"Flarge" (w/ Stephanie Hsu)

One of Matt & Bowen's oldest friends, Stephanie Hsu, joins for an episode of Las Cultch that is truly everything, everywhere all at once. Discussed? Everything Everywhere All At Once and how it is truly the essence of Steph Hsu, going to be with the whales, coming up together in college sketch, shaking hands with Hollywood, Jamie Lee Curtis, the Daniels and growing up as an artist and creator. Also, downtown theater legend Liz Swados and the impact she had on Steph and Matt, how to respond to the question "how are you?" over text and Twitter going bye, bitch. This episode puts everything on a bagel. And the most yummy bagel? Is Steph. We love her! And you.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Look man, oh I see you? Why why? And look
over there? How is that culture? Yes? Goodness, culture Resta's calling.
This one takes me all the way back. This one.
We're about to unlock some memories. A Loha mora, I
say the girls might as well be saying aloha mora,

(00:23):
because when it comes to unlocking memories, we're casting the spells.
Let's talk about Harry Potter. Let's have the referendum right here,
right now on Harry Potter, yes or no, right now
in the next three minutes, we're going to decide the
fate of Harry Potter and the culture going forward, and
it has to happen here on Lost Cultures. It is
a classic example of person who was able to like

(00:46):
fictionalize morality in such a way that um, they lost
touch with their own moral that's internally after getting massive wealth.
Where is the movie about that? Do we even want
to see it? I think the biopic of J. K
Rowling already exists, and it is Tracy almand as Renee's
larger play J. K Rowling. It is the iconic sketch

(01:10):
of all time. It really is so good and also
it's like so Tracy Elman plays Rene's Lager, and she's
doing an insane Rene's Lager, and then she does Renee's
Elwager as J. K Rowling. It's a really good impression
of what you think Rene's lager would be as J.
K Rowling's levels to this ship. Anyway, that's my little

(01:33):
cursory assessment of the culture for Harry Potter at this time,
and I'm happy you were the final voice on it
because now there's no more discussion to be had. Actually,
there is a little one last thing before we move on.
There's this game called, Oh, is it like Hogwarts. It's
called History. No, it's called Hogwarts Legacy. Oh, it's like
Roney Legacy. It's not Roney Legacy. It's it's Hogwarts Legacy.

(01:58):
It's a prequel that place decades before Harry Potter steps
onto the world stage The Boy Who Lived. But it's
Hogwarts like in the fifties, sixties, seventies, I want to say,
somewhere in that time. But it's open world, which means
you can like literally go in any direction and there's
you can engage with the world. This game hasn't been
in development for years, and they keep rolling out these

(02:23):
videos and I gotta say, I'm like annoyed. I'm annoyed
at the way these developers are sounding so smug and
proud of this game that like is truly probably gonna
be bad. I'm gonna I'm gonna say on this podcast,
I'm gonna play this game, but I'm not gonna like it.
But it's only because I have a deep sentimental connection
to the Harry Potter video games on PC. I'm start

(02:43):
I'm getting so grand are but you're also very You're
you're really active on video games right now because you
were deep in your Pokemon and you are some mother
for that. You are so mother for that and named
my character mother of course. Um I just come up
with the Housewives taifine for Harry Potter. Do you want
to hear it? Yeah? I might be the boy who lived,
but now I'm the man who's living. Oh my god,

(03:08):
here's one for Ron Weasley. Will be your side kick,
but I will not be your side piece. Whose side
piece was? But he's just I don't know, but this
is like in a world where he's someone's side piece.
What's good for Hermione? I got brains and beauty and
that's more than I can say for you. Yeah, that's good,

(03:30):
sort of, that's really good. No, that's really good. I'm
trying to think. Um, Draco Mouthoy called me a mud blood,
but he's the one wh will be spilling blood. Wow,
that's so mean. Bow, you're gonna kill him. What's a
good one for Baltimore? And then we'll bring in the guests? Mmmmmmmmm.

(03:51):
I don't think it deserves you know what, Baltimore doesn't
even deserve a Housewives tap fine, and that's actually culture
number ten. Baltimore doesn't even deserve. Did you see that?
It happens? Rape fines did as more at Lisa Barlow.
She talked half of New York. It was excellent. It
was excellent. Our guest is clutching her double palming her mound.

(04:15):
She has not moved from the stands, and it's so
her like essential gesture, it's so her essence. Readers, we've
known this person for over ten years now, wild, isn't
it wild to think of it that way? Yes? And
I've since the first day I ever met her. I thought, well,
that's obviously one of the most talented people I've star

(04:35):
so cut to now I can't believe this. The Oscar buzz.
She just covered her face, but come on, bitch, you
know what the fun is happening. I so I didn't
realize this, but I go on the site, you know,
the sites, the sites, and we're seeing her name constantly predicted.
I was like, stuh, Like it's obviously deserving, but it's

(04:59):
just crazy to see your friend listed there. And I've
experienced this with you well, and and look where that
got us nowhere what to several nominations? Shut up? Can
I say something right now? Shut up? You're right, You're
so right. Everything everywhere you've seen it by now, surely
you've seen it. And I'm saying I'm saying to the reader,

(05:21):
I saw it three times? You did? I saw it
grading that Daniels happened to be in town. We got
a lovely breakfast. It wasn't even one of those Hollywood
things where I was like, I would love to be
in your next project. It was literally me being like
I need to process this with you, like this wasn't
This was one of my favorite movies of all time.

(05:42):
I still believe this to be true. What a great
year for movies. I am gonna say, really a good
strong year. And I will say this, out of everything
I've seen so far this year, and I have seen everything,
but out of everything I've seen so far this year,
like just involuntarily and suddenly moved too intense state of weeping.

(06:03):
And I'm talking about the scene where Kiwa Kwan is like,
you have to be kind when when he said you
have to be kind bowen, I swear to God, Like
either way, I was sobbing in a mess. You have
not experienced impact, emotional impact in your life anything like

(06:30):
being a queer Asian person watching this movie and seeing
the scene in the parking lot just or just the
whole thing just is so it's just so perfect and
oh my god, we've already gotten to tell our friend
our guests how proud we are, how in all we are.
I mean I was like always, not just always, but

(06:54):
there was something so powerful special about watching her walk
down this hallway in all these different outfit changes while
the lights flicker, and I'm like, holy shit, I know
that person. Well it's not even that, it's like whoever
this person is, she is like the fucking villain of
this and she's a fucking megastar, mega star to say

(07:16):
nothing of like the fact that like this is this
is someone who we love. Yes, it's also the most
Steph Shoe movie of all time and I have to
say so many things to her about it. And we
got a fact is we're going to get the opportunities too.
Right now, Please welcome finally to Lost Culture. Is this
podcast the one the only study ship? Take your hands

(07:41):
off your mouth? Oh my god, you guys. I really yeah,
I've been clutching my face because I'm smiling so big
and just giggling. And honestly, when I listened to this
podcast when I'm on like long drives or whatever, like
those motherfuckers my friends just giggling and I don't know
how y'all are so witty. I just don't even know.

(08:04):
I love. My year was running into you with the
damn Clark Street Diner where everything was amazing. People name
drop you guys to me, not knowing that we know
each other, and it makes me feel hot inside, like
it's sexy. You know, I'm like, oh, you mean Matt,
Matt Roger's Long Island's very own. Also, I not to

(08:27):
call you out, but your Long Island really came out
and j K Rowling, I don't know what it is,
but there was something about how you were saying, Rowling, Rowling,
you have the ear for absence. This has always been
true in the air for everything, and that's can I say.

(08:49):
When I watched this movie Everything Everywhere all at once
and there was the whole thing about the bagel, putting
everything on a bagel, I'm like, if that isn't stuff shoe,
I don't know what it is like when you read
this script where you're not like, holy fuck, like it
must have been like insane Terita and be like, because
you so spiritually are this movie, yeah, well, you know
it's funny. I've had a lot of people like ex partners,

(09:12):
specifically will you come out of the woodwork, And they've
been like, this movie is so your essence, and it
does make me feel quite seen. When I first met
the Daniels on Norah's show at Bowen's Show Aguafine is
More from Queen's, I felt like I met soulmates um,
and I think so when I read the script for
Everything Everywhere, it just it did really click. And recently

(09:37):
the Daniels Um we were at this like film festival
and they showed my audition clip. It's really smash it really,
They asked me beforehand, and I said, I'm not going
to watch it because I want to be surprised. It
just don't make me look bad, you know. But what
was so crazy was when I watched it was the

(09:59):
big goal introduction monologue, and I the first thing I
said after I saw it in a public space, I
was like, I really got this movie. I don't know
why I really understood it. It's probably not coincidental. No,
it feels very This movie has a lot of um
Key's wife, Echo is our was our translator. She's amazing

(10:22):
and she after our first table read, she said, you know,
this script has a very strong soul and it has
gathered all the souls and like minded souls to tell
it okay, um okay, Hello. It's also reached a lot
of souls. I can't think of a movie like this

(10:45):
um in recent memory, and I don't. I guess I don't.
I'm not the biggest and if I don't have the
context for it. But like, I feel like there hasn't
been a movie like this where like people really there's
there's a pretty universal everyone's on the same page about this.
I mean, even people who hate it. I feel like

(11:06):
understand what it's trying to do and can appreciate it.
I had. There was a man who came up to
me in Nappa. I was, okay, you know this is
for the fans, um, this is the tone of the podcast. Um.
But it was at Nappa Film Festival, and this man
came up to me after the screening and he's like,

(11:27):
you know, I love you and marvelous Mrs Masiel. But
I gotta say, as a as a older white man,
you know that was hard for me. That was I
really I just couldn't wait to get out. And then
he said, but you know, my wife's Filipino, so there's that.
And I was like, well, thank you for being honest,
and it's okay, Like not everything is supposed to be

(11:50):
for everybody, um, and yet we're the one And then
yet were supposedly like we're the kinds of people who
are like obsessed with identity politics. But meanwhile this guy
is leading with my wife's Philip. Yeah. Also, like if
I hear like a criticism of the movie from people,
it's that it's a lot, right, But then also that's

(12:11):
like intrinsically what the point is it is about? Like
finding something very simple in the volume, you know what
I mean, Like, that's what I loved about it so much.
And we had Michelle on the podcast, which was such
an honor, I mean, and like we'll get into what
it was like to you know, work with her. But
I think that that's something that, especially the second time

(12:33):
I watched it, not on the edible, I was able
to really find what's like, Wow, really, what this is
is a very simple story about family and love. And
I think that the sort of like I guess if
there's a metaphor is that it can feel like there's
a lot more, but really what's actually important is very simple,

(12:55):
and it's about love and connection and this is a
story about family and specifically in any way is finding
each other again through so much change, which can feel
very loud. I don't know if that's like me being
simplistic about it, Yes, totally, And I mean this has
been a really freaking crazy year, but I feel I

(13:17):
couldn't like shake hands with Hollywood in any more honest
of a way because this is so much you know,
this is I do want movies like this to exist
and I and I feel it's been really healing actually
to see that it works, or that people still have
room to be surprised or show up to a movie theater,

(13:37):
leave their house gathered together, or you know, have a
cultural moment together in a time when you know we're
so inundated. So you know how I've always been up
been like you know, the business wants me, but I
don't know if I want it. But that's very real though.
I Mean that's my thing with step is like it
really has always felt like you don't give a funk
about this, like in a real way, like really refreshing. Thanks.

(14:03):
I think you were very much a role model, even
though we're like all on the same cohort. Like Steph
was someone who reader probably like keyed into something like
was getting a lot of great opportunities and really meeting
the occasion, rising to the occasion always obviously um, but
it was so refreshing to like from afar or check

(14:23):
in with you, and you'd always be like, yeah, I
don't know, like this isn't all it's cracked up to be.
But that wasn't like withered or like cynical. It was
just like I know my boundaries so well. I'm such
a defined person within myself and like that is a
that is a special thing. But it's so cool to

(14:43):
so you keep that and like that's so, that's so
beautiful that you say that you couldn't have asked to
shake hands with Hollywood in a more honest way, because
not everybody gets that. People shake hands with HOLLYO for
the first time in ways that are very cloaked in
a lot of bullshit. Yeah, totally. Also for the listeners,
nobody knows that. Well maybe they do, I don't know. Well,
we all went to college together. Yeah, well we made

(15:04):
a big trust me when we saw the movie. We
made a huge deal about the fact that you were
so well, no I heard you roasted me. I's because
Mama did not respond to a text for like four hours.
But that's going to be my cultural moment that oh,
we'll put a pin in it. Well put but I
just want to say, like I'm kind of cloaked in

(15:24):
darkness right now, so you can't see the tears that's eyes.
But Steph, I'm literally just I'm And this is what
I mean by like, you've always like known what to
do for you and you've always like really followed like
what your spirit was telling you to do. Because do
you remember, do you remember when we had lunch in
Hayden Hall, And so I was the director of hammer

(15:46):
Cats and you were in the sketch group of Hammercats
with me, and you wanted to get lunch with me,
and you were telling me that you were gonna step
away from the group because you wanted to do a
different type of thing. And I was, of course disappointed
that you would leave the group because you were always
so much fun to be around and you always like
killed everything and you were my friend. But then we

(16:07):
actually got into a discussion about like, you know, what
it is we wanted in life. And I remember like
like it was like involuntary, but I like really I
like broke down at that lunch and you said something
to me that I always remember, and you said, you
know it hurts so much because you know you can
do it. And I was like, I I you said that,
and I always I always remembered that, and so like yeah,

(16:31):
and so just like you know, having like you, someone
so talented that I believed in so much to like
sort of tell me that you believed in me was
like very very important to me, and so like it's
not a surprise to me, and I actually feel very
like emotional right now, like as we're all doing like
quote unquote, well, but are also very happy and fulfilled
in the things that we're doing. That that's true because

(16:51):
you know, it's not true for everybody, and so I
am just so proud of you. When I'm so excited
for you, I can't believed. I know, I'm just like,
I don't know. There's just a lot going on. I mean,
both of you. I mean, that's the thing. Did you
just say there's a lot going well? I just really
there's a lot going on. Like I've also i mean
we haven't gotten into it yet, but I've also been

(17:13):
thinking about Lise a lot. Oh, let's wade us. Oh
my god, I was reflecting on this too. I mean,
you know, before we even get into all that stuff,
I just have to say, y'all, both of you are
I don't know, I'm getting emotional. You two have always
been the hardest working people. I know, seriously, Like I

(17:34):
just remember, you know, we were romping around skid More.
We're not we were all such a messy, messy horse
that was there that bored this way by Lady Gaga came,
you know, but letting everyone know that because he came
out of the fst of all that was the year

(17:56):
before you did come out of the ski more was.
But but you too. Seriously, I mean to see both
of you rise, but also rise together and a part
has been so inspiring. And I feel like you two
actually because I think, honestly, some some of my distance

(18:17):
from the industry, I think growing up was because I
just never saw a place for myself in it. And
so I think that right now, I'm I'm going through
this moment where I feel like I actually have dreams
for the first time for myself, and you know, I'm like,
oh man, this is really possible. And in so many ways,

(18:40):
I actually think I didn't necessarily really I believed in
myself as a human and as a soul on this planet,
but I didn't necessarily believe in myself as an artist
in the world. Um. And I feel like you two,
from the very beginning have always seen what I couldn't
even see in myself. And I also saw in both

(19:00):
of you how hard you worked because you loved the
thing that you do and you just defied all odds
time and time again, and it's just crazy, like it's
just so crazy and also not crazy to see both
of you where you are and you make it seem
so easy. But nobody knows the Matt Rogers in college

(19:22):
who was cranking out new pages every single week for
Catch group, like nobody's business. You have always been prolific
in a way that I just uh is beyond me.
So well. I did want to mention one thing, which
was bo and I've told you this, but like I
feel like I haven't gotten to say this stuff yet.

(19:42):
But the original everything everywhere, all at once was a
sketch I wrote for Stephanie, which was do you remember Flower?
I will never forget Florida everything for me, So that
there was a sketch that we did. It was it
was me frantically looking at looking for my son. So

(20:05):
it was like it was like me, this is of everything,
every all at once, and I think we did it
with Jack Quaid to like I think David Sitarov would
did it, and then we did it with Jack later.
But um, it was like it was like me friendly
looking for my son and describing my son, and my
son was like all genders, all heights, all weights, all races,
all things, and then like and like I had different

(20:26):
traits and stuff, and he was like the person was like, what,
like describe your son, like we can't find him if
your son is not everything. And then Steph walked in
like like literally just like as Large, which was the
name of this child. But she had like one long
arm and a good titty on her head and like
you know, at least things like every prop in the closet,

(20:46):
and she was like she just made this like weird
Steph noise, and but that was the original everything everywhere,
all was everything, everywhere, all was Yeah, really, I'm Matt.
Matt wrote for me not only flowered but also moose.
So I don't know which bone is in that videos. No, No,

(21:11):
that's already you're being gst towards Asians. And who is
like in Brooklyn, who's still like hanging out? Well, we
had some fun folks. I just got copy with my
expense the other week, and it was just we picked
up as if we had never picked up right where

(21:31):
we left off, and it had been years since I
had seen it in person, and it was just a
moment of like, wow, this is like this is an
important time in our lives and I'm glad that like
and I did express him. I was like, I do
have some guilt every now and then of like not
keeping up enough, and you don't neither of you need

(21:51):
to like affirm this or be like yeah, me too,
but like I feel like I've sort of like done
a bad job of like done a bad drop up.
I just I have not like, man, those relationships are
like cultivated them in a way that like I've not
watered them in a way that they deserve watering, because
those are those are people who really were your support
system in that time, helped you along the way, taught

(22:13):
you things you didn't you didn't know before. I love
those people. I actually I was just literally having that
thought while I was driving here and because I was
thinking about what my cultural rant was going to be.
But I think, you know, it's hard to keep up
with people, and we're inundated with information and our thumbs
can only do so much, and there's only enough hours

(22:35):
in the day. And I try to be gentle with
myself because there are so many people that I love
so deeply, and I wish sometimes, I guess this is
what reunions are for, but I wish sometimes you could
just be in a space together and really dive deep
because how are you gonna I'm not like a when
people ask me how are you on a text message,

(22:59):
I'm like, I don't I get stressed. I do. I
get stressed because I want to be so it is.
I want to be thoughtful in my answer, and I
also want to hold space for the other person's answer.
So if I don't have like so I know because
I probably asked, like what's going on, she's like, how

(23:22):
do I where do I go on? How are you
doing with because the movie is something that you guys
shot in before the pandemic, it comes out and you're

(23:47):
basically doing some version of campaigning will call it until
for the rest of Awards season, Like this is a lot.
Because I was thinking about this, I'm like, I wonder
how stuff feels about this in terms of talking about
the maybe thinking at the movie. I'm sure it's like
incredible as an experience, but also like I don't know
how you feel mad, but I feel like the whole
cycle of Fire Island coming out is like a distant dream.

(24:09):
It's so far away in my past and yet like
for depending on the project for something like this, for
you step, it's like you are really sitting in this
for like a pretty long amount of time. Yeah, it's
been honestly a roller coaster. And I remember Jamie Lee
Curtis said to me after she saw it for the

(24:30):
first time when we were all at south By Southwest.
She was she like clutched me by the shoulders, and
I was like, just stay centered and um, this is
going to be a mind fuck and a wild ride
for you. And I was like, Jamie, I'm a grown
ass woman, Like, listen first, this is on my first rodeo. Also,
I was on my whale. I was on my whale.

(24:52):
I was on my way to go reunite with three
of my best friends that I hadn't seen because of
the pandemic, and we were going to go watch whales
give birth and migrate north. And she was like, I'm
so happy You're going to be with whales. I'm like, yeah,
I me too, And and you're going to be with

(25:12):
the whales also feels like the most Jamie Lee Curtis thing.
It is. Yeah, um, but I had no idea what
she meant. And I honestly, as as centered as I
do feel, there's been a lot of whiplash, Like the
highs are high, the lows are low. It makes you
it's just confusing, um and I feel like it's a

(25:34):
hard thing that not a lot of people relate to. Also,
of just um having a pop off moment, I will
say that I was surprised when it there was a
recent moment. I was filming in Australia and it's a
crazy time difference, and it was the first time that

(25:55):
I've been actually completely alone for the last year, and like,
the time difference is so crazy. So when I'm awake,
everybody's sleeping, so I couldn't even work during the day
because everybody's paused. And and I think I was having
a whiplash of I've been going and going and going,
and it finally just stopped and I hit like a

(26:17):
I got really sad. I got really sad actually, and um,
I had to Hey, I'm glad that I hit that
moment because I've had to zoom. I've been able to
zoom out and understand the longevity of this film is
so much more. I'm speaking really abstractly. No, we're with you,
We're with you. Yeah, I just you know this ship

(26:39):
some I had a driver call it Holly weird and
Holly weird. It's holly weird, and you know, I it
affects you, and I have been affective. Not everything, not
any element of it is what you think of it's
and then all of a sudden, like you see the
business element of it and like the promotional element of it,

(27:02):
and it can be fun, but it's also exhausting, and
you also can buy into it. And then when it's gone,
it's like, whoa wait, Well that was like that's a
thing where I you know, I've never cared about any
of this stuff, and I I obviously am receiving a
lot of attention and affirmation right now, and at the
same time, I can feel that this will eventually go away,

(27:24):
like you're hot, you're hot, and then you're not for
a second, right whatever until the next thing. But in
some ways I was like, oh my god. On the
other side of this also, I just didn't ever want
to feel tossed aside. But that's because I it got
to me, do you know what I'm saying? Like I
wasn't able to just see the big picture and feel

(27:46):
centered in myself and understand that it really is just
about the work and continuing to do good work that
you believe in and putting it out there. There was
something in the frenzy that really started to catch up
to me that I I was like on the wave
and I I, yeah, I don't know how else to

(28:07):
describe it. Um. Yeah. Betty Gilbin was on the podcast basently,
and she described what I think we're talking about is
the metaphor was that part in a Laddin where he's
in the Cave of Wonder and they're like, you can't
touch anything except the lamp. Don't touch any of the diamonds,
the jewels, the coins, any of that. And that's kind
of what this time in your life might feel like,

(28:29):
where it's like there's all the stuff around you and
all you your only job is to like go towards
the lamp. But I feel like you you've always known
what your lamp is, and you've always kind of had
it in the palm of your hand. Sometimes I feel
like I my lamp. I don't have no idea what
my lamp looks like. I don't know where it is,
I don't know how I'm going to get it, but

(28:49):
I'm constantly touching coins and pearls and diamonds. I'm like,
I feel like I am in this zone now where
I'm kind of losing the thread a little bit, and
I'm like, I totally related to what you're saying. You know,
I read this piece. I've been really into reading um
up ed pieces or interviews with actors, and I've never

(29:11):
been like this, but I have been just so desperate
to understand this moment that I'm going through and and
hear from other people what their journey has been like.
And I remember reading a piece in the l A
Times um on Brad Pitt and he said something along
the lines of he got to a point where so
many people were telling him what he wanted that he

(29:33):
didn't even know what he wanted anymore. And I read that,
you know, like earlier this year, maybe in March or something.
And I've just really been thinking about that where I
have to constantly check in with myself and make sure
I'm just checking in and asking myself what I want.
And you know, there's a lot of noise, and it's
a whole fun Babylonian show, but you take what is

(29:58):
right for you and then you you don't have to
take anything else. Yeah, And also like I think it
can be fun if you just keep telling yourself, like,
don't take it too seriously, you know what I'm saying,
like and and ultimately what is so great about this
is everything everywhere at once for the rest of the year,
the rest of the quote unquote season is going to

(30:19):
do great. And just the fact that it's in the
conversation so much already says and shows how much people
have connected to this as a piece of art because
it has made people feel a certain way, And ultimately
is the thing that's at the kernel, at the center
of all of this stuff that is really cool for

(30:39):
you to be able to have and can maybe be
the lamp, which is that this piece of art that
you created is actually not only so steff, but also
so universal and so moving, so much so that multiple
people that I've talked to have seen it more than once.
It has done incredibly well at the box office in

(31:00):
a year where a lot has not, especially a lot
of like you know, lower budget things or however you
want to call it, like smaller scale things. That is
a huge triumph in a in a time of the pandemic,
you know what I mean. And so there are so
many narratives like outside of the self that you can
like lean on and let guide you for however long,

(31:23):
like this process lasts. And it's just that is a
really cool thing because not everyone gets to talk about
stuff with with passion. You know. I was talking to
like this girl Jessica who does my hair and makeup
for some events, and she tells me that she works no, no,
she's she literally was looking at my face. She says,

(31:43):
I hate this, she's she's the best, and but she
works with a lot of these actors. And I was like, god, like,
I've been really lucky this year, like everything I've talked
about like genuinely love and she goes, oh, yeah, that
is not the case a lot of the time, Like
it's a lot to out there and sound effusive about
things that are a you know, bad, or be things

(32:06):
that you didn't have a good experience on or see
with people you fucking hate totally, because that happens all
the time. I know, I've been just feeling grateful. I'm
fully like leaning in now. I'm just I'm leaning in
and having fun. I'm soaking it up when people come
up to me and they say thank you so much.
This movie meant so much to me. I'm really practicing
receiving it all the way to the bottom of my

(32:26):
heart and say like, oh, this person is also trying
to give me something, So don't deflect it or don't
be like, oh, yeah, that's crazy. Really hold it someone,
someone's trying to tell you that art that you made
that you are a part of, or something you express
change them. So hold that for them, and hold and

(32:48):
hold that for yourself. But yeah, I'm like so freaking
lucky that I love my cast I'm so close with
the Daniels. We have text threats, you know. I'm genuinely
excited to see them at these events that are can
be nerve racking sometimes and it just feels like I
get to spend time with people I love and celebrate

(33:08):
this thing that I really believe in, and so be it.
When will I ever get it again? Who knows? What
is an interaction between Steph Shoe and Jamie Lee Curtis,
Like she's so amazing. She's just she walks into every
room just completely owns it. I don't even know how.

(33:31):
She just has no fear. She seems fearless and everything
that she is and that she does, and it's really inspiring.
She hates staying out late. So we were just texting
because the Governor's Awards are tomorrow, and we were all like,
we're so excited to see each other. And she's like,
just to let you know I'm gonna be there and

(33:54):
I will quickly leave because I just can't do late
nights and I have to wake up early tomorrow for work.
And she just has, i mean talk about boundaries. She's
just just yeah, yeah, and it's awesome. She's like, I can,
I can show up. I'm going to do that. That's
work too, and I'm happy to see everyone and then
I don't need to do the whole party. She knows

(34:16):
why she's going. She knows exactly why. Yeah. Yeah, she's
so powerful. And you guys love Instagram. Y. Yeah, I
think most of us are going. There's still some TBD.
Are you going to be there? We're going to be
there for Fire Islands. Were Fire Islands actually getting the
Ensemble Award? Yeah? That's amazing. That very nice to them.

(34:39):
Can you guess what my favorite scene in that movie is?
I'm thinking, what's the what's the most Steff see Fire Islands?
The most stuff seen on Fire Island? Is it the
heads up seed? No? Is it James Scullion Bowen at
the end because that's my favorite scene. I love that
scene also, but but it's earlier on. Is it everyone
dancing in the dock? It's doc related. Oh, it's a

(35:02):
scene in silhouette. Yes, yes, you're in silhouette. You're getting
invited to the party. You walk from the dock over
to your friends to say you got invited to the party.
Matt and all their friends got and then you you're
like shut up or whatever, and then you walk slowly
in silhouette over to the other boys. Again, that's in

(35:22):
my top five two. It's a good scene. It's so
well directed because Andrew gets the wide and it's a
movie about group dynamics. It's a movie about the way
people like are pulled in certain directions socially and so
like it's just a perfect way of and like everyone's
body language is so good. Like it says so much

(35:42):
about each character, the way that they're situated and standing
in their posture. It's it's a great direction, you know,
Like that's Andrew on like him. You should work with
Andrew where you got mad? You guys is mad? Oh,
that's powerful. It was very hot. Just now was When
Bowen said, you know, Andrew just gets the wide I

(36:05):
was like, Okay, cinephile, Okay, movie star, Oh my god, okay,
Emmy nominee. Stop stop look at glowing No, it's the
lighting to stop that at one star quality. Okay. So

(36:32):
I want to transition into asking you the question, which
is the central question of last culture? Wouldn't you agree about?
I would agree, And we've gotten a little preview of this.
This is going to be a very powerful answer. I
think this is the question, what was the culture that
made you say culture was for me? This is um
the pop culture, the wider culture, the thing, the person

(36:55):
that made you say I'm gonna move into a cultural direction.
I I'm gonna cry because Matt's here too. Um. Yeah,
I would say it was this woman, Elizabeth Suados Liz
suados Um. When we were in college, she directed this
thing called the Reality Show, which brought together a bunch

(37:16):
of students to write sketches and music for around mental
health issues and also your first year of experience in college.
Matt and I were both in it UM and I
met her very or. I saw it my freshman year
at welcome week, and I was like they were doing
crazy things they were. They did a condom song and

(37:37):
people were just being condoms on stage, and I was like,
I want to do that. So I sought her out
and she is an amazing person, and I think she
taught me what it means to be an artist, which
is to say that it is something you don't hold lightly.
It's a responsibility and the essence of it, or the

(38:01):
care that you must take with your art or give
with your art, is to offer more goodness in the
world and to bring healing. So every opportunity that you
get to speak or that you get to make something,
it should have the greater good in mind. And it
doesn't mean it has to be precious. In fact, it
should be shocking and subversive and wild and really say something.

(38:26):
But complacency is just not an option. And yeah, she
was my She was my mentor, as to so many
of us. And all I've ever wanted was to help people,
you know, and help myself move through this world in
a way that's a little less confusing. And when art

(38:47):
is able to do that, whether it's comedy or music
or anything, it's just so healing. It's like you feel
you understand what it means to be alive. You know,
part of me still can't believe that she has passed away,
because she really would enter an exit and re enter.

(39:12):
I'm sure your life as well as UM creatively and
Bowen actually got to know her a tiny little bit
when you were going to do the Shanghai version of
the show. I was. I didn't end up doing the show,
but I was very lucky enough to just even be
considered for it to to talk to Liz at that point,
Like I had heard what a wonderful present she was,

(39:33):
what an impactful person she was. I mean she I
was like all my friends were saying, this woman isn't
and she has an amazing sort of just her career
was so prolific. So yeah, I didn't really get to
interacted her too much, but you guys really got to
know her well. She was an Obie Award winner and
you know Tony nominated playwright for UM this show called

(39:54):
The Runaways, which you know, people that are aware of
and involved in theater that listened to the pod might remember.
She actually discovered Diane Lane like she's got like a
very very long She worked with Meryl Streep years and
years ago. She worked with tons of people in the business,
you know who shouted her out when she passed Lin
Manuel Miranda um Like. She was a hugely influential person

(40:16):
in the theatrical especially downtown New York theater community. And
when she sort of spent her time at n y U,
we were lucky enough to work with her. And I
always look back at her like the way that I
can distill it the most. She was the person who
literally and figuratively taught me how to use my voice,

(40:37):
because do you remember Steph Like the vocal exercises she
would have us do just like these. She was very
influenced by like um tribal music and like the way
like tribal vocalization, and she would have us like essentially
like have these guttural like shouting vocal like techniques that
maybe we're not necessarily always vocally safe, but they were

(40:58):
always taking some player somewhere, like Plair would take some
player she and she would love that ship, you know
what I mean, some player. She would think that was
like I have my special coming out. And I kept
thinking to myself, like, like what would she say about
I hope what she would say is that she would
I hope that she would smile like her smile, and

(41:18):
she would say, this is so stupid, you know what
I mean, Like I just I think that's what she
would say. And I always I loved impressing her, like
I always loved coming in with my dumbest idea and
my dumbest bit and her being like her smiling her
iconic smile, with her mane of hair, and just like
knowing that you had gotten something right because she really

(41:38):
had a presence, you know, like she had the X factor, man.
And you know, I remember that summer, Matt, and you
really cracked open because I feel like you were you
knew me in the sketch community, the sketch exactly, that
that really did like something that was kind of the
first time that you were performing outside of sketch right
in in college. And I just remember that really that

(42:02):
you're nervous, and you also really cracked open because you've
got this incredible singing voice, but like you know, singing
can be so nerve racking because you think you've got
to do it a certain kind of way, and Liz
completely scraps that, and I just remember this whole soul
of an expressive being came out of you. And I
think also, I remember, you know, the way that she

(42:25):
does it, it gives you permission to take yourself and
your work even more seriously, with more responsibility. Just like
she encourages the funny, she wants things to be really
freaking hilarious, but that they can also be about things.
Um and uh. Actually the first time that she this
is actually a full circle moment. But the first time

(42:46):
we had a rehearsal together, we were sitting on the
ground and she looks over at me. She she had
braces at the time, and she's like, you remind me
of someone I know, what's aim Margaret Chod. Yeah. I

(43:09):
think they worked together on some whatever something. Um. But
I have a quote from her. I know you guys
are going to edit this together, so who knows if
this will make it, but I want to can I
share it with you out? So? UM. I found this
recently in my notes, which I don't use my phone,
as you know, but this is in there, and this

(43:31):
was set at her memorial and I guess I kept
it in my phone because it's so powerful. This is
a quote from Liz. We have to try to do
the impossible, extract magic from what everyone else thinks is ordinary.
We have to find the wizards in ourselves, turn ourselves
inside out like pockets, and keep shaking until we find

(43:54):
all the dimes and lint and leftover movie ticket stubs
in the lining. I mean, we've got to dig. The
possibilities keep coming, one after another. Explorers yes, adventures yes,
daredevils yes, life savers yes, athletes yes, humans yes, children yes,
actors yes, magicians yes. Look at all the possibilities. I

(44:19):
think it's time we abandoned this wasted, dried up world
of ordinary wishers and dreamed like a bunch of maniacs.
If there's anything left in the theater for anyone, it's
that we can all still dream of a better world together. Yeah,
she was a very special person, and I I I think,
I like, I actually didn't you mentioned her memorial And

(44:40):
I remember I didn't go to her memorial because I
was like too emotional about it. Um. But but when
I knew she would love you, because I because I
remember like hearing that you were going to go in
and meet on it, and I just knew that she
would be so attracted to your energy. But yeah, no,
it's m she That's how sounds like her, and I

(45:01):
just remember, like she she really did have a transform
formative quality and she touched so many people. Yeah, it
had a difficult life. Yeah, I I just remember that
year that Matt started reality show and there was this transformation.
There was this huge change and like the way you
carried yourself and the way you like valued your own talents.

(45:25):
I mean I remember there being this shift and like
we all kind of remarked on it, like wow, like
this reality show thing is really is really impacting Matt
in a really cool way. Like you were you were
doing what you what we all knew you were so
good at, you know, like because because people Matt's journey
in college was freshman year, he was, you know, kid

(45:47):
from Long Island, still kind of on learning a lot
of stuff from like that environment, right, and it's just
so beautiful. Meant that like you were able to be
brave enough to go into these spaces that you weren't
sure how they were gonna how you were going to
do in them, how they were going to accept you
or not accept you. You go into comedy, you do sketch,

(46:09):
and then you go into reality show and you're just you.
You just keyed into every groove of each of those
places and like you just sore and like I mean
that that that is the thing that like I took
away from Liz anytime anyone talked about her and in
meeting her was like this thing you guys are talking
about her presence, like she is someone who like the

(46:30):
like the air is all probably gets suction to her
because you have to pay attention to what she's saying,
even when she's not saying anything at all. Oh man,
she made you feel like things were limitless, you know
what I mean, Like she she actually didn't really believe
in um limits, Like she didn't really um. So she
made you feel like the sky was the limit. And

(46:52):
I think that you know you're talking about it was
me a lot. But with Steph, I feel like, you know,
you were always such a boundless talent, you know what
I mean, Like you you so were that you sort
of were the bar. You almost I remember, almost feel
like you were like an equal to her in that way,
like you know what I'm saying, Like and so you
were such an inspiring like performance presence and stuff like that.

(47:15):
But it was like that for everyone that worked towards her.
I mean, like if you ask like SHANEA. She would
say that if you ask, like all these people that
worked with her, that they would all say that. And
I think that there's something to the fact that, like
so many of the people that she worked with, um
continued to succeed and stuff like that. But yeah, I mean,
and she was a whacko to like truly, Like there

(47:37):
were some moments like where I was like, I don't
know what the fun this is? Like do you know
she had like an HBO documentary was called My Depression Sigourney.
We were narrated it. Sig even narrated it. And the
way that she had an audition for it was we
all went to her apartment and sat in a circle
and all read the lines one after another. And I'm like,
I know, this isn't the practical way to do that.

(47:58):
There were some things about it that I was like,
I don't know, this is like and like, um, but
aren't you glad that you did it the unconventional way?
Like absolutely, I mean, like she played by her own
fucking rules. And I also think talking about like you know,
not needing quote unquote this like the the the validation

(48:18):
of the industry and stuff like I sometimes think about
her as like someone that maybe did want that in
a way, I think that she did want to move
beyond the the downtown theater world. And I almost feel
like I know that she said some things to people
before she passed, like like she called I won't say who,
but like someone was going to do a musical on

(48:39):
Broadway instead of do her show, and she said, you're bourgeois,
you know what I mean, Like you're making the wrong choice.
And I think it was because she did actually regard
commercial success with selling out, and so that was something
that also weighed on me a little bit, like I
felt a little tacky sometimes for one, I wanting to
succeed in a commercial sense, because when you finally do

(49:01):
invest in the theatrical community and the community of creating
your own work, it can almost feel like, you know,
you wrestle with like what's important and what's good and
what's bad, and like what's you and what's them? You know,
she constantly was provoking questions and probably too. I mean,
I think that's been my big grappling that I really.

(49:23):
I mean, I called her my mama, right, she came
from La Mama Ellen Stewart was her mama. So Liz
was my mama and and our mama, and I've been
thinking about it like family trauma, where I've been like, oh,
Liz had baggage around the commercial sphere, and I have
to make sure I don't carry that because actually, if

(49:44):
if we are able to be in the commercial sphere
and still think limitlessly and challenge ourselves to continue to
push the envelope, then there's actually great power in the
amount of reach that we can have. And it's just
always going be a balancing act. But you know, I
just had to check myself and being like, you know,

(50:05):
I'm not too cool for this. This is awesome, right,
like even everything everywhere being a huge success, and like, God,
she would love this movie stuff, she would she would
absolutely love it. The quote is very much the spirit
of the film, where it's like there's beauty and magic
in the mandanity of things like that, there's you don't
need to be like all these other possibilities in the

(50:26):
universe and the multiverse. There's something gorgeous about just being
who you are in the moment, in the reality that
you're in. Like, that's that's what she's saying there. When
I found it, I sent it to the Daniels, and
I was like, you believe that we because we're I
was like, how did we find each other? It's kind
of the meta version of the movie also, somehow through

(50:46):
all the noise that we found each other to tell
this story. And that's that's nuts. Um. But yeah, I think, Matt,
I really relate to some of the questions you're asking,
and I think I love what you're saying about limitlessness.
And I think I challenge us both to and all
three of us too, and everyone who's listening catching up

(51:10):
no to just continue to remember that it is limitless,
and it even though the industry has so many bounds,
like thirty minute versus one hour, the length of a
special like that, just to someone who decided that once
and it could be changed at any moment, and we

(51:30):
have to give ourselves space to remember that that's possible,
or else we'll lose ourselves, like we'll get swallowed up
and sad, because they can get sad. It sounds like
the thing that Liz Suados was able to do was
just like give you meaning. And I've been saying this

(51:53):
a lot and everything, but it's like people are people
are a little bit down right now because there's a
nihilism going around where nothing means anything anymore, and Liz
with someone who got you, guys at the right time
in your life to explain and to like figure out
for yourselves, like why things mean important things. I think

(52:20):
I think, I think it's so abstract, but but I
think that's what happened with her with everyone she touched.
I'm actually looking up what Lin Manuel said about her
when she passed, because I remember, like I hadn't thought
about it like this, but but he said, Liz Suados
was using hip hop on Broadway in ahead of everybody,

(52:41):
a colossus singular unequal to. That's what he said about her,
And that was in the height of all the Hamilton's stuff,
because I think he really realized in that moment that
she needed to get her flowers. It's that thing that
sucks sometimes when like someone gets their flowers, like post
you know, something happening to them or you know. But

(53:04):
I really think that her impact was so much larger
than she probably felt a new and she might have
even said that she didn't care, but I think she did.
That's all to say, like everyone knew who she was
in New York, you know, what I mean in New
York Theater. We love you, Liz, And can you talk
a little bit about how you trained as a performer
and an actress. Yeah, totally. I started at the Atlantic

(53:27):
Theater Company, which is David Mammott's company, and it's actually
very cerebral and kind of all about script analysis. So
it was a very traditional acting upbringing. And then I
went to the Experimental Theater Wing. But I met Liz
while I was in the Atlantic, and I don't know,
I think I've just always when I was in high school,
you know, people were like, oh, you should audition for drama,

(53:49):
and so that's kind of how I started doing that.
And then someone was like, oh, you know, you should
Brendan Naylor, who now works for Darren Aronofsky. He was
an upperclassman at this public school and he said, hey,
you should really think about going to college for this.
And I didn't even know that that was a thing. Um,
But I think I've always just, you know, liked to

(54:10):
throw paint at the fucking wall, you know, And I
think the only way I know how to find the
nuance of things is if you explode it in all
different directions. And so Liz, I think she would. Yeah,
at those auditions, she'd be like, Okay, now you're gonna
sing Funck You by Selo Green as a Turkey for

(54:32):
the first time. You would sing it once and then
she'd be like, okay, now you have to sing it
and you were freezing cold, like you might die, and
was great. It was really cool and it's truly got you.
And that's also like, so Steph was also a story
pirate with Bowen, and I like so when they were like, Okay,
we're going to play a spoon who's going through a divorce,

(54:54):
like I understood it because of Liz. I like when
the kids would be like, it's a spoon that's going
through a divorce and he's sad because he doesn't want
to like move away, you know, like and then like,
but you understood that because that's something that Liz would say,
you know, totally. Yeah. And there's also something really physical
about it. I don't know why that. I've always felt

(55:14):
very connected to physical comedy. I have this theory that
I love physical comedy because I grew up in an
immigrant household, so nobody universal, like it's universal, and I
never I never got I even felt this when we
were doing comedy in college where people would come in
and it would be a Matthew McConaughey sketch, and I'm like,
I don't feel like I know enough about Matthew McConaughey

(55:38):
to know this, understand how funny this sketches. And I
remember just being like, I guess I'll just be flarge.
You know. That's when we talk about that a lot though,
stuff because I feel like, especially the three of us,
like when we were all in those comedy groups at
n YU, they were run by the straight boys, when
I know you dealt with this over in danger box,

(55:58):
which is just like you know, we all had to
sort of learn their references and get their bits and
sense of humor, like you know, in a way, and
it wasn't nefarious, but it was just the way it
had to be. And like it wasn't like anyone like
being like do you have to learn these? It was
just like, okay, like this is this is the culture
within this group of people and that's and that's all.

(56:19):
This is a you know, answer this how you wish.
But do you feel that sometimes at no? Ye, no,
like the sense of humor, do you always understand you
feel like you can always understand why things are funny,
or do you feel sometimes that there's a very specific

(56:41):
formula that you kind of have to abide too. There
are so many filters that, um, a piece of writing
goes through until it goes until it goes on air,
and you always and I'm sure every writer feels this way,
every cast member feels this way. They kind of want
and some sometimes and sometimes I am not too invested

(57:01):
in my own work, which is a bad thing to say,
but sometimes you just have to accept that. You know
they're not always going to be gold. But sometimes you
want to go, oh, but if only you knew the
process that like it was this other thing, this other
and this other context. But that's not how comedy works.
There's a beauty and that there's a beauty and only
doing one final product on a Saturday of an idea

(57:24):
something that was just an idea in your head on Tuesday.
That's what's mind blowing about SNL. And so I never
like put too much pressure. I never really analyze it
too much and I think it's okay, But honestly, Step,
it's I think I need to hear this right now,
Like with what you're saying about Liz, which is that
like there is this responsibility to like doing what we do,
especially if we're lucky enough to get this opportunity that

(57:47):
like the three of us like individually have or have
collectively and you know what. Total aside, But I'm flashing
back to a memory that is very stressful for me,
which is the first Story Pirate show I directed. Was
Matt's first year on Story Pirates and I think it
was yours. But we all went to this middle school,

(58:08):
do you guys remember, Yeah, we all went to this
middle school and the creative story was Chaos Chaos Wanda,
and it was just so wild and kooky and and
the and the kids they were seventh graders and so
at that age they're like really like trolling you and
they're really trying to funk with you, and we're trying

(58:30):
to put on this like wholesome show and it was
just it was a stressful moment. And I did go
home that day being like I failed my cast. I
filed like these kids and the three of us were
all there and like God bless you all for like
see like this is what true, Like this is what
the years means when we like say we know each
other for a long time. It means that we've we've

(58:51):
seen each other in weird, bizarre contexts and situations. Yeah,
like being bullied by seventh graders, sense like because the
Creative Story was like we would take suggestions from the
audience and like you'd have to do what they said.
And I also navigate, like when they were like trying
to funk with you or make you do something weird,

(59:11):
but also like you want to honor their ideas, right,
And so I remember like the Creative Story got wild
and out a hint ever steps and be like I
can't believe we just did that. Also like that's important,
you know what I mean, Like that's and I can't
tell you how many times, like we fucking bid it
like doing like and also like you remember how seriously

(59:35):
we took it to Like I remember when we go
to skid Moore. We looked at that as a huge
opportunity to show the other colleges like what we were
made of. And then all I can remember about that,
and rightfully so is bowing coming out of the closet,
Me and Steph being drunk, Remember me, you and study stuff,
taking pictures of each other. We were stacked on top
of each other. I remember like, yeah, we were remember them.

(01:00:01):
I mean I was gonna come up, We're gonna come
We don't have to talk about it, but no, no, no,
no no no, we don't do it, but we But
you know what it's we were definitely in college. We
were in because we were. It wasn't even that, it
was that we were. And we went to n YU

(01:00:22):
were you know, being in college meant something so arbitrary
and we weren't having the traditional quote unquote college experience
and then we would go to this honest to goodness
liberal arts school, liberal school, and then we like got
it all out of our systems. Yeah. I had like
a highlight college memory at Skidmore. It was me and
some kid for meal making out and look at a

(01:00:44):
tool shed I don't know, and I'm like that's all
I need. I'm like, this is all I need, Like
I don't have to Like I was never really that
like debauchers at n y U, but like Skidmore was
where we all just got it out. Just never forget
Bowen coming out at Skidmore. O casey, I'm a hob

(01:01:05):
and gh and he was just like that's great. He
was like, that's great. He was the headwriter on Hot Dog.
Hot Dog, Like the world is too small. It's just
so funny. It's so small. It is tiny, tiny. Well,
do you remember do you remember who beat us? Are are?

(01:01:27):
We had a like a five Hammercats The Sketch Group
had a five five months like Street Midnight Madness or
whatever them, Yeah, Midnight cage match whatever, And do you
remember who something like yeah or Showcase. I don't remember.
Do you remember who beat us? It was? And Jonathan

(01:01:49):
who Yes, there were two people. We were twelve hundred.
They beat us and it was crazy and we were
so bummed. And now you know they're all everyone's fancy.
But do you guys remember there was a moment when
at Skidmore John Gabriel taught us a workshop, taught danger

(01:02:10):
box and hammer tats to work. But everyone was so funny.
But and there was a It was an exercise basically
where he would hand you a card from a deck
of cards, and if you had to pick your low status,
if you had a suit, if you're a face card,
you were high status. And then it was he would
be like two people on a date. And then I
think I remember it was Steph Shoo and Mike Spence.

(01:02:31):
I remember this. I remember this, and it was both
of you were so funny. But that was that was
a moment for me where I go, God, step Sho
is the funniest mother figure, the funniest. I want you
to do more, like like obviously everything everyone is funny
and like Masal's a comedy show, but like they need
they don't don't even know how funny. They don't know. Well,

(01:02:53):
we should do something funny together. Obviously that's what should happen.
I know, we all got to do something together. We
really have to, im we have enough muscle between us,
I think, so really we just got to figure out
what story there. No, seriously, I'm like, I would that
would be so fun you know, oh my god, No,
I mean that would be the joy of my life

(01:03:13):
with these two right here, right here and my sisters. Okay,
so this is on a one minute segment that we
do on every episode where we take a minute too.
But what would you say drag to really examine drags

(01:03:39):
a little violent? Yeah, you're right, I don't think so,
honey is not negative. It's cathartic. Cathartic absolutely, Yeah, Okay,
I think I have something. Okay, this is Matt Rogers.
I don't think so. When he has time starts now,
I don't think so. Honey. I witnessed a car blow
up and where I'm staying. There was no one in
the car, but war had exploded. I was. I was.

(01:04:03):
I was living in the hotel and I hear this
insane booming noise and then I see everyone just turn
around and look at it, and I'm thinking the worst.
I'm like, oh my god. I did never found out
how the car exploded. But I turned around and there
was a car on fire in the middle of the
street between ten and eleven, and I was looking at it,
and I was like, see, not this is New York,

(01:04:26):
but this is New York. I mean, like, this is
a crazy ass moment. And I finally I was like,
no one was hurt. They were like, no one was hurt.
I'm like, well, then the car was going to explode
the way We're all just standing there watching the car
there and everyone looking at each other, and we're also desensitized,
like we only ever see on our phone. And there
we are standing there watching a car explode and beyond fire,

(01:04:47):
and no one is doing anything. You hear the sirens
in the background, and I don't think so, honey. And
that's one minute. That is the Michael Clayton g t
a Michael Clinton. I didn't even text any of our
ends about it, bow because I was like, I don't
want to upset anyone. But like when I tell you,
I heard boom, and then everyone anyone. It was crazy.

(01:05:10):
It was one of the craziest things I've ever seen.
And then it shook me for like an hour. I like,
I was gonna take a walk on the streets, because
whenever I'm in New York, I take a long walk
on the streets. But then I just walked around the
fucking you know, Hudson Yards that mall. I was like,
I'm staying inside of the wall where where the most
dangerous thing is the prices at theory, you know what
I mean, Like, I'm gonna stay in here because they're

(01:05:34):
a deal. When I saw a car explode, I said,
I don't think so, honey. Oh that's the only thing
you can say in that situation. Should I've gone up
next to the car and pulled out my phone and
on a TikTok and said I don't think so. Honey,
I posted it. Would that have been icon behavior? Absolutely? Absolutely?

(01:05:54):
Wow that happened. I had anything? Did you have something?
But I don't think that's my thing in the culture
that I'm I can go. You got it? Okay? This
is I don't think so, honey. As time starts now,
I don't think so, honey. A T M fees um No, no, no,
that's not good for me, sweetie, and for my bank account.

(01:06:18):
No price is worth me getting money. You're gonna guys,
I'm pulling this out of my ass. Don't ever ever
show me to seventy five on that screen. I should
be getting this for free. It's my money. Why are
you holding it hostage? Give me twenty now? Why do

(01:06:39):
I need the cash? Because I need to go buy
a fruit, a piece of and they're not I'm not
going to use my card for that. We're in a
tap tap culture. More give me cash for free culture.
You do see me at the strip club tipping the
dancers and going that will be five seconds. This is

(01:07:01):
a broken system. Everybody call your senator. I don't think so,
and that's one minute. My girl's iconic. I don't think so, honey.
On today. You know what I do think so, honey,
that since I've been away from New York, apparently all
the all the like corner like falafel stands, street meat,
they take credit cards now, so now the only places

(01:07:25):
look at what's here? Oh my god, stre meat, the
street meat, honey. That's about in New York is that
you could be walking like and and sort of working
out and getting your steps in so you can eat
the street meat. You can have that slice of pizza
or McDonald's or don't act like it ain't true. Oh,

(01:07:46):
I would never even pretend to not be the face
of McDonald's. I mean, you really mean when you need
you need to be the face of McDonald's. I think
this is this is truly out of me. Stephanie really
was there, Like I think I was eating McDonald's at
every single Hammercats meeting Monday. On Monday nights when we

(01:08:07):
would have our writer's meetings, I would pretty much Beadway, Yes,
the one across from Tish, that place has seen some ship, oh, darling,
dear darling. And there was the one near YouTube and
that I think it's not there anymore, which is when
you lived on what was it not nice? Yeah, there's

(01:08:29):
no McDonald's scarier than the one in midtown, Like, yeah,
the one by UCB two, the one, the one that's
looked by like the poor authority, that is a haunted McDonald's.
There's any thick New York City McDonald's. There's it's just cucko, cuckoo,
cuckoo down and there's one that's you. You take the

(01:08:53):
D downtown, I think it's like second Avenue D and
you get out and there's McDonald's right there. That one's haunted.
To do you need an dorsement McDonald's, Well, you know
we did for the mccrib. Yeah, we did after the McRib. Yeah,
and we did a whole episode devoted to McDonald's. You did.

(01:09:16):
It was the twelfth Day of Culture. Oh no, yes,
I know that. It was the first day of Culture,
which is the first first stores. I remember that episode.
I remember listening to it on all holidays. Twelve days
of Culture. Oh um, yes, well, don't be don't be
dragging me from my McDonald's consumption. Okay, So you know

(01:09:40):
what I love is step shoe and whatever. I don't
think so honey is going to be Are you ready, queen?
I'm ready. This is step shoes. I don't think so
many her time starts now, okay, I don't think so phones.
Fuck them. This soul annoying and you're timing you with
your phone. No, seriously, my sums are sore, my thumb
are sore. I think I have like chunkier thumbs because

(01:10:03):
all I do is some thumb people words on this
little box, and I just it's crazy. I hate Oh wow,
I really feel this. I really hate how I'm activated,
I'm leaning in. I hate how phones have exploded time
into a constant crack, and that if you don't answer
someone in a fucking day, you get a follow up

(01:10:25):
email and I'm like, don't fucking follow up with me.
I have other things to do right now, which is
literally where I cannot respond to your email Like that
ship stresses me out. And I just feel like the
phones have created this culture of immediacy, this culture of immediacy,
and I want everybody to slow down. I want there
to be time for us to pause and stop and rest.

(01:10:47):
Fuck that ship. I'm not going to get endorsed by
Apple now, I'll tell you that much, but you know
I do it. So here's what I'll say, and I
know you feel this way too. When you get a
text someone an answer right away. I was like, you
have homework, m But I also, you know, I'm also
trying to be more gentle with myself and know that

(01:11:09):
people love me, I love them, and that it's okay,
like the ripple of time is okay. But Jesus, this
little thing. Someone was in yoga today and started writing
emails on her Apple Watch in yoga, and the teacher
called her out, and I was like, yeah, that's not
why you're coming here dropping. I think you you are

(01:11:31):
always going to be very present, very aware of your environment,
that this will never supersed that. I think you are
built in a way that we are so jealous of,
which is that like you don't need this, even though
it seems like it's overtaking your life, you know how
to you know exactly how to step away from it
in a way we never go. Y'all are on my

(01:11:53):
phone heroes in so many ways because I admire people
who are able to function. Oh my god, wait, speaking
of the phone. I actually this is a twist because
Bowen said he forgot his, But I actually have what
I wanted to do, which is very topical, and now
I just remembered it and I want to do it.
This is this is connected to phones, this is Matt
Rodgers is second. I don't think. I don't think so. Honey, Twitter,

(01:12:17):
good bye. You're to go down for fucking years. You
have killed and destroyed the soul of this world. And
if it took Elon Musk buying you and us having
like a week couple of weeks of like hell for
you to finally go down in the death throws, the
death rattle of that is two good bye. I don't
think there is a soul that is funny on it anymore.

(01:12:39):
If you still use Twitter for your little humor platform,
oh challenge yourself. Oh my god, I don't believe it.
I am so happy this is going down in flames,
because guess what if it continued. You know, Elon will
just like Trump back of the funk on. Remember a
couple weeks ago when he was like, yeah, vote for
the Republicans in the mid terms. Bye, bitch. I am
so happy. That's just thinking about you not knowing anything

(01:13:01):
about how to run a company. You'd been like tweeting
out to your employees, Hey, does anyone know how to
write code? Thanks? Ellen, bitch? You are so stupid. Shoot
him up into space where he belongs. Thanks for the tesla,
I guess, but Twitter, I don't think so many Goodbye,
Good riddance. Instagram is next. You think Instagram is next.

(01:13:23):
Tech is not in a good place right now, And
I think that's okay. Give me a rock and a
hammer and a nail and I'm gonna hamm on my
woods into the rock Commandment style. Yeah, I think we can.
Just I don't think technology needs to This kind of
technology does not need to advance anymore. Yeah, it can't,

(01:13:47):
you know, I don't know. I don't really negative it's
it's it's interesting right now because his his meta had
to lay off a bunch of people. Um, cryptos collapse
saying after the f T stuff or it's not collapsing,
but it's just like the regulators are having to step
in anyway. I don't. I don't know as much as

(01:14:07):
I think I do on this. I won't even for
your guy. But do you have an instinct about where
the world goes from here? I don't. I really don't,
But I hope more people are like Stephanie Shoe, Yeah, studying,
Oh my god, do you have you gone? Back to Colorado.
Since all this that's a that's a whole other conversation. Okay,

(01:14:30):
I'm so sorry. We need to catch up. We need
to catch up. Are you all going to be in
New York? Well here? Yeah? Are you coming? Are you
living in you know, you're just in the hotel. I
don't know. I'm here for the rest of the month.
But I hope we see what the Gothams. So too,
I hope so too. Let's have a proper catch up
at the award show. How about this, even if even

(01:14:53):
if you don't get to go officially, will you come
as my date because I get a date? You do? Yes?
Are you a I would love to have you. Positive
If you're going to be in New York for the
Gothams and you're not going at the Every World at
Once table, I want you to be my date. Isn't okay? Great?
If I go to New York if I'm not in
Australia just day, Oh my god, look at me, I'm

(01:15:15):
being so hot and cold. Remember one on a date
to Anastasia the musicale at the pens Ages. Yeah, it's funny.
I want to I would love to see y'all in
New York because you know, I feel like I can
drop in deep yeah, instead of the frenetic energy. What
we need to do is we need we all need,
the three of us need to go to cozy Superberger.

(01:15:36):
Oh no, no, but you know what's not there anymore.
It's the cottage. I hate that the cottage is not there,
and then also loved the cottage. I love. I remember
when I had my restaurant. I think I had my
twenty one birthday at the Cottage was a Chinese restaurant
with unlimited wine, wine, unlimited wine, and they didn't card

(01:15:58):
and they never carted. That's why I had my twentieth
birthday there because they didn't card. And I remember it
was like truly twenty of us. It was all the
comedy kids, all drinking red wine and like really getting
wasted on that shitty, shitty wine at the Cottage. And
the food, and I will say the food was not
that good, No, but it was cheap. It was cheap.
It was an irving place. But it was also white tablecloth.

(01:16:19):
It was cheap, but white table cloth, yes, table cloth,
box wine. We thought it was fancy at the time.
We really did. We did. We were so fancy drinking
red out for a birthday dinner. It was the Cottage.
It was called the Cottage. Alright, well we're gonna do

(01:16:42):
cozy Stipenburger in New York. We needed to happen. Let
us know when you come here, we love you so much.
And to anyone that's in the fucking Screen Actors Guild
a nominating committee. I know that she doesn't care about this,
but what she deserves it critics choice and if you are,
you know, as giving the thinking about f y fucking

(01:17:02):
see Stephanie Shoe. I mean, like, this performance is so brilliant,
it's so moving. It's everything that you deserve and more.
And we're so proud of you and we love you
so much. And the fact that like we got to
have this like hour and a half here to like,
you know, I'll chat and talk and share it with people.
That's you know, it's just a testament to a beautiful

(01:17:24):
friendship that we all have. I love you very much.
I love you guys so much. Thank you so much
for having me. This has been truly a dream come true.
It's been a bucket list item to be less culture
STI So I'm proud of y'all. And just yeah stuff,

(01:17:52):
what do you think about? Well, I thank me and
every episode of the song. Here we go, see a
good problem for you. I'll forget your doing the edited
version the Chaka wasn't wasn't enough. I thought it was

(01:18:12):
so cool. I used to go, who wasn't enough? Okay?
But now do it like a turkey putting um about
to be um killed for a feast for the first okay, okay, okay.

(01:18:37):
I hope listen listening, Love you guys,