Valentine's Earnestness Bonanza Pt. 1

It's time to celebrate ROMANCE with another Earnestness Bonanza, our bi-annual call-in show where we check our world famous comedic sensibilities at the door and answer listener questions completely earnestly. Stay tuned for part 2 next week!

LA: Come see George do an hour of standup comedy at the Elysian Theater on March 5 and March 6! Tickets at linktree.com/georgeciveris

Subscribe to our Patreon at patreon.com/straightiolab for bonus episodes twice a month and don't forget to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts! 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Happy Tuesday. This is George with a very special announcement
specifically for listeners who live in the beautiful city of
Los Angeles, a city we love. I am doing my
brand new hour of stand up comedy at the Allegiant
Theater once again for two nights next month, and the
shows are Tuesday, March fifth at seven thirty and Wednesday,

(00:20):
March sixth at nine to thirty. I'm in the process
of booking all the special guests, and let's just say
we have some heavy hitters. I'll tell you one, Patre again.
He's already He's already locked for the Wednesday show, and
there are a few other ones that are in the works.
I cannot wait to be back in LA and reunited
with my friend and coworker Sam Taggart, and reunited with

(00:43):
all of you. And you can find tickets to both
shows in my Instagram bio or just go straight to
linktree dot com slash George Severes. That is linktree dot
com slash George Severs or honestly, even just google Allegiant Theater,
Los Angeles. You'll find I know I enjoy the show.

Speaker 2 (01:19):
Podcast starts now. Welcome to the Valentine's day official earnestness Bonanza,
where we will take questions and answer them as earnestly
as possible. The bit has been officially dropped. We will
not be funny, This will not be interesting, period, point blank. George, Hi, Hello.

Speaker 1 (01:42):
I was not speaking because I realized as you were
talking that I forgot to start my solo recording. But
the way I started it seamlessly with. I said, I'm
not going to talk until i'm it's recording, and sure enough,
now I started talking, it's recording. When we send this
to the various professionals that mix and audio engineer the podcast,

(02:03):
they will have no idea that I made any mistake.

Speaker 2 (02:06):
Those fools, they'll get that audio file and think you
started it right on time.

Speaker 1 (02:11):
I do want to say off the bat, and if
people are watching on YouTube, because our episodes are of
course available in full on YouTube, they will know you
look professionally lit. I would say, movie star good looks.
You are wearing an outside outfit, something that you could
potentially wear on the street. And I really the lightning here,
even though it's actually very nice out is I'm feeling

(02:32):
a little bit. Alicia Keys goes no makeup in how
I look like standing in my apartment with the kind
of two thirty seven pm New York light hitting me like, yeah,
I almost look it's weird. I'm like, what is it?
Because I don't there's nothing specific that I can point
to where I can say, oh, I'm unshaven or I'm

(02:55):
wearing a stupid outfit. But I do just look a
little less attractive than norm.

Speaker 2 (03:00):
No, no, no, I couldn't agree least. I think you
look raw and rugged. Thanks, thankes, me go a lot better,
you know, a real classic American man. I just think
you know it is there is a power imbalance here
that I didn't even know there really is. I didn't
even realize that. You know, I'm in La. You know,

(03:21):
I'm the one that made things different for us. We're
supposed to both be in New York in theory, and
I'm in LA and instead of it being you getting
you know, to be in the studio and me have
to record remotely, actually the recording just moved to La
to and you don't.

Speaker 1 (03:39):
I don't think people realize this. Since you have moved,
every guest we've had has been in studio with you,
and I have been at home as though I'm being
punished for you moving to Los Angeles, and actually, and
now that I'm thinking about it, I'm like, why are
we doing it that way? It could be me. It
could be me in the New York studio with a

(03:59):
guest you in LA. But it has never been questioned.
And since you moved, I have been a by the way,
you got a job and I didn't, So first inequality there,
and then on top of that, suddenly it's like, well
it's TGS with Tracy Jordan rather than the Girly Show
with Jenna Moroney. All of a sudden, and it's you know,
we need a big name. Let's get Sam Taggert.

Speaker 2 (04:20):
Well, the thing is the real reason, first of all
this is I love this. The real thing is that
I don't have my professional microphone here. And so I
was like, I was like, oh, well, actually I think
it would be easier if I just came to the
studio to record. And with that, then it was like, well,
you're going to be in the studio, it might as
well get LA.

Speaker 1 (04:40):
Guess I just want to say it is so celebrity
to think of something that is convenient for you and
say I think it would be easier if X y
Z Like it's very like you know, Bulgary lending you
jewelry for the Metcala and you being like, I think
it's easier if I just keep it.

Speaker 2 (04:58):
Well, it'd be so hard to return the return processes,
so like I don't know.

Speaker 1 (05:02):
If I can get to you know, Fifth Avenue right now,
Like I mean I can just keep it in my apartment.

Speaker 2 (05:08):
Yeah, well that's that's who knew. That's la you know,
I'm I live in Hollywood.

Speaker 1 (05:14):
Now, can I tell you? You know when I've been
having one of those sort of stretches of time where
you know how you have certain stretches of time when
you actually are living your life in the way you
imagine you should be living it, and you're like, man,
if the reality show cameras were here now, like people
would think this was me all the time. Like in

(05:34):
the last twelve hours, I did my show. It like
went well, then I went out with friends. Today, I
woke up, read the New Yorker and went to the
gym and now and then came back, had a protein
bar and now I'm recorded. I'm doing my job of
being a podcaster.

Speaker 2 (05:53):
Yeah, it sucks when you when that is happening and
it's not being filmed, and yeah, because it's perfect at
those times. I mean anytime, you know, anytime I've had
like one of those nights where it like keeps going
and you're like, wow, look at me going to this, this, this,
and then I'm like still awake and fun. At the end,
I'm like, oh damn. And it's crazy that only the

(06:13):
three of us got to see that totally.

Speaker 1 (06:15):
Well, two things, it's crazy that only three of us
got to see that, and B there is something almost
sad about it because you say, oh, this could be
my life. I have the ability to live this amazing life. Yeah,
but I can only reach those heights once every two months.

Speaker 2 (06:34):
Yeah, tell me about your.

Speaker 3 (06:36):
Show, you know.

Speaker 1 (06:37):
I have to say it was the best one of
the ones I've like, of the shows that I've done
workshopping this hour, this was like the one I felt
best about, which makes sense objectively because A it's the
latest web so I've you know, worked on it at
this point, and B it is the largest venue I've done,
so obviously just statistically there's more laughter, But I don't know,

(07:01):
there was a there was something about it that where
it felt like everything was going right, like the The
people that opened were Moss, Periconian Estrophallic, and both of
them actually without me asking, did exactly the right amount
of like commenting on what the show was like. Mosco
got out and very expertly before starting was like, so

(07:23):
basically it's not You're gonna see a little bit for me,
then I'm gonna bring out my friend Esther, and then
we're gonna get to George and just even just something
as simple as that, rather than someone coming out and
just starting their set. Yeah, you're just sort of like,
oh right, this is this is what it is to
be a pro, not like I've been to so many
shows where you're like, have you done this before?

Speaker 2 (07:44):
Yeah?

Speaker 1 (07:45):
And then Esther then did her set and ended with
a song and then brought me out. So people were
so excited. People were so in such a celebratory mood
because they had just seen.

Speaker 3 (07:55):
A song.

Speaker 1 (07:57):
Off yeah, and so they're absolutely rated.

Speaker 3 (07:59):
To pop off.

Speaker 1 (08:02):
And then I did the thing you know everyone says
to do this and I never really have, which is
you put your new material in the middle so that
it like your old material leads up to it, and
then even if it doesn't go well, you have something
to land on. Yeah, and when I tell you it
like worked like a charm.

Speaker 2 (08:20):
So you know, if it broke, don't fix it. You know,
people have been saying it for for millennia and I
believe them.

Speaker 3 (08:30):
So no, it was good.

Speaker 1 (08:31):
I will say the last one I did, I did
it at Union Hall a couple of weeks ago, and
I was, I will admit it publicly, fully sick, not
with COVID and not with anything. I don't think contagious,
but I did do an hour.

Speaker 2 (08:42):
While yeah, this only you know when it's contagious, it is.

Speaker 1 (08:46):
Confirmed, it's confirmed that it was in COVID.

Speaker 2 (08:50):
Well was it? How was it? How was it confirmed?
Wasn't contagious? Whatever it was.

Speaker 1 (08:54):
So, as I was saying I did a full hour
of stand up, I would say fifty minutes of stand
up because I really was running through it because I
wanted to leave, of course.

Speaker 2 (09:04):
And it was fine.

Speaker 3 (09:05):
I mean it was fine.

Speaker 1 (09:05):
It wasn't a disaster, but I definitely did not feel
amazing afterwards, and so there was I would say a
lot writing on this one. I was like, this one
really better go well because I need to feel good
about myself, you know, especially as I record my podcast
alone while my co host is being given the red
carpet treatment in Hollywood.

Speaker 2 (09:25):
Well only the best. Well, I was so jealous that
I couldn't make it. The Instagram stories looked groundbreaking, and
they were. You know, I've actually not seen I've been
out of town for all of them, so it's kind
of crazy. Actually, I know.

Speaker 3 (09:42):
It's actually.

Speaker 1 (09:45):
Till we can sort of enter the earnestness part of
this episode. Now, I will say I was thinking about
the fact that you hadn't seen it, and also I
have to say afterwards, you know, I went to one
of our favorite gay bars and I was with a
few of our friends and I'm I was just like,
I miss Sam. I really like it. Doesn't there have

(10:07):
been now too many nights in a row where it
feels like at some point you're going to join and
you never do, you.

Speaker 3 (10:15):
Know what I mean?

Speaker 2 (10:16):
I miss you too, George, And I'm coming to town
in two weeks. Two weeks.

Speaker 3 (10:22):
Yeah, so that's right.

Speaker 2 (10:26):
We'll do our singers residency, We'll.

Speaker 3 (10:27):
Do all our Yeah.

Speaker 1 (10:28):
But I was thinking, that's actually an experience that you
don't have with me, because you're doing new things that
you don't associate with me, whereas I'm constantly doing I'm
going to places where we went together.

Speaker 2 (10:38):
But with that, yeah, yeah, I do feel my thing
here is I'm like I get some Recently, I've actually
been feeling mentally healthier and I've actually been sort of
enjoying LA as of I wanted to go and it's fun.
And you know, a big key for me was learning
to ride a Lime scooter that has unlocked the city

(10:58):
for me.

Speaker 1 (11:00):
So I love your like neoliberal journey with LA where
you're so depressed and what got you in a good
mood is learning to ride the limescooters.

Speaker 2 (11:09):
Limescooters huge shout out to the Uber Corporation grumpub plus,
I wouldn't be here without you. What other companies?

Speaker 1 (11:18):
We actually are actively looking for sponsors, so if Limescooter
wants to get in touch, we are available.

Speaker 2 (11:25):
I'm not kidding when I say the limescooter has changed
my life. I feel so myself suddenly and I think,
literally I just couldn't get from point A to point B,
and now I can get there, and I'm like, I'm free.
I never were free in my life.

Speaker 1 (11:41):
You love when the takeaway is the most obvious takeaway,
like you're in LA without a car, So you're gonna
not like it all.

Speaker 2 (11:49):
It's so annoying that that's all it is. And so yeah,
I also think I was, Yeah, I was just whatever.
But now I'm like kind of enjoying it, and I'm like,
what if I go Now my fear is what if
I go back to New York And I'm like, like,
my world's different now, Like I don't see the same
joy I once saw, which obviously is.

Speaker 3 (12:07):
Insane, and I don't think that will happen.

Speaker 2 (12:08):
Well, it happened. I'm thinking about the end of you know,
Lord of the Rings, of course, Uh, of course, And you.

Speaker 1 (12:16):
Know that people say that's a metaphor for World War Two,
it's actually a metaphor for uh writer performers that move
back and forth between Los Angeles and New York City because.

Speaker 2 (12:24):
They go to LA and they've seen so much, and
then when they go back to New York, Okay, the Shire,
it doesn't feel right and they have to.

Speaker 1 (12:32):
I can't help but think we are being too funny
for an earnestness.

Speaker 2 (12:36):
That's true.

Speaker 1 (12:36):
We got to get we are over humor is actually
leaking out of our eyeballs when what we need to
be doing is being earnest and endour sort of.

Speaker 2 (12:44):
Raw, raw, boring, boring well, and some some critics might
even say, honey, you already are, but but I can't
hear them because there's no audience in podcasting.

Speaker 3 (12:58):
I can only hear me party.

Speaker 1 (13:04):
So this is our sort of I would say at
this point, it's biannual. It has kind of naturally I
think you know, it has naturally become a twice a
year thing. Usually we tag it to a holiday of
some sort, although we are running out of holidays.

Speaker 2 (13:20):
I'm excited for that. I'm excited for the Arbor Day,
Ernest's Bonanza.

Speaker 1 (13:23):
Me too, or what's the French one, best steal Day,
best steel Day. We have to do a best deal
day one, and all the questions have to be either
friend like, France related or sort of like France adjacent,
Frans adjacent, Frans adjacent. But this is our Valentine's Day
earnest and Bonanza. The Earnestest Bonanza, for those who don't know,

(13:43):
it is a tradition we've had since the beginning, where again,
twice a year, we answer your questions completely earnestly, without
without doing bits, without joking.

Speaker 2 (13:53):
Okay, well let's just start then, I.

Speaker 1 (13:55):
Think let's just start. Do you want to do the
Instagram ones first?

Speaker 3 (13:58):
Or the email one?

Speaker 2 (13:59):
Email ones and and sort of rapid fire style with
the Instagram ones is what I'm thinking.

Speaker 3 (14:03):
Love that, so apologies.

Speaker 1 (14:05):
Basically, what I'm going to do is I might not
read everyone's very funny intro, very funny and very kind intros,
because I'm going to get right to the question. Okay,
so this first one, and actually maybe I won't say
names in case people don't want their unless they actually know.
Maybe we'll say first name. This first one's from kid.
As a single, gay, twenty three year old living in

(14:26):
Chicago working a remote job. I'm pretty much your target demographic.

Speaker 3 (14:29):
Huh.

Speaker 1 (14:30):
I'm hoping that this fact allows you to answer my
question earnestly. First of all, you would answer it earnestly
even if you are a sixty five year old mom
in Wisconsin.

Speaker 2 (14:38):
Yeah, okay.

Speaker 1 (14:39):
Everyone in the larger culturals geist seems to think that
twenty three is a terrible year, and gay podcasters are
often reminiscing on how hard the year is. What is
your advice for living through this year? I have several
more months in this age? What did you wish you
knew a twenty three? What would you do differently? What
did you do at twenty three? That is funny in hindsight.
Do you have any single gay friends? Look from Midwestern Love?

Speaker 2 (15:01):
What?

Speaker 3 (15:02):
Okay?

Speaker 2 (15:02):
Interesting? Sort of a sort of a noodle turn at
the end of the noodles at the wall of a question.
I would argue not to be critical.

Speaker 1 (15:10):
The rest is very The rest is very like you're like, okay,
like do you have advice for Masag's right?

Speaker 3 (15:15):
Three or old?

Speaker 1 (15:15):
And then at the end it's like, also, can you
step me up?

Speaker 2 (15:17):
Yeah? Huh, that's sort of a okay. First of all,
gay podcaster is reminiscing about how hard the year twenty
three is not this gay podcast.

Speaker 1 (15:27):
Yeah, No, I actually think I wouldn't say hard. I
would say for me twenty three was certainly there were
some growing pains. But I think Sam is on record
as saying that his twenties were when he felt most
alive and most himself.

Speaker 2 (15:40):
I stand by that, and I actually feel like, yeah,
twenty three. I think my main sin of being twenty
three was that I was as stupid as fuck and
kind of wouldn't acknowledge it and thought I was really
really smart. So maybe you're just too smart for your
own good. I'm like, what advice for living through this year?

Speaker 3 (16:01):
I mean, I.

Speaker 1 (16:05):
Here's what I can say. Okay, here's what I will
say about twenty three is I would say my life
from college to now has been a series of ups
and downs of feeling like, uh oh, something needs to
work out, and then something in fact working out, and
me thinking I'm out of the woods forever, and then

(16:26):
inevitably either like that either that thing, either I stop
liking whatever job I got, or I stop enjoying whatever
city I'm living in or something, or I need more
money or I or I have a breakop or whatever.
And it's just a series of ups and downs. And
people romanticize certain ages because it just so happens that

(16:48):
that's when they got their dream job or that's when
they got their dream relationship, and in fact it's actually,
I hate to say, way more random than that.

Speaker 2 (16:54):
It's way more random. And also, like, I think the
biggest mistake of people in their twenties is thinking, like
really really wanting to have it all figured out, because
it's like, no, you're just not going to and in fact,
if you do get it all figured out, you'll make
like compromises that you won't agree with in like six years.
So just like be comfortable with not having it all
figured out is my Yeah.

Speaker 1 (17:16):
I have to say, just on a personal, extremely personal,
extremely specific level, like I graduated college. First year out
of college, I had sort of like two part time jobs,
neither of which were what I wanted to be doing,
and I was like hobbling together just enough money for rent,
and I truly was like, oh, I'm I saw other

(17:38):
people I went to college with doing so so well,
and I was like, okay, great, so I just missed
the boat and I'm never going to have a career
and this is oh well, like I guess we'll figure
it out at some point. Then I got a full
time job in tech, and I was like, oh, now
I figured it out. Now I'm like everyone else living
in San Francisco, thank God, Like I almost was a failure,

(17:59):
but now I'm not. Then that job ended and was
not renewed, and I was like, oh, I'm a failure again,
like I'm never gonna find another job. I kept applying
for jobs, kept getting rejected, decided as decided Okay, I'm
gonna like go to grad school.

Speaker 3 (18:12):
Then when I got into.

Speaker 1 (18:13):
Grad school, I was like, well, my life is set again,
Like I'm gonna be like this is perfect. I got
into this program like I'm set for life. Then I graduated,
didn't have a job like it. And this is all
before I even started doing comedy, which arguably is the
thing that set me on the path I am now.

Speaker 3 (18:29):
And that was like at I don't know, twenty five,
twenty six.

Speaker 2 (18:32):
So.

Speaker 1 (18:34):
A so I would say the sort of bittersweet response.
I would say, at sometimes at some point, you're gonna
get out of how you're feeling now at twenty three.
But it's actually not gonna be the It's not gonna
be the solution you think it is, because there will
be more ups and downs since after that.

Speaker 2 (18:50):
Yeah, literally, you know what I mean. Forever, you're gonna
be thirty four and jealous of people and that's not
gonna make any sense. Yeah, and think, oh am I
failing that I missed the boat, You're always gonna feel that.

Speaker 1 (19:05):
One of the questions was what did you do with
twenty three? That is funny, so I know we need
to move on, but what did you do with twenty three.
That is funny in hindsight, I have to say, just
like how dumb you are when you're young is sort
of crazy, Like just to think anything from my drug
and alcohol intake to just like following someone from location

(19:28):
A to location B without asking any questions.

Speaker 2 (19:31):
I mean, I honestly think the things I did that
were done then, I'm almost still doing. I almost think,
like the only thing that is different is I think
I have like a more level headed approach to like
people and people's feelings and like being like thoughtful of
other people's emotions. I think back then I was just

(19:52):
like I'm doing whatever I want and that's like valid. Yeah,
And now I'm like, oh right, that's not good.

Speaker 3 (19:59):
That's a good point.

Speaker 1 (20:00):
And actually that's another difference between twenty three and later,
is that you actually just have more of a sense
of perspective.

Speaker 2 (20:06):
Yeah, well then I guess let's move on. This is
from Emily, who says I think we can all agree
that the most mortifyingly earnest topic of conversation is psychedelic use.
There's no way to discuss it that doesn't make me
want to curl up inside of myself like a dying

(20:27):
star even when in this question version on unbearable true.
So with that, what have your experiences with psychedelics been, Like?
What is your relationship to them? Any memorable stories, What's
the most earnest sentiment you've had while tripping? See? I
actually like this, oh, of course question because first of all,
of course off the top, very correct. It's so embarrassing

(20:47):
to like psychedelics, to have fun, to try to recount
how that feels. It's worse than recounting a dream. And
that being said, I first tried did mushrooms in the
Pandemic for the first time, and I was on cloud nine.
And my big takeaway, which is the most embarrassing thing,

(21:09):
is I was like walking and I was like, damn,
movement is so important to me. I really want to
be able to move. And it actually has stuck with me.
And now I'm like, blow, yeah, how about you move.

Speaker 1 (21:25):
So I don't do psychedelics very often, but I do
love mushrooms when I do them. Okay, So I used
to do mushrooms with two of my friends. We would
always do them together in the Bay Area and when
I live there, and we would always go to the
beach and take mushrooms and just sit in the exact
same place and then sort of like I would say,

(21:47):
our thing was that we would like create a story
about like we would not move, we would not explore
our surroundings at all, and we would just like create
a story where we're like on an island and then
other people are passing by and we would create like
little backstories for them. And one time we did it,
like on Christmas Day, and there was a guy that
was there alone with his dog and it was Christmas
Day on the beach, and one of us was like,

(22:10):
you know, they're probably both missing someone today, and I
was like, that is the most profound thing I've ever
heard in my life. But that aside, I would say
my number one experience with mushrooms is actually not so
much in that it has made me have any huge realizations.
It's more that it makes me feel. It makes funniness

(22:30):
and anyone's and jokes so heightened that I am crying
laughing the whole time, which I know is not an
original thought, but I way more feel that part of
it than I feel the like, man, we're all in
this world together, like blah blah blah. I am just crying,
laughing like we again, we lived in San Francisco and
it was like during the startup boom. So one of
the jokes we had was that we were all at

(22:52):
the We were all together because we were launching a
startup and Beyonce had said she was going to perform
at the launch but then canceled last minute, and so
now we were panicking to see what we can do,
and we just like built this story of like what
are we going to do at the launch? And I
truly have never laughed so hard in my life. And
then most recently, I went from my friend's batch red party.

(23:16):
I think I told the story on the podcast, but
we went to a Harry Styles concert and I took
a little mushroom chocolate there and I there was we
made a backstory about his I Believe drummer, who is
this woman who had really large bangs, and we made
a story about how they were so large that they
needed to be surgically removed. And the entire concert was

(23:36):
a fundraiser to raise funds for for medical bills. And
once again I was like, that is the absolute funniest
thing I've ever heard in my life.

Speaker 2 (23:43):
I mean, it holds up. I Yeah, I did. I
don't think I knew going into it that it could
be so funny. Like I was like laughing and being
stupid is a weed thing. And then one time I
went upstate with like Nick Nanny and Clara O. Kaine
and Dan lac et cetera, et cetera, and we all
did trooms and I've never laughed so hard in my

(24:05):
entire life in a way that I will like chase
that for until I am dead. I think, like like
they kept putting we were like sitting around the campfire
and it'd be like we were like passing around the
phone to put on songs, and like they kept putting
on like Happy Birthday and ABC's and I was dying,

(24:25):
Like I was like I cannot stand this. I'm I've
never laughed so hard in my life. There was also
a point where we were like looking at a mountain
and being like it's so beautiful and like genuinely being
like it's amazing. And Nick, who's like the silliest person
on earth has never had a serious thought in his life,
refused to like engage with it, and he's like, what
are you guys talking about? I don't know, I don't
see anything, and I'm like, this is I could not

(24:48):
stop laughing at how like suddenly curmudgeonly he was.

Speaker 1 (24:52):
So okay in terms of not earnest thoughts, but just
you know, everything being heightened. An extreme only funny thing
that happened after the Harry Styles concert was we were
on this way waiting for the subway to go home,
and so we were with a large group, but only
three of us were tripping, and the three of us
that were tripping all together, look at this guy who's

(25:14):
facing away from us, look at his butt, and we're like,
that is the biggest butt we've ever seen. It's crazy that, like,
surely everyone must be looking at this insane butt. How
how does he move around without everyone stopping him on
the street and wanting to take a photo of his butt?
And so we were like subtly like talking to our
other friend and we were.

Speaker 3 (25:32):
Like, oh my god, look at that guy's buck.

Speaker 1 (25:33):
And she was like, what are you talking about. This
just a normal guy And we were like, no, look
at his butt and she was like, that's not an
especially large or small or weirdly like, it's just a
normal butt. And then days later I was like, man,
remember when we thought that guy's butt was so big
and Gabby had to correct us and my friend was like, no,
she was wrong about that one. That was like the

(25:54):
biggest butt.

Speaker 2 (25:57):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (25:58):
Anyway, those are my earnest revelations. While on Trimp's next question,
next question, Okay, this one is.

Speaker 2 (26:06):
Oh, actually this person I met at the Eagle last night.

Speaker 3 (26:11):
Ooh fun.

Speaker 2 (26:13):
Yeah, so that's kind of fun. I'll read the question
really quickly. Yeah, okay, this is from Dylan, who I
think is the Dylan I met at the Eagle last
night who said they sent this question. Sam, you've freely
talked about getting quiet when you go home around your family.
I do the same thing for unknown reasons, but I
have a theory not to be squiggily. We as queer

(26:35):
people squiggily. But is it that, growing up we hide
so much of ourselves and personality in fear of being
called out or outed or seem gay around them for
upwards of eighteen years. Is it possible our brains bodies
are so used to the dynamic that we slip back
into that headspace. Wow. I love being a professional psychoanalyst,
and for me, I'm not sure I think I do
get quiet around my family still, but it's also like

(26:58):
everyone's just kind of a strong personalit and I'm like,
if there's this many cooks, I'm gonna I can chill out.
I sort of like go into that space. And I'm like,
and also it's my role. It's always been my role
to be a little bit of the quiet one.

Speaker 3 (27:12):
So then when I'm.

Speaker 2 (27:12):
Back, I'm like, Okay, well I'm quiet one again. So
it's I'm sure, I'm sure there's some of the gay
stuff in there, but it's also just the dynamic now.

Speaker 1 (27:24):
Yeah, I gotta say, uh, the gay stuff never goes away. Yeah,
I mean, and I think for and whether and everyone
has a version of being gay.

Speaker 3 (27:34):
For some people, the version of being gay is.

Speaker 2 (27:36):
A competitive gamer.

Speaker 1 (27:37):
You a competitive gamer, or that you when you were
young were insecure because you had really bushy eyebrows, or
you were insecure because someone made fun of you for
something like and inevitably, when you go home, that part
of your brain is activated.

Speaker 2 (27:53):
Yeah, and sort of the best you.

Speaker 1 (27:55):
Can do is, I would say almost, I don't know,
like engage with it in a humorous way, like make
it into a little bit with yourself.

Speaker 2 (28:03):
Yeah, have fun with it, have.

Speaker 1 (28:05):
Fun with it, all right? This next question, all right,
So this question is from and they say, would you
two ever do a game show like The Amazing Race Together?
I honestly think you.

Speaker 3 (28:18):
Guys would be really good at.

Speaker 1 (28:22):
First of all, so someone, first of all, thank you.
I have to say I don't The only reality competition
show I've ever watched with any regularity is Project Runway,
and as much as I wish I had the talent
to do it, I have to admit that I don't.

Speaker 3 (28:34):
Sam.

Speaker 1 (28:34):
I know that you have gotten into Survivor recently, so
I think you maybe would be better at answering this question.

Speaker 2 (28:39):
So I'm really into Survivor right now, and in a
way that feels very new. This is this is part
of my la lifestyle, and I'm I've never considered going
on a show like this in my life. I've thought
of it as one of the worst things you can do,
and now I'm like, oh, I actually am so tempted,
and I love it so much that I'm like, maybe

(29:02):
maybe I could do it. Because also the thing about
these shows is I'm like, well, all these people are qualified,
They've trained their whole lives for this. That's a myth.
No one is prepared at all, and people are insane
and are just like, yeah, I'll go wherever if it
means I'm on TV in this way.

Speaker 1 (29:20):
Well, also correct me if I'm wrong, and maybe I am,
but they are I assume cast more in terms of
who's more entertaining than who's more talent, who's more skillful.

Speaker 3 (29:29):
Is that right?

Speaker 2 (29:30):
I think that is right. It's definitely more about your
entertainment value, and they usually try to cast like I
also just think they want like one person who's skilled
for that to be like their thing is like they're
the outdoorsy guy and then it's like the city girl
who can't do anything. And honestly, me, me vibes, me vibes,

(29:51):
and so I don't actually know how the amazing race works.
So I don't know if we would be good on it.
But yeah, I well, here's a question. Do you think
we would be good? I think we would.

Speaker 1 (30:03):
In fact, at this point in our professional and personal relationship,
I do think we would work well if given a task. Yeah,
I think work well together?

Speaker 2 (30:12):
Yeah, I think so too.

Speaker 1 (30:14):
However, between the two of us, I do think maybe
we don't have as many skills as we could have.
No if it was maybe I would say, maybe you
have more than I do in terms of practical skills.

Speaker 2 (30:26):
I think I actually think we're pretty even, but in
different ways. Like I do think if we're going from
a survivor perspective, like I think our brains are matched.
Let's start this. I think maybe I could do the
more physical challenges better, but I think that you could
do like more crafty things better. And I like which

(30:47):
is an important part. And sure, because I think I
would like die like I think I would like starve
to death, and I actually think you would be like
I can catch a fish and figure out how.

Speaker 3 (30:56):
To cook it.

Speaker 1 (30:56):
Oh interesting, well, thank you. Well I do think if
someone were to give me a fish, I would know
how to cook it. So maybe that's a valuable skill. Okay, wait,
let me do the one that's addressed to me, because
I feel like it's sort of timely right now. So
this is I'm still from George. How do you maintain
a resilience of spirit when working in print or digital media?

(31:19):
A spoiler, I don't do you constantly think about career changes.
I'm an editor in book publishing, and it's a low
paid grind that makes me consider my life choices. It
really is a love hate industry to work in. And
I will say, now we will bleep your name because
I think it is an uncommon enough name that I
don't want anyone to trace it back to since you
have said what job you do, and that is a

(31:40):
straight ollab promise that we're not doxing any low paid
book editors.

Speaker 3 (31:45):
Yeah, so this is a.

Speaker 1 (31:48):
Really difficult question because well, okay, the bad news is
it is true that it feels absolutely apocalyptic to work
in digital media. I will say that literally this week
is a one year in a orstry of Gacker shutting down.
So this has been on my mind a lot. And
I've been talking to my old coworkers a lot, and
some of them have stayed in digital media and have

(32:09):
managed to get other jobs. Other ones are sort of
like focusing on other things. I feel like I have
kind of, I mean, unless something comes my way, I
have given up on that being a huge part of
my career because I mean, I have to say, I
actually think, as silly as it sounds, it actually seems
more realistic to literally be like a touring comedian and

(32:31):
make all your money that way than it is to
be an editor at any sort of digital media company
or magazine. Yeah, I also live in a household where
my partner also works in media, so it is very
like salient in.

Speaker 3 (32:44):
Our lives, do you. I feel like.

Speaker 1 (32:53):
There's no extremely inspirational answer to this except to say, like,
don't let the dread be all encompassing and sort of
take it one step at a time, and also like
keep an open mind, because a career can look like
so many different things, Like I do, think and Sam
and you can attest to this. We never imagined our

(33:14):
that having a podcast would be like a huge part
of our lives, and almost it was almost like a
punchline at some point to have a comedy podcast, and
then it has ended up being like very fulfilling and
very fun and has helped us in so many other ways.
So I think it is always and I do this too,
but it's always a losing game to romanticize what these

(33:37):
industries looked like in the nineties and the end before that.
Like all that does is set you up to be
constantly disappointed. And I think as much as this is
a sort of like neoliberal response, it because we can't
actually control the dynamics that shape these industries. The best
thing you can do as a form of self preservation

(33:58):
is like maintain an open mind and like sort of
don't think it's like while maintaining your sense of self worth,
don't think anything is beneath you, because it is. It
entails like posting Instagram reils, you know what I mean.

Speaker 2 (34:15):
Yeah, I think that's a good thing.

Speaker 1 (34:18):
But at the same time, you know, it sucks, and
it's nice to have friends in those industries that you
can commiserate with. And I don't know, but I also think,
like day to day, like it's it's lucky that you
are an editor. I'm sure you work on projects that
you're proud of, and I think like it's you know,

(34:38):
important to focus on that more than more than all
the negative stuff. But yeah, I have solidarity and you know,
if it helps, we all feel that way. And by
the way, like entertainment is in such an insane place
right now.

Speaker 3 (34:53):
Yeah, like I.

Speaker 1 (34:56):
It feels truly like no one knows what they're doing
and it is not a career. Yeah, so the grass
is always greener. Yeah, actually, wait, some of these are good.
Let's do these really fast, Okay, straight shooters, Sam Cargo
Shorts or oh wait, this one's for me, cargo shorts or.

Speaker 3 (35:15):
Your gocker cohorts.

Speaker 1 (35:16):
I will see my gocker cohorts, Sam, twelve Angry Men
or twelve Hackling Hens.

Speaker 2 (35:21):
Twelve Angry Men, George, Patty Lapone or girl put your
records own.

Speaker 1 (35:26):
I would say, girl, put your records own, even though
I'm a lifelong Patty Lapone fan.

Speaker 3 (35:31):
Yeah, okay.

Speaker 1 (35:32):
Kate asks, how would you feel if I brought my
baby to a Stradio lab Bellhouse show. He'd have ear
protection on and I'd stand by the door so I
could leave if you started making noise?

Speaker 3 (35:44):
I don't know. I'm sort of like ram on.

Speaker 2 (35:46):
Yeah whatever, I actually think, Yeah, I say bring them
who cares?

Speaker 1 (35:53):
I mean I think that, like I would not like
if everyone brought their babies, but knowing that that's never
gonna happen, the idea of a single baby is so funny.

Speaker 2 (36:03):
And actually, can we bring the baby on stage? Yeah?

Speaker 3 (36:06):
And we can.

Speaker 1 (36:07):
We would obviously have to bring the baby on stage.
We would obviously address it. We would maybe do a
sort of baptism ritual where we hold him up like
lion king.

Speaker 2 (36:17):
Yeah, I want a baby holding contest?

Speaker 1 (36:20):
Yeah, which gay guys, right, which we're gonna have everyone,
We're gonna have a lot. Yeah, actually I would love
that is a really good idea of having a bunch
of gay guys on stage and seeing who can hold
a baby least naturally.

Speaker 2 (36:34):
Okay, next question, Oh.

Speaker 1 (36:43):
Okay, this is like actually a perfect sort of earnestness
like question one in question two are very they are
Bananza question they are okay, do you want to take
it away?

Speaker 2 (36:55):
Okay, this is from Glory Anne. What do you admire
most about each other?

Speaker 3 (37:00):
There?

Speaker 1 (37:01):
I would say what I admire about Sam is his
I'm trying to find the right way to phrase this.

Speaker 3 (37:07):
I would say you.

Speaker 1 (37:07):
Have a certain certainty in your tastes and values that
I really admire. I think I am much more likely
if someone is like, can you guys, let's say have
on you know, Newt gang Ridge as a guest. He'll
be great for the pod, I'll be like, oh, sure,
like that would grow our audience. I think I think you,

(37:31):
I think have a strong set of values and a
strong both like you know, in the literal sense and
also sort of like aesthetic values that you stick to
in a way that I admire. Even in your I
would say sometimes like we'll have people on and my
instinct will be a to like mirror their sensibility, and
I think you're like, no, your guests in our house,

(37:52):
this is what we do here, take or leave it.

Speaker 2 (37:54):
Yeah, I do like to do that. I think almost
not entirely the opposite, but sort of I do almost
admire the opposite in you, where I actually feel like
you're so you know, the PERSONA maybe is like you're
the cold intellect, but I actually feel like you're so
warm to everyone, and I'm always so impressed with it

(38:15):
and almost like it, like you know, it like points
out how many walls I have up where I'm like, damn,
you are so kind and like inviting people in, and
that's always very impressive to me, and it like makes
me reflect and be like I should be warmer.

Speaker 1 (38:30):
That is very sweet. Well, I think you're plenty warm.
Thank you, okay, And then the same email says, what
is your dream vacation?

Speaker 3 (38:41):
What a perfect.

Speaker 2 (38:42):
Question, dream Vaka. This is tough. I actually have an answer.
The thing is, okay, I've this is a dream vaka
only in the sense that this one is something I've
never done before and it's something I fantasize about because
it seems and I don't think I ever will do it,
because that's what makes it a dream to me. Going
I've never ever done like a winter like ski Vaca,

(39:06):
and I don't think it ever will. But it sounds
like the most glamorous thing a person can do.

Speaker 1 (39:12):
I absolutely agree. I mean the skiing is, of course
beside the point, Like all I want to do is
be in my A price ski outfit, drinking you know,
hot tottie while looking out at the mountain and seeing
other people skiing.

Speaker 2 (39:26):
Yeah, and then like the like oh, like say we're
sore from the slopes and we like go in our
hot tub and it's like, oh my god, how fun
that is?

Speaker 3 (39:35):
You in Switzerland?

Speaker 2 (39:37):
Quite literally, I need that.

Speaker 1 (39:40):
I'm trying to think what my dream vacation would be,
I mean, and I'm trying not to go obvious. Sure,
because of course, all I ever want to do is
be on a beach. I mean that is a given.
I want to be on a beach, and I want
it to be fifty percent me reading a sort of
prestige beach reade, which is a term week coined by
the way, that is really catching on. I want to
be reading a prestige beach tree. And then the other

(40:00):
half is like me sipping a pina colada and talking
to my friends and like playing card games. Yeah, so
in a literal sense, that is my dream vacation. I'm
trying to think if I have any sort of more
original answer.

Speaker 3 (40:17):
Here's what I will say.

Speaker 1 (40:20):
I would love and I'm taking away any pretend climate
change doesn't exist.

Speaker 3 (40:26):
I would love to just be.

Speaker 1 (40:28):
On a yacht, like to be to be just on
a yacht doing like island hopping for truly four weeks.

Speaker 3 (40:39):
Yeah, that's how I want to spend every summer.

Speaker 2 (40:41):
Yeah that sounds really nice.

Speaker 1 (40:44):
So done, yeah, done. What was your first concert ever?
We haven't asked this question before, but why not? Do
you remember what yours was?

Speaker 2 (40:53):
I honestly think I went to It's like embarrassing, of course.
So there was the band something Corporate, and then the
guy that started that started his own off a new
offshoot band called Jackson Mannequin, which was you know.

Speaker 3 (41:05):
Oh, yes, of course I remember jack.

Speaker 2 (41:07):
So and I was living in southern Virginia and Jackson
Mannequin was playing in Greensboro, North Carolina, and I went
to that. But they were actually open, and I didn't
understand how concerts really worked. They were opening for Oar,
which I didn't like. But I went to an Oar
concert to see the opener and it was, you know,

(41:29):
saying all this out loud. It just fills me with
so much shame. What's yours?

Speaker 3 (41:35):
Damn well?

Speaker 1 (41:37):
I actually I have thought about this a lot, because
this is just a question that people in conversation ask
a lot, and I have no recollection of what my
first real concert was. But I do have the coolest
possible and the most me possible answer for what my
first live music concert like experience was, which is that,

(41:57):
as everyone knows, my parents took me to the Athens
a line opening ceremony and who performed? B York and
so literally, my first like I would say, it's not
a concert but like concert like experience in a stadium,
was seeing Byork perform at the opening ceremony of the
Athens Olympics, which is quite literally like the encapsulation of
everything that I am.

Speaker 2 (42:18):
That's cool, Let's move on, we're running low on time.

Speaker 3 (42:22):
I know, I know, and I'm sorry.

Speaker 2 (42:23):
Okay. This is from dear listener Griff, who says, for George.
With the Olympics coming up this year, I'm curious to
hear a Greek person's perspective. Are they a big deal
in Greece or is it just a thing that happens.
The Olympics is always like, we are from Greece, so
I always wondered if people in Greece are like especially
invested in them.

Speaker 1 (42:40):
Yes, people in Greece are especially invested in them. The
two thousand and four Olympics in Greece was a huge deal,
like monumental deal, because it was the first time they
were back in Greece since the first modern Olympics. Long
story short, So much money was poured into them, so
much development happened. They ended up being a huge success.
But then the crash after that was so major because

(43:02):
what happened right after doesen't four, is that the economy
started to collapse. So it sort of holds a complicated
place in Greece's modern history. I would say, but yes,
people think of the Olympics as a huge deal. If
a Greek person wins an Olympic medal, which you know
doesn't happen super often, it's like probably the most like

(43:25):
incredible thing you can do for your country.

Speaker 3 (43:28):
I mean it is.

Speaker 1 (43:29):
I don't even know what the equivalent would be for
a different country. So yes, they are a huge deal.
I love watching them. Unfortunately, the politics of the Olympics
are really really dark and grim, and so you have
to kind of close your eyes and your ears and.

Speaker 3 (43:43):
Just enjoy the show.

Speaker 2 (43:44):
Maybe do you get invested personally?

Speaker 1 (43:47):
You know, I think sadly less and less as I
get older, But but I actually think recently, because of
the pandemic and because of various other things, I just
haven't been in the mood. And I think maybe for
twenty twenty four I will be back to being invested.
I'm like ready to learn about some new sports personalities.

(44:08):
I'm ready for some memes. I'm ready to be proud
of some Greek people and potentially even American people if
I feel like it. Sure, So you know, I'm gonna
go on the record and say I am gonna be
invested in the Olympics this year.

Speaker 2 (44:21):
I love that.

Speaker 1 (44:22):
Okay, Sam, have you been going out in West Hollywood
at all now that you're in LA I know you're
mostly you've mostly been on the East Side, and we
can be polarizing, but i'd be interesting, interested to hear
what your experience has been if any.

Speaker 2 (44:34):
To be honest, I haven't been out in West Hollywood
even once. I have not stepped foot over there. And
it's not I I just need the right squad I
feel like to go to do that, Like it has
to have like a little bit of irony to it,
because like in New York, I liked like going to
the big stupid gay bars in like Hel's Kitchen or whatever.
But it has to be with like a friend group

(44:56):
and it has to be like this is going to
be a silly night. But right now I'm sticking to
the East Side bars that I'm used to. Because that's
my question.

Speaker 1 (45:06):
I would, well, Hollywood can be uh really like really
disappointing it can you could? I find it can put
you in a dark place, and I will say that, yeah,
okay for both of us. This is the final question
in this email. Are there any bits or phrases from
the pod that have infected your everyday life or vocabulary? Personally,

(45:29):
I'm finding myself saying noinkeeper swinky more than is normal.
And by the way, noinkeeper swinky is a phrase coined
by Charlie Barday, which means, wait, what does it mean
to again? Nevertheless, she persisted.

Speaker 2 (45:41):
Yeah, it is.

Speaker 1 (45:44):
Okay, great, So what let me think you know what
I actually say that as a you thing is I
will say totally.

Speaker 2 (45:53):
Oh yeah, And I think maybe I got it from
you that I say one hundred.

Speaker 1 (45:58):
But yeah, we both say one hundred percent a lot.
I do think you may do that maybe that was me,
but it's hard to tell.

Speaker 3 (46:05):
I mean, say that is a big one.

Speaker 2 (46:07):
Say that's a big one. It's I almost there's almost
an opposite effect sometimes too, where I'm like, well, I
can't say say that anymore because I say it so much.

Speaker 1 (46:17):
I also think we both of us a lot will
sort of use hyperbole in this in saying like that
is the smartest thing you've ever said, or like that
is the most genius thing I've ever heard, which I
do like is hyperbole in that way, but it can't
get old.

Speaker 2 (46:33):
Of course. Question next question, Okay, this is from Sarah.
Imagine you could get better at something, but it came
at the expense of getting worse at something else. What
would you get better at and what would you sacrifice?
So this is sort of a monkey's paw situation. Be
careful what you wish for scenario.

Speaker 1 (46:53):
I will say that two things that I wish I
was better at. One, I just wish I spoke like
a lot of languages. It's something that I just never had.
I never prioritized when I was younger, and as you
get older it gets more and more difficult. But like
my dream would be to just be able to go
to like France or Spain or wherever and speak fluently.

(47:15):
The other thing I wish I was better at is
I'm not even saying this in an insecure way, but
just like physical competence, just like being able to run
fast and far and being able to lift heavy things
and just feeling confident in my physical strength and athletic ability.
Would I think it's something that trickles down. The confidence

(47:36):
of that trickles down to everything else, like just never
being afraid someone's gonna throw football at you. So those
are the two things I wish I was better at.
I am trying to think what I would be Okay,
being worse at?

Speaker 2 (47:49):
Yeah this is tough.

Speaker 1 (47:53):
Yeah, this is tough because it also makes you think, wait,
what am I good at?

Speaker 2 (47:56):
Well? When it comes to practical skills, I have so
few and at some point it's like not charming, and
I wish like but there's a part of me where
I'm like, I I've already made this choice where I like,
I sacrifice practical skills in order to like be whatever
I am, and I like, I don't know, can a

(48:19):
girl have it all? It's hard to tell. I I'm
gonna say something that's very Calisi of me, which is
gonna hurt, but I have to say it out loud.
So I Over the last year I played the video
game elden Ring, and in it, you know, people that
get really into it talk about like what build are you?
Like you sort of like put your You can't have

(48:41):
all the stats, so you have to focus on like
I'm going to be this type. I'm going to be
this tame thing. And when I started playing, I was
really like, well, I just want to be a little
bit good at everything. And then eventually I was like, oh,
I'm bad at this game because my character is just
a little bit good at everything and you have to
make a choice, and so now I cannot stop thinking
about people as have a build and being like, oh

(49:01):
I chose like comedy like silly build, and I'm like
horrible at cooking and like fixing a car, but I'm
like incredible when it comes like being charming in room.

Speaker 1 (49:15):
Yeah, I think related to that, I actually have decided
what I would want to sacrifice what, and it is
generally speaking, pop culture knowledge. I have so much knowledge,
like almost against my will, that I wish I didn't know,
and I wish I could replace with other things, but especially.

Speaker 2 (49:35):
Culture knowledge informs so much of what you talk about.

Speaker 1 (49:38):
I feel, but what if my but what if it
was informed by deep historical knowledge and other kinds of
life experiences.

Speaker 2 (49:47):
And you'd be a professor. That's true.

Speaker 1 (49:50):
I'm not saying I want to sacrifice at all, but
I'm just saying, like, Okay, pick one thing. What if
I never I didn't know anything about the oscars? I
don't think my life would change in a like Yeah,
I don't think that that would like make my life
any worse.

Speaker 3 (50:02):
That's true.

Speaker 2 (50:03):
That's true, you know what I mean?

Speaker 1 (50:04):
Just like little things like that are like what if
I never knew anything about which celebrities dated or broke up?
I can still I could still know the parts of
pop culture that were interesting to comment on. But I
didn't I wouldn't have to know about you know, Julia
Fox and Kanye.

Speaker 2 (50:20):
Yeah. I mean one thing is I am actively trying
to know less about video games. I think there was
a point where I was like, this is taking up
too much of my skill set. Now yeah, and I'm like, okay,
so now I yeah, everything's in New York. I am
a person without material goods except for my line scooters.

Speaker 1 (50:38):
You really are in a video game and that in
that sense. Yeah, okay, I think we both sort of
answered this.

Speaker 2 (50:43):
Then great, next Q, well do you want to do
b I do, but I'm not sure how I'll answer it.
I don't have one. I'm queued up. But it is
a good question.

Speaker 3 (50:51):
It is a good question.

Speaker 2 (50:52):
Do you want to try quickly?

Speaker 3 (50:55):
Well?

Speaker 1 (50:55):
Yeah, okay, So a is what is the gayest chocolate?
Which really quickly? I yes, my answer would be like
white chocolate because it's sort of trying to do too much.

Speaker 2 (51:04):
Yeah, I agree with that.

Speaker 1 (51:08):
And then it's also it's sort of like to what
end just have normal chocolate.

Speaker 2 (51:11):
It's also like does it taste different? I've never understood it.

Speaker 1 (51:14):
Very Yeah, white chocolate is very avamax, where it's like, well, okay,
you are kind of making an impact, but like, why.

Speaker 2 (51:21):
Yeah, it's either white chocolate or honestly dark chocolate, where
it's like like it's like different and being like really like,
well I'm different.

Speaker 1 (51:29):
Well, dark chocolate is literally like Oscar wild, like gay
sophistic kid, you know, sort of, I would say it's trumancopodi.

Speaker 3 (51:38):
Okay.

Speaker 1 (51:39):
And then B is what is the most earnest thing
you've learned from your significant other?

Speaker 2 (51:43):
Well, it does Valentine's Day.

Speaker 1 (51:44):
After all, it is Valentine's Day, so we have to
answer this one. I wish I had a punchy answer.
I know, most earnest thing you've learned.

Speaker 2 (51:53):
I feel like generally Misha has always been like I mean, one,
he's like slightly older than me, like like two to
three years and depending on the month, and I feel
like he has just been like slightly more mature than me.
And and you know, okay, here's one. I think he's

(52:13):
I've learned more to like trust what I like rather
than like follow the trends because of him. I think
he often he has these cultural touchstones where I've sort
of he's told me about them, and I've been like,
but no one else I know talks about that, and
then like five years later when the trend comes around,
it'll be like everyone is talking about that thing, and

(52:35):
it's like, oh, if I just you can, if you
just trust yourself, eventually stuff will catch up to you.
Like there's so many things that he was like way
ahead of people on, but not because he was trying
to be ahead, just because he legitimately likes them.

Speaker 1 (52:50):
Yeah, I mean, I think I would say I think
Matthew is a very deep thinker, and I find it
very like fulfilling to be with someone where I'm like
excited to hear what they have to say about something
and being surprised by what that might be. And then

(53:10):
on a more like way, less romantic way, more practical sense,
Matthew is just someone who is really on top of everything,
Like the He is the kind of person that like
has figured out credit card points in airline miles to
a t where it's like a mathematical equation that he
knows exactly how to do it so that he gets
the most.

Speaker 3 (53:29):
Out of it.

Speaker 2 (53:30):
Okay, another one. Misha's always been like like, I've always
wanted like one million friends, and Misha's always been like, well,
I'm happy with the four I have totally, and I
actually think the older I get, the more I'm like, oh,
he's got a point, like having one million isn't always better.

Speaker 3 (53:46):
Totally.

Speaker 2 (53:47):
Oh.

Speaker 1 (53:48):
The one other thing I will say, which is a
smaller thing, is like Matthew, you know, he spent a
lot of time sort of working in fashion and being
and in the sort of reporting on fashion the arts
more broadly, and I think through that he is just
less impressed with celebrity and less impressed with buzz in

(54:12):
a way that actually I think it was very helpful
for me to see to be like I don't have
to run to like I don't know care about whoever
the new person is every week because it's just going
to change next week, which is a very obvious thing.

Speaker 2 (54:28):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (54:28):
Like, at the end of the day, it's sort of
like it's difficult to reach a balance where you can
engage with pop culture and still have fun but also
have a deep knowledge that it does not matter.

Speaker 2 (54:39):
Yeah, it's a tough thing.

Speaker 3 (54:41):
I'm still working through that. Okay.

Speaker 1 (54:43):
This is from Will. Will says Sam I absolutely loved
Millennial Hunter. I couldn't get to be here in the UK,
so I watched the via YouTube. Blah blah blah, my
cool bisexual female Northern metal head housemate, and I got
a lot of laughs out of it. Honey, that makes
three of us. It felt like a very natural next
step on from Family Guy and Rick and Morty for me,
which was an unexpectedly straight reference, almost two on the

(55:06):
nose for a guest to pick. Do you like these
shows and what is a story there?

Speaker 3 (55:10):
Sam? And George? What is your favorite cartoon?

Speaker 1 (55:12):
So? Sam, I would love actually for you to talk
about the references and the inspirations in making your adult
animated feature film Millennial Hunt.

Speaker 2 (55:19):
Wow. First of all, thank you will, that's very nice.
Second of all, I actually, did you know? I grew
up watching Family I not to be and I loved
Rick and Morty to be an alt right teen for
a moment, I think I also, I do like those shows.
I'm sure they influenced my humor. Uh. And then like

(55:44):
one of the I don't know if it actually came
through it all, but I was like a big inspiration
I kept saying when we were like in the planning stages,
was I kept saying like Samurai Jack, where I was
like I wanted to feel like moody moody when it can,
so that the sillyness comes through totally. And yeah, also
it was just like the animation company, they had incredible

(56:08):
taste because mostly I was, you know, basing it off
of more live action stuff like The Fugitive and kind
of like Kill Bill and like Revenge, you know, Get
My Wife Back style stories and like silly eighties versions
of those, and then they came in with the fun

(56:28):
visual ideas and what's your favorite cartoon?

Speaker 3 (56:35):
Mm hmm, what's your favorite cartoon?

Speaker 2 (56:36):
You know? Honestly, I actually might say SpongeBob.

Speaker 3 (56:40):
Sam. I was about to say SpongeBob.

Speaker 2 (56:44):
That is crazy, that's great.

Speaker 1 (56:46):
So I mean, I unlike you, I sort of I
never real I knew everyone else around me was watching
South Park and Family Guy and all this stuff, and
I have watched some of it, and I do think
it's funny, but I just never I was never an
adult anime person. But when I was a kid, I
loved Nickelodeon and SpongeBob was like so huge for me. Like,

(57:08):
I just thought it was so funny. I think I'm
obviously not the first to say it, but it's so gay,
like in just a way that actually, I would say
maybe shaped my queer sensibility way more than other more
obvious things. It's so silly but also so smart. And
you know what else, I loved fairly odd parents.

Speaker 2 (57:26):
I loved fairly odd parents.

Speaker 3 (57:28):
Loved fairly odd parents.

Speaker 2 (57:29):
Yeah, I mean they were and the jokes were good.

Speaker 3 (57:32):
I mean, the jokes are great.

Speaker 2 (57:33):
Spongeball all the visual there were so many fun visual jokes,
like never forget the like when he's like in Sandy's
house in the water episode, and like you know, the
hyper detailed shot of his like pores drying up. It's
so fun.

Speaker 1 (57:47):
It's so fun, And I don't know enough about what's
going on in animation right now to be like, man,
it used to be so much better. But I do
hope that there are shows like that for kids today,
because it's like.

Speaker 3 (57:59):
I don't know it.

Speaker 1 (58:00):
You know, it's not just like oh, little talking color blobs.

Speaker 2 (58:06):
Yeah, everything is getting cheaper, which is a frustrating, Yes,
but sometimes it's not. It's hard to tell. But I
don't know what's happening in like kids comedy. I mean,
SpongeBob's still running. I have no idea what it's like
you now, I'm pretty sure there's still new episodes.

Speaker 1 (58:23):
There is actually another question in this email that I love,
which is what film have you enjoyed talking or arguing
about most this year as separate from the actual viewing experience.
I have a very cursory answer that I was thinking
about today, actually please so, I think Poor Things is
an interesting like conversation topic, because I actually said on

(58:43):
an earlier I think I said on the Patreon episode,
I had a very sort of half baked critique that
was like, oh, you know, this is a movie made
by men about the experience of womanhood, and it almost
at times feels like a male fantasy. And I was
actually recently listening to a podcast where two women were
talking about it, and they were saying how much they
hate that critique because they were like, why is a

(59:06):
sexually liberated woman a male fantasy? Like why is a
woman who loves sex and is fulfilled by sex and
has a casual relation to sex whatever a male fantasy?
In fact they were saying this, they were like, in fact,
if anything, it's a female fantasy to not have, you know,
not have hang ups, and not be trying to please anyone,
and to be so fully in your body, that you

(59:27):
are in control and all this stuff, and I was like,
that is a that is an incredibly good point. And
it's ironic that I, you know, as a man, was
immediately had this critique of being like, oh, this is
the male gaze or something, even though I like the movie,
but I just that was sort of my one immediate,
like h critique of it that I couldn't sort of

(59:49):
get over. So I don't think I've argued with anyone
about it, but I think like I've enjoyed hearing people's
opinions about it, because I do think that's an interesting conversation.

Speaker 2 (01:00:00):
I have two answers. I think that's a great answer,
and I agree with it, and then I have two more.
One is that I actually really loved the conversation around
May December, and because it really felt like, you know,
for the girls who get it, you get it, and
for the girls who don't don't, and that was like
kind of I liked that. I've found that to be
an interesting and fun conversation, and the people that hated it,

(01:00:21):
like really hated it, and then the people that loved
it really loved it, and so I found that to
be juicy. And then the other one was, of course
I think it's a horrible movie, but we have to
say Saltburn. I actually think the conversation around Saltburn is
gonna be like educational for people. And I think it's like, uh,

(01:00:43):
it's yeah, I've found myself. I've enjoyed hating on it
all year long, and I wonder when I'll stop enjoying it.
But it's not today.

Speaker 1 (01:00:52):
No, I agree, it's almost with Saltburn. What always happens
is everyone becomes such a hater that then suddenly I
have an instinct contrarian and be like, it's actually good,
but I will stop short.

Speaker 3 (01:01:03):
Of doing that.

Speaker 1 (01:01:04):
I do have actually one more answer, which I think
you haven't seen yet. But you haven't seen All of
Us Strangers, right.

Speaker 2 (01:01:09):
No, I haven't seen it yet.

Speaker 1 (01:01:10):
So all of Us Strangers is actually maybe even more
than poor Things is a really fascinating sort of conversation
piece because I think among gay men especially, everyone just
like brings their own baggage to it, myself included obviously,

(01:01:31):
and it's like either you think it's super profound, or
you think it is so embarrassing and so problematic, or
you think it is like playing into certain stereotypes, or oh,
like it's sort of this outdated thing that all gay
men are lonely and fundamentally broken, or it's like this
incredibly honest and vulnerable self portrait of this like tortured

(01:01:51):
older gay you know, creative person writer. And I have
to say in myself, I'm almost like paralyzed by the
different options of how to think of it that I
genuinely couldn't tell you if I liked the movie or not,
which I don't remember like the last time that has happened,

(01:02:13):
you know what I mean? Like, there is so much
baggage that comes along with any different opinion you can
have about it, and I need to, you know, go
live in the woods for three weeks to come.

Speaker 3 (01:02:24):
Up with what I feel. Wow, So that's my other answer.
All right.

Speaker 1 (01:02:27):
That was part one of our Valentine's Day Earnestness bonanza.
Join us next week for part two podcasts 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 all our visual earners,
free full length video episodes are available on our YouTube.

Speaker 3 (01:02:49):
Not get back to Work