Wryly Reilly is 1 Year Old Today!
Celebrating the first year of this quirky blog
Hello beloved readers,
I’m publishing an unconventional post on an unconventional day to celebrate a momentous occasion: this wry lil’ corner of Substack is officially one year old! Even if you read no farther than this, I just wanted to say a huge thank you to every single one of you for reading, commenting, and sharing this blog with your friends and family. I appreciate you!
When I published my first article last fall, part one of a questionably necessary 5 part series about Spikeball, I had no idea where this project would lead me. Since that fateful September day I’ve learned more about writing, creativity, and this wild world we live in than I ever imagined possible.
In honor of my blog’s birthday, I thought it would be fun to do a quick year in review. I can’t promise Spotify-caliber graphics and data visualization, but I can promise an earnest recap of which of the 44 articles I’ve published in the past 365 days stood out and why. Let’s dive right in!
The 5 most viewed posts were:
Love Story: The eras of a relationship and fandom, in concert— Who would have thought my most read article would be extremely personal and about Taylor Swift? Maybe you saw this coming, but I sure didn’t. I think it’s a must read if you want to understand Taylor Swift and her fandom, my thoughts on adult relationships, and my own circuitous, musical journey to getting engaged this past summer.
The Hubris of Huberman: The promise and perils of our cultural obsession with intellectual tourism (Part 2), brought to you by Squarespace— Hot take alert: I have strong feelings about the popularity of wellness influencer and podcaster Andrew Huberman. Judging by the views and reaction this one got, a lot of you do, too. Just remember, before the New York Times was writing Op-Eds about the rise of the “Huberman Husband,” I was dissecting the man, the myth, and the king of Silicon Valley self-optimization first!
The Gospel of Gladwell and Flaws of Freakonomics: The promise and perils of our cultural obsession with intellectual tourism (Part 1), brought to you by Athletic Greens— As a young person I couldn’t get enough Malcolm Gladwell books and TED Talks, only to grow up and wonder how useful this type of pop-science media really is. This is part one of a series grappling with this wildly popular and divisive genre of content. If this one resonates with you, be sure to check out the second and third parts of the series as well as my recent follow up piece that makes a strongly worded case for why Talking to Strangers is the worst Malcolm Gladwell book by far.
Three Truly Shitty Startups: Meet the companies hell bent on getting you to poop differently— The title alone makes this one of the weirdest things I’ve ever written, but once you get past that, you’ll find a fun, informative, and humorous article exploring three startups trying to disrupt the taboo space of the American bathroom. Whether you’re unfamiliar with Squatty Potty, Who Gives a Crap, and Tushy or follow startups the way some people follow fantasy sports, I think you’ll find a surprising amount to ponder in here. At the very least, reading it can make your next visit to the bathroom a bit more entertaining, or so I’ve heard.
Be a Detective for Small Miracles: Why seeking out anti-complaints is more necessary than ever— This simple treatise on the hard-to-overstate value of gratitude resonated with a lot of readers and led to some really great conversations with long lost friends and family members as well. If you’re looking for more philosophical posts like this, check out my recent musings on the value of silence for happiness and creativity.
Numbers don’t tell the full story, however. In the past year there have been a few posts that for whatever reason didn’t get the most attention that I’m still really happy with. In case you missed them, here are my favorite diamonds in the rough from my first year of WrylyReilly.
5 posts I’m particularly proud of:
In Awe of Jaws: Why are there so few good shark movies?— In this loving deep dive, I share the highs and lows of my quixotic quest to find a truly good shark movie that didn’t come out during the Gerald Ford administration. If you enjoy reading this, be sure to check out my review of The Meg 2: The Trench!
How Every New Yorker Article is Written: A surprisingly insightful, curiously umlauted, zig-zagging exploration of an eclectic topic you were sort of planning to just skip over so you could look at the comics— I love satire and love the New Yorker, and this parody flirting with being a pastiche weaves these two passions together into a singular experience. If you enjoy satire like this, be sure to check out my parody of male life advice lists, my imagining of what The Lord of the Rings would have been like if Quentin Tarantino directed it, and my unsolicited movie sequel and prequel pitches, too.
(Mis)understanding the Bayless Brothers: Are Skip and Rick Bayless Oklahoma's most popular or most polarizing siblings?— Skip Bayless is a polarizing sports commentator and Rick Bayless is a polarizing chef. They both also happen to be brothers with a fascinating, sad, and thought-provoking origin story. I think this is a must read for anyone who: is interested in the debate about authenticity in food, wonders why sports media involves so much yelling these days, or is just curious about the backstory behind the opinionated white men that so often end up on television for some reason.
Ale, Aloha, and Authenticity: The delicious contradictions of Kona Brewing Company— Most people go to Hawaii and just enjoy themselves. I went there and dissected the marketing, supply chains, and history of the Big Island’s most famous beer brand.
Muddying the Waters— Is MUD WTR's marketing the most appetizing thing about it? This article recounts my experience with the new age coffee alternative MUD WTR, to date the one and only time I’ve bought something after being served an ad for it. What followed was weirder and more wonderful than I could have imagined.
3 quick “pulse check” questions to help me get to know you better and make this blog even better in year 2
Thanks for sharing your feedback and thanks again for reading my writing. Your support means the world to me. I’m excited to see where this blog goes in year two and beyond.
Wryly,
-Reilly
I’d love to hear your feedback about year one. What have you enjoyed reading and why?
Know anyone that would enjoy reading my writing? I’d love it if you shared my Substack with them!
Congratulations and happy birthday, Wryly Reilly! I love reading your articles and am so impressed by your prolific output. I profess most of the times when I get your new post notifications I bookmark them for "read later" but rarely follow up. On the occasion of your bday, I'm holding myself accountable and am finally going to catch up on my Wryly Reilly backlog.
A recent post of yours I resonated with and thoroughly appreciated was your writings on silence and the appeal to every so often hit pause on the perpetual podcast/streaming/youtube feed. And of course I enjoy all your pop culture takes. Here's to another year of blogging. Cheers!
Go Rei!!