitposts. You should be one of them.
You need to fight the fascists where they live. In the 1940s, my Dad went to Germany to do it, and he ādeletedā lots of them. Today, they all seem to live on Twitter, especially after so many banned accounts were reinstated, including the fascist-in-chief. I donāt claim to be anything more than a small thorn in their sides, but Iām doing what I can to combat them. Thatās why Iām still on Twitter.
I donāt limit my shitposting to US politics, I am also partial to attacking our own homegrown, far right grifters, and evildoers, and their supporters.
During last summerās riots here in the UK, I was also a bit prolific in my attacks against the racists. Again, the fun comes from their hate-filled, fat-fingered replies. Thatās why Iām still on Twitter.
As a general rule, the nastier the response, the more random digits the attacker will have in their Twitter username. Add to that their lack of followers, and both are dead giveaways that these are relatively new accounts set up by people who have been banned, probably more than once, or paid for bots. You can help get them banned again, just by triggering them. Fish, meet barrel.
And believe it or not, Twitter is actually pretty good about hiding the seriously egregious replies, either as probable spam, or just disappearing them completely. You need to actively seek them out to see them. And donāt forget, the mute button is there for a reason. You donāt ever have to put up with anyoneās bullshit. I certainly donāt.
Iām on other platforms, like BlueSky, and Mastodon, and I am a prolific Redditor, as both a poster, and a scroller. Itās not as if I donāt have other options, but I am not going to let a bunch of grifting, far right scumbags occupy Twitter forever.
We were there first, and we can outlast them all. The only way Iām leaving Twitter is if Elmo bans me, and I really hope one of my graphics finally hits his screen. I dare him to ban me, and if he ever does, Iāll wear that shit like a badge of honour.
And thatās why Iām still on Twitter.
After a 30 year career as a journalist, working for some of the largest news organisations in the world, including Associated Press and Reuters, and 15 years as a duty news editor for BBC News, Doug ā the northlondonhippy is now a full time hippy, and writer. And for the last few years, heās been #EpilepsyHippy. His life was a whole lot more fun before gaining that new title. For real.
Doug is also the author of āPersonal Use by the northlondonhippy.ā āPersonal Useā chronicles Dougās years of experience with mind altering substances, while calling for urgent drug law reform. Itās a cracking read, you will laugh, you will cry, and you can bet your ass that you will wish you were a hippy too!
If you want even more, (and who wouldnāt?) you could always check out Hippy Highlights ā which is the best of the best stuff on the site, and itās all free to read. What are you waiting for?
