"Awkwardness and Randomness" w/ Bowen Yang & Matt Rogers

Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:02):
Welcome to Stradio Lab and intellectual podcast about straight culture
and also a stupid podcast about nothing. Don't say that
it's just true. I don't want to line to our listeners.
I'm George Severe and I'm Sam Taggart and this is
Stradio Lab. Podcast starts. Okay, podcast starts. Now, what's up everybody,

(00:24):
And welcome to to Radio Lab. Back from the grave.
You thought we were dead, but actually we were training
and we're stronger than ever. And I just want to
say the old s Radio Lab can't come to the
phone right now. Why because she doesn't get out of
bed for under three million dollars. Wow? Say that. And

(00:48):
I just want to say for the listeners at home,
this podcast has always been about a few things. It's
been about straight culture sort of. It's been about making
a podcast entirely. It's been about trend parency. In the
spirit of transparency, I want to say that we are
um coming off of doing a full intro that completely
messed up due to technical difficulties. So we are sort

(01:11):
of emotionally raw. We are on edge in a way
that I would say I'm physically bleeding from multiple in
multiple parts of my body. I'm breaking out in hives.
I'm bleeding, but it's uh, what's it called when it's psychological? Um,
not bleeding Munchausen. I'm bleeding, but it's Munchausen. I'm bleeding.

(01:33):
Psycho Stomatic is the word I was looking for. I
am actually I actually bleeding in my limbs are falling,
but it's all in my head. Yeah, George is actually
hosting a collaboration between Bleeding and Munchausen. Finally, the two
girls teamed up inside of George's body collab of the season,
and that's why I'm excited a partner. I'm excited to
partner with Munchausen for the launch of the collab between Psychosomatic,

(01:59):
limb falling and podcasting. So I have to say, George,
when you were speaking a moment ago, it actually did
start to cut out. And I see the fear that
I could feel from our guests today and myself included, Well,
it was there. Here's what I'll say from now on,
technical difficulties are not a big deal. If something happens

(02:19):
and let's say I have to switch my WiFi again,
everyone's gonna be chill about it. I think that's a
great rule. Then, why does everyone look frightened. I'm perplexed
because I feel like we were nothing but chill when
you were figuring it out. I was on the verge
of having a mental breakdown the entire time. I've been
relaxed this whole time until now. Now I'm pissed off.

(02:43):
Now I'm and I'm Sam. You were saying the you know,
on one level, it's a podcast about straight culture. On
another level, it's about radical honesty. And then on a
yet third level, it's kind of a horseshoe theory where
the radical honesty becomes almost toxic dishonesty. I just want
to see the question for this season, season three, which

(03:05):
is starting today, the first season sponsored by Munchausen, is
where do we go from here up exactly to the
tippy top? Baby, I'm talking prime time NBC podcasting. I'm
almost like, should we just bring in the guests? And
and I feel like there's this pressure to reintroduce, to

(03:27):
re launch, and in fact, our sponsor, Munchausen, has done
all that for us, and I think it's time to
just dive right in. Wait, I want to say, before
we dive right in, you should that we don't need
this pressure. We don't feel pressure because you know what,
a season three of a podcast, what does that mean?
Let's start there, doesn't mean anything. Well, that's a slippery

(03:49):
slope if I've ever heard one. I want to say
one thing before we start. Okay, I have missed you,
see you on my screen, being with you every week.
It is the greatest honor of my life to have
a professional relationship and a collaborative relationship with you. And

(04:10):
it is an honor to be back this time, wild
bleeding George, you are the Munchausen is talking. Honestly, my
my makeup is running. But when Munchausen is acting up,
all of us are sponsored by Munchausen. Each of us
have Munchousen in different ways. We actually each have Munchausen

(04:34):
by proxy to someone we have chosen. I'm poisoning Sam.
Sam is poisoning Bowen, Bowen. It is poisoning Matt every
goddamn day. Phantom thread over here. Not for lack of trying,
t t um. Okay, George, Um, it's a pleasure to

(04:55):
be hosting a podcast with you again. Um. I've been
lost the summer without you, and our personal and professional
relationship is one of the strongest in my life, and
I just want to say so often this summer, I
feel like if I do not talk to you, I
will in fact collapse. And I maybe will text you

(05:16):
kind of in the middle of the day something that's
that's a small thing. Maybe I'll send you something I
found funny, or maybe I'll say like, oh l O
L to something, and then sometimes you rightly will respond appropriately,
will be like oh ha ha, and then I will
be crushed because in fact, I was trying to start
a two hour long conversation and I realized, in fact,

(05:36):
what I'm missing is a recorded podcast. Yeah. Yeah, I'm
not a great texture to be honest. Yeah yeah, I
don't feel like engaging. I just sort of leave it. Yeah,
it's not a good quality. I don't take pride in it,
but it's just a fact. Matt and Bowen, how has
your professional relationships strained your friendship immensely? Yeah, a lot um,

(06:02):
I mean, and I'll tell you something. And it got
really hard once we signed our big deal with Heart.
And I say, when we signed our big deal with
I Heart, I don't think we really made too much
of it on the mike. So I feel this is
this is your first mistake. Yea. Even talking about it
and you know what I feel is almost like h

(06:24):
Lindsay Lohan saying I could hear myself, I could hear
everyone being annoyed with me, but I couldn't stop when
she's talking about Regina all the time, and to me,
Regina is my heart. Yeah. Well, Katie Herron said that
Lindsay Lohan didn't say about it was improvised. It was improvised. Now,
Tina Fey, Dame Tina Fey wrote those words through Katie

(06:46):
Harron and don't you forget it. No, it was a
kind of Christopher Guest type thing. Tina fe has talked
about this, that entire movie was improvised. She's never said that, George,
She has never said, when you watched The Trap, did
you think Lindsay Lohan actually had a twin? A lot
of people thought that this is a this is a
really important question. It says a lot about you. I mean,

(07:09):
she did, didn't she talk about a professional relationship? Strange?
Let me tell you something. Yeah, she got she got
the big film and suddenly her twin was dead. Talk
about a relationship strained Lindsay Lohan with herself. Oh, my god, God,
I have nothing to had. Well, let's bring in our guests,

(07:29):
shall we? Okay, this has been such awkward humor. No
awkward humor, no random random not don't stop it. You're
tipping it, don't I'm tipping it. I got it. I'm
getting excited. Can we be brought in? I think it's
time to bring in our guests. And why do you

(07:51):
feel that it's time? Please give a warm welcome to
style superstar Carson Cressley and the always hilarious Michelle Vissage.
So are we do? Who do you think do you
think that Carson is? Like I was just thinking, are

(08:13):
we as gay as Carson? Yeah? Yeah, yes, yes, but
for our time the standards are different. Yeah we are.
We are to Carson what Carson was in his time.
We are now parentheses derogatory, Yeah, parenthes derogatory and and
and a big joke and a big joke. Well, I
do think you know, in fifteen years or whatever, there

(08:34):
will be new gay podcasters on the scene, and they'll
be like and welcome to the stage, like the hilarious
Matt Rogers, and it will be like inherently like like
they won't have said anything mean, but it will be
like that's meant to be mean, and it's like, hey,
you're making fun of right. It's like when they call
him a style superstar, that's like meant as a hurtful insult.

(08:57):
I think anyone anyone wants the augatory anyone watching it,
he's wearing it's a Liberati Cave style Superstar, and he'm
like superstar. Literally he's crying. He's back with glitter on
Stop and the and the whole areas air quotes Ross Matthews.

(09:21):
But yeah, I do think Georgia're right. I do think
it's time to bring in our guests. Should we bring
them in? I mean that's the question everybody's lips, all
of America wants to know, should we bring them in?
You know, I think there's almost there. I I'm sensing
something very productive about the tension of they are half in,
half out. Yeah, and there's a queerness. There's a queerness

(09:42):
to that. Yeah, it's sort of well, it's it's definitely
like anti sort of border. It's sort of saying like
it literally does what's up with that? That is what
is happening right now? Yeah, And it's what's crazy is
like even internally like even though they're not speaking on it,
um because they haven't been invited to. UM. I feel

(10:02):
that our guests, like when we say should we bring
our guests, they assume the position of guests who have
not been brought in. But then when we fake bring
them in, they assume the position of guests that haven't
got in. And it's sort of like they need to
examine why they're like believing these borders. You know, it
is it's work they have to do themselves, and it's

(10:24):
work we can't do for them. So it's very much
like you know, the dog is used to the cage.
You open the cage, the dog still wants to be
in the cage, Oh my god. Sorry, And so it's
not you know, even now, I'm like, I'm like, you know,

(10:44):
they could actually speak up right now, but they are not.
Even though they have already spoken in the past. They
now suddenly are back in then not having been brought
in stage because we have really good boundaries. UM, So
please welcome without further ado. From the hit film Fire Island,

(11:06):
Bow and Yang and Matt Rogers chices You live in
love You to local girls, How the hell's it going?
You guys really are living love to local today a
little bit. We're not we are and it's getting loca
or and loca or as we go. Oh my god,
mass loca. Matt, you just woke up? Tell us about that. Well,

(11:31):
as you all know, we attended the Lady Gaga concert
last night at the MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey,
and I, as a result of staying up late after
the concert and even getting into it with somebody, woke
up a little bit late today. Yeah, it's like sexually

(11:54):
or violently? Can you tell us, honey, Well, I got
into sexually with someone and it was decidedly not violent.
Huge is someone we know? No, it was a bartol
That's so fun. Oh my god, I feel like I
feel I feel like this is Matt, look at me. Congrats. Yeah,

(12:18):
I'm sorry that I thought same was gonna agree with
that it was I agree with. I think there's a
world where he can both agree that. It's very say
congrats and bartender to be a supporting character is ver. Yes,
they have found my Steve may have found my Yes,
and in some ways it's but he told me, he

(12:38):
told me he is partnered. Okay, okay, well, well that
could work yeah, I mean this is rebood. Yeah, I
mean in the reboots, Steve is PAULI. Actually he's dying,
hold on, hold on writing down that idea for our
rom com Ken it work with someone who's partner. Oh
my god, that's the old partnered god work uncoupled, Write

(13:03):
that down, uncoupled. Oh smart, smart, Smart, starring Style superstar
Carson Cresslin and the Hush. Imagine imagine that rom com
with them. That would be kind, That would be fun,
That would be really fun playing themselves, not to be
like the most simple minded sort of a to be um,

(13:27):
you know, unimaginative person on the globe. Right, But should
we just sort of talk about should we sort of
get into the fact that we were at Chromatical last night? Yes,
and maybe not just I think we have to and
we have to. CHROMATICA is the is a huge album
for this podcast because it it came. I mean, I

(13:50):
would say the entire release cycle, if you're can call
it that of that album was was you know, was
tracked painstakingly by the pod. I remember had Amy Zimmern
to talk about Lady Gaga as a concept when um
Stupid Love came out, and she said something I think
is very wise, which is the promise of Lady Gaga.

(14:11):
Is like, if Lady Gaga fails, then the twenty tens
were for nothing. Wow. It's like the reason why we
have faith in Lady Gaga is because we have to
believe there was some point to the twenty tents. It's
sunken cost fallacy. It's like when you go, you know,

(14:32):
I've spent I've spent too much time on this thing
already and if I quit then that that would have
been a waste of my time at that point. If
you quit, it's like, well, what was the point of
What was the point of Obama? What was the point
of marriage equality? What was the point of HBO's girls.
It's a slippery slope, that is so true. I think

(14:54):
that last night Lady Gaga proved that the times I
completely agree. That's what I felt, That's what I think
ultimately up and last night was she in singing her
songs made us all dance and remember and um, when
I was leaving the concert last night, I thought back
to all the times when I first heard those amazing songs,

(15:18):
and I thought this was a time capsule. It was
a journey both in a literal and figurative sense. It
was an emotional journey as well as a journey to
another plan and not just a capsule, but a cap
stone thank you, as in it was the conclusion of
the tens. Now we can finally move on, Now can begin,

(15:38):
can truly begin? I was going to decades now Yeah,
oh my god. It's it's like, it's like how, only
it's like how it took Lady Gaga three songs last
night to say act one, And let's talk about that,
and let's talk about your storytelling. Let's talk about because

(16:00):
bag non monear. But there's flashbacks in the first season,
how dare if you're fact checking my co hosts, OK,
this is not our house. This is not our house.
If you said it's not linear, it's not linear. You
think he has the concert with yellow jackets or fleabag.

(16:21):
I think I think it was succession. I think it
was purely linear, purely linear, because she gave us prologue
acts once before and finale, which is classically which is
a classic structure. That is you're right, it is a
classic structure, and it is succession um finale, my final
act final? Did she even call the first three songs

(16:48):
just thrust. She knew what she was doing. It made
it better that than without expecting it. You saw the
words act one, Yeah, when Actually the way I felt
when I saw the words act one I I immediately
was like, oh so this I thought this was a
concert and actually it's a story, and that really I screamed.
I said, I didn't know I was seeing a film today.

(17:09):
I thought I was seeing a concert. What do we
think the story was? Okay, that's a really good that's great,
that's great. So it starts when she's in a thing
that sort of a cafcoon and it's romance, bad romance.
So she's okay, I think she's kidnapped in Berlin. Yeah,

(17:30):
she's in She's in the basement. She's in the basement.
I just want to say, to be clear, I know
the answer. I know what the story is. So I'm
just like listening to see if you guys get it.
I want to hear Sam do it. Yeah. No, I'm
saying I'm listening, but I do know. So at the
and I will confirm if you're right, you're gonna fact check.
I just want to say, the story is whatever the
whatever the viewer, Sam keep going. Okay. So she's kidnapped

(17:55):
and she's in the basement of Bergheim and they're playing
her songs upstairs, which just crazy because she knows all
the words of them. So she's sort of seeing you
along and she's like and so. So then that's the prologue,
is like, we're starting here, and then it's sort of
her journey out of Bergheim. Um. So it's act two,

(18:19):
Act one, all right, So that's the prolog. It's like,
let's start there. You think Act one is the prologue. No, no, no,
Sam needs to keep going because he's dead on right, Okay,
So that's the prologue and then the act one, Um,
so that was sort of Alice. Okay, so that was

(18:39):
about identity. That was about identity. Yeah, so she was
clearly going undercover to get out of Bergheim. She was like,
my name isn't oh yeah, but it's not. But it's
also not Stephanie, nor is it Gaga. Oh my god,
she has munch houses for names. Okay, so she's going undercover,

(19:03):
is not Alice to leave ver Kim? So far, so good,
so far, ten out of ten so far. Okay. So
then it gets to act two and that's sort of
when we get to um caramatica two into nine on one,
so that actually she had escaped, but she had PTSD
for being locked in the basement pretty long. So then

(19:25):
she had to pop a nine on one yeah, because
of Yeah, And I'm so sorry to interrupt, but exactly
I was going to say, it goes from identity to trauma,
which is such a classic narrative in that order to
But she's calling nine one one because she lives in
a country where dialing one doesn't summon the police, it

(19:48):
summons social workers. And she goes and she she wants
she wants help with her mental with her mental health.
It's not capaganda. People are saying nine one one is capaganda,
and I just want to say, no, it's not. It's
so they don't work aganda. It's social work aganda, which
is what we need more of now more than ever.
We really need more social workers to stand up in

(20:10):
the world propaganda for in the world of chromatic at
nine one one is for the nationalized mental health care line.
It's not for the cops. Yes. So then after that,
she realizes that she needs to put on a show,
um because she realizes that she needs art to um
to sort of be her therapy because the social workers

(20:32):
weren't supported enough economically to give her the support that
she needed. So that's when she gets to the piano
and sort of sing some songs because she's like, maybe
this will help. Does it correct? That is the story?
Why is that? Why is the piano madd trees? Why
is the piano like a gnor old wood? Oh? Um?
Because she made it herself, so you think you think

(20:57):
it's she made it herself, not because it's a climate
change may Yeah. No, she doesn't really care about there
was no there was. She doesn't care about. Ladyga does
not care about the planet. That's why she's leaving it.
That's why she abandoned. In that way, it's very Taylor
Swift getting on her private jet because she's like, oh

(21:19):
there's climate change, I gotta go. Yeah, yeah, I'm not
gonna be stuck here. Yeah. Big, She's like big demons
to fight. Lady Gaga was actually quoted as saying we
have to get off this planet. Yes. So then she

(21:40):
sang the songs on the piano and then it gets
to um Um finale, the finality. Okay, so the finale
I sort of read that as her learning that it's
not about um social workers helping you, it's not about
art helping you. It's about commercial success helping you. That's
the only way you can fill the emotional hole caused

(22:03):
by being tied up in the basement at Berkheim, which
is why she got Ariana gran Grande on the track.
She said, how do I get a hit? She said,
put her on the damn track. I'm cashing in baby.
That was her, That was her I heart deal moment.
That was the lady got got sold out. But that

(22:24):
is actually a very powerful narrative that you have just well.
And then obviously the Cherry on Top being ending withhold
my hand and sort of being like this song, you know,
couldn't be further from Burkheim. We are gone that that
is in the past. It's not just said it's the
natural endpoint of commercialization. It's like she's singing this song
that sounds personal and it is for a movie that

(22:46):
is literal military propaganda. So it's like it's it's the
Cherry on Top. She's like, Okay, and now here's my
new work inspired by the journey I just took. That
made me realize the only way out of identity and
trauma is through commercial enterprise. And that's right. It's called
Hold My Hand and it is for Top Gun Maverick.

(23:07):
And guess what, and guess what You're gonna gag for it?
And boy did we I did gag for it. Actually
I was, I really did. I actually love I have
stand Hold My Hand for months now and you're a
trailblazer and me a full day. I was shocked at
how how much she sold it. I mean to take
that song she sold it. I was like, there's no

(23:29):
way she can make me like the song. And there
I was when many are calling a seaside from born
this way that she filed through the drawers, and I
was like, what do I have for Top Gun Maverick.
I have this one, maybe this well, maybe I'll just
try to I'll give this one a whirl again. And
then she ended her chromatica ball with the song and
hap to making a tour that she had all the

(23:53):
time in the world to perfect. And and this is
what we got. It wasn't wonderful show, but you have
to and you have to imagine that the entire time
she knew that she actually it wasn't even about public health.
Her canceling the tour. It was like, I don't have
the finale song. And then Once Hold Once Hold my
Hand became such a global hit. She was like, we

(24:15):
can go out on the road. I know how I'm
going to end the show. I have my Beyonce's halo.
I have my torch song that will end all my
concerts going forward. And that is what the concert was about.
The journey to find my hand. Hold my Hand was
the capstone, the capstone to the capstone. Hold my Hand

(24:37):
is again. It's like it is the end of her work,
and it is the end of the work of it
is I would say it is a loss of innocence.
It's like this, there's no it is post postmodern well,
and that's why it's such a gen z anthem. Exactly
when she saw Jennifer Connolly get off that boat and

(25:03):
her hair was still perfect, she said, I'm so inspired.
I'm inspired by the love I saw between Tom Cruise
and Jennifer said, no, I'm no longer than I've changed.
I can start my new decade now, but only after
I record this song that I've had for a while.
She called the Blockheed Martin and said boy, have I
got a track for you? Boys? Yeah, you're about to

(25:24):
catch some big checks because missiles are going to be
on the menu again. I'm not even kidding. I'm not
even kidding. I cannot wait for this to be over
so I can listen a home Matt. Please don't say
you can't wait for our podcast we're going to be over.
That's really hurtful. That's like really hurt can't wait where
network sisters? Now? I cannot wait. I'm edging not just

(25:45):
that you can't wait for to be over so that
you can listen to hold My Whole Night, one of
the greatest songs, the song that started this decade. If
I'm that we can all agree on okay, wait, I
want to say, everyone go around. I'm gonna be my
mom right now. Everyone go around and say their favorite
moment from the concert. Go I loved, but I'll go first.

(26:08):
I loved for a dancing moment, I loved replay and
when you loved another song. I loved a couple other
songs I love. I thought it was really specially we
all got to listen to Shallow Together Live absolutely hand
I loved. I woke up yesterday morning, the day of

(26:30):
the concert, and I decided. The first thought I had
was I'm going to like hold my Hand. I did
not care for that song before I woke up yesterday
and chose peace and love for hold my Hand the Power,
and I was like, I'm gonna be I'm surprised that
you didn't say Enigma, enigmas whatever? Oh who was I with?

(26:54):
That was like standing enigma? Well, I do stand enigma,
but it wasn't me last night, but I said it
was I'm gonna be off book by this, But by
the concert I learned every single word and it was amazing.
It was an amazing song. That's it. Okay, that's that's me. Well.
I have to say I enjoyed every part of the concert,

(27:16):
and I've already expressed that my favorite part was Holding
my Hand. But if I had to sort of just
you know, pick another favorite, I would say that I
absolutely and I'm I actually got some flak from our readers,
which is what we call the fans of our podcast,
for not standing replay the way everyone else was. And
replay was fabulous last night. It was so fabulous. That

(27:39):
being said, I think that while Shallow was incredible, I
have to say always remember us this way, giving complete.
I loved always remember Us this way, loved it, loved it,
loved it, loved everything she did at the piano, and
like I also did give get my life to that
acoustic thousand of a thousand, which the lyrics and you

(28:03):
do not the host of this podcast do not know.
We don't know. But then someone did, right she did.
She changed the lyrics, she changed the lyrics. It was
it was the Sam and George gas Lighting edition of
the song. She did different lyrics so that we would
look stupid because she's mad that we haven't had her on.
I want to say, in response to Matt, always remember

(28:25):
us this stupid love and stupid with always remember us
this way. I actually when she started the song, it
didn't fully hit me what what she was singing. And
my first thought was, oh, she's covering a classic song.
She's doing a classic song, that's like the confidence. Who

(28:48):
would have thought that it was not even the song
from the soundtrack that didn't win the Oscar. Wow. She
didn't even do any covers. She didn't do anything doesn't
usually no covers, no guest stars, and and honestly no
weird like mash ups or anything like it was very
much like one song after the other. Wait, but have
you have you guys ever heard um the story of

(29:09):
One Bone? And I went to go see the Telor
Swift World Tour and she had famously she famously had
many guest stars and the most iconic guest star that
she brought out was to walk to walk the runway
during style was oh yeah, And then she came out
you got that, David, And it was just like who

(29:33):
I complimented at an Emmy's party last year. I said
in Treatment was spectacular. You were so good in that,
And she did not want to talk to me at all.
She was like, thanks, and just let me say this
about Let me say this about the Intreatment reboot starring
with a Duba. I think I think she's talents. But
here's what I'll say the marketing of that show. If

(29:55):
you look at the poster for it, she is fully
wearing a snatched model look to play looks like everything
like an ad for like I don't know. She's wearing
the doulchinkabana, Beyonce bell the key on it. Yes, yes, yes, yes,
yes she is. She is literally done in every single

(30:17):
She's She's at home in her professionally, and like Trinity
of the Tuck walks in and she's like, let's get
to a girl in her own house. So your father,
famous famous line girl. Alright, So George was moment and

(30:40):
I'm sorry to be uh kind of cliche, but my
favorite moment was when she said, if they come for
gay marriage in this country, you know what will what
will happen? No, we don't know, No one knows. That
was you know what's going to happen. And then my
second favorite moment was when she said, after talking about

(31:01):
how much difficult do we have all seen in the
last two years, she said, but we have seen so
much kindness and positivity, and no one classed. People were
like where it was like literally the opposite thousands of people.
No one well like this they did. They did the
vic emoji, I'm doing the slight I confused emoji. Yeah.

(31:27):
And that moment was when they found polio in the
sewage in New York. Yeah. When she said yeah, when
she said kindness, she meant polio. We have seen so
much and then she came out of so much disease.
Every time she spoke to the audience, it made even

(31:47):
less sense than the time before unconnected. No point did
she Pat and I have this joke, uh, kind of
an inside joke. In fact, we talked about certain people
like that. We'll talk about someone and we'll say, you know,
they need to be tagged in the say one single
thing that makes sense challenge and I would say, gag,

(32:09):
I needs to be tagged, and the say one single
thing that makes sense challenge. It's true. I yeah, that
stuff was really making me laugh. I wanted almost more
of it, um because what you want from her as
cookie cookiness. Someone did someone did like I have to
say against my whale. I did chuckle when someone posted

(32:30):
a photo of the crowd last night and and said
there could be people in a room, and I was like,
that will never get old. It's so funny. Also another
thing that she said was she was like talking about
her memories of Jersey and being like in the boardwalk,
come on, I've had my good time. I remember that

(32:52):
one who could forget? Who can forget? The beach? The
commitment to Jersey. Rather than just being like think it
a shout out and then mostly talking about New York,
the commitment to Jersey, she was like, what about those sopranos.
It was Jersey burn I think I think they. I

(33:13):
think every pop star who performs there is told you
cannot mention New York City before Jersey, like we when
Matt and I saw Taylor Swift there, she like barely
talked about New York either. All she did was say, Wow,
it's so great to be in Jersey tonight, like, never
mentioned New York once except in Welcome to New York.
I think she did say like, and who is here

(33:34):
from New York and the entire crowd screamed, and she
was like, okay, and that this, and then she I
think she probably did like an hashtag awkward uh segue
into welcome to New York, you know, and speaking of
awkward segways first, which we will do after let me finish,

(33:57):
which we will do after. Sam says his best moment,
I was like, wait, I'm literally being erased right this
second in front on my own podcast. This is so
crazy that very suspect, okay, very suspect, well, very inconsidered it,
and thank you. I think, um honestly, honestly, the top

(34:19):
moment for me was I'd already been mentioned. Seeing Shallow
with everybody was so crazy when she literally goes into
the like hall and it was like she's doing it,
She's doing the thing we all did for like years,
Like this is so crazy. I could not believe amazing.
That was like seeing a way jump in the ocean.
Like I was like, I didn't think I would see

(34:40):
this in my life. Like that was like being on
the moon. Like I was like, I'm I'm there. That's
also how I felt when she did the CHROMATICA two
and that was the other one I was going to say.
I was like, oh my god, I listened to this
so many times and now I'm here and it's happening.
It was. It was breathtaking. I was moved. I thought

(35:01):
that way about holding my hand for sure. I said,
oh my god, this song that I liked today, she's
doing it something that I liked today also. And to
be the most basic, rain on Me was such a
damn slay. I was jumping up and down jump in
Stupid Love is a better song. What I was shocked

(35:24):
that she didn't end on Stupid Love because I'm sorry.
Rain on Me has a feature that was like being
played from the speakers. You like to end on something
where you're hearing like a recorded U featured artist. That
seems so anticlimactic to me. I couldn't believe she couldn't
pull any special guests to come out and do that.
Even if it wasn't Ariana like not, there couldn't be

(35:46):
anyone I agree with that. I was like, yet, surely
someone's coming. You couldn't fly in like Pooh, he'd love
to be around these game and he doesn't do this.
She's never done this, not once, not in the since
the begins, not since the aime Ball. She does not
pull out special gets because I think she also thinks
it's very important for people to associate her sharing this

(36:07):
stage with someone else, and that only that person only
being Tony Bennett for now about Bradley Cooper, Sure, and
Bradley like after she's in a movie with him. But
I'm say sure she didn't bring up Beyonce for telephone.
Ever she brought out like, you know, fucking Florence for
hey girl. You know she just doesn't do that, true
little monsters. I know you're right. I ultimately was not

(36:32):
expecting her to bring out anyone like which is why
it would have been the biggest gag of Ball if
she surpassed those expectations. Of course, of course the big
what ba if there was a good bag them, well

(37:00):
to gag the big too good away that is the great. Yeah.
And if you gag too hard, now you even up.

(37:22):
Oh my god, dre some water bit Jesus Christ, Protect
the voice now, protect the voice? Now? Should do our
first segment? Or should we bring our guests? I don't
think I'm ready to bring it out. Yeah, Carson and

(37:43):
Ross have been waiting for minutes. Keep them in limbo,
Keep them in limbo. Carson, you're a great hunt Ah
style superstar, style superstar and the whole though when you
just thought, when you just went, that was your Carson,
It's time to be real. No, my phone's over there,

(38:05):
but one of us can do it. I didn't get
a notification that real. Okay, I make sure it's a
good photo of me too. Hold on, and we don't
don't cut this out in the Audio's gonna be really good.
This is gonna be the little trailer re release on Instagram.
Um okay, okay, so you know what something that has

(38:31):
happened literally since we've been on hiatus. Be real quick
thoughts does each go? I think it's boring, but I
like it. It's boring, and it's boring now it quickly
became boring, but I'll still do it. Yeah, it's it's
like I wish we'd be boring. Oh my god, real,

(38:51):
more like bow Real. Our first segment, it's called straight Shooters,
And in this segment, we gauge your familiar Oh, this
is my favorite segment in We gauge your familiarity with
and complicity and straight culture by asking a series of
rapid fire uh questions where you have to choose one

(39:12):
thing or another thing or intact sometimes a third thing.
And the one rule is you can't ask any follow
up questions about how it works. Kapeche, This is I'm
not even kidding, my favorite segment in podcasting history. It's
so good on the level, and I just want to
say that means the world coming from you. Thank you.

(39:35):
That means so much because so many people in our
podcasting life have told us we'd never be good enough,
and they said you're a freak and a loser and
nobody and I said, well, you just wait, because we've
got a segment of our Sleeves that's gonna rock everyone's world. Honey,
if they ain't pay in your bills, pay them bitches,
no mind. And I just want to seyfically specifically to

(39:59):
Matt Rogers and bone Yang, you know who paved the
way for so many of us here at the office.
I we noticed that what you guys did when you
had guests as you asked questions, and we thought, how
can we put a twist on that? What if the
questions are just words? Essential? That's essential? Yeah, that's essential
is um and it's and it's almost it's almost a commentary.

(40:21):
It's a commentary on the idea of asking questions. Oh
my god, you're so right. No, I'm not. Okay, no, No,
he's obsessed taking away edging me. Okay, here here we go. Boy,
it's chromatic a ball or basketball. Marjorie Taylor Green or

(40:45):
Anya Taylor Joy, Any Taylor Joy, Anya Taylor Joy. I
see dead People or I've seen Deadpool one and two.
I said, so far, so far. Matt and I are
in total agree. That's really cool. Bodies bodies, bodies or location, location,
location location, Okay, it's true. Ignorance is bliss or knowledge

(41:12):
is power. Ignorant you're can teller, Miles teller or if
you want to tell her, tell her yourself if you
want to tell her yourself, Okay, f X is the bear, Noah,
bomb box, the squid in the whale or C. S

(41:33):
Lewis's the Lion, the Witch and the wardrobe the C.
S Lewis's I've not seen I'm not yet seen the bear.
I apologize. Stacy's mom has got it going on? Or
our father who art in heaven Hell would be thy name? Wow, Um,

(41:59):
I think that's pretty good. I think that you got
I want to say seven hundred and fifty six doubs.
Not everyone can say that. Well, we have to believe
the kind of logic of schoolwork. This isn't you know,
we're not in class in some culture that in some

(42:22):
cultures is seven hundreds. Something can be actually even better
than than than a thousand. Well, because sometimes less is
more right. That's something Lady Gaga taught me. Do you
think Lady Gaga has ever thought less as more? Or
did you do you think she thought, no, the piano
has to well, you know you have to wear this
bug costume. Shallow the bug costume. Can we have to

(42:44):
talk about the bug costume? While she's saying shallow, that
was really something. It was sell it was dragon ball z.
I love. It's not really about wearing the bug costume.
It is about wearing the bug mask for Shallow and
then taking it off and being like and now we're done,

(43:05):
and being like that was specifically for Shallow. It wasn't
like for this chapter of the concert. I actually was
dressed as a bug just for Shallow, and she took
it off so she could get real to always remember us,
because it was it would be disrespectful to sing always
remember us this way. Dedicated to Tony Bennett's wife dressed
as a man of the Wasp. Yeah, well, I actually

(43:30):
think I do see a segue from the bug to
our topic. Yeah, should we tell you? Yeah? Okay? Our
topic is the is and randomness? Randomness? Wow, but on
the graphic, you guy, You guys can do awkwardness and
then like in smaller and a smaller font and random

(43:51):
and random, don't I don't want to random disease because
I don't think it's like parenthetical, but I think it's like, um,
a subhead, it's a cola. Yeah, well one implies the other.
And please please listen to Bowen when he says that,
because he has a very visual eye, and he needs it.
He needs it to make sense visually, just like I
need things to make sense. Sonically, Bowen is the eyes

(44:14):
and I am the ears. You understand which one of them?
Do you understand which one of us is the eyes?
On which one of us is the ears? Would you say,
mm hmmm, I don't know. It's pretty balanced. I think well,
canonically Sam is the mat on the mat and George
is the bowen. Yeah, sure, yea. Or which makes you

(44:35):
the Sam is the salmon and George is the George.
I would know because I would say that I'm the Sam.
I'm not saying like who are you? Who are you?
You're not paying one thing over the other, You are
simply trying one thing over the other. And it's also
like to sit there and say like it's like even

(44:56):
just like bring up bones, like visual eye, it's like
we're we are like Matt and I are both wearing
tank tops on the zoom and Georgia are both sort
of like in like kind of well lit, clean white
spaces with like and just scurried away and showed he
was wearing underwear. Georgia, are you wearing only underwear? I'm
actually wearing a loungewear from H and m Oh. I

(45:19):
love that brand. Um so our topic. I'm wearing underwear,
are you Yeah, I'm gonna tank top and underwear. Well,
we actually didn't have sex because I had to say
it with me Molly Dick. But but we really enjoyed
each other. That's all really good. Sometimes enjoying each other

(45:40):
is sex. You know. I really like just kissing. Do
you people love kissing? I love kissing. I love being
so romantic. I love like making out in a ball
when you gegast and the whole world. Okay, let's hear.

(46:10):
Let's I wanna. I wanna. I want to hear a
kind of maybe not so much a definition. I want
to put you on the spot, but kind of what
you think of when you think of randomness and awkwardness.
And then on top of that, why it is a
straight topic to you? I think on a sensibility level,
like awkwardness and randomness are paired together because they um

(46:34):
acknowledge how little sense the world makes, which is great,
but it doesn't cope with it in any way except
to say that's awkward or that's random. And then I think, honestly,
Sam Tagget when I first met him, what was like
ten years ago, like with someone who clued me into
like this bit of like going okay, like that's like

(46:58):
I think that that kind of like in a nut
shell sums up awkward randomness, Like it's like, oh, no comment,
you know, like that kind of thing. Sure, sure, sure
think that straight people. And to talk about this decade again,
the twenty they sort of could feel that queer was
going to become very cool, and they were like, what's

(47:19):
the way that we can be queer? Oh, not make
any sense? So they started to do like so you know,
they started to get like a little awkward and random
because it threw a wrench into ordinariness. And I think
that they started to sort of be awkward and random

(47:40):
professionally and commercially because I think that it was the
closest they could get to be in queer. Interesting. Okay,
so you're saying awkward and random was the painting of
the fingernails of It's interesting because I think there are
two rotations of this. It's like, on the one hand,

(48:02):
you have what you're talking about, like awkward and random
humor were I'm thinking Napoleon Dynamite? Yes, that's perfect okay.
And then on the other hand, to me, another element
of this is like seeing something and interpreting it as
awkward in random, like seeing something out in the world,
and to me, what that is is you are uncomfortable,
but you don't want to work on that, so you

(48:23):
just put a name on it, call it random, call
it awkward, and then you don't have to deal with
it exactly. If someone is like saying something to you
that is making you question something, or or like that's
something you haven't heard before, something that is new, then
you can just kind of be like, oh, that's so random,
instead of being like, well, maybe hear that person out.

(48:44):
Maybe you're just not understanding. Maybe it's random to you
because you've never challenged yourself in your life. The dismissiveness
of random, the dismissiveness of and yes, this is this
is this is one of the most amazing conversations I've
ever or had. I'm not joking academic, it's very academic,

(49:05):
but it is. I do think that is the that
is the issue with I think is that the world
was changing too fast for people to make sense of it.
The only way they could was by calling things random
and awkward, right, and not coping and not just moving on.
But I think that's where like the humor comes from,
because it's like, so Sudie Green was telling me about

(49:26):
this roommate she had her freshman year of college, where um,
the way she laughed was to go like this, what
the fuck? Every time she laughed said what the funk
at the end, And I think that's that's what the fuck?
That is straightness, That that is a straight way of
like understanding the world of or of reacting to something. Yes,

(49:50):
because it is you are not even allowing yourself the
vulnerability of laughing. You are immediately painting yourself as superior
because you're actually by saying what the funk? You are
like what is that? Like, I'm I'm better than that.
I'm not even going to address that, and it's like, no,
just laugh. Yeah. I wonder if that was freshman year.

(50:12):
I wonder if that was like it's free. I wonder
if that was like a freshman year thing of like
I'm trying to have a thing or this is something
I'm picking up right now because I'm a little nervous.
Hashtag awkward not comfortable. Maybe they were the awkward one
and I would really want to check in with that
girl to see if she still does that, because if
she does and that's actually what she does, like that's like,

(50:34):
you know, naturally how she laughs and expresses that she
finds something funny. That person needs to be studied. And
there could be a hundred people in a room, but
there can only be one that's that random. Yeah. Well, okay,
here's the question I have, because you know, we're lumping
these two things together. Can a person be awkward without
being random? Can a person be random without being awkward?

(50:56):
Absolutely well, if they're awkward all the time, it's not random. Wow, wow,
I kind of love it. What what she's actually a
slight Unfortunately, that's actually queer. It's it's given. It is

(51:19):
giving Napoleon dynamite in a way, like I could. I
feel like the character that was missing and Napoleon Dynamite
was the one that was like I love it actually,
Um wait, wait can somebody random without being awkward? Um? Yes, yeah, Okay,

(51:41):
we don't need to explore that one for that Okay,
my next thought okay, here here this one out. Okay,
and for my next thought, okay, so people in the
twenty tens, I think it was sort of the top
down thing. I think the media was telling them that
it was noble to be awkward and in them, and
so people that were like maybe feeling a little outsider

(52:04):
leaned into it because they were like, actually, if i'm
if I own it, if I have awkward and random pride,
I'm actually the intellectual in this place. I'm actually the
humorous one, and I'm the hero of this story. Yes,
and that caused sun Dance movies that caused Hitchfork albums
that caused uh yeah, I mean even just like Zoey

(52:25):
Deschanel in her version one. I mean it caused blog
culture that caused everything. It caused like too much personality
and headlines. It's everything, and I feel like it has
I forgive. The usage of the term trickled down into
gen z behavior where it's like, oh, we're proud of

(52:47):
being like like they take pride or power in feeling
like antisocial even more so than like we were in Yes,
I think almost we've swung too far in the other
direction where now o um, randomness and awkwardness were reclaimed
to such a degree yes, that you kind of want
to be like, Okay, let's rein it back in. Yeah,

(53:11):
because sometimes it doesn't. Sometimes it's it's one thing to
be random, and it's another thing to just not make
any fucking sense. Like if you don't make any sense,
I don't care, Like I'm gonna walk away from you.
I would even say random. I would even say a
perfect example of someone in the Twenty Times who was
in the twenty Times it was random but not awkward

(53:31):
was Gaga when she first started out like Kermit the
frog dress, like all these crazy things. You're like, what
the fuck? But she wasn't being awkward about it. She
was like committing herself to the bed while being random,
and it always made sense to her. It was random
to us, but it was always a comment, yes, but
do you know when? Do you know what? The one

(53:53):
thing she did that was interpreted as awkward? Joe Calderone,
that was awkward? That was that was I was that
was not just random random and not even random, not
even random. Joe Caldron was the definition of when when
randomness and awkwardness combine, that's when you get to cringe.

(54:16):
Oh wow, wow, my my thesis. Okay, maybe Matt's the
George so Um. Really I think we really excavated something.

(54:36):
I understand the world better now. I really wait, I
just want to as a counter you know things now
that I didn't know then. Then. Okay, So if if
random and Awkward are straight, does that mean normal he
is gay? Wow? I think I think there's a NORMI

(54:58):
counterculture in gig culture right now. Not even a counter culture.
I think. I think it's just a cultures. Your genius.
But no, no, no, but I like awkward and random
are normally countercultures. So it's not like they're not normal.
They are offshoots of normal. The fact that awkward and
random exist it makes the normal hegemony stronger. Wow. For

(55:20):
awkward and random to exist, because it only props it
up more totally, Awkward and random is have to Awkward
and random have to exist in opposition to something, and
that's something is and that entire ecosystem is straight. It's
not like one is queer and one is straight. The
entire ecosystem of normal and then normal and then things

(55:41):
in opposition to normal. I'm gonna draw it out. I'm
gonna draw it out. Yes, okay, okay, so it's an
even diagram. Um, this is where boonen is the eyes
and then okay, so you see, awkward and normal are
two separate circles, but they are in the and diagram
the bigger than diagram. I'm taking a screenshot so that

(56:03):
we can post this, and I do think, I do
think what would you could do is you can make
those circles in her lap and in the middle. Is
cringe because cringe is at the heart of straight it
is you know Bowen. Have you considered making them in
her lap? Yea, yeah, I'm gonna. I'm gonna think about
doing that. Wait, awkward and normal overlapping is not cringe.

(56:24):
You were saying awkward and random, right, I'm sorry, I
may being not the eyes. I was having a difficult
time to see. Oh I see what you're saying so random? Yes, yes, yes,
that's random. Yeah, okay, thank you. And this is cringe. Okay,

(56:47):
all right. I'm like, you're literally making like a map
for the beginning of some sort of book. I think
we write this, I need an oral history from Napoleon
Dynamite to Juno. Well, so you're going more prestige also
where it's like there is also like yeah, yeah, I
think of Napoleon Dynamite as prestige, but I think random

(57:09):
and I love them and they they raised me in
many ways. But I think you can't talk about random
without talking about Lonely Island. I loved I do like
hot Rod, Like hot Rod was almost peak Internet random
humor because like in a commercial like do you remember
like cool Beans remix while in the middle of hot Rod,
It's not It's not Lonely Islands. You know what the

(57:30):
awkward random origin is what Homestar Runner. Wow, you're damn
so fucking correct. Okay, here is my This is my
origin of awkward and random. That is like, you know,
it's like, it's like this professor that studies really kind

(57:50):
of niche things and it's and it's going to say something.
Really are you ready? It is them. It is the
Amanda show sketch the Girl's Room where one of the
girls always says, I like eggs. Oh my god. Honestly,
it's it does come for awkwardness and randomness. It's the

(58:11):
the generation that was old enough to appreciate Napoleon Dynamite
and like high school their children shows were the kind
of things that were like eggs, like like Gill, like Gilly,
like being such a thing for so long was because
people in their childhood had a trauma because they were

(58:32):
watching kids shows where it was like I like eggs
or or or And in fact, I'm not realizing so
much of the Amanda Show was like that, the one
where she would always like, whack Drake Bell in the
face a hill billion moment, moment, another um. Remember Laurie
best Denberg that that fucking segment on all that that

(58:55):
was this full slate But it was random. Okay, how
about the Andy Milanaka show Final Infamation? Yes, random and
so much MTV programming at the time, and we love them,
but we hate them for what they did to our friends.
But like adults swim stuff and back in the day
like Aquitine Hunger Force, I was like, oh, random, it's

(59:19):
the fries are talking to the meatballs or what you know, Like,
I don't know, this is tough. This is to like
good Burger, like Arrange Soda, Yes exactly. It's like, what
is the joke with who loves Range soda killers? Arrange Soda?
I do? I do? I do? That's funny, very random.

(59:40):
You know what else this is bringing? Wait, this is
actually I'm having a huge insight. Okay, I'm actually scarchedes
that this is related to the over reliance on just references,
Like just because something is a reference doesn't make it
interesting or funny or insightful, but it does make it random.
If you just reference something, it's and that's like the

(01:00:03):
orange soda thing, It's like, okay, great, now we know
this is a joke. Whenever they mentioned orange soda, you
just know to laugh. Yeah, yeah, can I Can I
be really random right now? Yeah, if you're not awkward.
We found out that Trump has violated the Espionage Act.
They did find top top secret info at Maral large.

(01:00:25):
Are you reading Twitter while you're on you? No? No,
no no. My literally popped up on my phone as
a notification, and I literally it was like this, and
then it went it lit up like that because I
saw the news headline can I tell you something, Matt?
When I saw your face change, I thought you were
offended because I made a light joke about you saying
um interlap. And I literally this entire time thought that

(01:00:46):
you were mad at me because I said that. No,
I'm not mad at you. I said interlap you. He
said that, so he was mad at you. I've been
thinking this entire time how much I love you. I've
actually been thinking at this entire time, especially last night,
and I was so excited. I was like, I love
everyone here. I'm sorry to be a fucking idiot, but
I loved everyone last night. I actually and when you

(01:01:10):
when you guys had your when you guys had your
earnest moment in the beginning, I loved that last night.
I felt an overwhelming almost Um. I would say it
was almost a sadness in the knowledge that I will
never be able to express to each person how much
they mean to me. It was so special. Will last

(01:01:31):
night and I had a very we had a nice moment,
nice moment, quick quick quick things in each other's ears,
very quick affirmations of love to each other. It's very important.
It's very important. You gotta do. I can't recommend it enough.
And you guys did that earlier, and it was so beautiful.
Even if it was sort of a little bit of
a joke, I knew it was real. Sam and I

(01:01:52):
have been doing it more and more. I would say.
I also like there was just something. I mean, when
I'm in a room with Sam, I feel safer. Oh,
It's true. That is the ultimate carbon starts now. Um,
but yeah, I do feel like I have to explain
less to George and he just sort of understands. It's like,
that's where I'm coming from. It's really nice. Earnestness is

(01:02:14):
the least awkward. Sometimes it can be awkward, but it's
the least random thing. Well, you know that awkward if
the receiving party is not committing to list honey. You know,
Awkwardness and randomness are literally a reaction to being genuine
and being real, like fear. It is a complete fear
based response. So like, yeah, of course, it's like why

(01:02:36):
is Napoleon Dynamite written like that? Or why is sorry
Juno written like that? Because they can't say what they mean.
But by the end, Juno does say what she means exactly,
thank you. That's my point, you know what, if you know,
you know what my favorite my favorite part of Juno
is at the end when um, she says to Michael

(01:02:59):
Sarah like, I just like you're you don't even really try.
You're so cool and you don't even really try, And
he says, I try really hard. Actually, you know I
actually you're right, and I completely take back my examples.
It's what is a good example of what I'm saying,
it's like using it as a defense mechanism, like using
awkwardness and randomness as a defense mechanism of Juno does

(01:03:20):
that the character of Juno, I would say, it's even like, yeah,
it's almost like the ethos of the movie rather than
the actual movie itself. It's like, yes, there's a certain distance,
like it doesn't let you in too close, which I
guess is why it works ultimately because then it's even
more rewarding at the end when they do get earnest. Yeah,
it's sort of a sort of a commentary on random
not not the song. They sing a song with each other,

(01:03:44):
which is the most intimate thing you can do. Like,
they sing a song together, which is so you know what,
that song is peak random in terms of the lyrical content.
The political content is random, and and for your band
to be called the multi Peaches is random. But they
were but that that they had a shared sense of

(01:04:04):
humor and they were sharing it with each other, and
there is intimacy that they're also supposed to be children.
Their flawed, they're dumb, they're supposed to have bad, bad
taste and whatever. We're almost like, okay, not everything is random.
You know what I mean, Like we're sort of putting
everything in random, and it's like some things are weird

(01:04:25):
and that's different than random. Actually, um and Sam is pet.
Sam is really mad. No, this is wh try to
pour my heart out to him. He's like, first of all, bitch,
not everything is random. First of all, I think I
think we can look. It's my job in this podcast
sometimes stop us from getting carried away because it can
start to feel like you know, yes, that that that that,

(01:04:47):
and it's like, actually, not all that. Sometimes, Like I
think we're a lot of humor and some humor is silly,
but not in here random. I love silly. I love silly.
I love of course, I mean it's politically necessary. I

(01:05:07):
love silly. I love stupid. I don't really like awkward.
I don't like awkward or random. Um okay, wait, I
have on do you count? Like i'd say, like Nathan
for you is awkward, but it's awkward done really well
the way I was going to say that exact same thing.
It's awkward. Yeah, it's like it's awkward sort of in
the same space as like improv, where it's like, yeah,

(01:05:30):
when it's bad, it's horrible. But when it's good, it
is sort of magical. But it's awkward in a very
controlled way, in a way that is that leaves you
watching it questioning the reality of things. I think it
transcends awkward. I don't think awkward is the right label.
I do think it is a It is a commentary
on awkward in random much like Juno. Nathan for You

(01:05:51):
is very much the Juno of show that's been off
the Airplaime for Yeah, okay, no see Nathan for You
is cringe okay, okay, okait. Neither of you uses cringe

(01:06:13):
to comment on awkward. It takes awkward to the most
heightened place so that you see the truth. And also
it's it's not using it's not um it's not using
awkwardness as a crutch like many of these things that
we are. It's not using awkwardness. It's about awkwardness like

(01:06:36):
it is an investigation of awkwardness more so than relying
on awkwardness as a crutch because at a loss for
other things exactly, And a perfect example is an early
episode of Nathan for You where he works with a
gas station attendant and then it goes great and at
the very end the gas station attendant out of nowhere,
starts talking about how he drinks his grandson's peace sometimes,

(01:07:01):
and it comes it really comes out of nowhere. And
then Nathan Fielder like, I think, I think, I think
this is a real moment, but it's one of those
things in the show where you're like, is this real?
But Nathan Fielder, the real person is like wait what,
Like what are you talking about? And that is awkward, random,
and cringe, all three. It's all three and one thing,
the holy trinity, the awkward, random, and cringe, and no

(01:07:25):
one's done it since The Office. Thank you Steve Correll,
Thank you you are an icon everything coun this is awkward. Yes, yes,
that is actually such a great example that that we
hadn't touched on is actually mockumentary in general is like
oh my god, yeah, like when done well, Like to me,

(01:07:46):
Christopher guests, movies are like the biggest pleasure. It's like
the perfect movies because, much like Nathan for you, they
actually are. It's about the subject of those things rather
than using them as crutches. Whereas The Office at its worst,
not always at its worst, is just using awkwardness and randomness, well,
it uses it as like a sprinkle, because like I

(01:08:08):
think The Office is a good show, and then like
like I need like way less of Jim being like random,
like weird, Like Jim is one of the worst parts
of right, And I feel bad saying that because you
kind of need him to even have the Office because
like it's so like when you think of the Office,
like probably top three things you think about is Jim

(01:08:30):
looking at the camera. Like but but Jim is Jim
is awkward, and Dwight is random? Yes yeah, and Michael
mc correct yes. Wow. Wait, one tiny little footnote is
about when we were talking about improv briefly. Improv in fact,
is the definition of random because it's literally give us

(01:08:52):
a topic. Like it's literally pick a random thing and
then build something around it. Yeah. Wait, I have a question. Yeah.
Do you guys think John Grazinski is hot? Yeah? No,
I don't either. I mean, he seems lovely, just doesn't
He just doesn't do it for me. But it's fine.
Much like many of these I heard, he is not lovely.

(01:09:14):
I heard he's there. Yeah, that's what I've heard. Joys
Juma says he's an absolute and that's fact checked. I
do think that much like many of these guys and
this is I'm not saying anything new, but I'm like, yeah,
he was hot when it was like a surprise that
he was hot. He's not hot now that he's like
funded by the CIA. Yeah, like to look at him

(01:09:37):
in the office and be like, you know what kind
of round them that I find him hot now that
it's awkward? That's awkward, Not awkward considering I'm sitting with
my wife. You know what's weird? Like it's like the
Office had John Krasinski become hot leading man, and Parks
and Rec had Chris Pratt become hot leading man. But

(01:10:01):
we're not seeing anything from uh, thirty Rock? Where is
the hot leading man from thirty Rock? Why isn't Jack
mcbreer in the Marvel cinemat in what I want to know?
You know who? I think That's really what I'm saying.
You know, I think it is so hot and truly,
like is just whatever is so hot? Is Jonathan from
thirty Rock? Molly Pincholi a sweetheart in real life? And

(01:10:23):
is I'm so attracted to him deeply and I want
to say, like Juilliard, like he's like a really wonderful
wait which Panchol Jonathan. Oh wait wait, we started his
career as hot leading man. No, well that's someone who

(01:10:46):
started his career as a hot leading man. The premise
of what I was saying, Hans, if you listen, was
that it's someone from the show who then became a
hot leading man. It's someone it's someone that like was
not put there to be hot. And then people were like, wait,
that person is hot, right, yeah, thanks, but thanks. I

(01:11:07):
you're gonna get glimpse into my relationship with Hans, which
is really a very flirt very flirting. God, I had
no idea. It's sort of random when you are wanting
to flirt with someone and you're nasty to them, you
know what I mean. I guess I was thinking, it's
more like sounds like illegal, Like it's like you're like
flirting with like a co worker, you know what it

(01:11:28):
means like sounds like yeah, it sounds like we should
call nine one one and not the one in CHROMATICA. Yeah,
I'm talking jail time, darling. Kim Petra said a problematique,
problematique that should be my album. When what are we
gonna do about her? There's no time? Matt, can you

(01:11:48):
say that again, Problematique. That should be my album? What
the fuck? I mean, why are we laughing? Why are
we laughing? We laughing at the metal amazing, it's amazing.
Are we laughing on on a meta level at Yeah? Well,

(01:12:09):
I think the funny thing is that there is this
person sudo knows that did that. It's not like that's
the funny thing. But also there's, um, there's an SNL
sketch that I think is also I'm sorry but this
is before my time, But there's o Cecily Strong and
Scarlett Johansson dressed up in like nerdy clothes going to
a museum. They're like going in front of this dinosaur
skeleton and then like you know, someone's explaining what the

(01:12:30):
dinosaur is, and then both of them it's pieces of
pot and both of them are like, okay, giant, what
have we been? A giant turt under the dino? And
everyone's to be like, um, that happened, you know, Like
it's like, but why are we laughing at that? Because
we're laughing at that kind of the idea because those
people are so yeah, we know those people, and they're

(01:12:52):
like annoying, and we wanted someone to make fun of
them for a long time and also the pig, So
that so that happened is actually what we were saying
of like seeing something that, seeing something that makes you
uncomfortable or is somehow um foreign, and then not knowing
bring it down to your level by being like Okay, okay,

(01:13:13):
I guess so uh are we all we all saw that?
And those people that those people thinking they're funny. It
drives me crazy, like just being like, well that happened,
like okay, don't sell you that again, or like that
kind of like jokes. So I guess that's not a joke. Okay,

(01:13:38):
I guess we're having this converse. It's very like Midwestern
like barbecue humor. My mom, you always go to the
Midwest when you want to sell something. Honey, I've earned it,
I've spent my time there. I I don't need it anymore.
I know. It's just I guess I'm always thinking like

(01:13:59):
my parents friends and like the ones that I think
they're funny. I'm always like, oh no, here we go.
It hurts every time. Sorry, sorry if sorry, if you're okay,
if you're listening to this podcast and you're my parents friend,
I'm sorry, but you're not funny. But you're not funny period.
And if you listen to this and your instinct just

(01:14:19):
to go, well, he said that that happened. That happen,
you're proving his point. Stupid, stupid, idiot, fool, go back
to Costco my parents. So what are the so so,
what are the correct ways to react to things? I
feel this way? I feel sad, I feel happy, I
feel scared. Yeah, be honest about your feelings for once.

(01:14:43):
It's Renee Brown. Label the feeling because then it shapes
the experience. Okay, just say how you feel, because the
word bingo defines the experience theory. Because guess what by
saying so that happened, you're literally taking making yourself even
you're putting even more distance between what between you and
what you were experiencing you should be putting's gonna always

(01:15:03):
remember something this way? If you say, well, that happened
every single time, Like to always remember something this way,
you have to have a way, like not just the
way you not just a standard. Even just saying after
something happens, I'll always remember us this way. That locks
it in. Yeah, that's it is. It is literally the

(01:15:23):
opposite of so that happened, because imagine if literally what
was his name in the movie, Jackson Maine, if if
Jackson Mane pissed himself on stage with the Grammys and
Ali literally just gonna so I guess that happened. Okay wait,
but if it actually happened, I would be laughing. It
wouldn't be the funniest thing I have ever seen. It

(01:15:45):
cuts to her happened like and then just one part
where she's like, um, I guess this is adulting, like
with make you laugh, So major plot point in any
movie with that Titanic thinking, uh, that that happened. Okay,

(01:16:06):
So I guess we're sinking now do you know you
literally do you know what we're literally describing? What? Say
it with me? Marvel? Oh my god? Really this is
what Marvel is. Marvel is the ultimate triumph of awkward
and random random. Yes, yes, the Celestia stone is being

(01:16:28):
combined with them gruber biotics sense and we have to
go and then like literally you'll cut to a raccoon
exactly like right, yeah, yeah, yeah, And I am groot Okay, wait,
I am. I am Guardians. I hate Guardians and Boone

(01:16:49):
and I famously out of Guardians of the Galaxy of
Volume one, because if I had to hear that tree
so I am groot one more time and people will
be like, oh my god, that is so funny. He
is grout, it's all he said. That is so stupid.
I mean, I am group. The concept of I am
grout is one of the most politically regressive things aesthetically
that has ever happened in our culture. The fact that

(01:17:10):
I am meant to find it funny that a tree
says I am grout, not to be the autumn ale,
but guardians is a slay it. And also, I'll tell you,
but they're also trying what they're trying when they bring
out like baby Grout, because now there's this thing of like, oh,
we're re energizing because something is a baby now, like

(01:17:30):
baby Yoda. And it worked with baby Yoda because it's
so baby grouty, because something is a baby now. Her
name is grow gu Say her name and she grow Goo.
Is the cutest thing that's ever been made and ever
it is a triumph of artistry of puppetry of cinema.

(01:17:51):
Is so figure you. Everyone needs everyone needs a baby
grow group. Everyone needs one, Like honestly, it's there it's
amazing to bring on a vacation. You can dress them
up like Baby Yoda slash grow Goo is something that
like I would love, like I would like to tell
my past self about, like I'd be like, hold on, baby,

(01:18:14):
because in a few years there's gonna be a baby
Yoda and you're gonna love it. Yeah, earnestly, I'm so
happy that baby Yoda exists. I really am. I it's
so important. Yeah, I think baby Yoda. We haven't really
seen this type of um like sort of fantasia around
like a toy since tickle Me almost and this one

(01:18:36):
and this one wasn't gonna kill you pickle me Alma
was killing people. Say that, oh, given just to all
the kids. And then the parents said the kids. So
I guess that's normal now. I would go, well, dollars later,

(01:19:03):
five dollars later, and my kid is dead. I need
a drink. I need a cocktail. Honey, where's the bar.
That's another like like like that, honey, where's the bar? Huh,
where's the bar? I don't need a cocktail yesterday? Oh,

(01:19:24):
I mean we need to leave it. We need to
leave this planet yesterday. Yes, I love that. I love
those types of people. They're they're fun to me. But George,
what are you thinking about? George? Isn't no, you're like so,
I truly am just I would say, I would say intellectually,
the things that have been put into my brain throughout
this recording are making it about to burst your exhaust.

(01:19:47):
It's been very stimulating. This is I'm sorry to say.
Everyone is making such good points and I and I
and I feel this almost coked out energy of having
me up. No no, no, we we we can slow
it down, we can pump the I mean no, no, no, no, please,
I know what I'm doing. Oh, trust me. Intellectual intellectual

(01:20:08):
intellectual rigor is his wine. Don't talk to me until
I've had my intellectual rigor. Honey, where's the library? That's
what George is saying. I've actually been dying for an
ic coffee this whole time, and now it's like three,
but I slept until literally, so this is still my morning.

(01:20:30):
What do I do? I asked my I just want
to say your morning can look like anything. Yeah, And honestly,
a night coffee is one of those beautiful things you
can get. I love the night coffee. Um should we wait?
I think we have to do our final segment, which
is actually crazy because we have another recording. Actually, who
are you recording with next? Wouldn't you like to know?

(01:20:53):
You told us yesterday who it was? Shut up? I forgot,
but I forgot. It's really like if someone you both
really like someone that will um believe? Have you believe in?
Gagging is the future? Whitney whitney wag with somebody I

(01:21:18):
want to slate with somebody just coming on the post
you put that out is toxic. We're gonna dub that,
um happen. No, that's that's deadpool humor, which is talk

(01:21:39):
about toxic, which is where random meets cruelty. We're actually
just actually, we're gonna just bleep the name that Matt
said so that we can witness the aftermath while not
offending anyone. Can I tell you guys one more one
more awkward thing? Yes, yes, okay, So this is the
secondhand story. But um, from one of the movers my

(01:22:00):
when I used to work as a mover, there was
this guy who loved, like, got all of his humor
from sort of internet culture and it was really bad.
But he was talking to the client and he was
talking about how like this couch was gonna like be
kind of difficult to get into the hallway and it
was going to fit awkwardly. And he was like, yeah,
it's gonna be pretty awkward, like Deadpool meeting Deadpool. Oh no,

(01:22:25):
I like that premise. I like that. I don't like
how Yeah, I actually hate every single part. I'm trying
to find something to like about it because he seems
nice and well, here's what I like about it. I
like the effort. I like that he wrote it. That

(01:22:47):
was a pre written joke. He was on his way,
you know, he woke up in the morning and was like,
you know, what if if nothing else today, I am
going to the land this joke, and here we are
talking about it. And in some ways he did, Hey,
well behaved. Um movers rarely make history, and he made
a splash that day. And love him or hate him,

(01:23:08):
it's still an obsession. You know, I'm going to reference
that reference humor. Here we go, Um, okay, let's do
our final segment. All right, what's the Let's do the
final segment. It's my favorite segment in podcasting history. Our
final se shout outs and then we give a shout
out to anything that we enjoy sort of in the
classic style of imagine it's two hausnan't one, and you're
at t r L and time scores, shouting out to
your squad back home. Anything that you like, give it

(01:23:30):
a shout out, George, do you have one? I could
like really wing it. It's actually I just want to
say it is by design that we don't think of
the as ahead of time, because otherwise they wouldn't be spontaneous.
So no one can be mad at us that we
quote unquote had two months to prepare for the quote
unquote first episode of the season. Yeah, but here's I'm
going to do one that is actually so basic that

(01:23:50):
it is a commentary on being basic. Everyone ready, Yeah,
what's up? Listeners and walk him the season three of
the pod. I want to get a quick shout out
to Soaking Beans. This is something that feels very you.
You might say feels very U or maybe twenty six
or seventeen. It's something people, you know, it's something you

(01:24:13):
read the Alice in Roman newsletter. Let's say, and and
she says and she and she kind of makes it
a thing of like don't yell at me, I don't
soak beans. Sorry, and then you're like, oh, interesting, I
guess our debates happening about these and parts of the
internet where people don't have to worry about other topics.
But here's what I will tell you, listener, is that

(01:24:33):
I just soaked beans for the first time, made them
the other week. And guess what the girl is all right,
I have never had a creamier linea bean in my life.
I made a completely improvised white beans salad and had
it for lunch. We're talking corn, we're talking aboutvocado, we
are talking uh feta, and we were talking personally and

(01:24:54):
a lemon dressing, and none of that will be possible
without a little thing called soaking beans. And it's just
shout out to Alison, and I wish for the best
shot out. Hold on, Allison is back. She's been back back,
Alison ben Roman that what I just did is a reference.

(01:25:18):
It's like reference humor. Reference. We actually are guilty of
both random and reference humor. And no one, no one
is making humor to vacuum all the tours. Of course,
of course, so making humor. I'm so, what what the
funk am I saying? Making? Okay, okay, okay, okay, hold on,

(01:25:41):
hold on, hold on, um, I've got one somewhere. Let's see. Okay,
I've got it. What's up, breaks losers and perverts across
the globe? I love you and I see you. I
would like to give a shout out to the man

(01:26:01):
selling water outside of the Chromatica concert last night, because
when I got out of that concert, I was overjoyed
with joy, but I was feeling parched with water and
I was dying. And I said, if someone why is
I thought this was a capitalist nation, Why is no
one selling water? I'm willing to pay upwards of ten
dollars for a bottle of damn water because I am thirsty.

(01:26:25):
And then comes this man who, yeah, it was probably
going against the government and probably not licensed. I hope
that's okay with everyone. Sometimes I support unlicensed vendors. And
he said, I will give you this water bottle for
four dollars and I said I will pay that, and
I drank it and I wish I had gotten to
because I was so fucking thirsty and getting out of

(01:26:48):
that stadium was a nightmare. I think I will maybe
never go to that location again, unless I, of course,
have to to see my girl Stephanie germanata who I
do you still stand? And I hope to one day
be um dead as mentally ill as I was in
twenty twenty to fall in love with her next album,

(01:27:10):
just as hard as I fell in love with Romatica.
I Love America. Wow. I did not expect it to
end on I Love America. That was That was a
random left turn. Here's what I will say, unlicensed vendors are.
In fact, I actually am going to bang pots and

(01:27:30):
pans every day. It's to unlicensed vendors. Yeah, I agree
with that. There are some of our nation's greatest heroes,
and Andrew Yane tried to come for them, the Truro people.
How dare he? How dare he? Wish I could slap
him across the face of the Turro. He's one of
America's worst people. A yeah, I have to agree. Okay,

(01:27:50):
who wants to go next? I'll go I have something
I can go. Okay, Yeah, it's it's a it's it's
a fun one, as as as these all have been.
And I wasn't questioning until you said that. Awkward. Hey, hey, hey, um,
what's heppning? That's a line from one of my favorite

(01:28:13):
singers and miss Elliott. But that's not my shout out singer. Famously,
I wanted to shout out the entire cast and crew
of Into the Woods on Broadway. I saw this show
on Wednesday night with our good friend Matt Whittaker. I'm
so sorry, Patrick Rodgers, another good friend of ours. Um,
I'm going with Matty, Matt's going with Matt Whittaker. But

(01:28:34):
I saw this production. Um. You know my favorite Sondheim show,
the first Sonhim show I saw on videotape, the Burgard
of Peter's version of the original Broadway run. Um. Very
formative culture for me. I didn't realize. And you know what,
shout out to Celestie and for sharing with me this
beautiful piece of wisdom that the most politically important and
impactful art is children's books and anything having to do

(01:28:57):
with children's stories. Because you know what my favorite about
Into the Woods is that it's a show about impact,
and that's why it's impactful. Sarah Barelli's um, Brian Darcy,
James Kriteina Miller, Philip a Su Gavin Creole, Julie Lester
was a great little red um any golden who could
forget punk, legend and Broadway Legend and the Golden The
mute lady on Orange is the New Black, which he

(01:29:17):
opens her mouth and sings You're happy and you go
why they make her mute? I loved it by I
loved all the listing of the names. I felt like
I was like ready for sort of Oscars playoff music
to start. I thought that could have been a slaying Yeah,
as someone who's also seen it and is going again
because it was just that fabulous. I have to concur

(01:29:38):
with every word that my sister has just said. It's
really excellent. It's one of my favorite theater experiences I've had.
Do you think Here's my question. I went when Gavin
Creole was in fact unavailable and his understudy filled in.
Oh you didn't even see Cheyenne. I didn't even see Cheyenne.
But luckily on like some people on the Zoom, I
did see Sarah burrellas I literally went to the show

(01:30:02):
and Sarah was sick, and I literally I looked at
my playbill and saw the role of the Baker's wife
will be portrayed by someone else, and I almost asked
for I literally but I screenshot screenshoted your story and
send it to Matthew, and I was like, this could
not happen to a less deserving person. This is like
specifically for that to happen to you, for that to

(01:30:22):
happen to matth It was really hard. And I'm going
again on the twenty three, and I'm Matt Wicker and
I are going and he's seen it, I think, and
so that that that's a testament. Um and Bowen Yang
and I are also going to see Lia Michelle and
Funny Girl. I need to get my away, but unfortunately
it's gonna be difficult. I'm ready go for it right,

(01:30:45):
take it away. What's up, everybody? This is your boy,
Matt Rogers, third time on Trado. I'm very happy to
be here. Thank you to the host for having me
once again. I want to get a quick shout out
to desk o Vie for Peth. It allows you not
to use condoms, because condoms fucking suck. Who wants to
use econom It's a whole thing. It's an awkward, random
oh when you're trying to get it on. Honestly, for me,

(01:31:06):
I just rather stick it in raw protected bareback, if
you will. I love raw. I'm prefected bareback sex and
being come inside of myself and coming in other people.
Desk OVI for prep allows it to happen. Yes, running
the rest of getting other scis always, but that doesn't
really matter when I'm having it a great time. So
thank you doctors, thank you physicians, thank you people in

(01:31:26):
the lab, scientists, et cetera. Thank you to everyone that's
made this possible. Shout out to you desk v for prep.
Get your prescription right now. So that just happened, So
not just stand big pharma. That just Matt just talked
about sucking. Did anyone else hear that? So I guess

(01:31:51):
we're talking about fucking now se podcast. All right, you're welcome.
I gotta made y'all relevant. I'll see myself out. Um, okay,
nothing else. You know who is a master of the

(01:32:12):
meta humor of awkwardness and randomness is Max Dalter. Yeah,
Meg has mastered it. I was also thinking of Patty
in conversation Patty Harrison. Oh yeah, we'll respond to many
things as as as fake as elevated awkward as I
would elevated awkward. Well, um, well, thank you for being

(01:32:36):
here to kick off our third season. It's so special
to have you guys on our first app. It really
means a lot. That really isn't That really is an honor.
And I just want to say for us as well,
And can I just say congratulations on what I know
is a big deal. It's a big deal about you say.
And I just want to say, I'll always remember us

(01:32:57):
this way. Oh, I love you, got love you guys
when you're acading me, um and the whole let not
sing us off. Yeah, I mean, okay, Matt, you can
sing ways. Remember it's oh, good night bye gag.

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