November 3, 2022 • 41 mins
While Jonathan and Jaymes recap their Halloween, Jonathan digs deep into an emotional time in his past to explain the connection to his 'Elphaba' costume and why the iconic character played such an important role in his life.
Then let the fangirling begin as the absolutely amazing Brad Goreski joins us to discuss everything Canada's Drag Race.
And finally with a successful 21+ year relationship under his belt, Brad shares his top 3 secrets to as successful relationship!
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:02):
This is Pridecast with Jonathan Bennett James vak on I
Heart Radio. Hey, what's up, everybody. Welcome to a new
episode of Pridecast. I'm your host Jonathan Bennett, and I
am joined by my hands. I'm hunky, hunkily, happily married
to man hot as hell. You're just so hot baby.
(00:26):
It is James Vaughan. Thank you. Say hi James. I
think you hate when I say say hi James always.
I always say that, Say Hi James, Hi, Baby, Hi James,
Hi everybody. I mean, that was a new intro. It
was it was the same road you usually go down,
but it was it was a little different, a little up.
Was it a literation when you do like the jj No,
it's a amonopia Nos, definitely not. Damn I love totally's
(00:49):
Atamonopeia's when you have three rhyming words that begin with
the same letter. It's an on a monopeia. Wait what,
I don't even know, A handsome harry and hunky on amonopeia.
But it's a literation. No, no, NOA is the formation
of a word from a sound associated with what it
is name, like a cuckoo or a sizzle. Oh no
(01:11):
on a Monopeia is like bang. No, it's like bangow
you are an alliteration. But I love you. That's what
I just said. No, you're not listening. It's alliteration. Um
so guys, it's Halloween was this week and we got
to talk about our costumes because we won. If you
look all over the internet, everyone said officially that we
(01:33):
were the winners of Halloween this year. Yes, every single
person said it. We are the winners of Halloween. Um,
I think you said that, my love. Okay, well, I
mean it's true. We so we went as my favorite
favorite character of all time, Alphaba from Wicked Act one.
(01:56):
And there's a big difference between going is Alphaba from
Wicked Act one, for says Alphaba from Wicked Act two,
because everyone does act too. Because it's like, what's the word?
Hold on? Since we're learning words today on alliteration, what's
the word where it's like you expect it, it's expected.
It's expected. Yeah, it's expected. That's correct, I'm expecting. So
it's so it's expected for everyone to go as like
(02:19):
the Witch with the hat, right, But we wanted to
go as Alphaba, he says. So we wanted to go
as Alphabet Act one, when she's a little schoolgirl at
at ships and Fiarro wears the cream pants. If you
haven't seen a musical, if they're listening to podcast, they
are gay, and they have. I hadn't seen it when
(02:40):
I met you, and I was thoroughly gay before I
met you, so there could be some people. Okay, well
if you don't know what anyway, Pharo is the prince
who she falls in love with, and spoiler alert, they
fall in love. He's a prince, well like the prince
of the show. It's not an actual Yeah, he is
a prince. I think. No, he's not a prince. He's
not an actually had a rat and pants. I think
that was a p But the reason I had James
(03:02):
goes Fierro is because he I want to do Alphaba
be Fierro. Where's these amazingly tight, gorgeous like cream colored pants,
and so I was like, James is gonna look really
good in these pants, So he has to be Fierro.
And you did. If you google the images, you'll be
able to see it there in all its glory. They were.
But I got to be Alphaba and it was like
(03:24):
when you get turned into Alphaba, it is such an experience.
First of all, hats off to anyone that's ever played
the character, because like to get ready that long and
get and get green ified, it takes forever. And I
know they must have it down too much more of
a science than we did. But it takes a long
time to sit in that makeup and get fully green. So,
(03:47):
and by he means the makeup artist that came and
did his makeup for him, Yes, obviously, like I'm not
gonna do my makeup. I hired someone. But you know what,
if you're gonna do it, you do it right. That's
what I think did some Baby, you did it right.
You did it right. But tell everybody the reason why
you wanted to go as half of it. Because I
knew you love the music, I knew you were obsessed
with it. I didn't fully understand the reason you so
(04:08):
badly wanted to do it until you actually were making
that post on Instagram and I was like, baby, that's
that's really sweet, Like I love what that means to
you and why it's so important to you. Okay, So
I'm a freakishly weird, obsessed, wicked person. I'm obsessed with
the musical and I have a really weird like fans
(04:28):
like some people are with Star Wars. I'm like that
with Wicked, right, like super fandom obsession. But the reason
is because when I was when I was after Mean
Girls came out, I was going to auditions and like
I was in this like twenty five year old, like
(04:48):
hot young actor category of guys, and I'd have to
go to all these audition rooms around Burbank in Hollywood,
and we'd sit in these waiting rooms and across from
me would be like Sean Ferris, Trevor don Evan, like
all these other like good looking guys that all were
like super like browy and cool and we're just like dudes.
(05:11):
And I was going against them for all these the
same roles. But I wasn't able to be out after
me and Girls, I was still in the closet for
the most part. Like my friends and family knew, but
you know, you know, not many people in the industry knew.
And my basically the biggest fear was that the Hollywood
people would instill with you in you is that if
(05:33):
you if people find out that you're gay, you're not
going to ever work again. Because it was a different time, right,
it was like twenty five like it was. It was.
It was a different time in Hollywood. And so the
biggest fear that people instilled in you is that if
you if people find out you're gay, you're never going
(05:53):
to get another job. So I go into these rooms
and these audition waiting rooms already petrified of like having
to go in the vulnerable audition, Like, am I gonna
be too gay when I sell these when I say
these lines, when I when I want to do this role.
Make sure I don't like move my hands too much.
Make sure I talked with a deep voice. Make sure
I deepened my voice, and like, don't flail around when
(06:15):
I speak. Make sure I don't laugh too much because
that could come off as gay. Don't smile because you'll
look too gay. Don't do any of that stuff. Just
like walk in and just be like one of these
other guys that are just like cool. So I went
in and would do that. And on top of that,
you would then have to like learn the lines and
the audition and be in a vulnerable place to like
(06:37):
say all that stuff. So walking into these auditions was
just the worst experience of my life, like literally the
most traumatic thing in the industry I've ever had to
go through, because you're sitting there just feeling so uncomfortable
and so out of your element and like trying to
do your art and perform while still having all these
like dark clouds over your head. And then one day
(06:58):
I was driving to an audition and in my CD changer,
I had a five disc changer in the back of
my car. Wicked was one of the CDs, and the
song that came on was The Wizard and the Wizard
and I And if you if you look at what
who Alphaba is. Alphaba is a girl who is green,
(07:20):
and she's different than anyone everyone else, and she wants
to be accepted and wants to be celebrated with the Wizard,
and she wants the Wizard to tell all of the
Asians and everyone that she's amazing and to make her
special and to be celebrated. And the true authentic self,
(07:41):
her true green self, is what she wants to be celebrated.
And when I was driving to the audition, this song
came on and I just started crying because the words
to it were exactly what I was going through, And
in that moment, I felt like I was Alphaba. I
was like I understand who Alphabet is. Like I'm going
into these rooms having to lie to everyone and pretend
I'm someone else, and all I want to do is
(08:04):
dream of a something. All I did was I dreamed
of a day where I would walk in and be
celebrated and like feel good about being me in that room.
And I had this hope that that would happen one day.
And so in that moment, I fell in love with
the character and I fell in love with the song.
(08:26):
And so from that day on, oh, I went in
and had a great audition, And then from that day on,
I went into all my auditions and I would blast
the wizard and I on the way to every single
audition and belted at the top of my lungs to
get me like in the mood too feel good about myself,
because even though I wasn't there yet and ready to
(08:47):
be good about myself, I had hope that one day
I would be, And for me in that moment, hope
is all that I needed, Like hope was enough for me,
Like even though it wasn't there, I I had the
hope that one day it would be, And just that
hope is what got me through my like twenties in Hollywood,
going into the auditioning auditions, having to lie. So Alphaba
(09:09):
means a lot to me, and the musical means a
lot to me. And so this year I got to
go and be Alphaba for Halloween. But then James started
filming me. I said, James, I'm in the costume. We
have to go outside and I have to lip sync
the Wizard and I and I did it. And when
I did it, when it was over lip syncing, it
(09:33):
was this weird moment where I almost felt like I
had closure, like I had closure on that part of
my life of like I don't know, like I had
closure on my like twenties and having to go in
and lie about who I was and like not let
anyone ever know the real me. And here I am
like that that that Jonathan would have been petrified to
be standing outside in public with his husband openly gay,
(09:57):
out proud, living his truth, dressed as a woman in
a skirt on Sunset Boulevard, walking down the street belting
show tunes. Like if you told year old Jonathan that
one day that would happen, he would never have believed you.
But getting to do that and have that moment was
absolutely just glorious and it felt so good. So I
(10:21):
had this great closure and it was just it was
absolutely because think about the baby, like because I remember
that too. Like there's the moments like I think about
like wigs and wine on our our bound cruises, where
I would have been like petrified for like someone to
see me in like a feminine way back in the
day because like again, like your secret can't get out, right,
And then I look at how much I enjoy that
and how much I love it and how much I
(10:42):
love letting go and and and tap it into that
side of me right, and I'm proud of it. And
so I feel like you experienced that too, just now
with your alphabet moment, you got to be proud of
the thing that used to be scared of, which is
so damn cool. Well it's powerful, like when you don't
give an f anymore, it's you. I want them to
(11:05):
see me green. So that was our That was our Halloween.
It was a lot of fun and um. We also
hosted the Buddha Bullying Ball UM for our friend Cassie.
Shout out to Buddha buoying and what you'll do um
and thanks for leting us be a part of it. Yeah,
and if you don't, if you haven't seen it already,
go look at my costume online. And if you have,
go look at James's because he looks great in it.
(11:27):
And people that are fun and people. Maybe that is
not why you married me. I mean one of them.
Also your heart and your soul and your love and
the way you treat me like a prince, and how
handsome you are and I don't see you are there?
You go? All right? Okay, speaking of handsome and sweet
and wonderful people. Uh my buddy Bragareski is coming up
(11:48):
right after this break. Give it up for Bradski. I
thank you for having me. This is so fun. I'm
(12:13):
because I'm not good at like meeting people that I'm
huge fans of which it happens a lot because I'm
a fangirl, but because you are drag Grace Royalty. Have
so many questions. Oh good, Well, I'm happy to answer
to all of them. But I'm just very excited. Like
anyone from RuPaul's that's around me in that zone, I
get very excited. Thank you. It's like my church. It's fun. Right.
(12:38):
If you notice the one episode my baby got to
judge he tried to eat the fake snow that was
falling from the guy. It's very excited, very excited. Snatch
Game I got. I got Snatch Game and Broadway Frozen
was the lip sync song. So I got Snatch Game
and then a musical that I was like, well, I
can die now, like I've done it. I've peeked. That's epic.
(13:00):
And then he got to impersonate Valerie Cherish. Oh it's
kind Yeah. Another show I was on, Yes, Yeah, I was, Yes,
he was on the Comeback. It's when she's getting read long. Yes,
Oh my good. Your stylist am didn't notice. Yeah, not
(13:24):
that everything looks perfect on you. I was telling Jonathan that, like,
every time I see Brad, I'm like, I feel like,
you know, I just pajama Jason and like Brad, like
even his most casual stuff is so meticulously put together. Well,
my bank account would probably say otherwise. Well, it probably
says you are meticulously put it together. It does. It
doesn't say my yes exactly. How was your bread's bunts?
(13:47):
Oh my god, it's so good. It's so good. It's delicious.
I love watching Gary eat it. It's one of the best. Yeah,
he finished it this morning. Is the recipe online? I
posted it, but I'll give it to you. Oh my gosh,
it is full. But everybody's like, oh, it turned out
so well. I'm like, well, everything turns out well with
two kinds of sugar, three eggs, butter oil. Flower. It's like,
(14:11):
how does it? It doesn't turn out usually well if
you're like, you know, dabbling with like I used to
gluten free bank all the time, and it doesn't turn
out quite the same because it's better than a gluten
free cookie cookie right exactly exactly. It's like when someone's like, oh,
try this, it's gluten free, but isn't it really good?
(14:33):
You have to say yes because the person is like
pressuring you into saying yes. But you're like, well no,
because a real cookie is way better. Yeah, the real
stuff tastes a lot better. All of a sudden, you're
like in the like musical waitress. You're like Flower, that's
who I channel off. Yes, that's who I want to
be while I'm baking waitress. It's true. I love watching
(14:54):
you geek at right now. It's really cute. It's very adorable.
My baby does get really excited. Do you want to
ask a drag ways questions. No, no, we can go.
We'll ask all the questions and we'll get into it. Hey,
I just for me because like I, I guess I
missed the comeback that you were on, and like I
like to kind of always establish where people first kind
of entered our homes when they come on pridcast. What
was the first thing you did that was like in
(15:15):
the spotlight that that people might know you for. Are
the thing where Brad said, Oh my gosh, I'm like
actually working in this industry. Probably the Rachel's project where
I first started mark he was with Rachel's out. I
knew that was coming. I could tell the body language change. Good.
Oh my god, I'll never forget. When we were filming
(15:39):
the comeback and she, uh, we were just like talking,
like Brad and Lees. I was playing myself so I
didn't need to do a character, but we were just
chatting and she was like, Okay, you're ready. I'm like sure,
and they like closed the door and she's obviously on
the other side of the door and she knocks and
I opened it and like literally Valerie Chairs just like
showed up in like two seconds, and I was like,
she's real, she's here in front of me. It was
(16:00):
so awesome. Such a huge fan of that show. There
was a moment when I would Dancing with the Stars
and I had my hair person coming to the house
because you know the schedule. You're like, Okay, I have
to get a haircut because tomorrow's eviction. And so it
was like one of those moments where I was like
running around. I had like an assistant, I had my
hair stylist coming to the house to cut it. He's
(16:22):
like chasing me around trying to cut it. And I
looked at it, looked at my best friend, and I go,
oh my god, I'm actual Valerie Cherished Mickey like, no,
I'm Valerie Cherished. Like she's like when I was, like
when I was in Mean Garld, you know, you know me,
like I had become Valerie Cherished. We're all a little Valerie.
(16:42):
She was way ahead of her time, way ahead of
her time. It's fun when you become aware of it, though,
because then you realize you're like, oh, I'm doing that,
and like and that's okay, It's okay to have a
little bit of that in me. It's fine. Yeah, of course,
Valerie Cherishes a legend. She's a full on icon. Hey, UM,
I would like to talk about because I think it's
always good to highlight relationships in the queer community that
(17:05):
are thriving. How long have you and Gary been together? Now?
We celebrated in July twenty one years together. That's amazing.
That's like seriously like that. I don't know that we
have a ton of examples like that. We're obviously getting
more and more as time goes on than thankfully, but
it's really nice to have that out there. What is um,
if you had to give me your top three secrets
(17:26):
to a successful gay relationship or just three secrets in
general the Queerest Podcast, What is it about your relationship
that's helped it go this long? I think, well, I
think number one is we really like each other, So
that helps to really like the person you're with, Like
(17:47):
he's my favorite person to spend time with, travel with,
like everything, So that's number one. Find somebody you like
really like being with. Um. Number two, find somebody that
you don't really fight with, because we don't really fight. UM,
we don't have huge blow ups or arguments or you know,
we're not on the drama spect side of things. For relationships.
(18:09):
We both really like to keep everything respectful and fun.
And you know, obviously we talk about the big stuff
and have very real conversations, but we don't really fight
at all. And if there is something happening, we definitely
usually try to wrap it up before we go to bed,
because it's never good to go to bed angry. That's
also a really good rule. Um. And then number three
(18:32):
is I think we just like we laugh a lot.
We laugh a lot. I just saw a thing on
Instagram today that was like, uh, a form of intimacy
is having inside jokes with your partner. And we have
like so many you know, obviously now after twenty one years,
we have so many stories and so many things that
have happened, and you know, it's just it felt like
(18:55):
right from the minute that we met, like it's never
like people are like, oh, I work so hard at
my relationship. I'm like, I don't know, that's the greatest thing.
It shouldn't be that hard. It's like working really hard.
If you're working really hard at a friendship, at some
point you would probably let it go, right. So if
I feel the same with relationships, like the people that
(19:15):
we're friends with that have been in You know, a
lot of them have been in relationships for fifteen twenty
years more than that. They just really liked the person
there with. And yes, there is work involved, but if
it's like another job, it just doesn't feel like that
to me. Like I look forward to every morning when
we wake up, and I'm happy that he's next to
me every night when we go to bed. Yeah, and
(19:37):
I think, for that's so important that you mentioned that,
Like marrying your best friend is huge. I got mine
hold of him, and you guys are newly wet right now.
But the things you're saying, it kind of makes me
really happy because the things you're taking off for the
reasons that I was like, this is the man I
have to marry, Because I tell y'all, listen, if you're
in a relationship where you're fighting, if you want a relationship,
(19:58):
where is that work? Maybe it's the wrong one. And
I know, as like queer kids growing up, a lot
of us got told, you know, loves not for you.
But maybe I'm having a moment loves not for you.
A happy ending is not for you, Like it's gonna
be hell if you are who you are. And so
I think a lot of us get in those relationships
(20:20):
because it just feels like, well, this is what I
was told I deserved and I earned this, and so
by being myself, I'm gonna be in this place. I mean,
I was in those relationships like where it's just fight on,
fight on, fight and toxic, toxic, toxic, and it's not
the right situation for you. So like as as three
homosexuals that are in a room right now that have
(20:42):
experienced other things and are now experienced in this, Like,
if you get anything from this conversation, I would say,
it is that exactly what Brad was saying, Like it
doesn't have to be work. So when you find that
person that isn't work, it wasn't always like that too,
I should flag like I wasn't always the person who
didn't have like if you I have been in relationships
in the past. Obviously I met Gary when I was
(21:05):
twenty three. I'm forty five now, so I also did
like a lot of just maturing as it was anyway,
But earlier on, yes, you know, I kind of believed
in the dramatic that that was like exactly that that's
love and this is the way people are, and you know,
and I think also Gary has been a very good
(21:26):
partner in showing me that it also doesn't have to
be that way. So I do think I have to,
you know, tip my hat to him. And he's just
been a very good partner in teaching me also. And
I think we've done obviously for each other, taught each
other how to be you know, really good partners. And
but we just worked together. That's just that's just it.
(21:47):
Find that person. It will not be a struggle when
it's the right person, correct. And when it's a struggle, baby,
just run. Because of the whole paper. The thesis is
my and my Yes, my dad, my late father, or
who always had the best advice, said this. He goes,
this is in one of my early relationships. He goes, John,
sometimes relationships just don't work out, and that's okay, great advice,
(22:13):
so simple and so very very very true exactly. So
if it works, great, If not, that's okay too. He
goes for friendships too. Don't put yourself in talkics, just
like don't your piece is more important. It's like let
it go. And being single is okay too. Being single
is the best thing. It's because you have to Oh god,
we're gonna We're gonna drag razmna say it like as
(22:35):
like Rue Paul says, like, you can't love yourself the
hell you can love somebody else. That as a broken,
broken little baby out of a terrible relationship, I had
to just sit comfortably with myself and actually get to
the point where I was like, I ain't doing nothing
for then the universe to say. And then I walked in.
I'm like, psyches, you are buckle up? Are you ready?
(22:59):
And I get by fun speaking of speaking of buckling up,
buckle up for these messages, We'll be right. What a
good segue, James, And we're back with Brad Garreski here
(23:22):
talking about we were talking about relationships, we were talking
about musicals, and now we're talking about what are we
talking about? James, Baby, I'll let you have it for November.
Let me set it up. Let me let me let
me take it back to the entertainment hosting days. So
November eight, the first season of Canada Versus the World
(23:45):
Drag Race has taking place this this and it's crazy
because I know you know the answers of what happened,
and I've got to look at you across this room
and try to read it in your eyeballs because I
love a spoiler and I'm not gonna get a spoiler,
but we are going to talk about look in my
eyes and tell me who won. No, I can't do it?
Okay when you walk okay, So how many seasons of
(24:06):
Drag Race Canada have you done? I have done two
seasons of Canada's Drag Race, the one season of Canada Versus. Okay,
let's go back to just the first day of season
one when you walk on. Were you as big of
a fan of this the show of the show before
doing it? Huge? Huge? So you're like, us, okay, huge
when that moment where you like sit down at the
judge's table for the first time, not as a guest judge,
(24:27):
but as walk me through your feelings that well, I
had never been a guest judge. You've never been a
guest judge. I hadn't seen anything, and I lost my
mind when I walked into our work room for the
first time and being at the judge's table and seeing
all the queens, I was like, this is just where
I'm meant to be. And you get to do the
walk out for your walkout, your fashion and because you're Bradeski.
(24:51):
You have the best fashion, So that's like a moment
for you that you're like, I get to do my
fashion thing, which is what I do best on Ruphole's
stage for t Out Oh my God, and we work
it and we scream at each other and they, you know,
Brooklyn and Tracy yell things at me and I yell
things at them, and it's really fun. I mean, what
a good trio to. That's they're both phenomenal people and
(25:17):
so much And you can see that though when you
watch the show. That's what I love about. I mean,
I guess it's Canada, so it's expected, Like I love
how nice y'all are, and like when you do have shade,
it's like really cute, Like it's like I feel like
I'm watching a family the moment, and it's like it's
a light covering. It's just like UV protection. It's not
like full shade, like you're not in the dark, right
(25:41):
because it's Canada. Like I work in Canada my whole life.
Like I'm in Canada more than more than I'm in America,
probably every year filming stuff. And it's like everyone is
so nice there, so it really is reflective of the
way that Canada's drag race is handled. That like the
shade is lighter and everyone's just like they'll make fun
of each other. But it's it's so like guarded of
(26:03):
I don't want to offend you. I want you to
know I'm God forbid you would think I was actually
insulting you. That's right. How do you get a Canadian
to apologize very easily? Step on their foot? Yes, exactly.
Wait why are Canadians Do we know the answer to that?
Why are Canadians so much nicer? I don't know, but
when I do, I will say when I go home,
(26:25):
it's like it kind of hits me when I go
when I when I go back home, especially if I
go back to my Like the town I grew up
in was very small town Canada. Um in Port Perry, Ontario.
It's like everybody's really nice, like super super just nice.
Every time John that's filming a movie up in Canada
and I go to see him, I'm like, should we
move here? It's just everyone's really like, are you on
(26:47):
the West coast? Do you ut inOui? Victoria's because the
winters are as bad on the West coast, right Now,
you wouldn't have you wouldn't be able to handle Toronto.
Where's a grace film in Toronto? Were outside of Toronto? Yeah? Well,
I guess and drag that she'll players on. It's okay,
like because they keep it really cold. And that's what
(27:08):
I learned when I went with Jonathan the episode he
guests judge. It was so cold? Was it cold? When
you'll do it? I don't think they have to have
heat one how cold it was the snatch game? Right?
Oh my gosh, it's freezing. No, and I'm never cold. Well,
they have to preserve the queens, you know, everything like Hyde,
you know when they put him in a Yeah, they
(27:29):
can't say perfectly frozen. They have to be like they
don't melt correct, yes, because they're in like padding and
fabric and makeup. You know, we want to we do
have to preserve the queens at all costs. Speaking of
the queens, will you walk us through the queens that
are on Canada versus the world? Sure? And baby, the
first thing that comes to mind when he says them,
we'll both give it, okay, go silky night, Meganosh perfect superstar. Yes,
(27:54):
I didn't get a fair shot so I'm so glad
that she gets to come back and drag in Vanity
Milan Vanity, are you in one word? My thing was
like I loved watching Vanity's evolutions. We literally just let
me get out these two sentences. Her evolution was so
good and I felt like she was really, really shining
when she finally went home. So I'm so excited to
(28:14):
see her pick up from there, and like, I think
she's a star. Song excide about her. An A Wigglet
we love. I think I feel like she got sent
home way too early on down Under, So I'm excited.
That's the one. You love Wilet, I do love Anita Wiglet. Next,
uh Rajah O'Hara Fierce, one of my absolute favorites the
(28:35):
entire world. The best confessionals ever, Oh my god, Stephanie
Prince another one. I think I sent home too early.
I felt like she has so much to offer, so
I'm so excited to see what she does. I remember
that one she was she sent into one of the
real pretty girls. Okay, isis quatre love Love Love Love
Love reminds me of the girls that like when I
(28:58):
first started going out too. I think Brandon, we may
have talked about this before, like when I first started
going out to the gay clubs, like the queens like
that make you feel welcome, right, and Isis has the
same energy of some of those girls in Florida and
New Orleans that would like welcome me into the club.
So like I was immediately drawn to her on her
season and so like she has a special place in
my heart even though I've never met her, you'd love her.
(29:21):
Kendal Gender excited to see what she does this next
time around because got all the way to the end
but didn't get it. So we know she got what
it takes to get to the end, but was she
was she snatched it? Wait? Rita, that's the other one
that was thinking. I love Rita Vagas so much like
(29:42):
when she did that, what does the thing she did
where she goes wake me up from edif did she
do in the first And she's something about like tick
me through my coffin. And what I like about her
is like she was one of the queens that was
(30:05):
doing drag before drag was cool, right, And I think
we got we got to just kind of check all
of the young generation of queens and not check them,
but just hey, don't forget like it's the only reason
that you're allowed to go on TV and do this
is because the people that before Rupol happened. We're in
the local bars in the small towns having their own
(30:27):
breg scene like they were there first, like making sure
they paved the way for this, like show the respect
where the respect is due. Yea, I think that's it also.
I mean it happens across all the franchises, but I'll
speak for Canada that I think the queens on these shows,
on Canada's Drag Race all have are either attached to
a house with like a really you know, iconic mother,
(30:49):
or they're very aware at least in their own you know,
cities of like who the grandams are and who they especially,
you know, like Giselle Lullaby for this season was um uh,
what's her name, Madame LaDou um and that was like,
you know, all of those French Canadian queens like you know,
(31:10):
very much worship her and it feels like yeah, but
it's like because Canadians are so nice, it feels like
they're constantly giving reverence to where they came from. Yeah,
that's another thing. And those are all queens like Michelle
Ross like I used to watch her perform in the
nineties in Toronto, Like she would do the best Diana
Ross and she was famous for ripping her wig off
(31:31):
and like crying real tears while she was performing. It
was amazing, It was amazing. I would love like full
on a classic Queen's season of drag race, like the
girls that have been doing it that that set the president,
like the last review or something which is but nobody
(31:56):
gets eliminated and she answers the phone quick. I know
you think she'd be busy. That was fast well to
see who the number was. Um, guys, speaking of gay stuff,
(32:17):
can I take you all to uh this week in
gay history? We got to go this week in gay history.
It's a thing doesn't happen and does it take place
in Palm Springs? Well, well almost just as gay or
maybe gay or actually I'll let you guys know this
week in gay history. Before we move forward, we always
have to remember where we came from. So James tell
(32:39):
us what happened this week in gay history. James, did
you get me with it? Did you get your Barbara Walters?
Let me live my life This week back in nine
four when we were all just week little babies. I
wasn't even born yet, you were. Voters decided to turn
a previously unincorporated portion of Los Angeles into the nation's
(33:01):
first and it's gonna shock you. West Hollywood the first
gay city. Yeah, they even elected a gay majority for
their new city council. That's how it all came to be.
And uh, look at look at West Hollywood now, I mean,
that's what we got. We do this gay history so
we can look at where we came from. Nineteen eighty
four is when we took hold. Just in Jesus, that's
(33:24):
when it was all the rage. Ah do another one, baby?
What else you got nothing? I wouldn't have the heart
to tell you heart another one. I should have worn
my high tops today I got and afterwards go to
the chapel and pray about it. Go baby, but make
(33:48):
sure you don't take one of those mother. Look Okay.
So anyway, I gotta run soon because I gotta get
my wig cut. Speaking of wigs, you about a whole
room full of wigs, so many, like probably two hundred.
I ask you this because Brad is coming to our
(34:10):
wigs and wine event. I am house in Palm Springs
This week it's Springs Pride. Yeah, Wigs and Whine, which
one of our big hit nights on our outbound cruises.
So we are inviting all of our outbounders that are
going to be in town for Palm Springs Pride to
come over and have a little wigs and wine open
house at our house and and Brad, some of our
friends are coming, And um, I just have to ask,
(34:31):
because I don't want to get totally shown up. Do
you have it narrowed down to a wig that you
were going to be wearing? Because after seeing what you
posted on Instagram of the Housewife at her wedding, I
feel like I am not up to part. Well, that
was seven wigs pinned together, so I won't be wearing
that one. Um, she was for photos only, But um,
(34:54):
I don't know who I'm going to be. I have
one that I feel really pretty in, but she's like real,
like she's like Cindy Crawford asked care. Um, so I
don't really have any of the kind of like camp
drag wigs. I have more like pretty girl wigs, and
I feel like a pretty girl, I think, so yeah
with a beard. Yeah, what about you? What's your wig
(35:14):
shake and go, oh is it? Yeah? I wear shake
and just take it out and literally just Amazon packet
look like a Chris He doesn't even really what is
her name? That I always say you have to shaking
like Chris Janner, and you could look a little bit
like Chris Janner. Very sure it is, so you do
like a little like a little like Pussycat Wig, pussy
(35:37):
Cat Hill, I love. Are we doing wigs and heels
and wine? Some people do, but it is pride, So
we could maybe step it up from your normal wig
and do something a little extra because then I'll walk
in the grass and it'll be a mess. We don't
have grass because did you get the pool finished? So
the pool we think is going to be done. So
we're getting the pool redone and we timed it a
little poorly, and you don't want new grass for everybody
(35:59):
to stand on. Anyway, it's probably blessing like it's like
laying down like matting from guards, right, and then we
can all just talk about they just have dirt in
their backyard and palm springs. That's pretty much. I'm gonna.
I'm gonna I'm going to bring one square of sod
for myself to stand on. Please. Yeah, literally, just one
(36:19):
one piece of grass I like this for you, bred
please don't let me down. Instagram versus Reality wigs and
sod wigs and sod before we go, because it is
podcast and we are going to Pride this weekend in
Palm Springs. What is it that makes you the most
proud to be part of the LGBTQ post community. You know,
(36:40):
I think it's just the sense of community and family.
And you know, I remember my first Pride when I
was sixteen, going to Toronto and like I had had
no real exposure to the gay world, the lesbian world,
the trans world, the drag nothing, and just being able
to see how diverse our community is and how welcoming
(37:03):
it was, and you know, I was just like, Oh,
this is what I've been looking for all of these years,
Like this is why the feeling of feeling out of
place was replaced with feeling like I was where I
was supposed to be um And so I always hope
that Pride is a place where people come and they
(37:23):
feel welcome and they also feel if they're you know,
questioning or I hope that they have the same feeling
that I had because it everything made sense to me.
Then I remember that, I remember my first Pride and
feeling that exact thing. I'm like, wow, I'm not alone.
And there were a lot of people, Like it wasn't
just like a hundred people, it was like tens of
(37:45):
f I was like, wow, there are a lot. My
first product was nineteen years old, saw in New York City,
the New York City pridge right down, Oh my god,
down in the village. It was absolutely crazy. I remember
seeing that being like, there are this many gay people
in the and I thought like that was it. Like
I thought all the gay people in the world came
to this like this was it. There were other gay
(38:06):
people and other they were all there. They were all there,
They're all in New York. It really was. Yeah, speaking
of gays, baby, something for the Big Gay Spotlight. Okay,
each week we like to shine our big Gay Spotlight
on someone in the l g B t Q plus
community that's doing extraordinary things. Whether they're famous or not,
but they're actually the most important. Right now, who are
(38:28):
you going to shine your big gay spotlight on? Baby?
Shine it so big and so gay everything I do.
First off, shout out to our producer Raymond for putting
these together Raymonds today, but we love you Raymond. So
Sam Smith and Kim Petris are getting the big gay
spotlight this week because their hit song reached number one
on the Billboard Hot one chart and they are the
(38:48):
first publicly non binary and transgender soloists to top the
Hot one hundred, which is pretty dang cool because when
you see it, you know you can do it, and
that's a beautiful, beautiful thing. So Sam Smith and Can't
Paches shout out to you all, big gay spotlight on you,
thanks for doing what you do and for giving hope
to some other people. BRD, is there anyone you want
(39:10):
to shine your big gay spotlight on? Like it can
be someone famous, someone not famous. Maybe it's just someone
that you know that's doing really cool work for the community.
I would like to shine the big gay spot your
big gay spot I'd like to shine my big gay
spotlight on my mother, Debbie Garski, because my mom is
just a great mom and she's so loving to me
(39:32):
and my sister still as we're both approaching fifty and
still calling her about what medicines to take. Um. So, yeah,
you know, I feel very grateful to still have my
mom around, and um, I just you know, I just
love my mom and she's so supportive of y'all. And
she's and Brad Garski put mama through it. Oh, she
(39:56):
the through it for many years. Young Brad was wild.
And I love the name Debbie because Debbie is the
name I give myself when I'm like mom dancing at
a wedding. So I feel like me and your mom
would dance the exact same way at a wedding. Probably.
I mean, she's kind of a pretty she's a pretty
smooth dancer. She's probably better than me. I don't know.
(40:18):
I don't just put this one and Dancing with the Stars,
Tommy Chong beat me and he was like seventy five
years old at the time. So, um, I'm not the
best dancer, but I love I love a point. Oh
he's demonstrating right now for all of you that wow.
Oh wow. Yeah, no, she doesn't point Yep, that's fine. Brad,
Thank you so much, thank you. I'm so excited you
(40:40):
finally came into this my pleasure. I'm so happy to
finally meet you and we'll get to hang in Palm Springs.
For being such a positive example for others in our
community and for people who still need to have their
hearts and minds changed about our community. Thank you for
just being so wonderful and positive and a good good person.
Thanks Lady Vaughan, Thank you to be here. The Baroness.
(41:01):
Is that what I decided on? The Baroness, the baron
You're a baroness, now you are? Oh, I'm a baroness. Baroness,
Brad Baroness Brad Gretsky And I can't wait to stand
on a patch of dirt with you in my backyard
in a couple of days. Now I have to get
off your face. Jonathan. Have have have you been able to
do this whole podcast? I've been sitting on it the
whole time, somebody just playing the music. This is done,
(41:25):
Come up for air, See you guys later.
This is Pridecast with Jonathan Bennett James vak on I
Heart Radio. Hey, what's up, everybody. Welcome to a new
episode of Pridecast. I'm your host Jonathan Bennett, and I
am joined by my hands. I'm hunky, hunkily, happily married
to man hot as hell. You're just so hot baby.
(00:26):
It is James Vaughan. Thank you. Say hi James. I
think you hate when I say say hi James always.
I always say that, Say Hi James, Hi, Baby, Hi James,
Hi everybody. I mean, that was a new intro. It
was it was the same road you usually go down,
but it was it was a little different, a little up.
Was it a literation when you do like the jj No,
it's a amonopia Nos, definitely not. Damn I love totally's
(00:49):
Atamonopeia's when you have three rhyming words that begin with
the same letter. It's an on a monopeia. Wait what,
I don't even know, A handsome harry and hunky on amonopeia.
But it's a literation. No, no, NOA is the formation
of a word from a sound associated with what it
is name, like a cuckoo or a sizzle. Oh no
(01:11):
on a Monopeia is like bang. No, it's like bangow
you are an alliteration. But I love you. That's what
I just said. No, you're not listening. It's alliteration. Um
so guys, it's Halloween was this week and we got
to talk about our costumes because we won. If you
look all over the internet, everyone said officially that we
(01:33):
were the winners of Halloween this year. Yes, every single
person said it. We are the winners of Halloween. Um,
I think you said that, my love. Okay, well, I
mean it's true. We so we went as my favorite
favorite character of all time, Alphaba from Wicked Act one.
(01:56):
And there's a big difference between going is Alphaba from
Wicked Act one, for says Alphaba from Wicked Act two,
because everyone does act too. Because it's like, what's the word?
Hold on? Since we're learning words today on alliteration, what's
the word where it's like you expect it, it's expected.
It's expected. Yeah, it's expected. That's correct, I'm expecting. So
it's so it's expected for everyone to go as like
(02:19):
the Witch with the hat, right, But we wanted to
go as Alphaba, he says. So we wanted to go
as Alphabet Act one, when she's a little schoolgirl at
at ships and Fiarro wears the cream pants. If you
haven't seen a musical, if they're listening to podcast, they
are gay, and they have. I hadn't seen it when
(02:40):
I met you, and I was thoroughly gay before I
met you, so there could be some people. Okay, well
if you don't know what anyway, Pharo is the prince
who she falls in love with, and spoiler alert, they
fall in love. He's a prince, well like the prince
of the show. It's not an actual Yeah, he is
a prince. I think. No, he's not a prince. He's
not an actually had a rat and pants. I think
that was a p But the reason I had James
(03:02):
goes Fierro is because he I want to do Alphaba
be Fierro. Where's these amazingly tight, gorgeous like cream colored pants,
and so I was like, James is gonna look really
good in these pants, So he has to be Fierro.
And you did. If you google the images, you'll be
able to see it there in all its glory. They were.
But I got to be Alphaba and it was like
(03:24):
when you get turned into Alphaba, it is such an experience.
First of all, hats off to anyone that's ever played
the character, because like to get ready that long and
get and get green ified, it takes forever. And I
know they must have it down too much more of
a science than we did. But it takes a long
time to sit in that makeup and get fully green. So,
(03:47):
and by he means the makeup artist that came and
did his makeup for him, Yes, obviously, like I'm not
gonna do my makeup. I hired someone. But you know what,
if you're gonna do it, you do it right. That's
what I think did some Baby, you did it right.
You did it right. But tell everybody the reason why
you wanted to go as half of it. Because I
knew you love the music, I knew you were obsessed
with it. I didn't fully understand the reason you so
(04:08):
badly wanted to do it until you actually were making
that post on Instagram and I was like, baby, that's
that's really sweet, Like I love what that means to
you and why it's so important to you. Okay, So
I'm a freakishly weird, obsessed, wicked person. I'm obsessed with
the musical and I have a really weird like fans
(04:28):
like some people are with Star Wars. I'm like that
with Wicked, right, like super fandom obsession. But the reason
is because when I was when I was after Mean
Girls came out, I was going to auditions and like
I was in this like twenty five year old, like
(04:48):
hot young actor category of guys, and I'd have to
go to all these audition rooms around Burbank in Hollywood,
and we'd sit in these waiting rooms and across from
me would be like Sean Ferris, Trevor don Evan, like
all these other like good looking guys that all were
like super like browy and cool and we're just like dudes.
(05:11):
And I was going against them for all these the
same roles. But I wasn't able to be out after
me and Girls, I was still in the closet for
the most part. Like my friends and family knew, but
you know, you know, not many people in the industry knew.
And my basically the biggest fear was that the Hollywood
people would instill with you in you is that if
(05:33):
you if people find out that you're gay, you're not
going to ever work again. Because it was a different time, right,
it was like twenty five like it was. It was.
It was a different time in Hollywood. And so the
biggest fear that people instilled in you is that if
you if people find out you're gay, you're never going
(05:53):
to get another job. So I go into these rooms
and these audition waiting rooms already petrified of like having
to go in the vulnerable audition, Like, am I gonna
be too gay when I sell these when I say
these lines, when I when I want to do this role.
Make sure I don't like move my hands too much.
Make sure I talked with a deep voice. Make sure
I deepened my voice, and like, don't flail around when
(06:15):
I speak. Make sure I don't laugh too much because
that could come off as gay. Don't smile because you'll
look too gay. Don't do any of that stuff. Just
like walk in and just be like one of these
other guys that are just like cool. So I went
in and would do that. And on top of that,
you would then have to like learn the lines and
the audition and be in a vulnerable place to like
(06:37):
say all that stuff. So walking into these auditions was
just the worst experience of my life, like literally the
most traumatic thing in the industry I've ever had to
go through, because you're sitting there just feeling so uncomfortable
and so out of your element and like trying to
do your art and perform while still having all these
like dark clouds over your head. And then one day
(06:58):
I was driving to an audition and in my CD changer,
I had a five disc changer in the back of
my car. Wicked was one of the CDs, and the
song that came on was The Wizard and the Wizard
and I And if you if you look at what
who Alphaba is. Alphaba is a girl who is green,
(07:20):
and she's different than anyone everyone else, and she wants
to be accepted and wants to be celebrated with the Wizard,
and she wants the Wizard to tell all of the
Asians and everyone that she's amazing and to make her
special and to be celebrated. And the true authentic self,
(07:41):
her true green self, is what she wants to be celebrated.
And when I was driving to the audition, this song
came on and I just started crying because the words
to it were exactly what I was going through, And
in that moment, I felt like I was Alphaba. I
was like I understand who Alphabet is. Like I'm going
into these rooms having to lie to everyone and pretend
I'm someone else, and all I want to do is
(08:04):
dream of a something. All I did was I dreamed
of a day where I would walk in and be
celebrated and like feel good about being me in that room.
And I had this hope that that would happen one day.
And so in that moment, I fell in love with
the character and I fell in love with the song.
(08:26):
And so from that day on, oh, I went in
and had a great audition, And then from that day on,
I went into all my auditions and I would blast
the wizard and I on the way to every single
audition and belted at the top of my lungs to
get me like in the mood too feel good about myself,
because even though I wasn't there yet and ready to
(08:47):
be good about myself, I had hope that one day
I would be, And for me in that moment, hope
is all that I needed, Like hope was enough for me,
Like even though it wasn't there, I I had the
hope that one day it would be, And just that
hope is what got me through my like twenties in Hollywood,
going into the auditioning auditions, having to lie. So Alphaba
(09:09):
means a lot to me, and the musical means a
lot to me. And so this year I got to
go and be Alphaba for Halloween. But then James started
filming me. I said, James, I'm in the costume. We
have to go outside and I have to lip sync
the Wizard and I and I did it. And when
I did it, when it was over lip syncing, it
(09:33):
was this weird moment where I almost felt like I
had closure, like I had closure on that part of
my life of like I don't know, like I had
closure on my like twenties and having to go in
and lie about who I was and like not let
anyone ever know the real me. And here I am
like that that that Jonathan would have been petrified to
be standing outside in public with his husband openly gay,
(09:57):
out proud, living his truth, dressed as a woman in
a skirt on Sunset Boulevard, walking down the street belting
show tunes. Like if you told year old Jonathan that
one day that would happen, he would never have believed you.
But getting to do that and have that moment was
absolutely just glorious and it felt so good. So I
(10:21):
had this great closure and it was just it was
absolutely because think about the baby, like because I remember
that too. Like there's the moments like I think about
like wigs and wine on our our bound cruises, where
I would have been like petrified for like someone to
see me in like a feminine way back in the
day because like again, like your secret can't get out, right,
And then I look at how much I enjoy that
and how much I love it and how much I
(10:42):
love letting go and and and tap it into that
side of me right, and I'm proud of it. And
so I feel like you experienced that too, just now
with your alphabet moment, you got to be proud of
the thing that used to be scared of, which is
so damn cool. Well it's powerful, like when you don't
give an f anymore, it's you. I want them to
(11:05):
see me green. So that was our That was our Halloween.
It was a lot of fun and um. We also
hosted the Buddha Bullying Ball UM for our friend Cassie.
Shout out to Buddha buoying and what you'll do um
and thanks for leting us be a part of it. Yeah,
and if you don't, if you haven't seen it already,
go look at my costume online. And if you have,
go look at James's because he looks great in it.
(11:27):
And people that are fun and people. Maybe that is
not why you married me. I mean one of them.
Also your heart and your soul and your love and
the way you treat me like a prince, and how
handsome you are and I don't see you are there?
You go? All right? Okay, speaking of handsome and sweet
and wonderful people. Uh my buddy Bragareski is coming up
(11:48):
right after this break. Give it up for Bradski. I
thank you for having me. This is so fun. I'm
(12:13):
because I'm not good at like meeting people that I'm
huge fans of which it happens a lot because I'm
a fangirl, but because you are drag Grace Royalty. Have
so many questions. Oh good, Well, I'm happy to answer
to all of them. But I'm just very excited. Like
anyone from RuPaul's that's around me in that zone, I
get very excited. Thank you. It's like my church. It's fun. Right.
(12:38):
If you notice the one episode my baby got to
judge he tried to eat the fake snow that was
falling from the guy. It's very excited, very excited. Snatch
Game I got. I got Snatch Game and Broadway Frozen
was the lip sync song. So I got Snatch Game
and then a musical that I was like, well, I
can die now, like I've done it. I've peeked. That's epic.
(13:00):
And then he got to impersonate Valerie Cherish. Oh it's
kind Yeah. Another show I was on, Yes, Yeah, I was, Yes,
he was on the Comeback. It's when she's getting read long. Yes,
Oh my good. Your stylist am didn't notice. Yeah, not
(13:24):
that everything looks perfect on you. I was telling Jonathan that, like,
every time I see Brad, I'm like, I feel like,
you know, I just pajama Jason and like Brad, like
even his most casual stuff is so meticulously put together. Well,
my bank account would probably say otherwise. Well, it probably
says you are meticulously put it together. It does. It
doesn't say my yes exactly. How was your bread's bunts?
(13:47):
Oh my god, it's so good. It's so good. It's delicious.
I love watching Gary eat it. It's one of the best. Yeah,
he finished it this morning. Is the recipe online? I
posted it, but I'll give it to you. Oh my gosh,
it is full. But everybody's like, oh, it turned out
so well. I'm like, well, everything turns out well with
two kinds of sugar, three eggs, butter oil. Flower. It's like,
(14:11):
how does it? It doesn't turn out usually well if
you're like, you know, dabbling with like I used to
gluten free bank all the time, and it doesn't turn
out quite the same because it's better than a gluten
free cookie cookie right exactly exactly. It's like when someone's like, oh,
try this, it's gluten free, but isn't it really good?
(14:33):
You have to say yes because the person is like
pressuring you into saying yes. But you're like, well no,
because a real cookie is way better. Yeah, the real
stuff tastes a lot better. All of a sudden, you're
like in the like musical waitress. You're like Flower, that's
who I channel off. Yes, that's who I want to
be while I'm baking waitress. It's true. I love watching
(14:54):
you geek at right now. It's really cute. It's very adorable.
My baby does get really excited. Do you want to
ask a drag ways questions. No, no, we can go.
We'll ask all the questions and we'll get into it. Hey,
I just for me because like I, I guess I
missed the comeback that you were on, and like I
like to kind of always establish where people first kind
of entered our homes when they come on pridcast. What
was the first thing you did that was like in
(15:15):
the spotlight that that people might know you for. Are
the thing where Brad said, Oh my gosh, I'm like
actually working in this industry. Probably the Rachel's project where
I first started mark he was with Rachel's out. I
knew that was coming. I could tell the body language change. Good.
Oh my god, I'll never forget. When we were filming
(15:39):
the comeback and she, uh, we were just like talking,
like Brad and Lees. I was playing myself so I
didn't need to do a character, but we were just
chatting and she was like, Okay, you're ready. I'm like sure,
and they like closed the door and she's obviously on
the other side of the door and she knocks and
I opened it and like literally Valerie Chairs just like
showed up in like two seconds, and I was like,
she's real, she's here in front of me. It was
(16:00):
so awesome. Such a huge fan of that show. There
was a moment when I would Dancing with the Stars
and I had my hair person coming to the house
because you know the schedule. You're like, Okay, I have
to get a haircut because tomorrow's eviction. And so it
was like one of those moments where I was like
running around. I had like an assistant, I had my
hair stylist coming to the house to cut it. He's
(16:22):
like chasing me around trying to cut it. And I
looked at it, looked at my best friend, and I go,
oh my god, I'm actual Valerie Cherished Mickey like, no,
I'm Valerie Cherished. Like she's like when I was, like
when I was in Mean Garld, you know, you know me,
like I had become Valerie Cherished. We're all a little Valerie.
(16:42):
She was way ahead of her time, way ahead of
her time. It's fun when you become aware of it, though,
because then you realize you're like, oh, I'm doing that,
and like and that's okay, It's okay to have a
little bit of that in me. It's fine. Yeah, of course,
Valerie Cherishes a legend. She's a full on icon. Hey, UM,
I would like to talk about because I think it's
always good to highlight relationships in the queer community that
(17:05):
are thriving. How long have you and Gary been together? Now?
We celebrated in July twenty one years together. That's amazing.
That's like seriously like that. I don't know that we
have a ton of examples like that. We're obviously getting
more and more as time goes on than thankfully, but
it's really nice to have that out there. What is um,
if you had to give me your top three secrets
(17:26):
to a successful gay relationship or just three secrets in
general the Queerest Podcast, What is it about your relationship
that's helped it go this long? I think, well, I
think number one is we really like each other, So
that helps to really like the person you're with, Like
(17:47):
he's my favorite person to spend time with, travel with,
like everything, So that's number one. Find somebody you like
really like being with. Um. Number two, find somebody that
you don't really fight with, because we don't really fight. UM,
we don't have huge blow ups or arguments or you know,
we're not on the drama spect side of things. For relationships.
(18:09):
We both really like to keep everything respectful and fun.
And you know, obviously we talk about the big stuff
and have very real conversations, but we don't really fight
at all. And if there is something happening, we definitely
usually try to wrap it up before we go to bed,
because it's never good to go to bed angry. That's
also a really good rule. Um. And then number three
(18:32):
is I think we just like we laugh a lot.
We laugh a lot. I just saw a thing on
Instagram today that was like, uh, a form of intimacy
is having inside jokes with your partner. And we have
like so many you know, obviously now after twenty one years,
we have so many stories and so many things that
have happened, and you know, it's just it felt like
(18:55):
right from the minute that we met, like it's never
like people are like, oh, I work so hard at
my relationship. I'm like, I don't know, that's the greatest thing.
It shouldn't be that hard. It's like working really hard.
If you're working really hard at a friendship, at some
point you would probably let it go, right. So if
I feel the same with relationships, like the people that
(19:15):
we're friends with that have been in You know, a
lot of them have been in relationships for fifteen twenty
years more than that. They just really liked the person
there with. And yes, there is work involved, but if
it's like another job, it just doesn't feel like that
to me. Like I look forward to every morning when
we wake up, and I'm happy that he's next to
me every night when we go to bed. Yeah, and
(19:37):
I think, for that's so important that you mentioned that,
Like marrying your best friend is huge. I got mine
hold of him, and you guys are newly wet right now.
But the things you're saying, it kind of makes me
really happy because the things you're taking off for the
reasons that I was like, this is the man I
have to marry, Because I tell y'all, listen, if you're
in a relationship where you're fighting, if you want a relationship,
(19:58):
where is that work? Maybe it's the wrong one. And
I know, as like queer kids growing up, a lot
of us got told, you know, loves not for you.
But maybe I'm having a moment loves not for you.
A happy ending is not for you, Like it's gonna
be hell if you are who you are. And so
I think a lot of us get in those relationships
(20:20):
because it just feels like, well, this is what I
was told I deserved and I earned this, and so
by being myself, I'm gonna be in this place. I mean,
I was in those relationships like where it's just fight on,
fight on, fight and toxic, toxic, toxic, and it's not
the right situation for you. So like as as three
homosexuals that are in a room right now that have
(20:42):
experienced other things and are now experienced in this, Like,
if you get anything from this conversation, I would say,
it is that exactly what Brad was saying, Like it
doesn't have to be work. So when you find that
person that isn't work, it wasn't always like that too,
I should flag like I wasn't always the person who
didn't have like if you I have been in relationships
in the past. Obviously I met Gary when I was
(21:05):
twenty three. I'm forty five now, so I also did
like a lot of just maturing as it was anyway,
But earlier on, yes, you know, I kind of believed
in the dramatic that that was like exactly that that's
love and this is the way people are, and you know,
and I think also Gary has been a very good
(21:26):
partner in showing me that it also doesn't have to
be that way. So I do think I have to,
you know, tip my hat to him. And he's just
been a very good partner in teaching me also. And
I think we've done obviously for each other, taught each
other how to be you know, really good partners. And
but we just worked together. That's just that's just it.
(21:47):
Find that person. It will not be a struggle when
it's the right person, correct. And when it's a struggle, baby,
just run. Because of the whole paper. The thesis is
my and my Yes, my dad, my late father, or
who always had the best advice, said this. He goes,
this is in one of my early relationships. He goes, John,
sometimes relationships just don't work out, and that's okay, great advice,
(22:13):
so simple and so very very very true exactly. So
if it works, great, If not, that's okay too. He
goes for friendships too. Don't put yourself in talkics, just
like don't your piece is more important. It's like let
it go. And being single is okay too. Being single
is the best thing. It's because you have to Oh god,
we're gonna We're gonna drag razmna say it like as
(22:35):
like Rue Paul says, like, you can't love yourself the
hell you can love somebody else. That as a broken,
broken little baby out of a terrible relationship, I had
to just sit comfortably with myself and actually get to
the point where I was like, I ain't doing nothing
for then the universe to say. And then I walked in.
I'm like, psyches, you are buckle up? Are you ready?
(22:59):
And I get by fun speaking of speaking of buckling up,
buckle up for these messages, We'll be right. What a
good segue, James, And we're back with Brad Garreski here
(23:22):
talking about we were talking about relationships, we were talking
about musicals, and now we're talking about what are we
talking about? James, Baby, I'll let you have it for November.
Let me set it up. Let me let me let
me take it back to the entertainment hosting days. So
November eight, the first season of Canada Versus the World
(23:45):
Drag Race has taking place this this and it's crazy
because I know you know the answers of what happened,
and I've got to look at you across this room
and try to read it in your eyeballs because I
love a spoiler and I'm not gonna get a spoiler,
but we are going to talk about look in my
eyes and tell me who won. No, I can't do it?
Okay when you walk okay, So how many seasons of
(24:06):
Drag Race Canada have you done? I have done two
seasons of Canada's Drag Race, the one season of Canada Versus. Okay,
let's go back to just the first day of season
one when you walk on. Were you as big of
a fan of this the show of the show before
doing it? Huge? Huge? So you're like, us, okay, huge
when that moment where you like sit down at the
judge's table for the first time, not as a guest judge,
(24:27):
but as walk me through your feelings that well, I
had never been a guest judge. You've never been a
guest judge. I hadn't seen anything, and I lost my
mind when I walked into our work room for the
first time and being at the judge's table and seeing
all the queens, I was like, this is just where
I'm meant to be. And you get to do the
walk out for your walkout, your fashion and because you're Bradeski.
(24:51):
You have the best fashion, So that's like a moment
for you that you're like, I get to do my
fashion thing, which is what I do best on Ruphole's
stage for t Out Oh my God, and we work
it and we scream at each other and they, you know,
Brooklyn and Tracy yell things at me and I yell
things at them, and it's really fun. I mean, what
a good trio to. That's they're both phenomenal people and
(25:17):
so much And you can see that though when you
watch the show. That's what I love about. I mean,
I guess it's Canada, so it's expected, Like I love
how nice y'all are, and like when you do have shade,
it's like really cute, Like it's like I feel like
I'm watching a family the moment, and it's like it's
a light covering. It's just like UV protection. It's not
like full shade, like you're not in the dark, right
(25:41):
because it's Canada. Like I work in Canada my whole life.
Like I'm in Canada more than more than I'm in America,
probably every year filming stuff. And it's like everyone is
so nice there, so it really is reflective of the
way that Canada's drag race is handled. That like the
shade is lighter and everyone's just like they'll make fun
of each other. But it's it's so like guarded of
(26:03):
I don't want to offend you. I want you to
know I'm God forbid you would think I was actually
insulting you. That's right. How do you get a Canadian
to apologize very easily? Step on their foot? Yes, exactly.
Wait why are Canadians Do we know the answer to that?
Why are Canadians so much nicer? I don't know, but
when I do, I will say when I go home,
(26:25):
it's like it kind of hits me when I go
when I when I go back home, especially if I
go back to my Like the town I grew up
in was very small town Canada. Um in Port Perry, Ontario.
It's like everybody's really nice, like super super just nice.
Every time John that's filming a movie up in Canada
and I go to see him, I'm like, should we
move here? It's just everyone's really like, are you on
(26:47):
the West coast? Do you ut inOui? Victoria's because the
winters are as bad on the West coast, right Now,
you wouldn't have you wouldn't be able to handle Toronto.
Where's a grace film in Toronto? Were outside of Toronto? Yeah? Well,
I guess and drag that she'll players on. It's okay,
like because they keep it really cold. And that's what
(27:08):
I learned when I went with Jonathan the episode he
guests judge. It was so cold? Was it cold? When
you'll do it? I don't think they have to have
heat one how cold it was the snatch game? Right?
Oh my gosh, it's freezing. No, and I'm never cold. Well,
they have to preserve the queens, you know, everything like Hyde,
you know when they put him in a Yeah, they
(27:29):
can't say perfectly frozen. They have to be like they
don't melt correct, yes, because they're in like padding and
fabric and makeup. You know, we want to we do
have to preserve the queens at all costs. Speaking of
the queens, will you walk us through the queens that
are on Canada versus the world? Sure? And baby, the
first thing that comes to mind when he says them,
we'll both give it, okay, go silky night, Meganosh perfect superstar. Yes,
(27:54):
I didn't get a fair shot so I'm so glad
that she gets to come back and drag in Vanity
Milan Vanity, are you in one word? My thing was
like I loved watching Vanity's evolutions. We literally just let
me get out these two sentences. Her evolution was so
good and I felt like she was really, really shining
when she finally went home. So I'm so excited to
(28:14):
see her pick up from there, and like, I think
she's a star. Song excide about her. An A Wigglet
we love. I think I feel like she got sent
home way too early on down Under, So I'm excited.
That's the one. You love Wilet, I do love Anita Wiglet. Next,
uh Rajah O'Hara Fierce, one of my absolute favorites the
(28:35):
entire world. The best confessionals ever, Oh my god, Stephanie
Prince another one. I think I sent home too early.
I felt like she has so much to offer, so
I'm so excited to see what she does. I remember
that one she was she sent into one of the
real pretty girls. Okay, isis quatre love Love Love Love
Love reminds me of the girls that like when I
(28:58):
first started going out too. I think Brandon, we may
have talked about this before, like when I first started
going out to the gay clubs, like the queens like
that make you feel welcome, right, and Isis has the
same energy of some of those girls in Florida and
New Orleans that would like welcome me into the club.
So like I was immediately drawn to her on her
season and so like she has a special place in
my heart even though I've never met her, you'd love her.
(29:21):
Kendal Gender excited to see what she does this next
time around because got all the way to the end
but didn't get it. So we know she got what
it takes to get to the end, but was she
was she snatched it? Wait? Rita, that's the other one
that was thinking. I love Rita Vagas so much like
(29:42):
when she did that, what does the thing she did
where she goes wake me up from edif did she
do in the first And she's something about like tick
me through my coffin. And what I like about her
is like she was one of the queens that was
(30:05):
doing drag before drag was cool, right, And I think
we got we got to just kind of check all
of the young generation of queens and not check them,
but just hey, don't forget like it's the only reason
that you're allowed to go on TV and do this
is because the people that before Rupol happened. We're in
the local bars in the small towns having their own
(30:27):
breg scene like they were there first, like making sure
they paved the way for this, like show the respect
where the respect is due. Yea, I think that's it also.
I mean it happens across all the franchises, but I'll
speak for Canada that I think the queens on these shows,
on Canada's Drag Race all have are either attached to
a house with like a really you know, iconic mother,
(30:49):
or they're very aware at least in their own you know,
cities of like who the grandams are and who they especially,
you know, like Giselle Lullaby for this season was um uh,
what's her name, Madame LaDou um and that was like,
you know, all of those French Canadian queens like you know,
(31:10):
very much worship her and it feels like yeah, but
it's like because Canadians are so nice, it feels like
they're constantly giving reverence to where they came from. Yeah,
that's another thing. And those are all queens like Michelle
Ross like I used to watch her perform in the
nineties in Toronto, Like she would do the best Diana
Ross and she was famous for ripping her wig off
(31:31):
and like crying real tears while she was performing. It
was amazing, It was amazing. I would love like full
on a classic Queen's season of drag race, like the
girls that have been doing it that that set the president,
like the last review or something which is but nobody
(31:56):
gets eliminated and she answers the phone quick. I know
you think she'd be busy. That was fast well to
see who the number was. Um, guys, speaking of gay stuff,
(32:17):
can I take you all to uh this week in
gay history? We got to go this week in gay history.
It's a thing doesn't happen and does it take place
in Palm Springs? Well, well almost just as gay or
maybe gay or actually I'll let you guys know this
week in gay history. Before we move forward, we always
have to remember where we came from. So James tell
(32:39):
us what happened this week in gay history. James, did
you get me with it? Did you get your Barbara Walters?
Let me live my life This week back in nine
four when we were all just week little babies. I
wasn't even born yet, you were. Voters decided to turn
a previously unincorporated portion of Los Angeles into the nation's
(33:01):
first and it's gonna shock you. West Hollywood the first
gay city. Yeah, they even elected a gay majority for
their new city council. That's how it all came to be.
And uh, look at look at West Hollywood now, I mean,
that's what we got. We do this gay history so
we can look at where we came from. Nineteen eighty
four is when we took hold. Just in Jesus, that's
(33:24):
when it was all the rage. Ah do another one, baby?
What else you got nothing? I wouldn't have the heart
to tell you heart another one. I should have worn
my high tops today I got and afterwards go to
the chapel and pray about it. Go baby, but make
(33:48):
sure you don't take one of those mother. Look Okay.
So anyway, I gotta run soon because I gotta get
my wig cut. Speaking of wigs, you about a whole
room full of wigs, so many, like probably two hundred.
I ask you this because Brad is coming to our
(34:10):
wigs and wine event. I am house in Palm Springs
This week it's Springs Pride. Yeah, Wigs and Whine, which
one of our big hit nights on our outbound cruises.
So we are inviting all of our outbounders that are
going to be in town for Palm Springs Pride to
come over and have a little wigs and wine open
house at our house and and Brad, some of our
friends are coming, And um, I just have to ask,
(34:31):
because I don't want to get totally shown up. Do
you have it narrowed down to a wig that you
were going to be wearing? Because after seeing what you
posted on Instagram of the Housewife at her wedding, I
feel like I am not up to part. Well, that
was seven wigs pinned together, so I won't be wearing
that one. Um, she was for photos only, But um,
(34:54):
I don't know who I'm going to be. I have
one that I feel really pretty in, but she's like real,
like she's like Cindy Crawford asked care. Um, so I
don't really have any of the kind of like camp
drag wigs. I have more like pretty girl wigs, and
I feel like a pretty girl, I think, so yeah
with a beard. Yeah, what about you? What's your wig
(35:14):
shake and go, oh is it? Yeah? I wear shake
and just take it out and literally just Amazon packet
look like a Chris He doesn't even really what is
her name? That I always say you have to shaking
like Chris Janner, and you could look a little bit
like Chris Janner. Very sure it is, so you do
like a little like a little like Pussycat Wig, pussy
(35:37):
Cat Hill, I love. Are we doing wigs and heels
and wine? Some people do, but it is pride, So
we could maybe step it up from your normal wig
and do something a little extra because then I'll walk
in the grass and it'll be a mess. We don't
have grass because did you get the pool finished? So
the pool we think is going to be done. So
we're getting the pool redone and we timed it a
little poorly, and you don't want new grass for everybody
(35:59):
to stand on. Anyway, it's probably blessing like it's like
laying down like matting from guards, right, and then we
can all just talk about they just have dirt in
their backyard and palm springs. That's pretty much. I'm gonna.
I'm gonna I'm going to bring one square of sod
for myself to stand on. Please. Yeah, literally, just one
(36:19):
one piece of grass I like this for you, bred
please don't let me down. Instagram versus Reality wigs and
sod wigs and sod before we go, because it is
podcast and we are going to Pride this weekend in
Palm Springs. What is it that makes you the most
proud to be part of the LGBTQ post community. You know,
(36:40):
I think it's just the sense of community and family.
And you know, I remember my first Pride when I
was sixteen, going to Toronto and like I had had
no real exposure to the gay world, the lesbian world,
the trans world, the drag nothing, and just being able
to see how diverse our community is and how welcoming
(37:03):
it was, and you know, I was just like, Oh,
this is what I've been looking for all of these years,
Like this is why the feeling of feeling out of
place was replaced with feeling like I was where I
was supposed to be um And so I always hope
that Pride is a place where people come and they
(37:23):
feel welcome and they also feel if they're you know,
questioning or I hope that they have the same feeling
that I had because it everything made sense to me.
Then I remember that, I remember my first Pride and
feeling that exact thing. I'm like, wow, I'm not alone.
And there were a lot of people, Like it wasn't
just like a hundred people, it was like tens of
(37:45):
f I was like, wow, there are a lot. My
first product was nineteen years old, saw in New York City,
the New York City pridge right down, Oh my god,
down in the village. It was absolutely crazy. I remember
seeing that being like, there are this many gay people
in the and I thought like that was it. Like
I thought all the gay people in the world came
to this like this was it. There were other gay
(38:06):
people and other they were all there. They were all there,
They're all in New York. It really was. Yeah, speaking
of gays, baby, something for the Big Gay Spotlight. Okay,
each week we like to shine our big Gay Spotlight
on someone in the l g B t Q plus
community that's doing extraordinary things. Whether they're famous or not,
but they're actually the most important. Right now, who are
(38:28):
you going to shine your big gay spotlight on? Baby?
Shine it so big and so gay everything I do.
First off, shout out to our producer Raymond for putting
these together Raymonds today, but we love you Raymond. So
Sam Smith and Kim Petris are getting the big gay
spotlight this week because their hit song reached number one
on the Billboard Hot one chart and they are the
(38:48):
first publicly non binary and transgender soloists to top the
Hot one hundred, which is pretty dang cool because when
you see it, you know you can do it, and
that's a beautiful, beautiful thing. So Sam Smith and Can't
Paches shout out to you all, big gay spotlight on you,
thanks for doing what you do and for giving hope
to some other people. BRD, is there anyone you want
(39:10):
to shine your big gay spotlight on? Like it can
be someone famous, someone not famous. Maybe it's just someone
that you know that's doing really cool work for the community.
I would like to shine the big gay spot your
big gay spot I'd like to shine my big gay
spotlight on my mother, Debbie Garski, because my mom is
just a great mom and she's so loving to me
(39:32):
and my sister still as we're both approaching fifty and
still calling her about what medicines to take. Um. So, yeah,
you know, I feel very grateful to still have my
mom around, and um, I just you know, I just
love my mom and she's so supportive of y'all. And
she's and Brad Garski put mama through it. Oh, she
(39:56):
the through it for many years. Young Brad was wild.
And I love the name Debbie because Debbie is the
name I give myself when I'm like mom dancing at
a wedding. So I feel like me and your mom
would dance the exact same way at a wedding. Probably.
I mean, she's kind of a pretty she's a pretty
smooth dancer. She's probably better than me. I don't know.
(40:18):
I don't just put this one and Dancing with the Stars,
Tommy Chong beat me and he was like seventy five
years old at the time. So, um, I'm not the
best dancer, but I love I love a point. Oh
he's demonstrating right now for all of you that wow.
Oh wow. Yeah, no, she doesn't point Yep, that's fine. Brad,
Thank you so much, thank you. I'm so excited you
(40:40):
finally came into this my pleasure. I'm so happy to
finally meet you and we'll get to hang in Palm Springs.
For being such a positive example for others in our
community and for people who still need to have their
hearts and minds changed about our community. Thank you for
just being so wonderful and positive and a good good person.
Thanks Lady Vaughan, Thank you to be here. The Baroness.
(41:01):
Is that what I decided on? The Baroness, the baron
You're a baroness, now you are? Oh, I'm a baroness. Baroness,
Brad Baroness Brad Gretsky And I can't wait to stand
on a patch of dirt with you in my backyard
in a couple of days. Now I have to get
off your face. Jonathan. Have have have you been able to
do this whole podcast? I've been sitting on it the
whole time, somebody just playing the music. This is done,
(41:25):
Come up for air, See you guys later.
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