"She's Up In The Hirschfeld" (w/ Amy Jo Jackson ft. Henry Koperski)

and that's what you were trying. Sometimes I give a note on names, and you were actually you know what you just did? What did I do? You correctly pronounces Raven Simonia's name. Everyone believe it's Simone Raven Simone because she doesn't have an accent over the e. Yeah, that's her failing, that's absolutely I win. She's someone who asked, you know, standard linguistic you know whatever, annotations. I don't know what the hell I'm talking about. You know what,

I'll cop to this. I was trying to sound smart and cultured, but I failed. There you go, breaking news, breaking news, breaking news here on culture, and we have further breaking news. Yes, Matt, go ahead, everyone, Um, this is heartbreaking to say, but we've experienced an influx of requests for Sluck to perform around town. The town being New York City and Sluck is our duo. We we dressed and filthy, garbage, garbage makeup and dance and lip

sync to a mashup of stuff. Sluck is retired, so Sluck will no longer perform because Luck is very physical and we're going to break our bodies. But you can see Sluck one more time at the last theme party you ceb East, which is to be determined when that is going to be. But that will be Sluck's last performance other than that. Sorry, but Sluck will Stuck is only a memory. This was a mutual decision, so um, yeah,

it feels right. Um, But anyway, I'm so excited to be back here because we're here for a very special reason in Ronnie de Simone's apartment, aren't we. We are here for a special reason. We have an amazing guest, and um, we'll get to that guest in a second. But here's the thing. By nature of this guest being here, this is a musical episode. And you know that what

that means. It means it means we are joined by not even friend of the show, best friend of best friend of the show, best friend, soulmate of the show, historical historical part of last culture. Is that absolutely we're here with pianist. Is it pianist or pianiste from? Yeah? I guess, well, how would you say where you're from? I said pianist. We have wide a sounds. This is the dulcet tones of Henry Koperski. You're hearing everyone, Hi, Henry, Hi, thank you. That is so sweet to call me the

best friend and soulmate. I would say that you are an intricate part of the show, the fabric of the show. And you're you're back here for Is this the fourth time you've been on the show if you count. I don't think so, honey. I suppose it is, yes, And that's that might be the record. I'm sort of here every episode because I did compose the Oh my god, wait, have we given proper credit for that? Have not given proper credit? Guys? The new Loss Culture is to theme song,

which some people have reached out to us about. They're a little confused about why we had to change it. It's very obviously legal reasons. Becaun't license by the Dixie Cups, but Henry Kaperski so so so graciously wrote us a theme song yes and um it's a beautiful song. Thank you, Henry. I was an honor to do. I also wrote the theme song for Matayo Lan's podcast Yes, which is called The Closet Inside the Closet with m Wilman. So that's maybe that'll be my thing. I think it's your new niche,

your new niche. Now that's not to say that you're not busy, because I was truly guided when I heard about Henry's upcoming activities is huge. Tell us about what you're going to be doing at fifty four below. In the month of May, I was reached out to sub for a music director because he couldn't do a show, and you know, the pay was right, so I said yes. And the person's the person whose show it is is Countess Luanne Countess and I have never I'm not bragging,

this is just true. I've never seen even a minute of any Desperate Housewives Real Housewives. He didn't even know the name. He thought it was the Desperate Housewives. And that's how off the grid he is. I used to be just like you and not not not not but a month ago did. I start watching, and I gotta say it's good. I'm really charmed by it. And Luanne especially is a great, great, great person. Oh good, I'm

excited to meet her. She's been through a lot, She's been through a lot, She's had a tougher but she she handles everything, all her hardship with such grace and diploma. And that's what I my most about her. She's been through a lot of ship in life, but she always, always, always picks herself back up. That's I have a lot

of respect for that. If you want to hear the story of lou and this is really a true, real story of Loue that was told on this podcast, go listen to the episodes Seek Treatment with Pat Regan and he tells the story of lou when she got in a car accident in the Alps and um had to like became afraid of driving, became afraid of driving, had to but like with with her kids, rolled off the side of I did listen to this episode. I am. My other credit is I'm Pat Regan's biggest fan. Yes, right,

Henry is Pat Regan's biggest fan. Although I can give you a run for that. I can give you a run for that too. Oh my got Pat and I are gonna go see once on This Island in April together last week. One of the best things I've ever ever seen. Yeah, and that is actually that's actually a beautiful segue, a beautiful segue into our guests and to our guests. Now we've recorded, We've just recorded three stunning musical moments with our guests. Henry is accompanying UM here

in the studio. Truly a superstar. This the show that we're promoting. UM, it's called I Want to Be Your Man Now. Henry and I saw this and we we saw it fifty four below and it was one of the best shows we saw. We had a great seat, we were right off the stage. That was a true Yeah, we were at the further stage. Matt's jaw was on the table the whole time and wept multiple times. I did.

I cried. I'm very open during shows and performances, every show and performance, and very open no matter what, even if it's in the basement and it's improv I'm crying. But this had me moved to the nth degree. I'm not surprised this guest, truly, I think everyone in the room is privileged to see her. I mean anytime she she performs on stage. And the show is happening again. An updated version of the show is happening again. It's

Amy Joe Jackson's I Want to Be Your Man. It's on April thirtem This is right of the thirteenth, but embraced the good part about that. Don't be scared of any almonds, you know, I mean, I don't be scared. I was what do you call it, not spontaneous superstitious child. I was a very superstitious child, and uh my mom has me afraid of Like I don't wear socks in the bed because I feel like someone will come out of the closet. I don't walk under ladders because I

feel like I'll die. I never step on cracks. If you want someone to come out of the closet, just wear some socks in bed. Actual culture number six, if you want someone to come out of the closets in the bed. Um and this show, where is it gonna be. It's gonna be at Green Room forty two in space And this is unbelievable. Not a drink minimum in sight, honey, just good times and one night only again nine thirty on Friday April. The show is I Want to Be Your Man. It's at Green Room forty two, and the

star of the show is Amy Joe Jackson. Hello, we're so excited of it. We should just say Henry has to leave and so he's he's heading out. We should also mention that Amy Joe is, you know, one of the pre eminent cabarettists in the city. Yes, um, talk about her credits. Okay, she's dialect coached on Kinky Boots since the original first Broadway run and I believe the tours, uh, the the first national It's now non union, so mama,

mama can't be working on that in trouble. But I also worked on the Toronto production, and I've been with the show since the out of town in Chicago into an amazing, amazing and then also Rocky Horror Picture Show on Fox. And UM, just just so so many a litany of credits. She working, she working, and it's oh my god, it's our privilege to talk to you, Amy. I'm so excited. We've heard the performances. I'm so excited for everyone to hear them. I'm not kidding. This show

was it was so good. What you're doing is so special. So tell us a little bit about the show. What inspired you to do it? Sure? So, I I had done a couple of solo acts before below. H. It's something like I've been wanting to do since I got to the city and just never got my my act together. And then uh, managed to do a solo show that was just basically like this is a big party, come on, you know. And then I was thinking, like, I really

want to do another show. And I always have like eight playlists going of different show ideas, uh, and I just was finding myself more and more infuriated at the way women are written for, not written for basically the way like anyone who's not assist dude is written for, you know, and the the way that I'm talking in in all kinds of the arts, but but specifically theaters like you know where I live most of the time.

So the way that a lot of male material can be about anything, and the way a lot of female material is about a child or uh, love interest, that sort of thing, or it's just not that deep. And it it's getting better, but it just infuriates me. And I don't like feeling impotent rage. I like to feel potent rage. So exactly, so I I basically was like, well, screw this. You know what I'm I'm also six ft tall. I played a lot of male roles, especially like in Shakespeare.

I think until a show I did just before the last time I did the concert seen I would I had more male Shakespearean roles on my resume than female. Um. And also in Shakespeare, like that's very common to just do gender blind casting or fluid casting. But I, uh, you know, I was like, oh, it's not just that I'm tall, and it's it's that stepping into this kind of material unlocks something in me, Like it unocks this permission to be aggressive and completely assertive in a way

that is sometimes considered unfeminine or bitchy or bossy. Uh. And so there's something incredibly freeing, you know about being able to stand on the stage and and like, so this is my point of view, and I'm not gonna apologize for it. I'm not gonna like try and make

it palatable. Um. So it's not it's not like a preachy show, I think, you know, but I'm just like the what I have selected centers a A fem identifying body in a position of power and strength, and uh, you know I So I did it in May of twenty sixteen, a couple of months of fifty four below, and I had a great time, and a lot of folks, particularly female identifying folks who saw it like really uh, warmed to it and got exactly what I was saying. Uh. But then, you know, a lot happened in between May

and now and I just did it. I don't remember it reads twitter, um, And so I just had been thinking, you know, there's a lot of other shows I want to do, and I've been working a lot reach and only so I just I didn't do like a solo show last year, and it's just like, you know what I feel like, rather than crafting something new, I want to dive back into that because it feels even more pression, totally important, and like I also think that some of

the people who didn't necessarily get what I was trying to do last time, because of the national conversation with times up in me too all the stuff, I think there's more of an awareness of like, oh, that's that's what this is really about. Uh. And so yeah, I'm really excited it feels right to do it again. I would say it's about five the same. We've just changed a couple of songs, adding a song or two, and some of the guests are different. Um, they're not all confirmed,

so I can't, so we can't. Well, everyone's stay tuned for the guests announcement. So every song in the show is traditionally performed by a male character and by a male character, or is a written by like a male musician. It's performed I like a male rock singer or what happened? So, yes, it's all male material. Yes, I remember you did a certain Maroon five song. Oh yes, the wire is Yeah, I have I have an eleven minute medley called the Inevitable Sexist Medley right in the middle of the show,

and that's primarily like pop and rock. And it's funny you mentioned that one because that I also, I don't listen to a lot of radio pops, so because I had to actually do some deep divores, I was on a regional gig and I was like, all right, I'm just gonna stay and watch a lot of music videos and I was just like the rage. It was like

a whole week. I was just watching these terrible music videos of these songs are like, you know, I was like, okay, okay, I've put this medley together and now I gotta step away for a second. But that was one that like I had heard, but I you know, didn't really know, and I was watching the music video for that, which is it's wild, it's terrifying, you know. But there was a baby I'm praying on you tonight, hunch you down, eat you a lot, like just like but it's catchy.

So he's listening. So I am America. Yeah, everybody's listening now.

But yeah, so I I Actually there's this guy who came and reviewed it, just like a caparet blogger, and he, you know, he thought the medley was a bit long, and I'm like, well, well, that's part of the point, Like, no one needs an eleven minute medley, but when it is called the inevitable sexist medley, part of the point is, yeah, you think, and you gotta bludgeon them to be audience with a different and Animal Animals was one of the ones that he mentioned as a possibility to cut and

I was like, oh, so you've never been followed down the street and had to tuck into a Dwayne read in the hopes that some creepy dude will stop following you. You've never liked pretended to call a friend to say you're going to their house so that when you walk into your own apartment, they don't think it's yours. Like you just never had that as part of your reality, sir, So you don't understand that's the tea. That is the tea.

And with everything that Amy Joe just said, I just want to quote Guy Brandon who quoted some English literally literary critic in saying that men act and women appear, because I think that is the whole sort of unifying theory of of what you're trying to do, which is so cool. I'm so excited to see it. Oh, it's a true and also like, outside of it being like incredibly like moving and important, you're also an incredible performers,

as we should actually here right now now. Tell us about this first song that you and Henry are going to do. Yes, So I'm very coy with my set lists, so I don't the stuff that I'm doing tonight is not stuff that's in my show, but it is evocative of the stuff that's in my show. So this first one. I think many people will recognize it's a show. Show, it's a song. I've done a lot and performed around, but this is very much of the type of thing

you might see at an Amy Joe Jackson event. Yes, okay, cool, Well let's get into it. How do you do I see you've met my faithful handy man. He's just a little brought down because when you knocked, he thought you were the candy man. You'll get shut up. But the way, LA, don't touch a book client's cover. I'm not much of a man, but the light of dates that by night, I'm one he LoVa. I'm just a sweet transfstight from to ram sexual trancelvain. Why don't I show you around?

Maybe play you a sound You look like you're both pretty groovy. If you want something visual, it's not too abyssmal. We could take in an old Steve Reeves movie. What you got caught with the flat? Well, how about that? Now? Babies don't panic by the light of the night, and I'll see my right. I'll get you a suctanic mechanic. I'm just a sweet transvestide from trance sexual transu the way, why don't you stay for the night or maybe a bite.

I can show you my favorite obsession and then making a man the blonde hair and a tan and he's good for a leaving night tension. I'm just a sweet transrest ride from Terrance sexual trans all right, I'm just a sweets missed from sexual Still. Come up to the lab and see what's on the slow. I see you shiver with a patient. Maybe the rain. It's really to blame, so I remove the cause. But not Yeah that was

that was like, okay, I'm not familiar with Rockey Horror. Ah, you know you're not a Rocky Horror, are you not? And yeah, I've done it. I've played Magenta. And then growing up, like you would go to a friend's house for like a nerdy theater party and on the on in the background would always be either Rocky Horror, m Monty Python and the Holy Grail are Waiting for Government. Those were were of theater party. Lastly, I remember the first Rocky Horror picture I saw. Was it actually at

m y U during welcome week. They did this, they had to put it on a Rocky Horror for a Welcome Week and I'm like very closeted at the time and from Long Island, but had like a very sheltered like American eagle life. Um So, like the most salacious thing I had ever seen was like when someone got off got voted off on American Idol, like too early. That was like controversy to me. So I go there and everyone's of course dressed the part, and I wore like my like polo, and I'm like there and I

couldn't believe the culture scandal it was. I was scandalized deeply and I actually can't believe it's gotten to that point, like like it's such a cult thing, the whole horror. It's amazing. Oh yeah, it's really fun to do. So I did it in Asbury Park, New Jersey, um on

in this the Carousel House. So it's like when it was like an operating boardwalk back in the day it was there was a carousel in there that now is no longer in there, so people use it for like an event space, and so it's it's oh bit like it's it's like closed off but not completely like wind

proof or anything. So we're doing it in uh October because we're doing around Halloween October early November in New Jersey on on the beach basically um, and of course it's Rocky Horse that everyone's wearing, like it's it's a no pants show, let's get it that way, and so we we would we It's like they had like blocked off half of it, so you're kind of kind of the whole space was basically like a semicircle, and then

the stage was like a semicircle within that. So they had these two big bombs, these aisles that you would run down. So we would stand there shivering in our coats at the back of the vomb, and then the music was starting. I was the first one on because because Magenta Sink science fiction double feature, and like we would just just like throw my coat to the ground

and run. And there was a guy who he I think he was one of the board ops, but he would be there to gather all the coats of these poor young women like and then like put them back at our stations so at intermission we could like put them on. But it was really fun. What's really fun about the show is you get people who know it really well callouts and it feels like you're like you're a rock star because they know you're magenta, even though

they have no idea who you. So you appear there like yes, and she's like, I've not earned this at all, but it feels so good. Uh, and so it's really fun interesting. But I've never I've never actually gone to a midnight screening of the movie, but I believe you guys are room fans. I have been to many of them. That was my first date with my husband my room. I had watched all of it in a in a dressing room before, like a friend had. He was like, you guys have to see because I was in a

dressing room with the guys. It was a long story, but so he was like, you guys have to have to watch this movie. So he did highlights and then we went there and spent an entire week at half hour. We just watched chunks of it. What we could, you know, we had to go do a dumb show. You know, Normally I love my job, but that was not one of those jobs that I love. We were like, can we just hang out the dress room. It's safer. We're

not gonna hear it on stage. I'm not talking about Rocky Hard, I'm talking about another show al together, but yeahing of the room. I have a pitch the room the musical. I think it's people. There must be somebody. It's got to happen. You're tearing me apartly. So there's there's a band if air I heard you are my rose into a full number? Like you about that being our first dance at our we were nobody would know but us, but we would be like we did not

take the whole wedding thing very seriously. Let's put that right. We're like, we would be great. Was that his idea to go see the movie? You know? Um? He It's funny like we had like so I've met him like a couple of years before working on a show, and then you know, so I had seen him. We were in like the same big circle of friends at the flea. So I've worked, I knew him, but we'd never really

like hung out and hung out. And then um yeah, I reconnected with him like after a show that he was in that I went, and so we were like hanging out the bar and I was like, why have I never really thought about this Jeff Rohnan character. And

we're kind of flirting and like nothing really happened. But then he posted something to facebookcause there were a group of people that we're going to go see this film, and I was like, I'm gonna message and I got there earlier, so I only saved two seats because I didn't know there was like this group of Like I knew there were other people, but I know how many. And so he endedup just sitting with me apart from all the friends, and we were like, oh, we had, like,

you know, a'm a little moment. We're like, oh, so we count that. I think from hearing this story, it sounds like a date. I have this question in you, Okay, what is the most this is this? This is weirdly phrased. What's the most excruciating pain that you've had to suffer through for in the name of theater, let's say physical or otherwise? Well, m mmmmm, there's a few, right um.

I would probably say my ursula costume, but not in one go cumulation, because I was wearing I was wearing five and a half inch platform heels, which we're actually pretty comfortable, but then I was wearing these huge hit paths that that like the order of the costume. It took three people to get me in and out of it. It was like I was in the you know in France.

I've likened it to driving a small golf cart. So I practiced a lot in it because I am very anal retentive and I was like, I don't want the costume to wear me. I need to be in charge of it. But limited mobility like I. And luckily we did a photo shoot the first week, so I had been in it. So when we were staging stuff, I was like, I don't think I can do that, but we can try this. So I don't think walking backwards is going to be possible because it was just like

a lot going on that I couldn't see. And if you go down, you get back up, you know. So yeah, it had these big hip pads and then this I was. I was wearing a corset that stayed on the whole time, like the bodice um. You know. It wasn't that it was tight, it was that it had all these mirrored plastic pieces and rye stones on the front, which looked amazing. I looked like a disco ball when the light hit me. But it did mean that it would scrape underneath my arms.

So when I get off stage, I had like either a hoodie or like a blanket that they gave me that I tucked into it, and they put mole skin on it so that it was like not as bad. But so I had like scratches all into my arms and excuse me, equity, my costume is killing me. Well, that's every you got to a certain age, and it's every show. Yeah, so I did. So then you put the skirt on top of that, and it was pretty tight, and then the tentacles were on a belt that would

go on top of that. I would say when I was experiencing menstrual cramps, it was unbearable. It all sat right, it all like leaned into that, and so like it wasn't so bad because I would not stay in it the whole time because I couldn't sit down. Tech was bad because I was when we did the Poor Unfortunate Soul scene and song. That's two hours plus that I was in it in one go. So every time we would have a hold, a dresser would come running out

from the wings with a chair. They would then pull my skirt up so I could kneel on it, so I could get off the shoes. So it was more just that accumulatively because I couldn't bend in it, and then I was in this like super like weird posture, like my upper glutes got so tight and I couldn't really walk that well out of costume because I was some mess. But you know, I learned a lot about like how much I need to be rolling out and that sort of there's got to be a better way costume.

To say nothing of the hair, even a huge wig. It actually was very comfortable, but I couldn't lie down or sit back, and you know, you know what I would also like part of the thing is I was so tired because it took I was doing full drag makeup and blocking my brows. It was so dragged. But it was also like glue only drives so fast. And I'm as someone who hadn't done drag up to that point,

I didn't. I didn't know how to like other than like, okay, I use a blow dry and put it on cool to try and make them go faster, but like make make it because I also had the lace front had a widow's peak and it came down super far, and so if my brows weren't really dry by the time I put the stuff on, then it would get stuck in there and it would start to come off. So it was just like I had to get there. I

left myself. I would get there two and a half hours before curtain so I could go upstairs into the studio and stretch, and then I'd leave myself two hours to do everything. It normally only took about an hour thirty two forty, but like because I just wasn't that if I'd done the show for like a year, it would have been a lot faster. But it was a regional run, so so I would say probably that whole

cumulative experience, I was so tired. It was. That sounds so much fun because it is the one of it's incredible and it's like I am evil Auntie mame, So it was it's so perfect and that is a really good part for you. And it was and apparently I found it from the director, like she told me, like we had like a night of drinks, like the first weekend that everybody was there. She's like, you know what, you booked it on your first on your first line when you came in and used a liquid you saying sila.

I was like, that's our girl. I was like, wow, could I know he's a liquid young Joe books by on elocution alone, and that's if it's the right direction. So speaking of you are currently the voice coach on dialect Dialect excuse me, Friday, So I need to ask about miss Toddrick Big because Hall was in the show for a while for like three months, three four months.

Good to work with. Oh yeah, I just so many people that have come in, you know, also when they're stunt casting, you know you but like so many people that have come in have just like nailed it. And watching Tadrick work number one, just like very like warm and like eager to do really well, like and his his commitment to excellence is really like inspiring well. And so normally you'll put people in like I'll work with

them early on, especially with playing Lola. There's so many lines and you know, a lot of people haven't worked in an accent, so they're very nervous about it, uh, And so I try to get to them early on so that I can kind of calm that down. A lot of my job is just like traffic directing, you know, and then just like here's where you're going correctly and here's where we could just take a left turn, you know.

But then then they get on stage and start walking through the block with stage management, with the associates and uh and also learning the choreography from the dance captain. And he you know, he wasn't writing anything down and he would get I would seem like, do one pass at it. He'd be like, Okay, let's do it again, and he'd do it perfectly. And that is not you know,

dance is not my language. So I look at it, I'm like, oh, by no, he's he's pretty Like when I first, like when I first really was like, oh my god, this person is so serious. Is in his videos where he would do the cover the mashups covers of all the pop stars songs and he would just there's four of him and he does the choreography perfectly in sync with each other, and he's nailing the vocals

and and also the personality charisma. It's just like he's very wonderful to watch on stage, just like fills that space and and and he I got to meet RuPaul.

He was in the show. I knew that Rue was coming to his opening and true like so so basically if there's like gonna be a photo op with a celebrity or something that cast just after curtain call will hang out in the wings and then come and do like a photo So I'm like the dance Captain and I are running backstairs because we know RuPaul it is there and uh Ru like like starts talking to the cast.

Was just so generous, just like I didn't know what at all to expect, and you, each and every one of you just brought such tremendous energy and what a story and he told so beautifully like he talks he talks about it on What's the T. I have not caught up with with my What's the T, so I'll have to I'll have to take a listen. But it was just so special. And of course, you know, for so many people in that show and work on on Kinky Boots, like we're loverable, so it was very exciting.

So like the dance Captain who wasn't in the show that night, Um and I were both like hanging out to the like, oh, I don't you know, like should we go talk to RuPaul because we're like, clearly who are We're clearly belong with the show, but who are

so eventually like you go out. I haven't been starstruck in in like twenty years probably, And I was just like grinning, like I got to say, like, you know, I'm the dialet coach, but it was like, you know, thank you so much for such an inspiration, you know, you know, blah blah blah like you know, and and he was just like so so chill and then just like now there was a dialect coach back in in Hollywood and the blah blah bahla and ime so and so,

and I have nothing to contribute, just grinning like I can't even say like, oh, yes, you know so and so from the like I know names of people who are working now. But I was just like struck deep to my core. Was just like so it was. It was lovely and he was holding court at that point. Yeah he does do that thing. He does do that like um kind of like a person who's been around thing of like you know, back in this time, this

was the person who did this. And I was just like, yeah, at that age we get to be that age will of course be so like that. Now. I'm gonna say I knew Amy Joe Jackson when she was doing a show at the Green Room forty two and I Want to be Your Man and it was fabulous. Oh my god, I can't wait for this show. I truly, I mean like we're it feels are going to be obsessed. It feels like we're shoe running in the promo. But I truly am That's my favorite part of the show. I

think that my favorite part of doing the show. I was thinking about this on the way here because I was excited because we were going to get to do this is letting people know where they can see the most talented people and also understanding that like this might be a lot of people's first introduction to people like yourself. Although although I think it was Gabby Hornig. We were

talking to Gabby. I was talking to Gabby a while back, and it was just like the fact that we had booked Amy Joe Jackson for our first I don't think so many live show. He was like, that was that was worth the price of admission alone for someone like him. He was like, I see Amy Joe. I have to go see Amy jo screen. So rude that you asked me to do because like, I'm not really I'm not a comedian. I am a comedian, but not you know, we haven't even talked about the fact that Aaron Jackson's

my brother. You know Aaron Jackson on the show two weeks ago. Um the brother, the little brother, little brother, taller but but young, younger of Amy Joe Jackson. I would love to hear what Aaron Jackson was like as a younger brother and continues to be like to this day. I well, we've always been best friends. We're two years apart, so we were in the same circles all the time.

I will say it was a brat until until because he and my mom are very very similar in how they process information and negotiate conflict, which is to say, it got very loud sometimes loud. Did you could you imagine? Can you imagine? So they they're both really stubborn, and they they're also they're not bigger, but with each other. They would bicker and like my dad and I are like no, thank you. I would be like, oh, this is this is some shade on me. They would be

like fighting because Aaron wouldn't want to do something. My mom would be trying to, you know, parent with authority, and I would be like feeling the stress of that and I would go in write room and cry and write poems. I am not kidding. I wish I were, but I've always been a caricature of myself. That's beautiful. I think I did the poem things I did. I drew a lot more visual. That was my outlet. But that sounds that all tracks. I don't think all of

that track. Absolutely, I'm gonna go. Well, by the time this comes out of that, this will have happened already. But I'm spending a whole weekend with him at your parents. Oh my god, I can't wait. I've seen pictures of the house. Lovely. Aaron himself has described it as a Republican man, so like that. Actually that's very I can't wait.

I can't wait. But I mean gorgeous, gorgeous. I got I've worked a couple of times at like very recently, and then like a number of summers ago, I worked um at this little theater in Silverthorn, which is like twenty minutes away from Breckinridge, where my parents places. So I got to stay there. And I gotta say, when you can live very comfortably, it does make usual actor housing very unattracted me. But as we talked about the family,

the upbringing. We should ask the question that we are every single guest, And I truly I have such suspense an anticipation of Joe's answer to the question, which is what is the culture that made you say? Culturists? For me? What made you move in a cultural direction? And I really I'm so curious to know what this. There was a certain smell in the air, and you didn't know what it was at the time, but you found out later that it was culture after you followed the smell

to that theater. Theater. That seems actly. That feels right, Yeah, Um, well, I will say I have until more recently, I didn't really have anything but culture to think or talk about, So I never wanted to go in any other direction. Like my aunt tells me stories about She's like, you've been talking about moving to New York and being in the theater since you were four. I'm like, oh, really,

I don't even remember that. Um. But as far as like small specific things, because I thought about this, I was like, God, it feels like overwhelming because it's like that's all I was interested in. So I snowed it down to a more generic list and we'll use it as a jumping off. I think I'm gonna live in Harlem to be close to the subways pop down. I

think by that time, Yeah, yeah, it'll be great. Yeah. Um. This is This is a very ridiculous and revealing story about myself that my grandmother used to love to tell when I was like two. She she was just called me punkin Monday. She's like, hey, Punkin and I said, I am not a pumpkin. I am Amy renee Jackson, which spoilers that's the real name. The Joe is a nickname I got in college and it was just bouncing

and it stuck. So love this list. Okay, so the the list would probably primarily like most influential would include, uh, British television, specifically British comedy Allah, a bit of Friend, Lorie, Blackadder, Jeeves and Wooster, and then like British Murder mysteries u um. And then we have Broadway because I've never not been

a nerd uh. So that includes like movie musicals and soundtracks to them, as well as original Broadway cast recordings, anything I can get my hands on old Hollywood, Like I grew up like my dad and I would watch like any any Carrie Grant or Catherine Hepburn film love all that shared that, Oh well, I mean because we grew up in the same house, but aren't even also

said Agatha Christie, just like well. And then the last one being books like I read very thing, and I was a big old snob as a kid, so it was either going to be like something mysterious maybe with ghosts, or it was going to be like literal tour so um. And I was like the kid that would like we'd be walking from the cafeteria back to the classroom and I'd be reading using my periphery to now because I

was like, I don't fun. I like this book. Yeah, it's more interesting than all of you safe, than hallway safe, than hallways safe. I could see where I was going. I'm so jealous of those people. Henry bothers me when he's looking at his phone and not looking around. I asked my pet peep of mine, I think everyone should be looking up. That's a little differ in a hallway when you're walking single file in elementary I forget that the kids have to walk in line, yes, not navigating

a middle school busy hallway. Not that shark infested waters. No, but when you're walking in the street in public, that's different. You know. It's actually rule of culture number seventeen. These kids school walking in two straight lines. It's very gendered. Oh yeah, we did used to do that. Didn't walk into lines. Oh there was two lines, a boy line and a girl line in my school. Wait, Amy, did you spend most of your childhood Do you spend any

time in Colorado? Was it mostly Texas? Mostly Texas? I finished in high school there, I did. We moved when I was sixteen, so I did uh, junior and senior year in Colorado, and then you know, I would go back there, right and like now that my parents had this place in break that's where I prefer to go. We can infer that you were doing theater all thought your childhood. You couldn't You couldn't stop me if I wasn't doing it with a group. And then it was forced upon my family. It was a solo act in

the house. Yes, or I would in script Aaron, you know, like I have a dress up moment there. You know, also like I'm of the age where everyone didn't have a video camera, so they my parents borrowed one from France. So there is this legendary, legendary video and I am I think, I want to say, fifth grade, and Aaron's third grade. So Aaron is still adorable, and I am just at the age where it's like that's a little

much kid, you know what I mean. But we're so excited and you can watch it and your parents like, okay, okay, like as we're like just vignette to vignette to vignette, but like original pieces, some similar inspired. We did a version of Cinderella, and we also did plenty of you know, different we'd also did a tour of the house. Um, but we did the most the most humilian, anything like

this is the thing that you put on. Oh yeah, I was Aaron jumping on the bed or look at this room shocking the Aeron jumping on this bed too, you know. Um, but I did Oh my god, I thought I could do ventrilo quism. I was wrong, but I was committed. And I bit of me singing some song I don't remember what with You know those little like gift prepackaged gift boxes that when you open them up, they make noise. Okay, for whatever reason, I have one of those and I'm making that my puppet. I mean,

it is excruciating. And then they're so long. The videos there's so long. I mean, the thing is now it's genius, Like are they were too the vignettes they needed to be cut, but now it's like, please let this never stop. The other thing that I then did was hitch up my elastic waste denim pants and do a Jualil White and Family Matters impression as was not good, authentic or appropriate. Hey you had all three. You had all three distaste the distaste you could nies. It was a time. You

know what, you get a free pass, free pass. So Aaron proud of him now or whatever? Yeah? No, I I mean, are you kidding? I'm so thrilled for and I'm so proud of him always, but it's just ridiculous now. I ran into a friend on the train today and we're just like like, oh, hey, I haven't seen her in like two years something. We're trying to She's like, oh,

by the way, big fan of Aaron. I was like, right, I mean, I know I'm biased, but right, but both of you are just this like I don't know, it feels like you don't really get these sort of like sibling talent pairings anymore. And you guys just are are in your own lanes, but then you also crossed like merge lanes sometimes too. It's it's so wonderful. I mean, like the first time I ever saw Joe was out of Geisha for all people, and I think I blew my socks off? Um is that this is that the expression?

But any of my socks off? I can't believe I'm correcting you for once in my life to my mind, my mind and of course sucked my socks socks off that age old adage, that age old adage. I will say this about Aaron, like, you know, people and people in the comedy community oftentimes they go on to greater success, and you know, sometimes there's that feeling of like, oh it happened. It happened for them amongst the community, like

like when will it happen for me? Like you're happy for them, but you're like there's like this like a little with Aaron and Josh. I think everyone in the community that everybody I know was just like leaping to their feet. Absolutely, we're so happy for them, so proud of them. That's not just because there are dear friends because they are funny, have marked their guts out together for years. Like it's such a great example of finding like your people and finding your voice and then that

leading you to greater success. It's tremendous. It's very exciting. It's inspiring to me, you know, it really is. I mean, and just like to know that, um, especially Aaron. I mean, Aaron was a teacher at UCB for quite a long time and he just had I think probably thousands of like students coming to see him like over the years, like and now to see him on television and it's just so great. I've recently went to the went to the taping of The Opposition to see that piece that

they did with Kim Davis. That was unreal amazing. So the gay who would be Clark, the gay who would be Clerk? Again? Riffing on classic films? Yes, you know, okay, can we talk about a bit of friing Laura, because I feel like I completely missed the boat on that, so did I and I would love to hear just so. My my parents always loved Blackadder and Jesus and Wooster, and then of course through those you find Laurie Stephen Fry.

So so we had this one, I think we had like the VHS was like the best of a bit of Frying Laurie. So I watched that a million times, but now you can find a ton of it like available online. But I just I just love the way they worked together and they're just so I don't know, they're so funny and they do so you know, they're fantastic sketch duo in the fact that like there's not always one like playing the alpha and one playing the beta.

You know, they really like play around with all sorts of different ways in which they position themselves towards each other. But also just like the runs that they would do,

there's this one. Really it's it's like unbelievable that it is like such a funny sketch because you're like, the premise is just like a guy interviewing another guy who likes to talk about language, or like, okay, fine, but Stephen Fry does this whole thing where the character is just so over the top, so listen to me, listen to me language, and and just it's it's the commitment to like the fullness of the performance that I as

someone who's never been understated, really responsed we identify with you than perhaps that's why I enjoy listening to the pod. So I feel, yeah, I feel like that is just I. I I'm sort of on the other side of the glass with in terms of like just British comedy in general. I feel like I just I never fully got my chance with it. You really like I mean, and I would imagine you know you like Train the Yelman. I don't really know you. I like have seen a little bit.

But here's the thing, like if if it if I wasn't watching it when I was much younger, then I I missed a lot because I stopped watching TV because I was like doing theater right like now, I'm I'm so behind. I think you would have a deep appreciation for Tracy Aellman like because she's truly a genius, truly a genius, like I think one of the best impressionist character creators just comedians that's out there. And actually, this is another really good segue, because she played Jack's mother

in the film. And I haven't I've heard that you are about to grace us with something a little bit of a medley right now about what we're about to do yes, this is uh, this is the piece I got asked to do at this concert at Joe's Pub last year called Sanheimer's. It was actually the day before I don't think so Honey Live, it was, yeah, right right around that time. So, uh, this is a mash up that was arranged by the brilliant Stephen Quaevis, who was one of the m d s on the Kiki

Boots tour. Uh, so it is it was if Sandheimis is basically the birthday Joe's Pub concert that Maggie Larkin and David Levy produced every year, and so this past year they did sometimes mixtape and so they had a bunch of Sandheime mixed with other shows. So this is called Into the Fun Home and I just think it's

so smart and I loved it. I especially love I especially love doing it, which doesn't makes sense when you hear it doing it in slightly more conservative community because it is just a little of like, oh, so that's I think that's all we need to know. Great, let's listen to it. M M, what happened last night? Are you really here? Joan Joan Joan, Joan, Joan, Hi Joone Lilick Up Joan. Oh my god, last night, Oh my god,

Oh my god, Oh my god, Oh my god. Last night, Mother said straight ahead, not to delay or be misled. I should have hated her advice, but she seems so. When your way, you're pining your on your oone in a world like no, like you've ever known that the sky is leading the earth to stone. You're free to do whatever pleases you, exploring things you'd never dare because you don't care. When suddenly there's a big, tall, terrible Joan.

It's not at the door, big you, tall, terrible lady John, sweeping the floor, and she gives you food, and she gives you rest, and she draws it close to her giant breast. I got so excited, I was too enthusiastic. Thank you for not laughing. Well, you laughed a little bit at one point when I was touching you and said I might lose consciousness, which you said was adorable. And I just have to trust that you don't think I'm an idiot or some kind of an animal. I

never left control due to overwhelming lust. But I must say, on changing my major to Joan, I'm changing my major to sex with Joan, I'm changing my major to sex and with Joan with a minor and kissing Joan for in study to Jones's inner thighs, a seminar on Jones' ass in her leviyes and jones crazy brown eyes. Joan, I feel like hercules. Oh God, that sounds ridiculous. Just keep on sleeping for this and I'll work on calming down so by the time you've woken up, I'll be cool.

I'll be collected, and I have found some dignity. But who needs dignity because this is so much better and radiating happiness. Will you stay here with me for the rest of the semester. We won't need any food. We'll live on sex alone. Sex with Joan. And she showed me things, many beautiful things that I have thought to explore. They were off my path, so I never had dared. I had been so careful, I never had cared, and she made me feel excited, well excited and scared. I

am writing a thesis on Joan. It's a cutting edge field and my mind is blown. I will gladly stay up every night too alone my compulsory skills with Joan, I will study my way on her spine familiarize myself with her well made outline while sheer researches mine. And do you think of all the things you've seen? And do you wish that you could live in will between and her back again, only different after the skares, And I know things now, many valuable things that I had

known before. Do not put your faith in a capa gothood. They will not protect you the way that they should. And to texture care with strangers. Even flowers have their dangerous and the scary is exciting. Nice. It's different than good. Yeah, genius, Oh my god. Okay, I love that because I feel like I never I feel like changing my major, changing my major never got it's full like moment. I feel like it's so good. Well, I feel like Ring of Keys,

like walked away with them. Also, that's also because Sidney Lucas was just transcended with that song, and because it's so like um, the feel of it isn't anthemic, but the the subject matter is like iconic and anthemic. But changing my major, I think is it's so funny and so beautiful and so moving and so like, oh my god, like I remember like that girl that you know that time in your life where it just awaken it awakens,

it awakens you. You feel like that's all you want to do is to like sleep with someone you know, like mash your body with someone else's body and just sit there and like watch them sleep so you can look at their cheek bins, you know, very evocative. So um and Into the Woods also part of that. I have a question for you, So are you a fan of the recent sort of renaissance of the movie musicals and do you like have you seen you know, did you see that? I would love to hear your opinion

on the Greatest Showman. I would love to hear, like what you think of the sort of adaptations that have been happening, and like what your thoughts are on all of them. I I'm a fan of anything that employs more theater people so and especially employs them in a thing that's going to make them a lot of money. I like Kiala Suttle, Come on, she performing the oscars,

Like that's how she did, you know? Like I'm thrilled and that sort of thing happens, I don't necessarily need to take it in like I will, like I went and saw into the Woods because that was my favorite show like for like all of adolescence, like like talk about okay, talk about like a culture moment like Aaron and I watched that so many times that like video yes, and Joanna Gleeson, who right, so brilliant being in the same show as Bernadette Peters as the Witch and you

win the Tony. Yeah, that's crazy. You know that's at that played at the Martin Beck which is now the Al Hirschfeld were Kinky Boots is so like, you know, sometimes I'm just going to work. I'm all right, I'm gonna sit here, I'm gonna take notes, blah blah blah. But then sometimes I, oh, my god, I am at this theater that I used to I used to watch

that stage on the daily. Like I go into the dressing room and say hey to somebody, I'm like, this is Berna at Peter's dressing room in seven when she has that hair, you know, I when I sometimes I'm able to take a step back and go like it's it makes that like it makes no sense to the adolescent me because it's like I wanted it so badly and now there's a part of me that can take

it for granted. Which is it. Yeah, he's just like I'm just doing my thing, not that it's like bad, just like, oh yeah, I'm just going to the stage door instead of like that's awesome, that's really cool. Like and and to never lose that sense of wonder as something I work to remind myself is important. You know. It's actually rule of number, rule of culture number twelve. As one said, never that sense of wonder. I think

that is such a good exercise and just perspective. Probably it's just like, yeah, you're sucking working at that theater. I don't know. And well, hold not one second. Okay, well let's talk about the movie musical again. That's what I'm saying. Can I just say again? Kala Settled performed on the Oscars, She got her most, she got a camera circling the stage in that quiet part of the bridge moment. She was amazing. She was bringing it home well.

And then even you have someone like Adina Menzel who was like a huge Broadway star but like America didn't know until until the wickedly talented Adel Dizise moment. God bless, I don't you know what I think people don't talk enough about that moment. Is the way he says, tell that's he is almost more mind blowing than I. Just it's just like, what are you doing now? I will never forget that for the rest of my life. You

never gets old. It's always a real scream. But but like that's something where it's just like she was already like headline and how many brought my shows and super famous and she was three cultural phenomenal and then but then she like does this thing. People like, oh, that's Elsa and it's like she's a different level. You know, she's a we say she's the Rihanna of the suburbs. She's the minivan Rihanna. That's actually really culture number sixty eight.

Dina Menzel is Rihanna. She is like I don't care for Rihanna. You know who I like Dina Manzell like the it's oh, that's good. She probably could have some more hits we can aspire to to career success. That it didn't please kidding money, I mean, who thought she was going to be part of three cultural phenomenons? If you don't think it will be four and five and six, honey, I don't think so, honey. Out when she did you

see if then yes, I did. It was it was not my favorite moment, decidedly not not the favorite moment ever. That moment when the curtain rises and she just goes it's me. I was like, oh, fuck, you like it. She's such a star. Of course you can be like,

it's me. She's a star. That's the thing is, It's like that show was a little tough and her it's so funny that her top note was just like that was like she didn't go higher than that, Like the score was very written like to her current A week is brutal, it's crazy, and I have to tell you, it wasn't like it was challenging, you know, when she still when I saw she sounded fair, she still she did. She sounded fierce and she can also act her ass

off and people forget that. People forget that Adina Menzel is a real musical theater actress. And it wasn't no mistake that alphabet became iconic. She certainly did, and you know, it's it's it's just not a mistake. At Dina Menzel, I think is someone that people like take for granted or make a lot of jokes about exclusively. Um, people like you, I mean like I'm part of this community. We all make like what you do. I've never made a joke at a Dina. You make it your career.

Bowen Yank goes on stage and it's a Dina Manzel cracks from the moment. That's whenever I've seen need to stand up. That's been the bulk of humans. Adina Menzel crap punched down at punches down at Ada. I gotta say I watched Frozen again this weekend after not seeing it since the theater. Oh my god, now we're going to get shape. No, no, no, because I've been known to shoot on Frozen. You have been to do that. I enjoyed it much more than this second time. In

Adina is a really good, really good voice acting. She's extremely talented. Have you heard or seen anything of Frozen? The musical I saw in Colorado? Was there? And how was it? It's fun? I mean, you know, I think it's hard to take a short film and adapt it for the big stage, you know, So it definitely was the kind of thing where I was feeling like, you know, I would enjoy this more if I were younger, you know. But everyone's doing great work and it looks beautiful and

there's some fist singing. Yeah I heard that. Let it Go is quite the moment. Yeah, well, I mean it's Casey Levey. So I talk about an instrument, Oh my god. Like I've saw her in hair and in first Daughter Suite at the Public and other stuff I'm forgetting, but like that is one of those voices that it's just like like you could bathe in it. Yeah, I would. I would definitely bathe an Amy Joe's voice, Darling, I've taken baths in it. I've taken baths in it, to

be honest. A moonlight swim, just a moonlight moonlight the vocals. We have to talk to Amy Joe about her Disney trip because you just went on a Disney trip recently. Yes, And also what my favorite thing about it is that you felt you felt yourself getting under the weather but soldiered through. Oh honey, I came home and three days later got other flu I am only now like recently over it. But you know, it's you know what it's because I was like, I'm not going to go back

to the hotel. We're going to Epcot. You know, no, you have that's actually a rule of culture. Number nineteen, you're going, don't go to the hotel. Okay, Well, we're so sorry to hear that you weren't feeling well. Well, it's all behind me now, thank god. All run til highlights of the trip. Well, we were talking a bit beforehand. Um,

so we went. It was my first time going when Pandora was open, and I have a friend who was actually one of my dressers on Mermaid, one of the three people that it took to get me in and out of the costume. And she shortly after Mermaid relocated down to uh Disney, she she was working there, and so then I saw her briefly the last time I was there, and I was like, Hey, I'm gonna be

I'm gonna be around. Are you still working this? She's like, oh no, I work at Pandora now and we've only been able to get a fast past Ford the River. I remember going messaging you like it's just like Flight of the Avatar situation. Is this gonna be worth waiting for six hours? You're like, well yes and no and Bud, but no, no, no. But it was useful because we're also like I was there with my parents and a friend and none of us are like super hardcore Parkers,

you know what I mean. We were like, I must complete this or I will fee. We were like, great, if we're gonna have to wait three hours, we are not doing it, you know. We there are things we would rather do with our time. So I messaged her and she was like, well, let me know when it gets closer, because I work a couple of those rides, so maybe I can work something kind of depending on

how things work out. So I'm like messaging her on Instagram and like the number I have to text her as like an old number, so I can't get there. We go on the river ride, which I thought was beautiful, like all that was like I love a like let me just sit down and look at ship. Okay, so it's beautiful, but it's also like it's boring, but it's you. It's not serene, but the animatronic at the end is pretty.

It's really cool, like and it's just I just sitting there like I'm just enjoying looking at like they had those leaves where and then you're seeing like the frogs on the other side of it, which you know, no, one's just a screen, but I'm like, it looks so cool. Like, I loved that. So we're like leaving that and I'm like, well, I haven't seen my friend Mamie. And I was like, well, I guess you know she she's working, so she probably

can't get back to me. So we're like we're literally walking out of the ride, like trying to get out, and she comes walking sway, so you know, it was great to see her because she's adorable and I love her. And then she was like, oh, you guys just wrote this. Let's get you over to the right up to the fast best line. Can you work some magic for these folks here today? And the like, sure can't. So we went straight to fast like a giddy So it's great.

And then it was so fun, it was incredible. It's just stunned saved it so so it turned out to be like one of those, like a truly magical Disney moment. It was great. And then we went so, you know, we did a bunch of that stuff and we went to Universal and so I hadn't been to Harry Potter World before, and again me liking a serene ride. My favorite part was the Hogwarts Express going back and forth. It's great. I just like to ride trains anyway. But it's so cute and it's all well done and like

I just thought it was. The attention to detail was incredible. That's really what fuels me. I'm like, I like this attention to I just want to go in the shops to look and see what they have up on the second level. We'll surely, I mean. The best part of of Diagon Alley and of hogs Mean is it is just so transportive. It's you walk in and it's literally

it's literally the shot from the film. Yeah, that's what's so crazy is that they were able to accomplish that, like whatever, it is like a trick of the eye, especially when you round the corner and you see hot warts of the first time. It is the iconic pick. Sure, but it's real and they make it look so much bigger than it is with that kind of like lands

that a few years ago we went. I was with my family and and Aaron and Jeff uh in London and we went to the studio tour, which we were all kind of like, whatever, this will be fine, and I had forgotten, like no movie magic is awesome, and they saved so much stuff because they didn't know what they'd be using from film to film because the books weren't done, and they have just so much of the

practical stuff there. So you go and there's the costumes everywhere and that basically they do like a little like intro video, and then you go into the Great Hall and you're there for like ten minutes, and then you have as long as you want to walk through the rest of the exhibit, so you can't be there for hours. They have like a little audio guide, and then at the end, the last big thing is the model of Hogwarts, which I was like, oh, this will be cool. Like

Jeff walked out ahead of me. I was like looking at some sketches and comes and he's like, you gotta come in your okay, And I walked. I did crying. Like it's just talk about attention to detail because it's so small and that's the kind of stuff that you like see on a DVD special features. I think like we were obsessed with Lord of the Rings in high school and college. I guess I was in college Arrows in high school, but like we like, here's a culture moment.

Aaron and I together saw a Lord of the Rings in theaters, uh Fellowship of the Rings eight times. Oh my god, what is that? Over almost thirty hours? About four hours, but like we saw it like over Christmas break and then we also went over the spring because I was still in theaters. But we were just like our whole group of friends was like so nerdy. We're like, well, I gotta go back. I gotta see those horses, and I gotta say those a lot of horses, you know.

And then you know, we saw the others a few times in theaters too, but not eight I will say, but the others, I'm sorry the hours in theaters, but not eight time. No, Tony Collett's presence, not withstand. I love that Tony coll love. You know. That puts you in the company of John Early. John really has great tastes. He does have taste. Um okay, I do love a good Tony Collette too, though she doesn't have you. So in high school, like I was obsessed with the Locus

a Wild Party. I got into it. She was clean, and I was like, oh my gosh, because I also loved Alan Coming, like I love that Emma with Gwyneth Paltrow and all of them. Like I watched that came out right at the appropriate time for me to be like, oh, Jane Austen, that sounds about rock. You know. I remember seeing it in theaters and being like this is highly enjoyable and who's this girl? And then like anything that

she was in, I was like, I'm on board. And so then listening to that, I was so into it. And still it's like that fits my voice so well, and I love Locusa. Like all of Locusa, I just want to sing all the time, which is hard because it's not an easy composed to bring into an audition room. So I have to do it just for my own pleasures. Is Emma, what what clueless is based on? Okay? Yes, yes, yes, yes, it really does open a lot of doors to culture.

I would say I think Clueless predates the Gwyneth Paltrow. Emma, that's probably you know. Jane Austen was out of fashion for a while. Yeah, now of course she Yeah, you can't. You can't turn around without Austin was just like, I

might be dead, but I'm alive. Through my work matches, she became huge And what do you mean, Jane Jane Austen, Yeah, I feel like like what like what I'm saying, like what if for some reason, Jane Jane Austen became like as big as if they make like posthumously Jane Austen all of a sudden, like set the world on from my circles, Jane Austen's much bigger than Selena. You're just

You're just hanging out with different folks. That's actually a role of culture number A hundred and one in our Jane Austen is much If they make the right movie, if they make the right adaptation, then like, yeah, like I want to see a modern is there a modern day Pride and predge? Can I gag for a second? Please? I just saw The Cruel Intentions musical because our friend Amanda Schekman is the swing for it and we saw her go on is uh Sarah Michelle Geller's part. It

was really fun. I haven't even seen the movie Movie is Naughty. In the nineties, I was seeing some things, but mostly I was just watching West Side Stories, so I missed a lot. Good for your stuff, Well, this is like a nineties jukee back musical, like they throw it. It's like very one of those, like they have like all the hits from the nineties, like the first song that Amanda's things Issa on they want to Walk Across the five. I don't even know what that is age

I've heard of her. This would be a good cultural moment for you to pick up on Melissa's you know what the amount of I listened very deeply to what I listened to, but I don't listen widely, So there's just a lot. But that's better because I'm I'm a little I cast two by even Nat and then like nothing stick. I just get so overwhelmed, you know when I think of what I don't that's fair, that's fair. I get off book on a very small number of things like I can do sometimes for you, which is

many lyrics, which is many lyrics. But I'm like, I know a couple of Mariah Carrie songs, sure, and she's great, but I just don't know you connect to? What you connect to? Is Sunhime number one for you? Um? Probably most formative, I would say, I mean as far as the composer that has my most number of favorite musicals, probably because like there's Into the Woods, Sweeney Todd. Obviously, I just think it's perfect. I love a little night music.

I can do that from this moment right now till the moment I literally die on stage mid show, because there's like to me from now until until. Yeah, if I could die on que I think that would be like I would have achieved some kind of zen state. Like that would be. All I could wish for is to like let the playing card gracefully fall off my hand and be like I'm out. You know how black? It was perfect? I did it. Then they just wheeled me off stage and I wouldn't come off for curtain

call and be like, oh, I hope she's okay. No, you saw die on stage? Did you see that little Night Music with um ms Zeta John? I did, and with stretched absolutely did you enjoy? I did? I mean like I thought it was very lush. And Aaron Lazar, if we want to talk about vocals for today's I ANSO think he's incredible performance. So he played Carl Magnus,

who's one who sings some praise of women. So I saw it with Aaron and my parents and like he goes up and the woman's and we just turned each other and like roll our eyes were like this guy seen the way that like I want to listen to it all the time. We also saw him because I saw Light in the Piazza a few times. I saw Matthew Morrison a couple of times, and then Aeron Lazar took over, and I'm like, I'm really interested to see how someone does after Matthew Morrison because I thought Matthew

Morrison was very charming and tender and beautiful. And then Aaron Lazar comes in because he also has a much more like operatic sound than Matthew Morrison. I was like, who are you? I think he's splendid. He is great. I saw him in the Last Ship. He's one of those people that I'd be like, olmos see a show because of that him. As far as like male vocalists, there's him, and then um Paul Nolan who was was in Bright Star. He was a little Bright Star with

Tom Cusin. And there's do you guys know Karmen Kiau back in the day when I used to go to the wormhole of defying gravity performances stand He has done Alphaba, she has I think done Christine in Phantom. I can't even remember, but it's just stuff. You're like different all that, but she can and effortlessly. And then just the two

of my brightest because they're also such incredible actors. I was just like, oh, hollwey, because I I love going to musicals, but I do feel often this singing is is more prioritized than the acting to unbelievable vocalists, like people who are like I, I can't believe your technique in the way it marries with your your intention and and the style, but who are also such deep, precise, incredible actors. I was just like, I couldn't believe what I was saying. But I also saw Paul Nolan in

once when I went to go see it. Who's playing the guy and just like his his his instrument is unbelievable if you can if you ever get a chance to see him perform. I don't know the guy. I think he's great. Stay with here, Lazar. I'm like, I will talk all day about people I think are talented. You know, I was so excited when I was going to see Wicked because I was going to see um Annalie Ashford who did go on Who's True Jams Glinda, and I was gonna see Stephanie j Block and Stephanie

j used her understoody. Sorry, it's you know that show that's not she marked defying gravity With Wicked, there's like the standbyes go on a lot because he's one of those shows that you probably shouldn't be singing eight shows a week, it's a lot. It's just it's very vocally rigorous.

It's it's one of those Well I did my first I don't think so honey on Wicked, so like it's not one of those shows I feel called to do um, but it is one of those that I've I've thought, like, man, that would be a great technical exercise and like, can I get my voice in shape to do that? Ship? You know? It's one of them, Like I mean, maybe I could, but I'd rather do it for another show because there are people who that is their story they long to tell, and I say, good bless go do

it you. Although you would say it's both alphabet and is not Immorrible or even Glenda, I would like to say, I would want to do Madam Morrible. I would want to do Monda came Glenda god Um. Wicked came out midway through my college experience, and so I didn't belt at that point in my life, like I just didn't know how I was like this legit soprano who was like, oh, maybe I have an alto as well, and that I just didn't know how to bring that up, but UM

like to bring it up through the chest. I'm talking to terms. Um. But I just remember a friend of mine being like, there's this new show called Wicked. There's a great part for you. Let me play you. And he starts playing my dear, my dear, and I was like, I know you're not trying to be mean, but you like all I do is play old women already. And I was like, what I think, Madame Morrible as a

role has aged very well totally. We have lighted. I think the part where she's like, um, as pressed secretary, Yeah, I want you should do that. You should email them people. Yeah. Of that she's up in the Harshfeld. That's it. Oh my god. And I think I think, um, we've now arrived, not at our finale song, but at the kudagra are

eleven o'clock number. If you will, I will of this episode, of which is I don't think so, honey, won't explain to the to the kids listening at home who may not know what I don't think so, honey, it's woll about I don't think, so, honey. Is UM a one minute unit of time in which you deliver an oral missive against something that you um that is just getting

your goat? So we all know, we all know the drill, we all know the Jolley have one minute, alright, So I think I will go first, which has kind of become canto. No. No, I think. I think if you go back and crunch the numbers, it's it's a pretty balanced frequency. But all right, this is Matt Rodgers as I don't think so honey, and his time starts now, I don't think so honey. Credit card minimums? Can I tell you something? Don't be talking all of the z

ZiT guist about bitcoin. We haven't like even figured out our money situation. Now, okay, listen, I want no credit card minimum is no one carries cash, there's none of it. I have my credit card and my debit card, and I need to be able to use it. If you're telling me that a credit card minimum is eight dollars, and I come to you with five dollars of stuff and you say, no, go get something, just no, I'm

not passionately shopping at your store anymore. You think I'm buying this extra kombucha, and now I have to and there's no joy there. You haven't given me a joyous experience. And that is part of your job as a shop keep. I don't think so, honey. These shop keeps who aren't putting um time into creating a good atmosphere by reinforcing or enforcing the rule that is a credit card minimum. Honey. I don't carry cash. I don't think it's a good idea to carry cash in the streets. I have money,

let me use it. I don't think so, honey. Credit card minimum one. Wow, I passionately agree with you. There should not be credit card minimums. And guess what, it's not like the machine won't work because it's about they change the law. What on? Like the percentage? Look at me talking about stuff I don't barely know about. Used to it was used to it was the same percentage,

I think, no matter what you bought. So they took certain percentages of like you're buying a dollar worth of something and they're taking like, you know, however many cents, but but it's all all at the same percentage. And so that was more just like an irritating thing because people just didn't want to run the credit card. Now, at least in New York City, I don't know how it works. Else work, but now they charge you more

if it's under a certain amount. So certain places like Starbucks, where they're doing a lot of business under a certain amount doesn't matter because the volume will cancel it out. But like a bodega isn't necessarily gonna so it. I don't know when that changed. It was in the last few years or so, and I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure that that's well I only vaguely understand, and I still don't know. It's still irritated, like, yeah, if I have cash, it's like a miracle venmous bodega,

that would be great. And then you go and they say, well, the A t M is over there, and you go over there, and it's like a three dollar charge. And I had definitely I mean, this doesn't happen anymore with the chip, but I've definitely had with like a bodega, A t M had one of those they can like put I found it from my bank after my credit card number got stolen. They have like someone can put in a little like insert into the machine. So you run it and it takes an imprint of it. Because

I was like, how did they get my number? I didn't lose my card and the bankers like, well did you ever use Like like yes, They're like okay, well what the scam is and like walk me through, like how someone can get your number? I don't understand how it works, but that's the gig. Well, I'm happy that everyone knows that. And I will say one thing before we move on, which is in relation to that. If you ever get a call from a number that you don't recognize and they ask you, is this so and so,

never say yes. Always say who's calling? Or this is he or she or whatever um because they can record you saying yes and use that to confirm purchases. This is just why I don't ever answer the phone. There you go, don't ever answer text me, email me. You hear that? Also, I would pay I would. I would green light a series of Amy Joe Jackson just with her elocution, just explain anything, green light, I'll thank you. One is big in the studio system. I've heard that.

I've heard that yes so, And speaking of Bowen, now is is I don't think so Honey and Bowen, I don't think so, Honey. On this the Amy Joe Jackson episode of Last Cultures, which will will be entitled She's up in the Hirshfeld, his time begins now, I don't think so, Hony. Airbnbs Upstate, bitch. I was trying to find a decent, well priced Airbnb for my spur of the moment trip to upstate New York, specifically Woodstock, New

York slash Stanfordshire, I believe. But anyway we ended up staying at this decrepit it might as well have been condemned, Honey. This terrible cottage was filled with you know, horrible little garage sailed chokes. The bed was functional, Honey. And I have to say, burn every wooden structure upstate and rebuild with iron. Honey, built glass buildings or iron buildings. I can't stay in these wooden buildings. They rotten. They they're horrible,

and I I don't think so, Honey. Going up state having a great time and then going to some dusty, disgusting, dank little room to sleep and to ruin the whole experience. That really just ruined the whole upstate experience. I'm so sorry, that that happens. That's the kind of wooden building to be folksy, not like I needed a folks see. You know what bespoke Is that the right word? But I just wanted a nice little you wanted to rustic experience. Rustic is the word he was looking for, not to spoke.

This is the second time and Historical and Historic Occasion have corrected Bowen on his grammatical and saying I would remind the audience. I would remind the audience that Matt tried has said the word what was it instead of instead of superstitious? That's fine. I think that's fine. Okay, all right, So this is Amy Joe Jackson's I don't think so, honey. And then after Amy Joe Jacksons, I don't think so honey, we are going to debut a new segment before the final number. Uh, Amy Joe Jackson,

you're I don't think so honey. Time begins now, I don't think so honey. Pe who find out how old I am and then tell me they're shocked because I look so much younger than that, and are thinking I should take it as some kind of compliment. I don't think I wanted for a couple of reasons. One, you've reminded me of a very painful professional reality, which is I don't look old enough for the parts I should

be playing just rub salted alone. But more importantly, I don't think, so, honey, this fetishization of youth, this idea that we're supposed to be flattered, to be told we look like infants. I don't think so honey. Yes, do I take care of my scarnest horse. I don't want skin cancer slash. I would love to look like Helen Mirrow when I am her age, but that is to say I just want to look stunning. I don't want to look twenty too. I have experience, I have skill,

I have wisdom. I have more self confidence and more assuredness because I am a woman who is thirty four will be thirty five in June. It was a mess of twenty six. She wants to be twenty six. It was fine, it's better now. That should be the biggest compliment I could receive. I don't think, so honey. That is one minute, my goodness, stunning and totally on time. That is, I don't know. That's a stunner of it.

I don't think that was amazing and you know what, it was literally exactly one minute long, not a not a verb over. Here's okay, Amy, would you accept this as a compliment your skin when I walked in the room radio, what you can say instead of something like your skin looks amazing where you have such great skin and I do have? Yeah, Well, even I mean, there's like, here's the thing. You don't know what is going on

with a particular person. So even like we we say a lot of stuff that's like, oh my god, you like have you lost weight? You look great? But like, for instance, I have a very dear friend who went through a terrible illness in the last couple of years and she's much better now, but she was like it was scary, really scary, and for a while there, like she was in and out of the hospital but was trying to keep it on the download so that like it wouldn't affect work, so a lot of people didn't

know about it. She got very thin, it was already like a thin person to begin with, and apparently people were coming up to her and being just like, oh my god, you look amazing with your secret She's like, I don't know, almost death, but she can't say that you know, so it's just like you just don't know. But there are ways to say the spirit of what you're trying to say without well. And also like I think we're all taught to take like you look young as a compliment. You know what I hate too is

when I get carded. When I can tell that they are trying to flirt with me or flatter me. It's different when like, say you're in Boston or like a universe. I was just working in Syracuse. That's a university town. The card everybody. That makes sense. You have to be super strict because there's a lot of people trying to get in places they shouldn't be. I have a problem

with that. I have a problem with when it's someone who's clearly trying to like flatter me, Like that doesn't flatter me because I do not look like I'm twenty. I don't want to look like that. I have a round face when I buzz my hair. It makes more sense because that's more of an extreme choice. Somebody it's bigger. But even then I was like, I don't, actually, you don't.

Actually I think I'm twenty, But you think that that's going to flatter me because as we're all socially told we're supposed to look like we're in our mid twenties at most and we have no value as we get older. I just think that's such bullshit. It pisces me, it makes me. I right in those moments, I'm like, this is this is a stranger. I don't need to give them this much. I don't engage with them. But it's hard. Yeah, it's tough, but yeah, and quote Amy Joe Jackson, who

who needs to be twenty six? Who wants to And we're twenty I'm twenty eight now and yeah, we're just right now and it's really hard. Um, So we are about to save you a new segment and you're the first. So this is called and tell me if you like this name voice Mamo, you bitch O. We're gonna have some fan favorites, some uh, people we've had on the show. Some people send in some voice memos, um and uh we're gonna hear what they have to say and we're

all going to discuss their thoughts and opinions. Our voice memo You Bitch is today from Joel Kim Booster, friend of the show Culture War judge iconic young man. UM, it's clocking in at five minutes, so we'll see, we'll see. Let's let's hear. I have not heard this yet. One second. Hello those Cultures its booster. Some of you might remember me as the very first return guests that Lost Cultures has has ever seen. That's right, Um, it was me. It was not that Reagan, despite what he might say

that if it didn't air, it didn't happen. That's like one of the first rules of podcasting that they wrote down, coming hard for the villain. I started podcasting the first podcast. Anyways, I'm here UM once again, the first as the very first voice memo correspondent. I'm huge to talk about my

favorite show, RuPaul's Drag Race. Some of you also might know this about me, but I did once recap RuPaul's Drag Race for Vulture New York Magazines online entertainment blog UM, and I went back to do that again this past year for all starts three. And they said that someone had um taken the job from me, that two younger, umless funny people had approached them and funny at me

and stolen the job right out from under me. And I was very dismayed to find out what those people were actually my two close friends Matt Rogers and Bow and Yang Um. So it was um the least that they could do to let me record this message to talk about some thoughts I had about the show. So let's get into it. I just want to talk about um my top four and those people are Monet Exchange from New York. I love Money. I think she's so funny and so um beautiful on the show. I think

she's so talented. I was not excited about Money going into the seasons. I don't know why. I think it was partially because I think five New York queens is just so many, Like New York and drag race is sort of like Russia and figure skating and that like they should only allow to compete in the Olympics, you know, like the like they only allowed to Russian girls because there are like seven Russian girls that are the best in the world, that are so much better than anybody else,

any other country you could send. And it's just like it's a boring watch. And that's sort of how I feel about them, Like give us more queens from like Cincinnati, Ohio or what I've been year. Claire the first Indiana queen we've seen, Like, give us more flyover queens. That's what I want to see seasons because they're kind of bad and sometimes that makes for a good TV. UM. I did not love her sponge stressed look, but I still think she should be in the top three four.

I don't know why that that doesn't make any sense. That's a contradiction, but guess what, Like, I am allowed to contradict myself, and honestly, I am allowed to take anything I say back um from these voice memos because I am a gay person living in Johns, America, and that is a right that is still afforded to me. It has not been taken away from me yet, So I reserve the right to just reverse myself several times within the span of this voice memo. My number two

pick is MS Cracker, also from New York. I think she had is so funny and beautiful and it has an incredible pedigree to do well on the show. She's Bob's drag daughter, UM, and I love that she's giving us like shades of Sasha Valure, that headiness, that creativeness. But she's fun to watch. Thinks gave us one of the top ten gags of the show's history. But she was not fun TV, and so I would love to

see more fun from miss Cracker. I love that she said her brand was stupid, like give us more stupid, stupid bitch, you know, like don't give us a mimact on the runway, and like some high concept shit like be funny. I don't want to see some sad widow with your downturned eyebrows um on the runway. I don't know. I thought the litter is gag, though I thought she should put her at the time. Um My number three

is Monique Hart so beautiful. I think she was robbed from the top three, as specifically robbed by you ha which um. I know that this is going to sound unfair, but bowen um. As a Chinese person, you are responsible for everything that she says and does. Actually aroblematic. She does is sort of by extension your fault, so keep that in mind. Collect your people. I know that sound unfair, but that is how um the world's works. Everybody's watching.

I hope that she does better for your sake. I was almost going to pick Mayhem for this spot, but I think that Mayhem Um, I love her. I think she's beautiful, and I want her to do well. But anybody who cries that much on reality television is not a crime. I'm sorry. They are going to set her up so so high only to knock her down. We're going to see her crime many many more times. Um this season, I can you it, um my number four spot. Matt, you have already given me shade for this online. It's

a joharra. I think she's beautiful. I think she's one of the fishies queens this season. I think that beat Look at that fucking face and tell me one legendary. I think she comes from a prestigious pageant past, which you know, like Coco, like Alyssa, like Kennedy Devonport. I think she's going to do well. Um, she can slay lip sync. I think she's beautiful, and Matt, for you to give thrust shade at me for picking her just makes you a dumb white bitch. You are the dumbest

person I think I've ever met. Um and I wear both those things. Our conversation online about a jo here, and you will feel ashamed because she will be in the top, and you will feel so stupid. If she does go home next week, I again reserve the right to say that she was never in my top four.

I never said that recorded. Once again, I will deny, deny, deny, and you will never Um, You'll never hear me say that I am wrong because, um, when talking about this show, you can't ever really be wrong because what is this show? There are no rules. Anyways, those are my thoughts. I love you both, goodbye, Okay, Well that's our first voice. Mem oh you bitch, and I I think he said a lot of groundbreaking things. I don't think Asia belongs to the Top four unless she really turns it out.

Are you watching this season? Come on? Yeah? Devoted? What about you? Who are your favorite? I love Money, Yeah, Monique Heart. I'm also really into favorite. Yes, absolutely sensation just like gag for her, I was like adorable, so funny, and then and then crackers, like back and forth with the judges. I was like, where did I get professional?

I've been following most of them on Instagram for ages anyway, because that's like half of what I follow on Instagram and dragqueons yeah same, but um, I haven't seen her perform live, and I was like, well, We're gonna get some some good stuff out of this. She's great life, She's got some great old griddld mixing. I don't think that he's wrong that Asia is. I don't think Asia will go home soon. I just don't think she's top four. Sure, um, well on that. Let's listen to Amy Joe's last number. Yes,

now this is gonna take us out. Amy Joe, thank you literally so much for being here, A true like dream, delight, pleasure to be here. Well, it's our honor to expose your glorious talent and let everyone know again that Amy Joe Jackson isn't I want to be your man on it. You brought thirteen at nine pm. This is one night only people at green Room forty two in New York City. And a quick little tip is that tickets are five

dollars more at the doors. So book We always love to see the bookings in advantage your friends a favor. If you know you're going by a goddamn advance, we're having a heart attack on the day, goddamn it. All right, So, um, briefly, so this next piece uh is from a show called The Lion, which played off Broadway a few years ago. So my friend Ben Shawyer, who I've known. We weren't in college together, but we were both in college in

Boston at the same time. So I've known him since I was like eighteen, and he's a singer songwriter and and has written some musicals, like just a regular book musical type thing as well as like he's played with the band for many years. And I like would run into him in the city a lot, and I ran into him. We were both like rehearsing the same buildings, like, Oh, I have this show, uh, and I missed it in the first go round and then it got remounted down

UM on Bleaker Street. I was like, oh, I've got to go now that I can see this and it's UM. Basically, the the overall idea is it's him like a coming of age story and also grapples a lot with the death of his father at a young age. But he plays like six different guitars. He's an incredible guitarist, and he writes all these songs um, and it's the show is like an hour fifteen maybe, and I just like felt all the films because its so funny and so beautiful.

And then at the end of the show, you find out like this is something I didn't know about him because we weren't close at this point in his life, but like he struggled with cancer for a few years and like it was a really dark time. So this, I mean, I was sitting next to someone who like we had known each other, were from like mutual friends, but we hadn't met. We ended up sitting next to one another, the amazing pianist to Drew what keep and

we were like, oh my gosh, it's you, babbabla. So we're sitting there basically just having met, holding hands, weeping because it was so incredible. So this song, in the context of the show, is his girlfriend. He's telling the story of a squirlfldness though it's a girlfriend's perspective. So it's kind of a gender band moment because he sang it, but it's it's meant to be the girlfriend character he

talks about. You. You're bending the gender band always. Well, let's listen, yes, and thank you guys so much for listening. This is Amy Joe Jackson enjoy and with with of course, with Henry Koperski sounding lovely as well. Here we go. I'm going to the invisible cities, where the pace is different than the one we know. I'm bringing only one not so big suitcase, and I might ask you to

send some things. I need a little time to explore the world alone, make some friends who have never met you, speak a language you don't know, do some dances unfamiliar, and some clothes you'll never see. I might lose a little you there, but in your place I'll fine a bit more me. I met a puppy. His name is Arturo, and he rests his pointy face on my shoulder when I'm lying in bed here in an invisible city. I'm not a woman, and her name is Nutty, and she

lets me share her bed with her. Me and our terrow. I need a little time to explore the world alone. Eat the food I've never tasted, Drink the wine i've never known, feel the kisses of a lover, someone sweet and dark and new. I might lose a little me there, but in my place I'll find a bit more you. And if you ask, through all these months of exploration, have you found the thing you were looking forward last? I would explain. When I haveve in each new city,

I find again a past of mine. I did not know I have, and so I'm taking time to explore the world alone. Don't expect a lot of phone calls. I don't know when I'll come home. It could be and the summer, but more likely and the full And maybe then you'll see me you were the first time, really see me, and I'll cease to feel invisible at all. Forever. This has been a Forever Dog production executive produced by

Brett Bahum, Joe Cilio, and Alex Ramsey. For more original podcasts, please visit Forever Dog Podcasts dot com and subscribe to our shows on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Keep up with the latest Forever Dog news by following us on Twitter and Instagram am at Forever Dog Team, and liking our page on Facebook. M