James Garside

@MadalynSklar My biggest struggle is fear and hating my stupid face. I'm fat old and ugly. I have a face made for radio and a voice made for the shipping forecast. I don't enjoy doing it and can't pretend I do so that comes across loud and clear... Sorry, wrong meeting. jamesgarside.substack.com/podcast

What’s your biggest struggle when it comes to making videos? 🤳 Is it hitting record, finding the time, or just feeling awkward on camera? Drop it in the comments. Your answers will help shape my upcoming 5-Day Video Challenge.

I'm in the UK. I found a dime on the floor. I feel like Scrooge McDuck.

Tempted to post photo dumps of my notebooks. My handwriting looks illegal. Illicit? Illegitimate? Illegible.

“The occult virtues are to know, to dare, to will, and to keep silence. I’m just saying.” — James Garside

Comedy is all about timing... *awkward silence* Trust me it will be worth it.

@MadalynSklar “All that is necessary to break the spell of inertia and frustration is this: Act as if it were impossible to fail. That is the talisman, the formula, the command of right-about-face which turns us from failure towards success.” ― Dorothea Brande (my favourite version of this)

"Believe and act as if it were impossible to fail." -Charles F. Kettering

My tagline for my Substack for years has been: Become evil. Rule the world. Maybe drink tea first and sit down for a bit. I’ve changed it to: A regular series of irregular thoughts. Could be anything. Mostly rants. What do you think?

James Garside (@jamesgarside_) is on @buymeacoffee!🎉 You can support by buying a coffee ☕ here — buymeacoffee.com/jamesgarside

Want to chat? Buy me a coffee and #AskMeAnything. buymeacoffee.com/jamesgarside

@MadalynSklar Taking your lead I "started a podcast on Substack." What I really did is record myself reading a handful of really old blog posts. Badly. I didn't even shave. I look and sound terrible. It doesn't matter. I did it to practice and set up the content pipe. open.substack.com/pub/jamesgarsi…

Day 23 of 30 Days of Madalyn No one cares what you look like. Just tap the button on your phone and make a video. Let me know if you’re interested in my upcoming five day video challenge.

You wouldn’t believe the unforgivable things that I’ve done to keyboard covers. Or how much I need one as a writer. Keyboard covers aren’t sexy but they are essential. Here’s my hot take on why you need one and my recommendation of which you should get. open.substack.com/pub/jamesgarsi…

Keyboard covers aren’t sexy but they are essential. Here’s my hot take on why you need one and my recommendation of which you should get. @jamesgarside_/i-type-holes-in-keyboard-covers-e5664732ef93" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">medium.com/@jamesgarside_…

I type holes in keyboard covers. That’s not a metaphor. Actual holes. This one survived.

In 2025 I read 135 books. In 2026 I realised that social media is dead so nobody will see or care about such updates. Which is great as it gives you more time to spend reading.

"Fuck AI.” — Emily Dickinson (probably)

Is Stranger Things worth watching? I've never seen it. What's it like? The Goonies meets X Files? ET meets IT? Not as good as Buffy the Vampire Slayer? Should I rewatch Buffy? I'll rewatch Buffy.

I’m from Yorkshire. The only people who take ketamine are horses.

@MadalynSklar I used AI to make a K-Pop Death Metal song. Time well spent.

If you’re waiting for “free time” to learn AI, stop. Start using it on what you’re already doing: 📝 Captions 📧 Emails 📋 Plans That’s where the learning happens. Not in theory, but in practice.

If you trust editors, or "accept all" on Grammarly, this is for you.

Nobody is reading so you should write like nobody is reading until people start reading because you're the writer who writes like nobody is reading and then you should keep going because people are reading.