The Malcontent

"The Malcontent" is actually two people: The site was founded in July 2005 by Matt, who soon subsumed co-blogger Robbie into the Malco-Empire.  Although they frequently disagree, they have many perspectives in common and share a similar light-hearted take on things.  Their posts are differentiated by the capital letter at the beginning and the author's name at the end.

Matt (whose posts begin with an "M" and are signed "The Malcontent") is gay, libertarian/centrist-to-right-leaning and in his mid-30s.

He lives and works in Manhattan, frequently traveling to destinations around the world.  (Robbie helps keep the lights on in his absence.)  Matt was legally married to his partner in 2005 in Massachusetts.

Growing up in the Western and Midwestern United States, he is an award-winning former journalist with a 10-year background in politics, Capitol Hill and the executive branch.  But he is glad to be off the political treadmill, which explains all the TV and stuff.

Robbie (whose posts begin with an "R" and are signed "Robbie") is a mid-twenty-something, living and working in Chicago. A former Democrat and current right-of-centrist, his politics run from extreme social liberalism to fundamentalist insanity, but always, always with a particular fondness for the politically incorrect and the toreadors of sacred cows.

After living abroad for a number of years, he has returned to the States to a life consisting of books, movies, music, bars, clubs, gyms, general homebodyishness, gadgetry, closet geekery, and – as ever – men.

He is currently careering in the financial sector, advising clients in between intra-office television, jamming out at the desk, and shaping Play-Doh hippopotami. He claims to have been published in various magazines, but only ever by cracked-out editors recovering from week-long meth benders.

"The Malcontent" is about navigating the big and sometimes befuddling city (Matt in New York, Robbie in Chicago), while making sense of the politics, culture and people in the world around us. We strive always to be both bombastic and quirky.  We are rapidly enhancing our video capabilities, with a goal of becoming something of a gay-centric "Crooks and Liars."

A "malcontent" is often considered a crank who has an ax to grind. We prefer to think of them as people who know that the world can always be a better place; who are constantly seeking to improve themselves and their surroundings; and who try to get through even the most difficult or annoying of life's situations with an outlook that is both sweet and sour.