Podcast Summary: StraightioLab
Episode: "Going Really Fast" w/ Perfume Genius
Release Date: March 3, 2026
Hosts: George Civeris and Sam Taggart
Guest: Perfume Genius (Mike Hadreas)
Network: Big Money Players Network and iHeartPodcasts
Overview
This episode of StraightioLab features musician and artist Perfume Genius (Mike Hadreas) in a lively, self-aware conversation with hosts George and Sam. Together, they explore the under-examined corners of “straight culture” — riffing on topics like aggressive male hair flips, the cultural fascination with going fast (especially in cars), music industry banter, the straightness of hiking, and the social signals embedded in celebrity crushes. The conversation slides easily between playful banter and earnest reflections on performance, vulnerability, and self-perception, all punctuated by signature comedic detours.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. The Mood of the Times & Crowd Energy
- San Francisco Show Stories (04:13–08:08):
- George and Sam recount a recent show where audience tensions erupted — fights about AI, ableist heckles, “straight couples at a gay show vibes,” and people taking jokes as endorsements.
- Quote [06:14, George]: “They had the syndrome of mentioning something is the same as endorsing it.”
- They note how crowd energy is increasingly volatile, reflecting wider societal anxiety and aggression.
- Emotional Dynamics (08:36–09:55):
- Mike reflects that he often confuses hunger and generalized fear, and confesses: “I'm mad about being scared.”
- George infers, “Being mad about being scared is kind of the power bottom of feelings.”
2. Emotional Games: Fuck, Marry, Kill with Feelings
- Expanded Banter (09:40–12:01):
- They play “Fuck, Marry, Kill” with emotions: sad, angry, scared, then assign those feelings to members of Haim.
- Quote [10:21, Perfume Genius]: “Scared you can kind of work with. ... I want to do this, but I'm scared.”
3. Banter Onstage: The Impossible Balance
- Mike’s Stage Persona (13:40–14:57):
- Mike reveals he’s “really, really bad” at onstage banter, usually mumbling or veering into scatological humor, then pivoting to intense ballads:
- Quote [14:06, Perfume Genius]: “I kind of get off on the embarrassment ... then I keep doing it.”
- His boyfriend and collaborator Alan is better at “front-facing” content, but more serious on stage — ironically, he pushes Mike for more banter.
- Mike reveals he’s “really, really bad” at onstage banter, usually mumbling or veering into scatological humor, then pivoting to intense ballads:
4. Musical Public vs Private (and the Perils of Banter)
- Audience Vibes (14:38–15:41):
- Perfume Genius can’t get a good demographic “read” on his audience, often pivoting between comedic and deeply serious material.
- Social media jokes sometimes fail to “land” at shows, and Mike notes the gulf between his online humor and concert expectations (e.g., his streak about “rat arthritis”).
5. Humor and Seriousness as Fluid States
- Seriousness vs Silliness (17:03–17:58):
- Both hosts and guest reflect on toggling between being outwardly silly and deeply serious.
- Quote [17:58, George]: “It actually gives it more weight that I'm deciding to be serious.”
- Poetry:
- Sam shares his college poetry was read as hilarious, “the most serious thing ever written” [18:43], raising questions of tone, audience, and intent.
6. The Business of Celebrity and Award Shows
- Grammys Anxiety (25:51–26:34):
- Perfume Genius is nominated for album cover art, feels “objectified,” and is anxious about social navigation and potential run-ins at the awards.
7. Segment: "Straight Shooters"
(Rapid-fire, forced-choice questions on “straight” and “gay” culture preferences) (29:37–32:00)
- Mike reveals split-second preferences: “Ren Faire,” “roast beef,” “Williams Sonoma,” “showering with a peer,” “Wheezy F Baby,” “joining the army,” “let’s foam”...
- Notable moment: George compliments Mike’s “let’s foam” delivery, saying “it’s all about style over substance.” (31:36)
Deep Dives – Culture, Gender, Performance
8. On Musician Persona & Stage Names
- Naming Stories (58:33–61:07):
- Mike chose “Perfume Genius” as a kind of joke, not expecting the longevity or iconic status the moniker now has.
- Hosts riff on how other stage names (Cat Power, St. Vincent, Lorde) range from the silly to the sublime, but ultimately become “natural” if the artist owns them.
9. Straight Male Signaling: Hair Flips & Celebrity Crushes
- The “Cool” Hair Flip (63:55–65:42):
- Mike describes how straight men with longish hair refuse to touch their hair, preferring a head shake. This, the trio agrees, is a signal of disavowing grooming as “feminine.”
- Quote [65:00, George]: “Hair is one of the gayer parts of the body. For you to acknowledge having hair is almost like... acknowledging having a butt.”
- Going Really Fast (Topic Proper) (65:52–73:34):
- Mike’s core topic is the straight cultural obsession with “going really fast,” especially in cars.
- It’s “being proud of your adjacency to power” — you press the gas, the car goes fast; you take credit for speed/power that’s not yours.
- The hosts riff on the absurdity of idolizing driving/racing, questioning whether this is, in fact, an athletic skill.
- Quote [66:19, George]: “It's being proud of your adjacency to power, rather than the power you yourself have.”
- Adrenaline-junkie activities and racing culture are seen as especially straight-coded.
- The conversation wanders into related observations:
- How gay men drive (“in a hurry,” possibly drunk), and the absurdity of racing as sport (it’s “just sitting”).
- NASCAR and F1 as “straight culture extremes,” with drivers typically “hot, but in a Republican way” (70:41).
- Mike’s core topic is the straight cultural obsession with “going really fast,” especially in cars.
10. The Butt Discourse
- Big Asses & Straight Men (71:12–73:23):
- Mike ponders whether straight men with big butts are wasting a natural resource (“it’s just a poop area”).
- George finds beauty in the lack of utility—“a purely aesthetic object.”
- Sam reframes a large, unused butt as a “vulnerability, a humanizing factor,” making a “CEO” into just a “CFO” (72:52).
11. Fast Walking, Anxiety, & The Failure to Love Hiking
- Walking Fast & Vulnerability (73:34–74:41):
- Mike and George try to walk fast to minimize “liminal space,” i.e., defensiveness.
- Quote [74:10, George]: “I'm vulnerable when I'm between locations… I want to minimize the liminal space in between.”
- Hiking as Alien (74:16–78:43):
- All discuss their awkward relationship with hiking. For Mike, unless a hike has a destination or clear purpose (e.g., a store or hot spring), the process is empty.
- Attempts to enjoy the “moon, the trees, the nature” feel forced—creating a sense of deficiency.
- George theorizes that for some, hiking is a form of escape from hypercapitalist society, but for him, it only emphasizes alienation.
- Sam offers hiking narratives of challenge (“slippery rocks”), and the group debates whether appreciation can be visual or more embodied/felt.
12. Signals, Crushes, and the Xena Test
- Celebrity Crushes As Tell (50:03–54:31):
- The trope of straight men (and women) citing Ryan Reynolds as a safe, bland, non-revealing celebrity crush is dissected.
- “Ryan Reynolds reveals nothing about you” vs. the riskier, self-exposing choice of someone like Adam Driver or Timothée Chalamet.
- Quote [50:38, Sam]: “If you find Ryan Reynolds hot, you’re not revealing anything about yourself.”
- Mike’s “Xena test” — asking straight men if they find Xena hot — is a litmus test for “expansiveness of vision.”
- The trope of straight men (and women) citing Ryan Reynolds as a safe, bland, non-revealing celebrity crush is dissected.
13. Final Reflections: Being Seen, The Grammys, and Style
- Pre-Grammy Fashion Jitters (80:07–81:32):
- Mike expresses anxiety and indecision over what to wear: to get a stylist, or just do it himself? Fears accidentally walking the red carpet in normal clothes.
- Considers doing his signature arched “album cover” pose in Getty photos.
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
-
On the underlying emotions of the era:
“Being mad about being scared is kind of the power bottom of feelings.”
— George (09:02) -
On straight men & celebrity crushes:
“Ryan Reynolds reveals nothing about you.”
— Sam (50:38) -
On car obsession:
“It's being proud of your adjacency to power, rather than the power you yourself have.”
— George (66:19) -
On having a big butt as a straight man:
“It's just a poop area. ... Since it hasn't experienced anything and doesn't do anything, it has no-- like, charisma, and it’s just a poop area.”
— Perfume Genius (71:59) -
On hiking:
“I don’t want to be present for a second because then I will realize that all the rest of the seconds of my life I’m not supposed to feel like I fucked up.”
— Perfume Genius (76:10) -
On the power of a silly stage name:
“Cat Power is an insane name to call yourself, but it just doesn’t matter if you’re powerful enough to embody it.”
— George (61:02)
Timestamps for Important Segments
- Host + Guest Banter/Kinetic Beginning: 04:13–13:08
- Fuck, Marry, Kill—Feelings Edition: 09:40–12:01
- On Banter & Musician Persona: 13:40–15:41
- On Combining Humor and Seriousness in Art: 17:03–18:48
- Audience Energy, Social Media, and Demographics: 14:38–15:41
- Grammys, “Good” and “Bad” Artists: 25:51–28:44
- Straight Shooters Segment (Rapid-Fire Preferences): 29:37–32:00
- On Stage Names and their Evolution: 58:33–62:25
- “Going Really Fast” / Car Culture Topic Proper: 65:52–73:34
- On Hiking, Walking Fast, Nature: 73:34–78:43
- Celebrity Crushes Discussion: 50:03–54:50
- Final Reflections/Grammy Dress Jitters: 80:07–81:32
- Shout-Outs Segment: 88:17–91:45
Tone, Style & Flow
The tone is hyper-articulate, ironic, and deeply self-aware, with the comedic hosts and Perfume Genius dancing between earnest reflection and absurdity, referencing their own insecurities and social observations at every step. Mike’s blend of self-effacing humor and insight fit the hosts’ rhythm perfectly, making for rapid-fire, densely packed exchanges.
Final Segment: Shout-Outs (88:17–91:45)
Each participant shouts out something whimsy-laden—Sam gives a shout-out to the skunk near his home (“Of course, you’re adorable, but of course you could spray me”), George to Swiffer’s exemplary uselessness (“the dream is to create a product everyone uses that does nothing”), and Perfume Genius to Fiji Water for its “milky mouthfeel.”
Conclusion & Takeaways
This episode is a hilarious, sharp, and oddly touching exploration of the anxieties and affectations of “straight culture,” filtered through the cackling lens of queer comedians and a singularly self-aware musician. Whether musing on the gender politics of hair, the moral emptiness of racing culture, or the precise pitch of bottled water, the trio brings a blend of irreverent fun and cultural observation suited for curious listeners who crave both insight and laughs.