Podcast Summary: "Gianmarco Soresi Disobeys Bridger"

I Said No Gifts! with Bridger Winegar — Exactly Right and iHeartPodcasts
Date: October 30, 2025
Guest: Gianmarco Soresi

Overview

This episode of I Said No Gifts! features comedian Gianmarco Soresi joining host Bridger Winegar for a playful, honest, and delightfully meandering conversation about the perils and pleasures of performance, showbiz etiquette, eating rituals, and life's everyday irritations. As always, Gianmarco can’t resist bringing a gift—setting the stage for a laugh-filled, unusually candid exploration of everything from Broadway and flossing obsessions to the microdynamics of social encounters in the yogurt aisle.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Introductions & Unplanned Detours ([02:26])

• Bridger opens with morning complaints and banter, setting the self-deprecating, good-natured tone.
• Gianmarco quips about being loved by "a large chunk of people," humorously acknowledging the precariousness of popularity in comedy.

Stand-Up, Dependability, and Theater Camp Trauma ([03:31]–[06:49])

• Discussing the dilemma of overcommitting to shows and then having to cancel, which Gianmarco connects to his fear of letting people down—rooted in a musical theater camp humiliation.
  • Quote: “I was chastised for being late at, like, a summer camp once...it rewired me.” — Gianmarco ([04:46])
• Insights into performer guilt and the masochism of creative ambition.

Musical Theater Obsessions, Secret Lessons, and Family ([06:49]–[08:41])

• Gianmarco describes sneakily continuing with a forbidden voice teacher, admitting to music-nerd tendencies.
• Talks about dating someone from a Hasidic background—no music allowed growing up, so his show tunes have little effect.
  • Quote: “So my singing, I think about the women who...they might be wooed...Nothing.” — Gianmarco ([08:23])

Male vs. Female Pop Singers, Corniness, and Broadway Casting ([09:19]–[15:29])

• Discussion about why male pop singers feel “corny” compared to female counterparts. Bridger references friend Louis Virtel’s theory: “women sell yearning better than men” ([10:41]).
• Fondness for musicals embracing corny earnestness, while skepticism for "cool" musicals or stunt casting of stars.
• Criticism of movie stars getting musical theater roles written for “the mid”—raising issues of looks and "representation in mediocrity" ([14:10]).
  • “I'll acknowledge it. I should be Music Man over Hugh Jackman.” — Gianmarco ([14:25])
  • Humor about being called “Jewish Hugh Jackman” or “Gay Hugh Jackman” online.

Singing Aspirations, Impostor Syndrome, and Broadway Community Politics ([18:28]–[22:09])

• Gianmarco admits to renewed voice lessons but worries about being cast as the “bad person in the good thing” on Broadway.
• Parallels between comedians and actors crossing into unfamiliar spaces; shared impostor feelings.
• Navigating industry gossip and the shifting ethics of “shit-talking” as one's profile rises.
  • “I'm getting to a place where I can't shit-talk the way that I used to.” — Gianmarco ([21:59])

Gift Segment: The Bakery Croissant & Endless Floss ([27:28]; [30:10])

• Gianmarco brings a two-part gift: a matcha croissant from a trendy LA bakery, and “industrial quantities” of floss from his road gig rider ("They give me bags"). ([30:10])
  • Crayola kids’ flossers are grape-flavored for fun.
  • Meandering into dental hygiene woes, receding gums, and comedic horror at human mouth design.

Flossing, Chewing, and ADHD-Fueled Fidget Habits ([36:01]–[39:34])

• Gianmarco’s lifelong oral fixations: necklace sucking, pen and pencil chewing, and now obsessive flossing.
• Bridger and Gianmarco swap stories about dental anxiety and pen cap swallowing mishaps.
  • Quote: “Gen Z doesn’t know what it is to chew on a pen.” — Bridger ([36:51])

Chewing Gum Rituals & the Swallowing Myth ([37:49]–[41:20])

• Comedy about gum habits—Gianmarco as the “whole bubble tape” gum guy vs. Bridger’s “half piece” eater.
• Gum as a security/fidget tool for performer nerves; Barbra Streisand’s legendary fake gum audition ([39:34]).
• Debunking old myths (“gum stays in you for 7 years”) and airing pet peeves about common health misconceptions.
  • Quote: “If we cannot establish that...being cold doesn’t mean there's a mistake. If we can't do that, good luck with vaccines.” — Gianmarco ([42:44])

Bakery Critiques, Eating Disorders, and LA vs. NYC Food Culture ([43:37]–[48:33])

• Tasting the matcha croissant—enthusiasm for artisan bakeries and croissants as a “better life choice” than bags of almonds.
• Intermittent fasting as both dietary accountability and “permission to enjoy desserts.”
• Contrasting LA and NYC healthy food scenes (“Sweetgreen’s kale...the driest food on earth...that will choke you.” — Bridger, [47:49]).
• Side complaints about Doordash and declining corporate quality.

Eating with Hands, Food Rituals, and Slurping in Japan ([50:01]–[52:20])

• Joys of eating salad with hands and slurping noodles, especially in Japan where it’s expected.
  • “My dream is, you take the chopstick, you go...I’m going to Japan for the first time...Oh, I’m gonna go to town.” — Gianmarco ([51:22])
• Travel plans: touring Asia (Tokyo, Singapore, Hong Kong), adapting comedy sets for local mores.

Cultural Encounters, Volume Complaints, and Social Awkwardness ([53:06]–[57:34])

• Experiences with differing social norms abroad, especially in Amsterdam and Germany, where locals shush loud Americans.
• Pain of being told “you’re too loud”—the existential dilemma of personality rejection (“the way you are is wrong”).
• Bemoaning New York’s noisy energy vs. stifled European composure.

Airplane Rants: Comfort, Catheters, and Dying Thoughts ([58:23]–[61:23])

• Air travel solutions: stacking sleeping passengers, sacrificing luxuries for horizontal comfort.
  • “My thing with planes, I think we should lie down.” — Gianmarco ([58:18])
  • Fantasies of in-flight catheters and the indignities of turbulence.
• Macabre riff on dying in a crash—wondering if one could (or should?) attempt to masturbate as a last act, segueing into tales of Pompeii’s infamous “self-pleasurer.”

Floss Session & Game: “Gift or a Curse” ([62:14]–[70:15])

Flossing in Real Time

• Both floss on mic; compare Crayola flossers vs. regular string and dental routines.

Game Segment:

1. Pop-Up Ads That Shame You ("No, thanks, I’ll pay full price") ([63:55])

   • Both agree: Curse.
   • “I hate that language thing. I hate it.” — Gianmarco ([64:06])

2. Coca-Cola Freestyle Machines ([66:05])

   • Curse: Too syrupy, unnecessarily complex, inferior soda quality, datamining fears.
     • “You are literally the rats in the lab testing all the sh---y mixes.” — Gianmarco ([67:58])
   • “What a failure in engineering...” — Bridger ([66:53])

3. Turning Off Auto-Capitalization on Phones ([68:36])

   • Curse: Feigned nonchalance requires more effort than it admits.
   • “That’s not laid back. That’s someone who’s overthinking how they're seen.” — Bridger ([70:17])

Gianmarco triumphs, winning the game.

Listener Question: Grocery Store Ghosting ([71:53])

• Caller asks if it’s wrong to keep ignoring someone from her past (to whom she owes a Tenacious D VHS) when encountered repeatedly in the store.
• Consensus:
  • Eventually, a nod or small acknowledgment is better than endless avoidance.
  • Gianmarco: “Silence is always weird. Silence is weird. Your brain’s pinging. You know their brain’s pinging. You got to do something.”
  • Bridger wonders if the other person was ignoring the caller, too.
  • Solution: “Establish nods. You risk a small conversation, but it sounds like you got the skills to be rude enough to curb that conversation.” — Gianmarco ([78:37])

Notable Quotes & Moments (with Timestamps)

• Musical Theater Guilt:
  • “I was chastised for being late at, like, a summer camp once… it rewired me.” — Gianmarco ([04:46])
• Gift Segment:
  • “They don’t go bad… I have so much floss at my home. So two different kinds of floss.” — Gianmarco ([30:10])
• Jewish Hugh Jackman Slander:
  • “I get… skinny Hugh Jackman. It'll be Jewish Hugh Jackman.” — Gianmarco ([15:11])
• Corporate Pop-Up Spam:
  • “No thanks, I’ll pay full price… I hate that language thing. I hate it.” — Gianmarco ([64:06])
• Coca-Cola Freestyle Critique:
  • “You are literally the rats in the lab testing all the sh---y mixes...” — Gianmarco ([67:58])
• Food Culture Decline:
  • “It’s capitalism. And you just watch everything get so, so bad.” — Gianmarco ([49:09])
• International Comedy Risks:
  • “I did… say anything on stage… And then it was like, do not post that video too far. …You could get in trouble. Could not come back.” — Gianmarco ([54:12])
• On Meeting People Abroad:
  • “I filled with rage, filled with a New Yorker rage of like: Fuck you.” — Gianmarco ([55:24])
• Plane Comfort:
  • “Stack us… Just lie me down.” — Gianmarco ([58:32])

Important Timestamps for Segments

• Show proper begins: [02:26]
• Deep dive: musical theater guilt: [04:46]
• Gift exchange: [30:10]
• Floss talk: [31:37]
• Chewing/Oral fixations: [36:01]
• Gum swallowing myth: [40:01]
• Bakery critique, intermittent fasting: [44:21]
• Eating with hands: [50:01]
• International travel/comedy anecdotes: [53:06]
• Airplane rant: [58:23]
• Flossing in real time: [62:14]
• Gift or a Curse game: [63:54]
• Listener advice question: [71:53]

Tone & Style

• Warm, witty, fast-paced banter with honest self-deprecation.
• Signature blend of Seinfeldian complaints, absurdist humor, and “gift” rituals.
• Open sharing of personal insecurities and joys, with a writer’s eye for the everyday oddities of modern life.

Takeaways

Gianmarco Soresi Disobeys Bridger is a quintessential I Said No Gifts! episode: affectionate but subversive, revealing how much good conversation is about finding kinship in our rituals, ruts, and little acts of rebellion (like showing up with dental floss or eating salad by hand). If you want frank comedy about Broadway, travel, food, and what it means to be a person in public (with perfect teeth or not), this episode delivers—richer for every neurotic tangent and hearty laugh.