September 18, 2025 • 45 mins
This week’s New Yorker of the Week is Jess Rothschild, writer, producer, and professional documenter of New York’s most fascinating subcultures. Jess is the creator and executive producer of Cult of Body & Soul, the seven-part series that unpacks how SoulCycle went from sweaty spin class to full-blown cultural movement. She’s also behind Finding Fire Island, the lush docu-series on queer legends and lore from Cherry Grove to The Pines.
Since 2019, Jess has hosted Hot Takes & Deep Dives, a pop-culture feast featuring icons like Rosie O’Donnell, Sandra Bernhard, Fran Drescher, and Isaac Mizrahi. She even got her start as a founding writer for Autostraddle, the internet’s longest-running independent LGBT site.
Tune in as we talk cult workouts, queer icons, and what it means to tell the stories that make New York so perfectly New York.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:15):
Boom, here we are. Sorry.
Here we are. Here we are.
I've never spoken like that before.
Hi. New York.
I guess we'll do the I'm Hannah Drillander, and you're listening
to The New Yorker. Of the week, The Yorker of the
(00:37):
Week did. You hear what Lady Gaga did
yesterday? She casually won like best
artist right before her show. And then she at the end she was
like, sorry, I have to go. I have to go to Madison Square
Garden. She literally so they they sent
out like APSA because Brian wentlast night.
Like everyone know, doors are still open at 7:00 but she will
not be on till 9:30. She walked the red carpet,
(01:01):
accepted artist of the year on Long Island and then drove to
Madison Square Garden and did her 2 1/2 hour show like that.
And I'm like stressed out about having to do my shift at work
and then go to. Babysitting.
It really makes you think for a second, Yeah.
And it's like anyone who's seen her show now, like like the show
only makes sense when I imagine that like all day she's just
(01:23):
like relaxing, preparing. So then to know that before it,
she's in glam, walking the red carpet, doing interviews,
accepting the award, doing the speech, then has like a 2 hour
car ride and then maybe a littleless and then just does that
show. Unreal.
That's insane. I love that woman so amazing.
(01:44):
She really is. I, I know that I've already
spoken about it, but like when Isaw people posting, 'cause she
was last night in New York and two nights ago in New York and
like people just posting the beginning, it's like I had like
the goosebumps. Like it was, it was an unreal
show. Who were the other artists for?
Who were the nominees? The nominees are.
(02:05):
For artists of the year, I don'tknow, let me look it up.
'Cause I need to know. I do too.
You know who I might nominate next year?
Justin Bieber. Really.
You like? Oh my God, his album is so OK.
OK, so he came out with swag one.
Sorry, I just said swag. Bad Bunny.
(02:26):
Beyoncé. She won over.
Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar, Lady Gaga, Morgan Wallen, Taylor
Swift and The Weeknd. Shit.
What's can the weekend? What can the weekend should not
have been in this category, the weekend, the weekend in a
category with Beyoncé and Lady Gaga?
Are you kidding me? 0 no sense.
(02:46):
Makes zero sense. That's like crazy with Kendrick
Lamar, like the weekend. Who is the weekend and no one
likes him. Like literally what?
The best press, The best part ofhis life.
One weekend song. Star Boy actually in college
that was like, I'm not a fuckingStar boy.
You know what song? Yeah, I grab it.
I. Don't barely.
(03:07):
I barely know that song. Me too, but like 70 other
Beyoncé songs that are better. Of course, of course.
I'm not saying it's better than Beyoncé.
I just know a song. Seeing Lady Gaga, though, made
me wish I also saw Beyoncé this year.
I let's go, let's go next year. I'm assuming she'll just keep
(03:28):
going and let's see the next, whatever the next one is.
Let's commit to go. I do, I do wish like artists
would more artists would do whatTaylor Swift did in the fact
that she was touring for like 3 years straight.
So it's like, oh, you didn't gether this year, Maybe next year
you'll have a different job, more money.
And I go, you know, like, I really feel like.
(03:48):
'Cause then now we're at in two weeks things are going to
change. Last week, last week.
We just are three weeks away. This is 2 weeks away.
So this week is like for me, next week's rough.
I send you the picture of the next week's schedule.
Yeah, that next week is spooky scary.
Yeah, that's spooky scary. This week is kind of prepping
for spooky scary. I hope I.
Haven't been like the buzzkill friend recently.
(04:10):
I just feel like I've been so burnt out.
OK, there my can I say my New York another week?
As soon as it happened, I was like, that's not a New York
moment of the week. I'm so burnt out.
Like I love. Are you loving the flowers?
I didn't look at them really before I really.
Really needed them yesterday. They're nice.
(04:31):
So I'm like incredibly burnt out.
I've had, I've worked like 3 jobs, different jobs throughout
the day and then I have to go and do an emergency check up on
another job. It's just like a whole thing.
And I'm coming back up Flatbush Ave. and I know that you're at
Orange Theory, so I want to stopby and say hi.
I'm with my bike and I look in the mirror, I look into the
(04:52):
window of Orangetheory and Hannah's there at the desk and I
just look at you and I'm and foreveryone who's not watching, I
just go and I like mouth hi to you.
And I was like, I'm so tired. I like say that like through my
lips. And then you just kind of like
nodding and waving. And I said, what did I?
What did I? Say you did something, I said.
(05:14):
I'm going. I'm going and then I just say I
love you. And I set it back.
And then I just left, and there was no, it was just like she
knew. I think you knew.
I didn't even tell you about my day.
And it's like you knew that I had had a New York day.
Yeah. I couldn't come in and say hi.
But I love you. Yeah.
Love you too. And I'm gonna move forward up
(05:35):
this Bush. And this Bush and like for also
context, like I'm never looking out the window.
Like I feel like I'm almost especially at that moment was
like it's almost class time. So it's kind of like I'm never
just like looking out the window.
It was a really, but it was likeI do feel, and I know that you
(05:55):
are my friend with ginger hair standing in the window like
looking at me. So like, maybe that's why I
looked. Up, yeah.
But recently I just keep having these like weird little like
caught like incidents, you know what I mean?
Yeah, what in what? No, I actually don't like.
Like like. Like I think it's like in that
moment I would have never been like staring out the window.
(06:15):
And I'm then I'm staring at the window as you walk right by and
it's like you weren't there yet.I was called to the window the
other day. We're on the call for work, our
like Monday meeting with corporate and whatever.
And I was like, who's the studiothat still has their scaffolding
up? And everyone's like, I don't
know who cares, right? And then no, it's a story.
(06:37):
Then they get to a story and a story goes, are scaffolding
officially down? I was like, that's weird because
thanks for taking that time. I've never talked about that
ever. And I just say it.
And then yesterday, the other day, I'm singing Phantom of the
Opera at the exact time that Brian starts talking about how
(06:57):
he's going to see Phantom of theOpera, the experience.
And he was like, that's weird. How does he say a couple things
for me? Couple things for.
You that will come true. Well, I'll just have to.
In three weeks. Just let things fall out and
it's kind of like you can trust whatever falls out is going to
be what comes now. We can kind of trust that
because of my abilities. Do you see anything in my love
(07:19):
life happening soon? Well, that's not really how.
It's kind of more like without so far with the powers.
It's more that I don't realize Ihave them.
So it's a Matilda. You're at the Matilda Stage I.
Believe I said something before we recorded about who I see you
with. Romantic and we can't we.
(07:41):
Can't and we're obviously not, but it's kind of like think on
that I'm. Thinking on.
That think on that. Earlier the exterminator came
in. This is different.
This isn't anything to do with the love thing, although one
time I did, One time I did. Not with Lou, but a different
exterminator. I know no.
(08:01):
I think you've shared that storyon the pub like 3 times.
That was kind of when we realized we didn't want to talk
about Sex and the City. When I was talking about I made
out with my exterminator 1. And we talked about it for like
a really long time. And we talked about how like New
York exterminators, like the working man is so attractive.
That was probably for our listeners, like clue #1.
(08:23):
Yeah, the exterminator just camein.
Not the one that I made out withlike 12 years ago, but the one
by my ex. I'm pretty sure his name was
also Lou. Are all exterminators named Lou?
There's something. They're all like Italian.
The name Lou does lead you towards a line of work, don't
you think? Lou, I'm the exterminator.
(08:44):
Like Lou can't be lived in New York for like 20.
Way more longer than that. I've lived in New York for 50
years. Yeah, however old you raised my
grandmother. My grandmother, my.
Grandmother, we were living in Long Island, then we came out
here. Yeah.
So, Lou, just so we're, we're talking and all of a sudden we
hear a little a man, a man's voice and we're like, holy shit,
(09:06):
intruder. It was scary.
And we turned around and Lou, the exterminator again, not the
one that I've had a relationshipwith, this is a new one, comes
in and he's like, it's exterminator.
We're just here for the I come once every month.
You want me to exterminate the house?
It's like always like, please, like as many chemicals as
possible in my house. So he comes in and I was like,
(09:26):
how long have you been an exterminator?
And he's like 12 years. And I'm like, how long have you
lived in New York? And he's like 1000 years.
And then he's a hairdresser, dresser.
And I'm like, do you wanna be onour podcast?
And he was so sure. So 1st of the month, October
kicking it off with Lou. Just got his number.
Get ready for Lou. And it's a 917 number, so, you
know, he's fucking. And he was giving us kind of
like some romantic advice. Yeah, Cuz we were talking about
(09:50):
boys. And he's like, they're all bad.
They'd never treat you the way Itreat you.
And Lou is married with six kids.
So Lou's doing something right. Extermination.
Extermination well cuz then we were saying that there is
something like sexy about like Iwould rather.
I hope Lou overheard that. I hope so too, but made.
His day we were like, there's something cuz as soon as he left
(10:12):
hand I was like, there's something sexy about an
exterminator. There is there's something sexy
about a man, a working man, likeworking with his hands, maybe
doing something gross, doing something hard, like that's just
like sexy. Like, yeah, I love my boyfriend.
I think he's sexy, but like he's.
Always gonna come back. Working in like social media
sexy to me. Yeah, I want to like, I want a
(10:35):
guy who's like, show me the rat.I told you, I'm not sure who
exactly that. Is like, just give it to me and
I'll deal with yeah, who doesn'tgive?
A blue it doesn't give a shit about.
Who doesn't give a shit? Let me get in there.
Like, honey, this isn't for you.Yeah, take the kids.
(10:56):
Go outside. Like 1 liners feel like really
specific. There is just something sexy
about that to me. I'm working on the car today.
We actually kind of had a realization about my type, I
would say, when we were at the bar, the bar opening.
Yeah, we did. There's we're surrounded by like
(11:17):
wealthy man. We we went to an influencer bar
opening. We were invited to as podcasts,
Co hosts and founders of women founder female founders, wonder
women of the women of the world.We were.
They called us, they selected usto, they asked us to be on this,
(11:39):
to come in as an influencer. I can't wait for you to like
listen back to like that wind up, but we go and we'll talk
more about this because it's related to a big guest coming.
But we go and we're surrounded by like semi celebrities, really
wealthy people. Most of the men were like really
(12:01):
well dressed. A lot of them were hot and then.
Dare I say we were the hottest though?
Yeah, yeah. Of the women.
Of the women, I took one of those photos and put it on my
field profile. Oh, that's.
Good. Thank you.
And all Basically, though, like,there's all these guys and
they're all like, and most womenwould be like, we're surrounded
by eligible bachelors. And then there's this bartender
behind the bar who seems to be having a hard time making a
(12:24):
drink. His hair couldn't be Wilder.
And I didn't see him able to make eye contact with one
person. And I was like, Nora, look at
that guy. And she was like, what?
Meanwhile, I'm like, could I hook up with the pretty heavy
set older man who clearly fundedthis thing?
(12:47):
Yeah. And like.
Our minds were kind of. And I was like, I think I could
do it just maybe for a little bit and like, I don't know,
maybe you could help me with my book club and like, and then
Hannah's like, but look at that man over.
There and it's like no one was looking at that bartender but me
like nobody. But I I think sometimes when I
complain about wolf, everyone's like she needs to be with a
(13:08):
different type of man, but it's like that is the type of man I
like. So if it's not, it's not if it's
not this guy, it's going to be ait's going to be that bartender
like it's going to be a different type of like man who
has a hard time completing 1 task is nervous to me.
My contact has like crazy hair, Yeah.
So it's kind of like, let's justlock down when I'm when I got
going down the street. Like the beginning of like a
(13:31):
frizzy commercial, you know, forJohn Frieda frizzies.
Yeah. Like like they're the.
Hair they're that's. Fair like in the beginning and
it's like he's like lightly likeit's very thin and it's like
sticking out in all directions he's really.
Fluffy. And he, he had really no idea
how to do. Yeah.
The other pretenders were like, you know, like 35 piercings,
(13:53):
like blue hair. And he was like, kind of.
And that's. And everyone should know that is
how I found Wolf. I When Wolf and I met, he was a
bartender and early in the relationship I visited him at
the bar he was working at and I was like, he's really
overwhelmed here and. He's really overwhelmed.
I cannot imagine Wolf is a bartender.
This is the thing about Wolf. He makes delicious drinks.
(14:15):
He's a very good bartender. He grew up working at his dad's
bar. He knows how to make a really
good drink. He does not know how to work
quickly and he does not know howto work under pressure.
So kind of not ideal for a bar dinner.
He could like make a bar their menu, their specialty drink
(14:35):
menu. He should not be working during
happy hour at that bar. Right.
It was really the he just was. And this was why it was funny
when we worked together for a while, because we were just
really, really different people.I can't.
Imagine that. I cannot even imagine you guys
working together, it was so funny.
The craziest thing was that thatwas like probably the best part
(14:57):
of our relationship. OK, because I think like in
terms of like, like we had something that we both were like
did that was like, like, I feel like I respected him after the
the day of work we just had and he respected me.
We both like saw exactly what the other went through, right?
We're now it's like I'm trying to convince him look how hard my
day was and he was like, look how hard mine is.
(15:17):
And I was like, you do social media.
Social media, I don't want to hear about it.
I do a little social media, but it's different.
You, it's not different. You do a lot.
I do a lot and and here. I do do I forget sometimes
because I'm like at orange theory.
I do our our orange theory. I do our social.
Media, yeah, you really do. You do everything.
(15:38):
I really feel like I've learned.We've learned so much.
I've learned a lot about bookingand how to reel them in.
Yeah, no, I was talking, I was talking to everyone about how,
well, I don't want to say it, but how you got up coming and
because everyone was like how, how?
And I was like, Nora's like not afraid to like to text the
(15:58):
person that you're maybe afraid to text.
Like she's not afraid to pull onthat string that you're like,
this might be Nora's like I don't we're getting to the
bottom of this. It's part of my Jewish roots as
being invasive. Because it makes me nervous to
ask someone even when we were thinking about asking for a
picture. I was kind of like, I don't
(16:18):
wanna we didn't ask for a picture because I I thought
maybe there would be I I don't know, I just felt too try hard,
but like, but then it seems likeeveryone else got a picture.
I know. Well, if you look at the roundup
of pics of the event our arms are, you can see both our arms
are hidden. Right now, out of it.
Well, we can see they're all over the Internet.
(16:42):
No tag though. No tag, you'll have to find it
and you'll have to find what event we're talking about.
And it's still kind of a lot of it's like a hunt.
It's a scavenger hunt for you, with you.
What's going on? What's going on?
It's 1139 too. Let's.
Wrap it up. What's going on?
(17:02):
What's going on? We have a really cool guest on
today. She's like very, she's really
interesting. She has so much niche like
information. Yeah, she.
Does that. Honestly, I'm very like excited
to like have people here and she's, she's very, she's cool.
And she's very much like, they always tell you to like write
(17:23):
what, you know, create what you're experiencing.
Like she really has done that. She's like created a life of
just like exploring the niche interest she's had and learning
more about that, which I think is.
Always cool. Exactly.
Yeah, we're excited for you guysto to listen to this next
interview. But anyways, I think, you know,
this is going to be a short up for us because we should go
pretty long with no, not Malik, Jess that.
(17:49):
Was I thought you meant like, last week, Jessie?
Yeah, yeah, I guess last week's episode is just us.
Yeah, just us. Yeah.
No, no, no. Also I had someone follow up
with me about us only having people on that I want to pursue
in my love life. And I've decided actually, I
don't want to pursue anyone who comes on the pod because I don't
think that they're a good fit for me.
(18:11):
OK. So and I also.
I also think this. I think some I think they're
great people, but I just I so far I'm not interested.
OK, OK, so so there you go. So there we have that.
I also think this will make for probably best podcasting 'cause
now instead of hoping to win them over and start something,
(18:32):
we're just trying to have the most fun.
You know it's gonna release. I don't want.
I know. Yeah, we're done.
So, you know, it's just like. You had your chance.
You, you blow out, so you fucking go wait a fucking guy.
You can't get this gem. My hair is like completely I I
am the waiter, I'm the frizzy. Waiter, this is what I want to
tell you. When frizzy Waiter, when you
(18:53):
walked by the window. We did it when we.
Your hair looked beautiful. Really.
Yeah. I when you were walking away, I
was like thinking about the hair.
Wow. It was like you had it not in a
middle part, I would say maybe it was, but the way it like
curled down, it looked like you had done it.
What day was that? What was going on with?
It I don't remember any day anymore.
I'm so stressed and tired. I do.
(19:15):
Oh. Wait, was it Friday?
My hazy because I was with Katie.
I think it was Friday, yeah. What was going on Friday with
your hair? That is something only God
knows. I'll ask him.
Think about it, you know? Well, on that note, on that
note, I love you man. Love you too.
(19:35):
Bye. Today we're really excited.
We have Jess Rothschild on, who is a native New Yorker, creator
and producer of the docu series Cult of Body and Soul, Finding
Fire Island, and a weekly podcast series called Hot Takes
and Deep Dives. Jess, thank you so much for
(19:56):
joining us. We're so excited to have you.
Thank you. I'm a fan of this.
I'm a fan of this show. Thank you.
Yeah. Wait, can I tell you what my
favorite my the thing that really drew me into you guys.
So I know Liz Glaser a bit. And when I, I don't remember
which one of you actually thought that she was in the
Brady bond, that she was out, that to me was the funniest
(20:17):
moment of comedy all summer. Like I sent that.
I talked about that at brunch with my friends.
I'm like, no, you have to watch this.
It was so crazy because I've known Liz since 2020, and the
first time I saw Liz do comedy was on a show I was hosting.
So I know that I like heard her say the Brady Bunch thing, but
(20:38):
was like, oh, I need to pull up the next comic.
I'm about to go up on the stage.So like, I wasn't listening to
the joke. And even when I told Nora we
should have Liz on, I was like, she was on the Brady Bunch.
Yeah, and I Googled and I was like, oh.
And then I was like, oh, I thinkHannah was kidding.
Like she went. And I was.
Maybe like 75 years old. I had never when.
(20:59):
I was older than that or if. That older.
Yeah, I was like. OK, this there's no way this
could be Liz but people are mad the OK at first everyone was
laughing at the clip but have you seen the comments now?
No. Are people coming for us?
People are coming for me. They're like, how unprofessional
to have someone on your podcast that you didn't know.
And I was like, OK, I actually know Liz pretty well.
I just. Like.
Jesus. Also like, what are you doing
(21:21):
with your life like that? You're commenting on our podcast
being like. My interviewing skills.
Don't even get me started on like people in the comments of
our section or whatever. Anytime someone comments nor as
like they need to be putting this energy anywhere else like
in. The world, so much going on in
the world and this is where you're going to put your energy.
(21:41):
OK, anyways, Jess, we're so happy to have you on.
I so I was obsessed with soul cycle for a while just to just
to like give you a heads up. Like I was like, what?
Years. Like in the beginning, like in
the in the 2000, maybe like 16 era, okay, like it was at the
beginning or not really. That's not the beginning, that's
(22:03):
toward the end. I'm like I.
Was there from. The start I I opened the soul
cycle this start. 2016 was sort of like at its peak.
Yeah, Yeah, we can, we can say that it it was at it was
cresting, but like about to experience.
Yeah, a downfall because, because what?
When the way that I saw Soul Cycle having a downfall was that
(22:27):
Peloton came into the scene. I bought a Peloton.
And Hannah bought a Peloton and the whole thing just.
Shattered. That's what happened.
That's what happened. It's.
So interesting how you if you literally like were to like map
it out, there are different inflection points of like these
major societal political momentsthat happened and you you really
could draw it out. But the Peloton slash the
(22:50):
pandemic like you're, you're combining those two things
together. Yeah, yeah.
That, yes, you, we could point to that as perhaps the biggest.
Yeah. They never really technically
came back from the pandemic and reclaimed the zeitgeist the way
in which, you know, where, wherethey were.
Yeah. But.
Can you can you start off by just telling us like, so let's
(23:11):
start with the Soul Cycle. So you've done 2 docu series on
one on Soul Cycle, one on Fire Island.
You also have your weekly podcast.
What inspired you specifically to talk to tackle Soul Cycle and
Fire Island? Like what?
What brought? You that so each of those
started out there. The infancy of each of those
(23:32):
series started out as individualepisodes of hot takes and and
deep dives. And yeah, that's a lot of but
it's sort of hot takes and deep dives is a little, I mean, it's
an interview based show. But also I do episodes that are
just like bottle episodes where they're kind of just incubators
for things that I'm obsessed with.
And I'll bring on like an expertin the subject matter or a
(23:53):
friend who's worked at a certainplace.
And we'll just like go through stuff as just a way to sort of
like express my passion for a certain subject.
And sometimes it just keeps coming back around.
And Fire Island and Soul Cycle are the two things that I just
couldn't shake in terms of wanting to really get to the
(24:15):
bottom of each of those stories and places.
And so that's really, and also those were the two places where
I found community in my adult New York City life like I lived
it Like this is, it's really like my story.
So yeah, it was like, these are the subjects that I could talk
extensively about and want to consume every piece of media
(24:37):
about, yet I couldn't quite scratch the itch entirely to
flesh out like everything I wanted to say about and
everything I wanted to know. So I went out to create that
piece of media that I would wantin each of those subject
matters. Gotcha.
And did you spend a lot of time on Fire Island specifically or
Cherry Grove? Because I know it's mainly like
(24:58):
men on Fire Island. Like, what's that?
Yeah, I spent a lot of time in, I spent a lot of time in both
Cherry Grove and the Pines. I would say I spent more time in
Cherry Grove in my like earlier like mid 2000s life.
Yeah. And starting in the pandemic,
nearly all my time was spent in the Pines.
And that is really where, like, I met a lot of my friends and a
(25:19):
lot of people from the city I would run into like instructors
at Barry's Boot Camp and Soul Cycle who I knew.
Like, that is really where they were.
And it was from there, from spending all that time in the
Pines that I really fell in lovewith the place and started to
like read books about the history, started to watch a
couple documentaries that were sort of the documentaries are a
(25:40):
little bit, not entirely fully baked productions.
And so it was like, I really, you know, again, like wanting to
create the thing that didn't exist in the world.
And had you ever done a documentary before or this?
Like you were fascinated and youjust did it.
I just fake I faked it till I made it.
(26:02):
I love that. I just figured it out.
And for people who haven't seen them, like what's like the
thesis? Like what is the call to the
documentary? Yeah, so finding Fire Island is
all about like the the history, mystique and lore of the two
oldest gay communities in in theUS, the Pines and Cherry Grove.
(26:22):
And Soul Cycle is very much about like the zeitgeist and the
cult of personality and the billet rooms and the seduction.
How did Soul Cycle capture the zeitgeist in a way that the New
York City zeitgeist in particular, in a way that no
other fitness brand had before or in my opinion, ever will
(26:43):
again? It was a moment in time and we
are fucking happy to be alive. And it is a miracle that we all
experienced it. And that's what should be
celebrated. Are there there's soul soul
cycles around, right? Yeah.
I one of the instructors at my studio that I go to of my yoga
studio, she's a soul psycho instructor.
So they're so are they. I don't I don't want to shout
(27:07):
out her name just OK. I want to protect her in case
people on a soul cycle. That's funny.
OK, but but I what was I going to say?
I feel like there used to be oneacross the street pretty and
that to be down. So is what you're saying is that
Soul Cycle has kind of are they not doing well right now?
(27:27):
Because I don't really know the status of how they're doing.
I don't think that. I think with the saturation,
Barrys boot camp is exploding. There's a lot of money coming
into Barry's boot camp and they're expanding and, and
basically Soul Cycle with the Equinox acquisition, they
expanded. It's really the lesson of like
(27:48):
over expansion and saturation. And when you're originally the
restaurant that no one could getinto and suddenly or Applebee's,
that's the story of Soul Cycle. It's.
Also like now more than ever, there's gyms where you can do
everything at. Like there's even gyms that have
Peloton in their gym. Like it's like why we pay for
(28:09):
one thing? Yeah, we got paid the same
price. Especially like I, I used to go
to school cycle, but then I couldn't afford it.
So I used to go to ride NYC and then it was like my Peloton
membership of course came with buying that bike, but like my
monthly membership right now wasthe I don't have any more but
was the price of one Soul cycle class.
(28:31):
But here's the thing. But here's the thing, The magic
of Soul Cycle, it's being in that room, right?
Yeah. Paying.
You're paying for theater. It's.
Theater, it's not a workout. That's what you're paying for.
It's not getting on the bike andlike spinning around, going
nowhere, sitting on a bike that goes nowhere for 45 minutes.
(28:52):
That's not what you're paying for because like you said, you
can do that anywhere. You're paying for these trained,
extremely charismatic performersgetting on top of a podium and
seducing you into a place, a mental and emotional and
ultimately physical place. That and basically like taking
(29:13):
you into a Broadway show. That's what it was at a height.
And it's like they do the thing at the end where it's like the
it's your final minute and they blow out the candle and they
turn off the lights. And the soulful moment.
It's like you go for those moments you can't get that other
places. Yeah, what?
What's like the. OK, let's get into some juicy
(29:34):
stuff. So like, what's the darkest
thing you've uncovered about Soul Cycle?
I mean, probably the thing most people don't know, well, first
of all, there was the the tragicdeath of this instructor, Claire
Veronica Walsh. She was a beloved instructor in
like 2009 to 2012. And she died.
(29:57):
She was very young. She was like 22 years old,
gorgeous girl. And she was extremely popular.
She was going to be set to open the West Hollywood studio and
she died on Christmas night 2012.
And there's a lot of lore about her death.
And so we explore that in the series.
We have like a first hand account of it and that's.
(30:21):
Why she died or. She you know, why does a 22 year
old very, you know, beloved, whydoes a 22 year old die?
Who's like an exercise you know?Who's a performer partying too
hard like she was, you know, andalso like working your body to
(30:41):
the bone. So you know.
Because like when they're teaching those classes, they're
also taking those classes. Exactly.
She's. Like other things like you coach
but you're not also taking it where cycling classes especially
Yep also doing the workout. Riding the bike more than 12 * a
week, probably under eating and also on top of that heavy
(31:03):
partying. Like these were rock stars.
They were celebrated. They were never told no know.
They were like the toast of New York City.
So especially somebody so young,why would that person suddenly
pass? It's like I'll just like keep
moving, like fill the time slot,keep moving.
They didn't really address it. Oh, no, no, no.
They addressed it. There was a benefit ride set to
(31:26):
Moulin Rouge that her mentor puttogether out in the Hamptons and
they raised a lot of money for the Lower East Side Girls Club,
which her family, which was veryimportant to her family.
No, they definitely like honoredher memory and her name is
Claire Veronica Walsh. Like everyone should look her
up. She was really this ingenue and
so a lot of people may not know that story and we.
(31:49):
That's like the really. Go.
And I mean, I think a death is really.
Dark. No, no, no. 100% A hundred.
Percent and also I think the. Other story beginning of her
probably career in fitness and performing.
Yep, yeah. What else like around soul
cycles? So you talked about like, and I
saw this in the trailer of of the show you, you talk about the
(32:11):
partying like so that so they were partying too together and
they were like, is that kind of what the vibe was?
It was sex, drugs and rock'n'roll.
Wow, that's crazy because it's. So to in my head like I feel
like one of the more I got into fitness, the more I leaned away
from partying. The partying messed with my
fitness. Totally.
(32:32):
I think it's something happens and I've spoken to a lot of
instructors. A God complex does develop.
You are elevated on this platform above all of these
adoring spectators who are showering you with gifts like
I've instructors. They're like air maze blankets,
(32:54):
Air maze air maze bracelets. They were given cash by the
founders. They were never told no.
They were. They were treated like NFL
players. Yeah.
Yeah. So it was, you know, caviar and
they were treated like that by the riders as well as the
founders because they were, these people were cash.
(33:14):
Cows. And they were the face.
They were the face of the hottest brand, the hottest brand
in New York City, the hottest club you couldn't get into.
Yeah. So wait, was there a period of
time where just like you could not get in a soul cycle class?
Yes, I feel like when I was doing it I never experienced
that. Yes.
(33:35):
Oh, yes. My time, my era.
Yeah. And what what year was that do
you feel like? I started in 2010 in 20.
I would say 2920, 2010 to 2016 for for certain instructors,
many instructors you there were like hundred person wait lists.
(33:58):
Yeah. That's crazy.
People at the front desk, don't worry, I'll get you in, but
sometimes, like you couldn't getin.
Like a host at like a VIP. Restaurant and especially,
especially out in the Hamptons, people would like pay each other
for bikes. It was a whole.
Thing yeah, that's. Crazy.
That's really crazy. Yeah, now because it's like at
(34:18):
that time that was probably likethe cycling, the gym where now
there's there's so many options like.
Well, there's so many copycats, yeah.
But you just go to another. Why would you do wait in line to
get into one place? Yeah, well, think about it.
Why would you wait in line to get into, you know, the club
basement in Queens? It's like a rave club.
(34:39):
Like why do people wait there 'cause you want the thing that
you can't get into is the thing you want.
This is like psychology one-on-one.
Right, right. Yeah.
So this was the first documentary you did and then you
did your fire the Fire Island. Fire Island came first.
Came first, OK. But I had this idea a lot
longer. And So what do you think now
(34:59):
pivoting, but same question likewhat's like the hottest take on
Fire Island that you have? Oh, hottest take on Fire Island
is it's not what a lot. Well, maybe the doors are a
little bit blown right open on it.
OK, this is the hottest take on Fire Island.
I think anybody, all these gay boys who are going to Fire
(35:20):
island. I think listening to finding
fire Island should be required viewing required listening
before you should not be allowedto step foot on that fucking
island until you listen to the history and it's wrapped in it's
first of all, it's not like a history show.
It's like a bunch of like fags like popping off about the
island and like it's, you know, lots of comedians, Joel Kim,
(35:41):
boosters and Margaret Cho and a lot of people who've been there
from the 50s. Like, like I spoke to this 92
year old drag queen who arrived in 1955 and he still performs
today. He is a legitimate legend.
And if you don't know who he is,you should not be allowed to.
(36:02):
You should not be allowed to getinto the underwear party unless
you can name check like 5-5 icons.
Oh my God, that's so funny. And and.
That's my hottest take. You still spend time in Fire
Island. I was there for Labor Day.
Oh fun. I was there like 4 times in the
summer. Of course.
Oh my gosh. Wow.
I've never been. I've been.
(36:23):
Oh yeah. But I'll do the required
watching before I Yeah. If I think so.
Yeah. And and what do you think is
like the dark side of Fire Island?
The dark side, I think not in cherry Grove, but in the Pines I
would think there is I think a lot of the guys listen, all my
(36:44):
friends I'm listen I'm gay and all of my friends are gay and a
lot of my friends are gay men. And I think there is a a
pressure with like body image tolike look a certain way and be a
certain quote, UN quote gay guy,like capital G chop, you know,
in a gay with like chop capital G gay guy.
(37:05):
And that's the dark side is a lot of people like fall into
that myth that you have to be a certain thing when really you
don't. And if you just let all that go,
that's where the real fun begins.
Yeah, I definitely saw that whenI was there.
It's like there's definitely like a but.
(37:30):
The truth The truth is, the people who are having the most
fun and the best conversations, truly living life and loving
life, are like the people who opt out of all of.
That 100 percent, 100%, 'cause you go like you would, I would
go to, we went to a couple parties and it was like a bunch
of people standing around and they didn't really like have
(37:51):
anything to talk about. They're just like, oh, like,
hey, where are you staying? Like, and there's just other
conversation, whereas like, I don't know, I feel like the crew
I went with and then also like people that we ended up hanging
out with were like so fun and like hilarious.
And we we didn't fit into like the mold of the like, you know,
(38:11):
6 pack Speedo. I clearly didn't, but you know.
But yes, you do. Yeah, but like, you know, it was
just I, I, it's, I mean, it's the same thing in New York.
Like when you see a bunch of women that are very, like,
skinny and, you know, blonde andhanging out in the West Village
and you kind of like listening to their conversations and
(38:32):
you're like, wait, I don't thinkthey're having fun.
Yeah. But yeah, very employed, Yeah,
yeah. But it's like, it kind of has
like AI feel like Fire Island kind of has like a mean girl's
vibe to it sometimes. Like in terms of like the clicks
and like which party you're allowed into and 'cause there's
like all these like really beautiful houses and like you
(38:53):
have to get an invite to. I know there's like there's
like, what is it? The house that's like the most
expensive? What is it?
The Superman House. Oh yeah, there's this.
Yeah. Yeah, the Superman.
My friends were talking. I didn't know what they were
talking about. My friends, my gay men friends,
they were talking about how thisguy, they know when with just
four guys and they're at the Superman house for like 6 days.
(39:14):
So they were just talking about how much money had to be spent.
And I was like, I didn't even know anything about this.
But then I looked up the price of that house and that is
insane. To be split for four men for six
days. Crazy.
That's an insane amount of moneyif you if anyone listening knows
the price of that freaking house.
The actually, that's the other. I would say the other thing is
(39:38):
you actually don't have to spenda lot of money to stay in.
I think if you have, if you nurture the right friendships.
Oh yeah, you can, Daddy. Then yeah, like they're that.
See, that's the thing. They're people like that who
have to like buy their way in. But also if you're just, if
you're just like a sort of fabulous charming person, you'll
find your way like invited the strength of just your own
(40:01):
personality and people wanting to be around you, which has
absolutely nothing to do with the way you look or how much
money you have. Yeah, I mean, I because I
remember we went to one pool party and it was like there was
this like significantly older guy throwing the party and then
just like tons of boys and then me, which like I really don't,
which actually hey, boys. Like, hey, boys.
(40:25):
But yeah, it was just funny. And I asked him, I was like, how
do you 'cause he told me that like at least eight of them were
staying with him and. I was like.
Yeah, And I was like, how are you feeding them?
He's like, oh honey, they don't eat.
And I was like. OK, not worried about paying
for. Girls, you should read the You
should read that article that came out in the cut called We've
Reached Peak Gay Sluttiness. It just came out last week at
(40:47):
last week the. Cut.
I was just talking to her about this.
It's basic like my. My thesis is.
Basically, you don't have have to be doing any of that and
quite frankly, the people who are sober in a lot of ways are
having the most fun. Yeah.
I mean, yeah, Yeah, that sounds right.
So. This is New Yorker of the Week,
so some New York questions for you.
(41:09):
So native New Yorker. So what's like the most Jess
Rothschilds corner of New York? Like what is your New York?
I would say like University Place because I did go to NYU
and I lived, OK, I went, I, I lived at Weinstein Hall and
Hayden Hall. I would say like the NYU area
because I did live there and nowI actually live very, very close
(41:30):
to there as well. So I would say that listen, if
this was 10 years ago, I would say any soul cycle below 14th
St. Wow, are you instructor
yourself? Like do you do no fitness
instruction? Oh no.
No, I've just, it's like it's just a lifestyle.
OK, Well, yeah, if you, if this was 10 years ago, I would say
Soul Cycle. No.
Ho, Soul Cycle, 19th St. Wow, Now Barry's boot.
(41:54):
No Barry's no ho. Barry's Chelsea.
That's my New York are. You gonna do a documentary on
Barry's do you think? There's, OK, so there's a lot of
Barry's stuff in the bonus episodes of the Body and Soul.
I interview. I interview people who've taught
at both Soul and Barry's and it's, it's really good.
Yeah. That's awesome.
(42:15):
We'll have to check that out andlisten.
Definitely. I'm a little scared to talk
about berries. They're very.
They can be a little bit too just.
Really. Yeah.
Did anyone like, shut you down in any of these places where
they, like, get away? No, they.
Let's do it. They love it.
Because frankly, nobody's talking about Soul Cycle
anymore. Yeah.
So they're like please. My friend was like, they should
give you free rides for life. I'm like that kind of happened.
(42:37):
Oh, that's amazing. Wow.
In some ways. So question about New York, OK,
this is more of just like a rapid fire question, but it
comes to mind when you hear a true New Yorker who comes to
mind. I would say Bob Levine, the 92
(42:58):
year old drag queen grew up in the he grew up in the Bronx.
He started going to Fire Island in 1955.
He's he's lived in New York his entire life.
He lives in the in like Hell's Kitchenish, like, no, he lives
in like Lincoln Center area. Now that's a true New Yorker.
Babe, that's a. True New Yorker.
That's a true New Yorker. Or you know who else comes to
(43:19):
mind, like Patricia Field? Someone.
Whose business has impacted the culture in such a profound,
tangible way? I would say those.
Two, 100% cool. And then we always ask our
guests, like, what the most New York moment of their week was.
Obviously it's Monday, but just like, what?
Because we feel like in New York, there's just these things
(43:40):
that happen here that like when you leave, it's like, oh, this
doesn't happen to other places. OK, the most New York moment of
my week. Could be last week.
Could even be. OK, I would say running into
people, oh, here's the most New York moment of my week, a girl.
And I'm sorry, listen, all roadswill go back to soul cycle or
(44:01):
firearm. That is very much my life.
And that's totally. Fine.
OK. A friend of mine who I met at
Soul Cycle like 1215 years ago, her her name is Stephanie.
OK, wait, let me say it. Let me say this, OK, A friend of
mine who I met at SoulCycle, shenow lives in LA and I always run
(44:23):
into her on the streets of New York, like whenever she's
visiting New York. And we met at SoulCycle in New
York. She doesn't even live in New
York anymore. And I run into her like 3 * a
year just like randomly on the street.
It is truly like some special sauce that like keeps bringing
us back together and we remain friends all these years later.
We don't even live in the same city.
(44:44):
Yeah, we keep. You guys run into other whenever
she's in New York? When she's in New York, because
I I walk everywhere. So like, you can find me on
these streets. I love that we'll be looking for
you. All right.
Well, Jess, you've been so greatto chat with.
Yeah, Thank you. So.
Much for coming on. You're amazing.
Where can people find you? Like tell us everything for our
(45:06):
listeners. Just my Instagram Jess XNYC
that's where you can see everything.
Yeah. Clips of the show or clips of
everything. And I have a lot of video
content that goes to the podcastand all that's on the Instagram.
And if you like stalk me enough,you can find stuff on YouTube
and it's all there. Cool.
Thank you so much. Thank you.
(45:28):
Thank. You.
Boom, here we are. Sorry.
Here we are. Here we are.
I've never spoken like that before.
Hi. New York.
I guess we'll do the I'm Hannah Drillander, and you're listening
to The New Yorker. Of the week, The Yorker of the
(00:37):
Week did. You hear what Lady Gaga did
yesterday? She casually won like best
artist right before her show. And then she at the end she was
like, sorry, I have to go. I have to go to Madison Square
Garden. She literally so they they sent
out like APSA because Brian wentlast night.
Like everyone know, doors are still open at 7:00 but she will
not be on till 9:30. She walked the red carpet,
(01:01):
accepted artist of the year on Long Island and then drove to
Madison Square Garden and did her 2 1/2 hour show like that.
And I'm like stressed out about having to do my shift at work
and then go to. Babysitting.
It really makes you think for a second, Yeah.
And it's like anyone who's seen her show now, like like the show
only makes sense when I imagine that like all day she's just
(01:23):
like relaxing, preparing. So then to know that before it,
she's in glam, walking the red carpet, doing interviews,
accepting the award, doing the speech, then has like a 2 hour
car ride and then maybe a littleless and then just does that
show. Unreal.
That's insane. I love that woman so amazing.
(01:44):
She really is. I, I know that I've already
spoken about it, but like when Isaw people posting, 'cause she
was last night in New York and two nights ago in New York and
like people just posting the beginning, it's like I had like
the goosebumps. Like it was, it was an unreal
show. Who were the other artists for?
Who were the nominees? The nominees are.
(02:05):
For artists of the year, I don'tknow, let me look it up.
'Cause I need to know. I do too.
You know who I might nominate next year?
Justin Bieber. Really.
You like? Oh my God, his album is so OK.
OK, so he came out with swag one.
Sorry, I just said swag. Bad Bunny.
(02:26):
Beyoncé. She won over.
Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar, Lady Gaga, Morgan Wallen, Taylor
Swift and The Weeknd. Shit.
What's can the weekend? What can the weekend should not
have been in this category, the weekend, the weekend in a
category with Beyoncé and Lady Gaga?
Are you kidding me? 0 no sense.
(02:46):
Makes zero sense. That's like crazy with Kendrick
Lamar, like the weekend. Who is the weekend and no one
likes him. Like literally what?
The best press, The best part ofhis life.
One weekend song. Star Boy actually in college
that was like, I'm not a fuckingStar boy.
You know what song? Yeah, I grab it.
I. Don't barely.
(03:07):
I barely know that song. Me too, but like 70 other
Beyoncé songs that are better. Of course, of course.
I'm not saying it's better than Beyoncé.
I just know a song. Seeing Lady Gaga, though, made
me wish I also saw Beyoncé this year.
I let's go, let's go next year. I'm assuming she'll just keep
(03:28):
going and let's see the next, whatever the next one is.
Let's commit to go. I do, I do wish like artists
would more artists would do whatTaylor Swift did in the fact
that she was touring for like 3 years straight.
So it's like, oh, you didn't gether this year, Maybe next year
you'll have a different job, more money.
And I go, you know, like, I really feel like.
(03:48):
'Cause then now we're at in two weeks things are going to
change. Last week, last week.
We just are three weeks away. This is 2 weeks away.
So this week is like for me, next week's rough.
I send you the picture of the next week's schedule.
Yeah, that next week is spooky scary.
Yeah, that's spooky scary. This week is kind of prepping
for spooky scary. I hope I.
Haven't been like the buzzkill friend recently.
(04:10):
I just feel like I've been so burnt out.
OK, there my can I say my New York another week?
As soon as it happened, I was like, that's not a New York
moment of the week. I'm so burnt out.
Like I love. Are you loving the flowers?
I didn't look at them really before I really.
Really needed them yesterday. They're nice.
(04:31):
So I'm like incredibly burnt out.
I've had, I've worked like 3 jobs, different jobs throughout
the day and then I have to go and do an emergency check up on
another job. It's just like a whole thing.
And I'm coming back up Flatbush Ave. and I know that you're at
Orange Theory, so I want to stopby and say hi.
I'm with my bike and I look in the mirror, I look into the
(04:52):
window of Orangetheory and Hannah's there at the desk and I
just look at you and I'm and foreveryone who's not watching, I
just go and I like mouth hi to you.
And I was like, I'm so tired. I like say that like through my
lips. And then you just kind of like
nodding and waving. And I said, what did I?
What did I? Say you did something, I said.
(05:14):
I'm going. I'm going and then I just say I
love you. And I set it back.
And then I just left, and there was no, it was just like she
knew. I think you knew.
I didn't even tell you about my day.
And it's like you knew that I had had a New York day.
Yeah. I couldn't come in and say hi.
But I love you. Yeah.
Love you too. And I'm gonna move forward up
(05:35):
this Bush. And this Bush and like for also
context, like I'm never looking out the window.
Like I feel like I'm almost especially at that moment was
like it's almost class time. So it's kind of like I'm never
just like looking out the window.
It was a really, but it was likeI do feel, and I know that you
(05:55):
are my friend with ginger hair standing in the window like
looking at me. So like, maybe that's why I
looked. Up, yeah.
But recently I just keep having these like weird little like
caught like incidents, you know what I mean?
Yeah, what in what? No, I actually don't like.
Like like. Like I think it's like in that
moment I would have never been like staring out the window.
(06:15):
And I'm then I'm staring at the window as you walk right by and
it's like you weren't there yet.I was called to the window the
other day. We're on the call for work, our
like Monday meeting with corporate and whatever.
And I was like, who's the studiothat still has their scaffolding
up? And everyone's like, I don't
know who cares, right? And then no, it's a story.
(06:37):
Then they get to a story and a story goes, are scaffolding
officially down? I was like, that's weird because
thanks for taking that time. I've never talked about that
ever. And I just say it.
And then yesterday, the other day, I'm singing Phantom of the
Opera at the exact time that Brian starts talking about how
(06:57):
he's going to see Phantom of theOpera, the experience.
And he was like, that's weird. How does he say a couple things
for me? Couple things for.
You that will come true. Well, I'll just have to.
In three weeks. Just let things fall out and
it's kind of like you can trust whatever falls out is going to
be what comes now. We can kind of trust that
because of my abilities. Do you see anything in my love
(07:19):
life happening soon? Well, that's not really how.
It's kind of more like without so far with the powers.
It's more that I don't realize Ihave them.
So it's a Matilda. You're at the Matilda Stage I.
Believe I said something before we recorded about who I see you
with. Romantic and we can't we.
(07:41):
Can't and we're obviously not, but it's kind of like think on
that I'm. Thinking on.
That think on that. Earlier the exterminator came
in. This is different.
This isn't anything to do with the love thing, although one
time I did, One time I did. Not with Lou, but a different
exterminator. I know no.
(08:01):
I think you've shared that storyon the pub like 3 times.
That was kind of when we realized we didn't want to talk
about Sex and the City. When I was talking about I made
out with my exterminator 1. And we talked about it for like
a really long time. And we talked about how like New
York exterminators, like the working man is so attractive.
That was probably for our listeners, like clue #1.
(08:23):
Yeah, the exterminator just camein.
Not the one that I made out withlike 12 years ago, but the one
by my ex. I'm pretty sure his name was
also Lou. Are all exterminators named Lou?
There's something. They're all like Italian.
The name Lou does lead you towards a line of work, don't
you think? Lou, I'm the exterminator.
(08:44):
Like Lou can't be lived in New York for like 20.
Way more longer than that. I've lived in New York for 50
years. Yeah, however old you raised my
grandmother. My grandmother, my.
Grandmother, we were living in Long Island, then we came out
here. Yeah.
So, Lou, just so we're, we're talking and all of a sudden we
hear a little a man, a man's voice and we're like, holy shit,
(09:06):
intruder. It was scary.
And we turned around and Lou, the exterminator again, not the
one that I've had a relationshipwith, this is a new one, comes
in and he's like, it's exterminator.
We're just here for the I come once every month.
You want me to exterminate the house?
It's like always like, please, like as many chemicals as
possible in my house. So he comes in and I was like,
(09:26):
how long have you been an exterminator?
And he's like 12 years. And I'm like, how long have you
lived in New York? And he's like 1000 years.
And then he's a hairdresser, dresser.
And I'm like, do you wanna be onour podcast?
And he was so sure. So 1st of the month, October
kicking it off with Lou. Just got his number.
Get ready for Lou. And it's a 917 number, so, you
know, he's fucking. And he was giving us kind of
like some romantic advice. Yeah, Cuz we were talking about
(09:50):
boys. And he's like, they're all bad.
They'd never treat you the way Itreat you.
And Lou is married with six kids.
So Lou's doing something right. Extermination.
Extermination well cuz then we were saying that there is
something like sexy about like Iwould rather.
I hope Lou overheard that. I hope so too, but made.
His day we were like, there's something cuz as soon as he left
(10:12):
hand I was like, there's something sexy about an
exterminator. There is there's something sexy
about a man, a working man, likeworking with his hands, maybe
doing something gross, doing something hard, like that's just
like sexy. Like, yeah, I love my boyfriend.
I think he's sexy, but like he's.
Always gonna come back. Working in like social media
sexy to me. Yeah, I want to like, I want a
(10:35):
guy who's like, show me the rat.I told you, I'm not sure who
exactly that. Is like, just give it to me and
I'll deal with yeah, who doesn'tgive?
A blue it doesn't give a shit about.
Who doesn't give a shit? Let me get in there.
Like, honey, this isn't for you.Yeah, take the kids.
(10:56):
Go outside. Like 1 liners feel like really
specific. There is just something sexy
about that to me. I'm working on the car today.
We actually kind of had a realization about my type, I
would say, when we were at the bar, the bar opening.
Yeah, we did. There's we're surrounded by like
(11:17):
wealthy man. We we went to an influencer bar
opening. We were invited to as podcasts,
Co hosts and founders of women founder female founders, wonder
women of the women of the world.We were.
They called us, they selected usto, they asked us to be on this,
(11:39):
to come in as an influencer. I can't wait for you to like
listen back to like that wind up, but we go and we'll talk
more about this because it's related to a big guest coming.
But we go and we're surrounded by like semi celebrities, really
wealthy people. Most of the men were like really
(12:01):
well dressed. A lot of them were hot and then.
Dare I say we were the hottest though?
Yeah, yeah. Of the women.
Of the women, I took one of those photos and put it on my
field profile. Oh, that's.
Good. Thank you.
And all Basically, though, like,there's all these guys and
they're all like, and most womenwould be like, we're surrounded
by eligible bachelors. And then there's this bartender
behind the bar who seems to be having a hard time making a
(12:24):
drink. His hair couldn't be Wilder.
And I didn't see him able to make eye contact with one
person. And I was like, Nora, look at
that guy. And she was like, what?
Meanwhile, I'm like, could I hook up with the pretty heavy
set older man who clearly fundedthis thing?
(12:47):
Yeah. And like.
Our minds were kind of. And I was like, I think I could
do it just maybe for a little bit and like, I don't know,
maybe you could help me with my book club and like, and then
Hannah's like, but look at that man over.
There and it's like no one was looking at that bartender but me
like nobody. But I I think sometimes when I
complain about wolf, everyone's like she needs to be with a
(13:08):
different type of man, but it's like that is the type of man I
like. So if it's not, it's not if it's
not this guy, it's going to be ait's going to be that bartender
like it's going to be a different type of like man who
has a hard time completing 1 task is nervous to me.
My contact has like crazy hair, Yeah.
So it's kind of like, let's justlock down when I'm when I got
going down the street. Like the beginning of like a
(13:31):
frizzy commercial, you know, forJohn Frieda frizzies.
Yeah. Like like they're the.
Hair they're that's. Fair like in the beginning and
it's like he's like lightly likeit's very thin and it's like
sticking out in all directions he's really.
Fluffy. And he, he had really no idea
how to do. Yeah.
The other pretenders were like, you know, like 35 piercings,
(13:53):
like blue hair. And he was like, kind of.
And that's. And everyone should know that is
how I found Wolf. I When Wolf and I met, he was a
bartender and early in the relationship I visited him at
the bar he was working at and I was like, he's really
overwhelmed here and. He's really overwhelmed.
I cannot imagine Wolf is a bartender.
This is the thing about Wolf. He makes delicious drinks.
(14:15):
He's a very good bartender. He grew up working at his dad's
bar. He knows how to make a really
good drink. He does not know how to work
quickly and he does not know howto work under pressure.
So kind of not ideal for a bar dinner.
He could like make a bar their menu, their specialty drink
(14:35):
menu. He should not be working during
happy hour at that bar. Right.
It was really the he just was. And this was why it was funny
when we worked together for a while, because we were just
really, really different people.I can't.
Imagine that. I cannot even imagine you guys
working together, it was so funny.
The craziest thing was that thatwas like probably the best part
(14:57):
of our relationship. OK, because I think like in
terms of like, like we had something that we both were like
did that was like, like, I feel like I respected him after the
the day of work we just had and he respected me.
We both like saw exactly what the other went through, right?
We're now it's like I'm trying to convince him look how hard my
day was and he was like, look how hard mine is.
(15:17):
And I was like, you do social media.
Social media, I don't want to hear about it.
I do a little social media, but it's different.
You, it's not different. You do a lot.
I do a lot and and here. I do do I forget sometimes
because I'm like at orange theory.
I do our our orange theory. I do our social.
Media, yeah, you really do. You do everything.
(15:38):
I really feel like I've learned.We've learned so much.
I've learned a lot about bookingand how to reel them in.
Yeah, no, I was talking, I was talking to everyone about how,
well, I don't want to say it, but how you got up coming and
because everyone was like how, how?
And I was like, Nora's like not afraid to like to text the
(15:58):
person that you're maybe afraid to text.
Like she's not afraid to pull onthat string that you're like,
this might be Nora's like I don't we're getting to the
bottom of this. It's part of my Jewish roots as
being invasive. Because it makes me nervous to
ask someone even when we were thinking about asking for a
picture. I was kind of like, I don't
(16:18):
wanna we didn't ask for a picture because I I thought
maybe there would be I I don't know, I just felt too try hard,
but like, but then it seems likeeveryone else got a picture.
I know. Well, if you look at the roundup
of pics of the event our arms are, you can see both our arms
are hidden. Right now, out of it.
Well, we can see they're all over the Internet.
(16:42):
No tag though. No tag, you'll have to find it
and you'll have to find what event we're talking about.
And it's still kind of a lot of it's like a hunt.
It's a scavenger hunt for you, with you.
What's going on? What's going on?
It's 1139 too. Let's.
Wrap it up. What's going on?
(17:02):
What's going on? We have a really cool guest on
today. She's like very, she's really
interesting. She has so much niche like
information. Yeah, she.
Does that. Honestly, I'm very like excited
to like have people here and she's, she's very, she's cool.
And she's very much like, they always tell you to like write
(17:23):
what, you know, create what you're experiencing.
Like she really has done that. She's like created a life of
just like exploring the niche interest she's had and learning
more about that, which I think is.
Always cool. Exactly.
Yeah, we're excited for you guysto to listen to this next
interview. But anyways, I think, you know,
this is going to be a short up for us because we should go
pretty long with no, not Malik, Jess that.
(17:49):
Was I thought you meant like, last week, Jessie?
Yeah, yeah, I guess last week's episode is just us.
Yeah, just us. Yeah.
No, no, no. Also I had someone follow up
with me about us only having people on that I want to pursue
in my love life. And I've decided actually, I
don't want to pursue anyone who comes on the pod because I don't
think that they're a good fit for me.
(18:11):
OK. So and I also.
I also think this. I think some I think they're
great people, but I just I so far I'm not interested.
OK, OK, so so there you go. So there we have that.
I also think this will make for probably best podcasting 'cause
now instead of hoping to win them over and start something,
(18:32):
we're just trying to have the most fun.
You know it's gonna release. I don't want.
I know. Yeah, we're done.
So, you know, it's just like. You had your chance.
You, you blow out, so you fucking go wait a fucking guy.
You can't get this gem. My hair is like completely I I
am the waiter, I'm the frizzy. Waiter, this is what I want to
tell you. When frizzy Waiter, when you
(18:53):
walked by the window. We did it when we.
Your hair looked beautiful. Really.
Yeah. I when you were walking away, I
was like thinking about the hair.
Wow. It was like you had it not in a
middle part, I would say maybe it was, but the way it like
curled down, it looked like you had done it.
What day was that? What was going on with?
It I don't remember any day anymore.
I'm so stressed and tired. I do.
(19:15):
Oh. Wait, was it Friday?
My hazy because I was with Katie.
I think it was Friday, yeah. What was going on Friday with
your hair? That is something only God
knows. I'll ask him.
Think about it, you know? Well, on that note, on that
note, I love you man. Love you too.
(19:35):
Bye. Today we're really excited.
We have Jess Rothschild on, who is a native New Yorker, creator
and producer of the docu series Cult of Body and Soul, Finding
Fire Island, and a weekly podcast series called Hot Takes
and Deep Dives. Jess, thank you so much for
(19:56):
joining us. We're so excited to have you.
Thank you. I'm a fan of this.
I'm a fan of this show. Thank you.
Yeah. Wait, can I tell you what my
favorite my the thing that really drew me into you guys.
So I know Liz Glaser a bit. And when I, I don't remember
which one of you actually thought that she was in the
Brady bond, that she was out, that to me was the funniest
(20:17):
moment of comedy all summer. Like I sent that.
I talked about that at brunch with my friends.
I'm like, no, you have to watch this.
It was so crazy because I've known Liz since 2020, and the
first time I saw Liz do comedy was on a show I was hosting.
So I know that I like heard her say the Brady Bunch thing, but
(20:38):
was like, oh, I need to pull up the next comic.
I'm about to go up on the stage.So like, I wasn't listening to
the joke. And even when I told Nora we
should have Liz on, I was like, she was on the Brady Bunch.
Yeah, and I Googled and I was like, oh.
And then I was like, oh, I thinkHannah was kidding.
Like she went. And I was.
Maybe like 75 years old. I had never when.
(20:59):
I was older than that or if. That older.
Yeah, I was like. OK, this there's no way this
could be Liz but people are mad the OK at first everyone was
laughing at the clip but have you seen the comments now?
No. Are people coming for us?
People are coming for me. They're like, how unprofessional
to have someone on your podcast that you didn't know.
And I was like, OK, I actually know Liz pretty well.
I just. Like.
Jesus. Also like, what are you doing
(21:21):
with your life like that? You're commenting on our podcast
being like. My interviewing skills.
Don't even get me started on like people in the comments of
our section or whatever. Anytime someone comments nor as
like they need to be putting this energy anywhere else like
in. The world, so much going on in
the world and this is where you're going to put your energy.
(21:41):
OK, anyways, Jess, we're so happy to have you on.
I so I was obsessed with soul cycle for a while just to just
to like give you a heads up. Like I was like, what?
Years. Like in the beginning, like in
the in the 2000, maybe like 16 era, okay, like it was at the
beginning or not really. That's not the beginning, that's
(22:03):
toward the end. I'm like I.
Was there from. The start I I opened the soul
cycle this start. 2016 was sort of like at its peak.
Yeah, Yeah, we can, we can say that it it was at it was
cresting, but like about to experience.
Yeah, a downfall because, because what?
When the way that I saw Soul Cycle having a downfall was that
(22:27):
Peloton came into the scene. I bought a Peloton.
And Hannah bought a Peloton and the whole thing just.
Shattered. That's what happened.
That's what happened. It's.
So interesting how you if you literally like were to like map
it out, there are different inflection points of like these
major societal political momentsthat happened and you you really
could draw it out. But the Peloton slash the
(22:50):
pandemic like you're, you're combining those two things
together. Yeah, yeah.
That, yes, you, we could point to that as perhaps the biggest.
Yeah. They never really technically
came back from the pandemic and reclaimed the zeitgeist the way
in which, you know, where, wherethey were.
Yeah. But.
Can you can you start off by just telling us like, so let's
(23:11):
start with the Soul Cycle. So you've done 2 docu series on
one on Soul Cycle, one on Fire Island.
You also have your weekly podcast.
What inspired you specifically to talk to tackle Soul Cycle and
Fire Island? Like what?
What brought? You that so each of those
started out there. The infancy of each of those
(23:32):
series started out as individualepisodes of hot takes and and
deep dives. And yeah, that's a lot of but
it's sort of hot takes and deep dives is a little, I mean, it's
an interview based show. But also I do episodes that are
just like bottle episodes where they're kind of just incubators
for things that I'm obsessed with.
And I'll bring on like an expertin the subject matter or a
(23:53):
friend who's worked at a certainplace.
And we'll just like go through stuff as just a way to sort of
like express my passion for a certain subject.
And sometimes it just keeps coming back around.
And Fire Island and Soul Cycle are the two things that I just
couldn't shake in terms of wanting to really get to the
(24:15):
bottom of each of those stories and places.
And so that's really, and also those were the two places where
I found community in my adult New York City life like I lived
it Like this is, it's really like my story.
So yeah, it was like, these are the subjects that I could talk
extensively about and want to consume every piece of media
(24:37):
about, yet I couldn't quite scratch the itch entirely to
flesh out like everything I wanted to say about and
everything I wanted to know. So I went out to create that
piece of media that I would wantin each of those subject
matters. Gotcha.
And did you spend a lot of time on Fire Island specifically or
Cherry Grove? Because I know it's mainly like
(24:58):
men on Fire Island. Like, what's that?
Yeah, I spent a lot of time in, I spent a lot of time in both
Cherry Grove and the Pines. I would say I spent more time in
Cherry Grove in my like earlier like mid 2000s life.
Yeah. And starting in the pandemic,
nearly all my time was spent in the Pines.
And that is really where, like, I met a lot of my friends and a
(25:19):
lot of people from the city I would run into like instructors
at Barry's Boot Camp and Soul Cycle who I knew.
Like, that is really where they were.
And it was from there, from spending all that time in the
Pines that I really fell in lovewith the place and started to
like read books about the history, started to watch a
couple documentaries that were sort of the documentaries are a
(25:40):
little bit, not entirely fully baked productions.
And so it was like, I really, you know, again, like wanting to
create the thing that didn't exist in the world.
And had you ever done a documentary before or this?
Like you were fascinated and youjust did it.
I just fake I faked it till I made it.
(26:02):
I love that. I just figured it out.
And for people who haven't seen them, like what's like the
thesis? Like what is the call to the
documentary? Yeah, so finding Fire Island is
all about like the the history, mystique and lore of the two
oldest gay communities in in theUS, the Pines and Cherry Grove.
(26:22):
And Soul Cycle is very much about like the zeitgeist and the
cult of personality and the billet rooms and the seduction.
How did Soul Cycle capture the zeitgeist in a way that the New
York City zeitgeist in particular, in a way that no
other fitness brand had before or in my opinion, ever will
(26:43):
again? It was a moment in time and we
are fucking happy to be alive. And it is a miracle that we all
experienced it. And that's what should be
celebrated. Are there there's soul soul
cycles around, right? Yeah.
I one of the instructors at my studio that I go to of my yoga
studio, she's a soul psycho instructor.
So they're so are they. I don't I don't want to shout
(27:07):
out her name just OK. I want to protect her in case
people on a soul cycle. That's funny.
OK, but but I what was I going to say?
I feel like there used to be oneacross the street pretty and
that to be down. So is what you're saying is that
Soul Cycle has kind of are they not doing well right now?
(27:27):
Because I don't really know the status of how they're doing.
I don't think that. I think with the saturation,
Barrys boot camp is exploding. There's a lot of money coming
into Barry's boot camp and they're expanding and, and
basically Soul Cycle with the Equinox acquisition, they
expanded. It's really the lesson of like
(27:48):
over expansion and saturation. And when you're originally the
restaurant that no one could getinto and suddenly or Applebee's,
that's the story of Soul Cycle. It's.
Also like now more than ever, there's gyms where you can do
everything at. Like there's even gyms that have
Peloton in their gym. Like it's like why we pay for
(28:09):
one thing? Yeah, we got paid the same
price. Especially like I, I used to go
to school cycle, but then I couldn't afford it.
So I used to go to ride NYC and then it was like my Peloton
membership of course came with buying that bike, but like my
monthly membership right now wasthe I don't have any more but
was the price of one Soul cycle class.
(28:31):
But here's the thing. But here's the thing, The magic
of Soul Cycle, it's being in that room, right?
Yeah. Paying.
You're paying for theater. It's.
Theater, it's not a workout. That's what you're paying for.
It's not getting on the bike andlike spinning around, going
nowhere, sitting on a bike that goes nowhere for 45 minutes.
(28:52):
That's not what you're paying for because like you said, you
can do that anywhere. You're paying for these trained,
extremely charismatic performersgetting on top of a podium and
seducing you into a place, a mental and emotional and
ultimately physical place. That and basically like taking
(29:13):
you into a Broadway show. That's what it was at a height.
And it's like they do the thing at the end where it's like the
it's your final minute and they blow out the candle and they
turn off the lights. And the soulful moment.
It's like you go for those moments you can't get that other
places. Yeah, what?
What's like the. OK, let's get into some juicy
(29:34):
stuff. So like, what's the darkest
thing you've uncovered about Soul Cycle?
I mean, probably the thing most people don't know, well, first
of all, there was the the tragicdeath of this instructor, Claire
Veronica Walsh. She was a beloved instructor in
like 2009 to 2012. And she died.
(29:57):
She was very young. She was like 22 years old,
gorgeous girl. And she was extremely popular.
She was going to be set to open the West Hollywood studio and
she died on Christmas night 2012.
And there's a lot of lore about her death.
And so we explore that in the series.
We have like a first hand account of it and that's.
(30:21):
Why she died or. She you know, why does a 22 year
old very, you know, beloved, whydoes a 22 year old die?
Who's like an exercise you know?Who's a performer partying too
hard like she was, you know, andalso like working your body to
(30:41):
the bone. So you know.
Because like when they're teaching those classes, they're
also taking those classes. Exactly.
She's. Like other things like you coach
but you're not also taking it where cycling classes especially
Yep also doing the workout. Riding the bike more than 12 * a
week, probably under eating and also on top of that heavy
(31:03):
partying. Like these were rock stars.
They were celebrated. They were never told no know.
They were like the toast of New York City.
So especially somebody so young,why would that person suddenly
pass? It's like I'll just like keep
moving, like fill the time slot,keep moving.
They didn't really address it. Oh, no, no, no.
They addressed it. There was a benefit ride set to
(31:26):
Moulin Rouge that her mentor puttogether out in the Hamptons and
they raised a lot of money for the Lower East Side Girls Club,
which her family, which was veryimportant to her family.
No, they definitely like honoredher memory and her name is
Claire Veronica Walsh. Like everyone should look her
up. She was really this ingenue and
so a lot of people may not know that story and we.
(31:49):
That's like the really. Go.
And I mean, I think a death is really.
Dark. No, no, no. 100% A hundred.
Percent and also I think the. Other story beginning of her
probably career in fitness and performing.
Yep, yeah. What else like around soul
cycles? So you talked about like, and I
saw this in the trailer of of the show you, you talk about the
(32:11):
partying like so that so they were partying too together and
they were like, is that kind of what the vibe was?
It was sex, drugs and rock'n'roll.
Wow, that's crazy because it's. So to in my head like I feel
like one of the more I got into fitness, the more I leaned away
from partying. The partying messed with my
fitness. Totally.
(32:32):
I think it's something happens and I've spoken to a lot of
instructors. A God complex does develop.
You are elevated on this platform above all of these
adoring spectators who are showering you with gifts like
I've instructors. They're like air maze blankets,
(32:54):
Air maze air maze bracelets. They were given cash by the
founders. They were never told no.
They were. They were treated like NFL
players. Yeah.
Yeah. So it was, you know, caviar and
they were treated like that by the riders as well as the
founders because they were, these people were cash.
(33:14):
Cows. And they were the face.
They were the face of the hottest brand, the hottest brand
in New York City, the hottest club you couldn't get into.
Yeah. So wait, was there a period of
time where just like you could not get in a soul cycle class?
Yes, I feel like when I was doing it I never experienced
that. Yes.
(33:35):
Oh, yes. My time, my era.
Yeah. And what what year was that do
you feel like? I started in 2010 in 20.
I would say 2920, 2010 to 2016 for for certain instructors,
many instructors you there were like hundred person wait lists.
(33:58):
Yeah. That's crazy.
People at the front desk, don't worry, I'll get you in, but
sometimes, like you couldn't getin.
Like a host at like a VIP. Restaurant and especially,
especially out in the Hamptons, people would like pay each other
for bikes. It was a whole.
Thing yeah, that's. Crazy.
That's really crazy. Yeah, now because it's like at
(34:18):
that time that was probably likethe cycling, the gym where now
there's there's so many options like.
Well, there's so many copycats, yeah.
But you just go to another. Why would you do wait in line to
get into one place? Yeah, well, think about it.
Why would you wait in line to get into, you know, the club
basement in Queens? It's like a rave club.
(34:39):
Like why do people wait there 'cause you want the thing that
you can't get into is the thing you want.
This is like psychology one-on-one.
Right, right. Yeah.
So this was the first documentary you did and then you
did your fire the Fire Island. Fire Island came first.
Came first, OK. But I had this idea a lot
longer. And So what do you think now
(34:59):
pivoting, but same question likewhat's like the hottest take on
Fire Island that you have? Oh, hottest take on Fire Island
is it's not what a lot. Well, maybe the doors are a
little bit blown right open on it.
OK, this is the hottest take on Fire Island.
I think anybody, all these gay boys who are going to Fire
(35:20):
island. I think listening to finding
fire Island should be required viewing required listening
before you should not be allowedto step foot on that fucking
island until you listen to the history and it's wrapped in it's
first of all, it's not like a history show.
It's like a bunch of like fags like popping off about the
island and like it's, you know, lots of comedians, Joel Kim,
(35:41):
boosters and Margaret Cho and a lot of people who've been there
from the 50s. Like, like I spoke to this 92
year old drag queen who arrived in 1955 and he still performs
today. He is a legitimate legend.
And if you don't know who he is,you should not be allowed to.
(36:02):
You should not be allowed to getinto the underwear party unless
you can name check like 5-5 icons.
Oh my God, that's so funny. And and.
That's my hottest take. You still spend time in Fire
Island. I was there for Labor Day.
Oh fun. I was there like 4 times in the
summer. Of course.
Oh my gosh. Wow.
I've never been. I've been.
(36:23):
Oh yeah. But I'll do the required
watching before I Yeah. If I think so.
Yeah. And and what do you think is
like the dark side of Fire Island?
The dark side, I think not in cherry Grove, but in the Pines I
would think there is I think a lot of the guys listen, all my
(36:44):
friends I'm listen I'm gay and all of my friends are gay and a
lot of my friends are gay men. And I think there is a a
pressure with like body image tolike look a certain way and be a
certain quote, UN quote gay guy,like capital G chop, you know,
in a gay with like chop capital G gay guy.
(37:05):
And that's the dark side is a lot of people like fall into
that myth that you have to be a certain thing when really you
don't. And if you just let all that go,
that's where the real fun begins.
Yeah, I definitely saw that whenI was there.
It's like there's definitely like a but.
(37:30):
The truth The truth is, the people who are having the most
fun and the best conversations, truly living life and loving
life, are like the people who opt out of all of.
That 100 percent, 100%, 'cause you go like you would, I would
go to, we went to a couple parties and it was like a bunch
of people standing around and they didn't really like have
(37:51):
anything to talk about. They're just like, oh, like,
hey, where are you staying? Like, and there's just other
conversation, whereas like, I don't know, I feel like the crew
I went with and then also like people that we ended up hanging
out with were like so fun and like hilarious.
And we we didn't fit into like the mold of the like, you know,
(38:11):
6 pack Speedo. I clearly didn't, but you know.
But yes, you do. Yeah, but like, you know, it was
just I, I, it's, I mean, it's the same thing in New York.
Like when you see a bunch of women that are very, like,
skinny and, you know, blonde andhanging out in the West Village
and you kind of like listening to their conversations and
(38:32):
you're like, wait, I don't thinkthey're having fun.
Yeah. But yeah, very employed, Yeah,
yeah. But it's like, it kind of has
like AI feel like Fire Island kind of has like a mean girl's
vibe to it sometimes. Like in terms of like the clicks
and like which party you're allowed into and 'cause there's
like all these like really beautiful houses and like you
(38:53):
have to get an invite to. I know there's like there's
like, what is it? The house that's like the most
expensive? What is it?
The Superman House. Oh yeah, there's this.
Yeah. Yeah, the Superman.
My friends were talking. I didn't know what they were
talking about. My friends, my gay men friends,
they were talking about how thisguy, they know when with just
four guys and they're at the Superman house for like 6 days.
(39:14):
So they were just talking about how much money had to be spent.
And I was like, I didn't even know anything about this.
But then I looked up the price of that house and that is
insane. To be split for four men for six
days. Crazy.
That's an insane amount of moneyif you if anyone listening knows
the price of that freaking house.
The actually, that's the other. I would say the other thing is
(39:38):
you actually don't have to spenda lot of money to stay in.
I think if you have, if you nurture the right friendships.
Oh yeah, you can, Daddy. Then yeah, like they're that.
See, that's the thing. They're people like that who
have to like buy their way in. But also if you're just, if
you're just like a sort of fabulous charming person, you'll
find your way like invited the strength of just your own
(40:01):
personality and people wanting to be around you, which has
absolutely nothing to do with the way you look or how much
money you have. Yeah, I mean, I because I
remember we went to one pool party and it was like there was
this like significantly older guy throwing the party and then
just like tons of boys and then me, which like I really don't,
which actually hey, boys. Like, hey, boys.
(40:25):
But yeah, it was just funny. And I asked him, I was like, how
do you 'cause he told me that like at least eight of them were
staying with him and. I was like.
Yeah, And I was like, how are you feeding them?
He's like, oh honey, they don't eat.
And I was like. OK, not worried about paying
for. Girls, you should read the You
should read that article that came out in the cut called We've
Reached Peak Gay Sluttiness. It just came out last week at
(40:47):
last week the. Cut.
I was just talking to her about this.
It's basic like my. My thesis is.
Basically, you don't have have to be doing any of that and
quite frankly, the people who are sober in a lot of ways are
having the most fun. Yeah.
I mean, yeah, Yeah, that sounds right.
So. This is New Yorker of the Week,
so some New York questions for you.
(41:09):
So native New Yorker. So what's like the most Jess
Rothschilds corner of New York? Like what is your New York?
I would say like University Place because I did go to NYU
and I lived, OK, I went, I, I lived at Weinstein Hall and
Hayden Hall. I would say like the NYU area
because I did live there and nowI actually live very, very close
(41:30):
to there as well. So I would say that listen, if
this was 10 years ago, I would say any soul cycle below 14th
St. Wow, are you instructor
yourself? Like do you do no fitness
instruction? Oh no.
No, I've just, it's like it's just a lifestyle.
OK, Well, yeah, if you, if this was 10 years ago, I would say
Soul Cycle. No.
Ho, Soul Cycle, 19th St. Wow, Now Barry's boot.
(41:54):
No Barry's no ho. Barry's Chelsea.
That's my New York are. You gonna do a documentary on
Barry's do you think? There's, OK, so there's a lot of
Barry's stuff in the bonus episodes of the Body and Soul.
I interview. I interview people who've taught
at both Soul and Barry's and it's, it's really good.
Yeah. That's awesome.
(42:15):
We'll have to check that out andlisten.
Definitely. I'm a little scared to talk
about berries. They're very.
They can be a little bit too just.
Really. Yeah.
Did anyone like, shut you down in any of these places where
they, like, get away? No, they.
Let's do it. They love it.
Because frankly, nobody's talking about Soul Cycle
anymore. Yeah.
So they're like please. My friend was like, they should
give you free rides for life. I'm like that kind of happened.
(42:37):
Oh, that's amazing. Wow.
In some ways. So question about New York, OK,
this is more of just like a rapid fire question, but it
comes to mind when you hear a true New Yorker who comes to
mind. I would say Bob Levine, the 92
(42:58):
year old drag queen grew up in the he grew up in the Bronx.
He started going to Fire Island in 1955.
He's he's lived in New York his entire life.
He lives in the in like Hell's Kitchenish, like, no, he lives
in like Lincoln Center area. Now that's a true New Yorker.
Babe, that's a. True New Yorker.
That's a true New Yorker. Or you know who else comes to
(43:19):
mind, like Patricia Field? Someone.
Whose business has impacted the culture in such a profound,
tangible way? I would say those.
Two, 100% cool. And then we always ask our
guests, like, what the most New York moment of their week was.
Obviously it's Monday, but just like, what?
Because we feel like in New York, there's just these things
(43:40):
that happen here that like when you leave, it's like, oh, this
doesn't happen to other places. OK, the most New York moment of
my week. Could be last week.
Could even be. OK, I would say running into
people, oh, here's the most New York moment of my week, a girl.
And I'm sorry, listen, all roadswill go back to soul cycle or
(44:01):
firearm. That is very much my life.
And that's totally. Fine.
OK. A friend of mine who I met at
Soul Cycle like 1215 years ago, her her name is Stephanie.
OK, wait, let me say it. Let me say this, OK, A friend of
mine who I met at SoulCycle, shenow lives in LA and I always run
(44:23):
into her on the streets of New York, like whenever she's
visiting New York. And we met at SoulCycle in New
York. She doesn't even live in New
York anymore. And I run into her like 3 * a
year just like randomly on the street.
It is truly like some special sauce that like keeps bringing
us back together and we remain friends all these years later.
We don't even live in the same city.
(44:44):
Yeah, we keep. You guys run into other whenever
she's in New York? When she's in New York, because
I I walk everywhere. So like, you can find me on
these streets. I love that we'll be looking for
you. All right.
Well, Jess, you've been so greatto chat with.
Yeah, Thank you. So.
Much for coming on. You're amazing.
Where can people find you? Like tell us everything for our
(45:06):
listeners. Just my Instagram Jess XNYC
that's where you can see everything.
Yeah. Clips of the show or clips of
everything. And I have a lot of video
content that goes to the podcastand all that's on the Instagram.
And if you like stalk me enough,you can find stuff on YouTube
and it's all there. Cool.
Thank you so much. Thank you.
(45:28):
Thank. You.
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