"Hometown Pride" w/ Skyler Higley

Today we're joined by comedian (and Sam's After Midnight coworker) Skyler Higley to travel down that ole country road to the topic we all grew up with: Hometown Pride. That's right, we're going back to where it all began where the trucks are big as houses and the sporting events feel war-adjacent. Plus, we talk about our work personas, what screeds we should all be releasing, and the ethics of carrying a grown man like a baby in a pool. This should solve everything.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:19):
Okay, podcast starts. Now, what is up everyone around the globe.
You're listening to Stradia Lab and I have a story
to tell. Georgia. Are you prepared for my story?

Speaker 2 (00:29):
I am so prepared. You have no idea.

Speaker 1 (00:32):
Because I have been sitting on the story in such
an insane way. You know. We went to San Francisco,
and I said.

Speaker 2 (00:38):
We have talked multiple times in multiple cities, both virtually
and in person, and you keep being like, I went
to Palm Springs and I'm like, how was it? And
you're like, nu, huh huh.

Speaker 1 (00:48):
I've been like, I'll tell you when the cameras are on. Okay, So,
first of all, Palm Springs kind of sucks. Can we
start there? So I went to one of those like
nude gay resorts. It was called Indulge, which is obviously
so embarrassing whenever you say it. I didn't choose the place.
Let's just start. I didn't choose it.

Speaker 2 (01:08):
I have a question, is this a p is it
called in an Indulge?

Speaker 1 (01:12):
Like?

Speaker 2 (01:12):
Correct? Wow?

Speaker 1 (01:14):
And I'm glad you could hear me pronounce it that way.

Speaker 2 (01:17):
You know, of course, what I would have done taken
it once the further in bulge.

Speaker 1 (01:22):
Whoa, you know, I think you're right. But the problem is,
I think with it being clothing optional, you know, the
bulges an't always there because they're always wearing painting suits.
Maybe in balls.

Speaker 2 (01:38):
Oh that's good anyway.

Speaker 1 (01:40):
So everyone there is elderly. It's sort of a world
for grandparents, grandpa's in particular, to go to uh. And
I wasn't. I was. I'm rarely in a space where
I am the youngest by two generations, and this was
the case here. So first of all, it's just like

(02:00):
you're sitting around the pool and you're naked, and you're
only hearing conversations about taxes and credit card points and
condo renovations, and like to hear this guy being well,
we sold our condo in Saint Louis and then we
bought a condo in Florida, but the taxes were horrible
in Saint Louis. So but if we do the return right,
and he can go on for hours about this fucking

(02:24):
condo in these taxes, and it was driving me insane
in a way where I was like, please, like be lecherous,
like why aren't you like trying to have sex with someone?
It was disgusting. But then the real thing that was
funny to me is like, so we were there with
a friend and we went out that night and we
came back and we're all like going in the pool
and we were sort of drunk and being crazy and

(02:48):
we were like taking turns carrying each other like babies.
So we were.

Speaker 2 (02:52):
Sorry, were you with a big group?

Speaker 1 (02:54):
It was like this particular night, there's just one person
I'm friends with from New York, okay, and we were
all carrying each other like baby is ha ha ha
ha ha. And then there was this one like fifty
five year old, like sort of stiff businessman who uh
like you know, just kind of talked like this. And
we were like, oh, let's bring him into the fun.

(03:14):
And I went up to this man and I was like,
do you want to be baby? And he was like yes.
So that I carried this random fifty five year old
man naked around the pool as if he was baby,
and I literally think he's like never had so much
fun in his life.

Speaker 2 (03:34):
Oh my god. Wait, so then did he sort of
like loosen up?

Speaker 1 (03:36):
I think he loosened up. He was like having fun,
and I think to swim. I was swimming him around
the pool, like, baby, it was where?

Speaker 2 (03:44):
Was it sexual?

Speaker 1 (03:45):
Non sexually?

Speaker 2 (03:48):
Was he there with a partner?

Speaker 1 (03:49):
No, he was there. I mean he might have wanted
to have sex, to be honest.

Speaker 2 (03:52):
But wow, so you are fully teasing this poor introverted,
single bachelor businessman who is there. He's like, all I
want is like some hot young guy with a mustache
to like, come and be my you know, be my
one final my one final swing before I finally die
of old age. And then you come up to him,

(04:12):
you say, oh, do you want to be baby? He
he he here my balls. And then he's like, finally
my dreams are coming true. You take him up, you
humiliate him in front of everyone. You're literally doing like
a humiliation ritual, even in front of your drunk New York,
cool New York friends, and you put him down and
say that's enough, grandpa, and then you go to your room.

Speaker 1 (04:31):
No, I think he had the time of his life.
And I really made me be like damn, it was
an amazing feeling of like gay guys are so crazy,
like the fact that I'm essentially picking up my dad
like like this is so weird, and and like to
hold a naked man in the water is so like

(04:54):
what are we doing? Like it's literally like, what is this?
I was blown away by the whole experience and the
old The next day I woke up and I was
like half then to see him again and just be
like hi, like and he was like hi. It was
really really more intimate than if we had hooked up.

Speaker 2 (05:12):
Oh yes I would. I would say picking someone up,
swimming around with him and then putting him back down
is one hundred percent more intimate than hooking up.

Speaker 1 (05:23):
So you know, anybody out there, if you're ever out
of pool and really want to shake things up, start
carrying people like baby.

Speaker 2 (05:30):
I think you'll have a last It's very sweet. Yeah,
so I want to go on vacation. You deserve it,
but don't I literally deserve it.

Speaker 1 (05:39):
I will say, we need to talk. The pr around
Palm Springs is too good, Like this place is flop.

Speaker 3 (05:48):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (05:48):
I've always sort of suspected that it's so weird and
people are like, oh, it's just like West Coast Fire Island.

Speaker 2 (05:52):
No, it's not.

Speaker 1 (05:53):
What are you talking about? Do you hear yourself? It
makes no sense.

Speaker 2 (05:57):
It has always rereaked of desperation to me. I'm sorry.

Speaker 1 (05:59):
To say, yeah, it's just not right. And it's like,
so you're in a pool, like there also have all
these rules about being really quiet, Like so all the
music is really quiet everywhere you go, and everyone's like
like if you're in a house, they'll call the police
on you if your music is like audible from the
other houses. It's like, what is this.

Speaker 2 (06:18):
Here's what I think about Palm Springs. I sort of
think pomp Springs. It's like, what if Debaucher's gay men
became wasps in Connecticut. Like it's like the ethos is
very uh, sort of nimby, but then you are, but
then you are in a gay destination with palm trees,
which makes it worse because I'm like, well, if I'm

(06:39):
gonna be wasp nimbi, uh, you know, woman named Carol
and her mother Muffy, Like, at least let's be in Connecticut.
Let's have like a dry steak, you know, let's go
all the way. But if you're gonna, you know, tease
me with the promise of sexual debauchery and the pool
and picking people up, then at least, like, let's go there.

Speaker 1 (07:00):
I was genuinely surprised at how unsexual the whole place
was I've never been in a place like catered to
gay men. That was this unsexual, Like I'm actually kind
of blown away by it, and something's in the air there.

Speaker 2 (07:15):
Yeah, Well, did you ultimately have a good time?

Speaker 1 (07:18):
It was fine. Ultimately it was fine. I read my book,
you know, I learned a lot about taxes.

Speaker 2 (07:25):
Are you still reading? Uh?

Speaker 1 (07:29):
Still? I mean it was a damn week ago.

Speaker 2 (07:32):
Wait, you're reading uh didion? Or no?

Speaker 1 (07:35):
No? No, no, no, I'm reading our dear friend Dan
dea Dario's book.

Speaker 2 (07:38):
Oh oh that's right, then, I take back the still
did you finish it?

Speaker 1 (07:43):
No?

Speaker 2 (07:44):
Oh, my goal.

Speaker 1 (07:45):
I have a job, George, I have a job. Speaking
of job, oh job, let's being our guest. We have
the same job, but not right now, but not right now.

Speaker 2 (07:59):
Wow, is such a good introw.

Speaker 1 (08:01):
Please him to the podcast. Kyler Higgley.

Speaker 4 (08:03):
Hello, great transition, guys. That was really seamless. That was
one of the most beautiful stories I've ever heard. Thank
you also as your coworker, It's so funny, dude, know
that you were just sort of babying a man.

Speaker 2 (08:16):
I saw the harassing a coworker. The story of you,
of what you.

Speaker 1 (08:21):
God we're not coworkers currently right this moment, right because
I'm allowed to say that.

Speaker 4 (08:26):
Yeah, now we can say whatever we want. Yeah, it's no,
it's it's inspiring, I would say. And I I also
feel like every time I see you outside of work,
I see a whole different side of you. You're a
different guy. Yeah, in and out of work.

Speaker 1 (08:39):
It's definitely severing spot.

Speaker 2 (08:41):
I need to I need to know what Sam is
like at an office job. It has always been because
I get peaks of it, you know, because obviously Sam
and I will be in that contract negotiation room, we'll
be talking to we'll be talking to bookers, we'll be
on on calls together, and I get a peak of it.
But I want to know what it's like at the
water coool.

Speaker 4 (09:00):
It's it's very much like I feel like Sam will
never fully tell you exactly what you like. Really feel
like there's there's a certain wall that's up that I
can tell that you're in a little bit of a
business mode, where like, I know you're going to now
go home and you know, carry around a fifty year
old man in the water like baby, But if you're

(09:22):
at work, you're not like this guy likes doing baby
with people.

Speaker 1 (09:26):
Yeah, no, that's true. I don't even think about the wall,
but it's definitely it is. It's there.

Speaker 4 (09:31):
I feel it, probably because I sit next to you
or sat next to you and I felt the wall.
And we have a lot of fun and we riff
and whatever.

Speaker 2 (09:38):
But like you do have a yeah, you also have
if you don't mind me saying, sometimes Sam will get
panic in his eyes. Yeah, okay, do you know what
I mean, Skyler.

Speaker 4 (09:48):
Yes, there's a No, I've seen the panic. We've like
sometime through things.

Speaker 2 (09:53):
Yeah, it's like if and I actually I also have
a very bad poker face. So this is in no
way I'm not criticizing it. But sometimes if it's like
a social situation that is a little bit awkward or
it's unclear what the next step in an interaction is,
I'll look at Sam and he'll will truly look like
you know, Daniel Khalulia and get out.

Speaker 4 (10:16):
Yeah this is my Sam dismount for any conversation that's awkward.

Speaker 1 (10:20):
Well, you know that's true. I've adopted Selave.

Speaker 4 (10:24):
Oh yeah, a lot.

Speaker 1 (10:26):
Yeah, it's pretty awesome. Yeah. Do you think you have
a wall at work? No?

Speaker 4 (10:32):
I think I have too little of a wall at work.
I feel like I'm too much of just like whatever
I think I get. So I think I could be
a little bit more profound. I feel like I'm so
like amped up in like whatever, and I don't care
what I say to whoever, and then I feel like
that will get me in trouble.

Speaker 1 (10:50):
Yeah, I think it's good, though it loosens everybody else.

Speaker 4 (10:53):
Up right, But that's the That's the other thing is
because I know that everybody is sort of projecting this like, oh,
we're in a work environment thing. Oh and there's famous
people around, so I have to like try to be cool.
And I feel just generally this whole like apparatus that
we're in, be it Hollywood or industry or whatever, it
like forces you to sort of just be fake in

(11:14):
certain ways. And I just want to be like, hey, everybody,
like we're you know, we're chilling. I'll say things in
meetings that people are like, I can't believe you said
that in the meeting, and I'm like, well, what like
we were thinking it. We don't care. I don't what's
the problem we are. I'm a comedy writer, you know
what you hired me for.

Speaker 1 (11:33):
I'm always like doing math of like should I speak up,
Like is it like worth it to speak up about
this thing I disagree with? And then usually I'm like, no.

Speaker 4 (11:42):
You're right. I mean, yeah, I don't have that calculus,
and I just kind of say whatever, and I should
be a lot better about just, you know, guarding myself
because you never know who really hates you.

Speaker 1 (11:53):
Yeah, but M say lovey.

Speaker 2 (11:58):
There's a sort of currentcy like when I'm at a
non When I have a non comedy job, like you know,
an office job, the best thing you can be is
like the funny one, the class clown named that office.
But when you have a comedy job, it's almost like
the way to say yourself apart as being the professional one.
And everyone's like wow, he's like really like put together

(12:19):
in this like sea of clowns.

Speaker 4 (12:22):
It's true.

Speaker 2 (12:23):
That's actually I feel like I'm I every writing job
that I've had, it's sort of like I'm actually much
more rewarded when I act normal because people are like
grateful that someone is being the adult in the room,
whereas when I have a non comedy job, everyone's like,
George is crazy. He changed the slack avatar to Amelia Perez.

Speaker 4 (12:43):
Oh you know, those slack bits really hit with you know,
office talk.

Speaker 2 (12:47):
About a straight topic. Actually, this is something I need
to really like go along on. Yeah, but slack bits
like when someone says one mildly thing on a slack,
mildly funny thing on a slack and then it is
a full forty five minutes of people just posting cry
laughing emoji and then like one like tiny yes, and
it's like someone will be like, ugh, lunch ran long today,

(13:09):
and then someone will be like what is this Italy
And then someone's like, oh my god, Mama Mia, and
then someone is like missus signor, and then everyone is
just like commenting with like Italian flags and like crying
laughing emoji. And then everyone at the end of the
week has a meeting where they're like, what were the
best things that happened this week? And someone's like, well,
when George said that thing about Italy, that was so
great for morale, and everyone's like, you know, we should
maybe do an Italy themed birthday for Marcia, whose birthday

(13:32):
is next week. And everyone's like, oh my god, that's
such a good IDEA Italian fla, Italian fla crying emojic
crying emoji.

Speaker 4 (13:37):
Yeah. I when I worked in the Onion, we had
slack and I did this thing where I changed my
avatar to the CEO who we all hated, Jim Spamfeller.
I'll say it publicly, we all hated him.

Speaker 2 (13:46):
Oh my god, the worst.

Speaker 4 (13:48):
He's a really bad guy. I changed my profile picture
to him, and like my name to his, and I
would just like start dming people that they were fired
and even would check in my freak. I'm just like
and people are like, you can't be cause they you know,
your boss is for everybody out there who uses slack,
your bosses can see it. People probably know that, and

(14:09):
they're like, you could get in trouble for this, And
then I'm like, yeah, but there's no way anybody really
cares that much. And also if I do whatever, I
kind of have that feel because it's like my aspiration
is to not ever have a job, even though I
always want money, but like, oh yeah, freedom sounds so awful.

Speaker 1 (14:28):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (14:29):
I think the secret is consistency. I think if you're like,
if your sort of thing is that you know, you
like doing like trollish slack bits and everything, people like
get used to that and then they're like, oh, that's
classic Skyler. The issue is if Sam or I one
day wake up and do that right without having set
the expectations that like that's our vibe.

Speaker 1 (14:50):
It would simply not go. Well, I'm not I cannot
do a prank in any way, shape or form. Wow,
which is weird. There's almost a part of me now
where I'm like, I do see.

Speaker 4 (14:59):
The jo it's fun. It's fun if you don't, if
you're not like genuinely Also, people have to know that
you have a good heart about it and it comes
from a good place and you're not like really gonna
hurt anybody's feelings. So there's a lot like I don't
consider myself a prank guy, quote unquote, but I do
like introducing chaos to what could otherwise be monotony.

Speaker 1 (15:23):
Yeah, no, I get that.

Speaker 4 (15:25):
Yeah, you also want to project a little bit of
fear around you, a little bit, just so people aren't
entirely sure what you're gonna do or say you.

Speaker 1 (15:37):
Heard it here first, folks.

Speaker 4 (15:38):
Project that's my advice anybody who's trying to break into
the industry.

Speaker 1 (15:43):
Make people fear you fear. I do think.

Speaker 2 (15:46):
I think my version of that is like in a
social setting, I will suddenly say something incredibly like biting
about a mutual friend, just like I'll just be like,
we love that she's always struck me as pretty stupid,
and then everyone will be like really taken.

Speaker 1 (15:59):
Aback, Yeah, yeah, it's tough. I'm actually not thinking about
the wall again, and I'm like, I'm surprised because like
when I'm in a like non comedy job, the wall
is crazy. Like I almost go into those and be like,
how can I like literally not let them know a
single thing about me? Like almost like a challenge.

Speaker 4 (16:19):
It's true. No, it's true. I mean at a non
comedy job, I will do minimal work and not care
about anything, and I don't care if you like me
or not, Like it's I'm not enjoying my time. And
so I like will be like, well, whatever, I'm a
I'm a bad employee here because this means absolutely nothing.
I worked this shipping job where they were like it
was all just numbers and I was data refining like severance,

(16:42):
and I was like, oh, I don't I have I
don't care at all. How could you make me care
about this? This is just a waste of everybody's time.

Speaker 1 (16:49):
I've had two jobs where I was closeted at because
I was like, well, what if they just don't need
to know.

Speaker 2 (16:55):
When when you say closeted, you are you actively talking
about like having a girl friend or just not mentioned not.

Speaker 1 (17:02):
Talking about anything about it. Yeah, and like so one
of them was like the moving job. I was at
this moving company that a lot of comedians in New
York work at, and like but like comedians that don't
know me, like you know what I mean, right, and so,
and it was like either comedians or like psychopaths, and

(17:22):
they were all like real horny, straight guys like like
and like always being like nice, like wait, not just.

Speaker 4 (17:29):
About what like if they're moving.

Speaker 1 (17:31):
Like an ass walking by, Yeah, okay.

Speaker 4 (17:36):
It'll be like look at that fucking ass. It's so
crazy actually, because yeah, I am there. I just don't
get why we need to sure you notice an ass.
I don't get why it needs to be communicated about
in such a way as is sort of absurd to me.

Speaker 1 (17:52):
No, the moving vibe, it was obviously it's like a
little it's very homo erotic because they're all getting each
other horny and being like I was fucking this girl
last night, and it was like fucking awesome, and like
this is like.

Speaker 2 (18:04):
You need to expand this character.

Speaker 4 (18:07):
There's like the Glitterists and the Labia Majora and the Manora.
We all the parts, every part was working everything of
a straight guy.

Speaker 2 (18:15):
Oh the Labia Minora. Yeah, dude.

Speaker 1 (18:17):
But they would literally do it all the time because
it was like the only way to pass the day.
It was like, I guess we could make each other
horny by like, well.

Speaker 2 (18:25):
Here's the other thing, though, is that actually, among a
group of straight movers, I think talking about women is
actually one of the few things that can connect everyone,
because what are you gonna do, Like, you don't want
to bring up politics, you don't want to bring up
like what you're doing outside of work, you want to
bring up your family life. So I think it's actually
like it's like the equivalent of gay guys talking about

(18:47):
top forty music or.

Speaker 1 (18:48):
Like yeah, drag race or something, or yes, I.

Speaker 2 (18:51):
Actually drag race is too close to politics. Even I
would say.

Speaker 1 (18:54):
Yeah, well, it did feel like Okay, I'm like in
their space and I don't want to be like I'm
actually gay, right, so I'd just be like yeah, look
at that, be like yeah, was.

Speaker 4 (19:06):
There any ever, Was there ever any like hint of
anybody being like, hey, you don't seem to call out
the asses like we do.

Speaker 1 (19:13):
There was never a call out like that because I
also was like very quiet and weird. Because I was
also a bad mover, Like it's not something I'm good at,
it's not in my skill set. I was always like
I can't lift really heavy things. I was like, I
can run. I'll run the stairs, like there's cardio. Does
that help? And then so I was like doing this.

(19:35):
I would bring the boxes up the stairs. I was like,
my my deal. But like they I treat I was
like very much like the dumb, weird boy. Okay, so
it was okay that I was quiet.

Speaker 4 (19:44):
They were like, I don't know what's going on with him. Yeah,
that guy does stairs and he doesn't like.

Speaker 2 (19:48):
Ass essentially, and then it was always kind of hind
is Actually being quiet is one of the biggest kept secrets.
Like I used to think that being quiet would make
people think I was weird or something. When you just
get used to someone being quiet, you're like, oh, he's
the quiet one.

Speaker 1 (20:05):
Yeah, it's kind of awesome to be the quiet.

Speaker 2 (20:06):
One and you can go unnoticed so easily, Like it's
so much better than trying to fit in.

Speaker 4 (20:12):
Also, when you're quiet, because my partner's very quiet in
social situations or can be, everybody gets to like project
their own thing onto you and will be like, oh
my god, that's sounds such a nice guy. He's just
so twiet and he you know, he likes birds and
you know he he grew up in Maine. It's just
like they'll just make up shit about you. Yeah, and

(20:32):
it's just like I haven't said any of this. You
just like filled what you assumed I was for no reason.

Speaker 1 (20:38):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (20:39):
Also, I used to think my default used to be like,
oh someone's being quiet, they must be boring or have
nothing to say. I don't know, especially being in spaces
where in New York or whatever, where people are also
like dressed well and look cool. Like if someone like
that is being quiet, then I'm immediately like, oh, they
think I'm stupid, Like they they actually are so cool
and sophisticated that they have nothing to say to me

(20:59):
because I'm such loser. So if you just like go
in quiet and smoldering, maybe with a nice jacket, you're set.

Speaker 4 (21:07):
I always have to say, try to do that, and
I feel like it doesn't track like I'm Sometimes I
try to go like, oh, if I'm in a situation
where I feel uncomfortable or whatever, I try to go like,
I'll just be quiet and then I'll seem cool, and
I feel like it's not working and everybody can just
tell I'm like uncomfortable.

Speaker 2 (21:24):
I'm not going.

Speaker 4 (21:25):
Enough, you know what I mean, Like I haven't crossed
the threshold where I'm like, oh, people are just gonna
think I'm cool if I'm just not talking. But I
think everybody's detecting that I'm feeling social anxiety.

Speaker 1 (21:35):
Yeah, I think you know. One thing that I was
surprised with about you is I feel like you're in
like life and and at work you're very You're like
you're talking a lot, you're big, And then I actually
think on stage you get like you do kind of
do like the cool quiet Oh wow.

Speaker 4 (21:52):
Interesting, I feel like I'm I honestly it changes night tonight.
But well because on stage sometimes I'm like, oh, I'm
just like really tired because it will be the end
of the day. But like, yeah, I can play big
and small on stag. It just depends on the stage.
I guess because I was in Chicago over the weekend
a laugh actory, I was screaming, you know really yeah,

(22:13):
so it helps it's a big room.

Speaker 2 (22:15):
Oh my god, there is nothing better than than going
big on, like if it's not your default, like sometimes
you're like, oh, this is my night. I'm really going
to become like you know Rory Scovell, right, like I'm
just going to start screaming.

Speaker 1 (22:29):
Well, it's like, George, I love when you go into
accents or something like, I'm like, yeah, I love it
a character George.

Speaker 2 (22:35):
Oh yeah, when I oh my god, yeah, I think Also, Sam,
what you're I think the time that you saw me
to a said it was literally two people in the audience.
Was that the only time I feel like in person,
I believe. I think it was just a two persons
the only time and we were and I was just like, oh,
I have nothing for.

Speaker 1 (22:55):
These Well that was a nightmare.

Speaker 4 (22:57):
Yeah, so I think that's what it was. I was like, Oh,
I don't really have I think that I'm always like
exactly what the energy of the crowd is. So if
they're well, you're a mirror, I'm a mirror.

Speaker 1 (23:09):
I that we did a show where there were only
two people.

Speaker 2 (23:13):
Yeah, it's fun really like actually two people.

Speaker 1 (23:15):
Like actually two people. And it was actually one of
those things where I was like fuck this, Like I
was so mad and it was like a Sunday night.

Speaker 2 (23:23):
Did you think they were maybe going to cant because
I get so angry when people don't cancel show.

Speaker 1 (23:27):
I was so I was like, clearly this is canceled, this,
canceled this, and they were like, let's start whoo And
I was like, what year is it? What? How how
far we've come? And yet this is still happening sort.

Speaker 4 (23:39):
Of sort of back down to earth in a it's
such a humbling city.

Speaker 1 (23:42):
La, such a humbling city, Like I'm not a big deal.

Speaker 2 (23:46):
But you know what though, that what you realize is
like that never ends. Like I have been on shows
with literal celebrities, you know that are like dropping in
or something, and they will perform in front of seven people.
It's and that actually is liberating to be like this
is not This doesn't mean I'm a loser. It just
means I'm part I'm in community with you know, Jenny Garoppolo.

Speaker 4 (24:05):
Right, It means that the whole this whole community and
everything that we do is for loser.

Speaker 2 (24:10):
Exactly, yes, exactly exactly.

Speaker 1 (24:13):
Well, I even I mean even our show. Sometimes I
see people come on that I'm like, you're like very successful, yeah,
and now we're making you do this yeah.

Speaker 4 (24:23):
Oh yeah, And it's just like yeah, crawl on the
floor and bark like a dog and eat this like
slop from the ground. You know, fucking whoever is the
most famous person?

Speaker 2 (24:32):
And I like say, I feel that way about literally
actors doing press, Like you're you're telling me Meryl Streep
still has to do a round table.

Speaker 4 (24:43):
This is actually something that I've been thinking about a
lot lately, the idea that now if you if you
used to want to be famous, you'd have to go
on a show with a guy who was on cocaine
and he'd be a big band there and blah blah blah,
and you talk about your thing and you maybe do
a little bit or whatever. And now it's like, oh,
you want your movie to have press, you better eat
hot wings with the like you have to. It's all

(25:06):
this like crazy bullshit that nobody care. You're like, are
you gonna talk about the role at all? How did
you prepare? How do you get into character? It's like no,
like I'm gonna throw hot wings at you and you
have to eat. It's insane.

Speaker 2 (25:19):
No, I actually think it's one of the ways that
like comedy has one, but in a bad way. Every
single thing now is like retweet retweet, like everything is comedy.
Everything is like a sketch or a bit.

Speaker 1 (25:36):
And even on top of that, alt comedy has one.

Speaker 2 (25:39):
Yes, old comedy has one, because you know, guess what's
completely all comedy making Viola Davis eat hot wings like that?
Is it the idea that she that that anyone has
to do that?

Speaker 4 (25:50):
Well, it's it's of a larger, greater issue where every
like even you know, not to get too serious, but
like culture itself are pology takes itself, all of it
like nothing's taking itself seriously anymore. This whole country is
just like, yeah, we're just a big joke, doesn't matter.
Who cares said that doesn't matter. It's like, well, no,

(26:12):
you can't be you can't be comedy. We can be comedy.
We can't have everything be comedy because then nothing matters
at all.

Speaker 1 (26:19):
It's everything's irony pilled I, Georgia, are you watching the
season of drag Race? Yes, I want to explain so
There's this queen right now named Joella and she is
like really really not doing well, and but she is
so so confident and she keeps to literally tell other
girls of their face like I hope you're not lipsticking

(26:40):
against me because I'm gonna fucking beat your ass and like,
but meanwhile, she's like can barely like dance or turn
or whatever. Like she told girls their talent was bad,
but she did like the most basic like I'm the
queen I snatched the crown song you've ever heard, and
so I've like she makes me feel a rage that
is like unhealthy. And but I've been like going to

(27:03):
Reddit to be like, Okay, let's see, let's see what
other people are saying, can't do that, And people are like,
finally TV is back. What finally reality shows are reality
ing again? And I'm like, not everything's a bit oh right.

Speaker 4 (27:17):
They're just like, oh, well, it's bad and it's good
and I like that it's bad.

Speaker 1 (27:21):
Yeah, it's bad and it's crazy and it's good TV.
And I'm like, it's not good TV, Like I mean
in the sense it's like comedic, but it's like these
girls work their whole fucking lives to get here. This
is like their big moment. I don't know. It bums
me out in a weird way. I don't know. They
have that distance, like they're not real housewives. They're like
trying to do something.

Speaker 2 (27:40):
They're trying to do. Wonder if it's like, is our
only form of resistance to be the most humorless version
of ourselves. It's like, if everything is a joke, then
is the most radical thing you can do to like
wear a black turtleneck and a scarf and walk into
a room and be like, well, I thought that was absolute,
you know, I thought that production of the Seagull was

(28:01):
middle brow direk.

Speaker 1 (28:03):
Well, like, then you'll be Jeremy Strong and yeah.

Speaker 2 (28:08):
But no, because Jeremy Strong, it becomes a meme.

Speaker 1 (28:11):
That's it, Jeremy that you can't you can't.

Speaker 2 (28:14):
Yes, yeah, it like goes into the comedy machine and
you're just spat out and you're a joke again.

Speaker 4 (28:19):
Yeah, either either you're in control of the joke or
you're not. Like it's yeah, it's really it's it's fucked up.

Speaker 2 (28:26):
It's really impossible.

Speaker 4 (28:28):
Because it's like because the way even like the literal
like evil people that we have seen in the news lately,
we're like, are still just like, well, haha, it's ironic.
I don't know. I don't know. I was being random.

Speaker 1 (28:42):
It's like, yeah, what is that?

Speaker 2 (28:44):
No, And and it's one thing to make those jokes
in public and to be like, okay, I'm trying to
you know, trying to get my reposts for the day,
but it actually has now I've internalized that mode so
much that I can't watch the inauguration without being like
Millennia slaying with that hat.

Speaker 4 (28:59):
Yeah, exactly.

Speaker 2 (29:01):
It's not like I'm thinking, oh god, everything is so depressing,
how do I make it funny? And then I like
spit out some joke. It's like my default mode is
chicken chop date.

Speaker 4 (29:13):
Right, It's like I'm not even internalizing anything emotionally. Yeah,
But then it's also then you feel then I feel
like a deep emptiness inside of me. And then and
then it's like, well, what am I then going to like,
as you said, be serious, because that nobody likes that.
Everybody's like that's so annoying. And then everybody will be like, well,
that person thinks they're so self important and pretentious, and

(29:37):
I don't want that either, and I'm just trying to live.

Speaker 2 (29:40):
Man.

Speaker 1 (29:41):
Wait, this is okay, this is exactly I'm realized. I'm
being the quiet kid on social media. Like I'm literally
I'm like being quiet, yeah, because I'm like, this is
this is too much like like everyone being super ironic
and like gay guy about like serious things and everyone
being like really sincere about serious things. I'm like, both

(30:02):
are wrong? Right?

Speaker 4 (30:03):
How do you do both?

Speaker 1 (30:04):
Yeah, I'll be quiet.

Speaker 2 (30:06):
I'm gonna start. I'm gonna take a video of myself
rolling my eyes and then saying shut up and just
posted whenever I see anything on social media.

Speaker 1 (30:15):
Like you, George. I know we can't necessarily get into it,
but you had a screed this week that was so juicy.

Speaker 2 (30:23):
What was my screed?

Speaker 1 (30:24):
When you posted about like everyone sharing misinformation.

Speaker 2 (30:27):
And oh god, moment of weakness.

Speaker 1 (30:30):
It was so good. Actually, I was glad.

Speaker 2 (30:32):
I want everyone to know I am on the verge
of posting a screen every moment of my life.

Speaker 1 (30:35):
I am.

Speaker 2 (30:36):
I am in manifesto mode and everyone is lucky that
I have some level of self control and I only
do it once a year.

Speaker 4 (30:42):
George, I feel.

Speaker 3 (30:43):
You so much, man, everything No, Like it's crazy how
I feel like a like you know, like a guy
and like the basement watching everyone and be like a
voiceover of American Cycle or something and just being.

Speaker 2 (30:56):
Like these people walking around me like don't know anything.
Like that's how I feel every day.

Speaker 4 (31:02):
You always have to be like, let me ask you,
do you feel unknowable to your fellow man?

Speaker 1 (31:06):
Yes?

Speaker 2 (31:10):
Yeah, and guess what they are unknoble to me?

Speaker 3 (31:13):
Mmm.

Speaker 2 (31:14):
I'm literally like how you see you interact with someone
in real life and you're like we're friends, I've known
you forever, blah blah, and then it's like, wait a minute,
you fel for you know, like what the essentially what
is the equivalent of like a viral post. That's like
if I post this, I don't grant Mark Zuckerberg so
to my face, and this is happening just like on

(31:36):
a daily basis, and I just have to like scroll
past that and be like, hey, like want to get
a drink later. Meanwhile, I know that this person is
a complete moron.

Speaker 4 (31:43):
Right, oh god, But then just stay engaged with it
because I have, you know, we have internet job, and
I also am just addicted to Twitter and stuff. To
stay engaged with it. You go, well, this is bad
for me, so I should be off of it. And
then also you go, yeah, it's bad whatever on an
individual level, but this is what is happening with everybody.
So what am I supposed to do? Just be like, oh,

(32:04):
well I don't engage with that. I don't care whatever.
It's like, Well, it doesn't matter whether you do or don't.
Culture is still like devolving anyway, and you can just
be not aware of it and you're still going down
that toilet train. Man, I am so fun to hang
out with, such a fun conversation.

Speaker 1 (32:22):
It's awesome, George. I just have to say the sentence
where you were like, you're in your thirties, like you
are not young enough to like be stupid and you're
not old enough to be stupid about the Internet, Like.

Speaker 2 (32:33):
Well I did say sorry, I do stand by this.
I'm like, no, if you're in your if you're like
let's say twenty seven through forty, okay, you are like
at this point you should know how the media ecosystem works,
Like you are not eighteen who like you know, is
like grew up with it, you know, grew up with
it and doesn't know any different and can't remember newspapers

(32:53):
and you're also not like a boomer who is confused
by it all because it's so new, Like, how how
have you not developed media literacy? How do you literally see?
I mean like a post that is and a not
the one that I sent you Sam, that's like about
the air quality in LA And it's a post that
is an anonymous text message where someone is saying lung

(33:15):
doctors I know are saying you should do this, like
lung doctors. You are someone with a bachelor's degree.

Speaker 1 (33:22):
Lung doctors, you know. And the way that this image
like deteriorated as it got screenshotted in share and it's.

Speaker 4 (33:28):
Like, what are we doing? Yeah, that was fucking crazy.
One time my friend shared a post the same thing
that was one of these you know, that sort of
holistic to alt right pipeline that's like, oh, we're so
the rfk's of he's the king of these people.

Speaker 1 (33:44):
Yeah.

Speaker 4 (33:45):
My friends one time shared a post that, uh was
like things that they that hurt your body that they
like don't want you to know about, and it was
just like, you know, uh, prescription medications, Uh, you know,
fast food is like a long list of actual stuff
and then in like sort of close to the bottom
of the list. One of them was legitimately feminism was

(34:08):
one of the things, and this is this was a
feminist person that like it, believes like just shared it
and I replied being like feminism WT Like what the fuck?
She was like, Oh, I didn't read the whole thing.

Speaker 1 (34:24):
And I'm like, oh my god, and I love I.

Speaker 4 (34:28):
Love her very much, but I'm also like, what are you?

Speaker 1 (34:32):
What is going on?

Speaker 4 (34:34):
We gotta do better.

Speaker 2 (34:35):
This is cut. Well, here's the Okay, we do need
to I want to do our first segment. I want
to get into your topic. But yeah, one last thing
I want to say. I was talking to Sam about this, Like,
I think a lot of this boils down to people
thinking everything needs to be done publicly. It's like you
can read something and then not also tell everyone you
read it. We read things all the time. I consume

(34:56):
things all the time. I consume TV shows, books, articles, whatever.
Just because you read something doesn't mean you then have
to repost it, right, Yeah, if you're a little unsure
about it, just take a beat.

Speaker 1 (35:07):
Take a beat.

Speaker 2 (35:08):
There is this idea that like something is more legitimate
or real if it's done in public, whether it's reading, learning,
having a conversation like shouting at a friend. It's just
like it's fine to not ever to not have everything be.

Speaker 4 (35:21):
In public, right, I mean, and obviously like it makes
it less legitimate, right because it's like, yes, well you're
also performing it.

Speaker 2 (35:28):
Yeah, I'm right exactly.

Speaker 1 (35:31):
Oh well we took down culture. Wow, that was easy.

Speaker 4 (35:34):
We fixed it.

Speaker 2 (35:35):
That was awesome.

Speaker 4 (35:36):
That's what we do.

Speaker 2 (35:36):
See you in twenty twenty eight.

Speaker 1 (35:39):
Okay, let's sar our first segment, Scyla. Our first segment
is called Straight Shooters, and in this segment, we're going
to ask you a serious of rapid fire questions to
gage your familiarity with and complicity in straight culture. It's
baically this thing or this other thing. And the only
rule is you can't ask a single follow up question
or we will post about it.

Speaker 4 (36:01):
Okay, I agree to your terms.

Speaker 1 (36:04):
Okay, Skyler a novella or a Nobella Peace Prize, Nobella Pie.

Speaker 2 (36:15):
Guitar Hero or Inbox zero Guitar Hero.

Speaker 1 (36:19):
Okay, y'all you guys, folks or comrades.

Speaker 2 (36:23):
Comrades, the US open or the UPS is closed.

Speaker 1 (36:28):
UPS is closed. Luca Guadanino or San Pellegrino.

Speaker 4 (36:33):
San pellogrino, because I don't know what the first one was.

Speaker 1 (36:35):
Oh wow, let's return to we're returning to this. Yeah,
circle back.

Speaker 2 (36:40):
French kiss or the stench of piss French kiss?

Speaker 1 (36:44):
Wow, Okay, sipping lacroix, or kissing a boy, kissing a boy?
There you go.

Speaker 2 (36:50):
My book is out in paperback. Or my tooth is
full of dental plaque.

Speaker 4 (36:54):
Oh god, my tooth is full of dental plaque.

Speaker 1 (36:59):
Wow.

Speaker 4 (37:00):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (37:01):
Well, we rate our guests on a skill of one
to one thousand doves. And I think there was a
real confidence. And it's your first time on the podcast,
and and yet you were considering, you weren't just guessing blindly.
I'm gonna go nine hundred and twelve duves.

Speaker 4 (37:14):
Wow.

Speaker 1 (37:15):
Nice. Almost nine to eleven.

Speaker 4 (37:17):
Damn.

Speaker 1 (37:17):
I know you would have really.

Speaker 4 (37:18):
Liked I really would have loved it. It was nine
to eleven. But that's okay. No, it's like one more.
It's like the day after.

Speaker 1 (37:23):
So he loves nine to eleven, Georgia. I don't know that.

Speaker 2 (37:26):
Is this like to say more?

Speaker 4 (37:30):
I love nine eleven? I was you know, I was
in the tower.

Speaker 1 (37:32):
He was in the towers.

Speaker 2 (37:33):
Oh that's fun.

Speaker 4 (37:34):
Yeah, he loves it. It's oh, let's spread that that
I was in the tower. Yeah, yeah, I could. I
could probably tour off that.

Speaker 1 (37:40):
Who was that one guy who's the comedian Steve Steve?

Speaker 4 (37:44):
Yeah yeah, I don't know why he said. I would
have just kept at that point.

Speaker 1 (37:49):
Oh keep it up. No one's back checking.

Speaker 4 (37:52):
I mean he's he's eating away at and whatever I
have a question about.

Speaker 1 (37:57):
I can't.

Speaker 4 (37:57):
I can't ask questions about the game.

Speaker 2 (37:59):
Yeah.

Speaker 4 (37:59):
Now, well, I feel like I got like blade runnered,
like where I got intake form? Was this uh psychological
yes test?

Speaker 1 (38:10):
Yeah, that's exactly what it is. It's sort of a test.

Speaker 2 (38:13):
It's a test. It's sort of like only we know
what your answers say about you. We would never make
that public. That would be against hippa. Okay, but it's
you know, it's sort of uh, you can't if you
think too hard about it, then you can't trust the
results anymore. It's like hitting your knee with that little

(38:34):
thing that the doctor has and then testing your reflexes.

Speaker 4 (38:36):
Yeah. So if I feel like it was like a yeah,
a deep peek into my subconscious, but will never truly
know what it means because it can't be translated into
note words that humans understand.

Speaker 1 (38:45):
No correct, but people, people will see, people will see
something in you.

Speaker 4 (38:49):
You guys are doing big work here.

Speaker 1 (38:51):
I'll say that, thank you. Should we get into.

Speaker 2 (38:54):
The topic, George, I would, I would adore that.

Speaker 1 (38:57):
So, Skyler, you texted me this morning two topics, and
I don't know which one you've landed on or if
there's a secret third one that you've changed your mind
had gone to. But I would love to hear what
your topic is.

Speaker 4 (39:07):
Okay, here's a secret third one that it's speaking to me.
The most hometown pride.

Speaker 1 (39:12):
Ooh, I love that hometown pride and what speaks to
you as straight about that?

Speaker 4 (39:19):
I think that the idea of a great feeling about
your hometown or like a strong hometown pride, it feels
so for lack of a better term, normy pilled where
you don't have anything else to build your pride or
identity off of, or if it's like a big portion
of your identity that's not from one of these cities

(39:41):
that already have a big amount of pride, the Chicago,
New York whatever I'm talking like anywhere else, it feels
like very like a lot of people I think myself
included have certain traumas directly associated with where they're from,
because it can be some like whatever place, and I
feel hometown pride is just this like thing that sort

(40:03):
of means nothing and also feels a little like jingoistic
a little, and so it just feels very straight. It
just feels very like I have not actually made that
much analysis of why I feel the way I feel,
and I just am gonna be into fucking you know wherever.
Oh I'm from Boston, Okay.

Speaker 1 (40:25):
Okay, Yeah, there is something where it like very quickly
turns to anger or something that really defensive.

Speaker 2 (40:33):
Yeaheah, you're not. I mean, obviously, people in big cities
also have pride. I'm not saying if you're in New
York or you don't say, like, I'm from New York.
But but there's something about the hometown pride of smaller
places that is like you are ready to fight.

Speaker 4 (40:49):
Right, Yeah, George, where are you from? Where'd you grow up?

Speaker 2 (40:51):
So I mostly it's I mostly grew up in Greece,
but then I spent seven years or like six and
a half years in America in New Jersey and a
very sort of like middle of the road suburbia in
New Jersey, and so hometop ride was always very interesting
to me because in my mind, I was like, Okay, well,
the years I spent in New Jersey, that could have

(41:11):
literally been anywhere, like it had no defining elements. And
then when we moved back to Greece when I was
in high school, and that was genuinely such a big
difference in my life, and I was speaking a different language,
and I was so aware of like my Greek heritage everywhere,
and it's drilled into you that we came from the
ancient Greeks and like modern democracy was invented in Greece
and blah blah blah. And so it was so shocking

(41:33):
to me when I moved back to America to see
people be proud of Wisconsin. No offense, but I was
just like, wait, But to me, I would never think
of if my two hometowns are Greece and New Jersey,
Like New Jersey was just sort of like a waiting room, right,
you know what I mean?

Speaker 4 (41:51):
No, exactly, It's well, and that's also you know, there's
ethnic identity and ancient history involved in that and all of.

Speaker 2 (41:59):
This and by the way, being proud of being from
Greece is also reactionary and also quasi racist if done
the wrong way. Like I'm not saying sure, like literally
being proud of like Greek statues and like the Adonis
is you know, it's it's skip hopping a way to
being all right, Like right, I get that. But there's
something about like, Okay, let's think of this one thing

(42:21):
that I that is a completely random fact about myself
that it just so happened that this is where my
parents gave birth to me and have that be the
number one thing about myself. That's almost like it's almost
like giving up before you can even make an effort
to do something right.

Speaker 1 (42:35):
Yeah, and you're Sam, You're from Misser. I moved around
a lot, Okay, Michigan, like Virginia, Michigan, Indiana, Ohio.

Speaker 4 (42:43):
Oh okay, so just Midwest generally.

Speaker 1 (42:45):
Yeah, I'm mid West generally with a little bit of Southern.

Speaker 4 (42:48):
Do you feel pride?

Speaker 1 (42:51):
Never? Because I moved so much that it was always
like everywhere I went, people would be like, well, this
is how we do things, and I was like not everywhere,
Like I like had too much, you know for a
small town in Indiana, I had too much global knowledge
right where I was like, well, I've seen a place
with a mall in Virginia, and actually they like there

(43:14):
are whole new stories you haven't even heard of.

Speaker 4 (43:17):
Right, everybody who lives in a place, they do think
that that place is that They're like it's the best mall,
like oh, we have the local joint, like, uh, Freddie's.
Oh my god, the food at Freddie's the best to
sauce you've ever tasted. You go, there's a million Freddy's
and you don't even know.

Speaker 1 (43:37):
I think also the moving Skyler is like part of
the wall where I like would go and be like
because I was sort of taught like when you move,
you are wrong, like they are right, because you'll be
like that's not really how things work, and it's like no, no, no,
they are right. You are joining their town. So I
would be like sh like be quiet until you figure

(44:00):
what's going on, and then just sort of be like, yes,
I also love to go to that coffee shop right
like after school or whatever. Like there was something about
like they are always in the right, the customer is
always right.

Speaker 4 (44:11):
Right.

Speaker 2 (44:11):
I also think it's like I know that people who
you know move somewhere as adults and then pretend they're
from there get a bad rap, like it would be
like me pretending I'm like a New Yorker and wearing
and being like so hometown pride on nine to eleven. Yeah, obviously, However,
I actually think there's something too having hometown pride for

(44:36):
a place you actively chose to live in, because it
says more about your personality. Like I remember, after moving
around as a kid, the first place I as an
adult was the Bay Area, which I have no like
personal connection to, but I did feel like it was
where I made my first like sort of chosen community
is where I had my first like I really felt

(44:57):
kind of like an ownership over the neighborhood. I lived
in the places that I frequent in, the people that
I knew, and so I felt like I was If
I would ever were ever to, like, let's say, root
for a sports team or something, I would much I
would be much more likely to root for like a
San Francisco based team than like a New Jersey based one,
because that was just where my parents happened to live

(45:19):
at the time. I was like happy to live in
San Francisco. I chose it, and I liked it, so
obviously I'm like more happy.

Speaker 1 (45:27):
You're saying biological family versus chosen family.

Speaker 4 (45:30):
Yes, biological city and chosen city. I feel the same
way about Chicago. I grew up in Salt Lake City.
I moved to Chicago. I have way way more pride
for Chicago than I would of Salt Lake City because that,
I mean cultural differences aside. I still I chose here,
and I moved here at twenty and I became a
person in this city, and it feels like a much

(45:53):
more real city where people are sort of intended to
live and try to be their own person, where like
where I grew up is just like this is what
is So it's the most this is what we do
here city of anywhere in the United States.

Speaker 2 (46:08):
I would say, yeah, you're also pointing to an important thing,
which is like the idea of having hometown pride is
almost like saying that was the real me there, and
so like that's it's like that those are my roots,
That's what I'm proud of. Whereas I'm like, no, this
is the real me. I've worked very hard to pass
as like normal in New York, Like you know what,

(46:28):
you know.

Speaker 4 (46:28):
What I think it is too. I think it's also
like the same thing of being like, well, I'm a
Saveris and I'm a Taggart, like just like being all
about like lineage, which is like, yeah, but you are
as an individual and now I'm thinking about it individualism
versus collectivism and changing my tune a little bit, but
you as an individual, you as an individual, that doesn't

(46:50):
mean anything like being like what, this is what we've done,
this is who we are, this is what I'm It's
like that is true on a certain level, but on
another level, it's just like you you are not a
part of any of that that had nothing to do
with you. You're a result of it, and you can
acknowledge that, but it just you know, But I also
I don't care about family. I'm adopted, so I don't

(47:11):
have any sort of I don't have any like specific
like oh my name, my family name, my blood whatever.
I don't give a fuck about any of that.

Speaker 1 (47:21):
Yeah, I'm like, I think the weirdest something happens also
as you age that I've noticed among peers where it's
like even the people that were like I fucking hate
my hometown, like you give them like eight years and
they're like I actually love this town in Michigan, and
they're like, actually, it's like a really nice place to
raise children, and it like becomes this thing where like,

(47:44):
don't get me wrong, like where my parents live in
Michigan now is very nice because it's like on the
water and blah blah blah that you're like, oh, this
is cute and I see it now, but I still
would never live there, Like I couldn't, Like what would
I do?

Speaker 4 (47:56):
Right, There's I mean, there's more to life we chased.
I think we're also I don't know, from being ostracized
in one way or another, moving around or whatever. We're
like chasing a certain high that you just cannot get
in Michigan on the lake unless you like jet ski
a lot or something.

Speaker 1 (48:14):
Yeah, it's tough. I don't know, George, how do you
feel about that?

Speaker 2 (48:18):
No, it's I'm I was struck by what Skyler said
about like individualism versus collectivism, because I do agree that
that that sort of complicates the argument that we're making,
right that it's like, well, yes, we can't completely leave
behind who we are and only be this like you

(48:38):
know the architect in the fountain Head, Like, yes, we
are all part of the community we came from. We
are all part of our family in some way. Everywhere
we've lived like stays with us. So what So, okay,
what is the right amount to respect your past? That question?

Speaker 4 (49:00):
It's like my main struggle in life.

Speaker 2 (49:04):
I was about to be like, it's what makes you you,
but it's not. That's it's not, but it is. I
think like how happy you are at any given time
has to do largely with how you have chosen to
incorporate your past with your present, because you can get
way caught up in like nostalgia of what has come before,

(49:24):
or you can ignore it so much that you that
it's almost like a trauma that you've severed, and then
you're being this like dead eyed, like forward looking person.

Speaker 4 (49:36):
Well, I have a lot of thoughts about this because
I also think that this is sort of I think
the whole past present thing is is is sort of
the definition of like what I have been creatively or whatever,
because like you know, all my stand up is about
mormonn adoption whatever, all that bullshit. So all of that

(49:58):
I have very complicated feelings about and trauma around, and
so you want to sort of like decry that and go,
I'm not I'm not these things or whatever. I'm not
fully defined by them. And at the same time, it's like, well,
if everything that I have done is either a reaction
to this or not, either it is a reaction to this,

(50:20):
So you have to respect the things that have defined you.
But I also don't know if you get so bogged
down in them where it's just like I don't know.
You can only be who you are, and you can
only be where you're from, and you can acknowledge that
you didn't have a choice in that and then take agency,
But then also can't just be like fuck it, like

(50:41):
I don't give a shit about any of this.

Speaker 1 (50:43):
This is so like something about this is carry Bradshaw to.

Speaker 2 (50:46):
Me, there's something like really something about it is like
we'll talk about someone who doesn't have a past, literally
where is she from?

Speaker 4 (50:52):
Meanwhile across town?

Speaker 1 (50:53):
Well, it's sort of like is it possible to have
a future without a past? Like something so like is
it possible to look at where you've been from and
felt and feel nothing about it? Like can I ever
forgive big?

Speaker 4 (51:07):
Yeah?

Speaker 2 (51:07):
Well this is interesting though, like the idea of that
there is being defined by your past in a hometown prideway.
And there's being defined by your past in a UH
resentment way, Yes, there are. It's you can also be
so driven by your grievances about your past that that
also defines you. And so is that.

Speaker 1 (51:28):
Like?

Speaker 2 (51:29):
Is that straight or gay? Also? And is being neutral
about your path like like basically a rank from gata
strait being attached to your past in a hometown prideway,
being attached to your past in a resentment way, and
having completely neutral feelings about your past in a Carrie
Bradshaw way.

Speaker 1 (51:47):
Well, obviously it's straight to care about like to love
your past. Yes, it's gay to.

Speaker 2 (51:51):
Hate your past, to hate your past. And then neutral
is by I've never met a by person who's neutral.

Speaker 1 (52:04):
I don't know if anyone is neutral.

Speaker 2 (52:07):
I guess neutral is the wrong word. I think I
mean more like acceptand no, it's no, it's the opposite
of acceptance. It's like having a block, you know what
I mean. I think that traumato.

Speaker 4 (52:19):
I also think that is defined by like how much
did you, for lack of a better term, hate your past?
Which a lot of people I think go through this
life experiencing UH and they don't have any sort of
resentment of where they're I've just been like saying on
stage recently, like how is everybody's childhood good?

Speaker 1 (52:39):
Bad?

Speaker 4 (52:39):
Or neutral? And a lot of people will just be
like good. It's like, oh, yeah, so there's not when
there's not something to repel against in your hometown, Freddy's
is the best place and you don't really need anything else.
I think that it comes from a lack inside of
myself that I felt like I wanted to issue where
I was at and get too. Not that that lack

(53:01):
was bad, but I did need to fulfill something.

Speaker 1 (53:05):
Yeah, it's it could have been tight to love the hometown.

Speaker 4 (53:10):
Could have been awesome. I think if we were, if
we were all in our hometowns not talking about this
at all, I bet there is and you know we're
probably all you know in cells or whatever, but sure,
I think maybe we're all a lot happier because we're
like a little dumber.

Speaker 1 (53:25):
Little dumber, probably maybe got a little house. Yeah, who knows.

Speaker 4 (53:28):
Not that you're dumb to love your hometown, but I
think a lot of the people who do love their
hometown are pretty dumb. There is a correlation, right, They
like have an American flag up.

Speaker 2 (53:40):
I just want to say I actually I know that
we're generally talking about like smaller towns, smaller cities, but
I actually would extend that to people that are from
i don't know, in New York or Los Angeles orch Icago.

Speaker 1 (53:50):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (53:50):
Well, like, I actually think it's equally annoying, if not
more so, when someone you know grew up in the
Upper West Side and is obsessed with being from New York.

Speaker 1 (53:58):
No, I'm like genuinely so jealous of those people in
a way that is like kind of unhealthy, Like it's
almost being jealous of someone with like really rich parents.
Like I'm like, yeah, I'm so jealous that you got
to like start fulfilled, like you get to love your
hometown and you get to be in New York City. Right,
I'm like that's not fair.

Speaker 2 (54:20):
But then a lot of those people, it's so difficult
to satisfy them. Like I know so many people that
like I remember like going to college and being like
so enamored with being on a big campus and all
this stuff. And then I would meet people that are
from Manhattan and they're like, oh, this is just like
my high school. Like wait, you know, like.

Speaker 4 (54:37):
Yeah, there's too much stimulus out the gate. But yeah,
feel similar resentments. I just feel I'm so resentful sometimes
of anybody who's not where I'm from, Like from where
I'm from, where I go, like, you don't know what
it was like, it's like so weird. That is indescribable
until you go there and then go just like man,

(54:58):
just being from like oh from I'm from Chicago and
everybody like goes there and loves it's just oh, sounds awesome.
So much culture, you know, so many things, you're worldly
without ever really trying. It's harder for people to be
like ignorant about the existence of other people. It's ultimately
good to be exposed to a lot of people, and
if you're not, it's very like what so that pride

(55:20):
is at least warranted. But then it then it feels
like if you're prideful of those places, it kind of
feels like you're sort of flashing all the money that
you have in my face. It's like, oh, yeah, I'm
from a great place and I love that.

Speaker 1 (55:34):
Yeah, and I'm cool and smart. Yeah yeah, It's like.

Speaker 2 (55:38):
Well, right, I mean, hometown pride only works if you're
at least the underdog.

Speaker 1 (55:42):
Right, Yeah, I mean when people stay they're from LA.
Don't even get me started the way that I'm just like, okay,
so you have it all. Like like when especially when
people are from LA and then go live in New
York and they're like, god, I love New York And
it's like, so you just like grew up sort of
like knowing about everything, having access to everything. Yeah, and
now you still have access to Like I'm like, you.

Speaker 4 (56:04):
Have it all. Yeah, I don't know the people. I
haven't even met that many people who are from LA.
It seems very because everybody we know is from not here.
It seems like a lot of those people then are like, yeah,
I mean I didn't need to leave LA. This is
where everybody ends up eventually, so we can all be
set on fire. But like those people seem to like

(56:27):
have want for nothing as much or just be like
I'm also thinking of like probably just rich people. That's
everybody that I've met that is from LA was pretty rich.

Speaker 1 (56:38):
Sure. Oh that's so interesting.

Speaker 2 (56:40):
I've been surprised many times meeting people from especially when
I was younger, because I met a bunch of people
from LA when I was in college because I went
to college in California and I initially would think, like, wait,
why are you not like hiding Montag like, because in
my mind, everyone that's from LA is on the hills.
And then you realize that, of course, as many viral
Instagram posts have reminded us during the Wild Players, not

(57:02):
everyone in LA is Heidi Montag. And I know so
many people that are exceedingly normal slash middle class slash
whatever that are from LA And it's actually jarring to
you because then you actually meet someone who's rich from
Dallas and they are so much more weird. Oh one
of them who's like middle class from LA.

Speaker 1 (57:19):
No, that is true.

Speaker 2 (57:20):
They don't know how to act a genuinely Yeah, damn.

Speaker 1 (57:28):
Me, I can't believe you.

Speaker 4 (57:28):
Brought up Dallas. It's not real. Shots fire. Now I
feel like I also wasn't trying to claim that everybody
from LA is rich, obviously, I just feel like the
pieces you were. No, I'm saying that everybody from LA
is poor and they should get more rich.

Speaker 1 (57:45):
Everybody from LA is perfect.

Speaker 2 (57:48):
That's literally true. Everybody from LA is perfect.

Speaker 4 (57:50):
No, let's be real, though, Let's be real. It's well
like whatever, rich, poor, perfect, whatever, But everyone who is
from LA is going to hell and we know now
and we know that there.

Speaker 2 (58:00):
Everyone from New York is going to heaven.

Speaker 1 (58:05):
Wow, I love that. Huh ah.

Speaker 2 (58:11):
Well, I mean sorry to bring up more serious things,
but there is you know.

Speaker 1 (58:15):
I know this is such a serious day.

Speaker 2 (58:16):
Hometown pride. I just want to say, like hometown pride
taken to its extremes, white supremacy basics literally well literally,
it's like that's where like you know, debates about the
Confederate flag come from. It's the people being like, well
we think it's racist. No, we think it's just hometown pride.

Speaker 1 (58:34):
Well and even just like get out of my town, person,
I don't know, yeah exactly. It's very uh yeah.

Speaker 4 (58:40):
It's I mean, it's identity built around like externalities that
are then taken to the extreme where you don't consider
that because you can be like, oh I am this,
and then when you push everything else away and being
like I am so, I am so that, I'm so
happy to be that. Then it's like again like going

(59:01):
back to like not the individual thing where you're like,
so you think you're this larger thing, but then you
think everybody else outside of your collective isn't a part
of the collective. So It's like individuality in this way
is good because then you can think of everybody as
individuals instead of just your collective being the one individual

(59:23):
and everybody else part of an outgroup. It's tribal, makes sense. Yeah,
it was a convoluted way to say tribal, isn't it.

Speaker 2 (59:30):
And also, I mean, obviously sports fandom is part of
this whatever. But then also being proud of famous people
that are from where you are from. Yeah, I mean
obviously when I was in New Jersey, like Bruce Springston
was a huge presidence. So like, if you're from Minnesota,
you think you have like a relationship with Prince. It's
like not really. He probably would have found you like
pretty boring.

Speaker 1 (59:49):
But at the same time you do.

Speaker 4 (59:53):
He's like, Prince could have walked where I walked. You
don't understand, and that means something for some reason.

Speaker 1 (59:58):
Well, it's like it's almost like mass hysteria. Like everyone
in Minnesota is like Prince's ours. So princes like played
more and princes like posted more, and Prince is like
just in the culture more. So you're like, I guess
I love Prince more, and you kind of do.

Speaker 4 (01:00:13):
But you're also you're also being like because he's from
that same place. We're talking about that collective like identity thing.
You go, well, that makes me part Prince, you know,
if he's from the same place as me, Prince's part me.
There's a tiny bit of me and Prince and a
tiny little bit of Prince in me, and that makes
me feel like I can somehow believe in myself more.

Speaker 1 (01:00:33):
I mean the way that will go as a hold
on Chicago, my needs to be Like when I lived
in Chicago, I loved will Go more than I've loved
anything in my life.

Speaker 4 (01:00:42):
Yeah, and in a way that was like I look
back on that and.

Speaker 1 (01:00:45):
I'm like, who was I Like, Don't get me wrong,
I still like it, but like I'm not like fucking
crazy about it, right, Like I was like, you know,
run me over with.

Speaker 4 (01:00:53):
A truck, will go, like please, it's I mean anything
like and especially because so much has come there, come
from there, anything from there, people are gonna feel that
way about the fact that Michael Jordan, like the the
one city with the most pride got to have Michael Jordan.
It's like, come on, It's like giving a person that

(01:01:14):
already has ADHD like a bunch of cocaine.

Speaker 2 (01:01:17):
You also can't help yourself, Like, for example, I had,
I came up, I started comedy in Boston. It's not
interesting why I was there. I just happen to be
living there and I started comedy there.

Speaker 4 (01:01:25):
That sounds it's not interesting.

Speaker 1 (01:01:28):
I was Thered School.

Speaker 2 (01:01:30):
Okay, thank you, Sam, and I have no special I
don't know hometown pride for Boston, but when I hear
another comedian started in Boston, I go wild. I'm like, oh,
we are part of this. And that's actually a way
in which hometown pride. Yes, it's biological family, but it
also is chosen family because you think you're family members

(01:01:51):
with Prince, Like, it's actually chosen family in this way
where you're all in a commune together raising your children together.
M Yeah, you know what I mean.

Speaker 4 (01:02:01):
I think there's also that comedian thing too, of like, yeah,
we chose to do the same thing in the same place,
so we probably had And this is the good part
about any group similar struggles. We can relate over this.
I'm probably traumatized by the similar things, and so you
can understand uniquely the contours of what my feelings are

(01:02:22):
because you had that experience, and that is what everything
creative we do writing or whatever is trying to get
to with other people. And then when somebody has that
experience where it's like, well, if you have the same
experience as me, I don't need to write a joke
explaining what that experience is for you. You just are

(01:02:42):
there with me. So like we don't even need that.
So the connection that we are trying to make across
humans and try to be less unknowable to our fellow
man is like already there. So you can be like, oh, yeah,
same place, same people. So I might be coming around
on hometown pride, but I am straight.

Speaker 1 (01:03:00):
So whatever. Yeah, No, there's well, and it's like our
hometown pride is gay, like where we're like.

Speaker 4 (01:03:07):
It's just pride.

Speaker 2 (01:03:10):
Yeah, we've invented gay pride literally.

Speaker 1 (01:03:13):
Because it's like where I'm not gonna be proud of
where I'm from, I guess I would have gay pride.

Speaker 2 (01:03:16):
Well okay, but literally what you're saying, it's true. It's
like any kind of cultural pride, like if we have
pride in the fact that like like our Bruce Springsteen
is Judy Garland, like it's just because like she has
been chosen as the saint literally the community and that's literally.

Speaker 1 (01:03:32):
Why like Stan culture fights so hard.

Speaker 2 (01:03:35):
Oh yeah wow, stand culture is just hometown pride for
people who are not from anywhere.

Speaker 1 (01:03:41):
Interesting, right, But I also think that pride without borders.

Speaker 2 (01:03:45):
Yeah wow wow, No, it's.

Speaker 4 (01:03:48):
I mean it is like this. I mean, the stand
culture thing does speak to this natural craziness of defending
something that is outside yourself, that's not you. You're building
your identity around, and it feels like we can do
that for anything. Where it's like the way the way
I see people go so hard for Nicki, like so hard,

(01:04:11):
the most awful for Nicki Minach, who is not even
for Nicki who had good hits for like a little
bit of time a while ago. And I mean, bleep
it out if the nicky stands are gonna come for
me bar because I can't do but it's like insane
to me that level. But like people will do that

(01:04:33):
for that or like some town in Idaho. Yeah, but
at least that's land. At least that's like property that
you can own. That's different. That's different, but it's like primordial.
It's just weird like this, like this like self preservation
has then inside like what we need to do has
then turned into like I'm gonna get online and bully

(01:04:54):
somebody for a K pop band.

Speaker 1 (01:04:56):
Yeah, yeah, this is why we need to make homes
more affordable, because people just buy a home. They would
defend that, and they wouldn't need to defend the humanas true.

Speaker 4 (01:05:05):
I know, it's almost like you're onto something. We take
all the housing market back, and then stand culture goes away.

Speaker 1 (01:05:13):
Because we all have the need to defend. Unfortunately, humans
have a military.

Speaker 2 (01:05:17):
No, yeah, it's a militaristic mindset. It's also an ego
based mindset because I think every single thing you are
quote proud of, it's almost like you are bringing it
in and now this is part of me, and now
this is part of me, and now this is part
of me, and you're making yourself like bigger and it's
all feeding into your ego, which then makes you feel
more invincible and also more offended when someone you know

(01:05:40):
attacks some part of you.

Speaker 4 (01:05:41):
It's so crazy the way I will get I don't
do it anymore because I'm like kind of aware of it,
but I feel when somebody really doesn't like something that
I like and goes hard at it, and then I
start being like, oh I guess I don't like that person.
It's like, whoa wait a second, Like that's that's not
a part of me. I just like it, and they
hate it, and I go, well, I guess I don't
like you. You hate Tyler the Creator.

Speaker 1 (01:06:03):
I hate you. I mean, I think it's a good
way to sort of weed people out something.

Speaker 4 (01:06:06):
I mean, it's true, and it does work, but it
is strange because it's like, well, that's also a third
party that has nothing to do with us, really, so
what are we attaching to?

Speaker 1 (01:06:15):
Yeah, it's hard to tell. This sucks because I actually
had a point and I lost it. And don't you
hate that when you're podcasting and you forget what you're
gonna say.

Speaker 4 (01:06:27):
That's why I don't have a podcast.

Speaker 1 (01:06:28):
Damn. It really sucks because it was probably the smartest
best point yet.

Speaker 4 (01:06:33):
You know, and I knew that. I knew you were
going to cap it off with like the smartest best point,
because you always do that.

Speaker 1 (01:06:38):
Because you wait till the end for the best point.

Speaker 4 (01:06:41):
And then it sort of culminates.

Speaker 2 (01:06:42):
And yeah, you're like, I gotta we knew that was
happening too, Scott. Scott. We were sort of being like
hype meant we were like, all right, let's like keep
this going and make no b Rade points back and forth,
back and forth, and Sam is gonna come with the
final home run.

Speaker 1 (01:06:55):
Yeah. So that's what's really complicated about it pretty much
is because because it was going to be out of
the park too.

Speaker 4 (01:07:02):
What would you say you have the most pride in?
Is it just gay?

Speaker 1 (01:07:05):
Is it gay?

Speaker 4 (01:07:05):
I'm I'm genuinely asking you know about yourself.

Speaker 1 (01:07:10):
I actually have the point go. This was part of
kind of what was weird when the fires were happening
and everyone was like, I fucking love this is my
fucking city, because I was like, I actually don't have
a connection to lay and yet I'm living here. And
it's confusing as like because I can't be like, yeah,
like we love you because I was like, well, I've
spent the last year shit talking to La. It would

(01:07:33):
be so insane for me now to be like I stand.
But it's also like don't burn down. Yeah I don't
need to burn down, and I don't yeah, yeah not,
I can't.

Speaker 4 (01:07:41):
It's like I can't talk shit even though I have
been like now that's over, I'm not gonna If I'm
being honest, I still don't love it, but I appreciate
that people who do love it, and everybody should still
have their houses. But it's still just kind of like, oh,
I guess I'll just like sit back and then sort
of just kind of post go fundmes or whatever.

Speaker 1 (01:08:02):
It was really like, oh wow, eggs on my face.
Like the person that you've like shit talked for the
last year get to hit by a car and you're like,
oh damn, my bad. Did not intend for that to happen.

Speaker 4 (01:08:14):
Well, it's just like I didn't. I didn't hate you
like that, and I didn't think anything bad should happen.
I just didn't, you know, like want to hang out.

Speaker 1 (01:08:20):
It's kind of like that i'd want you to die.

Speaker 4 (01:08:23):
Yeah, I didn't feel that way about it.

Speaker 1 (01:08:26):
But to answer your question, I think I feel it's
somewhere between maybe a mixture of gay and New York.

Speaker 2 (01:08:31):
Okay, George, Yeah, I would say I mean I do
think ultimately, almost in a sort of jokey ironic way,
I do think it is I love talking about being Greek,
and it's like a fun thing to talk about, and
it sets and it like it's fun to almost in
the way that I feel like this would also be

(01:08:52):
the case if I was like a Talian or something like.
It's like, I am fully just like a white American person,
So it's funny to pretend that I'm for.

Speaker 4 (01:09:01):
Well, you gotta like attach yourself to something like even
if it's irony pilled you still, I mean, and to
be fair.

Speaker 2 (01:09:08):
Like I do feel I mean, that is where I
go home, that is where my family lives. Like I
go there. It's like I do feel connected to it.
But I certainly am not like or like I'm not
an immigrant or like a foreign person in the way
that like my parents were when they first moved here.
Obviously it passes American, right, it almost feels like a
betrayal to use very like American humor to talk about

(01:09:30):
how different I am and how Greek I am.

Speaker 4 (01:09:32):
Right, I feel that way. I feel like, yeah, you're
sort of resisting the.

Speaker 1 (01:09:39):
Cause.

Speaker 4 (01:09:40):
To me, that sounds like you're heading off criticism that
like nobody's making in your face. But you're thinking that like, okay,
but Greek people would see it like this, And yet
I know who I'm speaking to when I talk about
this stuff, and I yeah, I feel the same way
about being black obviously, just because it's like a yes,
I am black and I was raised with that, but

(01:10:02):
also like I was adopted and raised by white people,
so it was always like an in like an all
white place, so it was always a very outsider thing.
It wasn't as much of like, I'm black in a
community of black people and all this stuff. It was
very like this is sort of for the most of
the time of problem. And I think I reacted to
that as a kid and as a young adult, trying

(01:10:25):
to sort of downplayed as much as possible or be
tokenizer all this whatever, and then sort of realizing that,
you know, I don't want to have that just be
an accessory in this way, and having realized that and
understood and respected my past have been like yes, I
am different or whatever to a lot of different people.

(01:10:49):
I feel like my pride sort of centers around like
understanding who I am with regards to race and culture,
and I'm like, yeah, I'm this and I have to
be this way. And I think that I understand all
the reactions to me from all these different kinds of people,
and yet I still am myself. I feel like I

(01:11:11):
have pride in my own blackness and the way I've
understood it, and I feel the same way because it's like, well, no,
I'm not exactly like whatever, but like you know, I'm
aware of that and I accept that about myself, and
I think it's good. I think it's okay to be
prideful about stuff.

Speaker 2 (01:11:27):
Well, it's also it's interesting, like, obviously my experience is
in no way directly related, but being proud of a
marker of difference rather than something that you are in community,
rather than something that connects you to community is sort
of an interesting point because I remember, like when we
lived in the States, I felt different because like my
parents had accents, like they we didn't know a lot

(01:11:48):
of things about American culture that everyone else around me
and you or whatever. And then I thought that I
would when we move back to Greece, that I would
immediately feel an innate part of that community because so
far I had felt different. But in fact, then when
we move back to Greece, I felt more American because
all my references were American blah blah. So all of
that is to say, to your point, the thing that,

(01:12:11):
if anything is connected to any kind of natural pride
was always like a marker of difference rather than a
marker of like solidarity.

Speaker 4 (01:12:19):
Right, and you can still be in solidarity with people,
but you also understand how much different you are in
no matter where you go. And it can feel really
bad sometimes. But I think because it is something that
feels bad is something you have to accept about yourself
and be prideful in. Otherwise I think that really sort

(01:12:41):
of will ruin you emotionally.

Speaker 1 (01:12:44):
Yes, so amen, Amen, Well, I know.

Speaker 4 (01:12:49):
We should we do such a heavy episode. I know
I'm silly, man. I want people to know that Stradio
Lab listeners. I like jokes and I'm not always bringing
it down by talking about the differences between ourselves in
the past and currently.

Speaker 1 (01:13:04):
I don't think. I think this was serious but not
too serious.

Speaker 2 (01:13:08):
I completely agree.

Speaker 1 (01:13:10):
I think this was a good level of serious.

Speaker 4 (01:13:12):
I should have gone with Parkour.

Speaker 2 (01:13:15):
Wait, I do want to know what your other two
were parkour and what.

Speaker 1 (01:13:17):
Else it was gonna be?

Speaker 4 (01:13:18):
Parkour cults.

Speaker 1 (01:13:20):
Oh, that's good, it is good parkour.

Speaker 2 (01:13:22):
Parkour is really good.

Speaker 1 (01:13:24):
It's really juicy. Parker's juicy.

Speaker 4 (01:13:25):
But I don't have a lot to say about it.
You just feels it it.

Speaker 1 (01:13:29):
I actually have a lot to say about it, really,
I fully because you're a stairs guy, so you were
always right, I'm doing the stairs. I'm doing all types
of shit on those stairs. No. When I was in college,
I took a documentary making class and like they were like,
you got to make a documentary about something. I chose
the Parkour Club. Wow. And I literally like followed the

(01:13:52):
parkourp Club And it was so funny because they were
like not real like but they were like, we're actually
going to like this other college for like a parkour
jam jam. And there were like multiple park Corps clubs
from multiple colleges, and I was like, this is like
one of the weirdest groups of people I've ever been around.

Speaker 4 (01:14:13):
They gotta be weird.

Speaker 1 (01:14:14):
And like, I made this documentary that was like obviously
so embarrassing and I would love to be able to
find it again. But the documentary teacher I saw him
like a year later, and he was like, hey, like
I actually love your park coor documentary. My two sons
watch it all the time, and it's like right because
they're like eight year old boys who just want to

(01:14:36):
see a guy do a flip.

Speaker 4 (01:14:38):
Like it's so embarrassing. How cool I thought it was.
It's like such a thing because you're like, is guys
moving so cool? You're amazing, you can be.

Speaker 1 (01:14:47):
I've talked about the things. George and I talked about
the siren song of men's wear and how it like
calls to us even though we know it's unethical and
we think of it sort of like how an evangelical
thinks about porn. And that's kind of how the siren
song of Parkour also does call. Like sometimes when the
algorithm takes over, I will start getting a couple more

(01:15:09):
Parkour clips in there.

Speaker 4 (01:15:10):
Yeah, well, I feel like it's bad. I feel like
it was gone and I you know, I watch as
a kid, and now I see Parkour videos sometimes and
I go, well, this is bad. That's actually kind of
how I knew Trump was gonna win because park park
four is back.

Speaker 2 (01:15:21):
That's what it is. I would rather watch Parkour videos
than like most content that served of.

Speaker 1 (01:15:25):
Course at least amazing point.

Speaker 4 (01:15:28):
It's so cool.

Speaker 2 (01:15:29):
But it's literally all I get is like, get drag
QUI sorry, no offense to wow to talk about right
wing I literally give me Parkour.

Speaker 4 (01:15:36):
Not okay, but drag Parkour.

Speaker 2 (01:15:39):
No, there we go.

Speaker 1 (01:15:42):
I'm the Parkour Queen of Pittsburgh.

Speaker 2 (01:15:47):
We are like two seasons away from that happening.

Speaker 1 (01:15:49):
Of course, everyone's desperate to find anything that makes them unique.
That's a good one, Parkour, Queen of Pittsburgh. All right,
should we do our first our final segments? Sam, Yeah,
it's our final segment, so Skyler. A final segment is
called shout Outs, and in this segment we pay homage

(01:16:11):
to the grand straight tradition of the radio shout out
to anything that you are enjoying, people, places, things, ideas.
Imagine two thousand and one, you're at TRL shouting out
to your squad back home, but about anything that you like.
George and I will go first, George, do you have one?

Speaker 2 (01:16:28):
I can think of one. I'm not gonna lie. I
don't have one right now?

Speaker 1 (01:16:31):
Do you I have one? Okay, I will locked and
loaded today.

Speaker 2 (01:16:35):
Okay, go go go.

Speaker 4 (01:16:36):
Um.

Speaker 1 (01:16:37):
Well, I actually have two, but I'm not sure which
I'm going to land on. Okay, okay, whatever. This will
not be topical by the time this comes out, and
that's okay. What's up freaks, losers and perverts around the globe.
I want to give a huge shout out to FKA Twigs.
You sexual the album it came out just last night
and I sat up and I listened to it, and

(01:16:58):
I said, damn, this is fucking good start to finish.
I think she's doing something very interesting where her look
has never been weirder and her music has never been
more accessible to me. It's actually very gaga to be like,
look how weird I look, but look how normal I sound.
And I think it's a fun thing for her. And
there's a lot of stuff in there that George specifically,
I think you would like. There's a lot of sort

(01:17:18):
of ray of light vibes, a lot of like interesting
niche pop references that I'm like, oh, now, this is interesting.
When a cool girl does cool pop music, you really
do notice a difference. And I am so happy and
it's you know, every year of my life, I feel
like I'm just sort of I'm like, is this the

(01:17:41):
year that I have nothing to find joy over? And
then boom something else comes and I say, look at me,
go I have reason to live. Thank you FK Twigs.
I love you. Xoxo, Sam.

Speaker 4 (01:17:53):
Wow, that was great. I got a lot to say
about FK Twigs.

Speaker 1 (01:17:57):
I was very blown away.

Speaker 2 (01:17:58):
Wow, I'm I'm really excited to listen. I sort of
think she might be the only person that can save us,
I think, and not to.

Speaker 1 (01:18:05):
Pit women against each other, but sort of hearing it,
I'm like, was the Brat thing like a psychosis?

Speaker 4 (01:18:13):
Like it wasn't mass well, you know, it's I listened
to it now, honestly just started actually listening to it now,
and I'm like, it's good, but it felt like so
like it was again like with the culture and everything.
It was so like this is what we are into.
And there was where I started listening to it back
then and I was just like okay, but like you

(01:18:37):
with moving, I was like, I guess I'm just not
gonna say anything because if I do, I'll be torn
to shreds and then people will be like, well then
what bullshit do you listen to? And I'll be like
I don't know, I'm all over the place, and I
don't want to do that.

Speaker 1 (01:18:52):
Yeah, I mean, I still don't get me wrong, I
still love Brat, but there's something about this when I'm like,
this is like it's matures. There's something really something to it.
So George, yeah, what do you think? No, I.

Speaker 2 (01:19:10):
I do think unfortunately, even though we all I think
we all earnestly did like Bratt, and I loved it.
I'm on record, I still isn't to it. Whatever. Unfortunately,
it got so big that when people do look back
on it, they will look back on it with embarrassment
in the way that we look back on like sorry,
but like the Women's March, that's so truly I went
to it, and I of course everyone needed to march,

(01:19:33):
and like, I don't regret being part of it, but
you can't not look back on it and be embarrassed
like it just that is how it is.

Speaker 1 (01:19:40):
I think you're one hundred percent right, because that is
I liked it. But then I'm seeing tiktoks that are
trying me crazy. They're like, quote unquote analyzing the songs
and it's like, you are the dumbest person I've ever heard.
Right now, I don't like it. I don't like all
like that. There were two people dressed up as Apple's
next to me at the fucking Sweat Tour. Good lord,
I was furious.

Speaker 4 (01:19:58):
That's how I feel about Kendrick and Drake's whole beef.
Now is I still get posts of people like talking
about it in the terms of like, oh the battle
and I'm like, that was Can we put it down?
That was last year? You're still talking about Oh Drake's
goof Yeah still, and I don't care anymore. That was
fun for them. I don't care now. It's insane how

(01:20:22):
much content I'm still getting about. Oh, you know the
true hip hop heads.

Speaker 1 (01:20:26):
No, I don't care.

Speaker 4 (01:20:28):
I'm not a true hip hop head and I liked
it at the time.

Speaker 1 (01:20:31):
Enough of that, Damn. It's tough. Okay, George, whenever you're ready, Yes, yes,
I will go.

Speaker 2 (01:20:39):
Okay, what's up, vientophiles and wine drinkers. I want to
give a shout out to Lambrusco. First of all, let
me just say I think Lambrusko is absolutely disgusting. But
what I want to give a shout out to is
the confidence with which it presents itself. And even though
I know that every time I have tasted it, I
haven't liked it. You know you hear you say, Oh,
sometimes I want to read wine. Sometimes I want to
be cold, maybe a little maybe a little fizz. Oh

(01:21:01):
that sounds kind of nice. Maybe I will get a
glass Lambersco each time you want to send it back,
And so I sort of I want to become the
Lambrusco of you know, writer performers, where even if people
do not like what I'm offering, they say, oh, I
wonder what that George has to say. And even if
each time they keep coming back and keeping like that
was honestly kind of a flop, they keep buying tickets.
So I think we only need to adopt the Lambrusco mentality.

(01:21:23):
It is much more about a about marketing than it
is about the essence of it. I think I think
Lambrusco is the defining drink of the of the Biden
and second Trump era. We all need to channel our
inner Lambrusko if we want to be famous in this
crazy connected world. You guys, shout out to Lambrusco.

Speaker 1 (01:21:40):
Huge shout out.

Speaker 4 (01:21:41):
Whoa Wow.

Speaker 1 (01:21:42):
Okay Skyler, whenever you are ready, Okay, all right, I
have yeah, I have one.

Speaker 4 (01:21:49):
Shout out to those really big trucks, the Fords, the
f four, fifties, one fifties, whatever is the huge trucks
that the white guys with the Oakley's drive. Shout out
to those, they're so big. I hope you finally feel
secure in your masculinity from driving those. I hope that
you find some sort of meaning in driving a truck
where you're above everybody, can see everybody, And I hope

(01:22:10):
it makes you feel safe. I hope you feel hugged
and safe inside those huge, huge trucks because they guzzle
so much gas and it's got to be so expensive
for you. But what price is too much to feel
like a real man? And I hope you enjoy driving
that around and trying to park, and I hope it's
all worth it, even though I know you don't have
shit to haul. Shout out to those big old trucks.

Speaker 1 (01:22:31):
Whoo whoo damn, those trucks really are fucking big, so
big talk about I mean, I hate to always be
this person, but I'm like, when will the government step in?
Never ban these fucking drugs.

Speaker 4 (01:22:45):
The trucks is like that's second underguns for like those people.
They want them in those amendments.

Speaker 1 (01:22:51):
Because I love those like little old trucks. I'm like, oh,
how cute. Yeah, But those big ones, I'm like, this
is fucking huge.

Speaker 4 (01:23:00):
It's again hometown stuff. When I every time I visit,
I will see because you don't really see them out
you'll see them more out here. You don't see them
in New York or Chicago or whatever. I go back
to Salt Lake. They're huge. People are driving them around
and they look almost like monster trucks, and you're like,
why do you need to drive that? What is going on?

Speaker 2 (01:23:18):
I mean, I do the impression I get of Salt
Lake City and I have never been there. Is there
is just so much space that people are like, what
if we feel it? Like, it's just it's crazy. And
this is mostly from watching the Real Housewives.

Speaker 4 (01:23:31):
It's true, it's just it's it's really like weirdly like
you know, obviously cultish, but like also like way more
white trash than people think very much, because it's you know,
the American West shot out.

Speaker 1 (01:23:45):
Shout out to there too well S Tyler, thanks for
doing the pod. This has been a real treat.

Speaker 4 (01:23:49):
Thanks for having me. Hope to see you guys again soon.

Speaker 1 (01:23:53):
Do you want to pluge anything? We're bad at that?

Speaker 4 (01:23:55):
Oh yeah, I'm doing a show at Union Hall on March.

Speaker 1 (01:24:00):
Hey, now our listeners know where that is.

Speaker 4 (01:24:01):
Y'all know where that is, so if you want to
come and see me make jokes instead of really like
getting into it about our deep feelings about who we
are in the world. Then come to that.

Speaker 5 (01:24:12):
Yeah, that's all I'm doing, PERF and watch after midnight.
Why not watch after midnight on CBS and check out
the Oscars. Check out the Oscars on ABC. They're gonna
be so mad.

Speaker 1 (01:24:25):
But yeah, okay, bye bye.

Speaker 2 (01:24:29):
Podcast And now want more? Subscribe to our Patreon for
two extra episodes a month, discord access and more by
heading to patreon dot com. Slash Stradio Lab and for.

Speaker 1 (01:24:41):
All our visual earners, free full length video episodes are
available on our YouTube now Get back to Work. Stradio
Lab is a production by Will Ferrell's Big Money Players
Network and iHeart Podcasts.

Speaker 2 (01:24:51):
Created and hosted by George Severis and Sam Taggart.

Speaker 1 (01:24:54):
Executive produced by Will Ferrell, Hans Sonny and Olivia Aguilar.
Co produced by Bay Wang, edited an engineer heired by
Adam Avalos. Artwork by Michael Philes and Matt Gruff. Theme
music by Ben Kling