Las Culturistas - “Gay Guys With Voices” (w/ Jake Shane)

Podcast: Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers & Bowen Yang
Guest: Jake Shane (host of Therapist)
Original Air Date: October 29, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode of Las Culturistas celebrates the triumphant, comedic, and deeply personal relationship gay men have with pop culture and each other. Joined by Jake Shane—a rising cultural commentator, podcast host, and “gay guy with a voice”—the discussion is a lively exploration of formative pop moments, iconic albums, live shows, girl group drama, audience etiquette, industry changes, and the feeling of being “seen” by and through culture. The episode is filled with passionate arguments, heartfelt stories, and hysterical anecdotes, all delivered in the inimitable, quick-witted, and loving Las Culturistas tone.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Jake Shane’s Introduction and Pop-Culture Bonding

• The hosts quickly embrace Jake as “their daughter” and share how instantly “gagged” they were by his presence and connection with the audience at his live shows.
• Matt jokes that science must be advanced if “gay guys can have a child together”—referring to their intense connection with Jake.
• Quote: “If you didn’t think gay guys could get each other pregnant…honey, honey, check my anus.” — Matt (05:02)

2. Formative Pop Culture & Rule of Culture: “Culture is When a Woman Does Something Seriously”

• The trio revisit the Las Culturistas “Rules of Culture,” especially:
  • “When a woman does something seriously, a gay guy does something as a joke, or a straight guy does something good by accident.”
  • They agree it's “actually biblical.”
• Quote: “Culture is when a woman does something seriously. A gay guy does something as a joke or a straight guy does something good by accident.” — Group (07:30)

3. Food Snobbery & Destination Dining

• The group discusses their favorite destination restaurants, especially LA Thai restaurants. Jake shares that his favorite chef won a James Beard award, leading to a tangent about how powerful “James Beard” sounds as an award name.
• Notable Moment: “Louisiana Thai food is next level. LA Thai food will make you go, I’m sweating in this plastic-covered dining chair in a strip mall, but I’m in heaven.” — Matt (09:34)

4. Marathons, Performance Art, and the Fetishization of Endurance

• Chat about marathons as performances in their own right, Iron Mans as “disgusting” (in a good way), and even fetishizing the struggle of endurance events.
• Quote: “You love Dylan Efron. You think he’s sexy—himself during the Iron Man. Period.” — Bowen (12:27)

5. Pop Album Deep Dives: Little Mix, Camila, Taylor Swift, and More

• Little Mix: Bowen offers an extensive primer on Little Mix’s rise, Jesse Nelson’s struggles, and the group’s journey overseas.
  • Memorable Moment: Bowen sings “Sweet Melody” live to illustrate the group’s appeal (15:28).
• Camila Cabello: The group quietly and then publicly declares their “stan” status, breaking down her albums and the critical missteps in song releases.
• Quote: “When that [Camila Cabello] came out, I said, why is no one else caring? It is so good, you guys.” — Jake (16:59)
• Taylor Swift: There’s a gushing celebration of “The Archer” and “Midnights.” Jake talks about an essay he wrote, the mythic nature of Swift’s songs, and their duality of addressing both personal relationships and the fans (19:53–21:29).
  • Quote: “All my enemies started out friends… I can’t ever find someone to stay who could stay.” — Jake (20:31)
• Notable: The trio declares “Midnights” is NOT ‘floppy’—it’s iconic and historic. (21:29)

6. Peak Pop Girl Albums & The “Comeback Narrative”

• The hosts and Jake agree that pop girls produce their best albums after the world thinks “culture’s had it with them.”
• Examples cited:
  • Lady Gaga’s “Mayhem” (Chromatica era)
  • Taylor’s “Folklore”
  • Mariah’s “Emancipation of Mimi”
• Quote: “Their best album is always when they think culture's given up on them, and they go back to who they are… and then culture's like, wait, we want you back.” — Jake (32:22)

7. Lady Gaga’s Monster Ball HBO Special (Jake’s Cultural Origin Story)

• Key Segment [28:37–34:00]:
  • Jake’s answer to “What is the culture that made you say ‘culture is for me’?” is the Lady Gaga Fame Monster HBO Special.
  • Quote: “That HBO special is coming out, we have to see it. I remember watching it being like—it’s clicking…I see why my mom wouldn’t let me.” — Jake (29:20)
• The group reminisces about seeing Gaga live and the “best night of everyone’s life” feeling of her concerts.

8. Ariana Grande’s “Eternal Sunshine” & Pop Excellence

• Key Segment [34:12–37:13]:
  • Jake deems Ari’s “Eternal Sunshine” his album of the year, sharing how “We Can’t Be Friends” instantly stuck with him and became deeply personal.
  • The group talks about the brilliance of Ariana’s song transitions, vocal technique, and her range as a comedic and musical force.
  • Quote: “You can say that it is Thank U Next. I think it is Eternal Sunshine.” — Jake (37:13)

9. Phones at Concerts, Good and Bad Audiences

• Key Segment [50:26–55:25]
  • They debate concert etiquette—worst and best crowd behaviors, with Taylor Swift’s ERAS Tour and live theater as reference points.
  • Jake proclaims he tries to stay off his phone at shows to fully experience them.
  • Quote: “Every greatest moment of my life at a concert, I remember being… not on my phone. I.E. The Archer, Taylor Swift, The Weekend After Hours, Phoebe Bridgers’ Coachella show…” — Jake (53:32)
  • Best audience: Carly Rae Jepsen fans—“everyone is spiritually Canadian.” (54:37)

10. On Star Power: Are There Still Celebrities?

• There’s a spirited rebuttal to the “there are no stars anymore” narrative. The group points out new forms of stardom, Kim Kardashian’s cultural evolution, and the fusion of digital and traditional fame.
  • Quote: “There’s no rules anymore…Kim Kardashian from Kim K to Vogue cover star—she is emblematic of the culture shift more than anyone.” — Bowen (63:03–63:21)

11. The Pop Girl Roundup: Beyoncé, Demi Lovato, and More

• Beyoncé: The group sings “Schoolin’ Life” and agrees that “Four” and the self-titled album are among the best, while praising the arc of Beyoncé’s reinventions.
• Demi Lovato: Anticipation for a new, “deep” album that is “hard club for fags, Brat-influenced but with Demi vocals.” There’s a comedic tangent about Demi’s extraordinarily Brat-coded behavior.
  • Quote: “She did heroin. She was nonbinary for two weeks. She spoke to a ghost. That’s the most Brat-coded.” — Matt & Bowen (69:09)

12. Miscellaneous Gems

• Video Game Nostalgia: The joys of old Pokémon games (“Silver and Gold”), and how these pop references bond them across generations (74:32).
• Tame Impala and Music Taste: The guys riff on the cross-section of gay taste and indie rock (71:38).
• “I Don’t Think So, Honey”
  • Jake’s impassioned take: “I don’t think so, honey—ordering dessert at the same restaurant you just ordered dinner at. I am uncomfortable…I want to leave.” (84:06)
• Cultural Shorthand: Rules of Culture, inside jokes, and lovingly combative banter run throughout.

Notable Quotes & Timestamps

• Jake Shane on Lady Gaga’s Monster Ball Special
  “I remember watching it being like, it’s clicking… I see why my mom wouldn’t let me. I would be uncomfortable seeing this with my mom. Gaga was really my first love.” — Jake (29:20)
• On Taylor Swift’s “The Archer”:
  “All my enemies started out friends… I can’t ever find someone to stay who could stay.” — Jake (20:31)
• On concert etiquette:
  “Every greatest moment of my life at a concert, I remember being, I wasn’t on my phone.” — Jake (53:32)
• On pop comebacks:
  “Always, their best album is when they think culture’s given up on them. And then culture’s like, wait, we want you back.” — Jake (32:22)
• On the shifting definition of stardom:
  “There’s no rules anymore. Kim Kardashian is the lead of a Ryan Murphy show. That’s the change in our culture.” — Bowen (63:03–63:21)
• Jake’s “I Don’t Think So, Honey”:
  “I don’t think so, honey—ordering dessert at the same restaurant you just ordered dinner at. I am uncomfortable…I want to leave.” (84:06)

Segment Timestamps

• 03:01 — [Main Show Starts]
• 04:46 — Gagged at Jake Shane's presence, gay “parenthood” banter
• 07:30 — Rule of Culture: When a woman does something seriously…
• 09:49 — LA Thai food, James Beard award chat
• 12:06 — Marathons as “performance;” Iron Man & bodily functions
• 13:00 — Musical deep dive: Jade Thirlwall, Little Mix, Jesse Nelson
• 17:18 — Camila Cabello: album analysis
• 19:53 — Taylor Swift “The Archer” essay & Midnights chat
• 28:37 — Jake’s cultural origin: Lady Gaga’s Monster Ball HBO special
• 34:12 — Ariana Grande’s “Eternal Sunshine”
• 50:26 — Worst/best behaved audiences, phones at concerts
• 54:37 — Best crowd: Carly Rae Jepsen, “spiritually Canadian”
• 63:03 — No more rules: Kim Kardashian as star
• 66:00 — Beyoncé Talk: “Schoolin’ Life” & formative summers
• 69:09 — Demi Lovato: “the most Brat-coded” pop star
• 74:32 — Pokémon and video game bonding
• 84:06 — Jake’s “I Don’t Think So, Honey” (anti-dessert-in-restaurant)
• 88:33 — Jake on “Hacks,” wrap-up and song (“Schoolin’ Life” singalong)

Conclusion & Tone

This episode is a vibrant, heartfelt, and hilarious tribute to the power of pop culture to unite, console, and inspire—especially for gay men in their relationships to music, stars, and each other. Every tangent is full of love, humor, references, and genuine expertise. If you’re a pop obsessive or just love hearing friends passionately dissect the moments that shaped them, this episode will feel like home.

Listen for:

• In-depth pop girl analysis
• Hysterical audience etiquette stories
• Multiple “rules of culture”
• A real sense of chosen family and cultural legacy

Essential for any listener who loves pop, the shared language of fandom, and the joy of being a “gay guy with a voice.”