It feels like we stepped into a time machine. Those maps with the giant arrows showing invading forces. The husbands kissing their wives goodbye – perhaps forever – at the train stations. It seems like it should be a black and white news reel with an announcer that sounds like John Mulaney.

And we’re getting an old fashioned hero in Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Everyone loves him – and I’m no different. “I need ammunition, not a ride.” Come on, it’s like a line straight out of a Schwarzenegger movie. Hell yeah.

Zelenskyy
As a fellow Jewish comedian in my 40s who is of Ukrainian descent, the guy intrigued me before any of this madness started. Now, it’s fascinating to watch him level up from clown to statesman. I keep thinking about what war does to a man and how challenging times reveal a person’s true character.

And I keep asking a grim question to myself: Has Zelenskyy taped a video to be released if Putin snares him? I get the sense he’s a man who understands legacy and realizes he may already be a dead man walking. Nonetheless, he keeps showing up. That “We are here” video was so great. As another famous Jewish comedian famously said: 80% of life is showing up. Zelenskyy keeps showing up. Every time I hear him speak, it feels like watching a future statue of him get erected.

On Twitter, New Yorker TV critic Emily Nussbaum explained why he’s so effective on camera:

He’s communicated on Insta for years, often via selfies. He has a warm charisma & makes eye contact & even when he says inspiring things, his voice is calm, like ASMR. It’s worth noting that his TV show was about a teacher who went viral when a student released a video of him.

I’m not saying that any of this is contrived — I think he is a brave, decent person who is in a terrible situation — but part of the reason that he was elected in the first place is that he is a tremendous communicator, in an intimate way, which is proving invaluable in a crisis.

It’s working. So far. But how long will the fierce resistance remain fierce? Putin doesn’t seem like the type to just slink back home with his tail between his legs. Sometimes it’s about how you put up a fight though. I lived in Belgium years ago and I remember how many Belgians still talk pridefully about their army fighting off the Germans for 18 days back in WWII. That might not seem like much, yet they're still fiercely proud of it. Until then, I hadn’t realized how much resistance (futile or not) and pride are intertwined.

I also think about how lucky/spoiled us Americans are in our SUVs and McMansions. What the hell do we keep complaining about all the time? That our kids have to wear masks? We’re lucky they’re not gas masks. Inflation means groceries cost a little bit more? Imagine waiting in line at an ATM for six hours hoping something’s left when you make it to the keypad. And watching Zelenskyy put his life on the line makes me realize what a masculinity (and leadership) crisis we have here. Imagine what Lindsay Graham might do and say in this situation. Heck, Ted Cruz would already be sipping a daquiri on the beach in Cancun.

Putin
Meanwhile there’s Putin and his (presumed) deprived childhood. I couldn’t help it:

🅼🅰🆃🆃 💎 🆁🆄🅱🆈 @mattruby

Dear Mister President Vladimir Putin, I am so sorry that I was not your father 😂

February 24th 2022

7 Retweets57 Likes

Putin’s lies are astounding. Our politicians are bad, but the "Words Mean Nothing" trophy's gotta go to a guy who refers to Ukraine's Jewish President as a "Nazi" and dropping bombs as "peacekeeping." Upsidedownland. It reminds me of the lyrics to “That’s All” by Genesis: I could say day, and you'd say night / Tell me it's black when I know that it's white / It’s always the same, it's just a shame, that's all.

Why did Putin strike now? Merkel is gone. Trudeau's slammed by a convoy. Biden looks like the cryptkeeper. Boris partied too hard during lockdown. Putin looked around and didn't exactly see FDR & Churchill staring back at him, y’know? He smelled our weakness. And he knew how much Europe relies on Russian energy. And internally, it doesn’t even seem like he listens to anyone anymore. He just sits at his weirdo long table like he’s eating dinner in a cartoon.

🅼🅰🆃🆃 💎 🆁🆄🅱🆈 @mattruby

At least Dr. Strangelove had a full table

February 28th 2022

2 Likes

Maybe the oligarchs can stop him? Nice notion, but check out this years old video of Putin making billionaire Russian tycoon Oleg Deripaska sign an agreement, walk over and re-sign the agreement, and then demand that Deripaska return his pen. It’s like Russian Boar on the Floor.

Which reminds me of what this is really all about on a psychological level…

🅼🅰🆃🆃 💎 🆁🆄🅱🆈 @mattruby

It never goes well with any man who lists 1/2" in his height

February 27th 2022

As for the rest of us, it feels like it’s time we stop talking about nuclear energy as if it’s too dangerous and start talking about it as a way to save lives since it frees us from relying on oil supplied by maniacal autocrats like Putin and MBS. Pipelines are anchors that drag us down. Fossil fuels lead to fossil thinking. Next.

Media
Putin thought he could propaganda like the 20th century. But like the Arab Spring, this feels like a time when we’re seeing social media at its best. The devastating images we keep seeing are a big reason why the world has rallied so quickly against Russia.

Also, domestic identity politics are getting overwhelmed by things that truly matter. It’s been a delicious hiatus from our egocentric “But What About ME?” complaint avalanche. Feels like a wake-up call that much of the whole woke vs. anti-cancel culture debate (on both sides) is a bunch of grifters arguing about nonsense while the world has real problems to tackle. They have subscribers because they tell people what they want to hear, not what they need to know. Times like this are about needs, not wants.

🅼🅰🆃🆃 💎 🆁🆄🅱🆈 @mattruby

Cancel culture or anti-cancel culture? Whatever. My problem is with hacks – and both sides are full of them. We're drowning in a sea of unoriginal, mundane thoughts from people preaching to their choir for Likes. It's not thinking, it's putting quarters in the meter.

February 28th 2022

1 Retweet2 Likes

It’s also been a good reminder of what the mainstream media can provide that you can’t get from Substack, Breitbart, podcast pundits, etc. Viva actual journalism.

It’s like a check-in re: your news inputs. Do you follow outlets/publications with reporters on the ground in Ukraine? If not, you get your opinions via hearsay. I listened to The Daily talk with real Ukrainians this week and felt so thankful for real reporting. More than once, it made me cry. And want to help. But how? Never fear, the internet is here…

Anonymous @YourAnonNews

Go to Google Maps. Go to Russia. Find a restaurant or business and write a review. When you write the review explain what is happening in Ukraine. Idea via @Konrad03249040

February 28th 2022

19,426 Retweets65,084 Likes

…They’ve got the bombs, but we’ve got the 1-star Yelp reviews. Welcome to modern warfare.

Share

Quickies

🅼🅰🆃🆃 💎 🆁🆄🅱🆈 @mattruby

Goths are people of no color.

March 1st 2022

4 Likes

🌀 Men fear missing out on crypto the way women fear missing out on having a baby.

🌀 Big respect for anyone who comes out and admits, “I’m religious, not spiritual.” You are the SILENT MAJORITY.

🌀 The opiate of the masses isn't religion, it's marriage.

🅼🅰🆃🆃 💎 🆁🆄🅱🆈 @mattruby

TWITTER BIO TIP: Anything about being a patriot, parent, or Christian is just the right wing version of mentioning your pronouns.

February 26th 2022

1 Retweet3 Likes

🌀 EVERYTHING is 30% too long now. The best thing about analog was it cost more to produce more. That forced people to make hard choices upfront. Now it all costs the same so everything goes on forever.

🌀 It always seems crazy to me that super wealthy people still have to use iPhones. It must kill them to not be able to use a GucciPhone or some other luxe version that separates them from the plebes.

🌀 The thing-that-doesn't-scale is also the thing that differentiates you.

Vooza @voozahq

crypto bros rebranding into "web3" is cleverest PR move since sweatpants became "athleisure"

February 23rd 2022

1 Retweet8 Likes

🌀 The greatest turn in my life is how much I’ve gone from "f*ck the man" to "I miss when we trusted institutions."

🌀 Elon Musk, Peter Thiel, and Keith Rabois were all part of the PayPal Mafia. Maybe the sign they would wind up being cruel jerks was they were called the PayPal MAFIA.

🌀 Just got a rave review: "Lotta pink wigs and glowsticks, everyone on Molly, & crappy EDM playing. Went until dawn. 2 stars."

🅼🅰🆃🆃 💎 🆁🆄🅱🆈 @mattruby

Playing devil's advocate was fun until everyone started doing it. Now it just feels like we’re all stuck in hell.

February 25th 2022

1 Retweet4 Likes

🌀 “OK Boomer.” Lol I'm not a boomer I'M JUST A SLIGHTLY OLDER PERSON WHO DISAGREES WITH YOU.

Standup

March tour: Colorado, Connecticut, and North Carolina
3/4 Steamboat Springs, CO | Schmiggity’s
3/5 Steamboat Springs, CO | Schmiggity’s
3/6 Boulder, CO | Rayback Collective
3/18 Hartford, CT | City Steam Brewery
3/19 Hartford, CT | City Steam Brewery
3/29 Cary, NC | The Matthews House
3/30 Durham, NC | The Fruit
3/31 Raleigh, NC | Clouds Brewing Taproom
4/1 Asheville, NC | Getaway River Bar

The emerging psychedelics industry is a great place to witness, in real-time, what happens when soulfulness meets capitalism. I discussed this during my Misguided Meditation show:

Why men should still pay on dates (from my Hot Flashes album, animation by Joe Karg):

mattrubycomedy

A post shared by Matt Ruby (@mattrubycomedy)

5-spotted

1. Clever: Italian pasta producer Barilla created Spotify playlists that are the exact length of time it takes to cook different types of pasta. (h/t HD)

2. Incredible eulogy (or something like one) for Margot Kidder written by Taffy Brodesser-Akner. Beautifully written.

Margot Kidder was a courageous woman. She helicopter-skied. She hang-glided — she literally jumped off mountains. She wanted to eat the world, but it was just too big. She tried desperately to find moderation. She read everything she could get her hands on. She lived for as long as she possibly could. It is really something that we choose a person’s death as the occasion to write about her, when that is the time when she is more subjective than she ever was in life. A woman is a galaxy. A mother is a universe. So is a daughter. I asked Maggie what I should do with all of this. She said, “You can write what I said,” and so here it is.

3. The Death Of Bands by Bob Lefsetz.

Bands used to be gangs, them against the world. Which was not interconnected. Actually, the bands connected the country. Went from town to town with their fans following, they were the link. Today you've got that link right in the palm of your hand, with your smartphone. You don't need to go to the gig to connect. As far as going to get a date? It's possible, but you're better off using Tinder, or some other dating site.

FYI I wrote about the (life and) death of my old band – Plastics Hi-Fi – in this piece.

And speaking of death/bands, RIP Mark Lanegan. Back when everyone else thought Kurt Cobain was the bee’s knees, I had this track by Screaming Trees on repeat.

4. The death of sex by Haley Nahman. It's easier than ever to see other people having sex…and also we're now having way less sex…so maybe those two things are related.

“So much of our culture right now is really earnest and de-sexed,” said Doreen St. Félix. It seems appropriate to me that they were having this discussion during a time when sex has never been more flagrantly depicted and available. The point is that sex, or eros, is about more than just people f*cking on camera. To take that further, it’s about more than just fucking. “Sexuality is the most essential element of nature,” [filmmaker Paul] Verhoeven told Variety. It is the ultimate euphemism for earthly pleasures and all its attendant qualities: desire, touch, anguish, longing, satisfaction, thrill, connection, presence. Essentially everything the internet can’t meaningfully give us.

Now we just need a piece about how the death of bands and the death of sex are related.

5. Julian Shapiro offers up 10 significant lies you're told about the world. This one struck a chord:

Success isn't an end state. Success is having the freedom to focus on the grind you actually enjoy. Most people should spend way less energy trying to get rich and way more energy building a tight-knit friend group that will be with them until old age.

Thanks for reading. I appreciate you.

-Matt

P.S. Time flies! Here’s my nephew and me, a decade apart:

mattrubycomedy

A post shared by Matt Ruby (@mattrubycomedy)

The end stuff

I'd love to hear from you – just leave a comment, hit reply, or send an email to mattruby@hey.com. (I read and reply to all messages).

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Social media: Find me on Twitter (@mattruby), Instagram (@mattrubycomedy), or YouTube.

About the Rubesletter: In this weekly newsletter, NYC comedian/writer Matt Ruby dives deep on comedy, tech, mindfulness, and creativity. If you enjoy brainy/funny stuff, nuanced takes, don't get offended easily, & hate BS, sign up. New issues every Tuesday.

My latest standup special is free on YouTube. And you can stream my standup albums “Feels Like Matt Ruby” and “Hot Flashes” too.