PONY ⭐️ UP Y’ALL 🏇

Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hey everyone, thanks for listening to Gather them
Podcast.
I am Jerome, the host, theshowrunner, the writer, the
engineer, all of those things.
I greatly appreciate it if youwould leave a comment, review,
thoughts, opinions.

(00:20):
You know, wherever you get yourpodcasts, you know it could be
Apple Music, it could be Google,it could be Spotify.

(00:49):
Wherever you get your podcasts,you know it could be Apple
Music, it could be Google, itcould be Spotify.
Wherever you listen to yourpodcast, rate and review.
Also, share the podcast withyour friends.
This is how I, you know, cangrow my listenership and, you

(01:09):
know, expand the podcast alittle bit.
And again, I appreciateeveryone that listens and let's
get into the show.
Welcome back to another episodeof Gather them Podcast.
I'm your host, jerome.
We're back on the show.
It's funny.
I ended last week's episodelike very weird, trying to sing
and I was like girl, why did Ido that?

(01:29):
But anyway, it's a new week,brand new things, exciting
things to maybe talk about.
And I mean things are excitingbut they're not spectacular.
Like it's not like we've won amillion dollars yet, um, even
though someone did.
Like the Powerball is kind ofhot right now.

(01:51):
I'm not.
This is not like promoted by aticket or whatever, but like, um
, powerball is hot right now andthe numbers like pretty high.
I think it's in the billionsagain um, which is a nice amount
of money like I would honestlyall right hold on sidebar.
I know this is like theintroduction, but this is like

(02:12):
my adhd brain today.
Um, I would say, if I won thelottery, like, I would
definitely like ask my friendsand family, like, honestly, I
just probably, if I won thatmoney, I just give them a
million dollars up front, like Iwould give everyone a million
dollars.
And family, like, honestly, Ijust probably, if I won that
money, I just give them amillion dollars up front, like I
would give everyone a milliondollars and just be like that's
it, that's all you know.
Do what you want with thatmillion dollars, pay off debt,

(02:36):
um, buy a house, like, dowhatever you want to do, like,
and don't ask me for nothingelse.
Um, but yeah, I can see myselfsigning checks for like a
million dollars to like friendsand family, um, if I won the
Powerball.
But anyway, that's not a.
That's not what this is about,um, what this is about is that

(02:57):
you're back and welcome on back.
Thank you for returning to thepodcast.
I almost did not make an episodethis week because I could not
put together a outline that madesense.
I've been like very split brainand it'll probably be this way

(03:20):
next week too.
We'll see.
I don't know, I get bursts ofinspiration, we'll see.
But that's what I really wantto do.
I'll talk about it in a second.
But I've just been really busy.
I have been feeling good, notbad, or anything Been feeling

(03:43):
good, not depressed, which isgood.
Yeah, I've just been living, Iguess, and you know how that is.
It's not something like everyday is just not special or
spectacular.
But I did finish a project forwork that I was working on, that

(04:03):
I was pouring my sweat andtears into that and it was just
wild to get the reaction from myteam and my co-workers about
how well I did, because I I knewI was like stumbling and I knew
I was like mixing, like I wastalking, I think, quicker than

(04:27):
my slideshow, was like going,and I think that that is one of
the things that I I feel likewhen you know how, you know how
the presentation flows or youknow what you're going to talk
about, it's hard to just sectionit off if it's like a lot of

(04:47):
information.
So it was a lot of information.
I got a lot of good feedback.
It was like people were like,wow, this really informed me on
XYZ, blah, blah, blah.
So that was that.
Part of it was good and then Ieven got, you know, praise from
my boss for it as well.
But I'm also still working on mygrant project, which is due

(05:10):
next week, and I'm like very, Idon't know, it feels like every
time I'm almost done I think ofsomething else, think of
something else.
That's the thing when you areworking, when you are like an
adult, like I'll say it likethat it feels like when you're a

(05:35):
kid and you're in school.
It feels like you know you are,the assignment is complete when
you've met all of the marks,and I feel like that is kind of
open.
When you're an adult, likethere's endless bounds and hours
and hours and hours of you canlike just keep talking and or
talking about an issue and it'slike how engaged am I?

(05:56):
How, you know, are peoplelistening?
Like what's going on?
So for me it is one of thosethings where a project, like a
grant proposal, for example,where I don't have a specific
project or I mean I have a like,you know, like I'll say like is
that not a specific thing whereI start to feel overwhelmed by

(06:18):
all the options?
What feels like it's in mycapacity, what feels like it's
in my wheelhouse For Grant,disconceptual, the ideas are
just so broad and so big of whatcould be, and how do you take

(06:45):
that idea and then make it intosomething that's actually usable
or like doable?
Um, so, since you know my ideais conceptual, um, it's just
like really hard for me to likejust, and it's a startup.
So that's also another thing.
It's not like this thing justflew out the sky, but like, like

(07:05):
it's a startup.
And, as someone that is not,has never done nonprofit
management or starting abusiness, it's I mean I started,
I mean like I mean just not forprofit.
Or it's not like hire, I don'thave employees and like all of

(07:26):
this and that, but like it'sjust a lot to take in and it's a
lot to think about.
I will say I'm glad that thiscourse gave me experience with
budgeting, because a lot oftimes when you want like macro
jobs, they want you to look at abudget or create a budget or,
you know, review a budget,whatever it is.

(07:47):
So, outside of personalexperience, which I'm, you know,
on budgeting, I feel likehaving an actual class that we
sat down and talked about whatnet zero is and how you should
always get to net zero in abudget.
I was like, okay, that makessense, and why programs

(08:08):
oftentimes don't have any extramoney left over because their
funds are already allocated, andlike what that means
essentially.
Or why, you know, company can'tgive you a raise because it
wasn't folded into the budget orlike whatever.
So it's just interestinglearning all of that different
stuff, um, and I will say it islike a challenge for me as I've

(08:31):
not done budgeting or grantproposals outside of grad school
, um, and even in grad school wedidn't do a budget.
So you know, um, but mypresentation went well, still
working on my grant project.
I need to be done by Wednesday.
I have an interview, excuse me,on Monday, um, which I don't

(08:57):
know how it's going to go,because you know that is a very
uh, the job itself is like aprogram analyst position and
it's for behavioral health, it'sthrough the city, um, and I
feel like I'll get it.
I feel like a strong feelingabout it, um, like off the rip,
um, excuse me, but I feel likeonce you got like after today

(09:26):
excuse me, after today likegetting that praise from my um
team, and then also, uh, justkind of almost feeling like when
you're when you've likemastered something, it's always
hard to do something new, and sothis would be a something new
for me.
And because I've done a lot ofdirect care, I've done a lot of

(09:50):
a lot of direct practice workand moving into this space where
all of my experience lines up,all of my like my master's
degree, which is great, all ofthese things are like lined up
and it's I don't know.
It's like kind of scary howit's becoming real, or it feels

(10:11):
like it's becoming real, likethe things that you had, like
I've asked for and like I'vebeen wanting a macro job to
offset therapy, because I feellike I still want my clinical
license.
But I think for me I have tohave something that's like not
as patient centered, because itgets exhausting when you work

(10:36):
with people, like anybody incustomer service, anyone that's
worked any job working with aperson.
It is very frustrating to workwith people and I like therapy
because it's a space where I cantalk to someone like one on one
and, like you know, really gettheir insight as to what is

(10:59):
going on in their lives and likefiguring that out or helping
them figure that out.
Going on in their lives, andlike figuring that out or
helping them figure that out, um.
But other than that, like it'soh, my god, what the fuck is
happening outside.
There's like there were sirens,um, not too long ago.
There's that siren just then.
And then there's like I'mleaving work in one of the uh

(11:24):
buildings I guess the studenthousing, or like one of those
like really expensive condos orwhatever their fire alarm was
going crazy and then the firetruck had to come and but you
didn't see smoke.
So I was like I don't knowwhat's going on, but it's been
very active in Philly this week.
I think people are sensing thespring weather's coming.

(11:44):
Active in Philly this week.
I think people are sensing thespring weather's coming and next
week it does look good forweather wise, like it's going to
be 70 ish, I think, one day,which I'm I'm excited about, I
mean in the sense of I'm readyfor it to stop being cold, like
I'm running my heater in thebackground right now because it,
because it's like cold in myhouse and I feel like there's no

(12:05):
balance anymore of just beingcomfortable.
It's either too cold or too hotand that's bugging the shit out
of me.
But yeah, that's it, I think,for the week.
Um, let me see, I didn't havetoo much else to talk about, oh,

(12:27):
oh, the last thing was well,two things.
I'm kind of I'm trying tounplug from social media a
little bit, but that's kind ofhard to do when you have a
podcast.
And then the other thing is soI'm doing career day at my high
school.
I think I mentioned this acouple weeks ago on a previous
episode.
But I'm doing career day at myhigh school and I feel confident

(12:51):
in the sense of like if someoneasked me a question about
social work, I feel like I'd beable to answer it.
But I'm a little nervous just interms of what it's going to be
like to possibly be around, umlike old classmates or um like

(13:16):
just kind of learning, likethese students like of today.
Like it's very surreal to thinkthat I graduated from high
school 14 years ago and I'vebeen in the Philadelphia public
schools since then because I didTSS work.
But it's just, I don't know.

(13:38):
It just feels like reconnectingin a way, reconnecting um in a
way, and I know it's going toprobably be different because
they changed a lot of.
They changed some stuff.
On the outside it's not thatdifferent, um, but they painted
like a mural.
They have a little like gardenon the outside, so I can't
imagine what kind of stuffthey've done to the inside, and

(14:00):
so I'm I'm interested in seeing,like, what it looks like.
You know what the students arelike.
It's report card time, so I feellike people aren't really as
super serious about theirclasses right now.
And I am very interested totalk to Alexis, who again will

(14:37):
be on the show to talk aboutwhat the experience was like for
both of us going back to highschool, because we met in high
school.
So it'll be really interestingto have that take and that
conversation.
So I'm looking forward to thatpart.
I am looking forward to thatpart like reflection of it all
and experience of teachingsomething to individuals that
are younger than me.
Like I think that that to mematters because I feel like

(15:02):
there are a lot of things Ididn't really find out until I
was an adult, or things that myparents kind of held back on
because I was, you know, tooyoung to know, and it's like
almost like these realizationshave been coming up for me
throughout my life since myparents passed of uh, insight,

(15:25):
knowledge, the wondering why umyou know all of those things, um
, having some answer questionsfrom those um you, whether it's
like through experiences ortalking to family members, or um
, it can be anything.
Honestly, that's that I've justbeen through and um, and I just

(15:46):
there's a lot that I kind ofwish I knew back then, that I
knew that I know now and I knowit's not like one of those talks
this is just a, you know, verycareer focused talk, but because
all that you know in highschool, all we were taught was
just like you go to college andyou go to college and you go to

(16:06):
college and you go to college,and if you go to the military,
you still go to college.
So I'm very interested toprovide adult wisdom and insight
and also to like, I don't wantto go in and be like super
proper, like people do that, andI feel like that's just that's
you're not connecting as well.

(16:28):
Um, I feel like that is veryhard to do, um, in general, but
I, the reality of it all is, isthat, like the world is falling
apart and we do need people isfalling apart, and we do need

(16:50):
people in these careers, um,that aren't just like a social
media influencer or like a likeselling yourself as a brand,
like we don't really need thatas much, um, and what we do need
is people that are going, aregoing to, that are that have
skills, that have the know-howthat can figure things out.
We need more money across theboard, um, or the price.

(17:13):
I feel like, honestly, at thispoint, either the prices of
things just got to get lower,like if the money's not going to
increase, like then we got totune back on some of that, uh,
that bullshit with raisingprices on stuff, um, but yeah, I
just feel like being like veryreal, or as real as I can be
with, like teenagers,adolescents, like is important,

(17:40):
um, and not to like scare anyone, but just like put it into
perspective of this is whatwe're dealing with.
You know, and this is what itcan look like when you enter
these spaces and this is whatyou're going to guess, you know
you're going to be wonderingdamn, is this person like have
something against me?
Um, like, why are they actingthis way to me.

(18:03):
Um, I feel like we don't reallylearn like conflict mediation.
It's kind of something you justare taught or like you how can
I say?
You're not taught it, butyou're like you get influenced
by it with adults like no one's.
Actually, I've never sat downand had a conflict resolution
class or I've never sat down andhad like a course or something

(18:26):
about that.
Um, in my time in school, evenas a therapist, like we talk
about, um, de-escalation andlike what that looks like, but
that's not to say that everysituation is going to be a
situation that revolves.

(18:46):
That is going to be like goingfrom zero to 100, you know
there's levels and we aren'treally like taught those levels
in school because we're taught,like all this other stuff.
That's like like useless forthe most part, but it's only
going to matter if you likefocus in the field.
You know like like useless forthe most part, but it's only

(19:06):
gonna matter if you like focusin the field, you know.
So, yeah, I'm very interestedin that.
I'm very excited to talk aboutthat.
I'll try to hold my opinionsuntil the episode.
Uh, so I can, you know, chatwith it, chat with alexis about
it.
Um, what else.
I think that was my last thing.

(19:28):
That was my last thing.
Um, those were just kind of likemy weekly updates, things that
I've just been noted, or kind ofthinking about, um, or things
that have happened.
I don't have a segment or a newsegment and we're just going to
jump into the media lab.
We're going to talk about twothings.

(19:50):
One, we're going to talk aboutDegrassi, the Next Generation,
to be specific.
So what actually made me thinkabout this was, since I'm going
on my social media break, that Ior not break, but I'm plugging
a bit.
So I'm trying to not use socialmedia as much at home unless I'm

(20:11):
working on something specificor like allowing myself, like or
locking my apps out.
Like you know, when you do thatthing where you put the timer
or you set a limit for like aone minute and then the app
locks you out and you have torequest more time by putting in
your password, I'm having a lotof my apps just lock out so that

(20:34):
if I click it, I'm like, ohyeah, I can't get on it right
now, or I'll have to like put inmy password if I want 15
minutes to be on the apps.
But if I'm like working onsomething like on my computer or
something that is like for thepodcast or whatever.

(20:54):
Like I feel like those would bemore of me the times of me
using social media for anintentional purpose.
Like I can't keep doomscrolling, I can't keep hearing
everybody's thoughts andopinions on stuff.
Like I don't it's not that Idon't care, but I feel like a

(21:17):
lot of people that go viral orthat have these like big posts
or whatever, like it just feelslike it's nonsense.
It feels like it is there'snothing of substance.
I just saw something today about, um, this I don't even watch

(21:38):
the whole, like I honestly didnot watch the whole thing.
It was a clip of something thatI uh, saw someone post before
before, but it was about thesemen and they popped this balloon
and like, if you know what I'mtalking about, like you know,
you know, if you know, you know,um, if you don't, don't worry
about it.
But it was about these like men, um, who were, I guess, popping

(22:01):
balloons.
Um, this is me watching the oneminute and 30 second clip, but,
um, they popped their balloonsand then talked about why they
popped their balloon, um, andthen the guys were basically
supposed to, I guess, keep theirballoons unpopped if they were
interested in the person.
But the guys they were goingdown the line and the guys were

(22:24):
talking about why they didn'tpop their or why they popped
their balloons and for me itjust like the commentary around
dating and relationships rightnow is interesting.
But I also feel like it's forit's interesting, but it's also

(22:47):
for various reasons, and thereasoning of like you're just
not my type when you don'treally know someone is odd to me
.
Like I get it.
Like you, you know you'reattracted to who you're
attracted to at the end of theday.

(23:07):
But I can't keep doing thisconversation about dating.
When people talk about Love isBlind, for example.
I can't talk about theshadiness and the almost like
underhandedness of these datingshows because it almost feels

(23:32):
like it's putting thisexpectation that dating is a
game or that it's like fun andgiggles, because people are just
starting to take it too far forme.
So it's a thing of um, and I'llget into degrassi in a minute,
but it's a thing of I think.

(23:53):
For me it's just a thing ofsaying to someone that I don't
want to be walking around withsomeone that looked like my
uncle when you also look mature,um, and you're 25 versus his 31
.
That, to me, sits so weird,because the way in which these

(24:20):
20-somethings dress and act likethey're older, like we just had
this conversation on socialmedia about how Gen Z looks
older than millennials and Ithink for me, like being a
millennial, I've been noticingthat a little bit more,
especially with the people thatare especially men.

(24:42):
I'll say men more so peoplethat are especially men, I'll
say men more so um, with thebeards and like the really
scraggly beard or, um, the darkcircles, the like looking like
you stayed up all night, kind ofvibe.
The dress is just very muchgiving 40s, um, sometimes, like

(25:03):
this guy had like four, uh, fourbraids or dreads in his hair or
locks in his hair, and I'm just, and the way he was dressed,
I'm like this looks like youcould literally be in your 30s
too, so to say, make a commentlike that.
I think they were just, I thinkhe said it because his hairline

(25:24):
was pushed back to a 31 year old.
But bitch, my hairline pushedthe fuck back too, and I'm just
living with it.
Like you know, people can'tcontrol shit that they can't
control.
Like you know what I mean, andI feel like something about like
, oh, you know, having apushback hairline, a little

(25:46):
belly, like that's not enoughfor me to like not want to talk
to somebody.
Like it's enough for me tomaybe be like, hmm, like I'll
entertain, but like because theguy did not look bad.
Like when I saw his face I waslike, oh, he looks pretty cute,
like he's not a bad.
Like.
When I saw his face, I was like, oh, he looks pretty cute, like
he's not, um, a bad looking guy.

(26:06):
But I feel, like all of the guysthat they were asking the
questions of why'd you pop yourballoon?
They were just, like you know,iced out, bling, uh, fancy dress
, like very, with the you knowuh, youth culture dressing, but
still, like looked older than,like you know they were, I guess

(26:31):
, saying that they were so,needless to say, that's why I'm
taking a social media unplug alittle bit, because I just feel
like it's rotting my brain.
It feels like I need to open abook, I need to touch some grass
and I'm glad the weather isgoing to be nicer soon.

(26:51):
I really want to read in a park.
That I think I'm going to do.
I'm going to try to read either.
I'm going to try to finish AllGood People here if it comes
back to my e-reader from thelibrary, from Libby, if it comes
, you know, because.

(27:13):
Another thing I don't know whythere are e-reader books that
are on hold.
When it's an e-book, like, thatdoesn't make sense to me.
I get that you have to buy thecopy, but like it's an e-book,
it should be cheaper, you should, yeah, anyway, and and for a
book to like for me to have towait 50 something weeks, that's
a little ridiculous.
But, um, some people give uptheir space in line, so we'll

(27:36):
see I might get back to that.
But if I don't get back to allgood people here, um, then I
want to do Gerald's Game, and sothis is kind of on time for me,
where I told my one friend, myone internet friend, austin, who
he reads a lot, like he readsso many freaking books, like I
don't know how he does it, buthe's like reading almost like a

(28:00):
book a day.
Uh, and for me I get likeheadaches and migraines and I
get tired of looking at the, atthe pages, um, after a while,
unless I'm like really into itand I'm speeding to the end.
But that's me like jumping overdescription to get to to know

(28:21):
what happens.
But he's like reading like itin like two days, which is 800
pages, uh.
And so I told him I was like Iwant to read gerald's game
because I was, that's a book Ihave that I've not read and I
want to, uh, just kind of, Iguess, talk about it with him,

(28:44):
um, or give him my opinion or mythoughts on it, because, like,
I'm getting into like theStephen King kick again, um.
And so since I have this bookthat I've never opened, not once
and I actually got it from, Ithink, either a thrift store it
might have been the thrift store, um, that I got it from or a
bargain bookstore or somethinglike that, but it was cheap and

(29:05):
I was like, oh, this looks good,I'm gonna get it.
And then to find out there'salso a movie for Gerald's Game I
was like, damn, like I need tohurry up and read this book.
So it's kind of perfect, everyit all kind of lines up, my
grant project will be out theway, I can start, like the
weather will be nicer, I canstart reading again for personal
fun and not make it feel like aheadache.

(29:28):
So I'm looking forward to it.
But yeah, going back toDegrassi.
So since you know we're notwatching or we're not super
tapped into social media, we'renot, you know, really watching
the best, the brand new, newestand greatest.
I're not really watching thebrand new, newest and greatest.
I wasn't really doing that toomuch.
Anyway, newest and greatest TVshow, I still will go and watch

(29:55):
a good movie, a new movie, butfor TV shows I'm pretty tapped
out.
I'm not going to lie when itcomes to anything new.
Right now I might watch georgiamary because it looks horny, but
I'm I just need to figure outif it's, if it's bingeable or

(30:17):
not.
If it's bingeable, I'll bingeit and watch it.
But if it's not bingeable and Ihave to wait weeks for because
I'm not going to do that, like Ican't do another show like that
.
I already do that with Abbottand I'm trying to pace that out
as slowly as I can.
It's so funny because Crystalsaid on the read that she's

(30:39):
trying to ration out Abbott andI was like, yeah, girl, I'm
trying to basically do the same,because that's like one of the
only shows that makes me likeone of the only live action
shows that's on right now that Ican say by the end of every
episode I'm smiling and I feellike I'm gonna need that um a

(31:00):
little bit more, uh, later ondown the road.
So 20, you know it's gonna bean interesting 2024, but yeah,
so I feel like when it comes tonew stuff, I can't.
It's hard to focus, as I've beenrevisiting degrassi and I think
this time around this is likemaybe my second, third degrassi

(31:20):
rewatch from the beginning, um,from the new generation or the
next generation, and I feel likethere's stuff that I always
pick up on or read intodifferently.
Um, especially now because it's2024 and Degrassi, like I think
, debuted in like the early2000s.

(31:42):
The next generation, like thehigh school, degrassi Junior
High and um Degrassi High, wereway earlier, like those were
like the first Degrassis andthen, um, they rebooted it and
did Next Generation, broughtsome of the original you know
cast back from previous episodesor previous series and things

(32:06):
like that, and so, um, it'sinteresting, having grown up
with it and seeing theseepisodes countless times, like I
will watch the end, likewhenever, um, but as a fully
like grown adult, watching this,like watching these shows, I'm
like huh, or it makes you thinka little bit.
I always knew, for example,that Hazel felt like the token

(32:31):
Black character because shedidn't really have a plot.
But it became way more obviousas I'm watching and I remember,
I mean there was a lot of Hazelhate, like I remember being a
part of that Um, and I thinkpart of the reason why I didn't
like her was because she was.

(32:51):
She followed Paige, uh, youknow, almost to a T, like
basically agreed on't have herown storyline.
So I think that for me, growingup as a Black student, to not

(33:13):
really see that many experiencesfrom like Hazel, for example,
and then Liberty was like theother Black girl that you know,
ended up getting pregnant.
And then, oh my God, the guythat Emma, the season, season
three we I'm not even there yetbut uh, the guy that used to

(33:35):
wear the headphones all the time, forget what.
I think his name was chris.
I think his name.
That feels like that's right.
I feel like his name was Chrisand how she had a relationship
with him for a minute and thathe disappeared.
Like I just I was watching theepisode where Hazel bullied that
one girl for being Muslim andArab and I'm just looking back

(34:00):
at that and I'm just like, damn,that's all we got from her.
I'm just looking back at thatand I'm just like, damn, that's
all we got from her was a momentof self-pity or
self-internalized hate, like, isthat it?
Like, that's all we get?
Um, so I felt like that was alittle annoying for me, um, to,

(34:22):
I guess, rewatch or, you know,to relive.
But this past episode I justwatched, you Got the Look, which
is actually one of my favoriteepisodes.
Season three had a lot of goodepisodes.
Let's start there.
You Got the Look was one ofthose.
If you remember, that was theepisode where Manny had the
thong All I need to say.

(34:44):
If you remember, that was theepisode where Manny had the
thong All I need to say.
And the next episode, pride, isalso one of my favorites, but
it's a two-parter and I'llprobably maybe talk about it
next week We'll see, dependingon what I come up with, or I'll
maybe sprinkle it in at anothertime or something, or record,
because I feel like there'salways just stuff.

(35:15):
It's hard to do a weekly podcastwhen you are ADHD, need to know
what's important and or needsto know what's important to say,
and you have very hyper, fixedinterests.
So Degrassi for me is like avery hyper fixed interest where
there's times where I want totalk about it and there's times
where I won't.
So maybe I need to just recordthe little segment and just keep
it on the back end and plug itin.

(35:37):
When I need to plug it in,we'll see.
I like that idea.
But anyway, back to the episode.
So, of course, the focus, the Aplot, the main plot is Manny
being obsessed with wanting tobe sexier and not just be
adorable, as she says at thebeginning of the episode to Emma

(35:59):
.
She wants to be hot and know.
She reveals her crop top, uh,shirt, or you know, crop top,
yeah, it was like a shirt and,um, that hat that she had on.
She looked really cute in thatoutfit.
Honestly, that was like one ofmy favorite mani outfits.
Let's actually do that rightnow.

(36:21):
Let's look at the um, you gotthe look, uh, and then we'll
kind of go really quickly.
Sorry, my family's like alwaysposting stuff in a group chat,
um, and so, yes, I'll keeptalking, but anyway, um, so you
got the look.

(36:41):
It's just really one of myfavorite episodes, I think,
because it highlights Manny'scharacter.
It starts to, she starts tobreak off from Emma, and that's
one of my favorite parts aboutthis episode.
They end up, you know, deadingtheir friendship by the end of
the episode, but I think it wasimportant in the sense of her

(37:07):
developing her own storyline,and that was, I mean, it was
becoming the school, which,again, the fact that she's a
Filipino actress to me I'm likeall right to make her like the
school slut was a littletypecast for me.

(37:27):
I didn't like that and that'ssomething I've realized, I think
, now, looking back at the onthe show, because I'm like All
these other girls I could havepicked from, like y'all couldn't
have picked someone else, um,because I feel like oftentimes
asian women get, um, they'realways brought up in like these

(37:50):
like very sexual, likeconversations about, um, I don't
know, like scan, like it's just, I guess, the scandal of it all
, like I think about the whitemale gaze and I think about, uh,
the buying a or, you know,purchasing, you know quote

(38:14):
unquote, a wife from asia or um,I think about it in the way of
just like the over fetishizedfetishization of Asian women.
So for me, like that was just alittle because and the thing is

(38:34):
too the other one more thingI'm going to just say this and
then move on.
Another thing is, I think it'salso to the fact that men will
do this thing where they willlike go to Asian countries and
like will do this thing wherethey will like go to Asian
countries and like, talk about,like, oh, I'll find me a Asian
wife, and you know they'reobedient over there, and blah,
blah, blah, xyz.
So, even though the show was inCanada, I still felt like, like

(38:56):
when they picked um, thisFilipino girl with this very
strict family.
By the way, they did that twice, uh, once to her and then to
the um.
I think her name was ali.
Ali was the muslim girl and thenewer and the next generation,

(39:17):
but she was like in the uh,batch of kids that came from
that other weird school.
When Degrassi started to falloff a little bit, um, but
looking at her outfits, um, yeah, so it was the blue.
Let me see, it was the blue.
Um, yeah, it didn't have like,it didn't have like the

(39:39):
spaghetti straps on it and, um,she had a like little jacket
that went with it, which I guessshe wore later in the day,
because she um took it off whenshe got to the school and then
put it back on with her and emmawent to the mall but then she
had this like really it's likewhen they were at the mall she

(40:00):
had that really cute hat on andit was like a it's like a bucket
hat and, um, the crop top andthe like.
I think that was a really cutelook.
I feel like the classic thongher wearing the hat, the thong
look.
I like the lacy, uh midriff top.

(40:22):
I am not a fan of low riderjeans.
I've never been a fan of lowrider jeans.
I've never been a fan of lowrider jeans.
Um, I feel like a lot of peoplethat wear them don't.
I don't think they look good.
I just don't think they reallylook flattering on someone.
Um, and then the thong comingout.

(40:42):
That was a hot-ass mess, um,which again I kind of like not
I'm not shaming her in that wayof like you know the way in
which the boys and like everyonewas shaming her, you know when
she was uh walking around in thethong, but I think it's more of

(41:05):
like I know how disgusting andpervy these old men are, so I'm
just I always get like veryconcerned about that.
I'm like girl, do you?
But like these men are justnasty and disgusting and sorry,
I can't.
So the thong thing was a bitmuch for me, like that just kind

(41:27):
of was like over the top and itfelt weird, like it felt like a
very dramatic shift.
And I think manny is a verydramatic character.
Uh, the classic, you're justjealous.
And the fact that she oh, mygod, not she, we're not there
yet but like uh, organized tobreak page's leg, like that was

(41:49):
crazy.
She's a very dramatic girl, um,but I like that.
She is like very passionate andshe does give a fuck about her
friends, um, when she's notfeeling like they're jealous, um
.
And then the last outfit was theone at the end.
No, because there was an outfit.
I think this was the one whereliberty told on her for wearing

(42:15):
the thong.
And this outfit was the onewhere she like bent over in the
classroom and everybody went tosay and that's, I was like what
are y'all looking at?
Was it going to be her buttcrack?
Cause I don't know which y'allwere going to see?
Um, but they all kind of bentout, like turned to look cause

(42:37):
she went to uh, bend over.
And then JT jumps in.
And that was my other pointabout this episode.
I feel like JT is one of thosecharacters who you can't not
like.
But I also remember not likinghim when I was a teenager or,
yeah, I was like a teenagerbecause mainly for the fact that

(42:57):
I felt like he was just soimmature and so annoying and
obnoxious and so annoying andobnoxious.
But I look back at that and I'mlike as an adult I'm like, damn
, like he was just having a balland that's it and I love that
for him.
So also a shame.
Rest in peace, jt.

(43:19):
But he was also, I mean, apretty good friend.
He just was very naive, very,you know, young, gullible.
I see some of myself in him now, of just this idea or this.
Like sometimes you let theclown come out way too much and
you need to pull back a littlebit.

(43:42):
So I feel like with like that,like I feel like I feel I can
connect to that um, but the likeshowing off for sean and toby
or anybody who could, you know,give him a little bit of props,
like I never liked that, like Idon't like that in people
because it seems like desperateand very needy, and I don't like

(44:07):
the idea of needing to be seenLike that's not something for me
.
Yeah, so I think Liberty wasjealous and a hater.
I do think that was true.
Like I think that that part wastrue and I only think that she
did any, and all of that wasbecause she had a crush on J was
true, and I only think that shedid any and all of that was
because she had a crush on jt.

(44:27):
And the fact that manny hadnever once brought up jt until
he started paying attention toher is a little suspect.
Like I'll give liberty all ofthat, because she's been said
this, like she's been said she'sinterested, manny just kind of

(44:47):
disregarded her.
And this is what I mean when Italk about, like these, the way
in which, like some of thecharacters were written on the
show Because, again, like Iremember, emma knew, emma knew
that they both liked each other.
I think Manny knew that theyboth liked each other or not,
they both liked each other, butthat Liberty liked him.

(45:07):
I think that they both knewthat.
But JT did reject Liberty,which I guess made her feel like
she should just get over it.
But it's also weird, if you'remy friend and I tell you I'm
crushing on someone, they rejectme and then you go and sleep
with them when you don't evenreally like them.

(45:29):
Like that's the thing thatmanny did, like she entertained
jt because he was giving herattention when she's, and then
she started, I mean, she startedfeeling like the school slut
because, you know, everyonestarted that rumor, or started
the rumors about her, and then,oh my god, and her having to get
an abortion and all of this andthat.
So I feel like she's definitelyone of those people that knows

(45:53):
what she wants.
But again she's like a I meanwritten as a teenager, like
she's not going to be perfect,she's not, you know, she's
trying to find herself.
Like that's the point ofDegrassi.
It's a show about coming of ageand finding yourself and, um,
and self, you know, discovery,like social learning, like all
of that stuff.
Um, what else, what else, whatelse?

(46:16):
Oh, I also will say I do don'tgive Manny too much flack about
this, but the fact that she,when she got dumped by Craig, I
think that did impact her waydeeper than they made it seem on
the show.
It seem on the show, um,because I remember the episode

(46:38):
where she was daydreaming aboutwhen she went with craig to oh
my god, where the fuck did shego?
She went with craig to oh god,what the fuck was it?
I guess they went to the movies, but then the movie theater had
a carnival inside or something,uh, and manny wanted to do that
instead, even though they weregoing to miss the movie.
Um, and she replayed and andthe episode was interesting

(46:59):
because Craig's perspective wasmore so the real perspective,
and then Manny's was the overlyexaggerated everything went good
version.
But I feel like and even in thatthere still like the level of
the truth like I don't 100 trustcraig's interpretation either,

(47:21):
but I feel like she liked craig,like you know, really, really
liked him.
Like she talked about him, shedaydreamed about him, she was
like shocked when he asked herin season one, or was it season
one might have been season two,I don't know.

(47:42):
I've been watching, I've beenbinging from the episode where
she did, where ashley did molly,but because I can't watch the
episode where emma got, uh,almost got, uh, sexually
assaulted, was wild.
That one, the cyber bullyingone, was very wild, um,
especially because I was talkingto like 20 something,
supposedly when I was like 12 mymom would beat my ass, but she,

(48:06):
I feel like with um, with mannyand that whole thing with craig
, the idea of becoming adifferent person kind of makes
sense for her character.
I will say that the thong thingwas a little wild because I'm
like, is this Manny like takingit too too far?

(48:26):
And then the no underwear wasalso the one that was the next
one which I don't know.
I feel like that one is kind oflike no underwear is crazy, but
like, feel like it's not crazy,crazy, I feel like it's
something.
I think that no underwear thing.
And see, that's where I'm like,if it wasn't for the halter

(48:51):
tops, like the mid drifts, likeyou wouldn't even know, like you
wouldn't know she wasn'twearing underwear unless you
were looking under the stall orsome shit, and you'd get
arrested for that.
So I don't think it wasnecessarily that one for me.
I just think that the Thong onewas the most extreme because it

(49:11):
seemed like it caused a lot ofstir in the school.
Um, I mean, it shouldn't be abig deal, but it looked goofy
like.
I think that's the thing.
It looked goofy as hell, likeeven if it was supposed to be
sexy, it looked crazy as helllike walking down the hall with
your thong out and you are likein ninth grade, like that.

(49:35):
And even like if you were tojust walk around on the street
as a you know adult, like 20, 30, whatever, like it would still
look very weird, like it looksweird to me when men wear their
boxer briefs out, like you cansee, like they're on, you can
basically see the boo-boo stains, like I, I like to me that's

(49:56):
ridiculous.
So I feel like this is alsofalling into that category of
ridiculous.
That was the show.
That was a show ridiculousness.
Um, yeah, so that's how I feltabout that.
Um, and then also, too, I I feltlike in this one episode, oh,
this is the last, no, secondlast thing.

(50:17):
Um, I also felt like in thisone episode, oh, this is the
last, no, second last thing.
Um, I also felt like in thisepisode, um, emma did try to be
supportive of manny, like shedidn't outright judge her, she
did like, and I will say likeemma's that one character that I
did hate in the beginningbecause she was like always into
some shit.
But I will say that in thisepisode we really did get to see

(50:37):
her show up for her friend,like she literally was like girl
, I don't know like, even when,like manny got all those guys,
you know, all those um other,all the boys, to come to emma's
uh talk about I think it wasabout freeing the whales or I

(50:57):
don't know some shit she was onprotesting about, but they were
all paying attention to Mannyand Manny's just like, yeah, I'm
sure I can make them come back.
And I feel like that, eventhough I, you know, see Emma's
point, like I see the point thatyou know, know, manny is

(51:17):
becoming a different person andall of this, you know other
stuff that she told her in theend, um, she did bring a turnout
and unfortunately, I hate tosay it, especially for a kid
show, but sex sells.
And I feel like, even if andthat's what I feel about

(51:42):
sometimes with my podcast, likethis is like almost like a
self-reflective moment.
But the fact that I don't dothe things that normal people
are I mean not normal, but likepeople that are mainstream
podcasters do, like the Freshand Fit podcast or whatever DJ

(52:03):
Academics is doing or whatever,like I just feel like, because
I'm not that messy and I knowbetter and I'm, like educated
enough to talk about things thatare a little bit more important
, I feel like the draw is notgoing to be there.
You know what I mean.
Like the draws aren't, causethat's not what people want.
People want to be like overlyentertained and everything's got

(52:26):
to be, you know, clocked to tea, messy, ridiculous, whatever.
And I feel like with Emma, evenif she were to follow Manny's
lead and try to present assexier, they would only be doing
it because she's dressed sexier.

(52:47):
That's the only reason.
And they wouldn't even betaking in that information, most
likely because they're justpaying attention to her, because
they're just paying attentionto her.
Now some might.
Now, that's not to say, that'snot to discredit everyone, but I
think that the message alwaysgets lost when looks is put

(53:11):
first and unfortunately, I thinkthat that is a product of
social.
I mean, it's social media, it'sthe media, it's what we think
people should be attainable.
I mean, sex is a very primalneed, desire, want.
So I just always feel like sexis going to sell.

(53:34):
Excuse me, always feel like sexis going to sell.
Excuse me, but I also feel likesome people got it and some
people don't, and that's likeweird.
I feel like I can only say.
I feel like I can only say thatbecause I'm just commenting on

(53:58):
emma and manny and don'tactually know anyone in real
life that are, you know, kids orwhatever, and first of all,
like even looking at a childlike that is crazy.
But that's the thing aboutthese shows like these shows
were like tackling like a lot ofadults, so it feels weird to
talk about it.
But it's also like I wentthrough that, like I went

(54:20):
through all, like some of thethings that happened on this
show, so I feel privy enough totalk about it as an adult,
especially a millennial, that wereview everything.
Um, and you know, this is whatthis podcast does we create to
recritic, recritique the media,so.
But I even I just feel like thewhole portrayal of sex selling

(54:44):
and getting finding love andthat is just, or even trying to
sell something that actuallymatters, it almost like not
devalues it, but it doesdistract from what the main
point is, and a lot of times wewant people to take away the

(55:06):
main point.
Like I feel like if you couldweave in selling sex and a
really important big thing allinto one thing and again I feel
like some people can probably dothat Cool.
But to show up to a thing, liketeenagers showing up to a thing
about whales or vegan food orwhatever it was like them just

(55:28):
wanting to talk to Manny was nota surprise.
It also made me uncomfortablewith all those boys just
standing around her because,again, like page got raped in
the one episode or you know, awhile ago um, and I'm just like,
like I just I don't know, I, Iknow what happens in the end,

(55:51):
but I also don't feel great, uh,for manny, um, or for you, any
woman that feels like they haveto do it for male attraction.
I think the difference betweenthen and now, though, is that
girls and women don't A lot ofwomen now are at the point where

(56:13):
they're like I don't care howthese men see me, because
they're going to see me how theywant to see me, regardless, and
I think that that's a morepowerful message than back then,
which was a lot of the slutshaming, a lot of the idea that
you know, if you show your body,you get more attention, which

(56:35):
is still true today.
You do, but it's not alwayswanted attention.
That's the difference.
And, um, I thought you haveDegrassi.
I mean, degrassi is one now, Ithink, but or did they try to
reboot it or something?
But, girl, I'm too old, like Ican only keep up with the shit
that happened either during mytime or before me, like I can't

(56:56):
with the new stuff unless it'slike really good or like I get I
hear good reviews or somethinglike that, and that's mainly
like for these kid shows, likekid adult novels, kid shows, you
know, young adult books Like Ican bear it, like I've read the

(57:17):
one.
Oh my God.
I told you about that when Iread that one book, a Thousand
Pieces of you, and I thought itwas going to be a little.
I didn't notice that it was ayoung adult book and I just was
so like exhausted by the writingof that book and I don't know
if it was just a writer, but itjust was too teenager-y and I

(57:38):
was like I can't do this, sonever again.
The last thing I just wanted tocomment on um was Joey Jeremiah
and how I had I had and havethis like really huge crush on
him and it's like every time Isee a bald man I'm always just

(57:59):
like I find them attractive.
I don't know what that's aboutand it's weird because I'm bald
and I always get on people aboutdating people that look like
them.
Well, the gays dating peoplethat look like them, um, but
it's something about a bald headon a man it is.
I feel like it's one of thosethings where you've like Come to

(58:25):
peace with the fact that you'velost your hair and that's why I
don't really care too muchabout being bald and don't go
out and run and get a 22 inchbust down because I could if I
really wanted to, I could, um,but I also recognize that, like
there is kind of a power inreclaiming not to tread on

(58:48):
alopecia or you know anythinglike that, but there is
something powerful about cuttingyour hair off when you're
starting to, when it starts togo, or when it patches, start to
come up or rise, because andeven, like you know, for people

(59:08):
that are cancer patients like Ifeel like there's just something
so powerful in holding yourhead up high and having a bald
head, like the fact that peopleused to say things like
bald-headed skittle diddle or um.
Comment on the fact that, likeyou know, you're already growing

(59:29):
up with like c4 hair, um, andthen to like lose it from, like
anxiety and stress, and the factthat your family is predisposed
to that, to not just run andget a wig or a toupee and put it
on.
I don't know.
It just feels like you'veaccepted something and I think

(59:50):
that, unlike not comparing thatto cancer Don't eat me up
bearing that to cancer, don'teat me up I'm just saying that
like there is something about anindividual that has no choice
but to go bald and they justdecide to wear it and they don't
disguise it.
There's nothing wrong, ofcourse, with wearing a wig,

(01:00:12):
there's nothing wrong withweaves or anything like that.
I think, just as a personalthing, like the way in which
people have that connection totheir hair, there's, like this
connection I have to baldnessand the idea of, at least for
your head, like I'd rather ahairy guy, because that's where

(01:00:34):
people joke all the hair goes ison your body, but I'd rather
hairy guy or guy with hair, bodyhair, versus someone that
didn't have body hair and had afull set of hair.
Um, but there's something abouthaving a bald head.
I think that just feels verymature.
Like it feels very like you've,like you've been through stuff

(01:01:03):
or something like and I knowit's not that deep or like I
don't know how to read it um,into that that deeply, but cause
I guess I haven't reallythought about it, but I'm
thinking out loud about it andI'm like, yeah, it is something
about a ball hit for me and JoeyJeremiah is like another
example of a man with a ball hitwhere I'm like, yeah, like that

(01:01:26):
is a problem, maybe a problem,maybe not a problem.
Only reason I I'm not going tosay why no, I'm not going to say
the other reason why, I'm justgoing to say why no, I'm not
going to say the other reasonwhy I'm just going to leave it
at that.
Um, but I was just going to sayhe was a bald, beautiful man.
I went on for like minutes justnow talking about this bald,

(01:01:48):
beautiful, uh light skinned man.
Um, and was he light skin orwas he?
I assumed he was Latin, I don'tknow.
I think when I was younger Iassumed that, but I don't know.

(01:02:10):
He looks mixed.
I'm just gonna say that thatbeautiful, bald man, goofy as
hell, wanting really his uhglory, does I think he is white.
The thing is, I think the thingthat like throws me though about
the show is the way in whichthe characters are all really
diverse.
They have all these like reallyspecific, like diverse

(01:02:33):
backgrounds.
Um, kind of the start likeeveryone's, like this is the
black girl, this is the whitefat girl, this is the goth girl.
This was the like.
Everyone had their own thingand I feel like with joey I
could never land because hedidn't seem.
I guess the relationship, thething it was, is the

(01:02:55):
relationship with him and hisdaughter, because his daughter
is biologically his and she'sFilipino as well.
So I don't know.
And then Craig's not halfFilipino, like I don't know if I

(01:03:25):
almost half Puerto Rican, halfFilipino, and so I think for me,
like maybe it was growing up, Iwas like I know she's not fully
white and but her and Craigshare the same dad or same share
the same mom, um, and she diedand Craig's dad is like white,
like Craig's white.

(01:03:45):
I'm like huh, how did he notend up being half Filipino?
That's weird, um, and so that'swhy I thought that Joey was um
mixed or had, or you um mixed orhad, or you know, yeah, mixed
or Latin, or something, cause Iwas just like huh, like there's,
there's an ethnicity here thatI'm not seeing.

(01:04:06):
Why am I rambling about this?
Um, but he wanted to relive hisglory days and I applaud him
for that, but I also wanted himto sit the fuck down.
Uh, cause he was just beinggoofy as shit and it was a
little bit too much Moving on.
The last thing I'm going totalk about is Cowboy Carter.
So I've listened to the album acouple of times.

(01:04:28):
First of all, beyonce.
I don't even know where tobegin.
Don't even know where to begin,um I.
And it's interesting cause Iremember I went into this last
week talking about how I can'twatch or can't listen to 27
songs in one sitting, and thenyou find out that it's actually
not 27,.
27 songs, uh, it's more, it'sless than that, um, um, because

(01:05:02):
of the interludes and the radio,uh, the breaks in between, uh,
with Willie Nelson, the smokehour, um, so it's not actually
like 27 songs.
But when I first startedlistening to like the first
three songs, I was like, nah, Igotta take a step back.
And the main reason why I hadto take a step back was because
of people.
I guess everyone was talkingabout it like all day.

(01:05:24):
And then I finally listened toit Friday evening and admittedly
, on an edible I did do that andI was just thinking about how,
or like kind of thinking aboutsome of the lyrics and, like
American Requiem, thinking oflike what a Requiem actually is

(01:05:49):
and this idea of the Blackbird,16 Carriages, the Blackbird 16
Carriages.
And when I first, I guess,started listening to the album
and I got to 16 Carriages, I waslike I got to put this down for
a minute.
The edible hit me too strong.

(01:06:09):
I think.
Number one, number two I waslike what is she doing?
Like, what is she actuallydoing?
Because I feel like everyone'sbeen talking about the album as
this, like you know, as aBeyonce album.
That is like you know she'sgoing to talk about.

(01:06:30):
Of course she's going to talkabout twirling on, you know, on
Jay-Z's dick and, you know,doing a split and all this, any
other, of course she's going todo that, but I just kind of felt
like in the lyrics of americanrequiem and then hearing this
like blackbird as this yes, itis this kind of ode or like

(01:06:56):
moment where she's singing aboutnot being in, uh, or being left
out of the conversation when itcomes to country music, but
then to have a second song whereyou bring in other female
country artists, I'm like, holdthe fuck up, like, like, that's

(01:07:18):
fucking crazy, like to do that.
And everyone was like, and thatwas the other part of it, like I
kept watching people post thelike who was going to be on the
album, all of the features, onThursday, and it was so
exhausting because I was like Ijust want the album, like I just
want it at this point, becauseyou're just it's teasing it out,

(01:07:38):
but I wasn't going to listen toit until midnight, even if I
were to, you know, have listenedto it earlier in the day, like
I would have listened to it wheneveryone else did.
But I was like I need a minutebecause I feel like I'm going to
need to digest this album andreally sit with it, because the
fact that that happened and then, you know, there was like the

(01:08:03):
16 carriages it started feelingvery and I might be stretching
it might, you know, might justbe me overanalyzing, but it felt
like there was this part of itthat felt, I guess,
political-ish, where I feel like, yes, the and I guess I'll

(01:08:24):
break it down like this LikeI'll say that, yes, this album
is born out of the idea thatBeyoncé was not nominated for
daddy lessons and, you know, atthe time when she went to the
CMA, she faced the backlash andall of this, and that I hear

(01:08:44):
that, but I also hear just thislike message of what America was
and this push to make it betterand almost like because when

(01:09:05):
she talked about you know howthings were, you know kind of
promised and I'm forgetting thelyric off the top of my head
directly, but like Um, and thenjust singing you know American

(01:09:41):
Requiem, um, the was and wherewe're going, I guess, and I
think that speaks to, and again,because Beyonce is a very smart
, talented woman, I think Iwould not underwrite it or
undercredit her to say that shewould not create a song that has
, or or songs on the album thathave more than one meaning to

(01:10:02):
them.
Um, I think that she is craftyenough, um, to do that and,
again, talented, it has theskill, like she has the.
She works with people that arelike, really, that are
like-minded, that get her hervision, that get what she's
trying to portray and put off.
And I feel like when she hadtalked about, I think the thing

(01:10:27):
that really drilled home for mewas when she talked about how
she felt oh my God, I'm losingthe thought but like when she
really talked about how she felt, like she wanted to release
this album first as act one andthen renaissance is act.
Two to me was like almost like,my antennas went up like huh,

(01:10:50):
like, why would you do that?
And so I went back and, kind ofwhich, I also went to the
record store and broughtRenaissance for like 50
something dollars, because it'sthe one that has the album book
in it and it's beautiful.
So I digress, I will definitelybe getting Cowboy Carter as
well.

(01:11:11):
This album was supposed to havebeen like the first part of the
trilogy released, but I decidedto push it until after the
Renaissance came out because ofthe pandemic.
She was like I feel like peoplejust were in a space where they
needed to dance, they needed to, you know, release kind of

(01:11:35):
rejoice and live, and I thinkthat that felt very intentional
at the time and that felt verymuch the spirit of Renaissance.
When you think about it, twoyears ago, when it came out,
times were just starting to gethard.
That's an album, I feel like,where we have to lean on it now,
because things are getting wayworse.

(01:11:57):
And I feel like Cowboy Carter,even though it was supposed to
be first and this is how I thinka good musical artist is is
that if your project isinterconnected, you may be able
to create it, where you're ableto tweak some things, change

(01:12:20):
things around.
You know, the mood feelsdifferent, the goals feel
different.
You've re-envisioned that'swhat it is.
It's like the goals start tofeel different and then it
starts to align with, likewhat's actually happening in the
moment.
And I feel like back then, whenwe were still deep kind of in
pandemic even, whether or notpeople wanted to believe it or

(01:12:42):
not we were very much still likeI hadn't even gotten COVID yet
and didn't get it until 2023.
So we were still very deep intopandemic, like Miss Panty.
But I think we did needrenaissance at that time,
because it was almost likeeveryone felt very defeated,

(01:13:03):
like we had gotten, you know,joe Biden in the office and he's
like falling the fuck apart andeverything just starts looking
like it's going to shit.
And I feel like that that wasimportant to highlight at that
time, to lift people's spirits,to get people to start doing
some self-healing,self-reflecting.

(01:13:24):
I remember one of my friendstalked about how Renaissance
really helped her after thedeath of her father.
Um, and I just like rememberfeeling, when Break my Soul came
out, this like re-, like this,I guess reinvigoration, or like

(01:13:46):
re-energizedness, um, to myselfand feeling like okay, like
maybe life is worth living alittle bit Because shit was
fucking hard as hell.
And shit still is hard as hell.
Don't get me wrong.

(01:14:06):
But when I did my stint in NewYork for a little bit and was
there for three months, I felt Iwas really depressed, like I
felt, you know, I was in a newplace, you know traveling
between Philly and here.
The work itself wasn't hard orbad or anything like that, but I
had a negative experience withmy manager there because she was

(01:14:28):
just so on my ass all the timeLike you can listen to the
previous episodes where I'vetalked about that and feeling
almost like I can't functionbecause I feel so overwhelmed
with this decision of wanting todo travel, social work.
Having a boss, that's not thegreatest.

(01:14:48):
Having to still come home andcheck on things, get the mail
out the door, drive back andforth to New York or drive back
and forth to New York, it justwas a lot.
It was a lot of work.
So I started to feel and nothaving friends in New York I had
my co-workers, of course, butI'd go home, I wasn't really

(01:15:16):
cool or talk to my Airbnb hosthe was a good guy or whatever,
but like I just you know wenever really like hung out or
anything, but even in that Ijust like felt depressed.
I felt, you know, like sleepinga lot.
I was, you know, I was sleepingso much when I look back on
that I was sleeping through myweekends.

(01:15:37):
Like it was so bad, like I wasbarely when I was there on the
weekends, like I was barely everoutside and I was doing a lot
of door dashing and a lot ofthings like that.
So when I look back on thattime I'm like damn like and I
was depressed.
Like I said, I was depressed.
I was, you know, cutting, I wasdrinking, I was doing like all

(01:16:40):
of the things like, and so Ithink to have break my soul.
Come out at this point in timewhere, again, my life's life was
a mess as well, after losingher father, and the world is
still on fire post-Donald Trump,and this promise of I really
connected on that level withAmerican Requiem, as it is the
song of empty promises and thedream of what, the dreams that
come here to die, that areburied here, that are taken
advantage of to die, that areburied here, that you know are

(01:17:00):
taken advantage of.
Like no one should bestruggling right now.
Like I'm so dead serious when Isay this but I don't care if
you are homeless, I don't careif you are on Social Security,
like I don't care, like no oneshould be on this earth
struggling.
Like that to me does not makesense.
It does not make sense to methat we have a war, that

(01:17:22):
multiple wars going on acrossout the ass and penny pinching
all of us for all we got likeand then to you know, want to

(01:17:44):
build up the prison industrialcomplex and you know, basically
like create new slaves.
Like it's like the dream of theAmerican dream just feels like
it never existed andspecifically it's never existed
for Black people and even morespecifically, black women and

(01:18:04):
Black queer women.
So it feels a little bit morepowerful at times for me when
I'm listening to this albumalbum and almost like in the
song, the fact that the songprotector was on there I was
just like is beyonce trying tosay something to me?
Because I feel like she'strying to say she's on our side.

(01:18:26):
So I kind of want to go throughand like look at the lyrics, um
, for some of the songs, becausesome of the songs like you are
just kind of like okay, this isnot a, this is a Beyonce track,
like she's just kind of talkingher shit on here, or it's a song
that is like a dedication to,like a style of country music,

(01:18:50):
or I mean, country music is sorich.
It is the one genre I feel likeI've not explored that much,
and there are songs that I knowthat are country songs that I do
like, but it's a genre I'venever explored as much because
I've never connected to the factthat it's mainly the

(01:19:12):
advertisement of it is thatthere's no one that looks like
me, and so I think that thisalbum is very powerful, both
sonically, visually, like thealbum cover, like the outfits,
the um, her going on these likeaward shows and giving her

(01:19:34):
speeches, like everything feelsso specific, tailored.
I just don't like, I just don'tbe.
I don't know what it is withbeyonce.
It's something about her and I,and this is why I say like when
you know the reed was talkingabout her too, like for two
weeks in a row, and I was like,oh my god, like why y'all keep

(01:19:56):
talking about her like two weeksin a row?
And I was like, oh my God, whydo y'all keep talking about her
and it just always brings methese moments about Beyonce are
the things that always bring meback to her in a way of which
I'm like I understand you, and Ithink this album might be that
album that sticks with me longenough to say I see you.
Because the thing about Beyonceis I feel like I never really

(01:20:17):
know with people.
We talk about billionaires allthe time and she's not on her
own a billionaire, but her andher husband are.
And I mean again, I try to notput too much stock in people in
the sense of people I don't know.

(01:20:37):
I talk about that all the timeon the show.
I talk about how we don't knowthese people.
We don't know these people.
But what I also do know is thatI trust someone like Crystal.
I feel like I could trust herand I feel like she gets good
energy and good vibes aboutpeople.
I also trust Kid Fury as well,because he also has the same

(01:21:03):
level of like discernment aboutpeople like that.
You're not going to play in myface.
So I feel like I would trustboth of them to tell me if
Beyonce was like a horribleperson.
So I feel like that you know,with me, not knowing her, I
can't imagine a world whereshe's just this like billionaire

(01:21:28):
and it's the fact that sheactually does give back like the
a couple.
It was a couple of weeks, weeksor months ago where, um, her
and Kelly Rowland announced thatthey were creating a low-income
project home situation forpeople in Houston, texas, and I
think it was going to be over amillion dollars spent to make

(01:21:49):
this happen for people and I'mlike that's not a bad person,
you know what I mean.
That's not someone that isoutwardly that I feel like would
turn their back, when Now Ifeel like she'll protect her
family and herself Like I dofeel that but I feel like she

(01:22:10):
would be crafty enough to, inthe musical realm, to continue
to weave pieces that are thathave more than one meaning or
that have this like codedmessage or something in it, the
way in which happened in thecreation of country music.
And that's what I think I feellike if you stuck long, you know

(01:22:34):
, stuck long with, stuck with me, long enough to get to this
point to talk about the albumand why I feel like there is
some politicalness to it.
It's this level of the way inwhich country music came about.
So the fact that it was builtout of gospel and I always

(01:22:57):
forget the other one, I thinkit's blues Gospel and blues are
the two.
I think it's blues, gospel andblues are the two.
Blues was more secular, gospelwas a lot more church bound, and
so I didn't realize this untilI started, you know, when I was
like, huh, something's like, I'mfeeling something, but I'm not

(01:23:19):
understanding it.
And I started doing researchabout like, because I didn't
know this, you know, going inBecause, again, country is like
one of my genres I listen to,like the least, not necessarily
one of my least favorites, butit's just the one I listen to
the least.

(01:23:47):
When I started to learn that,like, country music was built
from slavery or during slavery,as a kind of method of passing
messages, or at least it boreout of this, it bore out of
struggle, which, again, that'show I feel, like a lot of our
genres, when white people saythis belongs to us, or black
people can't claim this, this,or blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.
Y'all think y'all owneverything.
The fact that folk music andclassical music were the only

(01:24:09):
two things that really whitepeople brought to America from
Europe.
But, like, black people havebeen able to cultivate country
as a genre, get kicked out ofthat.
Cultivate rock and roll as agenre built off of country, get
kicked out of that by whitepeople.
And then now we're at a pointwhere hip hop is in that same

(01:24:33):
boat and it's fighting for itslife.
It feels like Beyonce, it's justdoing something.
It just feels it's somethingthere, like the fact that
Crystal was like, oh, the albumis coming out, like on 3-29-2023

(01:24:53):
, and then Renaissance came outon 7-29-2023, or 20,.
No, renaissance came out 29,729, 2022, and then this one was
three, cowboy Carter's 329,2024,.
I feel like that even issignificant, like something is

(01:25:17):
up there.
I don't know like Beyonce'sjust doing something.
I feel like I don't know LikeBeyonce's just doing something.
I feel like my theory is thatshe releases the third act in
three years.
I feel like, again, the factthat this album was kind of a

(01:25:37):
surprise drop I feel like almostnot a surprise drop in a way to
it's just a surprise drop inthe fact.
That's just a surprise drop inthe fact that, like she did this
in a commercial, she was justlike, oh, drop the new music.
And then all of a suddenthere's like new music.
There's an album coming out onthe 29th and like this whole
thing that Beyonce does is justshe's a witch.

(01:25:59):
I'm sorry.
Like there's something like Idon't know, like it's just got.
I'm sorry.
Like there's something like Idon't know, like it's just got
really on her side, like it'sjust something there, because
the way in which that planninghappens, the way in which she
just is able to like play myhouse in a Superbowl commercial

(01:26:22):
for like five seconds orwhatever, and then talk about
breaking the internet and, youknow, releasing the new music
and you know all of this, andlike there's just this like
methodology, which I mean I knowshe's been doing this for, like
she says she's been working onthis album for years and years

(01:26:43):
and years.
But like it's just somethingabout an artist that I feel
strongly about when they canmake statements like that, when
they can do things like that andstill keep some level of
secrecy, like I feel like shekeeps it in the music.

(01:27:03):
And so I feel like there's justagain this like thing of just
letting us know where she standsand that she sees that everyone
is in a bad situation right now.
That again, going back, I likedetoured greatly.
But going back to the fact that, like country music, you know,

(01:27:28):
was born out of call andresponse, um, sending messages
to other workers, um to know,you know what was going on, um,
which is like so smart, likethat's something I feel like you
could really only achieve outof having that experience and

(01:27:51):
that's the you know.
Again, like the whole kind ofpremise of this project, like I
feel like that's what it is,premise of this project, like I
feel like that's what it is.
I feel like this project isjust speaking to us in a way of
and when I say project I meantrilogy I just feel like it's

(01:28:13):
just speaking to us in this wayof reclaiming yes, of course,
reclaiming these genres that arenow super heavily dominated by
white people.
But it also feels like there'sthis level of reclaim that
unifies a little bit, that isTrying this thing of creating

(01:28:42):
something that's new,interesting, that fuses the old
with the new.
The fact that this you knowtrilogy is coming out during
this time, right now, is crazy,because it just feels like, when
I talk about music, I feel likemusic that is good usually
comments on some like realthings, like real, like not.

(01:29:05):
It just can't all be like Ishook my ass in the club, like
it can't all be that.
But I feel like, when it comesto someone like a Beyonce that
has such an artistry, I'm likethere's something there, like
there's something going on.
I feel like I'm feeling thesigns, like it's making sense to
build people up and toreinvigorate folks this coded

(01:29:47):
language, so to speak, ofsending messages so that white
people couldn't understand whatwas going on or what was being
said or what was happening, andto just kind of stay almost like
low profile because, of course,like you know, they're just
probably thinking like oh, these, you know, niggers are like
talking gibberish or whatever,or they're probably just glad
that we were speaking English,honestly, because we were still

(01:30:08):
speaking our native languages.
But yeah, it just almost feelslike she's doing this thing of
like trying to unify everyoneand create less division within
music and life Because, again,like the thing about music is
that it unifies people.
So I feel like with her, likesomeone like her that is

(01:30:32):
striving to be great, greaterthan I don't know if she's ever
said this but greater thanMichael Jackson.
I mean, it seems like she'strying, or she has in some cases
, with just the impact thatshe's had on the industry.
I can't really name a maleartist that's doing the same.

(01:31:00):
That's doing the same when Ireally have to think about it in
my brain.
People do they compare theWeeknd to Michael Jackson.
I've talked about that beforeand I was like, eh, I see it,
but I also, and I could see himtrying to achieve it, and he's
been given that crown by somepeople.

(01:31:20):
But I feel like the thing aboutMichael Jackson was that he
also was able to unify people.
There are people all over theworld that listen to Michael
Jackson and that love his music,and I feel like Beyonce's
striving for that, while alsoactually putting the work into

(01:31:46):
be innovative and different andcreate something that feels new
and fresh, because country musicis not, and that's part of the
turnoff for country music forsome folks is that it sounds
like some old, whiny white man,like you know, bordering a folk
song of just about, uh, havingwoes and miseries that, like you

(01:32:09):
know, a black, like a slave,would not.
You know, a slave would have it10 times worse.
You know what I mean, andthat's again not to say that, um
, white people don't ever haveit bad.
It's just the recovery, for itis, um, not easy if you do end

(01:32:31):
up in a bad situation.
But I feel like beyonce knowsthat we're all headed for a bad
situation and I feel like we alllike to take from, to use like
music from and inspiration from,like black artists and have
black features and on the on thealbum and have you know these

(01:32:56):
different segments, like WillieNelson and Miley Cyrus that was
a little surprise, but WillieNelson I'm not.
The song is good, but it was asurprise.
I didn't realize she was goingto have her on there.

(01:33:18):
Group of people feels almostintentional in the sense of
let's not fight about who at thecore, let's not fight about who
created country music, butlet's like fight to make spaces
equal, to give people theopportunity to showcase their

(01:33:40):
talent.
There's so many people that arelike, wow, there's all these
country artists I haven'tdiscovered because I never
really listened to country and Ithink that, again, this is why
she's done it.
She's done it because sherecognizes that these are areas
that have been lackluster as oflate when it comes to Black
recognition and to Blackrecognition, and to provide back

(01:34:05):
to the community in that way is, of course, one of the biggest
like gifts you can give, youknow, a community, to give them,
like, their voice and theirspace back by using your voice,
like that is a very powerfulmessage that I think Beyonce

(01:34:27):
sends.
Wow, that is wild and deep.
But also, since I mentioned agift, one more thing.
I'm not going to do a finalthought because I don't really
have a final thought this week,but one more thing I just want
to say for the people that hatethe gif, or not the people that
hate the gif, but I think thepeople that um are like oh, the

(01:34:53):
gif wasn't that great, or Iskipped the gif.
Or blah, blah, blah, xyz.
Yeah, it wasn't like Beyonce's,like you know, it wasn't like
just her own project, like shehad, you know, it was a
collaboration with Disney orwhatever, but like that was they
that those songs were.
They're still good, like don'tnot too much, because find your

(01:35:14):
way back is one of my favoriteBeyonce songs.
Probably if I had to listBeyonce songs off the dome
without even using um CowboyCarter, cause I feel like I
still am trying to figure outwhat my favorite is Um, if I had
to say top three Beyonce songs,ooh, yikes, let's do top four

(01:35:35):
Beyonce songs.
Um, oh god, that's even harderstill.
I would definitely say hauntedghost um from renaissance as
alien superstar and I don't know.

(01:36:00):
Find your way back.
And then some I feel like DejaVu is probably my fourth one.
I would probably say Betweenthose, those are like my top
favorite Beyonce songs of likeall time Not Deja Vu, I don't
know why I'm thinking it.
Daydream Daydream is one of myfavorite Beyonce songs of all

(01:36:24):
time, but even in that I feellike the album is so good.
Find your Way Back.
Top four for me, number three.
But I feel like people have beenlike oh, the GIF is, it just
was okay, or it didn't reallygive, or blah, blah, blah, blah,
blah.
But y'all was turning up tothem homecoming songs when she

(01:36:45):
was performing them live.
So let's not, you know, let'snot play that game.
I again love the album, lovethe direction.
I didn't see that.
I never saw the movie.
Actually now I'm saying thisout loud I've never excuse me
I've not seen the Lion King liveaction and I think the only

(01:37:12):
reason why I didn't was becauseI don't know why I'm having gas
all of a sudden.
I think the only reason why Ididn't was because I think I
heard mixed reviews about it.
And then I was like I kind ofdon't want to, I don't really
care about a live album now,like I was like or not a live
album.
I wasn't.

(01:37:33):
I didn't really care about alive um musical thing.
Like I was just like, okay,that's, whatever.
You know.
Um, I'm just trying to seesomething real quick.
I don't know why I said that uh,y'all was hating on the gift

(01:37:55):
because because it came outaround the same time as the
renaissance album.
That's why I got that mixed up.
I mean, it came out around thisin the same year of um each
other, but the gift had came outlater.
I did forget that.
Either way, everyone said thatmusic video was good.
The music videos, um, for that,were good as shit.
Everybody was turning the fuckup to um, what song was it?

(01:38:21):
Move Forever, like that songwas everywhere.
Like I feel like people, howsoon, you know, people forget.
So I feel like.
And then again, once Beyonce,like she keeps reinventing
herself.
So I feel like once, like thisnext album comes out, I'm going
to be like I don't know how shekeeps it.

(01:38:42):
I'm gonna do this all overagain.
I'm a literally have a.
I don't know how she keepsdoing this, how she keeps us on
our toes, kind of situation Likeshe's just larger than life,
with being very humble at thesame time, like she just knows
who she is.
And I find that, find thatthat's a very like attractive

(01:39:11):
trait, like to have to just knowwho you are, to know what you,
with the music you want to putout, the type of like sound you
want it to have you you knowbreak down your body and you
know just to dance, like, keepcreating these big, like
projects that get bigger andbigger and bigger.
And it's like I'm just alwayslike, damn, what is she going to
do next?
Like I, that's my thing withher.
I'm like I don't, I don't evenknow.

(01:39:33):
Like I don't even know, likeit's, I don't know what to say.
But I do think that I willspeculate a little bit and say
that I do think that the thirdalbum and the act will be a rock
album.
I do agree with that.
Now, I wasn't on board with thattheory before because, again, I
hate when y'all speculate likeway too much and it seems like
y'all fall in love with thatidea.

(01:39:55):
That's again just me reading itoff of social media.
It feels like y'all want it sobad that y'all are claiming it.
And I'm like this isn't evenyour project, so I don't know
why you're like super, super,like that deep invested in it.
But it would make sense thenfor this next album to be a rock
inspired album, because acouple things I remember.

(01:40:18):
Beyonce said she had a goth face, I remember, and that was
around the time when shereleased Self-Titled, so I think
she had a comment or someonehad asked her about her style or
something, and she was like Ihad a goth face and she did the

(01:40:38):
track with oh God, jack White onLemony lemonade.
And then she had daddy lessonson lemonade.
I'm just like I feel like whenI have to go back and listen to
lemonade, because I feel like wedidn't, there's something there
we didn't catch, uh either.
Um, because in a way I feellike this feels connected to

(01:41:06):
like the trilogy somehow, like Idon't know, because I'm like
daddy lessons.
And then if she do come outwith a rock song, I'm like don't
hurt yourself.
And then I'm like so then, whatwas the dance song?
Like I am trying to figure thatout.
I, I mean, all her songs weredance songs, but Ooh, I was
about to say something crazy.
I was about to say something sofucking crazy.

(01:41:37):
Just know, if you ask me about6-inch heels, ask me off the
chat or off the live.
You gotta ask me off of this,because I just a connection
connected and I was like, oh,telling, um, it was a little bit
of tea, I was clocking a littletea.
So, yeah, that's it for thisepisode.

(01:41:59):
Um, again, thank you all forlistening.
Um, definitely, rate review.
I feel like I could have beenbetter this week, but at the
same time I'm here, I showed thefuck up this week.
I almost did not show the fuckup, but I showed the fuck up.
So clap for me.
You know, if you got any advice.

(01:42:19):
If you want to curse me out,you send a letter to gather them
pot at gmailcom.
I would.
I mean, I'd be interested toget a curse out and read it all.
I probably would bust outfucking laughing.
Um, if you want to connect withme on the socials, I'm gathered
them pot on instagram and on x.
Also, shout out you ate thislike one little thing, elon musk

(01:42:41):
the fact that he talked aboutwanting to get rid of these bots
on social media.
You ate like one little thing,elon Musk, the fact that he
talked about wanting to get ridof these bots on social media.
You ate that one little thingand that's it.
That's all you eat, becauseit's always some lusty woman.
Never a man, like literallynever a man, unless you type in
sugar daddy and that comes up,which I fucking hate.

(01:43:02):
That, like, you can't say sugardaddy without without a bunch
of people dming you.
But, um, you got all these botspopping up and then you got me
sitting up here being like, ohwell, I gotta figure out, like,
which way this square goesbecause of, you know, whatever
reason, blah, blah, blah, x,blah, blah, x, y, z.

(01:43:23):
And I'm just like no, like, howare the bots existing on this
app?
Get them out of here.
So you know, shout out to himfor that, but that's all he gets
from me.
So, yeah, that's it for thisweek's episode, um, and I'll

(01:43:46):
talk to everyone next week.
Bye.

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