Marty and “The Greatest Advice Column” definitely needs some explaining so here it goes.
When I was envisioning this website I always had intentions of including an advice column. This idea stemmed from the fact that every popular “millennial” blog is full of baseless and shallow advice for millennials that are written entirely by other millennials feigning some sort of expertise in dating. I wanted a column that could stand in opposition to the bullshit advice and instead provide young people with meaningful advice that was honest and blunt.
I immediately recognized the irony of me rallying against young people giving advice on other sites and then proceeding to give advice on my own site. Thus, the advice column was never meant to be in the first iteration of this site. I was planning on keeping it in my back pocket until I figured it out.
And then I met Marty.
Recently, I moved into a new apartment in the city with some friends and Marty happens to be one of the current residents in this building. Every time, and I mean every time, that I passed Marty on the stairs he had something to say to me about my generation. He wanted to lecture me because that’s what people his age do and I wanted to ignore him and continue believing I know better because that’s what people my age do. It seems cliche but that’s the shallow relationship Marty and I had built from our little run-ins.
To be totally honest, I really did not enjoy seeing him at first. No one enjoys being lectured. And also he’s kind of dick (don’t worry he’ll literally never read this). But slowly I realized that his perspective on the world today was actually pretty nuanced and the raw no-nonsense way in which he spoke was kind of refreshing (and entertaining). So I decided to pitch him on the idea of having his own advice column on my site and we worked out an arrangement. I handle the emails and the physical posting and he provides his honest and unfettered opinion. We’re an odd couple but it works.
He doesn’t care about the site. He doesn’t care much for other people. He especially doesn’t care about what you think of him. He is just Marty, a man born in the Greatest Generation, ready to give the Greatest Advice.
Please send any questions you may have about life, friendship or dating to Marty@shenanigang.com.
P.S. Marty is the thumbnail. Here is one of us together.
