Furious Thoughts – "The Salmon Wall Returns"

Podcast: Furious Thoughts
Host: CAKE MEDIA (Kid Fury)
Episode Title: The Salmon Wall Returns
Date: February 24, 2026
Guest: Char Johnson (award-winning journalist, NABJ LA president, NPR/Variety contributor)

Episode Overview

This episode marks the return of Furious Thoughts, with Kid Fury embracing both his seasoned wit and his self-proclaimed "old queen" perspective on internet culture. With trademark candor, humor, and a bit of vulnerability, Fury aims to "return to form," promising rapid-fire thoughts, pop culture analysis, and guest conversations. The show’s central theme is regaining connection to the culture without losing sight of personal authenticity, all while confronting the absurdities of modern life.

A highlight of the episode is the interview with Char Johnson, who brings warmth, journalistic insight, and real talk about the changing landscape of media, culture, and dating.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Return to Furious Thoughts – Kid Fury’s State of Mind

• Aging, Alienation & Comfort: Fury recounts how aging has shifted his priorities, now valuing "me time" (+ video games, Cool Ranch Doritos, and his dog).
  • "[Furious Thoughts is] all about me returning to form, getting back into the mind and soul of that plucky young butch queen..." (01:17)
• Disconnection from Pop Culture: Admits to not knowing about “Love Island, Laboos, TikTok, Candace Owens,” embracing the disconnect.
• Return to Opining: The podcast is a vehicle to reconnect with culture and reclaim a younger, bolder version of himself.

2. Rapid-Fire Rants, Humor & Social Commentary

On Queer Male Visibility

• Theatrics in Public: Fury gently ribbing gay men who “turn the fag up” in public for validation:
  • "You don't have to Shablam or Death drop...It's okay to just say hello, talk about the weather." (03:35)

The Golden Girls & TV White Lies

• Fat Jokes on TV: Questions why iconic shows used “fat” as a punchline for thin women.
  • "What was the purpose of that lie?...Still a great show. You should watch it if you haven't." (06:10)

Communication Pet Peeves

• Voice Notes vs. Calling: Fury laments the rise of long voice notes over actual phone calls.
  • "Stop sending me these fucking lengthy ass Deathly Hollows. Part 2 ass voice notes, bitch. I'm not gonna listen to it." (09:08)

Gay Sexual Etiquette

• Flaking After Preparation: Calls out tops who flake after a bottom "fleets" (prepares).
  • "Fleeting for no reason is an unforgivable if...You should go to jail..." (10:12)

Absurd Pop Culture Thoughts

• Toy Story Voting Preferences: Speculates on the voting habits of Toy Story characters with quintessential irreverence.
  • "Buzz is for sure maga...Rex is for sure voting Kamala. He's gay." (13:39)

Gym Etiquette & Societal Fears

• Wipe Down the Equipment: Appalled at dirty gym habits post-COVID.
  • "How did you niggas survive Covid?...Why would you think I want to do hamstring curls in a puddle of your sweat?" (15:30)
• Alien Invasion Satire: Predicts humanity’s failure if aliens arrive due to lack of cooperation.

American Infrastructure/Random Observations

• Waste-to-Energy Plants: Wonders why only a handful of states have them, with characteristic shade.

Club Behavior & Coming Out

• White Club-Goers, Missed Opportunities: Mocks white people in West Hollywood clubs, and muses on missing out on coming out late for attention/career gain.

Gadgets & Nostalgia

• Hotel Phones & Buttons: Rants about useless hotel phones and misses the tactile joy of buttons.

Culture & Music Mashups

• Gospel + Crunk Mashups: Both irritated and amused by gospel/hip-hop song remixes at events.

Subtitles & Generational Curiosity

• Subtitles on Everything: Jests about the ubiquity of subtitles for native-language films and the irony of internet illiteracy.

Sex Positivity & Critique

• Pussy Compliments (and Criticism): Encourages frankness and receptive attitudes in intimate feedback.

Embarrassing Fears

• Being Caught Singing Bad Music: Comedic anxiety about being caught enjoying corny songs.

"Woke" Terminology

• Misuse of "Woke": Rants against misunderstanding and misapplication of "woke" by mainstream society.
  • "Woke ain't got nothing to do with you. You're using it incorrectly...Most of you who have a problem with woke this and woke that need all the woke you can get because you are dumb as all outside." (23:08)

Elon Musk & Technology

• Focus on Real Issues: Jokes about Musk needing to fight mosquitoes instead of making Cybertrucks.

3. Reflections & Show’s Evolution

• Personal Growth: Fury revisits his journey from "19-year-old editing in his parents' house" to a more inward, comfort-seeking, but now re-engaged adult.
• Podcast Vision:
  • Return to rapid-fire thoughts
  • Guest interviews (“communication, growing up, view of the world, Beyoncé’s greatness”)
  • Blend of personal honesty, culture, and humor

Interview: Char Johnson (25:53–67:01)

Introduction:

Fury extols Char as an “award-winning, red carpet icon,” NPR and Variety contributor, and friend (25:53).

Notable Quote:

Char: “Oh my God, what an intro. You got me over here blushing.” (25:57)

How They Met

• Char first met Fury as a fan at years-ago live show in Chicago (2015).
• Impact: Fury’s moving to NY inspired Char’s own leap to LA.
• “You just made such a strong impression...I want to get to know more about her.” (27:36)

Navigating Today’s World

• Stepping Back from News Cycle:
  • Char and Fury both discuss media burnout and anxiety from overwhelming, non-stop bad news.
  • “Now everybody's just kind of like, well, girl, they're bulldozing.” (28:50)

State of Communication/Journalism

Char’s Perspective:

• Rise of AI & Influencers:
  • Discomfort as AI writes stories and even replaces influencers themselves.
  • “There's a certain skill that an education and really locking in and studying the craft can give you versus if, you know, you rise to fame doing a dance on TikTok…” (31:00)
• Vulnerabilities with AI: Concern about deepfakes, manipulated clips.
• Media Literacy Crisis:
  • “People react to rage bait. People have an immediate reaction without...confirming if something is actually real.” (32:16)
• Loss of Standards: The lack of regulation has serious consequences.

Apps & Social Media

• TikTok: Char confesses, “That damn TikTok…I used to read at night…one night…just play with TikTok and before I knew it, it was 4:30am.” (35:36)
• Twitter Nostalgia:
  • Both reminisce about Twitter’s “golden age”—real celebrity access, brand deals, and pre-celebrity mass adoption.
    • “For me, it was my morning paper…The real verifications and having access…” (39:03)
  • Discuss brand quirks: both received gifts/sponsorships via Twitter (Zaps chips, Perrier water).
• Current Platforms: Disappointment in Threads (“I don’t care what [Instagram people] think”) and BlueSky (“a little dry”), and how the social media space has grown combative and toxic.
  • “It's so violent. And there's no guardrails. You could say good morning, and then you're called slurs for six days.” (41:46)
  • Char recounts a hacked journalist account and lack of support from X/Twitter (42:57).

Defining Journalism

• Journalist vs. Host:
  • “Journalism is a living word…rooted in truth telling...a code of ethics.”
  • Importance of active listening, getting to the truth, and providing the information people care about.

Notable Quote:

Char: “You can call yourself a journalist, but it’s a wide umbrella.” (48:58)
Fury: “There’s a style and an approach and an intent that comes with good journalism.” (49:41)

Dating & Desirability in LA

• Pandemic + Apps: Zoom dates and safety; both see apps as shallow and transactional.
• Black Women and Desirability Politics:
  • Char: “A lot of men want the girl...where all the other dudes are like, 'Damn, that's you.' And unfortunately, a lot of black women don’t get that reaction in this city.” (54:14)
  • Discusses the additional complications of interracial dating and family prejudice.
  • “Even if he's not a monster, his family is.” (55:35)
• Fury: Agrees, observes similar patterns for queer folk in LA.

"Our Things"—Cultural Appropriation of Black/Queer Vernacular

• Loss of Queer/Black Slang:
  • “I've noticed...our words, our terminology, our vocabulary...have just become jokey, fun, chitter chatter for the world.” (58:51)
• Char’s Reaction:
  • "We are the pop culture zeitgeist...if we disappeared tomorrow, these people would not know what to do." (60:31)
  • Frustration with rebranding of AAVE as “Gen Z slang.”
  • Appropriated terms lose context and meaning ("trade," "on fleek," "fish," etc.).
  • On drag race/ballroom influence: “I don't know if that's RuPaul's Drag Race's fault or...Legendary's fault...we move all needles.” (60:12)
• Impact on Trans Women:
  • Non-black, non-queer people’s slip-ups become burdens for the entire community, particularly Black trans women.
  • “When they misspeak, when they do something crazy...we are then tasked to answer for it...That is a disservice and it’s unfair to us.” (64:21)

Final Question: What Would You Make Trend?

Char’s Answer:

• Global Viral Trend: “Checking your sources before you react or post.” (66:09)
  • “That would stop a whole lot of stuff…Fact checking in real time.”
• Fury: “SILENT applause.” (66:49)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Public Queer Energy:
  “There’s no reason that you have to be RuPaul and Stimpy every single time that you meet a straight person…” (03:28)

• On Voice Notes:
  “Stop sending me these fucking lengthy ass Deathly Hallows. Part 2 ass voice notes, bitch.” (09:08)

• On AI in Journalism:
  “He delighted in having AI replace jobs because AI doesn’t form unions...AI does not want a raise.” – Char (34:06)

• On Journalistic Standards:
  “Are you an active listener? Or do you just got your ten bullet points in your head and you don't know how to monkey bar and segue?” – Char (48:14)

• On Black/Queer Cultural Appropriation:
  “We are the pop culture zeitgeist...If we disappeared tomorrow, these people would not know what to do.” – Char (60:31)

• On Misuse of “Woke”:
  “Woke ain’t got nothing to do with you. You’re using it incorrectly.” (23:08)

• Char’s Viral Trend Answer:
  “Checking your sources before you react or post. That would stop a whole lot of stuff.” (66:09)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:00 – Show intro; Fury’s aging and shifting priorities; “Returning to Form”
• 03:35 – Plea to public gay men to “turn it down” for sanity
• 06:10 – The Golden Girls and “fat” tropes on TV
• 09:08 – Voice notes vs. classic phone calls rant
• 10:12 – Flaking on dates & gay sexual etiquette
• 13:39 – Toy Story characters’ voting patterns
• 15:30 – Fury on gym etiquette and societal failings
• 23:08 – "Woke" is misused and misunderstood
• 25:53 – Char Johnson’s segment begins
• 28:50 – Media burnout and news overload
• 31:00 – On AI, influencers, and journalism's future
• 35:36 – TikTok’s time-suck and cultural reach
• 39:03 – Twitter’s “golden age,” brands, and cultural shifts
• 42:57 – X/Twitter: Security, hacks, and platform attrition
• 48:58 – “Are you a journalist?”—defining the term
• 54:14 – Dating in LA and black women’s desirability politics
• 58:51 – Cultural and linguistic appropriation of queer/black vernacular
• 60:31 – “We are the pop culture zeitgeist...” (Char)
• 66:09 – Char’s answer: “Checking your sources” as the essential trend

Episode Tone & Style

• Language: Candid, often unfiltered, blending deadpan humor, queer vernacular, and cultural satire.
• Guest Dynamic: Warm, funny, deeply honest; lots of shared history and mutual respect.

For New Listeners

This episode is a perfect blend of irreverent humor, real talk, and cultural critique. Whether you’re a longtime Kid Fury fan or just tuning in, expect sharp social commentary, the reintroduction of a beloved voice, and a fantastically insightful guest segment with Char Johnson that covers everything from AI anxiety to the heart of black, queer cultural innovation.