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A few Sloggers—and my boyfriend—are wondering why I’ve been in LA all month. I’m down here working on what’s called “a non-airing presentation pilot for HBO.” Or… “Savage Love,” the (potential) TV show. According to a draft of press release that’s sitting on my desk here at HBO—in my own office! with a lock on the door! I could be naked in here!—”Savage Love,” the (potential) teevee show, “will focus on current events and cultural trends with sex as the filter.” I’m hoping to bring a new kind of conversation to TV about sex—an honest conversation, one that’s informed without being (too) wonky, funny without being (too) cruel, sexy without being (too) cheesy. Basically, my sex-advice column—but on the teevee!

If any Sloggers are in LA next Thursday or want to come to LA next Thursday to be a part of the live studio audience at the taping of the “Savage Love” pilot—I’ll save you a seat, Loveschild!—you can get tickets by clicking here.

I know, right?

139 replies on “What The Hell Am I Doing In LA?”

  4. Wow!

    This explains why the question “If Dan had his own TV show who should he interview?” was asked.

    Congrats, Dan. Hope it is a success.

  9. oooh, HBO Late Night! will it be as boring as every other POS show on there? how long till Mistresse Matisse comes on to talk about herself?

  15. THEY ARE GIVING HIM A TV SHOW.

    OHHHHHH FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU….

    On a serious note, HBO wanted me to spank it on camera when I was in college for the show “sex bytes.” Hopefully your show won’t involve anything like that.

  27. I hope you have some porn stars on your really big shoe! And maybe a couple of horse fuckers too! Don’t be predictible or too conventional or you’ll be just more white noise. Break a leg!

  28. Wait, you tagged this post with “cats”…now I’m wondering exactly what is going to be on this show? Not that it would stop me from attending, but I thought you were anti-bestiality?

  29. Cha-ching! Dan’s probably makin’ some serious coin off this! HBO probably pays a bit better than Slogging.

    The format is going to determine whether it’s hit or miss, I think. If you have to do a lot of ass-licking with guests, I’m thinking it might be a miss. Good thing you have very successful back-ups with the column and the podcast.

    Best of luck to you though, Dan – sincerely.

  33. You should get your old radio co-host Mary Martone on to join you. She was great. I still remember the macaroni-and-cheese episode, and the butt plugs.

  34. Wow, Dan! I hope it works out. Maybe you could have a live comments feed, since I’m sure that the entity of Loveschild would be too scared to show up.

    Also, wasn’t “Savage Love” a movie by Garrison Kiellor?

  36. If the show is a success (gets a development commitment, etc.) you will keep your day jobs (column, podcast, Slog/The Stranger) and ties to Seattle, won’t you?

    I’m asking even though I know that your workaholic nature makes it likely that this show would be added to the Savage Empire – still, I’m wondering how you

  37. Really? Doesn’t that seem a little… know what? Who cares. I hope it works out for you. I hope you don’t go the way of This American Life and ditch your original, much-loved and highly succesfull pursuits. (What will The Stranger do without your blogs and column?)

    Anyway, congratulations and good luck to you.

  38. All the best, but get a good stylist. As noted above, shirts have not been the strong point of your previous TV appearances 🙂

  40. @36, once they get the “non-airing pilot” out of the way, I can’t see why they can’t tape it here in Seattle. We have studios too, and interwebamajigs.

  46. Alright! Good for you Dan.

    Whenever I tell someone I’m from Seattle, they say “oh city of nirvana, grunge, pearl jam” (I live in Brazil). Now I get to add “city of Dan Savage!!!”

    We’re excited. And we’re excited because you’re going to make the world a better place by being on TV and talking about sex. Fuck yeah!

    Can’t wait to get the bootleg! (I’ll be buying the series legitly too)

  54. @41, though why I’m still listening to Dan “Kraft box” Savage all these years later, while I have no idea where Mary and her beautiful scratch recipe have gone, is a sad mystery.

  56. When you negotiate your big corporate contact can you see if HBO can offer your show in podcast form? I listen to Real Time with Bill Mahr on my iPod and I love it.

  58. hmm…I wonder if I will be able to get this on my ipod? I canceled my HBO last year because there was nothing to watch on it. I heard that Hung is good as well.

  59. @8:

    There’s no reason the show couldn’t be shot here in Seattle, we’ve got facilities that can handle the production load, and a local AFTRA office to handle the paperwork.

  60. @33: oh, I remember artfully angling my shitty little boombox around my room on Sunday nights, trying to pick up KCMU in Hobart. Will there be ferries going in and out of peoples’ asses on this show as well? It’s too bad Craswell is gone, that would have been a spectacular interview. Best of luck, I’m excited for you!

  71. Congrats Dan! I am ever so grateful I have HBO, and now it makes it even more worth it.

    Wish I could come to the taping 🙂

  73. Do you think Sr. Amadeus is still alive? Or Fr. Koch? Do you think they’ll be watching? Congratulations! I’m so happy to be able to claim you as a famous person from my grammar school instead of relying on Lara Flynn Boyle.

  75. Use your platform wisely! Don’t tear down your allies before they have accumulated the political clout to enact the change you desire!

  76. Dan – Think outside the box – maybe use webcams off laptops and take the show on the road, with call ins and off-the-cuff advice and conference calls with sexperts. Get out of LA and into the world!

  78. whoa, i love your podcast to death & have been a longtime listener & reader but I can’t see this translating to TV well….but best of luck.

  81. I’m so excited! I was going to use my totally infrequent nights out (single mom) to go see Bill Maher – but, fuck Bill (though, I seriously would) – I’m coming to see you!

    I missed my chance to post a possible talking point, but how about this – the number of young people entering the grown world who are all about making babies, though they’re not yet mature enough to take care of themselves. Oy, my oldest son is only freaking 19, yet will not take my advice to play the field and leave monogomy til his late 30’s – 40’s! What do you think?

  87. Exciting news, indeed! Congratulations, Dan. I hope it works out well for you and your family and that you can change that many more lives for the better.

    I was a fan of your column for years before falling in love with your “out loud” version, and I think you on TV is best of all.

  90. I literally screamed when I saw this.
    -prays for a show-
    I’m so glad we just upgraded to include HBO as a channel of ours. <333

  92. That might be worth the drive up from San Diego. And I got laid off a little while back so I don’t even have to worry about missing work.

  94. Awesome! I may have to get some internet streams of this. That’s gonna be so awesome. Dan-you are so hot, you should be on tv. Call me a fag-hag I ain’t got no shame!

  98. That is so exciting!

    But of course, you’re being so generous and “giving” tickets because if you didn’t you’d have to pay a company for studio audience members.

    Just thought I’d mention that.

  103. Very happy for you, Dan. I hope very much that we don’t lose you in Seattle–I hope you can somehow manage to be everywhere at once. But however it works out best for you and your family–you’ll have our support. Good luck next week!!

  107. Time Warner is down in the gutter now, officially. If some thought that the garbage they have dished out in previous years has contributed to the corrosion of the moral fiber in our society then wait and see. If they follow thru wth this they are giving the last rites to the societal body that has been afflicted with immoral leprosy. Completely.

    On the positive side of things if they do go ahead it will be something only for subscribers. And in our difficult economy right now….

    Out of the public broadcasting, out of mind. Thank you FCC.

    Ps. Give your tickets to any of your minions here who applaud like seals the destructive idiocy you advocate. I wouldn’t be caught dead in any place with you present in it, unless you retract from all the hateful and corrupt things you have said and written.

    2 Timothy 3:1-7, Daniel 11:37

  110. Yep you should totally have a hotline number/webcam for bloodlust (aka enfant d’amour) like an eric the midget bit – it would never get old

    That and as mentioned above a hot chick to balance things out (and compare dick sucking techniques)

    Bisous! xoxox

  112. Good luck Dan! It’s good to see that you are joining HBO’s, as well as the rest of the main stream media’s, quest to bring down the moral fiber in our society!

    If your show gets picked up, we can scratch number 69 off the gay world domination to-do list! And, as a bonus, we’ll be giving last rights to Loveschild’s fragile faith and faltering family. She just won’t be able to withstand your show!!! All hail Satan, er, I mean, Savage!

    Ezekiel 23:20

  113. 109, Loveschild do you realize that you sound like Sarah Palin, blaming the mainstream media, the homosexuals, and the liberal Hollywood elite for all the worlds problems?

  115. Wow1 What fun! And what a great idea …..my only concern is a selfish one – please don’t give up slogging.

    LC @ 109: better emigrate if you won’t be caught dead in any place that has Dan Savage in it! He is going to be ubiquitous in America !!!! And wait until international TV picks his show up … 🙂

  119. @109 Here is some more blather from that guy Tim in your book:

    Christians who are slaves should give their masters full respect so that the name of God and his teaching will not be shamed. If your master is a Christian, that is no excuse for being disrespectful. You should work all the harder because you are helping another believer by your efforts. Teach these truths, Timothy, and encourage everyone to obey them. (1 Timothy 6:1-2 NLT)

    And fro Ephesians

    Slaves, obey your earthly masters with deep respect and fear. Serve them sincerely as you would serve Christ. (Ephesians 6:5 NLT)

  120. 121, Don’t be absurd! Being a Christian doesn’t mean she must follow the Bible. It only means that she gets to attack others with cherry picked scriptures.

  123. Yay! I got tickets! Now I have less than a week to try to make myself presentable. The instructions say I have to dress “hip” and “upscale”, since I’ll potentially be on camera.

  124. OH NO! Don’t leave Seattle! But yah, congrats, that is cool. Of course the show will be a huge success! Doesn’t mean I won’t give you the smack down for fat hate though! lol

  127. Dan Savage for President!!!
    I for one will feel safer in a world in which Dan Savage has access to the minds of the masses through mass media. Sucks that I’ll have to probably buy a telly now. But even still.
    hallefuckingleuja!

  129. Dan,

    I’ll definitly be watching if they put it on. But I hope it doesn’t mean the end of the column or the podcast.

    Good luck!

  130. I’m so sad I have to share you with everyone else now! Lots and lots of best wishes and non-physical bear hugs. You have certainly helped me, go enlighten the rest of the public.

  134. This is so awesome, I really hope it turns out well for you! How exciting for you and your family, not to mention all of us NW readers!

  135. I’m very much looking forward to this, but don’t own a TV set. I watch all my tv online. Make sure HBO knows to release your show on Hulu or similar so I can support your show when I watch online rather than just stealing it!

  136. Dan, of course I will be very happy for you if this succeeds, but I shall miss you if it means that you leave Seattle and The Stranger. You are one of the best things to happen to the Seattle “gay community” in a very long time – as witnessed by all the bitter queens who sometimes wander in here.

  138. Good luck Dan, it’s wonderful that your sex positive message will spread to a wider population. I hope this will not mean an end to the fantastic podcast.
    Gee, if Savage Love is on TV, they will need a full time staff of bleepers to deal with all the colorful forbidden language!

  139. Anywhere that we can write to help this show get picked up. I’m usually near-giddy every time you’re on Maher and would love you on HBO to be a regular occurrence.

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