It's no secret that I'm a huge fan of Chuck Tingle, the surprisingly wholesome author of such acclaimed literary masterpieces as Space Raptor Butt Invasion, Upset Tromp Supporter Pounded In The Butt By His Search For Meaning Now That His Bigoted Cult Leader Has Been Voted Out, Bigfoot Pirates Haunt My Balls, Pounded in the Butt By My Own Butt, Slammed In The Butthole By My Concept Of Linear Time, Pounded In The Butt By The Sentient Manifestation Of My Own Ignorant Climate Change Denial, and of course, the classic Pounded In The Butt By My Book "Pounded In The Butt By My Book 'Pounded In The Butt By My Book "Pounded In The Butt By My Book 'Pounded In The Butt By My Own Butt'"'". As I've written elsewhere, Mr. Tingle's unrelentingly positive online persona is a genuinely rare gem in this ugly world—perhaps moreso because of how it juxtaposes with his publishing output.
Mr. Tingle has a new YouTube series out, and you can watch the video above. To the uninitiated, the voice and some of the linguistic ticks may seem a bit odd (there is a performance art element to Mr. Tingle, yes, but the man behind the paper bag is said to have autism as well). But as Chuck discusses "The Lonesome Train"—how he refers to depression in his own special way—as well as ghosts, he ends up hitting on some really touching and beautiful points. And I don't mean touching in the sexy way either.
Chuck Tingle will be releasing new episodes of his YouTube cartoon every Tuesday for the rest of the year ("all this timeline," he says), with each premiere accompanied by a live chat. Upcoming themes include spelling, gardening, magic, bikes, and superheroes. His most recent books include Cranberry Sauce Gets Me Off During My Socially Distanced Thanksgiving, though he'll probably crank out something new by the time this is published.
