In 1991, Savage was living in Madison, Wisconsin, and working as a manager at a local video store that specialized in independent film titles [REF].
Savage stated in a February 2006 interview in The Onions A.V. Club (which publishes his column) that he began the column with the express purpose of providing mocking advice to heterosexuals, since most straight advice columnists were "clueless" when responding to letters from gay people [REF].