Podcast
It Is Complicated
Hosted by Dr J & Josephine Baird · ENGLISH
Josephine Baird and Dr J are contrary beings, where the answer to every question is "it's complicated", what might seem to be simple topics, like name, age, pronouns, or more complex ideas like games, brains, pain and anger - are all treated with gentle discussion.
Josephine is a computer games academic, activist and artist - and is a "Femme of International Mystery"
Dr J has the job title "Harbinger of Change" at Thoughtworks, the gender "Transgressive Non-Binary GenderQueer" and is a Troublemaker and #queernuisance - "because ... branding".
They talk through topics from their various viewpoints - in a careful, kind and generally amusing way - even when there is pain there is laughter - because ... dark.
Exposure is great - it doesn’t put food on the table. If you want to support us making more queer things like this- https://www.patreon.com/itiscomplicated
If you want to get into a discussion with us - https://twitter.com/ItIsComplicatd or find us on Mastodon https://ohai.social/@itiscomplicated
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
70episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Happy 2025
Dec 2400:03:37Tap to summarizeThank you for your listening and support - 2025 has been a year - we are back in mid-2026We love you, we appreciate you, we thank you for your support.Love - Dr J and Josephine Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Transcribe →An update - Life is a complicated bitch!
Aug 1000:06:08Tap to summarizeA very short update - recorded in one take and un-editedby Dr J - so it makes some sense. 1) We are still here2) We appreciate our listeners3) We are planning a move to SubStack - we'll be doing that in coming weeksWe will record episodes possibly talking about the break (or not) - and publish the backlog - see you soon. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Queer Voices - Suzanne Osten - Chaos is complicated
Nov 10, 202400:55:10Tap to summarizeIn this special episode of It Is Complicated, we remember Suzanne Osten, who died on the 24th October 2024 This interview was recorded a year ago, we are releasing it now as a tribute to her. We do have a backlog of episodes, this one felt important to put out first. Josephine met Suzanne in 2005 after Suzanne saw one of her performances and invited her to be in an opera, even though neither of them had experience in being in, or directing an opera. Suzanne’s adventurous spirit and willingness to try new things left a lasting impression on Josephine, and you can hear in the conversation how Suzanne was a force of nature—creative, chaotic, and always up for a challenge. This episode celebrates Suzanne’s incredible impact on the art world and her lasting friendship with those who knew her.Suzanne Osten’s IMDB page https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0652305/Transcript (from zoom) for this episode IIC Episde 62Our Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/itiscomplicated Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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It is complicated Episode 61 - Queer Voices - CN Lester - Working is complicated
Jun 28, 202401:11:44Tap to summarizeDr J, Josephine and CN Lester discuss their multi-hyphenate, portfolio working lives. Even for those with salaried jobs, there is always the side gig (or two or three) and projects. Performers, academics, scientists, consultants, photographers, authors - there is not a single role that defines them.This was recorded in March 2023 - since then - Josephine's book is available at Where it all started Novel , and CN Lester short story is out in the anthology Furies: Stories of the Wicked, Wild and Untamed - Dr J is still writing their first book proposalhttps://whereitallstartednovel.com/https://burleyfisherbooks.com/products/9780349017167 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Transcribe →Pressure is complicated
Mar 11, 202400:57:55Tap to summarizeThis episode comes with a content warning - it is dark! Some of the darker places ended up on the cutting room floor, and it is still dark. Be safe when you listen to this.An apology to Brianna Ghey and her family. Dr J managed to mispronounce their surname all the way through. We picked this up in the final edit. In this episode we tackle the level of transphobia that is now so entrenched in our society that people with privilege can make a jibe about it within parliament. We talk about the impact of this upon us personally, and as a group. We do our best to bring our usual sense, humour and compassion to this conversation. We approach the impacts and arrive at a resolution.It is by advocacy for ourselves and others like us, that we can get through this.We also end up with an usual Breathtaking rant from Dr J - who has a Billy Joel obsession going on right now, as well the Muppets - Tenderly!Muppets - Dr Teeth & the electric mayhem - TenderlyWe have a transcript for this episode - IIC Episode 60 TranscriptOur Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/itiscomplicated - your subscriptions help us pay our guests for their timeGive us feedback - get in touch on Patreon as social media is a trash fire - we’d love to connect with you - or leave us a rating or a review on your favourite podcast platform Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Queer Voices - Samantha Béart - Performing is complicated
Dec 6, 202301:21:38Tap to summarizeIn the fifth in our Queer Voices series we talk with Samantha Béart, actor, currently known for playing Karlach in Baldur’s Gate 3. We talked about how games and performances and performing in and for games, allowed us to explore, examine and find ourselves.We get into the ways games have allowed us to understand the world and ourselves, the joy of the “Fuck around and Find out” nature of some games, how trauma can be understood within a game. How games can take us deeper and into places we didn’t expect allowing us to explore and have positive experiences. There are some gigantic nerd theory moments.Links we talk about:Where it all started: https://whereitallstartednovel.com/Paragraph 175 - film about homosexuality in German controlled regions in WW2: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paragraph_175_(film)The Ukie census of the Games Industry - https://ukie.org.uk/UK-games-industry-census-2020Karlach isn't a good girl blog post - https://www.tumblr.com/sailorgundam308/731617898834034688/karlach-isnt-a-good-girlFrom Queer to Eternity podcast - https://play.acast.com/s/from-queer-to-eternity/samanthabeart - which is almost 'Part 1' of this conversationWe have a transcript for this episode - IIC Episode 59 TranscriptOur Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/itiscomplicatedGive us feedback - get in touch on Patreon as social media is a trash fire - we’d love to connect with you about routine. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Transcribe →Queer Voices - Laura Kate Dale - Is joy complicated?
Oct 27, 202300:49:51Tap to summarizeIn the fourth in our Queer Voices series we talk with Laura Kate Dale, games journalist, author, and accessibility consultant. We started on how some of our narratives are routed in negativity, and how that can be turned into talking about Joy and Euphoria, small or large.This leads into us talking about how the little things can fight back against the system every day, challenging how we see our own lives. We can overlook the small joys, taking them for granted, ignoring the heart sing moments. We can be proud of ourselves in the small moments and in the big moments, and we have our narratives that are outside of the normative view of the world.Our special interests this week are trains, train data, weddings and Baldurs Gate 3. Find Laura Kate Dale here: https://laurakbuzz.com/Get Stories of Autistic Joy here: https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/stories-of-autistic-joy-laura-kate-dale/7460206?ean=9781839978098 in the UK and https://us.jkp.com/products/stories-of-autistic-joy for other countriesWe have a transcript for this episode - IIC Episode 58 TranscriptOur Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/itiscomplicatedGive us feedback - get in touch on Patreon as social media is a trash fire - we’d love to connect with you about routine. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Transcribe →Queer Voices - Rosie Garland - Routine is complicated
Sep 18, 202301:10:13Tap to summarizeIn the third in our Queer Voices series we talk with novelist, poet and performer Rosie Garland. We set off talking about what we all have on (and sadly some of the opportunities to see Rosie are now in the past due to our slowness to release this due to 2023). We talk about performing and writing.We move onto what feeds us, the activities that we do every day, or maybe only sometimes, that feed our souls and hearts and minds. They keep us going, the routines that are concrete and quantifiable things we do.When we are busy, when we are doing “too much`’, when we do it right, we are doing things that feed us and make us feel as ourselves and help us carry on. What feeds our souls is important and necessary.We have a transcript for this episode - IIC Episode 57 TranscriptRosie Garland - http://www.rosiegarland.com/Our Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/itiscomplicatedGive us feedback - get in touch on Patreon as social media is a trash fire - we’d love to connect with you about your use of routine. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Transcribe →Complicated more than usual
Jul 17, 202300:44:04Tap to summarizeThis is a special episode where we have Dr J on the Mind the Product podcast - https://www.mindtheproduct.com/business-analysts-in-product-dr-j-harrison/ Dr J also talks about 2023 and why they haven’t had a chance to watch any Keanu Reeves recenltyWe have a transcript for this episode - IIC Special Complicated Complicated TranscriptOur Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/itiscomplicatedGive us feedback - Our Mastodon - https://ohai.social/@itiscomplicated- or leave us a rating or a review on your favourite podcast platform - We are both on Insta - https://www.instagram.com/drjharrison/ and https://www.instagram.com/josephineabaird/ or find Dr J on Threads - https://www.threads.net/@drjharrison Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Transcribe →Safe is complicated
Mar 31, 202300:47:22Tap to summarizeReleased on Trans Day Of Visibility.This episode we talk about the way you can tell if a space is safe, the flags we see, both green and red, how they can co-exist, and that we can spot duplicity and performative actions. We also talk about being here - for each other. That simple notion of being here, as someone to talk to, as someone to step up, as someone who takes the blows so you don’t. Our being here is winning, we are hope, bruised and bloodied, running back into the battle!That video from Matt Ricardo - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=637OvuxB_bY&t=3s&ab_channel=MatRicardoCorrection - Dr J thinks Richard Grint played Ron Weasley, we all know it's Rupert Grint. We have a transcript for this episode - IIC Episode 56 TranscriptOur Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/itiscomplicatedGive us feedback - we’re left twitter - we are sometimes on Mastodon - https://ohai.social/@itiscomplicated- or leave us a rating or a review on your favourite podcast platform Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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