When I was a kid I refused to read CRACKED magazine, for the same reason I refused to wear "Ocean Atlantic" clothing; it seemed like a pale imitation of something better.

But CRACKED just re-launched this month, after a several-year hiatus, and now it's more of a 'comedy lifestyle' magazine, with interviews and features wedged between original humor pieces by folks like Michael Ian-Black and Neal Pollack.

I have a piece in the premiere issue as well. The editor I've been working with, Jack, has been really nice and seems to appreciate a lot of interesting humor. (For instance, he spends more time reading McSweeney's than Cringe Humor.) I hope he gets his way, and more of that stuff makes its way into the magazine. I remember when we first started talking about me potentially contributing to CRACKED I think I probably came across as a bit of a diva/asshole. The truth is, I was a little worried about what the magazine's sensibility would be like.

The web site is still finding its feet, and if I'm going to be completely honest I have to say I find the writing in it sort of inconsistent and even the best stuff still feels too "male" right now, but I was really happy when I saw a sampling of pages from the print magazine. There's some very funny stuff in there, and I really appreciate that the editors of CRACKED are supplementing their original pieces with articles about more famous comedy figures. Personally, I would be really happy to read an article that was sort of slavishly devoted to comedy.

I don't know if that's the direction CRACKED is headed, but I'm hopeful. If you want to pick up a copy, see their web site for retail locations.

[Addendum: I haven't seen my finished, edited piece in the magazine yet, so I reserve the right to totally change my opinion if they've made the editorial decision to sprinkle the article with swears and references to "teabagging" and "fingerbanging." I've already been through that once before, with The Paris Review, and I won't tolerate it again. THIS IS MY CULTURE!]