Look Mayer, Oh, I see you my own look over there is that culture. Yes, goodness, Wow, lost culture ding, Lost Culture.
Lisa is calling, Wow, I wake up.
I get on the zoom, I see my sister, and I say, you know, I really don't fellowship with these fake ones.
I'm telling you right now. Fellowship with the fake ones? Is this Matt Rodgers original. It's not what if you're not listening to Cowboy Carter. See, this is such a lyrically and sonically dense album that I'm still kind of getting off books even though it's been the only thing I've been playing for the last what ninety six hours, I identify with like fellowship with these fake ones. It sounded familiar obviously, and you know, I went, but maybe my girl came up with that. But it's my other girl.
It's your other girl, of course, Beyonce Noles Carter, Missus Carter, herself, the Cowboy Carter, who has released her eighth studio album, Cowboy Carter, as you all know.
Readers, Katie's publicist and finalists.
But yes, I don't fellowship with these fake ones. Is something that jumped out on the record.
Is that American requiem that sounds like it American record. Now, what is that from? See?
And even I can't say necessarily it's from because like, are you checking?
Yeah, Oh, Becca's right, it is Daughter's.
By the way, and we'll get to these songs like but it's like you said, it's not like any of the regular pop girly albums where it's like, oh, I can turn it on. I can easily digest these thirteen songs if that, and then come on here and be like, you know, it feels it feels crazy to be like album of the year, But show me the album of the year if it's not this.
No, I mean it's I'm ready to say that it's her best album. I am too, even though you know I have a fucking gorilla grip on four Emo.
There's a full size shape in my heart. I've been clutching onto four for the past. God, what's it been twenty eleven? So that's thirteen years. I thought you were just gonna say, God, what's it been twenty years? And I literally bowen. There was a chill that ran up my spine. It's creeping up there. It's not that far away from twenty twenty eleven. Oh my god, that is surreal. I mean, yeah, like this is I mean, it's all things. It's experimental, yet it also feels like very at the
heart of who she is. It does land squarely in the country album a country genre rather, but as she said, it is a Beyonce album through and through. Fans of hers will recognize so much of this from the beginning. It somehow is like, yes, it's presented as this country album, and it is in the country genre, but it's also everything. It's got blues, funk, pop wrap. It has everything, and it's also it feels like it's from the future and also a throwback simultaneously.
Just what more could you want? Let's just get into it. Should we do track by track?
Let's attempt let's a time because as you said, I'm with you, like it's hard even when it's.
Been on ad nauseum.
Yes, yes, so Ariana Grande had her two weeks with me, you know what I mean, Like I had my eternal sunshined moment and now I'm cowboy Carter and then you know, in a couple of weeks when another one of the pop gurly stomps.
In, We're gonna stay. We'll be rotating out.
But these albums will always be here in the lexicon of my musical heart.
M Well, you know this is scheape, It's it's Everyone is already kind of marking this as a big pop early year. I think we haven't seen this kind of pop early year since the year that we are going to excavate later on. We're getting back to it, everybody, don't worry. Yes, twenty thirteen was kind of the last big watershed year for this. I would say twenty eleven, speaking of four, that was the same You're Born this Way came out, So let's just let's not discount that either.
I don't think it can be discounted.
I also will say that I looked at the doc which you so generously prepared for twenty thirteen, and I did see one album it rhymes with smart pop, and I got really excited.
So we'll get there.
Before we get into cowboy patter, I do want to say, as you all know, the lccas the last Coltrisa's Cultural Awards have been announced. You may have seen our preview with parvity, our little trailer for the show, and if you're listening right now, you actually can get tickets today with promo code colch c U l TCH. See our social media for directions on how to buy tickets. But if you are listening today, you do have access to tickets now with promo code culch.
It's June fifteenth at the King's Theatre. We're so excited. If you go to King's theaterr dot com King's Theater, Yeah, you can access tickets through Live Nation and use that promo code culch. We're so excited for that award show. There are going to be many surprises in store. Yeah, and mm hmm. Can we quickly just give praise and thanks to poverty shallow for showing up. Absolutely for showing up and glowing. You know me and you saw me
that day. I was very flustered. I don't get very starstruck around people, but that was it was our So everyone who's like Parvety needs to be on the pod. She's been on the pod. She has been on the pod, and some might say even she might say that her being on the pod in twenty twenty was a very big moment for her in terms of her awareness of
being a gay icon. She's saying it, not us, she's saying it, and we've been out here keeping for Parvety in the gayest way possible, you know, before a lot of other First first to give credit, Aaron Jackson is the original gay Survivor megafan. Yes, yeah, totally. She showed up and I was so not nervous but just like skittishly overjoyed. She is so infectious. She is so charming.
She does just flirt with you. Yeah, And by flirt with you, I mean she like she really just like draws you in and like she like, I'm so happy that she had such a sense of humor about me doing an impression of her doing a cameo because because I told her that I watched Parveties. She's the only person whose cameos I watch for like ASMR comfort because they're so comforting. The way she like talks to the camera. She's like, hey, Janine, it's Parvety from Survivor. She's already
from the Survivor. And I heard that you have a birthday coming up. That's amazing. I had my birthday a few months ago. It was really good. So I hear that you loved skydiving. That's really scary. Must be very that's harv. That's the magic and beauty of parv and wow, she gave us lots of fun tea from the set of Traders season.
Yes, it's what you're saying. It's like she comes in and it's like you can't help but like smile.
And giggle you know what I mean, Like you get it, you got it. I was giggly af But that was a very fun day. Props to Disco Net Productions, to Lauren Mandell for putting it together.
And we can't wait to see you. You can see more to come, more to come, much more wizardry to come. Speaking of sorcery, let's get into it. Let's get into Cowboy Carter this episode, Cowboy Carter more like cowboy culture. To get through the Sentince, can you tell I rehearsed that you did Cowboy Carter more like cowboy culture?
You had that back pocket? Wow, my girl. Listen, she's a writer. She's a writer, she's a performer. Someone's been writing. Matt Rogers has been writing again. Okay.
Did you ever see that review of The Gilded Age when it was like Julian Fellows has been typing again?
I think that's what it was. It's a great, great little bit.
So speaking of America, where the guilded Age just set. The first track on Cowboy Cartter is American Requiem.
Wow, what a moment, perfect opener, and I think American Requiem and Amen as the opener en closer work individually, obviously work com paired together as a men kind of recalls that sort of opening so beautiful and hunting. I mean there's like a melancholy throughout the album that like is immediately set in the beginning with this track. Yeah, it's just these like these huge gospel harmonies.
And you know, I think that, like, especially with the knowledge that everyone had this is going to be this country album, I think everyone was sort of really anxious to see what that really meant. Was it going to be traditional country, was it going to be contemporary country?
What angle was she gonna take with this? Because honestly, Texas Hold Him in sixteen Carriages suggested that it could be either you know what, or it could be anything, because sixteen Carriages is this big moment, and I just remember hearing that and thinking, oh, I can't wait to feel this in a stadium, these like big sounds and this big vocal and then Texas Hold Him is very much like a fun, easy hooky country.
Song, and so what are we getting?
And then American Requiem starts and it's these huge, big gospel vocals and harmonies, and you get that this is gonna be really a nod to the roots of the country genre, which is really what this is. She is throwing it all the way back to the beginnings of this and the beginnings of her in many ways, because you feel with every note of this song that this is authentic to her and that this is something that.
Almost like she's been waiting to sing, you know, you get that. Yeah, Well, let's talk about the fact that this was supposed to come out after Lemonade or after Homecoming, you know, whatever the chronology you want to see, the
first of the trilogy was intended to be this. Yes, yeah, it's pretty incredible that she like had this whatever the grand vision for this album was at whatever stage, Like I think obviously, like the two eyes being peppered throughout the track list are like yes, obviously not to like act too, and like who knows like how pre planned that was. I mean obviously like after Renaissance comes out, like they like might have thought of those throughout the
track list. But she says that she she was like trusting God's timing with this, and like that shows an immense patience and restraint and like wanting to get this right, wanting this to impact properly, wanting this to tell her story properly. I think, like this is the thing about Beyonce. It's like someone on TikTok was saying, she is like a utopian artist. She has always been a utopian artist. That her work has always been hopeful, but there's something
beyond hope, beyond singing about hope. It's about giving people a blueprint for like how to live in a better world, especially in a world that is like hostile towards you, hostile towards so many people, everybody at this point that American requiem and then with a man as the closer, like they are leaving things on a note of like the statues that were built were like beautiful but made of lies and like built off the backs of people and my people, and there is something like to build
out in the future, like Beyonce. Like at this point I was talking to my to Jake, you know, Jake,
the guy who cuts my hair. He's like the biggest Prince fan ever, right, And then I got a haircut with him yesterday and I was like, we were talking about this album, and I was like, I'm asking you as a Prince fan, like I am wondering if you think Beyonce has like reached maybe even exceeded that thing that Prince did where it's like he is a symbol, that he's more of a symbol than an individual person.
And obviously like these are both like amazing artists, but like people with like immense visions for the pop landscape, the artistic landscape, the like American landscape, and like you know, Lemonade was like her Purple ragin in a lot of ways, like God, I love Lemonade the way you said, oh I love Lemonade was. But like I think Beyonce has
like modeled a lot after Prince. Remember Formation World Tour, that show we went to where like it was right after he passed away, and then she like wasn't even on stage doing.
She fucking destroyed Purple Range. She destroyed Purple I don't think she was on stage for that. I think there was a performance where she did it and she killed it and then she're right, she just let it play.
She just let it. But then she was like wailing on that guitar like yeah, or just on like the like that that ending. Anyway, Jake was like, you know, I mean I might have like led the question, but Jake was like, no, I think I think she has. I think she has like blown past any prior model of like a pop star and a visual artist in
like music. We'll get to like the Beatles and Dolly Parton and like all these people later, but like we're only we're still in track one, but like American rec Raem, it's like the clearest statement of her like utopian thing of her, Like even like on Lemonade, like All Night Formation is the closer, but All Night Being I consider like the last song, and it is like out of like this devastating betrayal, like she still has this like design for like how to heal from this, And I'm like,
that is Beyonce in a nutshell to me.
And I also think it's so interesting with her because you know that she comes to this project with so much purpose, but really album to album, you do you get the sense that.
Yes, she knows.
I think she's so aware of the fact that she's so meaningful and that she is in her ambition equally as talented, and she can achieve so much and she can mean so much. But also you get with each body of work that she's just trying to expand herself, you know what I mean, She's just trying to execute whatever the vision is at that moment. And I also think it's important here when we're talking about American requiem
to define what does that really mean? And requiem by definition means a mass for the repose of the souls of the dead. It's an act of token, a remembrance, you know what I mean. And so American Requiem, she is saying, I am exhuming, Yeah, those that have been forgotten in this type of landscape, and this is going to be a tribute, but it's also going to be a celebration, and it's going to be a reminder. It's going to be all three of those things at the
same time. And I think when in your comparison with her and Prince, it's like be able to confidently make that statement at the top, you know what I mean, like mission statement, we are bringing this back like country music is for us, it is for me, and I'm bringing everyone with me, and I'm elevating everyone else, because you know what follows is Blackbird, where she's got these black women in country music on this record with her, and now you see the result is all these women
are charting, all these women.
Are now names.
And in fact, that was the original intent of the song Blackbird, which Paul McCartney, you know, he apparently said that his vision for Blackbird was that black women would sing it together and that that would be like the way that that song could be actualized in its best form. And Here'sance doing it and coming out of American Requiem. I just think that's very special, and it's a beautiful rendition of the song.
It's a gorgeous rendition of the song. I think between the covers, the two covers, this is the one that I prefer wildly. We'll talk about Jolie, Yeah, we'll get
to it. Yeah. But they talked to one of the Little Rock Nine women and like wanted her reaction to Blackbird being covered by Beyonce, and she was like, you know, obviously huge thing for Paul McCartney and Johnlennon to like write this song about us at the time, but then it has this like emotionally crazy for this woman because It's like I never thought the biggest star in the world would be a black woman who would then full circle like bring this song back out and it has
an extra meaning to it. Yes, And she said, you know, when Beyonce sing something, people listen, and I think, like, just to go back to American requiem, it's like, can you hear me? Can you hear me? Like whatever the country establishment, however, they respond to this album. They have no choice but to listen but to hear this statement, and like, I think that is enough, Like that is enough for Beyonce to do so that like it cannot
help but be noticed. And I think like Blackbird is a beautiful thing to come out of that first song with like you said.
And also we should say the women on this song are Britney Spencer, Rainer Roberts, Tanner Adell, and Tierra Kennedy and they they all sound amazing. And you know, I think when it comes to country music's acceptance relationship with dismissal of her in this genre, her with this project, it actually really doesn't matter what quote unquote country music thinks of this album, because what that says and what that denotes is that they're actually.
Right full gatekeepers of.
This genre and they are not. And so that, I guess is the thing like when you talk about why this project even exists, and she says herself, she had an experience in country music where it was clear she was not welcome. She's obviously referencing the CMA Awards. When this was years ago, she had released Daddy Lessons and she went on the CMA Awards with the Chicks to perform Daddy Lessons because the Chicks had been performing the
song in concert. Natalie Mains allegedly was obsessed with Lemonade and wouldn't stop talking about it. They were performing it all the time, the song and Beyonce had heard of this and upon invitation there's a great oral history of this night by the way Vulture did it, And upon invitation, Beyonce said, I'll do it if I can do it with the Chicks like great, absolutely so administratively at least at the beginning, and in terms of like the way they were producing the performance.
It seems fine.
There was all this positive energy around it, and they worked so hard to get it right, and they worked so hard on the performance, and then it happens, and I of course watched it again, and something that I noticed was it's a very Nashville country room, you know what I mean, Nashville country meaning people in that town that create that genre in a popular sense. Nowadays, it's a lot of Nashville songwriters and Nashville performers that run
that genre. And anyone coming in from the outside gets like a cock guy, you know what I mean, Like gets sort of like the stink.
Guy in a way.
And there she is, and I wish you can watch it. She is getting the stink guy. Kenny Presny is there with his sourpuss, you know. In that oral history, Alan Jackson is referenced as having walked out in the middle of the performance, like very rudely and saying like fuck this or whatever. Some people there are giving her love and attention, like Faith Hill is up at her seat, clapping and enjoying it. And there's a moment where they cut to Beyonce. There's a couple moments actually where Beyonce,
who energetically is fucking crushing it. But there's a little tiny bit I sense, a little bit of nervousness, and there's a moment, a couple moments where she actually blows kisses to people in the audience in a way that she never really would And the only the only emotion I can really ascribe to her in that moment is like there's a little bit of relief there in that someone is giving her like love and attention and admiration and respect for being there and being up there, especially
alongside the chicks who had been really cast out of that entire genre and that entire you know, community, And it just felt like, Wow, what that must have felt like to work so hard on something and to perform something that is so authentically her Daddy Lessons is authentically Beyonce, and it's authentically who she is and where she comes from. And to leave feeling like in any way like you might not belong there had to be incredibly like dysmorphic
in a way. And then for her to take that and be like, let me actually examine this feeling and this response I got and make sure that I'm right
because I know I belong in that room. I know this is my genre, I know these are my roots, and she, in doing that, has created this and is doing things like you know, American Requiem, Blackbird, the cover of Joe Lene all these things, bringing people in, elevating people and showing that like that response was bullshit and the way she was treated was bullshit, and it was bullshit for the CMA Awards after all the negative racist shit that came out afterwards, for them to pull her
performance down off of YouTube, to pull all the promotional aspects of her appearance off of YouTube, just like they eventually did put it up because they were called out for, you know, for what it was, but just the fact that that was an experience she had to have. Thank God she is the artist that she is and the person that she is that she was able to create something triumphant out of that and to really say to everyone like, if you don't think I belong here, fuck you,
who do you think you are? And if you are a country music person and you think you know better than Willie Nelson and Dolly Parton, then I don't know.
Fucking yeeha. I guess as they say, good for you, but you don't.
And I knew that she would bring in big guns to like to shut everyone down. I had a feeling it would be Garth Brooks, but it ended up being Willie Nelson and Dolly Parton. And she just shut everybody up with that. It's like, stop spinning out, Like the literal godmother and godfather of this genre are fucking cool with me smoking weed on my album, So shut up.
Mm hmm. That's a perfect way to sort of digesting process all of that. Because and even like she mentions like the like AO two I when later on the album, like this is Beyonce. Petty is not the right word, but this is Beyonce, like jilted. This is Beyonce like sort of like like openly being like I'm a human being,
like I take these losses or this treatment. Like it's not that she like is totally crushed by these things, but it's like she is like like it lands on her, Yeah, and she will do something with that, you know what I mean. I like have this fantasy for the longest time of like I don't think Beyonce really cares about like the album of the year losses at the end of the day, Like she is still like at the end of the day, the most like decorated Grammy winner
ever and like ever all these things. But you're like, oh, only in a song like and I'm getting ahead of myself, but only in like a Joline is it, like do you go? Well, it's not believable for Beyonce to feel insecure about like to be like threatened by another woman, because why would she, you know what I mean, And so therefore you have to like change the POV and
have it be like I'm warning you don't come from amen. Otherwise, Like there are little like intentionally presented moments of vulnerability on this album that I think are pretty incredible and also very country, very country that we haven't seen from her since definitely since Lemonade. But I think like in a way that is like that breaks the fourth wall even further where it's like, oh no, she's talking about
her work. She's talking about the way she knows herself as an artist, and like this is the thing that we keep coming back to, like in our personal lives, Matt and I. But it's like, no one can tell you who you are. You don't negotiat who you are with other people, Like she is not negotiating who she is with other people, and I think through this album she is refusing to let other people evaluate her art.
M Yes, I mean she even said the other night or it was last night, I think I heard a word on Monday. I heard a word she talked about like how criticism can really be a test of your mental health. Like even she has had to rise above that type of thing, and she, you know, the noise does get to her when she continually loses Album of the Year despite having released the Album of the Year several times now, it feels like they're testing her.
And pushing her. Yes.
Yeah, and when you are Beyonce, thank you cutting back to the view.
When you are Beyonce, that is your reality, you know what I mean?
Like I'm nominated again for Album of the Year, there's expectation, I've done this level of work. I lose again and again and again. You know, of course that's going to be something that like psychologically, it's like, what do you mean? What more can I do? What more can I do?
And I also think that kind of dovetails nicely into the next song, which is sixteen Carriages, because she talks about the very relatable universal thing of maybe this song lyrically is not literal, but this idea that I have had to work really fucking hard since I was young, and it was on me a lot of the time. Of course, I had help but I had to see my family unit disintegrate. I had to lose friends, I had to test myself. I had to deal with racism. I had to and still like I'm here, you know
what I mean. I have arrived. This has been a journey for me, and here is the story of my journey. Here is the way I'm going to show you how I've gotten through my adversity. And it's this great fucking song that I know, Like everyone that was at renniss I just thought about that same Renaissance crowd being at the Cowboy Carter crowd and the response is going to be the same.
Ye'll be the same. It's universal. It is pretty incredible that these are so far act one enough. Two are like I'm gonna say, lateral albums, like there is not something totally like the ven diagram is mostly a circle here. Yeah, it's like there is no reason why someone who likes one album wouldn't like the other, at least to me if you're a real Beyonce fan. And I'm not gatekeeping real Beyonce fandom here obviously, but it's like you should
absolutely just appreciate both. I don't think she's gonna do this sphere. I think she if she thinks this is her best album ever, she will want to take it around the world. Hm hmm. Yeah, that's a great point. You know what I mean.
When there's smoke, there's fire with the sphere, I'm convinced on something.
The fear that it's gonna be the sphere. Oh, this fear, not the sphere, the sphere.
Yes, what I'm saying is where there's smoke, there's fire regarding.
The fear fear, Yes, yes, I think this fear that it would be this sphere.
Yeah.
Me afraid are going back to Vegas because I know what, I'll become fucking crazy whore if it's for Beyonce. This you you need to be No, I want that to be a pure watch me, bitch, hold my drink. Actually, don't, I'll do shrooms. I won't like get drunk, you know what I mean.
Even though it is like, oh, it's the Rodeo, it's it's it's dirty.
It's gonna be a party atmosphere and you know what I'm saying, It's like it's gonna be And that's another thing is I was like, you know, having been to Vegas so many times and after coming off my big year of concerts, like this music is going to play so well in such a big way. Sure, Like I feel like the Sphere made a little bit more sense
to me upon listening. And then it's funny because like, well, not with the next song I'm talking about actually Bodyguard, which is later, but it was around Bodyguard where I was like, actually, this album feels very Vegas to me, like and it feels very like people from all over the country being able to go to one place. Like, but I do think you're right, like imagine reimagining the sphere as a rodeo. There's something with the sphere. I
do think you are right. She will want to take this around the world, but people from all around the world do go to Vegas.
So it's like, I don't know, I don't know what that looks like.
It just felt to me at several different parts of this album like if there's ever to be a Beyonce Vegas residency, this feels like it totally.
But I think you're.
Right that this feels international in a way and such a moment of pride for her.
Yeah, we'll just leave it to her to decide how she showcases that sixteen carriages. Honestly, it's about her sacrifice. It ends it sort of. It comes back around to like her being a mother now and her making her choosing not to make the sacrifices in honor of like tending to her family, which brings us to protect her. I mean, beautiful, just beautiful, just.
To start with rumy, like, it's such a beautiful song. And you know what I love about the whole beginning, I guess i'll call it like the first act of this album before we get to the smoke hour, is that it almost tips back to the beginning of the Renaissance World tour where she comes out and she gives the ballads and she's like, yeah.
Almost like easing us in.
Like this whole first act of the album is her just easing us in telling us stories, beautiful stories. And that is such a cornerstone of country music as well, is that it is the storytelling musical genre.
And she is just so beautifully and plainly.
Oh my god, I just thought of the line and I'm gonna cry, Like and even though I know someday you're gonna shine on your own, I will be your projector like what a beautiful plain sentiment in a lyric. The melody is gorgeous and it is so felt, you know what I mean. Like she continues to be one of the most vivid singers out there. And I say that in you hear the love and the emotion and the attention and the care in her voice. You know what I'm saying. It's like, it's just stunning. It's beautiful.
Yeah. The first time I heard this, I see the song titled Protector and just in like that run, like just the the drop of the word projector was to me like breathtaking. It was like obviously like with the lead in and the lyrics like beautiful, beautiful lyric. But I go, oh my god, I did not that was not the word that I thought was gonna that was
gonna be sung. You know, like there was something there's something really so powerful and like strong, like it is a strong song for being so gossamer and fragile and beautiful and like it's a lullaby, you know, it's like Rouney Wants the Lullaby. And I think this is a pretty fucking incredible song. And it's a nominee for Mother of the Year. It's a nominee for Mother of the Year, the song Protector Mother of the Year. Let's keep going to My Rose, Into Smokeower, Into Texas, hold Them. I
love it. Yeah. I think this is a very elegant, Like Maroes is kind of like an invitation into like it's you're right, It's like it closes out this first act of the album, act within an act. Myros is like let me tell you, let me tell you a story about like vulnerability and about like what it means to be human. Basically. I think that is also like Beyonce's thing, like other than being a utopian artist, She's giving you stories about humanity whatever. I'm like being so
like college student about this. But then smoke Our is so cute. Love this like parallel conceit of like club Renaissance. You're at the club and now you're like just listening to the radio. You're listening to the radio k N t R Y like Willie Nelson is like pressing play on his tracks, like take yourself to that place where your mind is happy, I think he said, or whatever it is, Oh my god, my fireworks, just my god. Boeen you will be projector wait, that was so good.
Bowen in the Zoom like as he was talking, like the joy emanated from him and he truly there was fireworks that went off in his zoom.
That was crazy. I didn't even know that was a thing. You can do visual thing if you do double pace signs.
But anyway, yeah, I have to say, like when the Smoke Hour hit, I got this euphoric feeling.
I was like when you hear Willie Nelson's voice and like, no need to know your name? You know what I mean? Like this my name, you need to know yours?
Yeah, you know my name? No need to know yours. Like there's this humor in it and this like ease and this relaxation, and it does make you want to hit the blunt.
And you know I did. I walked over.
And I said, well, Willie Nelson is telling me that I need to hit this blunt for at least this moment of the album, so you can catch me over here smoking.
It's the smoke out for me as well.
Yes, And just the way it goes into Texas Hold Them Texas, Hold Them hits so hard on the album.
You keep saying in context, it hits even better harder in context.
It hits so hard, and like when it starts out of that like real little radio, the fuzzy radio thing, and like that little am moment that we get with Willy into Texas Hold Him. That's when you start, you know what I mean, Like, that's when you start. We're at the hod and we're we're doing it and it's so much fun. I've always loved Texas Hold Him since it came out, and it's been on constant loop for me. But it has new life for me now in its place here.
Yes, you know, coming to me now to real life boogie in a real life hodown. She has in an interview this week, also said that like she wanted to move away from electronic sounds in response to like this like AI takeover in music, which is not to say that there is no like electronic influence in production throughout the rest of the album, and she's she's even saying that in a way that doesn't even cheapen or devalue
anything that she's done before. But it's like, yeah, she's proud of all that, no, of course, But like if you also think about this album as like as like a rejection of like AI the aification of music of art, It's like that is also like so so like that's exactly what we need from an artist like her at her level, you know what I mean, Like it's a real life boogie or real life hodeout. It's like this is this is about life, this is about like real people,
you know. And I can't believe we're having this conversation like that, like we would rather have real human beings and real instruments be played on in our music. Like that's of course, it's such a dark debate to be having, or it's such a dark like existential thing to like think about. But if any artist is going to like write a pee into like actual music, like it's Beyonce. So yeah, because she walks the walk every time.
I mean like these are all real instruments, These are all like you know, and she's even not been shy and said like this is a response to the A I think, you know what I mean. Like, by the way,
you have to watch this episode of Black Mirror. Ali pank You directed this episode of Black Mirror with Annie Murphy and Salmahayak, And it's like I kind of can't believe that it was like I guess shot it and written like over two years ago because it is so it Well, first of all, a yeah, that it was made that Netflix was like, I guess willing to be the butt of this joke, which is like everyone just watch it. It's it's really about I think I'm.
The only person who hasn't seen it, by the way.
Yeah, so it's it's really about like the AI likenesses and everything. It's like what we sign when we sign, you know what I mean. Like, it's like what we give up when we allow our image to be manipually it and distorted. It's you got to read those terms and conditions. Girl, That's all I'm saying. But this episode, the episode of Black Mirror was so fun and it's a comment on the AI thing, and so that's why I brought it up. But yes, like Beyonce is an
authority here. I mean, she is the queen, and the queen is saying return to reel. It's actually the culture number thirty. The Queen is saying return come back to real life. Wake up Sheeple, Wake up Sheeple.
After the Super Bowl when the song came out, like, I don't like we didn't fully get an awareness of Rien and get in the woman who plays the Banjo on this and who also has a has a writing credit or a production credit on on American Requiem too, Like she seems like a cool fucking musician. She seems like a cool fucking person. Writing credit, Yes, writing credit, That's what it was. Anyway, anything else to San Texas hold him before we move on.
That it rocks and I love it, okay, And then Bodyguard is such a such a vibe and a slick. This is the moment when I was just like, no, yeah, I can see this in Vegas for sure.
You can I feel Slot Machine energy on this one. Uh huh, Yeah, I guess you're right. It's giving ms Ron's stat you know what I mean, Like, that's what it's giving to me. It's giving, like it's almost giving like Carol King.
It's almost giving like it's feeling seventies to me in a way that it's feeling like seventies rock country, uh huh, but still light in a way that feels to me.
Very very very at home in a place like Vegas. That's why that's what I felt when I listened to I Love this song. You know, there is not a lot of contemporary country in this album in a very intentional way. She is like firmly rooted in history in a way that is like a fuck you to anyone who's trying to like make this thing out of like Black Country being this novelty, you know what I mean. So I think that's that's also like that goes like the seventies sound of Bodyguard. I love it. It's great.
I love it. It's a perfect, perfect lead up into Jolene. I mean, we're in the smoke Hour with Bodyguard.
Let's just say that, you know what I mean, Like, we are in the smoke Hour with Bodyguard. Let's not even dispute it. Like we're high at this point. Joline, she's such a legend, you know what I mean.
Like, and then.
I wonder if Beyonce said, like, do you think there was a script typed up? Or do you think she was like Dolly, I want you to introduce my cover of Joline.
I bet that's what happened. I bet it was just that. I mean, Dolly's saying like it's just a hair a different color, but it hurts just the same, Like that that's like that's coming from Dolly. She had a flame in locks of auburn hair like this idea that having auburn it's like bad bad.
Meanwhile, you know who's had auburn hair many times in her career, Miss Beyonce. Yes, there was a time when she was auburn haired pretty exclusively. Yes, yes, yes, but okay, so Joline. The cover of Joline the first time I was the Scanton freaked me out.
I'm not gonna lie like having known totally, having known Joline.
The way that we all do it is one of the iconic songs in the lexicon. To hear it done in a different way. First of all, I didn't know if it would be a direct cover. I would have been down with that. And then for her to reimagine it, I was like.
You're saying scanton like, like the way the syllables are falling in the melody correct was different and that rattled you in a way that probably was by design. I was like, oh no, I don't like it at the beginning.
And then I listened to it a few more times and I realized that we were in the smokeour, and me being in the smokeour, I said, now let me just listen to this a different way, and now I love this because I think this Live is going to be so funny. Yeah, so fun and so like aggressive in a fun like don't you dare? This song is an Answer is the sequel to the film Obsessed. It is the sequel to the film Obsessed. Fance will kick your ass if you come near jay Z. Sean Carter
is off limits women. It's actually the culture number sixty. Sean Carter is off limits women. And just the way it doesn't really rhyme and it doesn't really work, I think it's gonna be great.
Mm hmmm hmm. I have said that between this and Blackbird, I think I even the Blackbird is a straighter cover on like every level and like it's produced the same. I do appreciate this like element of like I think, like Josh Sharp was saying that, like there is like a light like chain game like layer to it, and I love that too. For me, for now, I am kind of like, let me just get to like Daughter and like get to the car of.
Bew and Yang with the descent on this one, yes, I'm not like it's it's not a full descent.
I think like this is the beautiful part of this journey, just like I didn't realize what is it. I don't fellowship with fellowship with the fake ones where they say it ones. I think this is just another contour of the album that I have yet to like appreciate fully.
I think that once we all make the collective decision to just have fun with this one, like Beyonce is, We're all going to be a healthier, safer world.
Yes, because we're all just going to be vibing.
And when we get to the point where everyone in this world is just vibing, we will be a healthier and safer planet. You will see disease starts to go away. You will see the return of the rainforest. You will see the courrier reef, the courier reef come back, the courier reef. You will see that in the war we all start vibing. Like Beyonce is, we will see return to peace.
Oh my god, this is the thing. She's utopian. Okay, daughter, this is a Batman villain song. I decided totally our kham Asylum with her. She is a super villain. It is not only a Batman villain song. It is like Joel Schumacher coded. Oh, it's camp It's so Campian haunting, and it's so it's so like, not even Tim Burton. I think it's Schumacher. I'm still laughing on this one. Colder than Titanic water.
First of all, coming out of Joline the first time, I was like, I don't know about colder than Titanic.
What do you mean? What do you have again?
You love Titanic culture, I know, but like describing the water as Titanic water to me was too funny, And then I was like, wait, it's too funny.
I love it. Titanic is on the brain for everybody, always monoculture.
You new Titanic was monoculture when it was in Cowboy Carter. Now it's confirmed. And now it's confirmed. Kate winslet Hive rise. Oh my god, she survived.
The song Daughter she did? She did. How do you feel about carmeo Ben being sung every what every vocal student has had to begrudgingly sing in auditions for in showcases for years and years and years. Yeah, she should reclaim it along with everything else.
I feel as though the more this song gets crazier, the better it is, And it gets crazier and crazy crazy to the point where I'm like, damn, like, how was this created?
Like I really do want to smoke what she smokes. I do, I do I do?
In the words of cal Mitchell, I want to understand how she gets there creatively with this. Let me look at these fucking credits. Okay, Yeah, first of all, First of all, I don't even know how. I don't even know how to wrap my head around how this gets made.
Yeah, I don't know daughter specifically. Yeah, it's one of the wackiest songs on the record. It's wacky, but I think it's like it is like a haunting Beyonce song at the end of the day, and you always appreciate those.
Were you in the thread when we were ranking Beyonce's scariest songs.
I think I was at work and I just picked it up and I didn't fully give it a close read.
This is in the top five of scariest Beyonce songs. It's this six inch Don't Hurt Yourself. Uh huh, Becker goes no, that's a bonus bone ten scariest Beyonce songs.
Yeah, that can't get misinterpreted.
But like, yeah, what else, there's there's a couple other ones that are so scary. Uh huh oh ring the alarms terrifying.
Ring the alarm is scary. Superpower is a little scary. Hmmm, I know you hate superpower. It's not that I.
Hate superpowers, just that I don't can I don't naturally connect with superpower. Hunted, of course, Haunted, Haunted slash Ghost is so scary. And then finally, the scariest Beyonce song of all time is Daddy, Daddy Lessons No Daddy, her song to her father, I Love you Daddy.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, it's dangerous in love right.
Yes, it's the closure of Danish Lee in Love, where she sings, I want my husband to be like my daddy, my daddy, my daddy, my daddy. It's it's like still when she's very Matthew Knowles coded, but it is fucking insane to listen to.
Well yeah, but then it kind of is the perfect setup for all of this, Like post Matthew, that that threat in her story where it's like, oh, like her father like fucked her up. You know what I mean.
It's odd, it's really weird, and we're I'm happy we're out of that era.
Well, like this is broken, Like she's a perfect mother to these children.
Speaking of mothers, another nominee for Mother of the Year is Tina Tina Lawson, Tina Knowles. I have to say, first of all, if you're not following Tina Knowles on Instagram and you you were missing out of her corny joke.
Yeah, corny jokes.
When Tina Knowles says it's time for another corny joke, you know it's gonna be a really wonderful day.
It's going to be a laugh riot. Yeah. And we need to find those when we can, because I don't know, I think it's just our comedians are failing us me included, us included. Don't you ever say that to me. Listen to me. We're not failing. You're right, Let's move on to spaghetti. Yeah.
I felt like coming out of the last few songs, I was like, we needed this one. Not that not that I've been unhappy, but that I was just like, Oh, I was like, I was like, we're moving again.
I love this, We're moving again. It feels like it almost could have been on Renaissance in a way totally. But first of all, before we talked about the song in earnest, I think Aaron Jackson should do a new I don't think sahony that includes the phrase when days are for being at home listening to spaghetti, you are so right, you're right, and you should say it, and then you did say it, and I did spaghetti. I really think has implications for Act three. And here's why
we talk about this. It opens with Linda Martel being like, genre is a funny thing if this whole album is like an essay on genre and not necessarily just country, but just like the concept of genre, like does is Act three gonna be genre specific at all?
I was thinking about this, like how does Beyonce create a new genre? You know what I'm saying, It's like, how what does that look like, sound like, feel like? Because it almost feels like that is the natural conclusion, right, Like she did Renaissance, which was, you know, this celebration and this like this like genre of music of dance music that feels intrinsic to her and intrinsic to like
a certain community and a celebration of that. And then there's Cowboy Carter, which is this reclamation and like this like triumphant like roar of like who she is, and like it's just a statement on that genre. And now it feels like the Obviously the third one has to be quote unquote genre specific in some way or thematically specific in some way. But I think you are onto something here, which is it feels like the next place to go is somewhere we've never been.
Yeah, I don't think it's necessarily rock the way that everyone has been saying, or that the rumor is simple. Yeah, if it is rock, then like the the threat I see is like Tina Turner, but I don't know. Oh yeah, you just saw with that one, but you.
Know what I mean?
And like, but is it a full Tina Turner Prince thing or is it like what you're saying, where it's like a new invented Beyonce kind of like genre of music, even though the aesthetic of a Beyonce song, album, music video is so established at this point, I don't know.
The one thing we can be sure of is that she will not repeat herself. I think that is one thing we like. There's been some talk that it's going to be a straight R and B album, and I just don't think that that's where we're headed in terms of if this is a trilogy where we are so specifically soaking into these things, then I feel like we're
going to see new terrain. And when you say the words Tina Turner, that makes sense to me, Like, because if the mission statement of this whole trilogy is we are reclaiming these things, and we are celebrating these things, and we are reminding people of where these things came from. It's like the way she like reclaimed Vogue with that remix, honoring so much about like not only that culture, but also the way that culture was popularized with the Madonna
sample and everything. And then there we have Cowboy Carter, which is so what it is for country music in the country genre. What you're saying about Tina Turner, that feels like someone that she will and Prince and Prince those are people that she will honor in a big way.
And those are like the final bosses for her, you know, because there is no Beyonce without Tina. Right four, Prince or Prince. You say the word Prince. I love the saying Prince. What can I say? But Prince? Are you sexually attracted? I think a specific era of Prince. Yeah, of course he probably was an unbelievable way. Of course, that's how you write shit like that. Damn by fucking is if the.
Dick is powerful, powerful dick will get me singing. It's actually a real culture number six. Powerful little dick will get me singing and writing.
And writing Alligator Tears, I think for me this is like a new like this section, so Alligator Tears just for fun is like this section where I'm I'm the most fuzzy on but I am this morning, I gave it one one more listen, one more spin through of the whole album, and I like, I was, like, I've been sleeping on Alligator Tears and I need to give this more love.
Well that's the thing that's gonna happen with an album that's this vast and like with this much content is it's just like you're.
Gonna get fatigued at a certain point.
And this is this is a moment in the album where yes, I like you like had to maybe at this point the Smoke Hour gets to you.
You know what I'm saying. We're about to end the Smoke Hour one. This is closing out Smoke Our one and Smoke Our two is telling you hit the blunt again, light it up again, hit the blunt again, and bowen and reader, I did, oh so thank God too, because by the way, I love Love, Valigator Tears, Smoke Garatu, you hit it again just for fun, lovely, But I'm ready to talk about too almost Wanted, and we're gonna make an announcement about too most Wanted. Go ahead, too
Most Wanted. I'm Emotional is a nominee for Record of the Year. It is nominated. It is nominated for Record of the Year at the twenty twenty four Lost Culturists Culture Awards. You know what that means. You're tearing up. My sister is tearing up. Do you know what this means? This means It's going to be performed at the Lost culturesta's Culture Awards. Watch this space, Watch this space. So so far the nominees are Too Most Wanted, Guardinia by Mandy Moore, I Don't Know Why I Chuckle? And Single
Soon and Singles Soon by Selena Gomez. Those are three completely different and yet equally powerful pieces of music.
Because the Lost Culture is those Cultural Awards is an examination of the genre.
Much like Cowboy Carter. Much like Cowboy Carter, the lccas no no genre, no no genre.
You can put us in the category of award show it knows no genre but dead a dead.
Ass like cut the cameras. There is something to be said about Elsie's being Award Show, Comedy show concert. Mm hmm. We don't know what it is either.
No, don't try to gate. Keep Jimmy Kimmel, I know you're gonna try to gate. I know you, and we know you. You hear us, I know you hear me calling you miss honey, and I have my finger up I say, get out of here.
No.
I oh my god. Miley Cyrus's voice beautiful and has never sounded better.
I I'm so proud. I am so Can I say.
Especially after watching quiet on set like which will I'm which will later later, later, but.
Like, let's not bring the mood down?
Can I say, like someone who has also been fucking through it and had to have been doing this from a young age, and just watching her on the Grammys winning for Flowers and performing, I was like, that is a fucking super star right there, and.
A Bob Mackie and you you don't question it at all? Superstar. Yeah.
And then when I saw that this was a duet with Miley Cyrus, I said, I know this is gonna be good, and I played it and Miley starts the song with that insanely good lyric like which is like.
No, I'm dumping the gun, but we're both still young.
But someday we won't be Oh dear, I said. And then Beyonce coming in. Their voice is in harmony, Beyonce with that beautiful higher harmony and like still giving the power because you know what, she knows that Miley is holding down the bottom. Beyonce has basically said, you are that girl too. Beyonce said, I am elevating you with this, not that anyone needs that, but also not for nothing.
Miley has said many times on social media. Now she's like basking in this moment of being on the song with Beyonce, her idol in many ways, her inspiration like and to be seen so equally.
This song is giving Thelma and Louise Well. This is like the writer die song of our generation one hundred percent. I said.
If this isn't a global number one, I don't know what is. This song is going to be played on the radio. This song is a forever song. This is one of those.
In an era of loneliness. This song is like the medicine.
I am feeling the spirit when you speak today, I have to say, girl, I feel the spirit every time you speak. I am truly feeling the spirit today because I'm really talking to you about this and I'm realizing how good this is. It is so I mean, I already realized, but like, man, like this is the most I would say contemporary country song.
On the album.
I would see Levice Jeans is this and that, this and that, but even Levis Jeans feels more like pop to me. But when that slide guitar came in on the top of two most Wanted, I said, this is gonna hit me right in the heart.
Huh.
Just that slide guitar, Like that's like it's really giving timeless contemporary modern country in a way that's so gorgeous. And what I love about Miley being on this is I know from interviews with Miley and just the you know younger now and the attempts that she's made, she really wants a place in country music too. And she has a rightful place in country music. Hers is a country voice. And the fact is they have kept her
out of it too. They've kept it from her because she's not the quote unquote right kind of woman to do country music.
You know what I'm saying.
It's like Miley was two sexual, she was too suggestive, She wasn't this enough, she wasn't that enough. Like I'm sure that country music like has their bullshit reasons. This is Nashville country. I'm talking about like establishment country, which like keeping her out of it because she's made efforts and she's so fucking talented and gifted. Like it's almost like the same thing with the chicks. It's like Beyonce has said, Nope, I'm bringing everyone in that has a
rightful place. And it's not just her bringing in like the black community and being like we have a place here. It's her saying, these women that have been mistreated by this genre, you're coming with me. You're on this album with me, and from Beyonce and Miley to do this song together, that is a statement.
That is a statement right now, of course, and not to mention like the Willie Nelson and all either in terms of like the outlaw country estect. I think this is my most listened to song on the album. There's no question. Basically what we're saying is as soon as we heard this song, we said, we're singing this We're singing this at King's Theater. That's all you need to know. And I we're spoiling it, but like that's we have to sing this to each other. Don't do this. This
song is don't you do this? I think.
That's my song for my sister. This is the song of sisterhood. This is the Gregio girls.
Of the new generation. You better know that I listened to Joanne again. Grezio Gross was for our parents. This is for us. First of all, all of Joanne. Respect Joanne. Respect Joanne.
Joanne was Gaga's cowboy carter and it literally yeah. And I just feel like we have to respect Joanne and in a little while will respect another Gaga album if we get to it. But wow, to almost wanted, I just this is a huge hit. Rightfully, this is a stunning song. The lyrics are amazing, the harmonies are incredible, the melody is so instantly memorable, like I'll be a
shotgun rider I did till the day I die. This is Thelma and Louise the song Mmm, and there's nothing I don't I couldn't say any bigger compliment than that.
That'll see the two was doing it. Am I the high harmony. I think you're gonna be a high harmony. But you know, I think I think at one point they flip they flip fuck on this good.
With promo code Coach, you can get sickets now to see Bowen and I flip fuck on stage at the King's Theater on June fifteenth.
To the song too Most Wanted Levi's jeans forget It, forget it, forget it. I love it. I love it so much, it's so hot. My one moment that I don't love and I might be in the minority, is when posts Malone sing You're my renaissance.
I'm like, don't do that. Don't do that here. If Beyonce is okay with it, I'm okay with it.
Okay, fine, But I'm just like, you don't get to reference her. Let her reference her, you know what I mean. But he's on the song. He's invited.
Someone said, someone said, so kind of Tailor and Beyonce to share custody of post Malone this City.
Yeah, that's funny.
Post is an amazing singer. He is an amazing singer. And it took me a while with post Malone, as it takes me a while with most men. In pop music. Honestly, I'm like, I was like, I don't know, But then I when I've really listened to him, and I was like, Wow, this guy is talented artists and I just love the vibe of this.
I mean, it's hot as shit.
Congratulations to Levi's on your dominance now in Denim, Denimon, Denim, I mean I'm obsessed.
Yeah, No, Post is speaking of if everyone's if. The vision for us is that everyone vibes. Post alone is a huge part of that. We need Post to spread the gospel of vibes to the world. Yeah, he's the ambassador truly. I mean, together they are unstoppable. This song is unbelievable.
I love it, and especially coming out of two Most Wanted, like the waterfall that will happen from two Most Wanted as that song becomes what it's going destined to become into. Levi Jeans. Levi Jeans is another I think she's got. I think she could have three number one hits off this album, at least. I think Old Him already is. I think too almost Wanted that's its destiny. And I think that Levi Jeans is this is that is a fucking hit. That is a radio smash.
Right there across genres. I mean I can hear it everywhere everywhere, Flamenco. I think kind of is a nice little doll up on top of this act of Smoke Hour two because I think Linda Martel's show into the rest of the album is a fucking moment. Correct. My first listen through, I was like, I did get fatigued by the end. I was like a little checked out, But then I really something drew me back to this section where this run is fucking crazy. It's nuts Linda
Martel show into Amen. I'm like, this can be its own album. When the vinyl comes, I know people are really mad that Yaya is not on the current pressings. Yeah yeah, yeah yeah Yaya and spaghetti too and spaghetti, spaghetti too, spaghetti just because these subiliyes are throwing me off. Yeah, anyway, like this whatever this disc is SI side A, side B on this is fucking wild.
Well if this is like the finale of the concert, because I could see her doing a thing and she won't because I thought the same thing about Renaissance, like is she going to do it? Like chronologically she mostly did sort of, I mean she didn't really but like, I think with this she also could because this is so executed in terms of the acts.
Wait, you're gas lighting she basically did with Renaissance. She took out a them some things, and then she did like the wedding interlude in the middle where the theme was wedding, I should say, where it was like love on top, and like.
She largely did that, but it wasn't totally chronological. And I guess what I'm saying is like this probably won't be but could be in a complimentary way.
I got it, got it. Yeah, this this album is a little bit more I don't know, flexible. Yeah yeah. Renaissance is meant to be like a DJ set and this is meant to just be like a radio sort of thing.
Yeah right, even just Linda being like that's what makes it an enjoyable listening listening experience.
I love it. It's like and then when yah Yah starts this is I was thinking of you. I always think of you when Yah Yeah plays because it is Beyonce at her most Ladies, it is Beyonce giving us yet another song in the ladies canon. Ladies, you know what I mean. Yep, These petty ones can fuck with me why I'm a girl. We snapped him. Ah, I said, this is gonna be.
So crazy, This is gonna go so off, this is gonna go crazy live.
Yeah.
This is a moment and a half. Yeah, yeah is And it's so many things. It's like Linda was right when she said that the exploration of so many different genres, like the boots are made for walking sample. I just like we were everywhere.
On this into like the big band until like it's all but it's so seamless, like I don't realize moment to moment like where I'm at, and like I'm just I'm kind of lost in it in a beautiful way. I'm like, I don't care what the genre is. I really don't know, nor should anyone. I mean, it's just it's a blast. It is a fucking blast. It's just good. And I also just love saying yeah yah yeah yeah. I think we are all babies.
And babies famously say yeah yeah. Well my little cousin Liam, when he was a baby, the first song he ever made up went like this yeah yea yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah, And I was just like, what is that. I don't know where he heard how he created it, but yeah, yah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
I'll never forget it. He just wouldn't stop. He wrote Heated, He wrote Heated by Beyonce. Yeah yeah, yeah, yeah, go Off Williams. Yeah that's heated.
But I was like this, yeah, yeah, there's something about it years later Yeah yeah yah. Also makes it an enjoyable listening experience experience. It's called yeah yeah.
Louisiana lovely cute little thing into kind of just like a gorgeous little stample. By the way, there's something to be said about this being potentially the most expensive album. I think Pitchfork said this, this is potentially the most expensive album on a royalties level, because you're paying stuff out to Oh God, yes, Dolly, Chuck Berry, Nancy Sinatra, Beatles, Beach Boys, Patsy Klein, Oh my god, like the Beach
Boys thing. I was like, Brian Wilson better be getting a fucking check, even though he is in a conservatorship. Unfortunately now because he's not, he's struggled for a while. But I was very happy that Good Vibrations off of the non existent Beach Boys album Smile, the follow up two pet Sounds, that Good Vibrations was pay tribute by Beyonce, yes Patsy Clein as well. But I mean just on a royalties level, that is, that's a lot of cash
for some iconic songs. Yeah, this is not an album you can just no no and god blast like it is a beautiful tapestry of music. Okay, So we are going into Desert Eagle, which also great, into here we go River Dance. This is one of my favorites. This is in my top three. Yeah, talk about it.
What I love about it is well everything, but I guess like it's just it lifts like it's just a hphoric feeling, and the lyrics are so like beautifully dense and poetic, and like the way she sings. I love it. I love it. I love this core progression. I just love I love the sounds that she shows for it. I mean, oh man again, the harmonies, the vocal sacking, Like I just I'm so impressed with the vocal production on this.
She's just and I love the way she says dance like just a little like a little growl on it, like yep or on the balance. Obviously there's a girl on that like bounce on the.
Chip, bounce on that. No hands say less to be quiet, less like to be honest. And also, I don't know, have you noticed this? This is a fuck album.
This is the.
This is I think, a full on fuck album, maybe even more than Renaissance Renaissance to dance album. This is a little bit of a fuck album because this is the moment where you've hit your second blunt and now you're going to hornytown and I see myself taking it doggy style to river dam wow, I do, I see my wow. If I'm lucky, if you're lucky, I wish that for everyone. The transition into two Hands to Heaven is wild best transition on the album. I say, godly
and two Hands to Heaven. I mean there is something on that out of it being a fuck album, which I don't I'm not totally sure I agree.
With it's okay. Two Minds Too Hearts, two opinions, two opinions, a culture number eighty. Two Minds Too, Hearts, two opinions, Two Hands to Heaven, I mean there is something and it does demand that, like there is an emotional connection
in sex, which doesn't always happen. But I think at the end of Two Hands to Heaven, of like I've been weighing you like that is horny, even though it's a little too intimate and affectionate, and sometimes you don't necessarily want that when you're having sex intimacy not always. I don't like, let's let's not totally tie sex with intimacy, because they're not they're not off of the same.
First of all, I completely agree, And I just recently got dragged for I was on nick Leeman. Oh I yes, yes, And by the way, I completely understand what you mean. By the way, yeah, people were like upset with me for saying like I have, so, I said on Nick Leman and Julian Brazinski's lovely podcast Breathe Feel Agree new podcast. They've got Dylan Molvaney on this week. It's gonna be great, slagh.
But we're talking about sex. You said you're king, and I said my kink.
I have an intimacy kink, Like I said that sometimes I can get off on like I love you play and like even if you're just having a one night stand with someone, like sometimes like it can be fun to pretend sexually as a thing that you're more in more of a relationship committed than you are, and then at the end it's like whatever, you pack.
It up and go home. It is a boundary thing, like within the context of sex, like, correct, you are aroused by that. I totally relate mother, And people were like.
Uh, doesn't he know that's just intimacy, Like it's it's like, yeah, that's what sex is. It's caring about someone. I'm like, see, now we're getting Now we're getting you. Are you explaining to me what intimacy is? I promise you.
I know.
I was explaining that I have an intimate like it was just crazy. And then I think it was like a queer magazine that like quoted me as saying it, and I was like, you queer people are like what telling me? What are you trying to do?
Shame me? But that was wild. I thought, like I thought gay guys did sex without intimacy better than anybody.
First of all, I didn't even know it was a thing until someone brought out to me. They were like, oh, yeah, so that you got dragged for this, and I was like, well, first of all, I guess I'm happy that. Like in the beginning of their podcast, like they get that that some people like, you know, I got picked up and it's good for them, I guess. But yeah, I don't have a problem with sex. I have a very good
relationship with it. And when I'm in an intimate relationship, I know what that means, and I know what it means to express a kink, and I know what it means to communicate, and I know what boundaries are.
And thank you very much. Yeah, we're still doing that. We're still like chastising each other for things that people like sexually, if it's not hurting, if it's like fully within the bounds of consent.
First of all, the reason I even have experimented with that is because my straight female friends said that she does it and she has sex with men, and I was like, oh, that's really interesting.
I might try that.
And I tried it and it was fun, Like it was fun to have a boyfriend for like thirty minutes.
You're talking about your sexual preferences on a podcast that like prompted that, And for anyone to try to poke holes in that is so fucking not of this time we're past. I also don't care.
Yeah, it was disappointing because it was like willful ignorance about what I was saying, Like they were trying to make it seem like I'm miss like whatever.
I don't care.
Honestly, after I watched Perfect Blue, like you said, I'm in a whole new place where.
I'm just like you're the real thing, as she says in the end, right, yeah, I know who I am. I know that I'm a real person and you know that, and like who you are, and like I'm not gonna let like whatever people weighing in them whatever it is. If either of us fucking care what anyone thought, we wouldn't share our opinions and thoughts on a podcast. We
just would not, so whatever. But there does come a time when and I'm really happy that you suggested that movie to me, because you can drive yourself fucking crazy. Care and what people think it can kill you, It can really can. It can kill you.
And then even to see Beyonce and I said this with Madonna a few weeks ago, where she was like I don't give a fuck, Well sometimes I still give one and a half fuck. Yeah, And then even Beyonce saying the other night, like you know, criticism can really take a toll on your mental health. It can be a challenge. It is a challenge but ultimately, you know yourself, and this doesn't even have to pertain to anyone that's
in the whatever quote unquote public eye. It can be if you lived your life and people have opinions on it, it doesn't fucking matter. No, you think Beyonce like would stop doing anything that she was ever doing because of what people said. She would have been in a at age nineteen, and that would have been a loss for the world. Exactly, Okay, Tyrant Tyrant. I love that Dolly is featured on Tyrant, even though she just kind of does the cowboy carter, you know, like you know whatever,
she just has that little thing up top. But then, I mean, Tyrant, is is that a harmonica? I hear mm hmmm, uh huh. And you know Stevie Wonder plays the harmonica on Joline on Jolene.
Yes, I wonder who was harmonica on Tyrant? But so so good? I mean, this is this This is a fucking like dirty and by dirty I mean like down home dirty song, but like with like that bass, with like pretty contemporary instrumentation, but without it sounding like a content. I mean, I guess this is weirdly Tyrant is weirdly. The more on the more contemporary side of country on this album. Yeah, like this you could like imagine someone fucking putting out you know.
Like maybe, I mean this is the thing too, is It's like I think that what should happen now is it should inspire country music, you know what I mean, Like it should expand it if if I'm someone in Nashville country right now, I'm inspired.
I'm not threatened, No, but I think that it's the conservative is it modus operandi to just be like threatened? To just be like how dare you?
Like? This isn't the way things are?
Like, It's just like that's I guess what is that At the root of the word conservative is to conserve, It is to remain. It is to you know, protect in a way, it's like what are you what are you protecting?
Exactly?
Like what what are we still obsessed with? What do we need from the past that we can't move forward? Like I just think, you know, I recently went on the podcast Orange Country, which is hosted by Shane mcinally and Gina Kirschenheider and Shane mcinally is a gay country songwriter and he is was nominated for the Grammy for Songwriter of the Year last year, and he's like Casey's or Marin, He's worth like all the girls all like the cool country girls and honestly some of like, in
my opinion, like the whack country guys. Like he's seeing it all in Nashville country.
And I asked him. I was like, what do you.
Think about Beyonce coming in to country? What do you think about it? And he was like, I fucking love Beyonce. I'm her biggest fan. I'm obsessed with her. I would
I would, I worship her. The thing about her coming into country music is I looked at people she was working with and there were no Nashville country musicians, and I wish that there were some, just because you know, Nashville is a community that's very tight, and I feel like, especially with women in country music, it's very hard so for someone to come in from quote unquote the outside another genre, like, it's just it is a thing, okay, And I understand that. I don't know if that I
totally agree. I don't agree, but I understand. I understand where he's coming for you. He asked me to me too, But I do not agree because again, it ascribes ownership of country music to Nashville, and that is.
Or shouldn't be, that's not real. I feel like country should be decentralized exactly exactly, like of all genres, that is, like the way that hip hop is decentralized only benefits the genre as a whole. And then beca producer. Becka says also her having to make amends with the community of folks who rejected her so heavily totally, Why would she, yeah, exactly, why would she bring in someone from the Nashville fold. Well,
she doesn't work with them, he doesn't need that. And also maybe maybe that question in and of itself is answered by the Dolly Parton and Willie Nelson of it all. It's like, again like if you're someone in country music who knows better than those two, my stetson is off to you, darling.
But it was interesting to hear his perspective because someone who's a huge fucking fan. But I think that again, there was still that confusion about what exactly this album was gonna be.
Well, yeah, and he said that before the album came out right.
Correct correct, And I adore him and he's so talented. It was just I had to ask that question. As someone who's so firmly entrenched in country music, And this was right after Texas Hold Him came out, where maybe it seemed like because of that song, it was going to be more like pop country, like in the in the style of what they still do nowadays in country music.
But maybe the actual product that was released, the actual art that was released, is an answer to that question about why maybe there's not the same old folks that you might see on anyone's album. Like, I'm really interested to hear like what Casey thinks of this, what Maren thinks of this, Like what the progressive cool country girls now, who honestly have had to wrestle with the genre because it doesn't align with their beliefs. The ideology is completely fucked. A lot of the times terms.
Ordres that it's just confining, like the way the way that Linda says that it's confining. I would love to hear their opinion too. I bet Taylor loves this. I'm sure. Speaking of genre innovation, I think Sweet Honey Bucking is ketamine country. Elaborate on that one. If you listen to this song country with a K, it is it is like beautiful K whole vibes like damn fucking fucking like a mechanical bull, and then like the look at that horse, look at that horse.
It's like it's like what is she doing? Look at that horse? Look at look at that.
Yeah. Absolutely, I think this whole this whole song is so fucking cool, weird country by like a thin, gorgeous aesthetic layer alone and everything else about it just of like let's throw in everything. This is kind of like a eye out of Me where it's like I don't know what this is, but I love it.
Mm hmm. Yeah, this is a highlight for me too. This is in my top five as well. Do you think it's an answer to pure Honey? Do you think it's like a Absolutely? Absolutely? I was thinking if your honey, Like the first time I heard her was like, oh, like even like in terms of like the placement, like the tent poles of Renaissance are sort of like there is an analog and Cowboy Carter the Act three, the
three act. Things she's doing on that right now is she's satisfying for OCD people Like, Yeah, I'm like, oh my god, it's an all snap into place like this, I'm gonna come actually like I love that someone has detail oriented and passionate and hard working as her is also having as much fun as she's having and making it all make sense in this way.
God damn it. I mean, this is absolutely the pure honey that brings us into Like this isn't in a lot of ways the last track before the actual last track. And for this to be like the spiritual informal closer is so cool to me, so fucking cool.
Yes, and then it launches into Amen, which is like when you realize the album was a prayer.
The album was a prayer. It was a prayer. I requiem even.
I mean, one of my favorite things that's ever happened in culture was when Oprah Winfrey had Steven Spielberg on her show for Lincoln and he sits down and she goes, thank you for this film.
It's a prayer. It's a prayer. Prayer is back. Romy Yustiff brought prayer back to SNL. Beyonce's bringing prayer back to music, like Prayer is back. I'm praying. I'm gonna proynounce I don't know who, but I'm praying. How are you pronouncing it? Prayer?
Prayer, I'm country, You're a country girl prior prior. Let me go on, let's say it prior and that Rommi used this brought back prior.
You know, I had to do it.
I had to do a Southern accent for an audition last week and you have a good one.
Did not book. I actually can certainly try. I actually can. Yeah.
But the thing is, you never know when it's going sketch. It could go sketch comedy real easy.
Well, that accent is sketch comedy.
And the thing is they said in the in the dialogue it said literally they spilled thang th h A n G. And I was like, so, I said to my agent. I was like, I'm sorry, but am I given sang? Because they said in the dialogue they said thang? And I was just like, is this goofy town or is this like subtle Southern? And I just did Matt Rogers, you know, clown behavior, honey. People want that?
Well they didn't. Oh, well someone else will.
Congrats to the other actor that they're pursuing. We did receive good feedback though, I'm good.
That's what that. You don't always get that with an audition.
My last three auditions, it has been we received really good feedback, but they're pursuing another actor.
That's the babe. I said, thanks. Thanks. Now, I'm so glad we talked about this album. I don't think we can get to twenty thirteen.
Sadly no, I think if that would push it to over two hours, and I don't think that that's our journey today.
I don't think anyone wants that.
The last thing I'll say is, have you listened to the end of Amen into I'm that girl?
No?
Oh my god?
What?
Because it fucking the way it.
Like like, it goes it very cleanly.
I love I love the way Amen is. It throws you through a loop, says producer Rebecca.
It literally does, and it's like you get that maybe this was Act one and that Renaissance was act.
Too, because it seamlessly pops into it.
And yeah, it's almost like, all right, we prayed, now, get up off the knees, get up off the pews.
And we're dancing.
Turn the lights down low, let's pop pussy, push the pews to the walls, clear in space. Yeah, fold up the chairs in the hall.
This is what I was gonna get at earlier when I was like talking about how this was meant to be the first release and then Renaissance and about how she's this utopian artist. I mean it is like a pure act of altruism to me, like for Beyonce to be like to know what the world needs now is a dance album because of COVID, Like, think about it, like if she were to release Cowboy Carter in you know, twenty twenty two, like it would have been a little like wait, wait what like h it would have been
a bit question mark. I think for a lot of people, no one would have been like, this is bad, but it would have been like like, I do think she she did it completely right. She was completely correct.
I would agree. I also think it almost hits harder further away from that experience she had at the CMAS, you know what I mean, It's like, yeah, I feel like it works better like this.
And also, you know, she's quoted as saying that she.
Had it ready to go or whatever, and then she decided to put out Renaissance because she realized the world needed to dance, like that's just what was moving her.
And I do think everything worked out the way that it should.
The one question, I think that a lot of fans do have is this thing of the CD having come out and there are the old packaging with that title act to be in say, and the missing songs, et cetera.
And I guess my thing.
With that is it should be either left gloriously unclear or it will become clear. It's the same thing with the Renaissance visuals, you know what I mean?
Like, uhuh huh? What do you think is unclear about the b Ince because I think she's talked about that, has she? Yeah, uh huh that Beyonce was either Tina's mothers or Tina's maiden name. Oh no, I know that, I know what Bince is.
Yeah, I'm just saying, like the album that exists in what people are ordering right now and receiving in terms of the vinyl and the CDs, Like it's called Bince, that's the cover. It's a different album cover, it's a different title, and it's missing songs. So it's almost like, I think what happened was there was a literal realized album called Bince, and because she held it back and did Renaissance first, that it was packaged and ready to go, and you can't just lose that product.
But it's Beyonce. She can do what she can, release her music however she wants.
Right, but why would she allow vinyls missing songs from her album?
Yeah? That I don't know. I don't know about that. But the cover is like that presentation, the first thing people see on the vinyl cover. That is not a mistake.
I don't I don't think anything is a mistake. What I'm saying is that I think there was a completed, realized album ready to be rolled out.
This shit may have even been printed. It clearly was already printed, right am I not understanding you? I just think like she has she has a sash that says actually Cowboy Carter on like the traditional cover mm hmm, and then she just has another version of that that doesn't say Cowboy Carter on it.
It just says Bince, right, because I think there was that the first version of Cowboy Carter was called Bince Oh interesting and had less songs.
That's that's that's what I'm saying. I see, I see totally, totally, totally, And.
Because whatever like peak behind the curtain, that shit has to be printed way in advance and is expensive like the materials. So I think it's a thing of like there may be another release of vinyl which is Cowboy Carter and has this cover and has a vinyl n a CD with all of the songs on it, but they had to move that product.
I m m hmm. Interesting, you know more about this business. I don't know about how the vinyls get pressed. You are the business guy.
It's like so far in advance, and to me, it's like if she were to sit on this for a long time, it feels totally in line with who Beyonce is to be, like, No, we're gonna add songs, We're gonna I'm not done with It's gonna continue to evolve.
Mm hmmmm hmm. Well I can't wait for the next evolution. Me neither. I can't wait for the next evolution of everything, of everything. Oh God, I don't know about everything? No, no, all right, Well is it time for I don't think Zhani, it's time for anythink anything else in the culture you want to talk about. It's basically been that.
I'll briefly say, well, I guess my I don't think so Honey is gonna be God. I don't want to be dark and I don't think so Honey.
So honey, it's all dad, you know what I can do it.
I don't think so, honey on this other thing. But I do want to say I finished mister and missus Smith.
Uh huh.
What a delight, What a delight. I love a case of the Week. I loved it, loved it. They fucking crushed it, and I was again. I was skeptical in the beginning, and then it won me over. I was laughing and smiling at the TV. I was watching it with Greta. We were having the best time. There's a scene, by the way, the guest stars are unreal. Every episode is giving a guest star of the millennium. Like Sarah Paulison plays a therapist. She's fucking great. MICHAELA. Cole is
in it, she's amazing in it. Parker Posey comes in and eats like just it's like so good. And there's a scene at the end of the Parker Posy episode where Donald and Maya are in bed together like laughing, recounting what happened. And I was like, this is chemistry right here. I am watching great TV chemistry.
I love I love chemistry me too. Oh when it's good, it's good. Kelly Clarkson. I love that album. I want to say, the only TV media I've consumed outside of still playing Final Fantasy seven Rebirth, I'm sorry, I'm slow. Is it Cake? Season three is out. Mikey Day is one of the best, one of the best to ever do it. I would love to meet him. He is one of our great Americans. In the words of Tina Fey, Mikey Day, you are a king. He is the homecoming
king of SNL. As far as I'm concerned, I love that Keenan is the star student, maybe even the principal. He's team captain, He's team captain. Mikey is like star quarterback. Sometimes those are two different people. Team captain quarterback.
Often often you can't you can't assume the quarterback is going to be able to necessarily, yeah, be the cap.
It's so much on his plate. And and that's that's as far as I'll take that football team analogy. But Mikey Day, he's so good at hosting a show about hyperrealistic cakes. And these people, these bakers are so lovely and they were from all walks of life, all across the country. Shout out to Jajar, who is amazing. He this Jajar is an example of someone who grows up in a family where people support your dreams, and he goes, you should always do what your heart desires. And he's
so sweet and he makes these amazing cakes. He made a sack of flower that looked like a sack of flower. But guess what cake?
Is it?
Cake? Season three is out now on Netflix. I might have to have smoke hour and really get into Okay, remember when the season one came out, we watched it at your apartment and we were having a ball. We watched it here, We watched it and we watched it in La one season it was the smoke hour, but we were we were loving it. We were like, Mikey, is that when you came to my age? Yes, yes, love you, sister. I love you, sister.
Bone really got on a plane to help you on my heart. You really did that and I'll never forget it.
Shot good Rada.
Anyways, I feel as though it's now time, speaking of TV that's been shaking the culture.
I can do my I don't think so, honey, Okay, this is I don't think Zaney. This is where we take one minute to go against, to rail against something and culture, I should say this is Matt Rodgers. I don't think so many as time starts now, I.
Don't think so, honey. All that is ruined. The Amana show is ruined. Like it's all just if you can still watch that, my hat is off unfortunately, Like.
I think you sort of can, like maybe on Amazon or something, but.
Like, wow, was I completely like I had heard things, but fuck, these people are disgusting inside it out?
And can I also say I don't think so honey.
If you were an actor that was one of the people that sent in a letter of character for that guy, Brian Peck, and you have not made a statement denouncing that, or you have not apologized, or you have not reached out.
What the fuck? What are you waiting for?
Why are you I don't think so many character letters in general, just fucking stay out of it.
Boo shut up.
That was crazy And I hate feeling this way about James Morrison five seconds, who I love, But fuck, I don't think so, honey.
And that's one minute. One of the actors, like in the documentary in Quiet on Stet was like retracted and it was like I was not told the right set of facts, Like it's as easy as that. It's as simple as saying that that like you were mislad that you were the situation was misrepresented to you.
I mean, the two guys from Boy Meets World that had written I Guess It's right or Strong and Will Friddell, they were twenty seven and twenty four when they wrote these these character letters, and they're saying like, oh, yeah, it was a set of facts was presented to me. He told me he was guilty, but you know it was about really the treatment and what he had been going through.
I'm like, I'm sorry, there's no excuse, there's no excuse.
We should probably stop at pedophile, right, and these things that are.
Like he was tempted. There was temptation I felt for jailbait guys. When you're fifteen years old, you can't do that. And I understand discourse about like this type of thing has you know, become, has developed over time and we now have tools to talk about it now that maybe we didn't then. But like Jesus Christ, I know, it's
pretty bad. It's pretty bad. I mean, I still think it's as easy personally, having not been in this situation, I can't totally speak on this fully, but like I think you can just be like, hey, I don't know. I didn't know what I was talking about. Yeah, I didn't realize the extent of this, Like I don't know.
Can you imagine like letting that just hang out there and being okay with that, Like if they're being advised to not say anything that is not correct advisement. If I ever thought that, like something a popular idea about me out there was that, I was just like that the last word on all this is yeah, I wrote a character letter for this person. I would be screaming from the from the rooftops like no, no, no, denounced, denounced, announce, like this is what happened. I apologize, I'm so sorry,
Like it's just so disgusting to me. Yeah, in the words of someone depicted in the documentary, I would say it with my chest.
For me, the most heartbreaking thing was Brian Hearn and his mother. Brian's mother was one of the only parents who like spoke up right the producers after, like it wasn't a double their episode, but it was an episode where Brian was like covered in peanut butter and getting licked by dog and licked by dogs and it's it's just so disgusting to watch, and like he is literally
saying in this clip like I don't like this. I don't like this, and so of course his mother is like this is not acceptable, like please, can we not do this to the kids, And then she describes like the meaning where they let him go. It's so emotional because she's like she starts getting teary and she goes I saw him become a man. I saw like his posture change.
Like you can't, like as a parent watching seeing that moment in front of you, Like you can't go back from that heartbreaking.
It's so devastating to watch. And like word on the Street is like some of these actors signed NDA's on the sets in production saying that they could never talk about these things and that is so.
NDA culture has to end, like the Yonce fucked but that isn't even even that is just like it's like you know what you're doing when you when you first of all, this set was like crawling with pedophiles more than one at once, Like no more massages on sets. I don't care who you are, how you are, how old people are around you. Anytime someone's like give me a massage.
It is not appropriate. Twice I'm like, it's never appropriate. I'm like, don't ever, don't. I don't want a massage. I don't. I don't want to watch someone being given a massage on set. No, this a.
Professional atmosphere unless it's actually for bodily relief. Should not be a place where like someone is touching someone else's body for like pleasure or relief.
No, No, you're hiring, like if you're hiring some therapist to like be with you there because you have like a bad rotator cuff. Sure, otherwise get off the set.
Also, it's so disgusting how long he stayed there, like that that was the culture and that they know about it and that they kept the man in charge of it for so long just goes to show how much money fucking talks. And it is so frustrating. It is such a dark reality of the entertainment industry and of every industry. But wow, like we really will do this
drag of pretending that it's getting better, et cetera. It's like there's still so many fucking like disgusting abusers in place because they make people money, and this is yet another thing. It's just yet another thing that just goes to show it is all about the bottom fucking line, and there's a lot of harmful, fucking people out there. And I commend everyone that's out there saying their stories, and I feel so heartbroken and sad for everyone whose
dreams were shattered, who were talented young people. And obviously the number one casualty of all this is obviously, you know, of course, Drake Bell, but also whatever really went down with Amanda Bynes, that is a fucking tragedy because she was a fucking superstar and she could have had the entire world if only she were in a safe environment that respected her and respected her talent and allowed her to grow in a real way, both as a human being and as a talent, Like we could really be
enjoying her gifts right now, and she would, she would, you know, probably not have had to go through what she went through. It rereaked of Britney spears to me too, just like nasty, nasty, dark stuff. And obviously it's a tough sit and there's actually going to be a fifth episode that they put out, that's right, you know, which I have mixed feelings about, to be honest, right, I.
Think it seemed to have been a fully told story. But maybe they I don't know. Whatever new thing they have will be hopefully will be interesting worthwhile, we don't know.
But kids shouldn't be acting. I mean, I just don't think that kids need to be doing that. I talked actually the after I won't say who, but I came into contact with someone who was a child star who was on a Disney Channel show, and I asked her what she thought about it, and she was like, I just don't think that people that age need to be.
In those environments. And she made a joke.
She's like, I'm anti AI except for that, you know what I mean, maybe at this or it's just like things need to change so much. It's kind of like, you know, like when you have experience with something and you get years and then you can look back, Like one day I asked my dad, like.
Why he never played football with me?
And he was like, well, you never showed interest, and I was like, that's not true, like I showed interest in the things you showed to me. And then he revealed he was like, well, to be honest with you, I really don't think kids that age should be playing football. There you go, and I was just like, there it is. I mean, like when you have seen something firsthand, you are the authority on it, and you have these people being like this is fucked up, this is dark, Like listen to them.
Fucked I agree. I think like what we saw with the parents though, was that like some of them were just like my child has expressed interest, like Drake Drake Bell's dad was just like, well, Drake, Drake loved to perform, and like I wanted and like they just come out of a divorce and he was like I wanted to spend time with Drake, Like this was the Oh my god,
that was That was just so hard. But yeah, I mean like it's not all stage parents are like evil and not all stage parents are like totally no, it's not, I know, but it's yeah, but it's like, but there is like some I don't think we've as a culture figured out like what the responsibility where it totally where it falls in that relationship or in that within the system.
It is obviously a systemic thing, but like I don't know, like I've I've had like interesting experiences with like parents who come through us and now with their child actors and I'm like, oh, I don't want to know anything else about this, you know what I mean. I'm like, this is yeah.
I will say I also worked with kids from my special and one of the things I said even before was I was like, this needs to be I was like, I was like, I I'm hesitant about working with kids. I've heard it's difficult. And then I was really interested. I was like, what are the parents.
Going to be like?
And they were all very lovely and present. And I've seen this done in very professional ways, and I'm proud to say that I was involved with something that was like really nice and the kids only worked for a very short amount of time, and they were very sweet kids.
And they were talented, and I'm happy that they get to do that.
But it's just it's hard to not be fucking freaked out and just want to say abort mission on the whole thing when you hear about even one thing.
I know, Darcy Cardon perfect example, someone who loved acting wanted to do it as a kid. Her parents were like, totally, only do it if you don't get paid. Oh wow, that is that's perteresting. That's the perfect model. You like, we don't want you as a child to get paid to do this because that's where it gets dark, is when because that's where it gets dark. Oh okay, that is really that's a yeah. Isn't that so smart? That
is so smart. But Darcy's a broken person now, she's broken, she's so sick, disgusting, disgusting people.
That's what That's what we're saying is that all child actors that came out of that system broken are hard to blame.
All right, wait, it's now time for your I don't think so honey. Yeah, yeah, I make it a little messy with this girl. Are you showing you're absolutely sure? Do you think I should? I don't know what it is. Oh okay, you know what it is. I mentioned earlier. This is Bowen Yang's don't think so honey. This time starts now. I don't think so honey. That fucking person on TikTok saying SNL is hot, guys, I'm kind of misquoting her, but like Jason sadeikis blah blah blah. Even
Bowen Yang, don't even Bowen Yang me. Don't you ever put the word even in front of my fucking name, any of you, anyone out there, for this person to like make this crazy, make this crazy judgment and assessment on like the beauty standard on the women of SNL, which is so crazy to do. Do not lump me into Do not bring me into that conversation at all. I don't want anyone to think of me as hot
or not hot or even hot. I don't want to land anywhere on that for you, especially if you are like doing some sweet, innocent, well meaning I think bedroom TikTok about like how hot people are on this show that you have no fucking perspective on. And that's one minute. It was not well meaning. It was messy.
I mean someone it wasn't someone got on TikTok and she's.
Being relatively dragged for it, I think.
But yeah, I mean like you reap what you so, in the words of Beyonce on her self titled but somebody was like yet, uh, there's been no hot women on sn now And she goes into this whole fucking thing about like literally brings up pictures of cast members and is like like this person like she plays all the hot she's not even hot like, and this person like she's not hot like, and there's no hot women.
But think about the men like this is Jimmy Fallon back in the day, and then she goes, he's ugly now, but look how hot he was. I'm like, what is this?
Like, it's so it's it starts us such a it gets worse and worse and worse, and it's just like so nasty and judgy and disgusting and placing it placing a value on something that's like so stupid and arbitrary, and it's just, oh, it was gross. I'm like you, I think this is just to peek into like a darkness. I think that's why people are like really responding to it, is because they're like something's off here, something's like not good, not healthy. And I don't think this is me like
punching down. I think this is just like me actually responding in an emotion. I'm well, I'm just emotionally responding to Like I don't want to be fucking like put in that. I don't want to be in any kind of like aesthetic evaluation rubric at all, like even like on a gay guye level, Like I don't really it's exhausting and toxic. I'm kind of just dressing the way I want to dress. I care about how I look
like for my I truly for myself. But it's like I don't think I want to think about myself in that context because I don't know I'm going through it right now where I'm just like, oh, like rejection again. But I'm like I don't want to like think about that, you know, like don't bring it into that please. We're just trying to do sketch comedy. It's not that deep.
We're not like megastars. We're just lovely people who like cut our teeth in bar basements and like put on wigs and now the wigs are a bit nicer and we get makeup on on Saturdays. But we're just the same people, Like like everyone at work right now is just yeah, it's just a lovely person. Yeah.
I also think like the thing that, unfortunately fucking of course happens when someone is idiotic enough to start a conversation like that is then it becomes a conversation and a discourse, and it's this thing of like even like even saying something like what do you mean so and so is so hot? Like these people out puts an expectation on them. It's just like it's so useless and can only make people feel bad.
Well, now my TikTok that that are like Bowyang isn't hot? What are you talking about for? I'm like, Okay, you've.
Done nothing productive, you haven't helped anyone with this. Yeah, God like fucking like and this is like what we it's but it's not what we signed up for because we did not sign up for this. No, And that's like it's it's it's again. It's like it's like once you real, once you wade into the waters, Like this is why the detachment from what people are saying is so important. This is Perfect Blue because.
The second I told not to watch Perfect Blue, I'm such a college freshman about it. I told not to watch Perfect Blue about you might keep going, and I did.
And I just feel like the second it becomes the second it drifts away from what your purpose was, you will start to go fucking crazy. Like I have to remind myself all the time, like I'm doing this because I believe it is my purpose in life to make people feel good and feel happy and make them laugh. My purpose on this planet is to create positive bursts of energy and to leave places better then I left them.
That is my purpose. The second it starts becoming about how someone looks on a red carpet or what your skin is doing, or like why I can't live without or you know, once it becomes like ugly and like.
Something that's you know, too tangible, cure it is material. It is like truly material, Like.
Yeah, that's the thing. It's like, of course there's playing ball. Of course, of course there's that. You know what I mean, Like we both play ball in the industry. We both do what we need to do. Everyone does. But the fact is, like you and yourself, you have to remind yourself.
Why you do it.
And you do it because it brings you joy. Everyone on that show, everyone in comedy does it because they are preternaturally talented in terms of the joy and comedy that they can bring to the world. And some idiot coming on and placing what they value onto everyone else and starting this conversation is toxic and disgusting and rating.
For like a completely subjective thing, which is like beauty, which is like right, aesthetics and.
The conversation around aesthetics right now is so warped and so toxic as it always has been, but it just gets worse and worse and worse as we're supposed to like pretend that we can all compete with the beauty ideal, which no one can. Even if it looks like they're on top of it.
They're not. They're not. They're not. It's it has not saved them. It is not like made them better people necessarily.
Yeah, and also, how about this as a rule of thumb, don't be a fucking asshole period period.
Well, I am galvanized the site Texas. We're both ready to kind of take the day on. Huh wow.
Yeah, an over two hour episode that did not get to the cultural excavation, despite there being a document prepared the culture.
We're ready to go.
Cowboy culture title twenty thirteen. Cowboy culture title that twenty thirteen. It deserves its own episode in a way. Maybe it will, maybe it won't get that, but it is. It's a big year, as you all know, most of you are alive for that. We hope, no, we hope no eleven year olds are listening to this. Oh dear, if you're an eleven year old listening to this, we're younger. God shouldn't be doing you, shouldn't be doing this.
We don't. We don't want to quiet on set about you and us?
Oh okay, all right, listen, speaking of quiet on set, it's time to quiet the podcast, but not before we sing.
And we end every episode with the song oh Shi. We have to rehearse it. We can't get it away. Get your tickets to the Culture Words June fifteenth in
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