495: Choosing Love (w/ Gala Avary)

Summary

High and Mighty Podcast Summary: Episode 495 – "Choosing Love" (w/ Gala Avary)

Release Date: December 5, 2024
Host: Johnny G
Guest: Gala Avary

---

Introduction

In Episode 495 of High and Mighty, host Johnny G welcomes guest Gala Avary to delve into the profound and timely topic of "Choosing Love." The episode, characterized by its signature blend of humor and deep discussion, explores the myriad ways in which love can be an intentional choice in both personal relationships and broader societal interactions.

---

Defining "Choosing Love"

Gala Avary initiates the conversation by distinguishing "choosing love" from the notion of a mere "happy ending" in narratives and real life.

[05:19] Gala Avery: "I think love is a choice, and that you should choose it. Especially in a time where there is a lot of hate and vitriol."

Johnny G concurs, highlighting the complexities involved in making love a deliberate choice.

[05:57] Johnny G: "Choosing love seems, on paper, like the right move to do generally in life. But it doesn't always end in happiness."

This sets the stage for a nuanced exploration of love's role in personal fulfillment and societal harmony.

---

Exploring Love Through Movies

The discussion pivots to how various films encapsulate the theme of choosing love, using them as lenses to understand the concept better.

Frantic

Gala introduces Frantic, emphasizing its portrayal of a man deeply affected by the loss of his wife.

[10:48] Gala Avery: "It's like when you choose love, you're committing to staying with the person you've promised yourself to."

Johnny adds his appreciation for the film's mature handling of love and sacrifice.

[12:53] Johnny G: "It's very mature... But it's because she's so magnificent and interesting."

Altered States

A cornerstone of Gala's movie repertoire, Altered States serves as a critical example of the struggle between scientific obsession and emotional connection.

[17:23] Gala Avery: "He's doing something that will bring him back to a place where he can love her if he succeeds."

The film's climax, where the protagonist chooses love over his transcendent scientific quest, underscores the episode's central theme.

[23:7] Gala Avery: "He chooses love, and it's just this really psychedelic, beautiful moment."

Bugsy Malone

Gala offers a pitch for Bugsy Malone, highlighting its unique approach to gangster films using child actors and symbolism to advocate for choosing good over evil.

[32:02] Gala Avery: "The whole premise of the movie is like, you can be a bad guy and you can choose to be good."

She emphasizes the transformative power of choosing love and goodness, irrespective of one's past.

[34:11] Johnny G: "This is relatable... what are you choosing? Because you're not pursuing, you're choosing an answer."

---

Personal Insights and Psychological Perspectives

The conversation shifts to personal anecdotes and psychological techniques that embody the principle of choosing love.

Intentional Positivity and Self-Love

Gala shares her journey towards embracing intentional positivity, a practice that emphasizes choosing happiness and love despite life's challenges.

[07:12] Gala Avery: "It's about the connections that you have with other people... even a random compliment can change someone's day."

Johnny relates this to his own experiences, discussing the balance between self-deprecation humor and genuine self-love.

[38:43] Johnny G: "Self-deprecation requires self-love to not internalize negative perceptions."

Techniques for Cultivating Love

Gala introduces practical methods for fostering love within oneself and towards others, such as positive self-talk and sincere compliments.

[37:34] Gala Avery: "Write the negative thought on one side of a notebook and counter it with a positive thought on the other side. It rewires your neural pathways."

She also underscores the significance of small acts of kindness in building meaningful connections.

[54:19] Johnny G: "If we all extended our circle of care by about 10%, no one would feel uncared for."

---

Application in Daily Life

The hosts delve into actionable ways to implement the concept of choosing love in everyday interactions.

[55:20] Gala Avery: "Smiling at a stranger or giving a genuine compliment can profoundly impact someone's day."

Johnny echoes the sentiment, recognizing the ripple effect of such simple gestures.

[57:03] Johnny G: "Extend our community by 10% with this umbrella... more shade for everyone everywhere."

They discuss the importance of authenticity in interactions, ensuring that expressions of love and kindness are genuine and not misconstrued.

[55:58] Gala Avery: "When you genuinely feel something about someone, it makes the compliment meaningful and uplifting."

---

Concluding Thoughts

As the episode draws to a close, Gala and Johnny reflect on the essence of choosing love as a life philosophy. They emphasize the transformative power of intentional love, not just in romantic relationships but in all facets of human interaction.

[59:35] Gala Avery: "We're all people. We're all in this together. We are all part of the same neighborhood."

Johnny adds a forward-looking perspective, encouraging listeners to embrace love as a unifying force, especially in times of societal division.

[60:07] Johnny G: "Gala listeners, let's go out there and choose love. Especially now, where things are happening."

---

Final Encouragement

The episode wraps up with a heartfelt plea to listeners to actively choose love in their daily lives, fostering a more compassionate and connected community.

[60:25] Gala Avery: "Choose to live and choose to love and just choose to be with those who you really care about, because that's what's most important."

Johnny and Gala leave listeners with a renewed sense of purpose, urging them to make intentional choices that prioritize love and understanding.

---

High and Mighty Episode 495 serves as a compelling exploration of "Choosing Love," blending cinematic analysis with personal growth strategies. Gala Avary and Johnny G effectively communicate the importance of making conscious choices to foster love, resilience, and meaningful connections in an increasingly fragmented world.

Transcript

[Johnny G]

What's up, shitheads? Welcome back to another episode of High and Mighty. It's me. Oh, boy. The number one fuck boy, Johnny G, from the south shore of Nassau county, long Island. Standing 6 foot 2, 300 and something pounds. He can't bring himself to weigh himself anymore until he starts seeing a two in the front. Also joining me in the High Mighty studio. All you gotta do is trust me. Jackson, Maine. I almost forgot you. I can't believe you almost had the opportunity to leave me in the dust and you chose not to. Well, I love the Lady Gaga Bradley Cooper star is born, in which you are the main character. One of the main characters. Oh, yeah, I'm off the deep end. Also joining me in the High Mind studio is my nearly silent co host, Arthur Gabris. Arthur, of course, of course, is my dog, who is deceased, but he is living on spiritually in this studio. And Emma, if. If you turn up his track, his spirit track, you can hear him right now. Also joining me in the High Mighty studios. I've been on her podcast. This is her time on mine. Our podcasts are so similar in premise that I don't even know the topic she wants to discuss. Put your fucking hands together. From the gala show. It's Gala Avery. Grr.

[Gala Avery]

Standing at 5 foot 10 and 130 pounds. I'm here and ready to brawl.

[Johnny G]

Hell yeah, you are.

[Gala Avery]

I am tall and I am £130. On a good day. I hope that the wind does not blow me away, John.

[Johnny G]

Well, the Santa Anas are coming for you.

[Gala Avery]

I better buckle down.

[Johnny G]

Yeah, get your lead tap shoes on to hold you down. Get your magnet boots, like face off to protect you from getting.

[Gala Avery]

Clunk, clunk, clunk, clunk, clunk.

[Johnny G]

Activate. Magnetism. Winds are picking up. Gala is at risk. Why'd she wear a parachute as a style option today?

[Gala Avery]

It's what's in. It's what the algorithm told me to do.

[Johnny G]

Gala. This is so exciting for me. Also maybe the first time ever we've started an episode of High and Mighty without knowing what the topic might be.

[Gala Avery]

I know, it was funny because when you came on my show, you. As I mentioned before we were recording, you gave me the courtesy of knowing what your topic was, and I did not give you the courtesy of knowing what mine is. I'm not a very good guess.

[Johnny G]

Well, I wasn't. Well, I'm not a very good host, so I wasn't gonna do any research or anything like that. Of like, oh, I better watch these 11 movies from this. I mean, There's a chance that I'm completely out of my depth here and not knowing exactly what we're gonna.

[Gala Avery]

I mean, maybe, maybe not, but I think you're gonna be okay. You. You tend to do fine.

[Johnny G]

This is me just having insane confidence in my polymathic likes and dislikes and knowledge, my general. My jack of all trades, master of none. But your podcast is a very similar premise. And I saw you. I saw you post on Instagram, like, I have to go on a podcast where I choose the topic. What should I choose?

[Gala Avery]

And I was like, I had no idea. I was like, everyone always asked me, if you had 30 minutes to talk about whatever you wanted, what would you talk about? I'm like, I don't know. Like, what do I feel like talking about? So I kind of, like. I gave it to my Instagram, and I was like, hey, guys. Like, what should I talk about? Like, what do you want to hear me talk about? I had some, like, really funny responses. Someone told me just to talk about trains for, like, an hour because they know I'm obsessed with trains, no matter how. It's actually not trains. I want to get this straight. It's train derailments that I'm interested in, not trains.

[Johnny G]

I'm obsessed with public transit and train travel. Not so much derailments, but we could.

[Gala Avery]

I like a derailment. So. And then someone else was like, talk about your dating life. And I'm like, you don't want to hear that train wreck. Like, absolutely not.

[Johnny G]

Another kind of derailment.

[Gala Avery]

Another kind of derailment. And then other people are like, oh, talk about being vegetarian. And I'm like, how preachy can I get as, like, an LA cat California white girl? Like, oh, I'm vegetarian. And then everyone else is like, horror movies, because it was October, right? And someone out there, a few people recommended me a topic, and I was like, oh, this kind of has a through line. Because someone was saying, talk about Bugsy Malone, since it's your favorite movie. And then someone else said, talk about Altered States, because you really love that. And then someone else was like, talk about all these different things. I was like, oh, you know what? There's one through line in all of these movies and stuff that I love, which is the idea of choosing love. And actually, love is a choice, and that you should choose it. And so I thought it was very apropos. The time of period where we are recording this, where there is a lot of hate, there's a lot of vitriol, there's a Lot of people not knowing how to talk to each other and not knowing how to actually have a conversation. So I wanted to talk about choosing love, both in movies and in life.

[Johnny G]

Ooh, I love. I. I love this. I love this choice. Choosing love is a lovely choice. Love. I've never seen Bugsy Malone.

[Gala Avery]

Well, it's okay, because I'm gonna give you a whole rundown today.

[Johnny G]

Okay, well, yeah, I'm gonna kind of.

[Gala Avery]

Tell you why you should see it and maybe make a plea for, like, why you should watch movies like Bugsy Malone, Altered States, Frantic, Yellow Submarine, kind of these big titles that I have shaped me into the adult that I am. But I want to make one.

[Johnny G]

I love Frantic. I love Altered States. Yeah.

[Gala Avery]

Okay, great. Then we're gonna get into those. But I wanted to, like, make one differentiation. Cause I started thinking about this when I was, like, looking at movies where I think that they ch. Love. And I was like, I think it's different than a happy ending, though.

[Johnny G]

It doesn't necessarily.

[Gala Avery]

Like a movie like Greece. Okay. Yeah. They choose love in the end, and they choose to, like, drive off with each other. But, like, they've changed themselves completely. Maybe for better, for worse, but, like. Is that what I mean by choosing love? I don't really know if that's exactly what I mean. So I'm.

[Johnny G]

Interesting. Yeah.

[Gala Avery]

Formulate this with you as we. As we talk.

[Johnny G]

I like this. I like this. Choosing love seems, on paper, like the right move to do generally in life. Right.

[Gala Avery]

But.

[Johnny G]

But we're saying it doesn't always end in happiness. Because you could choose love. And that doesn't mean love chooses back. Or love is the. Is the. Is the healthy choice in the moment.

[Gala Avery]

No. And then you also have, like, movies like Umbrellas of Cherbourg, where you don't choose love. And that is the right choice. Where in the end, the couple, they see each other and they're kind of like, we do love each other. But she's chosen to go off with the rich jeweler, and he's come back from war, and he now runs a gas station. And would she ever have been happy in that life? No. But they acknowledged their love. It's very much like La La Land in the End of La La Land.

[Johnny G]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Gala Avery]

Because he took that premise straight from the movie.

[Johnny G]

Take that.

[Gala Avery]

Yeah, yeah, take that. But anyway, I was thinking about this whole choosing love. Cause I try to live my life with this kind of intentional positivity, this, as my friends like to say, intentional sunshine, where you do have to choose kind of happiness. When you go through stuff. And I listened to one of your episodes about the. The positive aspects of being paraplegic, which for me was. I was like, wow. Because that's something. If I had to deal with that in my life, how would I deal with that? And so to hear the positive aspects of that gave me even further perspective on just, like, how good my life is.

[Johnny G]

Right, right.

[Gala Avery]

And it's just. It's. That's just how it is. You just have to.

[Johnny G]

So amongst your friends, you're known as a sort of positive person. Toxic positivity.

[Gala Avery]

Toxic positivity over here. And I think as soon as I get upset, they're like, whoa, what's happened to Gala? I think I got mad once at someone and it was like, all hell broke loose. Like, why are you overreacting? And it's like, well, I'm not overreacting. I'm just.

[Johnny G]

I'm just reacting.

[Gala Avery]

I'm just finally reacting. It took me long enough.

[Johnny G]

Is optimism rolled into this as well? Because, like, choosing love does not necessarily. Is not necessarily the optimistic.

[Gala Avery]

No, because I guess if you choose, you choose. I guess it's how you define love, John, right? How would you define it?

[Johnny G]

Oh, I don't even know. That's a. I know because you should have emailed me ahead of time. I could have done research on what love is now. I have no idea.

[Gala Avery]

Well, no, it's like, because there's so many different kinds of love. Like, you have the love that maybe you have, like, with your romantic partner. You have the love that you have with your parents, with your friends, with your pet. Like, the love that we have with our pets is so deep, it is almost like a child. Oh, God, John. I once I had a guy ask me because he was allergic to cats and I have a cat. And he was like, people with pets, they either say that they're a best friend or they're their child. And I said, well, my cat's my best friend. She's not my child. And he said, okay, well, that makes it easier for me to get rid of her. And I was like, oh, hold on a second, buddy. That doesn't work like that.

[Johnny G]

No, no, no. As someone who prefers best friends to children on a regular basis, a child almost seems easier to get rid of. They're smaller, just like, easier to bury.

[Gala Avery]

Punt kick. No one's going to ask where they went.

[Johnny G]

That's funny. I always used to say to Arthur that he was my. He was my best friend, my brother, my lover, and my son.

[Gala Avery]

See, he was all of it rolled into one. And that's just the deep love that you have for Arthur and you still continue to have.

[Johnny G]

Yeah, I would sing that song to him. A made up song with those lyrics. And my wife and Tiffany one time was like, is one of the words you're calling him your lover? And I was like, I mean it. Wait, hold on. Not in the traditional sense, just in.

[Gala Avery]

The spiritual sense of what a lover means.

[Johnny G]

Spiritually. Love him. We love each other. Yeah, there's. But then there's like the love of. To love oneself to. Because, like, happiness and love are not the same thing.

[Gala Avery]

No, it's definitely love. I always say that the harder you love, the more painful it is.

[Johnny G]

Interesting.

[Gala Avery]

Because when it's over, it's like it. At least you feel something and you know, you felt it because the loss is so great. But it is so difficult when you love something so deeply or maybe toxically.

[Johnny G]

Yeah, it. Well, it does involve putting your chips in. Like to love something or someone, you have to have skin in the game. Like you're, you're. Your money is on the line here. Whatever. Like using a gambling analogy. But like, I'm in this hand. Like, I'm in love. I am loving. I have money in the pot. That means I can be hurt. Opening yourself to love, unfortunately, does open yourself up to hurt.

[Gala Avery]

It's so scary also to do it. And I'm trying to date in Los Angeles and it's near impossible in this digital age. And then you have all these other factors that you line up and it's just like, I can very easily choose love in a lot of places. But it's very hard right now to choose it romantically. That's for sure.

[Johnny G]

That's all right. Because now we're talking about love outside of romance as well, which is, as.

[Gala Avery]

You said, you can love yourself a lot.

[Johnny G]

Yeah. Take it from me, most of my 20s.

[Gala Avery]

Yeah. Well, I was thinking maybe since you've seen Frantic, we could start out with Frantic, because this is kind of one of my sub genres of movies that I love called Men who Love Their Wives. And we have movies like Mad Max, the original Mad Max would be in this category because it's just these guys that kind of go crazy when something happens to their wife. Like, the entire premise of the Mad Max movies is that Max's wife and child have been run over by a roving gang.

[Johnny G]

Yeah. And then he. We don't know what happens between the first and second movie, but Australia gets way worse.

[Gala Avery]

Literally. Because they killed his wife. Australia Turns into, like, a nuclear wasteland. Like, yeah, nuclear.

[Johnny G]

Something else happens in between Max and Road Warrior that isn't really explained. I'm sure there's, like, graphic novels that.

[Gala Avery]

Attack but actually attempt.

[Johnny G]

But, yeah, Frantic is an inch. Frantic is an interesting one, too. This is the Polanski Harrison.

[Gala Avery]

Harrison Ford movie. And it stars Harrison Ford, Emmanuel Signier. And it's actually the movie that Emmanuel Signet and not Harrison Ford, Emmanuel Signet and Polanski fell in love during.

[Johnny G]

Yes.

[Gala Avery]

And so it's like when he's shooting her one, you can see him falling in love with her and his love for her through the camera.

[Johnny G]

Well, if you were watching the movie with me, you could see me falling in love with her in that movie.

[Gala Avery]

Most men are falling in love with her in that movie. She is so cool. Especially in that dance sequence with Harrison Ford when they're in the club. But the part that I love about the movie is, like, when Harrison Ford is there dancing with her, he's not really dancing with her. He's still thinking of his wife.

[Johnny G]

And he has this grand thing. That's what's powerful about casting her and her performance and how she's shot is that you fall for her as the character thinking, oh, so is Harrison's character. But he's not. But it's because she's so magnificent and interesting and cool and. And sexy and being shot by a guy who can shoot the shit out of stuff and is falling in love with her. And. But on top of that, it's supposed to be, oh, so of course he's going to fall for her. But no, that's like another level that Harrison Ford overcomes in that movie.

[Gala Avery]

And it's amazing to me because, honestly, like, the part in the end. And, yeah, I'm just going to spoil all these movies that I'm talking about. Who cares? If you haven't seen it, go see it. Whatever. The thing about the movie that's so amazing is the end of the film because he's gone through this whole thing where this girl who's kind of gotten him into this trouble where they've abducted his wife and all of this stuff and they've swapped suitcases so they think that he has the drugs or the money or whatever he's searching for, which reveals to be this USB drive thing. In the end, his wife, like, she, Emmanuel Signes character, sacrifices herself for Harrison Ford and his wife. And then in the end, Harrison Ford's wife is okay with him going and holding Emmanuel Signier as she dies. And like stroking her hair as if he was in love with him. In love with her.

[Johnny G]

It's very mature.

[Gala Avery]

It's very mature. And then in the end, they walk away and they get to the taxi cab. And it's not until the taxi cab that he crumbles upon his wife and is so relieved. Yeah, but it is this choosing love that you don't give into temptation. That you stay with the person that you've promised yourself to. But then also, you open yourself up to this kind of platonic love and thankfulness to this other person who has sacrificed everything for you.

[Johnny G]

And she's clearly has love for Harrison Ford's character's name, which is escaping me. I wrote it.

[Gala Avery]

Who knows?

[Johnny G]

Dr. Richard Walker.

[Gala Avery]

Dr. Richard Walker. You know, she does have love for him. And also, she's in this kind of wayward place in her life where she's obviously, like, running nuclear codes or whatever. It's like. It's like, how do you get into that besides being, like, a hot Parisian in a club? I don't know, but it's one of my favorite movies. And it's that genre of, like, men who love their wives. And then it goes into just, like, the fact that. And also Harrison Ford. Like, when you look at Witness, maybe Witness is another really good example. Because in a lot of movies they have that trope of, like, you have a couple that's together and then another man comes into the picture and he kind of breaks them up and they live happily ever after because they found love over two weeks for their love of sugar cookies or whatever it is. But, like, Witness, when he goes in, he's this police officer going to investigate this murder that's happened in an Amish community Because this little tiny boy is a witness at a train station or a bus depot or something. And you assume that Harrison Ford. It's a Peter Weir film. You assume that Harrison Ford is going to fall in love with the Amish mother and kind of take her away from this Amish life. And. No, in fact, he doesn't. They do kind of fall in love with each other. But in the end, she chooses who she's supposed to be with. Who she's promised herself to before. Which is this Amish guy who is super respectful to Harrison Ford the entire time.

[Johnny G]

Well, yeah. Now, this is interesting because is she choosing love in that moment?

[Gala Avery]

And that's a good question. Are you choosing love or are you choosing duty? And it's like this weird thing because also, like, when you look at these characters, like, is the love that you have before, that is like a duration of time that you've gone through these things, that you've chosen. This person is that stronger than that initial spark that you have with someone new?

[Johnny G]

That this is really. It must be, because you're assuming you had a spark with the person that you've put the time in with as well.

[Gala Avery]

And that's why you're choosing. That's why you're choosing it.

[Johnny G]

Yeah.

[Gala Avery]

You're find it fascinating.

[Johnny G]

Yeah. That it.

[Gala Avery]

That is through thick and thin. It's like when people. Whether or not people get married, because a lot of people choose not to nowadays, people that have been together 10, 15, 20, 30, 50, 60, 80 years or whatever, it's You. At some point, you kind of have to look at each other and be like, well, we are just choosing to stay together.

[Johnny G]

Yeah. I'm. I'm on year 23 of dating of being with the same woman.

[Gala Avery]

I think my parents met in 1987. They got married. But, like, my mom has been around. My mom. My mom used to fold Quentin's underwear when they would do laundry. Like, my mom has been around since, like, the beginning. And back in the archives days, it was. They had Greta, Gretchen, and Grace. And those were, like, the three girls. My mom was Gretchen, and Quentin's girlfriend was Grace. And I don't know really who Greta was, but there was. And they used to call them Etta, Etch and Ace. They would just take off the GS. But it's just like, when you're with someone for so long, you go through all of these difficult things. You go through deaths. You go through, like, my father was incarcerated. My mother Stick stuck with him. It's like you go through all of these different things in life, and you make a choice, make a promise.

[Johnny G]

Well, there's also, like, even, like, going through the bad or even, you know, every time, like, I'm gonna get this analogy wrong, but what's, like, the Japanese pottery that, like, when it gets.

[Gala Avery]

Oh, yeah. When you crack and then you. You fix it and you make it look better with, like, the gold.

[Johnny G]

Put gold inside of it, and it becomes. It becomes not only more beautiful, but also stronger and harder and more valuable, too. Yeah. Yeah. There is something to that of, like, if you've done the work to overcome some, then it's like, what are we gonna. We're not gonna give. We're not gonna get out of this, you know?

[Gala Avery]

And when the going gets tough, the tough get going. That's just how it is. And you can really tell A lot about someone, like, when the chips fall, is. You can tell who's gonna be standing there besides you. Another one, I'm gonna say Altered States because this is my big. One of my cornerstone movies. I love Altered States. I've read the book, I've watched the movie. I've written papers about it. In college, I did a Gnosticism comparison class on this film. Like, I am obsessed with Altered States. And it was kind of like my Ken Russell foray. Because I really love Ken Russell. And in Altered States, he is a man that does not believe in love. He does not believe in anything. After witnessing the death, like, the. The hospitalization and the death of his father, he doesn't believe in love. He only believes in science and, like, what is tangible. And he and this woman, they meet at a party. And she's the shot that Ken Russell does of him first entering the party is just, like, backlit white. And he is just in silhouette as if it's like the first. Like, wedding bells are ringing for her. And for him, it's just like another day at the party. And when they get together, he tells her, I can basically never love you. And she says, like, that's okay. Like, I understand, because I love you so much. It's, like, enough for the both of us. And they end up having children, and then they get a divorce and she goes off to go study animal linguistics. Monkeys, sound patterns in Africa. And he stays behind and he takes the first flower, which is this crazy drug that basically reverts you backwards in time to your primordial self. As close as you can get to God. And he goes into a deprivation tank and takes this drug with the deprivation tank and slowly reverts to monkey. Like, I don't know. You've seen Altered States, right?

[Johnny G]

I haven't seen it in so long.

[Gala Avery]

Do you remember the monkey scene where he's, like, turned into a monkey and he's being chased by a pack of dogs through, like, whatever town they live in? It is. That scene scares because I. I hate monkeys.

[Johnny G]

You hate monkeys?

[Gala Avery]

Hate monkeys so much. What, literally? My dad used to. Don Coscarelli, when I was a kid, gave me a puppet monkey. And my dad. Wait.

[Johnny G]

That is so fun. You know, I have a autograph. Don Coscarelli, right?

[Gala Avery]

Do you?

[Johnny G]

Yeah, yeah, I think I saw it.

[Gala Avery]

When I was over.

[Johnny G]

Yeah, you must have.

[Gala Avery]

I must have.

[Johnny G]

But.

[Gala Avery]

No, but Don's, like, the greatest guy. And Don gave me, like, a. It's like a puppet of, like, a monkey. And my dad used to go like, literal, like, real monkey noises through it and, like, chase me around with it.

[Johnny G]

And so this is the beginning of your.

[Gala Avery]

That's the beginning.

[Johnny G]

Your primophobia.

[Gala Avery]

Every now and then, you can hear him do it on video archives. Like, when a monkey gets brought up, he'll go, but he does it, like, really intensely, and it's really funny. But it's also, like, if I'm getting chased by the monkey, it's not so funny. So, like, I try to stay away from monkey movies in general, but for some reason, altered states. But in. In Altered States, though, in the end, like, the fascinating thing about the movie to me is, like, he's becoming a monkey. And she is off learning how to communicate with monkeys. Essentially, they are doing the thing that will bring them back together by going.

[Johnny G]

Kind of directly away from each other.

[Gala Avery]

By going completely in the opposite direction. And in the end, it's only his one friend and her that he. Or his two friends and her that he knows can, like, help him because he feels so much like he has to keep going, and he can't stop this. And they're begging him, like, please. But he's like, I'm gonna find the answers I need. I'm finally going to be the man that can love you if I do this. And so she's like, okay, I guess. Like, I can't stop.

[Johnny G]

Yeah, babe, trust me. Just let me. Let me go full monkey. I promise.

[Gala Avery]

He does. He goes full monkey. It is really scary. He, like, goes. And he breaks into the zoo and, like, eats an antelope, and they like, oh, my God.

[Johnny G]

Right?

[Gala Avery]

Yeah. And they find him, like, the next morning, like, naked in the zoo. And she has to bail him out. Eventually, they go so far where he, like, literally becomes nothing. Like, he gets so connected with God. And he eventually gets to that point where he then believes. And when it's over, he's, like, there when everything was gone. All I saw was you. And he tells that to his wife. And they're kind of in the end, and he's like, I realized, like, all I saw was you. And you start to see what Ken Russell does. Like, he's put these shapes throughout the movie. And it turns out the shapes that he's seeing in his visions, which are astonishing. Like, when he turns to sand in one of the visions, it's crazy, but he's put all these shapes in it. And when you look at that final scene, it's all the shapes inside of his house. It's all the stained glass inside of his house. So what he's been searching for the entire time, has been right in front of him.

[Johnny G]

Oh, crazy.

[Gala Avery]

And finally, in the end, he's kind of chosen, like, okay, I'm gonna, like, just. I'm over this. I've done it. And that's when the real metamorphosis begins in the house. And he can't control it this time. He's done too many drugs. He's gone too crazy. And she screams at him, like, choose love. Choose me. And instead of going and, like, choosing this God particle thing, he does choose her. And in the end, they're just like. She basically throws herself onto him and he turns into molten lava and transfers it to her. And then they have to choose to love each other. And it's just this, like, really psychedelic, beautiful moment.

[Johnny G]

Yeah, it's so funny. I've seen this. I haven't seen this movie since, like, college. And in college it was just like.

[Gala Avery]

Dude, you just, like, stoned out of your mind.

[Johnny G]

Yeah. You're like, we, dude, we got it. We got to do mushrooms. It's like, all we took away from this movie.

[Gala Avery]

It's so funny, is like, I tell people all the time, you should watch this sober. There are a few movies that, like, you should watch sober first. And if you want to watch them intoxicated after, you're more than welcome to.

[Johnny G]

I will. I am literally, this conversation is making you want to. I'm going to load Altered States onto my iPad for my next flight and bug out, whoever.

[Gala Avery]

I'm just like, no, enjoy with them.

[Johnny G]

What do you think?

[Gala Avery]

Hey, you want to see it? It's funny, though. Like, do you watch movies, like, totally stoned all the time?

[Johnny G]

Not all the time, but a lot of times I get, like. If I go to the theater, I frequently get high, but not, like, super stoned. Only, like, well, if I'm going to see a movie that I've seen before or something that I'm like, you know, Avatar way of the water. I'm like, let's go for.

[Gala Avery]

Let's go. It's like three hours long. I gotta sit through this baba java.

[Johnny G]

It helps me, like, lock in. In the movie theater because it makes me less, like, concerned with what other people are doing and stuff like that.

[Gala Avery]

So interesting.

[Johnny G]

It just lets me. It kind of removes one layer of, like. It takes me out of the equation a little.

[Gala Avery]

Like, that's so interesting. I've never even considered it like that because I don't. I don't smoke weed anymore. I never really smoked weed. I only did edibles and I used to bake my own edibles. Like when we had the edible shortage in Los Angeles. I love to bake. I started making my own can of butter and I would make them for my brother's college friends microdosing cookie. And I like, I never. I don't do it any. It's been like two or three years, I think now since I've done it. But I remember once there's a few, like two movies that I watched during COVID when I was like, really zooted. One of them is, I think, that James Bond movie. I think it's called the World is Not Enough.

[Johnny G]

Okay.

[Gala Avery]

I can't remember, but like, I don't think it's a very good movie. But all of a sudden, like two thirds of the way through, basically, it's like the Bond girl gets revealed to be like, you think she's having Stockholm syndrome with the bad guy? So she's like this rich girl that's been by the bad guy, but it turns out she just genuinely loves him. So she's like, yeah, I like being with this bad guy. I don't care. He's good to me. And that revelation, like, blew my mind, John. It was insane. I was like, wow, she just really loves him.

[Johnny G]

It was awesome. She chose love.

[Gala Avery]

She chose love. And the other one was John Frankenheimer's Seconds. Okay.

[Johnny G]

Oh, I've never seen Seconds.

[Gala Avery]

Well, I would not recommend seeing this intoxicated because I was so stoned that I was like, inside of the movie. Like, there's a point where they are like wheeling him around on like a gurney with like bandages on his face. And I was in the movie.

[Johnny G]

Oh, that's. That would stress me out.

[Gala Avery]

I was stressed out. Maybe this is why it just. Yeah, I would not recommend. But for Altered States, I would recommend watching that sober for the first time.

[Johnny G]

Watch it in a non altered. Watch. Altered States in a non altered state.

[Gala Avery]

I think it's like as close to like, what, doing shrooms? Lsd, Ayahuasca is cinematically, because Paddy Chayefsky, like, if you read the book, it's kind of like more like a scientific technical manual than it is like a story. It's broken into two part or three parts maybe, but it's very scientific.

[Johnny G]

Now I'm gonna read the book too. God damn.

[Gala Avery]

The book is really, really good. It's very short too. It's more like a novella, but it's fascinating to read.

[Johnny G]

Selling it to me so hard. Guys, it's short. I'm on it.

[Gala Avery]

Well, okay, so the other thing I love, I don't know if you like, read manga or like watch an.

[Johnny G]

But some. I'm newly into it, but I'm not like.

[Gala Avery]

Well, there's this story called Berserk which is. I'm. I'm going to tell you right now. This is the greatest story ever told besides the Bible. I'm not kidding. This is like the greatest story ever told. It is an epic. It's like kind of the best way I can start is like kind of like a medieval adult rated epic about. It's a Faustian tale about like two guys who like good versus evil and kind of stuff like that. It's amazing. But I did a paper in college on what did I do it on? Phantom of the Paradise. Berserk. And Hieronymous Bosch and Holy Connections anywhere. But yeah, like Phantom of the Paradise. They basically take the mask from Phantom of the paradise and put it onto one of the main characters in Berserk so you can tell that he's like a De Palma fan. And it's awesome.

[Johnny G]

Interesting.

[Gala Avery]

It's just, it's kick butt. It's, it's, it's rad.

[Johnny G]

Medieval Europe inspired dark fantasy world.

[Gala Avery]

Yeah. No, no, you're gonna, you're gonna get fantasy.

[Johnny G]

Anime has been my, like, category. I've been asking people for recommendations. No one's mentioned watch.

[Gala Avery]

Okay, so watch the original season because there's two versions. There's like a, like an original hand drawn one and there's a 3D1 skit. Don't worry about the 3D1. Watch the original hand drawn one. And if you love it, read the books.

[Johnny G]

Okay, we'll do it.

[Gala Avery]

And they're just picture books, so you're fine.

[Johnny G]

That's perfect. I can handle mango. I can handle mango. I have a Crunchyroll subscription now, so I can. I'll take a look and see.

[Gala Avery]

I think it's also. It was free on YouTube back when I was watching it, so. I love a free thing. I love a free thing.

[Johnny G]

Oh, hell yeah.

[Emma]

I have work today, so I'm recording my ads right now at 5am now it's 5am do you know where your athletic greens one is? Well, I'll tell you, I drank it already. That's right. I start my day with AG1. Even if I'm up super early, it still goes down smooth. Okay. Helps me stay motivated. It helps me stay kind of healthy throughout the holidays, you know, Lets me do one healthy thing for myself. For me, it's an essential nutrition throughout the day. I gotta help my GI as much as possible. And as I've always said, starting the day with one healthy choice in the morning will get that whole day going smooth. AG1 is an important part of my morning routine. And in my morning routine is where I try to set myself up to have a very healthy day and make all the right choices. So I gotta do it first thing in the morning. Cold water and some AG1 powder in, I shake it up and I slam it down before I even have my coffee. I went away for 12 days and I brought packets with me, the travel packs and I did not have to worry about AG1. You know, I knew, I knew I could have my I didn't have to worry about not going with my AG1. So in this new year, try AG1 for yourself. It's the perfect time to start a health new healthy habit. And that's why I've been partnering with AG1 for so long.

[Johnny G]

As a matter of fact, start over.

[Emma]

The holidays, kick it off in the morning and then in the new year you can AG one is already a rolling part of your routine and then you step it up with whatever else you want to do. AG1 is also offering new subscribers free $75 gift. When you sign up, you'll get a welcome kit, a bottle of D3K2 and five free travel packs in your first box. So make sure to check out drinkag1.com mighty to get this offer. That's drinkag1.com mighty to start your new year on a healthier note.

[Johnny G]

NordVPN what a way to safely access your favorite streams and other content from home no matter where you go. Just switch your virtual location. Now here's something I didn't even think about with using a VPN specifically Nord. You can find out like while shopping to see if the same product is cheaper in another region. Access foreign E stores, apps and online auctions for a wider selection of Items. That's nuts. NordVPN account protects up to 10 devices so there's no need for separate ones. 7100 plus servers in 118 countries. It's super fast. NORDVPN is one of the fastest VPNs out there and it's easy to use connect with one click or enable auto connect for the classic zero click protection. Now that is pretty exciting. And you know what other reasons do you need a VPN for? You can access your favorite streams and other content from home no matter where you go, access apps and websites from other countries, access to social media and stuff not available due to censorship. Depending where you are. So get your tushy on NordVPN. So go to NordVPN.com mighty that's n o r d v p n dot com m I g a h t y NordVPN.com mighty.

[Gala Avery]

So you've never seen Bugsy Malone, but I'm gonna give you my. My pitch on it because you. Do you like Phantom of the Paradise? Have you seen that?

[Johnny G]

Yeah, but not in a long. That also I haven't seen in a long time.

[Gala Avery]

Well, so Bugsy Malone is. Is also Paul Williams. And it is Paul Williams doing a gangster film. But all the actors are children.

[Johnny G]

Yes.

[Gala Avery]

Okay, maybe Foster.

[Johnny G]

Maybe I did see this when I was a kid, but I don't remember it at all.

[Gala Avery]

But it's Jody Foster the same year that she did Taxi Driver. And she's playing prostitute again somehow.

[Johnny G]

Wow.

[Gala Avery]

And it's got Baio and it's just like. It's this eclectic cast of basically, like, you have this character, Bugsy Malone, who is stuck between. I think it's Irish and. Because he's Bugsy and Malone, Irish and Italian, he's stuck between the two worlds because he has. One of his parents is Irish, one of his parents is Italian, and he's like a fixer kind of. And the. Both the Italian mob and the Irish mob kind of want him to, like, do stuff for them. But he's just torn between these two worlds. And there's this new thing on the market called the splurge gun. And instead, like, whenever you get killed, you get pied. So it's all pies, it's all whipped cream being, like, thrown around. So all the guns are just like whipped cream guns. So it's safe for kids to watch.

[Johnny G]

That's crazy.

[Gala Avery]

It's. The whole premise of the movie, though, is like, you can be a bad guy and you can choose to be good. Like, you can be at your rock bottom. You can be like a hobo child and you can choose to rise up and choose good. And they even have, like, their songs connect. Like. Like the first one is called, like, Bad Guys. Like, we could have been anything we wanted to be. And it's like we chose to be bad guys. Flowers of the Earth. Who could even guess? It's like. And then they. When they reprise it, in the end, they all choose to be good guys. So, like, we've made a choice now we're all going to be good guys. Like, take an open hand. Maybe we can trust you if we try to Understand? And it's like all these things where it's like, you, you can be bad and you can be against each other, or you can just shake hands and be like, you know, we are different, but we're gonna choose to love each other and we're gonna choose that. My favorite line in the entire movie is like, lady luck is fickle, but a lady is allowed to change her mind. It's just the entire thing that's really.

[Johnny G]

Interesting because I've been talking about this with my therapist lately in that, like, I, like, I can choose how I feel about something that happens to me.

[Gala Avery]

Oh, 100% you can choose.

[Johnny G]

I don't forget that sometimes, like, something I'm dealing with a lot is like, I don't need this to be a confrontation because I don't really want it to be. But some weird skewed sense of justice or like, anti Hippocratic beliefs of like, well, I. Someone has to tell. But I'm like, if it doesn't bother me, I can let this go without bothering me and not engage on it. And I'm not going to improve the situation going forward. You know what I mean? And I'm like, all of a sudden, once you realize, like, you can make a choice for yourself like that it is like it's something that's.

[Gala Avery]

No, it's. It's a pretty obvious feeling.

[Johnny G]

Yeah.

[Gala Avery]

But it's a wonderful feeling just to be able to. My other thing I learned is that it takes nothing to say you're sorry.

[Johnny G]

Yeah.

[Gala Avery]

Like, when you've hurt someone's feelings, it takes nothing to go, you know what? I am so sorry for how I treated you. I didn't mean to say that to you.

[Johnny G]

Right.

[Gala Avery]

I didn't mean to treat you poorly. I might have been hurt, but I did not mean to take it like, I love you. I didn't mean to do that to you. And it takes nothing. It takes absolutely zero to go, oh, you know what? I'm wrong. I do that all the time in arguments. I'll be arguing with someone like, you know what? I'm wrong. Whatever. Like, yeah, you win some, you lose some.

[Johnny G]

Well, I found myself being in. In arguments lately and then going like. Or in like a debate of some sort that is escalating.

[Gala Avery]

It's getting heated.

[Johnny G]

Yeah. And I'm like, I actually don't feel that strongly about the thing I'm arguing on behalf of right now. And like, once I find realize I'm like, in an argument for the dopamine of arguing or for the like, and all of a sudden I'm like, you know what? You're right. It drives my wife crazy. It drives my. Every once in a while I'll just be like, okay, yeah, no, you're right. That's fine. She's like, do you actually think I'm right? I'm like, well, yeah, I guess, because it's like I don't feel that strongly about it and you do so, like.

[Gala Avery]

Yeah, because I don't want to argue with you because the bottom line is love each other as people, we respect each other as people, and this thing that we're arguing about doesn't really matter that much in the grand scheme of things.

[Johnny G]

Right, right, right.

[Gala Avery]

And it's like, and if it did, we can resolve it elsewhere. It's. It's the funny thing though. So I. I went to school and I got my degree in psychology. So I have a psychology degree. I don't use it. Obviously, I'm not like a practicing psychologist or therapist, but a lot of things, like my. My life outside of Los Angeles consists of the boba shop and the rowing place that I go, like to talk to me about really weird topics. And one of them at my, at my rowing place, she works the front desk, which she's studying right now. She's going to go become an ultrasound tech. And then she wants to go on and to become like a therapist and do like cognitive therapy. But we started talking about it and she was like, yeah, like, I learned this really cool technique that you write the thought that you have about yourself, the negative thought, like, I'm ugly. And you write it on one side of a notebook, and then on the other side of the notebook, you just counter it it with the thought that you want to have, like I'm beautiful or I'm pretty or I'm handsome, et cetera. And because you've actually written it down and you see it flips in the book, because that's like our mind. It's like when one thing is on previous page, it's no longer there and completely re. It actually rewrites your neural pathways.

[Johnny G]

Oh, cool.

[Gala Avery]

It's one of the best techniques to do that. And also looking in the mirror and saying something nice to yourself.

[Johnny G]

Oof.

[Gala Avery]

Like if you actually look in the mirror and do it, it will change your life. You'll completely. Because they say, and I've heard this about, specifically about racism actually, that the first thought that you think is what society has conditioned you to think. The second thought you have is actually how you feel. So when you Correct yourself in your brain. That's your true voice. So you never have to beat yourself up. Like, oh, I'm so ugly. Wait a second, I'm not. I'm actually a really beautiful person. Okay. That's what you really believe, right?

[Johnny G]

Okay, I like that. I like the paper flip. I. I will. I would have to work. Well, that was like something I said when I worked with the therapist once. They were like, do you always talk about yourself like this? I'm like, yeah, I'm kind of self deprecating and it's funny. They're like, have you ever used positive self talk? I was like. And they're like, when's the last time you did? And I like, I was like, I can't, I can't place it. And they were like, yeah, no, that's a bad sign.

[Gala Avery]

But you're also, you're a comedian though, and I find that a lot of comedians do this. A lot of comedians. It's very, very dark.

[Johnny G]

Well, it's weird because it's like I have an ego, but I don't want to have that kind of ego. So I wouldn't say like, I'm actually really smart and funny about myself because that feels hack and wrong. But that is what I aspire to be. And I do actually think I am smart and funny. And I am hesitant to say that to myself even, you know, like, do.

[Gala Avery]

You think, do you think, like self deprecation? Humor though is like a big thing? Because I've. I'm afraid of going to stand up. Stand up terrifies me just being in the audience. I went once and I was so scared that I had to sit the very, very back. But I befriended like these Austin comics, Josh Francis and then this guy Matt Ross, and we've kind of become friends. And so, like, I'm learning, I'm watching their sets and stuff. Like I'm learning what they're doing and like, man, these guys are great guys, but they get pretty dark.

[Johnny G]

Yeah, the self deprecation is interesting because there is some element of like, I know I can say this about myself because it is maybe true, but I don't believe it or I, you know, there's like an element of self deprecation that you have to be better than it. Like you have to have a strong. You have to have self love in order to say. But there will come a time when you start to like, believe your own self deprecation. This is actually something I've talked about with some friends recently because sometimes, like now as, as, like being 40 something like when you self deprecate and someone doesn't get that you're being self deprecating for humor.

[Gala Avery]

And they're like, oh no, it's okay, John, it's okay.

[Johnny G]

Yes.

[Gala Avery]

Do you need, do you want to talk to someone?

[Johnny G]

It is the most humbling shit ever. Because you're like, oh fuck no, I'm joking. Oh, you don't get a joke. You're a weirdo. But instead I'm like, in this person's mind, I just came up to them and went, Christ almighty, I'm a fat fuck. Those stairs kicked my ass or whatever. And I'm just being facetious and joking because I'm a little out of breath from the stair. And then all of a sudden they look you in the eye and then that one hits. But then you'll also get self deprecating in front of someone who has bad intentions for you.

[Gala Avery]

And then you see like, yeah, you are. You know what, like you kind of are a little fat. You need to have you gained weight recently.

[Johnny G]

And it's like, no, you're like, that's not what I was looking for either. I was looking for a laugh, a defusal and like moving on.

[Gala Avery]

Is that what you're looking for? Are you looking for someone to say no, you aren't?

[Johnny G]

No, I'm just looking to get a laugh and be like. Or you know, a compare, you know, some like, yeah, me too, brother. Like, I know you're like, I guess I'm not looking for like a. You're. I. That is like that fake compliment, you know, like, I feel so ugly today. No, you're actually beautiful. Like, I'm not looking for that.

[Gala Avery]

I'm guilty of looking for that sometimes.

[Johnny G]

Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I mean maybe I can't, I can't guarantee my motive is always pure, but I'm certainly not looking for someone to go like, yep, you are. Because when someone just like straight up agrees with yourself deprecating, you're like, oh.

[Emma]

I let them in.

[Johnny G]

I gave them this.

[Gala Avery]

Yeah, actually that is another way because we earlier when we were talking about like when you love someone, you kind of like lay it all on the line. But also when this person that has negative like intentions about you, you've also kind of just opened them up, opened yourself up to them.

[Johnny G]

Right.

[Gala Avery]

To hurt you also with your own self deprecation.

[Johnny G]

Yeah, it's a complex dance you gotta do, you know, you gotta like avoid certain. Yeah, it's. And so what is, what is the choosing of love in Bugsy Malone. Is that choosing to not be villains?

[Gala Avery]

Yeah, they choose because in the end it's like there's a splurge gun and one. The Italians have it, but the Irish don't. I hope it's Irish or else I'm gonna get in trouble for saying the wrong thing. But the.

[Johnny G]

I think you might be right with the name Malone. So I think you're either.

[Gala Avery]

Let's hope, let's.

[Johnny G]

Let's.

[Gala Avery]

Let's hope and pray God I said that my. One of my favorite movies, the Train Killer, I said that Sylvester Matushka was from like the Czech Republic, but really he's Hungarian. And I know people are going to come after me and be like, he's Hungarian. And I'm like, yeah, I know that. But I was like in the moment without an iPhone to like double check.

[Johnny G]

But you'll pay for your mistake. Don't worry.

[Gala Avery]

I will pay. I will pay. I will be burned at the stake at every chance they get. In Bugsy Malone though, they've been going and they've basically been murdering all of these different figures throughout the movie. And in the end, like the Italians are kind of turning on each other and the Irish, it's like his entire group of guys has been just dissolved. They've all been killed because he's been trying to get his hands on this gun. And it is totally an anti violence movie. Like these guns do kill people and the more that you try to have them out there, the more people are going to get killed. But in the end it's just like it dissolves into this giant pie fight where just everyone is throwing pie at each other and everyone essentially is killed. Like that's the moral of the story is like the violence will get it. But then the, the guy, the jingle jangle piano man who no doubt is Paul Williams, like it's, it's his voice that's being used with the music. But he falls on the piano and the first chord happens of the song and then he starts the song and it's like, well, we could have been anything we wanted to be. And it's not too late to change. Like we right here, right now, we can decide just to be good guys instead of being bad. And we can choose love. And in the end Bugsy and Blousie go off and they drive off to Hollywood and like they have like their, they leave it all behind. Like, okay, we're gonna leave the gang life behind. But it's just for me, it's just the idea that like no matter how bad it gets, you can change. And I think a lot of people don't realize this. And I have a lot of friends that are like. Or a lot of acquaintances that are like, guys in their, like, early 20s who are desperate to figure out where they're going in life and they feel this intense pressure of I have to decide my entire life right now.

[Johnny G]

Oof. Relatable. And also it. That is. Yeah, that is interesting because what are you choosing? That. Because you're not pursuing, you're choosing an answer. You're not necessarily choosing love or choosing the pursuit of love or the pursuit of happiness. You're choosing to have an answer.

[Gala Avery]

That's the thing. It's just, it's like I feel. I also just. I don't know if. I mean, women feel it too. You. I think it. We feel it in different ways though. As a woman, I feel society kind of puts different expectations on men and women, like, men have the expectation, like, you figure it out, you go get a job, you provide, et cetera. And women have the expectation of like, by a certain age, you're married, you have children, or like, and if you don't, like, you're an influencer, you're like, partying on in like Mexico or whatever. And if you're not meeting these certain quotas that are being thrust upon us now by modern society, it's like, where are you going? I don't know. I just. I also like these movies because I feel like a little bit when you choose love, you're also choosing to go to the beat of your own drum.

[Johnny G]

Yeah.

[Gala Avery]

Necessarily choosing to do what others want you to.

[Johnny G]

Right. Because it sounds inherent. Inherent that if you're choosing love, you're choosing something that is positive that will send you down a path of I'm choosing love. Hopefully love will be reciprocated. I'm choosing to give love or pursue love, or choosing an act of love over an act of anything else. It does feel like a step in the right direction. I don't think in my early 20s I was making decisions of what I was gonna do in my life based on love.

[Gala Avery]

Well, I don't even think you have to. I think though, the thing about choosing love at a certain point of your life is that you don't necessarily have to choose it all the time. Right. At a certain point you just decide, okay, now I'm gonna choose to do something for the good of myself and for the good of others.

[Johnny G]

Well, you can tell all your 20 something guy acquaintances that you have 40 something guy acquaintances in your life that also don't know what they're really doing, you know?

[Gala Avery]

You know, it's so funny because I meet. I meet a bunch of people and, like, it's either through movies or just, like, through going to, like, rowing classes and stuff. And they'll talk to me, and they'll just tell me, gala, like, I'm so stressed. I don't know what I'm gonna do with my life. And I look at them, and I told this one kid, I said to him, he's like, oh, I have to make a choice right now. Like, am I gonna go be an EMT or am I gonna go work at this Chinese AI company? And I have to make a choice right now. It's gonna change my entire life. And some. Like, hold on a second. You can make that choice, but don't worry, you can always make a different one later.

[Johnny G]

Yes.

[Gala Avery]

Like, it's not your entire life.

[Johnny G]

You're talking to the psych. The psych major who did a. Psych majors. No, I'm talking you. You're a psych. A psych major with a yoga certification who enjoys rowing and. And works in podcasting. Like, you. Those are six.

[Gala Avery]

And when I. And when I started it, I started at 15 in writers rooms. I'm a WGA writer. I never, never, never imagined in my life, one, that I was ever gonna go to college. Never thought it was gonna happen. I paid my way through. I did it. I'm super proud of myself, but I never thought I was even gonna be a psychology major. I thought I was gonna go for history or something like that. When I eventually did decide to go. And two, I never thought I was gonna get into podcasting and audio. Never thought it was gonna happen.

[Johnny G]

Yeah, I mean, I didn't even. I joke about this all the time, that radio, tv, film was the name of my major, my concentration. And it was crazy in 04 to graduate with radio, where no one was talking about radio and then TV and film. Radio is arguably the medium I work the most in now, if we want to call podcasting radio.

[Gala Avery]

Podcasting is basically radio.

[Johnny G]

Yeah. It's so fucking weird to. It's so weird to. I did not know, like, when. When people are like, you know, career young comics or young Hollywood people want to ask me, like, about career paths and stuff like that. They're going. I'm like, when I started out, podcasting wasn't even a thing to aspire to. Like, the technology, the medium arrived while I was figuring out what I want to do in Life. And I don't even know if this is exactly what I want to do forever. But in the meantime, I'm enjoying myself. I'm being. I'm good at it. I enjoy my time talking to people or talking to Ben and Ryan about action movies like. Like, this is what I like to do with my time. So it makes total sense. I'm choosing something I love. I love meeting new people. I love talking to people about whatever they want to talk about. This stuff all appeals to me. So for now, I can argue. And maybe I'm just retrofitting life choices to fit the premise of this episode, but I am choosing love of my love of this, rather than, like, what I think would actually be the most successful or most financially viable use of my time or the idea of success is even a metric that is completely fabricated.

[Gala Avery]

Well, it's completely fabricated, honestly, because, like, what's successful to me could be completely different to what's successful to someone else.

[Johnny G]

Well, that's when I get in arguments with my own, like, where I'm like, man, I can't believe I'm 42 and, you know, still doing blank. And I'm like, well, what is success? If I had $1 million in the bank, would I just consider myself successful? Would I go like, ah, I did it? No, I'd probably still be doing what I'm doing if I had a million dollars in the bank and I'm like, what metric am I going off of? And I don't know what that is. And so I can't say. I, at minimum, can't get mad at myself for not being successful if I can't point at what I think success is. So I'm in this position where I'm fucking myself because I'm saying, like, you. You aren't successful. But then like, oh, what is successful? And I'd be like. Like, I don't know. And then it's like, oh, so then you. Maybe you are. Or at least you can't get mad at yourself that you're not until you've chosen whatever this. And success is obviously not a binary, but it is one of those things where it's like, until I know what I want to do, I can't be bitching that I'm not doing it.

[Gala Avery]

Well, I think. I think also the thing I always tell myself is, like, if I Talked to myself 10 years ago and I said, here's where I am now, like, would I have been proud of myself? And the answer is, yes, I would have been. So in that Way I am successful.

[Johnny G]

Yeah, that is interesting. I go back and forth on that because I do feel that same way. Like if I went to 20 year old Gabriel. So I'm like, dude, you're on a show called Drunk History. You got wasted and talked about like Ida Tarbell and now it's on TV and actors are voicing you, burping and shit. How cool is that? Like, that's so cool. But then I also keep in mind that my 20 year old self is like a big fucking idiot. So I'm like, he would be impressed by almost. I'd be like, dude, and I have a Subaru now. And he'd be like, that's awesome, man. You know, so I, I don't know, but I do understand that of like thinking about, you know, when I first started out in comedy of like, oh, someday I'll do blank. And it's like If I told 22 year old Gabriel, she was like, I think I'm going to be a comedian. That's like, you've done this, this and this. You'd be like, holy shit, no way. But then if you said like, and it was spread out over the course of 20 years, you'd be like, oh, okay, there's some downtime in there. Yeah.

[Gala Avery]

But the thing is though, it's like you've done it all. That's the crazy part. It's like when I look back and I think of like where I thought I was going to be in my life and how I'm totally at a completely. I thought I was going to be 27, married with two. Like right now I thought I was going to be married with a child. And I'm not. I'm like, so not. So it's just like. And it's funny because in that way I'm unsuccessful because I did not realize that goal. But in so many other aspects of my life I am really successful.

[Johnny G]

But your goal also arguably changed over time too.

[Gala Avery]

Like that I might have had to just move the fence. Fence post a little bit. I might have had to just take a loss. But it's like I have other successes.

[Johnny G]

Yeah. Or maybe now with, with time and age and success, you realize that the, the age at which you do these things you want to do doesn't matter as much.

[Gala Avery]

Well, it's funny, it's, it's mostly because my grandmother had my father when she was 27 and then my mother had me when she was 27.

[Johnny G]

She just wanted to keep a pattern.

[Gala Avery]

I just wanted to keep the pattern. I just like numbers. I was like, I want to just. I want to do the exact same thing that my, my forefathers did for me.

[Johnny G]

27, 54, 81, 70.

[Gala Avery]

Oh my God, you should have seen me when I was like really into haikus. I had the number three flying at me all the time. And so I would wake up in the middle of the night with a haiku in my head because it's like five. It's not even number three, but five, seven, five. And I would wake up and I would have like six haikus ready. And I was like, write them down. And I couldn't stop thinking about the number three. Something might be clinically wrong with me.

[Johnny G]

Yeah, yeah. No, this is, this is a, this is relatable. This is relatable to me. Which is bad sign for you.

[Gala Avery]

It's. But then the thing also though is like when you choose to be happy and you choose to be positive because it's so easy when you want to be negative and you just choose to wallow in it, it's very, it's. Your life really changes. Like thinking back to where I, I have been in my life where I was like, yeah, I am dumb, or I. Other things that people had told me like oh, I can't learn a language, or I'm not attractive, et cetera, et cetera. And then you believe those things. And then eventually when you're just like, eff it, I actually don't think those things that people have thought of me. I'm gonna choose to love myself. I'm gonna choose to be my biggest cheerleader. Your life completely changes. And also I choose to be. Why be serious when you can be silly? That is like my entire life motto. I just wanna have fun.

[Johnny G]

I do like that. So on a, on a day to day basis or like, how are you choosing love?

[Gala Avery]

How am I choosing love?

[Johnny G]

Yeah, how are you, how are you actioning this, this belief system that we've learned from Frantic Bugsy Malone?

[Gala Avery]

Altered states.

[Johnny G]

Altered states. How are you bringing that, how are you making that an active choice in your life?

[Gala Avery]

Well, I think the, the biggest thing you can do because I mean I could name a bunch of self love things like oh, I go work out or oh, I feed myself good food or oh, I don't drink alcohol, blah blah blah. But really it's about the connections that you have with other people. And I'm going to take the romantic one off the table since I don't have a boyfriend. So it's not really I can choose love with him, but it's also the connections that you have with strangers or with people that might not mean that much to you in your life. When you see someone and you're out of a place and you just smile at them and you choose to just give a smile or a hello as you pass someone, wow, that can really change someone's day. Or like, even a random compliment to a person. Like, if you're at, like, a checkout line in a grocery store and you're like, hey, I really like your nails. Maybe for a guy, it's a little bit more difficult to say that to a girl.

[Johnny G]

All right, I will say, gala, you're onto something here. Because my wife is a complimenter of strangers. Big time. Hair, clothing. She's. She's very aesthetically minded. She's. Oh, And I've caught that habit from her and I will find myself. But I am luckily, I guess, harmless enough looking or something where I can say to a. The female barista, I love your hair. And it not go any further. Or maybe I. Yeah, she's not.

[Gala Avery]

She doesn't think that you're, like, predatory, like, hitting on you.

[Johnny G]

Yeah. Or maybe she's like, no way. This old. This. This old fart is just like, likes my haircut. I'm like, but I've. I've started doing that and I. You like it so much when it happens to you.

[Gala Avery]

Well, that's the thing is when sometimes I've been in terrible, terrible moods and I'll go out and, like, I'll force myself to go out and do something, and someone will stop me and they'll say, like, wow, like, I really love your. Your hair. I love your shirt. Or like, you look so nice today. And I stop and I'm like, this feels so good. That completely just changed my entire day around. And what did that take the other person to do? It doesn't take much.

[Johnny G]

No.

[Gala Avery]

If you really genuinely feel it about someone or like, if you see someone all the time. Like, I see people in my workout class and I see them making progress like they've lost weight. I'll stop them. Eventually. I'll say, so and so. I haven't seen you in forever. You look so good. And it's just like, I see the difference. I just want you to know that, like, it's visible. Like, you're.

[Johnny G]

I've noticed that you're. Yeah. That you're. What you're doing is. Is what you're doing the way you want.

[Gala Avery]

Or like, wow, like, you just look so pretty today. Or like you're so, like, just to give a compliment to someone, and if you know them, it's really easy to tell your friends these things. It is harder to tell strangers. It is harder to tell the random person. But it doesn't have to be. It can just be like, oh, I like your shoes. Oh. Like, oh, you look nice today.

[Johnny G]

Yeah. I have this crazy belief system. I think that if we all extended our circle of care of who we who and what we care about by about 10%, we'd all overlap with each other in a way that so few things and people would fall in the cracks of, like, being uncared for and stuff like that. We're so like. Like, it's my family. If someone with my family, I'll kill whoever. And it's like. But we can pump that out to right off of our property and say, like, our neighbors or our. The unhoused guy across the street that.

[Gala Avery]

Helps me all the time at the coffee shop.

[Johnny G]

Right, Exactly. It's like, extend our community by 10% with this umbrella. And then all of a sudden, there's. There's more shade for everyone everywhere.

[Gala Avery]

And also the worst thing to feel is uncared for, unloved, forgotten. It's one of the worst feelings in life. And people do go through life all the time feeling this way. And it takes nothing just to say. If you're at the movies with someone and you're seeing a double feature, turn around in your seat and say, hey, have you seen anything else? People my age, I don't know about you, John, but, like, people that are, like, entering into their 30s are like, how the heck do I make friends? How do I make friends? It is so hard to make friends and make connections in this digital age, but it's actually not as difficult as you think. All you have to do is stop and say hello.

[Johnny G]

Right?

[Gala Avery]

All you have to do.

[Johnny G]

Yeah. There's like. There are people who go to the same place every single day, whether it be the gym, the coffee shop, the place where you.

[Gala Avery]

That's why I started going to the boba shop. It's literally during COVID It was the one place I could sit down and take my mask off. And so I started. My dad had locked us up for, like, a year in the house. We did not leave the house for a year. He taped the front door shut. I'm not kidding. And I started going to the boba shop. It was the. I could take my mask off. I just went and sat every single day. And before you knew, it took a while, but then People would start saying hi to me, or they'd see me all the time, or the employees, et cetera. And then I had a little group of friends.

[Johnny G]

Oh, that's so awesome.

[Gala Avery]

So that's how I would choose it.

[Johnny G]

All right, I like that. Gala listeners, let's go out there and choose love.

[Gala Avery]

Let's do it Especially. Especially now, like everyone where things are happening. I know by that by the time this airs, things will be a little bit smooth over. We'll know what's going on in the world.

[Johnny G]

But ideally they're smooth over, but anything's fucking possible.

[Gala Avery]

But the thing is, let's just be nice to each other also. Let's just remember we're all people. We're all in this together. We are all part of the same neighborhood. We're all, we all have.

[Johnny G]

We're all neighbors, we're all earthlings, we're all Americans, we're all humans, whatever.

[Gala Avery]

Exactly.

[Johnny G]

But the crazy thing is we're recording this before election day. After election day, half of the country is going to be upset.

[Gala Avery]

But maybe not people upset, but they might be upset. But they might not be as upset as we all think.

[Johnny G]

Right?

[Gala Avery]

Because you know what? We have another four years and everything is always okay. That's the thing. We've all lived through elections that we haven't agreed with. No matter what side you're on and everything is okay. You don't have to be afraid. You can still love your friends who have different opinions from you.

[Johnny G]

I mean, it's happening no matter. Like we can't stop it. So let's.

[Gala Avery]

It's only four years.

[Johnny G]

It's only four years on and it's a blink gala. Where can the shitheads, my listeners, find more gala in their life? Because I know you have your own podcast. Podcast you work on is just starting up with new episodes.

[Gala Avery]

Yes. So yes. So you can find me weekly on the gala show, wherever you get your podcast. I do a show very similar to John's where it's like 30 minutes on the clock and we talk about whatever topic. My, my, my guest wants to talk. I basically copy you, John, without knowing it.

[Johnny G]

Oh, well, to copy almost non idea is. It's like it's impossible. It's impossible for me to have ownership over something that's barely an idea. Well, there you go.

[Gala Avery]

And then you can also find me on the video archives podcast with Quentin Tarantino where they pull three movies off the shelf on vhs. You guys can find us on our main feed or you guys can find us [e-mail] videoarchives I also do an additional after show for that. So it's like really fun. It's like vaulted episodes or additional content and research. It's. It's a whole lot of fun. So video Archives podcast is my main thing and obviously the Gala show. You can find me. You can find me on Instagram at Gala. Avery, that's a V A R Y. Yeah, that's basically hell yeah, you can find me, I guess at Rowing and Boba. If I give out my address.

[Johnny G]

No, never. Don't let these freaks find you. Go to every Rowing and Boba place in the in the greater LA county area hoping to run into Gala if for listeners. If you want, check out my episode with on the Gala show where I talk about my comfort food, which is journalism movies or at least underdog bureaucracy movies. My favorite shit. I still need more. Trying to get my wife to watch the Insider, which I love. I'm begging to get her to go watch it and take fucking. The video Archives podcast is one of my favorites of all time. So get on that too, listeners. And also while you're at it, get on Action Boys, my other movie podcast. That's Patreon Podcast, but we have free episodes atfree.actionboys biz. You can check us out there. And again, as always, thanks for tuning in. Bye, shitheads. In a rare high and mighty occurrence, Gala has requested to jump back on maybe two weeks later after my vacation to discuss one last thing. And I just want to take this opportunity to apologize. I should have definitely rewatched Altered States in the last two weeks. Had I known, I knew we were coming back to do a pickup and I should have just come back with my own pickup and information to add, but I'm a terrible host. But Gala's a great guest. So Gala, welcome back to the your own episode of the show.

[Gala Avery]

Thank you. I'm back. The thing I wanted to tell you, John, is because after we recorded, I went out and I was driving around and a bunch of really weird things have happened in my life since we recorded. Besides the election, which happened and we're all still here, we're all still fine. We're all still living in chilly la. I had a very strange occurrence happen. But that happened after I thought about this, but I wanted to tell you I was thinking about what we were saying about choosing love and how you said, well, sometimes maybe you'll choose the wrong person. And I realized, John, that's not choosing love, that's choosing lust. There's a Big difference between love and lust. And lust will always.

[Johnny G]

And you can get. You can easily get them confused.

[Gala Avery]

Oh, you can ease. I've gotten them confused in my lifetime.

[Johnny G]

Say less.

[Gala Avery]

But you can very easily choose something that is wrong for you, and that is lust. Lust. That is your desire for it. Love will never lead you astray. You will always choose the right thing if you are choosing love. Oh, and I just want to give it a, like a PSA in general, that life is great and that not only should you choose love, but you should choose life. In recent weeks, and I've talked to a few of my friends about this, and I won't go into much detail, but I had someone in my life life that chose to do legal euthanasia. And it was very intense because no one really asked them to choose to keep living when they decided not to. And it was a very intense experience. And I remember the day after I was driving around, I looked at the sky, and it was so big and so wide and so beautiful. And I thought, thank God that I'm here for one more day on this planet Earth. And I just think that everyone, when you have the chance, choose to live and choose to love and just choose to be with those who you really care about, because that's what's most important. And so we have a lot to be thankful for.

[Johnny G]

Wow. Gala.

[Gala Avery]

I know.

[Johnny G]

I. I literally. Fuck it. I literally had, like, a similar thought. And it's way more selfish and surfacey, but along the same lines, I traveled this last week to Cartagena, Colombia. One morning, I was having arepas con queso y huevos fritos, like, fried eggs on top. And the breakfast was so good. And I was sitting over the water in, like, some tropical resort situation, drinking, like, fresh mango juice while. And I just, like, said to my wife, I'm like, this is, like, the reason you stay alive. This is the reason you're the reason you work to make money. This is what you chase is this moment right here. Like, this experience I have never had before and I now will intend to have again. But it was just this moment of just, like, this is like, it's worth it to stay alive. Just eat at your favorite Thai restaurant a second time.

[Gala Avery]

That's the thing. It's like, it's worth it to do all these little. We sometimes think that life has to be about these big grand gestures or love has to be about these big sweeping gestures. And. No, it doesn't. It can be about the small things that you do every day that you Value. It can be making coffee for someone that you love in the morning. It can be the little note that someone slips in your lunch. It doesn't have to be a thousand roses or flying across the planet to, like, scream at the top of my lungs, stop getting married. I love you. It can be those little things, and it's just. That's, like, what life is, and that's what love is for me are those little tiny moments, like sitting in Mexico, eating delicious food, looking out with your wife and saying, oh, my God, Yeah, I'm so happy I'm here.

[Johnny G]

This is a whole nother episode idea. But choosing love, choosing to love oneself is probably like a whole nother.

[Gala Avery]

Oh, it probably is. And we could go on and on and on.

[Johnny G]

But I just had part two for next year.

[Gala Avery]

Part two of two. I just had to jump back on and just say that, like, there is a difference between lust and love. And your heart will know when it's true love, because you won't be confused and you won't be in pain. Yeah, you will be happy. And sometimes life is suffering, but you get through it. And then you go to Mexico and you have these great experiences, or you are just driving around and you're like, wow, it's so beautiful out today. So just appreciate all these moments. And if you are thankful for someone, I think everyone should just tell them. Like, if you're like, oh, I'm thankful for you, John. I'm thankful for you. You let me back on Gala.

[Johnny G]

I'm thankful for you. You have been a wonderful guest. You have done the research, insisted on a second part, and I am here for it. And I'm here for what the other work you do. I love your podcast and I love the archives, you know, so I'm here for. I'm here for all of it. So thank you so much, Gala.

[Gala Avery]

Thank you, John.

[Johnny G]

Bye. Sa Sa, Sa Sa.