"Salsa Dancing Classes" w/ Bryan Safi

Summary

StraightioLab: "Salsa Dancing Classes" w/ Bryan Safi

Podcast: StraightioLab (Big Money Players Network / iHeartPodcasts)
Episode Date: July 7, 2026
Hosts: George Civeris & Sam Taggart
Guest: Bryan Safi

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Episode Overview

In this episode, comedians George Civeris and Sam Taggart are joined by Bryan Safi to dissect the phenomenon of salsa dancing classes—and what makes them such a staple of straight (particularly straight couple) culture. The conversation branches into body image, social hierarchies among gay men, performative vulnerability, straight photo etiquette, cultural appropriation, and the unique social anxieties of live performance. Throughout, the hosts and guest employ their signature blend of sharp observation, rueful self-awareness, and affectionate camp.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Peptides, Body Image, and Gay Social Circles

[03:30–10:53]

• The trio opens discussing health trends like probiotics and peptides—a wry glance at how "peptide culture" and extreme body maintenance are encoded in modern gay life.
• Sam and George joke about how muscular gay men form their own social microcosms, and the anxiety of being the “comedian gays” at parties filled with "abs gays."
  • Quote:
    • George: “We were in a group where everyone has abs, we are there as sort of counterprogramming.” [08:23]
  • Abs within friend groups are treated almost like a secret or something shameful not to disclose.
• Social intimidation flows both ways:
  • Sam: “I do think the AB group is more intimidated by the comedian.” [10:17]
  • Bryan: “I agree. I think we don’t realize how standoffish we come across.” [10:20]
• They reflect on why comedians are often perceived as standoffish, especially around people outside their circles.

2. LA Stereotypes & "Busyness"

[11:03–14:45]

• George tells the story of his catalytic converter being stolen—a uniquely LA rite of passage.
• The crew pokes fun at the LA trope of always being “busy,” challenging the idea that everyone in the industry is too booked to ever hang out for real.
  • Sam: “I am so exhausted from the conversation that still in 2026 you run into people and it's like, how are you so busy? No, it's impossible ..." [12:58]
  • George: “I have a list of the 15 people with jobs and you are not one of them.” [13:11]

3. Solo Performing, Audience, and Vulnerability

[14:45–18:51]

• Bryan discusses his new solo show, "Are You Mad At Me?"—a deeply personal look at paranoia and the fear of being disliked.
• The hosts and Bryan compare their approaches to live performance, especially the awkwardness of walking on stage.
  • Sam: “I hate walking onto a stage. It's so vulnerable. I feel like I look like an idiot.” [17:48]
  • Bryan: “There is a Sleep No More hole in New York City.” [18:28]
• Bryan credits the variability of the show and audience interaction for creating something unpredictable and alive.

4. Gay Generational Shifts & The “Peptide” Era

[20:05–21:38]

• The group laments that witty, campy elder gays like Drew Droege seem rarer among younger gay men, replaced by a new kind of focus on body, supplements, and visual performance.
  • George: "What's happening? It's the Peptides." [20:35]
• They observe a shift from personality-driven “gay performance” to a more body-conscious, Instagram-coded presence.

5. Straight Social Rituals: Vacation Photos and Camera Rolls

[37:49–44:50]

• The hosts analyze the straight habit of scrolling through vacation photos for friends—something gay people find impossible due to the (uh, risqué) nature of their camera rolls.
  • George: “Even just like when I see that, I'm sort of like, are you sure? ... The last picture might be something bad.” [38:27]
• They contrast straight and gay privacy anxieties: straight men may share their photos, but would never risk open texts; gay men have the inverse.
• An extended riff on straight dads' insistence on sharing “normal experiences” (e.g., forcing everyone to look at a sunset):
  • Bryan: “So you’re the type of person that doesn’t care about natural beauty in this way.” [44:07]
  • Sam: “They love it. They want the experiential thing, I think.” [44:30]
• “Sunset photos are very straight-coded.”

6. Topic Deep Dive: Salsa Dancing Classes as Straight Culture

[48:28–62:28]

• Thesis: Salsa dancing classes, especially as a couples’ activity, represent straight couples’ need for forced, structured intimacy.
  • Sam: “When couples are not doing well, they'll take a ballroom class ... to reconnect or to spice up their marriage. And it does seem to be salsa ... more than any other genre of dance.” [48:52]
• The panel muses that these classes function as “romance training wheels” for straight couples, a way to “relearn how to touch each other.”
  • George: “It’s romance training wheels ... what if someone teaches you how to be romantic?” [51:05]
• Discussion over why straight couples need organized environments to connect (“the man wants to watch the game, the woman wants to shop for handbags” [49:49]) and why salsa (with defined masculine and feminine roles) is the perfect straight compromise.
  • Bryan: “Your man gets to be both more masculine and feminine ... in a way that, like, displays vulnerability.” [50:22]
• They contrast this with the gay experience: as you age, dancing remains an accepted social ritual in gay culture, whereas straight people can only really dance at weddings or “forced” classes.
  • George: “The club is your church. And you’re required to go.” [52:41]
• Salsa and yoga are both used as metaphors for white suburban cultural mixing, and the panel touches (with guidance from Becca Ramos) on the Caribbean and Puerto Rican heritage of salsa, noting how it's been appropriated by mainstream American straight couples' activities.

7. Language, Awkward Plurals, and Gay Slang

[54:46–57:10]

• Riotously discuss cringe-inducing pluralized words (“cummies,” “monies,” “silks”) and how sex-related slang sometimes circulates only briefly in micro-gay scenes.
  • George: "It's disgusting. It's the most horrible thing I've ever heard." [55:57]
  • Sam: “You just say, like, gotta get the cummies.” [55:55]

8. Coming Out, Parental Acceptance, and the Liberal Fantasy

[58:07–60:14]

• The trio discuss their coming out experiences, noting how even well-meaning parents have their own complex reactions.
  • Bryan: “My dad started... doing research where he would just like Google gay movies and watch them. Including some that had like pretty explicit sex scenes.” [58:35]
  • Sam: “I feel like ... the moms ... their fear is they're nervous for you, you know what I mean? And dads don't really completely ... they're afraid for your safety. They're afraid, you know, all these other things.” [59:42]
  • George: "I also think dads are just like worried you aren’t horny … better to be gay than a loser." [60:05]

9. Appropriation & Salsa’s Heritage

[60:25–62:28]

• A quick but crucial examination of salsa dancing’s Caribbean Latino origins and its passage into white American coupledom.
  • Becca Ramos (producer): “Salsa is very Caribbean Latino. ... Puerto Rican salsa is the OG salsa.” [60:48]

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Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• “Salsa dancing is romance training wheels for straight couples.”
  – George Severis [51:05]

• “You walk forwards, you walk backwards ... That makes the perfect man.”
  – Sam Taggart [50:20, 50:34]

• “We wish we were Glen Powell.”
  – Bryan Safi [14:33]

• “Friends are enemies and friends are triggering, period.”
  – Sam Taggart [08:04]

• “What’s happening? It’s the Peptides.”
  – George Severis [20:35]

• “Sunset photos—I think are very straight-coded too, completely.”
  – Sam Taggart [43:03]

• On gay camera roll anxiety:

  • George: “Even just like when I see that, I'm sort of like, are you sure? ... The last picture might be something bad.” [38:27]

• On passive aggression in texts:

  • Bryan: “I have so much rage about the passive aggressive LOL at the end.” [40:31]

• On white yoga vs cultural yoga:

  • Bryan: “It’s like if I’m doing yoga, I’m actually appropriating Goop culture, not like Eastern culture.” [62:24]

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Important Timestamps

| Segment| Topic | Timestamp | |--------|-------|-----------| | Opening banter, Peptides & body talk | Peptide trend in gay culture, body image insecurities among gays | 03:30–10:53 | | LA living & “busyness” | LA tropes, busyness, job scarcity in entertainment | 11:03–14:45 | | Live performance & paranoia | Bryan’s solo show, fear of walking on stage | 14:45–18:51 | | Generational shifts in gay culture | Generational gay stereotypes, Drew Droege, peptide era | 20:05–21:38 | | Straight camera roll etiquette | Straight men’s photo sharing habits, gay privacy anxieties | 37:49–44:50 | | Salsa dancing as straight culture | The episode's core topic: salsa classes, straight intimacy rituals | 48:28–62:28 | | Salsa's cultural origins | Appropriation, Caribbean/Latino roots, producer Becca clarifies salsa's heritage | 60:25–62:28 | Coming out, parental reactions | Liberal fantasy, personal stories | 58:07–60:14 | | Final shout-outs | Favorite podcasts, shout-outs | 68:01–71:32 |

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Additional Funny/Engaging Moments

• On “cummies”, “monies”, “silks,” and awkward plurals:

  • Extended bit about sex slang and what phrases should not be pluralized. “Cummies” hits everyone’s gross-out threshold.

• George’s catalytic converter saga as an L.A. rite of passage [10:59–12:24].

• On “busyness” in LA entertainment:

  • Sam: “I have a list of the 15 people with jobs and you are not one of them.” [13:11]

• On appropriating wellness/fitness fads:

  • White people’s salsa and yoga compared to imported "authentic" cultures; straight couples use both for social performance and self-improvement.

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Overall Tone & Takeaways

The episode is a sharply funny, self-reflective analysis of straight relationship rituals, especially the genre of “couples salsa classes.” Throughout, George, Sam, and Bryan mine their personal social anxiety, gay community dynamics, and the performative nature of both romance and social rituals for both wit and gentle insight.

Despite its humor, the conversation delivers real sociological observations: straight couples use activities like salsa dancing as structured, externally guided paths to intimacy; for gay people, dancing has always been a social connective tissue; and every community has its own anxieties and rituals masking deeper needs.

The Self-Aware Conclusion

The hosts close by acknowledging the elephant in the (dance) room—cultural appropriation and the way certain traditions, like salsa, are removed from their roots and filtered through mainstream, white, hetero culture, eventually becoming part of “straight domestic therapy.”

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Where to Hear More

Bryan Safi's solo show “Are You Mad At Me?” is running July 10–August 15 at Here Art Center in Soho, NYC.
Tickets: [Link in Bryan’s Instagram bio or areyoumadatmeshow.com]

Bryan’s and Becca Ramos’s other podcast work is also highlighted (see timestamps around [61:51]).

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A quintessentially StraightioLab episode—equal parts razor-sharp drag, self-own, anthropological survey, and mutual therapy with a gay twist.

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End of Summary

Transcript

[Sam Taggart]

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[George Severis]

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[Sam Taggart]

while supplies last selection varies by location.

[George Severis]

See Lowes.com for more details.

[Sam Taggart]

Visit your nearby Lowe's.

[Cal Penn]

Hey everyone, it's Cal Penn. I'm inviting you to join the best sounding book club you've ever heard with my podcast Hearsay, The Audible and iHeart Audiobook Club. Every episode I nerd out with amazing guests and dive into the best new audiobooks available on Audible. It's the book club for your ears. Listen to Earsay the Audible and I Heart Audiobook Club on the iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcasts.

[George Severis]

The old gays are back with Silver Linings, their lovable podcast from iHeart's Ruby Studio in partnership with Veeve Healthcare. Robert, Mick, Bill and Jesse strut back down memory lane for season two, sharing lessons on life, love and loss. These are the kinds of insights that only come from experience. So tune in to Silver Linings with the old gays on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Sam Taggart]

Big transfer news today.

[George Severis]

Who's moving me to the couch with Domino's?

[Brian Safi]

Best deal ever since they just added stuffed crust.

[George Severis]

Any pizza, any toppings now with stuffed crust for 9.99. It's a long term contract with no

[Cal Penn]

release clause only 9.99.

[George Severis]

Yeah, that sounds like the move.

[Sam Taggart]

I'm heading straight to Dom. Price is higher for some locations, excludes Excel and specialty pizzas.

[George Severis]

Select this offer from 6:15 through 7:26 online only.

[Sam Taggart]

Size availability varies by crust type. Maximum toppings 6 for Anna, NY style crust. Minimum purchase required for delivery prices, participation, delivery area and charges may vary.

[Brian Safi]

Tour announcement starts now. This is George Just a reminder that you can see my dear co host Santa Sam Taggart on tour this summer starting in July in San Francisco, Seattle, Portland, Washington, D.C. philly, Chicago, Pittsburgh and Boston. And hot off the presses, you can also see me, George Severis do a few small shows this August in anticipation for my own tour that's happening later on in the fall. But this August I will be in New York, Louisiana and get this East Hampton on August 30th. So if you want to see me In New York, Louisiana or East Hampton, tickets are at LinkTreet. The link is in my Instagram bio. And if you want to see Sam on tour, you can find [e-mail] getthisamtaggart and that link is in his Instagram bio. God, we love symmetry, folks. Well, enjoy the show. This is George. We forgot to introduce the guest, but here I am introducing him. The guest you are about to hear the third gay voice is Brian Safi. And his show in New York City, baby, is called Are youe Mad At Me? Okay, here's the podcast. So you gotta take a probiotic.

[George Severis]

Yeah. So, podcast.

[Brian Safi]

I found out about probiotics. I found out about probiotics from Tig Notaro on a podcast. I just want to make that.

[Sam Taggart]

I basically only just heard about peptides. I had no idea that this was a thing.

[Brian Safi]

Oh, my God.

[George Severis]

Thank you for breaking the seal.

[Sam Taggart]

Thank you for bringing it up. Because everyone talks to me like, I

[George Severis]

should have peptides on this podcast.

[Sam Taggart]

Yet you haven't.

[George Severis]

No. Did you know they're.

[Sam Taggart]

I didn't even know that they were injectable. I thought they were just in, like, creams.

[Brian Safi]

I.

[George Severis]

Can someone tell me what.

[Brian Safi]

There is a black market. There is a black.

[Sam Taggart]

Yes.

[Brian Safi]

Not something we can answer, by the way.

[Sam Taggart]

They're also calling it a gray market.

[Brian Safi]

Well, I love that.

[Cal Penn]

Me too.

[Brian Safi]

I'm all about spectrums versus binary. It's like a gray market.

[Sam Taggart]

It's half legal, half con.

[Brian Safi]

Well, that's how I feel about. I recently saw an ad for something called BlueChew, which I guess is kind of the ultimate boner pill. Oh. And it has, like, the ad sets.

[George Severis]

I think it's just like, Millennial coded boner pill.

[Brian Safi]

Well, no, get ready for this. It's in terms of it being millennial coded. So from what I understand, there was something about the description that was like, this has pretty much all of it. Viagra, Cialis. They put it all in a bucket and they just mix it up. And I was like, interesting. And then because I got the ad, then I started getting it served more. It turns out this is a company that is being promoted exclusively by Manosphere podcasters. So you go on the website and it's literally all of them. It's Joe Rogan, Tony Hinchcliffe, every single one.

[Sam Taggart]

These people have such a death wish. I feel the same about looks Maxers. They're like, no, you should be in a tanning bed every day. You should take a hammer to your face. And then this shit of, like, you should combine them all so that at the end, you just go on a true murderous rampage. What could that. What else could that lead to?

[Brian Safi]

I'm sort of like, how hard do you need to get? You know what I mean? Like, right. I'm like, you think one of those couldn't do the trick?

[Sam Taggart]

And like, are any of those people going to do anything after they get hard? I feel like no.

[Brian Safi]

Right. Well, yeah, they're going to go to the gym, right. They're going to record a Patreon only exclusive episode.

[George Severis]

But can I actually need someone in like explaining to a fifth grader or something, what is a peptide?

[Becca Ramos]

Okay, I have the answer.

[George Severis]

Thank you.

[Becca Ramos]

So a peptide basically is to. With the injectable. Specifically, it's to boost proteins like collagen and elastin. So essentially it helps your skin firm over time, soften fine lines. So it's almost like you're boosting the natural parts of your body to get rid of wrinkles. So instead of Botox.

[Brian Safi]

But I think that's just one of them. Each of them activates a different quote unquote, you know, thing that is dormant in your body. You know what I mean? So there's like one that's for wrinkles. There's one that's for like belly fat. There's one that's for whatever.

[Sam Taggart]

Like a lot of like muscle gaze are injecting this now.

[Brian Safi]

Some people are like, what's your stack? That means which peptides are you taking? And it's like, I'm taking one for, you know, making my ankles bigger, one for like making my left toe and

[Sam Taggart]

then also one for flexible healing or something.

[Brian Safi]

Of course, we're healing constantly.

[Sam Taggart]

I think that peptides are just anything.

[Brian Safi]

Yeah. But they're also dangerous and could kill you.

[Sam Taggart]

Yeah, of course.

[Brian Safi]

Because I was someone literally close. Close friend. We're gonna believe it. I was sort of. I was like, I thought you were not the kind of person who would fall for this thing. And he was like, no, I've done a lot of research. I'm super into peptides.

[George Severis]

Really?

[Sam Taggart]

Yeah.

[Brian Safi]

And then I go, these are the ones that are approved by doctors. And he was like, no, none are.

[Becca Ramos]

Okay, I have more of an update. So there are, yes, multiple different types of peptides. There are ones for basically GLP1s are also peptides technically.

[George Severis]

Got it.

[Becca Ramos]

And they help suppress appetite. There's tissue repair, there's growth hormone. So it's all different things where I think, like you're saying too much of something can kill you. Right. So I think that's where the danger territory. It's like people are using them because they're naturally occurring to help stimulate different things in the body. But too much of that.

[Brian Safi]

Well, like serotonin and dopamine are also naturally occurring. But I can't be on MDMA every day.

[George Severis]

Well, have you tried it?

[Becca Ramos]

Exactly, honey?

[Brian Safi]

Yeah, it's called 2011.

[George Severis]

Well, that is crazy. I do like that we have a name for it. It's sort of like, what an amazing conclusion.

[Brian Safi]

Well, I. I do like that we have a name for it.

[Sam Taggart]

It has been named.

[George Severis]

It's sort of like when something is AI. Like peptides are like AI for people.

[Sam Taggart]

Yes.

[George Severis]

Where you can kind of be like. Like one. I was recently shit talking someone to a dear friend and I said, friend, this person's abs are scaring me. Yeah. And he said, it's all peptides. And I said, interesting.

[Brian Safi]

Who Later.

[Sam Taggart]

I have no friends with abs. Proudly, by the way.

[Brian Safi]

I'm trying to think if I do.

[Sam Taggart]

Really.

[Brian Safi]

And also, you definitely have friends doubts.

[Sam Taggart]

Yeah, I can't think of one.

[Brian Safi]

Really?

[George Severis]

Yeah.

[Sam Taggart]

I mean, do you guys.

[George Severis]

Well, depends. How do you define abs and how

[Brian Safi]

do you find friends?

[Sam Taggart]

To be honest, first of all, like,

[Brian Safi]

we know a lot of people with abs. Do we? Are we sort of like, here he fucking comes? Yeah.

[Sam Taggart]

Friends are enemies and friends are triggering, period. They are the ones who get under your skin the most. But yeah, I don't know that I have any. If they do, they're like secret abs. It's those kinds of people who take off their shirt and you're like, what the hell?

[George Severis]

Yeah, you should have to disclose.

[Brian Safi]

You should have to disclose like Sandy's brother. A secret abs.

[George Severis]

Not so secret anymore.

[Brian Safi]

That's true.

[George Severis]

The Instagrams are posted.

[Brian Safi]

Yeah, we. I can't remember what group this was even. We were even talking about, but remember when we were talking about how, like when you or I are in a group where everyone has abs, we are there as sort of counter programming.

[Sam Taggart]

Yeah. It's like the other member of my DJ team.

[Brian Safi]

If you guys are tired of like having weird conversations with one another, you can come to me and like, we can talk about just sort of like what's on Netflix.

[George Severis]

Were you there for. There was a birthday party for certain muscular people.

[Brian Safi]

I think that's what it was.

[Cal Penn]

Yeah.

[George Severis]

Yeah. We were in a. And it was like they were comedy adjacent. So there was like all the muscle guys, which nothing but love, of course. And then in another room was all the comedian guys.

[Sam Taggart]

Right.

[George Severis]

And so. But then the muscle guys were all going to the same party and we were not going.

[Sam Taggart]

So they all like excluded Or.

[Brian Safi]

No, no, no.

[George Severis]

They just had plans already.

[Brian Safi]

We were like, the party to your point is definitely, like, implicitly not for non muscle gays.

[George Severis]

Yeah. So they were all leaving. They mostly cleared out. And then one of them came back and was, like, looking for their friend.

[Sam Taggart]

Okay.

[George Severis]

And they came into the room where it was all the comedian gays, and there was, like, an. An office, and he looks around, saw us all, and then, like, had to pretend that he came to the room for a book.

[Sam Taggart]

So that is. Honestly.

[George Severis]

He came into the room, saw all of us, and then went, oh, I was looking for. Oh, the book's not here. And then ran out of the door.

[Sam Taggart]

Who's more into which group is more intimidated by which group?

[Brian Safi]

Thank you.

[Cal Penn]

Thank you.

[Sam Taggart]

I wonder.

[George Severis]

I do think. I think I get annoyed when comedians are always like, I'm a victim. I'm a victim.

[Brian Safi]

Right. This is what we're doing now.

[George Severis]

George, you didn't let me finish, but

[Brian Safi]

this is an exception. You were a victim. Is that what you were gonna say?

[Sam Taggart]

No. I feel like the book move was to impress you.

[George Severis]

I don't think it was to impress. If there had been just flowers all around, he would have been like, oh, what flower was I looking for? I think it was just the prop he had to do comedy with in that moment.

[Sam Taggart]

Was it funny?

[George Severis]

I'm laughing.

[Brian Safi]

Yeah, we're laughing now.

[Sam Taggart]

I feel like. I do think the AB group is more intimidated by the comedian.

[Brian Safi]

I agree. I agree. I think we don't realize how completely, like, standoffish we come across. Well, it's, of course, Tina. Which is, of course, insecurity, and it's not my fault, and I'm not changing. But I do think often I will hear about both of us. Like, I thought you hated me.

[George Severis]

Yeah, well, to be fair, I'm standoffish as hell. I can't help it.

[Brian Safi]

Yeah, yeah.

[George Severis]

It's just how I am.

[Sam Taggart]

Same.

[George Severis]

Because I, like. I don't want to be a liar. Like, I don't know you yet.

[Sam Taggart]

Yeah, exactly. I keep it very, very close to the chest. Yeah. Vest.

[George Severis]

See, you can't ask me stuff like that.

[Sam Taggart]

You do stand off, George.

[George Severis]

Guess what happened to me today. My catalytic converter got stolen.

[Brian Safi]

I'm sorry, what is the sentence you said?

[George Severis]

My catalytic converter got stolen.

[Brian Safi]

What is that? This is.

[Sam Taggart]

Everyone here knows what it is except the two of us, okay?

[George Severis]

This is something that happens to LA people. People.

[Brian Safi]

Is it a car thing?

[George Severis]

It's a. Honey, it's a car thing.

[Brian Safi]

By the way, I'm the only Person. I walked. I've been walking just from place to place. While here, I walked from Hollywood to Los Feliz.

[Sam Taggart]

Okay. I like it.

[Brian Safi]

Did I die? Did I almost die, like multiple times?

[George Severis]

Yeah. I saw you almost get hit by a car yesterday.

[Brian Safi]

Well, I mean, if there's a car, I'm gonna be almost hit by it.

[Sam Taggart]

You're in the right place.

[Brian Safi]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay, so catalytic converter. Do you have any idea what that is, Brian?

[Sam Taggart]

Only now, because everyone discussed explained it to me and it's something to do with it. It's precious metals that help your exhaust it.

[George Severis]

The most valuable ones are in Prius. So when you have a Prius, you have a really nice catalytic converter that is almost exists exclusively to be stolen.

[Brian Safi]

This is why you guys voted for Spencer Pratt.

[George Severis]

No, no, no, you're not.

[Brian Safi]

I don't understand what you're saying.

[George Severis]

You're missing the nuance of this.

[Brian Safi]

Okay.

[George Severis]

Every car has a little gem ins it just begging to be stolen.

[Sam Taggart]

Yeah. Very nightcrawler.

[Brian Safi]

It's very Oceans 8.

[Sam Taggart]

Of course.

[George Severis]

Every single car. And you. I thought I didn't have a Prius. I couldn't possibly be victim to this crime. Turns out even I had one inside of me the whole time. And today I was the victim of it.

[Sam Taggart]

Did you know about it before you moved to la? Like, have you known about this for years?

[George Severis]

I knew it when I would visit because it's like one of the conversations that people have. Totally.

[Sam Taggart]

There's like four total on this. It's true.

[George Severis]

Yeah.

[Sam Taggart]

It's actually true.

[George Severis]

It's like I went on a hike, my catalytic converter got stolen and I'm going to Horses.

[Sam Taggart]

Yeah.

[Brian Safi]

And then.

[Sam Taggart]

Yeah, 1,000%. I just go in and sit at the bar though, you know?

[Cal Penn]

Yeah.

[George Severis]

It's just so hard to get a reservation.

[Sam Taggart]

Yeah.

[George Severis]

Rip. Rip Never got to go.

[Brian Safi]

And then people being like, the notes process is so hard. Like Hulu.

[George Severis]

Yeah. People being like, oh, by the way, I'm constantly working. By the way, I haven't worked in 10 years.

[Sam Taggart]

I am so. I am so exhausted from the conversation that still in 2026 you run into people and it's like, how are you so busy? No, it's imposs. It is impossible that you can be busy right now. It's impossible. I don't buy it.

[George Severis]

I have a list of the 15 people with jobs and you are not one of them.

[Sam Taggart]

Exactly. Yeah. Not to be a full dick, but like, listen, let's just call a spade a spade. We're all in this Together, babe.

[George Severis]

Well, no, it's hard to keep your garden up. You know, stuff like that.

[Sam Taggart]

That's true.

[George Severis]

Maybe that's what they're talking about.

[Brian Safi]

No, it is. I was listening to someone talking about how busy they were, and they just were just in la and they were just describing errands, and I was like, right, so that's life.

[Sam Taggart]

Right?

[Brian Safi]

Like, you went. You went grocery shopping, you paid your bills, you went to the gym, you, you know, got your car, whatever. That's the baseline.

[Cal Penn]

Yeah.

[Brian Safi]

And then busyness is on top of that.

[Sam Taggart]

Yes, well.

[George Severis]

And you treat. You're like, well. And then I had to watch that season of that show. Like, that's my job to watch that season of that show.

[Sam Taggart]

Yeah.

[George Severis]

It's like, it's not your job.

[Sam Taggart]

I remember an acting teacher once saying, like, do one thing every day that helps your career.

[Brian Safi]

Oh.

[Sam Taggart]

And she was. Which was great. And she was like, and you'd be surprised what helps your career. And she would say things like, paying your bills on time, going to the gym, these kinds of things. And I thought, how is any of that really helpful to my career? But I guess it's just your state of mind. I don't know.

[Brian Safi]

But it is also, like, the whole list. Like, I do, for example, the idea of going to the gym, helping your career. You can convince yourself, right? Yes. If I have a better body, I will get the big role opposite Sydney Sweeney.

[George Severis]

It's our big goal.

[Brian Safi]

We both want to be romantic leads. Sydney starring or Marilyn.

[Sam Taggart]

Absolutely.

[Brian Safi]

Yeah.

[Sam Taggart]

Sort of.

[Brian Safi]

We're constantly disappointed in our careers because we wish we were Glenn Powell.

[George Severis]

I wish I was Glen Powell.

[Becca Ramos]

Right.

[Brian Safi]

Like, every day we're like, fuck, you're

[George Severis]

all up for that one.

[Brian Safi]

I feel, like, farther away from it now than I did five years ago.

[George Severis]

There's still time. This career is long.

[Brian Safi]

I want to talk to you about doing an off Broadway show as an Angeleno. You have made the decision to do something that, you know, traditionally, for a Los Angeles resident isn't in people's wheelhouse.

[Sam Taggart]

No. Well, you know, now I'm halftime there, halftime here.

[Brian Safi]

Okay?

[Sam Taggart]

So I feel like I'm. And I used to live there full time. Guys, I'm not a New Yorker. I'm really trying to tell you that I once was.

[George Severis]

When did you live there full time?

[Sam Taggart]

I lived there.

[George Severis]

I have to investigate you.

[Sam Taggart]

No, no, no, it's fine. I lived there full time from 2001 until 2008.

[Brian Safi]

Whoa, that's valid.

[Cal Penn]

Yeah.

[Sam Taggart]

And then once Obama got elected, I was like, get me out of here.

[George Severis]

This place has gone to shit.

[Sam Taggart]

I can't take it. And then I moved here for a very long time, and now whenever I don't have to be here, I'm there pretty much. Much. Okay, but how did it happen? I don't know. I wanted to do a show at Edinburgh last year. I feel like it had been so long. Like, I do podcasts. I'm on this show where it's a big ensemble, and I. It had just been so long since I had really done something just by myself.

[Brian Safi]

You were busy, would you say?

[Sam Taggart]

Some would say that in 2020, you

[George Severis]

were, like, really busy.

[Sam Taggart]

I'm one of the only busy people in la.

[George Severis]

Add them to the list.

[Sam Taggart]

I'm on the list of 15 now 16. But, yeah, it was just something that I had gotten away from sort of solo performing in comedy. And so I was like. I took the show to Edinburgh. It was so fun in a way. I thought that was for sure not for me, that entire situation.

[Brian Safi]

I know what you mean.

[Sam Taggart]

I thought I would be allergic to it. At E. We're in the age of the Internet.

[George Severis]

I'm allergic.

[Brian Safi]

I'm allergic.

[George Severis]

I am allergic to email.

[Brian Safi]

Write that down.

[Sam Taggart]

Thank you. And it was just. It honestly was so fun and I learned so much. And, like, I went in with the show thinking it would be one thing, and then after, like, 30 performances, your show comes out totally different in a great way. And I really loved it. And so I. I just. I needed. I needed more feedback, I needed more audience. I couldn't stop the train.

[George Severis]

What was revue culture like over there for you?

[Sam Taggart]

Yeah, hilarious.

[Brian Safi]

Did you get a Chortle rating?

[George Severis]

Did you get a Chortle?

[Sam Taggart]

I did. No chortle I didn't get. Because, you know, in order for them to review, you have to place an ad in Chortle.

[George Severis]

Really? I pay to play.

[Sam Taggart]

Right? Exactly.

[Brian Safi]

And then they can still review you poorly. It's like you pay for an ad and then they're like, this was the

[Sam Taggart]

worst show ever seen. Correct.

[George Severis]

Zero chortles.

[Sam Taggart]

Yeah. And you can. The only ones that matter are, like, the four star and five star. But I guess it was interesting because I did learn stuff about my show, like, depth they saw I definitely did not. Or depth I thought they missed.

[Brian Safi]

You know.

[Becca Ramos]

Right.

[Sam Taggart]

It works both ways, so. But no, it was. It was great. And I'm. I don't know. I'm legitimately, like, so happy. I've always wanted to actually work in New York. I've never had an actual job there, so I don't know, I'm very excited for this. Although it's been incredible.

[Brian Safi]

You're sort of the opposite. Usually people have never had a job in la, right? You've never had a job in New York ever?

[Sam Taggart]

No, it's. I think Sandra Bernhardt said, like, if you can make it in New York, you can't make it anywhere else. I haven't made it in New York, babes.

[Brian Safi]

Sounds like something Sandra Bernhard would say. Yeah, it's like, relax.

[Sam Taggart]

Yeah.

[Brian Safi]

Love her down.

[George Severis]

Love her down.

[Brian Safi]

She do be saying things.

[Sam Taggart]

She says.

[George Severis]

She does whatever the fuck she wants. She does.

[Brian Safi]

It's amazing actually.

[George Severis]

But to be fair, I completely agree. Yeah.

[Sam Taggart]

Say anything you want.

[Brian Safi]

And what is the show about?

[Sam Taggart]

Yeah, so it's called Are youe Mad At Me? It's essentially just a spiral of my paranoia and walking into rooms and out of them, assuming everyone hated me. And also is going to quote the conversation I had with them in negative ways. And a lot of it's about the way I walk. I hate walking onto a stage. It's so vulnerable. I feel like I look like an idiot. I. Every time I catch my reflection in like the window of a building I saw. Because how I think I walk in the mirror in my home is so different than how I actually walk and all those things just sort of destroy me. It's also like really audience interactive in a way that's not annoying, hopefully. So the show's different every night. It's like very Sleep no More. Ooh.

[Brian Safi]

And thank God, because it's a good reference.

[George Severis]

There is a Sleep no More hole in New York City.

[Sam Taggart]

It's Phantom Interactive. That's the Sleep no More.

[George Severis]

Thank God.

[Cal Penn]

Yeah.

[George Severis]

But yeah, I find that I. Do you think you walk cool?

[Sam Taggart]

No. Do you?

[Brian Safi]

You think you walk normal and then you walk in the mirror.

[George Severis]

Oh, yeah.

[Sam Taggart]

And it's terrible.

[Brian Safi]

I definitely walk poorly.

[Sam Taggart]

Yeah, me too. And I don't think I do.

[George Severis]

You know, we have very different approaches to walking on stage when we do live shows together.

[Brian Safi]

Well, okay, keep going, keep going.

[George Severis]

George likes to like over energize and be like woo.

[Sam Taggart]

And I like to be like same. And it throws the vibe off.

[George Severis]

Well,

[Brian Safi]

I'm not saying one is right and one is wrong, but like we're live performers. Like, you gotta get the people off.

[Sam Taggart]

No, honestly, I walk out like you, but yours is right.

[Brian Safi]

I mean, thank you.

[George Severis]

Yeah, no, mine is right.

[Brian Safi]

We also get into. Sometimes it'll be like I will go too big and I'll start like, you know, high fiving people and Sam Will be, like, in the middle of the stage. Like

[Sam Taggart]

in your shows, the audience has to earn it.

[George Severis]

I think they come to me, which

[Brian Safi]

is weird, because, in fact, as solo performers, your show is much more silly and high energy, and I'm much more deadpan. Whatever.

[Sam Taggart]

Yeah.

[George Severis]

Well, maybe you use studio lab space as a place to explore inside of yourself.

[Brian Safi]

Yeah, I'm very controlling when it comes to stand up. And then for straighter lab shows, I'm like, thank God I can improvise.

[Sam Taggart]

That's the best. Yeah, yeah.

[George Severis]

And I'm standoffish.

[Sam Taggart]

Right. Period.

[Brian Safi]

In any context, you're coming out and you're like, these people have not been to a museum recently.

[Sam Taggart]

Yeah. Drew Droege. Do you guys know him?

[Brian Safi]

Yeah, he's done the pod.

[Sam Taggart]

Oh, yes. Okay.

[Brian Safi]

Yeah. One of the greats.

[Sam Taggart]

He's so funny. He always says, the audience gets the show they deserve, which I do love that. If they're not with you, you're not with them.

[Brian Safi]

Drew Droghi is like, yeah, he's the real deal.

[Sam Taggart]

Oh, yeah.

[Brian Safi]

That's like, what gay guys should be

[Sam Taggart]

like, across the board.

[George Severis]

I feel like gay guys aren't like that anymore.

[Brian Safi]

Right.

[George Severis]

What's happening? It's the Peptides.

[Brian Safi]

It's the Peptides. The Peptides. Yeah.

[Sam Taggart]

I do think.

[Brian Safi]

No, the Peptides are making people less like Drew Droghi.

[George Severis]

Oh, here's something. Hold on. But, yes, okay. This might be a dead end as well, but you never know until you say it. There's these two gay guys that live in my neighborhood that they're always walking their dogs, and they're always wearing big, matching straw hats. Wow. Big matching straw hats. And they are, like, in their 30s, very muscular. They're doing Farmer brown play, and it's sort of like. Like, they always say hi, and they're, like, super nice to me and Misha, but we're always like, you hate us. We're, like, doing victim complex, even though they're being nice to us.

[Brian Safi]

Oh, yeah.

[Sam Taggart]

What's the rest of the look?

[George Severis]

Athletic shorts, little tank top. Potentially. Okay, by straw hat, I mean, like, the sort of beachy kind, right?

[Sam Taggart]

I mean, like a Nicole Kidman. Yeah, yeah. Sort of beachy. And where do you think they got those hats?

[Brian Safi]

Thank you.

[George Severis]

You know where I think they got the hats? I think they were, like, going to the beach, and they were like, fuck, we forgot our hats. And then they went to, like, a little roadside like, or like, a little convenience store or something that just sells these hats, and they were like, actually, it kind of looks Amazing on me.

[Sam Taggart]

Do they look peptided?

[George Severis]

They're peptided down, yeah. And I hope.

[Brian Safi]

Wait, so they're peptided and they're wearing hats? I was imagining people that were more self accepting wearing hats.

[George Severis]

No, they have the big muscles so they can pull off the hat and be like, I'm grounded.

[Brian Safi]

Oh. I thought it was more of like a Palm Springs vibe where it's like moo moo and hats and they're like walking their big.

[George Severis]

Did you not hear the athletic shorts and the muscles?

[Brian Safi]

Excuse me? Oh, I didn't hear the muscles. Athletic shorts, you can have any body type in.

[George Severis]

You know what I mean?

[Brian Safi]

Athletic shorts, depending on your habits, can be workout wear or loungewear.

[Sam Taggart]

If I could draw these, especially in

[Brian Safi]

la, it could be formalist, occasion completely.

[George Severis]

I can draw them. You would know exactly who I am talking about.

[Sam Taggart]

It's like, well, yes, of course, if

[Brian Safi]

I had a visual, but if you

[George Severis]

could listen to me explain it. The muscles, the tank top.

[Cal Penn]

Yeah.

[Brian Safi]

Okay, I see. I mean, I'm. I have a similar experience where in. Maybe I shouldn't dox them. Whatever. In my building.

[George Severis]

I am scared.

[Sam Taggart]

No, I'm scared in my building in New York.

[Brian Safi]

The only other gay couple that lives there, they're both literal professional ballet dancers. Like one is in.

[Sam Taggart]

Wow.

[Brian Safi]

American Ballet Company. American Ballet Theater. Yeah. Theater. And in fact, both of them are. Don't get mad.

[Sam Taggart]

That's tough. By the way.

[Brian Safi]

I can't imagine they've been nothing but nice to me. But of truly. But of course, when I see them, I'm like, we get it. You have a six pack. It's like, I'm sorry. Like, don't look at me.

[George Severis]

Yeah, there's nothing.

[Brian Safi]

They're like, good morning.

[Sam Taggart]

Right?

[Brian Safi]

Yeah.

[Sam Taggart]

It's the way they're leading with their hips.

[Brian Safi]

Well, yes.

[George Severis]

There's a pompousness to it, for sure. There is a. There's an old woman in my neighborhood that like, we've started to say good morning to and she responds, good morning. It's so wholesome.

[Brian Safi]

Yeah.

[George Severis]

One time we were walking behind them, they go, good morning. She goes, good morning. She does it to them too.

[Brian Safi]

So I see she's cheating on you by saying good morning to a different gay couple.

[Cal Penn]

Wow.

[Sam Taggart]

She must feel very safe in that neighborhood though.

[Brian Safi]

Yeah.

[Sam Taggart]

I will say that she.

[Brian Safi]

I mean, you need her to be mean to at least one other gay couple so you know that like, she'll

[George Severis]

just say good morning to anybody.

[Brian Safi]

You need her to call another gay couple. The f. Slur.

[Sam Taggart]

For sure. Get her To New York or San

[George Severis]

Francisco, where people can really say it.

[Brian Safi]

I mean, this is like how we were talking about. We were talking about someone we know that does the same thing to everyone. Just being. Which is like, this. Over familiarity.

[Sam Taggart]

Ooh. Like. Like physically or verbally?

[Brian Safi]

No, no, no. Like, verbally. Like, just seeing someone and being like. It is so good to see. Like, it's just. It's been so long, and it's just nice to find, like, to talk. Talk to you. Like, especially in this. And when she. When this person does it to you, you're like, oh, my God, I'm the chosen one. And then you literally see them do it to another person in the room.

[Sam Taggart]

Almost feels like a note from their therapist or something to, like, really. I don't know. To be more genuine.

[Brian Safi]

Yeah.

[Sam Taggart]

Or.

[Brian Safi]

It feels actually an optimistic album.

[George Severis]

It's a genius to me.

[Brian Safi]

I'm like, they're a snake to me. I'm like, they're a snake. Like, they do this because they're manipulative.

[Sam Taggart]

100. Yeah. What do you want from me? Your wallet's gone at the end of that.

[Brian Safi]

Yes, exactly.

[George Severis]

That is. That's an interesting thing. I do feel like there was a point in my childhood where I was, like, complaining about everything, and my mom was like, what if you instead didn't do that? What if instead you were just, like, positive about stuff?

[Brian Safi]

Yeah, that's what I'm trying to do.

[George Severis]

It actually has it, like, helped in the moment.

[Sam Taggart]

Yeah.

[George Severis]

Don't get me wrong. I'm still complaining.

[Brian Safi]

It's a lifelong practice.

[Sam Taggart]

I feel like my therapist also has said to me, like, I think the reason you get so exhausted socially is because you feel like you have to perform or whatever, have high energy, and so you just need to start going in conversations, just, like, normal voice, very relaxed. And it came across as so fucking rude. Cause it really came across as like, hey, good, how are you? Like, I couldn't do it.

[Brian Safi]

Oh, I'm the same way. It's all or nothing. When I decide I'm not gonna invest energy in an interaction, then I'm just silent.

[Sam Taggart]

Totally.

[Brian Safi]

And then. You know what, though? Think of all those people that, you know that are just constantly silent, and then their friends are like, that's just how he is. He's just an introvert. And then it's like, your problem. You have to fill in the silences.

[Sam Taggart]

Exactly. And also, why can't I be an introvert?

[Brian Safi]

That's what I'm saying.

[Becca Ramos]

Yeah.

[Brian Safi]

You can just embrace it. And then people can be like he's just an intellect.

[George Severis]

No, the, the, the social gathering, it's all weighing. It's on my shoulders.

[Sam Taggart]

Yeah.

[George Severis]

If it's a flop, it's my fault.

[Sam Taggart]

Yep, completely.

[George Severis]

So I can't just let it lie. Let's do our first segment. Let's do it.

[Sam Taggart]

Hey, it's Ryan Reynolds here from Mint Mobile. Now, I was looking for fun ways to tell you that Mint's offer of unlimited Premium Wireless for $15 a month is back. So I, I thought it would be fun if we made $15 bills, but it turns out that's very illegal. So there goes my big idea for the commercial. Give it a [e-mail] Switch upfront payment of $45 for three months, $90 for six months, or $180 for a 12 month plan. Required $15 per month, equivalent to taxes and fees. Extra initial plan term only greater than 50 gigabytes. Me slow when network is busy.

[Cal Penn]

See terms.

[George Severis]

Guess who's back in the house? The old gays returned for season two of Silver Lining, their hit podcast from iHeart's Ruby Studio in partnership with Veeve Healthcare. Just wait until you hear what hosts Robert, Mick, Bill, and Jesse have in store this time around. They strut back down memory lane, navigating life, love, loss, and everything that shaped them along the way. And as usual, someone just might break into a song. From leather bars to bathhouses, dance floors to drag brunch, nothing stays off limits. These are the kind of insights that can only come from experience. So listen to your elders, honey, and discover the silver linings you can take with you. All sass, zero filter, and decades of perspective from four friends proving that queer joy only gets better with age. On the podcast that never gets old, listen to Silver Linings, available on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Cal Penn]

Hey, everyone, it's Cal Penn, host of Earsay, the Audible, and iHeart Audiobook Club. This week on the podcast, I'm sitting down with Divergent author Veronica Roth to talk about her sprawling new novel, Seek the Traitor's Son. It's a sci fi fantasy epic about two protagonists on opposite sides of a war and a prophecy neither of them wanted.

[Brian Safi]

My first book was Divergent, and when

[Sam Taggart]

that came out, like, because it was so popular, I think it attracted, like, mostly positivity, but the negativity I sucked

[Brian Safi]

in like a sponge.

[Sam Taggart]

And I think it was like, critiques

[Cal Penn]

of things I liked when I was

[Sam Taggart]

like, you know, I was 23 and I wrote this book and it had all my, like, dorky little cheesy or maybe unrealistic loves in it. And I started to feel a lot of shame about those things. And so for the rest of my career, I steered away from those little things that like, make you feel pleasure when you read. But I also was like, saying no to these parts of myself that I then was like, screw it.

[George Severis]

Yeah, so that's this book.

[Cal Penn]

Listen to Irsay the Audible and iHeart audiobook club on the iHeartradio app or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Brian Safi]

Awkward time to ask this, but hey, did you download the trail map?

[Sam Taggart]

Yeah, no, I don't need to.

[Brian Safi]

I don't understand. You're trusting your signal out here.

[George Severis]

I'm trusting T Mobile.

[Sam Taggart]

They have the best network and if

[George Severis]

we end up in bumtots nowhere, well,

[Sam Taggart]

we've got T satellite for backup.

[Brian Safi]

Whoa, I don't trust my carrier that much.

[Sam Taggart]

Well, just use your phone as a flashlight. With America's best network and T Satellite, we're keeping you connected in places you never thought possible. And if you switch today, you get free phones for zero down and only 25 bucks a month per line for four lines. Find out more@t mobile.com or visit your local store. Best Mobile network Based on analysis by Ooklev Speed test intelligence data 2h 2025 with 24 monthly bill credits and 4 eligible port ins on a set for well qualified customers with autopay plus taxes, fees and $35 connection charge per line credits and a balance too if you pay off earlier. Cancel Contact Us Finance Agreement example 299.99 Moto Edge 5G required T Satellite available with compatible device in most outdoor areas in the US where you can see the sky included with experience beyond your $10 a month. However, News Monthly cancel anytime. Visit t mobile.com.

[George Severis]

So our first segment is called Straight Shooters. And in this segment we're going to ask you a series of rapid fire questions. Basically this thing or this other thing. And the only rule is you can't ask any follow up questions or we'll scream at you.

[Sam Taggart]

Got it?

[George Severis]

Okay, ready?

[Brian Safi]

Mm.

[George Severis]

Music, fashion, film or reduce, reuse, recycle?

[Sam Taggart]

Music, fashion, film.

[Brian Safi]

Sorry.

[Sam Taggart]

That's okay.

[Brian Safi]

Ross Dress for less or Ross Rachel's

[Sam Taggart]

Ex Ross Dress for Less.

[George Severis]

Don't sweat the small stuff or I'm wet cause you're all buff.

[Sam Taggart]

I'm wet cause you're all Bob.

[Brian Safi]

Damn, that's good. One man show or no knead dough.

[Sam Taggart]

Oh no knead dough. Yeah, that's the goal, isn't It.

[Brian Safi]

That's the goal.

[George Severis]

Lost in translation or found in salvation?

[Sam Taggart]

Lost in translation or found in salvation. Oh, found in salvation, yeah.

[Brian Safi]

Dancing on my own or Britney's in the zone.

[Sam Taggart]

Oh, honestly, Britney's in the zone, period.

[Brian Safi]

Yeah.

[George Severis]

A Teens Cardi. B mel. C delight. E 40 or f slur d Light.

[Brian Safi]

Wow. The canary in the coal mine. Or that Drew Carey. He's a gold mine.

[Sam Taggart]

Oh, God. The canary in the coal mine.

[Brian Safi]

Yeah.

[George Severis]

Wow. Well, that was a really good performance.

[Brian Safi]

Where does the canary in the coal mine the visual come from?

[Sam Taggart]

I hate it, to be honest. I like that visual. I hate thinking about it.

[Brian Safi]

It's like. Like, relax. We don't. We're not writing. You're not E.E. cummings.

[George Severis]

It comes from real. Well, yes, it's real.

[Sam Taggart]

They would send a canary down in the coal mine to see how deep it would go. Am I wrong?

[George Severis]

It's like to see if.

[Sam Taggart]

I didn't know that.

[Brian Safi]

I didn't know that.

[George Severis]

It's oxygen. Yeah. Yeah.

[Brian Safi]

That is so violent.

[George Severis]

Horrible. It's like Flintstones vibes.

[Brian Safi]

That's worse than beating a dead horse, because at least beating a dead horse, the horse is already dead. It's violent imagery, but, like, you're not killing.

[George Severis]

That's just an image.

[Sam Taggart]

Yeah, cool.

[George Severis]

Mine is real.

[Brian Safi]

Were you kind of involved in the discourses around not saying things like that because they are speciesist?

[George Severis]

No, I've never heard this in my life.

[Brian Safi]

So when I was in. Around college, something people would say is like, be careful the way you use language metaphor. Like, don't say beat a dead horse. Don't say canary on coal mine. Because it's like. It basically promotes violence against it. It's like, in the same way that you don't want to call a tank top a white beater. Of course. But it's like, if you're an animal lover, you should not use metaphors that imply violence towards animals.

[Sam Taggart]

Yeah.

[Brian Safi]

Just something to think about.

[Sam Taggart]

There should be a warning on this podcast.

[George Severis]

This is why Ivy League schools are a laughingstock. Yeah.

[Brian Safi]

That's all we're talking about is sort

[Sam Taggart]

of an Ivy League.

[Brian Safi]

No.

[George Severis]

Okay. Yes.

[Brian Safi]

It's not an Ivy League.

[George Severis]

Stanford does not count as an Ivy League.

[Brian Safi]

No. Ivy League is all in the Northeast.

[Sam Taggart]

You went to Stanford.

[Brian Safi]

I did, and now I'm doing this.

[Sam Taggart]

That's so good. Did you see? Did you watch Challengers? Didn't they go to Stanford?

[Brian Safi]

Yeah, they went to Stanford. Yeah. Sigourney Weaver, Reese Witherspoon, Chelsea Clinton. Of course.

[Sam Taggart]

Yeah.

[Brian Safi]

But there's like one more Big actress that I can't remember. Wow. But, yeah. And Rob Lowe's son.

[Sam Taggart]

Oh, that's great. He does something with Rob Lowe, doesn't he? Yes.

[Brian Safi]

Yeah. I couldn't tell you what it is,

[Sam Taggart]

but did you know any of these people?

[Brian Safi]

No. Did I know Sigourney? No, we didn't overlap.

[Sam Taggart]

Yeah.

[George Severis]

You're 70, right?

[Brian Safi]

Sigourney.

[Sam Taggart]

Sigourney. Always a fresh bone.

[Brian Safi]

I was a senior. I was her big. In the sorority.

[Sam Taggart]

You Sigourney? Veronica Cartwright.

[Brian Safi]

You all. That's great. But Rhys, I was always fascinated by, like, the idea of Rhys, like, being in the same dorms as me.

[Sam Taggart]

I saw her in a restaurant recently, and boy, she looked incredible.

[George Severis]

Yeah.

[Sam Taggart]

I did not know where you were going.

[Brian Safi]

No, she's phenomenal. I. I actually recently rewatched Legally Blonde on a plane, and I was like, no one can do this.

[Sam Taggart]

Yeah, she did. She did what no one could do and continues to.

[Brian Safi]

I think it's enough with the reading books. She needs to get back to her roots.

[Sam Taggart]

I don't like Otani. Okay, I'm gonna go there.

[George Severis]

Uh.

[Sam Taggart]

Oh, the books that now have, like, say, I do want to read a book that happened to overlap with Oprah or Reese. They're now embedded on the book, the stickers. You can't take them off anymore. So you are stuck with that branding.

[Brian Safi]

Yeah. This is an eternal thing with books. Cause it's like, of course, there's a 30 rock thing where, like, Liz Lemon doesn't, like, when a book has the movie cover as a cover, that humiliates one of things. Yeah.

[George Severis]

Well, it's like, there's always, like, a book trending at the moment, and it's like, do you read the trending book? You better get it right on top.

[Sam Taggart]

Like, yesteryear or something.

[Brian Safi]

Yeah. Yes. Oh, my God. Everyone is reading that fucking book.

[Sam Taggart]

And apparently what I heard was that the Anne Hathaway bought the rights to it before the book was even written. Isn't that wild?

[Brian Safi]

No.

[Sam Taggart]

You could just have an idea for a book. And she's like, that would make a great movie.

[Brian Safi]

You know, all I have is ideas. I'm not putting pen to paper, but if anyone wants to buy them.

[Sam Taggart]

Yeah, I'm here for you. Yeah.

[George Severis]

Wow.

[Sam Taggart]

But I haven't read it, so I can't really say anything.

[Brian Safi]

No, I haven't either. I've heard such polarizing. Like, half the people I know are like, this is the best book I've ever read. And half the people I know are saying, like, the other People are stupid as hell, and I think it's the worst.

[George Severis]

Sometimes when something is so divided like that, I get scared because I don't want to read it and have an opinion.

[Brian Safi]

Yeah, totally.

[George Severis]

Like, I'm like, what if I love it and I'm one of the stupid people? Or what if I hate it and then I have to be on my pedestal for the next, you know, 10 years?

[Sam Taggart]

One thing I didn't understand the popularity of is that I forget her name. But the Upper east side woman whose husband devastated her and left strangers. Strangers. Did you read it?

[Cal Penn]

Yes.

[Brian Safi]

You didn't like it?

[Sam Taggart]

Oh, I didn't read it. All I read was the Modern Love piece. And I thought to myself, why is this such a big deal? I mean, this seems to happen all the time. But was it good?

[Brian Safi]

It was good. I mean, with a thing like that being so overhyped, it's like, is it quote, unquote, as good as you would think, being like, you know, she's literally getting, like, a Nobel Peace Prize for writing it? Like, no, but it was very satisfying. Like, I was like. I was like, as far as these things go, she has more humility and perspective than you would expect someone in her position to have.

[Sam Taggart]

Yeah.

[Brian Safi]

And it had, like, a level of vulnerability that was like, okay, good for you.

[George Severis]

Yeah.

[Brian Safi]

And she's smart.

[Cal Penn]

She.

[Brian Safi]

Because she grew up.

[George Severis]

Her.

[Brian Safi]

She obviously grew up in this, like, extremely rarefied environment, but her family was, you know, they were kind of like wealthy intellectuals. Like, they cared about art and literature and, like, funding the arts and going to music. And so it wasn't like if Lauren Sanchez wrote a book. You know what I mean? Like, it was. There was. There was a level of Which I

[George Severis]

do want to read, by the way.

[Brian Safi]

She wrote a children's book.

[Sam Taggart]

Oh, I know. How did she do it?

[Brian Safi]

I don't know. How does she find the time?

[Sam Taggart]

How does she find the time? What was she inspired by?

[George Severis]

She's busy.

[Sam Taggart]

Does she have children?

[Brian Safi]

I don't know. No one knows.

[Sam Taggart]

No one knows?

[George Severis]

No one knows?

[Sam Taggart]

No. No.

[George Severis]

Should we get into the topic?

[Brian Safi]

Of course.

[George Severis]

And. Or topics.

[Sam Taggart]

Sure.

[George Severis]

You brought a few. And two were really speaking to us, and I don't remember if we landed on one.

[Sam Taggart]

I don't think we did.

[Brian Safi]

Well, please explain what both of them are.

[Sam Taggart]

Okay. One is salsa dance classes. I feel like it's very, you know, I think I said before, like, planning chemistry, which I feel like, like.

[Brian Safi]

And you were thinking, like, couples together, going to assault.

[Sam Taggart]

Correct.

[Brian Safi]

Okay.

[Sam Taggart]

Yes, exactly.

[Brian Safi]

Because there's also the element of like, not to immediately co opt your topic, but there's also an element of, like, who was telling us? Someone was telling us, or me, that, like part of social dancing is also like an excuse to touch other men's wives.

[George Severis]

Oh, someone was telling us this. Oh, God.

[Sam Taggart]

Because you do switch partners.

[Brian Safi]

That's what I mean. So it's like. Is it here?

[George Severis]

Maybe it was here on this podcast.

[Brian Safi]

Who was it? What do they say?

[Sam Taggart]

Roll the tapes.

[Brian Safi]

I don't remember this.

[Sam Taggart]

It doesn't matter.

[Brian Safi]

Yeah, okay, but so point being, like, it's like a socially sanctioned way to, like, soft. It's like there's like another, like, attractive woman. You can put your hand on her waist. That's pretty intimate.

[Sam Taggart]

Very intimate. Especially in this day and age.

[Brian Safi]

So anyway, okay. Salsa dancing.

[Sam Taggart]

Yes, salsa dancing. And the other one was. Oh, straight people.

[Cal Penn]

Keep it down.

[Brian Safi]

You know, it landed. It landed perfectly. You literally don't.

[Sam Taggart]

I gotta say, it's not even real.

[Brian Safi]

No, it's not.

[Sam Taggart]

Okay, so it's okay back there?

[Brian Safi]

It's literally fine.

[Sam Taggart]

Okay.

[Brian Safi]

Okay. None of this is real. Those lemons, by the way. Do you see those? Completely fake.

[Sam Taggart]

You're kidding me. What about this?

[Brian Safi]

No, that goes straight to the FBI.

[George Severis]

The Webbies 3D printed. Well,

[Sam Taggart]

my other one. What now? I'm looking at everything. My other one was, oh, straight people taking really more straight men but showing you vacation photos on their camera.

[Brian Safi]

Oh, you think it's straight men?

[Sam Taggart]

I typically do. Interesting.

[Brian Safi]

I was imagining.

[Sam Taggart]

Let's talk about the angles and the lighting.

[Brian Safi]

Okay, I misunderstood. I was imagining like a mom being like, look at, like, we went that too, though.

[Sam Taggart]

Yeah, I guess.

[Brian Safi]

Both falling. But you're saying, basically. Which is genius. Only a straight person would openly scroll through photos on their phone. Because there's never anything risque in that.

[Sam Taggart]

Exactly.

[George Severis]

There's not gonna be a dick, obviously, is more personal.

[Brian Safi]

This one hits close to home.

[George Severis]

This one hits really close to home.

[Brian Safi]

Because I do have photos of dicks.

[George Severis]

Because I do have photos of dicks. And even just like when I see that, I'm sort of like, are you sure? Like, when they're like, go ahead, scroll. I'm like, is this a test? Because you can't even open the app to take a picture because the last picture might be something bad.

[Sam Taggart]

It's the most nerve wracking thing in the world when someone scrolls through your

[George Severis]

phone, when people let their kids go, I'm like, whoa, yeah, don't do that.

[Sam Taggart]

Wild. It's just something I have never experienced.

[George Severis]

Of course, part of me Is jealous. I would love to.

[Brian Safi]

Yeah, you would love to not have any dicks on your camera roll.

[George Severis]

Just to be like. And this is the app. That's not bad.

[Brian Safi]

Yeah.

[Sam Taggart]

Just to toss your phone and be like, open it. What do I care?

[Brian Safi]

Yeah.

[George Severis]

Who cares? I have nothing to hide. When someone's like, I have nothing to hide, I'm like, I can't relate. I have so much to hide, period.

[Sam Taggart]

Same, same. It would never happen.

[George Severis]

That can't happen. Yeah. I'll be ruined if anyone looks at my phone for more than 10 seconds.

[Brian Safi]

I think what it. Okay, here's the difference. Straight people, gay people, you can't look through camera roll. Straight people, you can't look through text because they're, like, cheating on their wife. You know what I mean? Like, it's interesting, my text, actually. I mean, I'm sure I like.

[Sam Taggart]

I don't know.

[Brian Safi]

I've said a mean thing about someone. I don't want someone to see it. But, like, there's nothing truly incriminating in there.

[Sam Taggart]

Right.

[Brian Safi]

Whereas I do think the things that men say about women. Women say about men are, like, so hurtful.

[Sam Taggart]

Totally.

[Brian Safi]

That I think they could, like, ruin relationships.

[Sam Taggart]

I could not agree more. I've. Anytime I've ever seen, like, a Dateline or anything like that, when they start going through the text messages, I am stunned about what they say about each other. I also feel like. And maybe this is wrong. I've never really been, like, with a partner or anything like that. I've never had, like, a text fight.

[Cal Penn]

Oh.

[Sam Taggart]

And I feel like that is. At least in Dateline, I see text fights.

[George Severis]

I've never had a text fight with a romantic partner.

[Brian Safi]

Yeah, same.

[George Severis]

And the only people I have, it's like I can't even. It's just like, I don't do that. Right. I don't do that.

[Brian Safi]

People will try to do that. And you're like, that's not in my wheelhouse.

[Sam Taggart]

I feel like I've done that with a, like, maybe in the past with a friend or two, but I've never done it with anyone.

[George Severis]

Romance. If I'm like, having to pull out a laptop to really make my point, it's over. Like, let's talk on the phone.

[Brian Safi]

This is why I have so much rage about the passive aggressive LOL at the end. This is like, what, Imagine, you know, know, let's say you're running late or something and someone texts you, well, I'm already here. Lol or something. It's like, so you're mad. Be open about like, don't. What. What are you trying to do with that? Lol.

[Sam Taggart]

No responses.

[Brian Safi]

I don't like that.

[Sam Taggart]

I agree. It is very passive aggressive. It's almost worse than the thumbs up completely. Yeah.

[George Severis]

The thumbs up I can get on board with sometimes.

[Brian Safi]

Really?

[George Severis]

Sometimes I'm like, yeah, you don't love this. Oh, don't lie to me.

[Brian Safi]

Well, just sometimes it is a legitimate thumbs up and sometimes it's a passive aggressive of thumbs up.

[Becca Ramos]

Though.

[Sam Taggart]

I can do a thumbs up if it's informational. Like if it's like, yeah, hey, be there by 2:30 and you have to. You got it.

[George Severis]

There's a certain level of passive aggression that I'm very like. I'm like, it doesn't read to me.

[Brian Safi]

Okay, that's.

[George Severis]

It has to be like the LOL does read to me. But if it's like a thumbs up, a passive thumbs up, I'm like, I'm not looking into whether or not this is passive aggressive.

[Sam Taggart]

Yeah.

[George Severis]

I'm hitting thumbs up on the thumbs up and saying, let's do this.

[Sam Taggart]

That's confident. Truly.

[Brian Safi]

But okay, I wanna, I wanna go back to salty dancing. But first I wanna hear more about the men showing you photos on their phones.

[Sam Taggart]

Yeah.

[Brian Safi]

Cause that I agree, they are taking artistic photographs.

[Sam Taggart]

Right. It's a lot of someone try. I'm thinking specifically of two husbands of friends of mine who I adore, by the way. They're fabulous. But every time they go on vacation, they sit next to me and show me sort of, this is the hotel, this is the omelette.

[Brian Safi]

Okay.

[Sam Taggart]

This is the angle, this is the lighting.

[Brian Safi]

You're pointing to something actually. So not actually you're pointing to something because actually is also passive aggressive. It's very surprising to me that you're

[George Severis]

pointing to something real. No, we didn't expect that from you.

[Brian Safi]

Okay, this reminds me, I think in a nuclear family, okay, Husband, wife, three kids, the wife wants to take photos of the family, the husband wants to take photos of inanimate objects, buildings. You know what I mean?

[Sam Taggart]

No, you're absolutely correct.

[Brian Safi]

This is like when we were on vacation. When I was a kid and we were on vacation, my dad would have a video, like a camcorder. We would all be here. He would be taking the view. Just like video of the view going right and then left and right and. And my mom would be like, can

[Sam Taggart]

you take the kick?

[Brian Safi]

Can you point it to the kids?

[George Severis]

Well, it's almost legal. Like you're like showing people like, no, we were there.

[Brian Safi]

Yes.

[Sam Taggart]

Yeah.

[George Severis]

Like look at this. We did see this. This part, this is more. I kind of think it's also something similar to that is they need you to experience it as they experience it.

[Brian Safi]

Yes.

[George Severis]

They can't be comfortable with you having a different experience.

[Sam Taggart]

That's why like sunset photos I think are very straight coded too completely.

[Brian Safi]

Or like, I mean, I understand the moon is more queer, but like the moon is also like straight woman being like mo.

[Sam Taggart]

Yeah, it is.

[Cal Penn]

They do.

[Sam Taggart]

They want you to feel it in real time with them and be like, I know you can't go.

[George Severis]

Yeah.

[Sam Taggart]

But allow me to give you guys how I experience.

[George Severis]

Because when I experience something, I'm like, I know this will only be my experience. I had fun. I hope you enjoy that. I had fun.

[Sam Taggart]

Yeah.

[George Severis]

But I don't need. I need you to know how the omelet was. Some people really need you to know.

[Sam Taggart]

It's true.

[Brian Safi]

My ex, who I love, we were together for six years. One time we were with his family on some sort of vacation environment and we were watching the sunset and then he goes to me. Just so you know, my dad is very particular about everyone having to look at the sun at the moment it sets. So like make sure.

[Sam Taggart]

Wow.

[Brian Safi]

When it's about to actually go behind the mountain, you're looking.

[Sam Taggart]

That is so insane.

[Brian Safi]

Wow.

[Sam Taggart]

Okay.

[Brian Safi]

It's good to know.

[George Severis]

What's the punishment for not looking?

[Brian Safi]

I just think it's like he values it. And if you don't value it, that's George. That's like a genuine difference in values. It's like. So you're the type of person that doesn't care about natural beauty in this way.

[Sam Taggart]

Riding in the car with my dad is always like, we'll be talking. He interrupts me constantly and he's like, wow, have you seen that before? And I'm like, I, I, I know that's, I'm. I'm so glad that Super Cuts has a new location.

[Brian Safi]

Like what?

[Sam Taggart]

This is ridiculous. But they love it. They want the experiential thing, I think.

[Brian Safi]

Yeah. Completely wild, huh?

[Sam Taggart]

That sunset story is crazy.

[George Severis]

That is really wild.

[Brian Safi]

No, but you're so it re. You're so right that they want you to experience it like they experienced it.

[Sam Taggart]

Yes. Yeah.

[George Severis]

Well, it's like cuz their experience is like normal.

[Brian Safi]

Their experience is the default experience.

[Sam Taggart]

Right.

[Brian Safi]

Awkward time to ask this, but. Hey, did you download the trail map?

[George Severis]

Yeah, no, I don't need to.

[Brian Safi]

I, I don't understand. You're trusting your signal out here.

[Sam Taggart]

I'm trusting T Mobile.

[Becca Ramos]

They have the Best Network.

[Sam Taggart]

And if we end up in bum

[George Severis]

tots nowhere, well, we've got T Satellite for backup.

[Brian Safi]

Whoa, I don't trust my carrier that much.

[Sam Taggart]

We'll just use your phone as a flashlight. With America's Best Network and T Satellite, we're keeping you connected in places you never thought possible. And if you switch today, you get free phones for zero down and only 25 bucks a month per line for four lines. Find out more@t mobile.com or visit your local store. Best Mobile Network Based on analysis by Ooklab Speed Test Intelligence data 2H 2025 with 24 monthly bill credits and 4 eligible port ins on essentials for well qualified customers with autopay plus taxes, fees and $35 connection charge per line credits and a balance too. If you pay off earlier, cancel contact US Finance Agreement example $299.99 Moto Edge 5G required T Satellite available with compatible device in most outdoor areas in the US where you can see the sky included with experience beyond under $10 a month. However, News Monthly cancel anytime. Visit t mobile.com Guess who's back in the House?

[George Severis]

The old gays return for season two of Silver Linings, their hit podcast from iHeart's Ruby Studio in partnership with Vive Healthcare. Just wait until you hear what hosts Robert, Matt, Bill and Jesse have in store this time around. They strut back down memory lane, navigating life, love, loss, and everything that shaped them along the way. And as usual, someone just might break into a song. From leather bars to bathhouses, dance floors to drag brunch, nothing stays off limits. These are the kind of insights that can only come from experience. So listen to your elders, honey, and discover the silver linings you can take with you all Sass, zero filter and decades of perspective from four friends proving that queer joy only gets better with age on the podcast that never gets old. Listen to Silver Linings, available on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Cal Penn]

Hey everyone, it's Kal Penn. I'm the host of Irsay The Audible and iHeart Audiobook Club. This week on the podcast, I am sitting down with Ray Porter, the narrator of Andy Weir's audiobook project Hail Mary, massive sci fi adventure about survival and science and what happens when you wake up alone, very far from Earth.

[George Severis]

I really had to make a decision

[Sam Taggart]

because I caught myself getting that frog in my throat and starting to get teary as I'm narrating some of these sections, and it's like okay.

[George Severis]

Yo, yo, yo.

[Sam Taggart]

Is this indulgent?

[George Severis]

And I really thought about it.

[Becca Ramos]

I was like, no.

[Sam Taggart]

At this point, it would kind of be betraying the trust the author and the listener have in telling this story if I don't go through it. But there's places in this book that deeply, emotionally affected me. And I left it on the mic. That's great because it served the story. People will say like, oh my God, I cried at the end.

[George Severis]

It's like, yeah, dude, me too.

[Cal Penn]

Listen to Hearsay, the Audible and iHeart audiobook club on the iHeartradio app or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Sam Taggart]

Hi, Ryan Reynolds here for Mint Mobile. Are you looking for a beach read this summer? May I suggest your big wireless business? It's got suspense, mystery, a slightly flat emotional arc, and a shocking twist where you realize you've been overpaying the entire time. Fortunately, though, Mint's story is better. Every plan, $15 a month, even unlimited.

[Brian Safi]

That's it.

[Sam Taggart]

Happy ending, zero tears. Give it a [e-mail] Switch upfront payment of $45 for three months, $90 for six months, or $180 for a 12 month plan. Required $15 per month. Equivalent taxes and fees. Extra initial plan term only greater than 50 gigabytes. May slow when network is busy.

[Cal Penn]

C terms.

[George Severis]

So salsa dancing, because I honestly do feel like we really got to the bottom of that.

[Brian Safi]

I know. That was really. That was a great conversation.

[Sam Taggart]

Yeah.

[Brian Safi]

Okay. Salsa. Wow. It's been a while since we've done two full topics and aced both of them.

[George Severis]

Yeah. Well, we haven't gotten our grade yet. For salsa dancing.

[Brian Safi]

For salsa dancing, though.

[Cal Penn]

It's true.

[Brian Safi]

We sat down. We have our blue notebooks. What's your experience with this? Like, what sparked the interest in talking about salsa dancing?

[Sam Taggart]

It just always seems to be. And really the experience is from pop culture that when couples are not doing well, they'll take a ballroom class or they'll take. This is also something that happens a lot on Housewives or things like that. You know what I mean? They go and do something like this to reconnect or to spice up their marriage. And it does seem to be salsa more than any other genre of dance. And I feel the same about sort of a pottery class or a Sip and Sea. It just those things never seem to me to be terribly queer. So I. I don't know. It's just. It's wild to me that in the way that I. You guys had someone on recently who was talking about. Might have been Caleb who was talking about hobbies and how people have separate hobbies? I wonder if straight couples just don't connect as this is so general.

[Brian Safi]

Well, it needs a forced. Yes, they need, like a forced, organized environment.

[Sam Taggart]

Right.

[Brian Safi]

To do the same thing. Because so much of, you know, stereotypical straight thing is like, the man wants to watch the game, the woman wants to shop for handbags.

[Sam Taggart]

Correct. Yeah, exactly.

[George Severis]

Which tea.

[Brian Safi]

Tea.

[Sam Taggart]

And it's an expression of a man doing what a woman wants to do.

[Brian Safi]

Yeah, that's the other thing is, like, well, it's both because it is a man being, quote unquote, vulnerable enough to dance, but it's also a man being manly and that he is doing the male role in dancing. Like, there's actually. It's actually masculine and like an Antonio Banderas, like, way to be the male in the salsa dancing.

[Sam Taggart]

I walk forwards, you walk backwards.

[Brian Safi]

Exactly. Yeah, exactly. You get to have your cake and eat it too. You get. Your man gets to be both more masculine and feminine in the dancy way in a way that, like, displays vulnerability.

[George Severis]

Huh.

[Sam Taggart]

That makes the perfect man.

[Brian Safi]

Literally.

[George Severis]

Well, I do feel like the biggest. The biggest issue according to straight couples, I feel, is that the man not being romantic, the man being like, I want to have sex with you, and the woman being like, okay, be romantic.

[Sam Taggart]

We never go on dates anymore.

[Brian Safi]

Exactly.

[George Severis]

But of course, this is where it gets complicated because I'm not in them, so I don't really know. And every single person I know is lgbtq. But I do feel like that's the big issue. And the salsa dancing is the way to be. Like, it's romance training wheels. Where it's like, what if someone teaches you how to be romantic?

[Sam Taggart]

Yes.

[George Severis]

And we can both have our moment.

[Brian Safi]

Here's my question with salsa dancing classes is what are you training for? Like, are you then entering a salsa community? Because I'm like, so many classes people take. Like, if you're taking a language class, maybe you want to travel to France. If you're taking a Some sort of athletic thing, it's because you want to play tennis. Like, wait, I do think salsa dancing embedded in our. If you're like a Los Angeles based accountant, where are you going to then naturally do salsa dancing?

[Sam Taggart]

For sure, there's the class. Oh, I see. Oh, where's. Where you go after the class?

[Brian Safi]

Yes. Like, what is it building towards?

[George Severis]

I think it's just you're learning how to, like, talk about, like, you're really literally relearning how to touch each other.

[Sam Taggart]

It also seems like a Very difficult. Dance is the. So much rhythm.

[George Severis]

Yes. Yes. Well, that as well.

[Sam Taggart]

Yeah.

[Brian Safi]

I always love when people go straight for flamenco, you know? Cause I'm like, okay, let's go big or go home.

[Sam Taggart]

When people go straight for flamenco, I gotta say, it's bold, and there is a soloism to it also. You get to.

[George Severis]

For each other a little bit.

[Brian Safi]

The dancing emoji.

[Sam Taggart]

Emoji. It's true.

[George Severis]

But also, you know, at some point in straight people's lives, you age out of being able to dance. Like, not physically, but, like, it is socially weird.

[Brian Safi]

Whereas if you're gay, you can. Nightlife is sort of your religion.

[George Severis]

65.

[Brian Safi]

The club is your church.

[George Severis]

The club is your church. And you're required to go.

[Brian Safi]

Yeah.

[George Severis]

And you actually are shamed if you don't go. Like, I do feel like dancing is something. Like, even as I'm older, I'm like, okay, I still can go here. And I sometimes need to.

[Brian Safi]

I sometimes come from myself being like, I actually don't really go out dancing that much, but because I'm gay, if I decide I want to start doing that at 57, I can.

[Sam Taggart]

No problem.

[Brian Safi]

Yeah.

[Sam Taggart]

For sure. It's nice to know that, you know, there's no rush.

[Brian Safi]

There's no rush.

[Sam Taggart]

Exactly.

[George Severis]

There's no rush. But it is. It's like one of those things that we need to do. And, like, straight people only get to do it at weddings. You have to do this a lot more.

[Brian Safi]

Yeah.

[Sam Taggart]

Unless you're in some sort of like a. I don't know if there's a hit class that incorporates that sort of a thing, but.

[Brian Safi]

Oh, there is. And people be going, yes, exactly.

[George Severis]

That's true. Which is why people fall in love with their hit classes.

[Sam Taggart]

So true. It's such a sex scene.

[George Severis]

You need to go with your partner so you don't accidentally fall in love with someone else.

[Sam Taggart]

But I feel like my grandmother used to always complain that my grandfather wouldn't take her dance. Stuff like that. That. Yeah.

[Brian Safi]

Yeah. It's interesting what people's hidden desires are. I was once at this very, very fabulous and cool older woman's apartment, and it was revealed to me that her hobby is aerial fabrics.

[George Severis]

That is a real type.

[Sam Taggart]

That is.

[Brian Safi]

That's when you.

[George Severis]

When you graduate from yoga and you say, this isn't dangerous enough.

[Brian Safi]

Totally.

[George Severis]

I need aerial fabric.

[Sam Taggart]

Easier on the joints than yoga, even.

[George Severis]

Really?

[Sam Taggart]

Yes, I think. Because I think you're not ever. You're not touching ground or anything hard.

[Brian Safi]

No. But you can fall.

[Sam Taggart]

You can for sure break Your neck.

[George Severis]

Aren't you, like, stretching more or something?

[Sam Taggart]

Yeah, maybe. I don't seem so.

[Brian Safi]

I could see it being safer in the grand scheme of things than yoga.

[Sam Taggart]

Yeah. Yeah. Because I don't know how much of a. I mean, aero yoga. Yoga people are about to really pop off on me. But that's a big part of our listeners. Good for them.

[George Severis]

They say a lot of shit about us.

[Sam Taggart]

Do they?

[George Severis]

They listen just to hate on us.

[Brian Safi]

Really?

[Sam Taggart]

Like, what do they say?

[George Severis]

Oh, that we're too grounded.

[Cal Penn]

Ye.

[Brian Safi]

Why aren't they in the air?

[George Severis]

Our silks aren't even actually silk. They're polyester.

[Sam Taggart]

That's a word I hate more than shit. Silks.

[Brian Safi]

Silks.

[Sam Taggart]

I hate it.

[Brian Safi]

Yeah. I don't like silks.

[Becca Ramos]

I hate it.

[Brian Safi]

Yeah. Silks.

[Sam Taggart]

It's so ugly. Anything that feels singular and then is pluralized makes me sick. Yeah.

[Brian Safi]

Although I do like saying heims instead of heim. The band.

[Sam Taggart]

The heims.

[George Severis]

The heims.

[Brian Safi]

Like, not the Heim sisters, like the heims.

[Sam Taggart]

The heims.

[Brian Safi]

Yeah. Like saying heims. They are the heims. Yeah, yeah.

[Sam Taggart]

Monies is a word that drives crazy at all.

[Brian Safi]

Me neither.

[Sam Taggart]

Yeah.

[Brian Safi]

Oh, well, because it also. What it brings to mind is, like, interwebs.

[George Severis]

One time I tried to discuss the word cummies.

[Brian Safi]

Oh, I remember.

[Sam Taggart]

Wait, what is this a word you made up?

[George Severis]

No.

[Brian Safi]

See, I hadn't really engaged with it a lot either. And Sam was like, you know how everyone says cummies?

[Sam Taggart]

I never heard it.

[George Severis]

This was when I realized I was in a bubble. One of the many times I was reminded I was in a bubble is I was on stage at, I think, Union hall, being like, so what's the deal with everyone saying cummies nowadays? And everyone's like, no one knows what I'm doing.

[Brian Safi]

Can you use it in a sentence?

[Sam Taggart]

Yeah.

[George Severis]

So I got on sniffies today because I had to get my cummies.

[Sam Taggart]

You had to get the cummies?

[George Severis]

It's disgusting.

[Sam Taggart]

Or you had to make the cummies.

[George Severis]

You have to get them. You also give them. But you don't brag about that.

[Sam Taggart]

No, no, no. You just say, like, gotta get the cumming.

[George Severis]

It's disgusting. It's the most horrible thing I've ever heard.

[Brian Safi]

I suddenly look like a Ken doll.

[George Severis]

And there was. There was one summer I was on Fire island and people kept saying it and I, like, was like to you

[Brian Safi]

in a sexual way or like, as

[George Severis]

a bit exclamate, like, being like, well, I've got to get my cummies. Like, I'M going over to this guy's house.

[Sam Taggart]

Is there any other sentence it could be used in?

[Brian Safi]

Right, yeah.

[George Severis]

How else could you possibly use it?

[Sam Taggart]

I've got to get my Cummings.

[Brian Safi]

That really is sick.

[George Severis]

No, it's disgusting. It was so horrible and it made me feel just horrible about sex and gay lifestyle.

[Brian Safi]

Do you think it was just like an inside joke with the group of friends you were in?

[George Severis]

I heard it in many locations and

[Sam Taggart]

many ages, but then it stopped.

[Brian Safi]

Ages or have you been hearing it since then?

[George Severis]

It stopped now people have pulled it back. I do still think this is something I've been complaining about privately. We are still in a load culture.

[Brian Safi]

Oh, I don't like the word load

[George Severis]

and I hate load culture. I hate being like, oh, I got two loads. I'm like, someone you had sex with.

[Brian Safi]

Someone you have a mother.

[George Severis]

There was a give and take here. Stop being like, you didn't go to

[Sam Taggart]

the grocery store one time. The very first message to me on Grindr was, big loads, question mark.

[George Severis]

So gross.

[Brian Safi]

I mean, a girl to begin with being like, yeah, they're like medium sized.

[Sam Taggart]

I don't even know what that means.

[George Severis]

Yeah, it makes me sick.

[Sam Taggart]

Yeah, it is sick. It's sick.

[George Severis]

It's not right.

[Sam Taggart]

It's not loads, cummies, monies.

[Brian Safi]

It's so complicated, of course, because then the other side, it's like if someone. If some. If you're open, a medstrong. Grinder was like, hey, like, want to take a long walk on the beach? Or whatever. You wouldn't like that either. So it's like, you do want some sexuality?

[George Severis]

Well, just start by, hey, what's up?

[Brian Safi]

Right.

[George Severis]

Something kind of scary happened to me. Speaking of loads, let's hear it. My uncle made a joke where he said loads, like, meaning come.

[Sam Taggart]

Is your uncle straight?

[George Severis]

Yes.

[Brian Safi]

What was the joke?

[George Severis]

It was like getting a load. Like, I don't remember how he said

[Brian Safi]

it, but I was like, sam, when you get your cummies, how many loads are we talking?

[Sam Taggart]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[George Severis]

I was like, where did you learn that?

[Brian Safi]

That's the turkey a dad loves Simon. And the dad is like, I don't care how you get your Cummings, as long as you're happy.

[Sam Taggart]

I. You know what?

[Brian Safi]

No matter how many loads you want to take, I will always be here for you.

[Sam Taggart]

You know what I love about mainstream career cinema is I feel like even in this day and age, there's always going to be a father who accepts it, who accepts them being gay and wants to have that conversation with them. That's absolutely gorgeous.

[Brian Safi]

It's the ultimate liberal fantasy.

[Sam Taggart]

It really just is. Yeah. And by the way, I don't know, did that happen for you guys?

[Brian Safi]

Was your dad like, super cool, in fact? Yes.

[Sam Taggart]

Nice.

[George Severis]

Mostly, yeah.

[Sam Taggart]

Nice.

[Brian Safi]

Good. I've said this many times before, but my dad started, quote unquote, doing research where he would just like Google gay movies and watch them.

[Becca Ramos]

Oh.

[Brian Safi]

Including some that had like pretty explicit sex scenes. And then he would kind of like come back and be like, this one was not as realistic. Right.

[George Severis]

Yeah. Whereas I just dragged it on so long that my parents were like, okay.

[Brian Safi]

I kind of think. Yeah. It's funny that the stereotype of course, is like, the mom will be more cool because she's a woman.

[Sam Taggart]

Yes.

[Brian Safi]

When in fact, I mean, at this point in my life, both my parents are fine, but I think my mom took more time to mourn the idea of the life I could have had.

[Sam Taggart]

I had a similar experience. My dad was a little bit cooler. Neither was that cool. Everyone's good now. But neither was that cool with him. But my dad was definitely a little, little better about it. Yeah. Just wild.

[Brian Safi]

I think the like, simplicity of a dad's brain actually can help. Like if. Unless there's like a true religion, a religious shot.

[Sam Taggart]

Yeah.

[Brian Safi]

Yes. It's sort of like, okay, well, all right then.

[Sam Taggart]

Yeah.

[George Severis]

Like there's also.

[Brian Safi]

Whereas a mom is like, so I'm never going to like have a daughter in law and like, are you going to have kids, like thinking about.

[Sam Taggart]

And the moms especially, depending on what generation you were or anything like that, they're like, part of their fear is they're nervous for you, you know what I mean? And dads don't really completely skill, so they're afraid for your safety. They're afraid, you know, all these other things.

[George Severis]

I also think dads are just like worried you aren't horny. Like, they're like, oh, thank God you want to have sex. I thought you were just like, really a weird loser.

[Sam Taggart]

Yeah, I thought you were a loser. Yeah. Better to be gay than a loser.

[George Severis]

Of course, some people can be better

[Brian Safi]

than to be gay than a loser. Yes, that's absolutely true.

[Becca Ramos]

Yeah.

[Sam Taggart]

It goes straight.

[Brian Safi]

Straight, gay, loser.

[George Severis]

That's the hierarchy.

[Sam Taggart]

Exactly. Yeah.

[George Severis]

Wow.

[Sam Taggart]

Right in the middle.

[George Severis]

Did we get an A on salsa dancing?

[Brian Safi]

Yeah, I think so.

[George Severis]

I mean, we didn't talk about sort of the racial elements, of course.

[Brian Safi]

What are the racial elements?

[Sam Taggart]

Oh, you mean like the appropriating of the culture kind of thing?

[George Severis]

Well, even just being like, you know, who's good at Romance.

[Sam Taggart]

I am dancing.

[Brian Safi]

But wait, salsa dancing? What is the heritage of salsa dancing?

[Becca Ramos]

I would like to chime in and say it is very Caribbean Latino. Got it.

[Brian Safi]

We're deleting me saying

[Becca Ramos]

it is cause salsa music, if you. There's a fight in the Caribbean on who started it, what. But Puerto Rican salsa is the OG Salsa. Got it.

[Brian Safi]

And that's why Rosalia is appropriating.

[Becca Ramos]

Absolutely.

[Brian Safi]

Got it. Because she came from flamenco, I actually, like, the wrong neurons went off in my brain. And because of the Rosalia conversation, I then made it Spanish.

[Becca Ramos]

Well, so flamenco is like sister to salsa. Maybe salsa derived from flamenco. I'm not a historian, but Rosalia's issue is that she hopped on the reggaeton train because reggaeton was growing in the international market. And so she is originally flamenco singer. Flamenco, whatever. Very Spain. And then she was like, well, reggaeton is really big right now internationally, and I want to break in to other markets. So I'm going to be reggaeton. But reggaeton is specifically Latino. It is not European at all. So she's like, I'm vivo Latino. Because she speaks Spanish, she could hop in. But it's like, you're European, babe. You're not Latino.

[Brian Safi]

And, Becca, what is your podcast called and where can people find it?

[Sam Taggart]

No kidding.

[Becca Ramos]

It's welcome to El Barrio. It's a podcast about all things Puerto Rico. You can find it anywhere you get podcasts, period.

[Sam Taggart]

Nice.

[George Severis]

And now we've covered the racial element.

[Brian Safi]

Thank God, right? I guess you are correct that we completely like. But you know what, though? I think that salsa dance and classes as a genre are so firmly at this point for so many generations, have become firmly rooted in, like, white suburban culture, for sure, that it's almost like how yoga. White yoga is a different genre than any heritage. Any heritage that yoga, sure.

[Sam Taggart]

Yes. It's its own thing.

[Brian Safi]

It's like if I'm doing yoga, I'm actually appropriating goop culture, not like Eastern culture.

[George Severis]

Yeah, sure, sure.

[Brian Safi]

Awkward time to ask this, but. Hey, did you download the trail map?

[Sam Taggart]

Yeah, no, I don't need to.

[Brian Safi]

I. I don't understand. You're trusting your signal out here.

[Sam Taggart]

I'm trusting T Mobile.

[Becca Ramos]

They have the best network.

[Sam Taggart]

And if we end up in bumtots nowhere, well, we've got T Satellite for backup.

[Brian Safi]

Whoa. I don't trust my carrier that much.

[Sam Taggart]

We'll just use your phone as a flashlight. With America's best network and T Satellite, we're keeping keeping you connected in places you never thought possible and if you switch today you get free phones for zero down and only 25 bucks a month per line for four lines. Find out more@t mobile.com or visit your local store. Best Mobile Network Based on analysis by Ooklab speed test intelligence data 2H 2025 with 24 monthly bill credits and 4 eligible port ins on essentials for well qualified customers with autopay plus taxes, fees and 35 connection charge per line credits and imbalance due if you pay off earlier. Cancel Contact Us Finance Agreement example $299.99 MotoEdge 5G required T Satellite available with compatible device in most outdoor areas in the US where you can see the sky. Included with experience beyond or $10 a month all over News monthly. Cancel anytime.

[George Severis]

Visit t mobile.com Guess who's back in the House? The old gays return for season two of Silver Linings, their hit podcast from iHeart's Ruby Studio in partnership with Veeve Healthcare. Just wait until you hear what hosts Robert, Mick, Bill and just say have in store. This time around, they strut back down memory lane, navigating life, love lost and everything that shaped them along the way. And as usual, someone just might break into a song. From leather bars to bathhouses, dance floors to drag brunch, nothing stays off limits. These are the kind of insights that can only come from experience. So listen to your elders, honey, and discover the silver linings you can take with you all Sass, zero filter and decades of perspective from four friends proving that queer joy only gets better with age on the podcast that Never gets Old. Listen to Silver Linings, available on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Cal Penn]

Hey everyone, it's Cal Penn, host of Irsay, The Audible and iHeart Audiobook Club. This week on the podcast, I'm sitting down with Lily Chu, the author of the Audible original romantic comedy Just Kiss Already. It's a story about a forensic anthropologist who secretly writes mystery novels, an actress who adapts his book into a film film, and what happens when a meme and a media tour collide with a slow burn romance. It's performed by Simu Liu and Philippa sue, and it is an absolute blast.

[Becca Ramos]

When you actually hear the performance, you realize that other people are taking your words and what you thought was kind of a straightforward sentence like the cat

[Sam Taggart]

in the corner is black. In my head it's the cat in

[Becca Ramos]

the corner is black, not the dog, not the gerbil.

[Sam Taggart]

But someone else might say it, the cat in the corner is black.

[Becca Ramos]

That's always fascinating to me, how they just bring in all these different nuances and really make it fun and interesting and distinctive.

[Cal Penn]

Listen to Earsay, the Audible and iHeart Audiobook Club on the iHeartradio app or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Sam Taggart]

The best skaters, bmx riders, and moto athletes in the world don't compete in leagues until now.

[George Severis]

The x games league championship is live from new orleans, july 24 through 26.

[Sam Taggart]

Three days of elite action sports, plus performances from metro boomin, jid subtronics and

[George Severis]

bunt watch on abc, espn and espn 2.

[Sam Taggart]

Stream on the espn app roku kick, Amazon and x games. YouTube. The inaugural champion gets crowned this july.

[Brian Safi]

Shall we do our final segment?

[George Severis]

I think we might need to. Let's do it. Wow. This flew by. Yeah.

[Brian Safi]

Oh, and please tell everyone when the show starts in New York.

[Sam Taggart]

Oh, yeah.

[Brian Safi]

And where people can buy tickets, presumably on the Internet.

[Sam Taggart]

On the Internet. It's right on the Internet. The show's live in person, though. That's the best part. And you can see. You can get to HBO Max or so close. It's actually no. Like we're doing now.

[George Severis]

Yeah.

[Brian Safi]

So iheartradio.

[George Severis]

It's.

[Sam Taggart]

God damn it. I don't know how to explain it.

[George Severis]

YouTube. Got it.

[Sam Taggart]

Yeah, exactly. It's YouTube Live.

[Brian Safi]

Is it like Pokemon Go to the polls?

[Sam Taggart]

It is a lot like Pokemon Go.

[Brian Safi]

Okay.

[Sam Taggart]

In that you go to it.

[Brian Safi]

In that it's interactive. Yeah.

[George Severis]

Oh, cool.

[Sam Taggart]

July 10th, right? To August 15th.

[Brian Safi]

Are you asking us? Yeah.

[Sam Taggart]

Are you mad@me? Show.com or. It's the link in my Instagram.

[Brian Safi]

Is it Soho Playhouse?

[Sam Taggart]

No, it's called Here Art center, which is also in soho.

[George Severis]

Got it.

[Brian Safi]

Got it.

[Sam Taggart]

So, yeah, it's, like, down the street from.

[Brian Safi]

Well, as long as it's in soho, you can go to Uniqlo.

[Sam Taggart]

Thank God.

[Brian Safi]

And then go see the show. Thank God.

[Sam Taggart]

Soho Fish.

[George Severis]

Oh, my favorite. Uniqlo.

[Brian Safi]

I love going to Uniqlo. J. Crew Men's store. How else can you do in SoHo?

[George Severis]

I don't like that Jake Crewman store.

[Becca Ramos]

It's too small.

[Cal Penn]

I agree.

[George Severis]

It's too small and judgmental.

[Brian Safi]

Yeah, it absolutely is too small and judgmental. There's never any sales.

[Sam Taggart]

Weirdly, very difficult for me to do the stores on Broadway.

[Brian Safi]

I know.

[Sam Taggart]

Because of just the street traffic.

[George Severis]

Oh, just walking is a nightmare.

[Sam Taggart]

It's a nightmare. Yeah. So this is not on Broadway. You know what? It's literally off Broadway.

[Brian Safi]

Wow. Yeah.

[Sam Taggart]

So that's the best. That's the best. Part. That's the best part.

[Brian Safi]

Amazing.

[George Severis]

Well, our final segment is called Shout Outs. And in this segment we pay homage to the grand straight tradition of the radio shout out. Shouting out. Anything that we are enjoying. People, places, things, ideas. We make them up on the spot. And we do go first.

[Brian Safi]

I would like to give a shout out to the Slate Culture Gabfest.

[George Severis]

Oh, my God.

[Brian Safi]

Which is. Is this something in your universe at all?

[Sam Taggart]

It's a little bit, yeah.

[Brian Safi]

So it was just announced that it's ending. Oh, really? Sam and I, one of the first things we bonded over was that we both, starting in literally like college or high school, started listening to the Slate Culture Gabfest. It was maybe the first podcast we ever listened to. Yeah, we have listened to it every week for almost 20 years. It's like how I learn about what sort of Gen X tastes are up to at any given time. I want to thank the three co hosts, Stephen Metcalf, Julia Turner and Dana Stevens, for everything they've given us over the years. We will follow you anywhere you decide to go. If this is a decision that Slate forced on you, I will be pressing charges.

[George Severis]

Yeah, let us riot.

[Brian Safi]

If it is a decision you made for yourself, then of course I celebrate any sort of work life balance that you're seeking. Maybe Steve will finish his book. And so I just want to give a huge shout out to everything you've given us over the years. And it's been the honor of my lifetime to be a listener.

[Sam Taggart]

How sweet.

[George Severis]

Yeah, that's really shocking. When is it over?

[Becca Ramos]

Over?

[Brian Safi]

I think they said, like four more eps.

[Sam Taggart]

Damn.

[Brian Safi]

Did you listen to this? They announced it because I'm deep in

[George Severis]

this damn Madonna thing.

[Brian Safi]

Oh, yeah, we're listening to a 12 hour Madonna.

[Sam Taggart]

Oh, yeah. I love that podcast, by the way.

[Brian Safi]

Oh, well, if you stick around, then you'll meet Yasi.

[Sam Taggart]

I hope so. Yeah.

[George Severis]

What's up, everyone? Here's an interesting little twist on the sh. I want to give a hesitant shout out to Widow's Bay.

[Brian Safi]

Ooh. Yes.

[George Severis]

I'm watching this show and half the time I'm like, I love this show. And sometimes I'm watching the show and I'm saying, what are you doing? Where are you going? And is there a plane to even land here? And I'm not quite sure, but I do enjoy the vibe. I enjoy the humor and I enjoy sort of the set decoration. I'm saying, where did you find this decor? It's so real from that era and of that location. And I also want to say shout out to basically everyone that was ever at UCB in the years, you know, 2007, 2012. I'm glad that you have these jobs now. And it's honestly insane.

[Brian Safi]

Jeff Hiller. Love you.

[George Severis]

Oh, well, of course. Shout out. Neil Casey. You don't know who I am, but you know, when I was Tim Balls.

[Sam Taggart]

The funniest.

[George Severis]

Love his ass.

[Brian Safi]

Love Tim Balkan.

[George Severis]

Oh, my God.

[Brian Safi]

One of the greatest.

[George Severis]

I mean, Anthony and Tamanic.

[Becca Ramos]

Shout out.

[George Severis]

You are crazy.

[Brian Safi]

I think might be a secret six pack.

[George Severis]

I could see that.

[Brian Safi]

I think he's like more built than you think.

[Sam Taggart]

Oh, I believe that because you remember he had to do all that stripping in.

[George Severis]

Yes. Where he learned righteous gemstone.

[Brian Safi]

Right, Exactly.

[George Severis]

So shout out to that show in that generation, in that universe. Xoxo Sam.

[Brian Safi]

Great.

[Sam Taggart]

I would love to shout out. Even though I didn't love the movie, I love when a movie star is birthed before our eyes. That isn't a typical movie star. And for that that reason, Renata Rheinzva, who again, I wasn't crazy about backrooms, but I just thought, wow, this is really exciting that Renata Rinesva is going to become a household name. Hopefully and will just explode.

[Brian Safi]

What a fun choice for her to do that nomination.

[Sam Taggart]

Totally. And by the way, same with Chiwetel Ejiaford, like, make these people household names. I'm all about it.

[Brian Safi]

It's so cool that those are the two actors they picked for that movie.

[Sam Taggart]

Yes.

[Brian Safi]

And it's such a savvy decision because it elevates. I haven't seen it yet. I haven't, but it like elevates this sort of like YouTubey, you know, horror movie to pick to such prestige actors.

[Sam Taggart]

Exactly. And make them so mainstream. So I really appreciate that.

[Brian Safi]

Yeah. Wow. Love it.

[Sam Taggart]

Yeah.

[Brian Safi]

Brian, it's been such a delight. This was so fun doing the podcast.

[Sam Taggart]

Truly. I'm such a fan of the show. Obviously.

[Brian Safi]

Thank you. And we're fans of yours and I can't wait to. I live in New York, believe it or not. So I will be coming to the show. Will you?

[Sam Taggart]

Do you want to come to opening night?

[Brian Safi]

Is opening night July 10th?

[Sam Taggart]

No.

[Brian Safi]

When is opening night? Because July 10th is literally my sister's wedding. That's why it is. I'm asking.

[Sam Taggart]

No, but I don't mind if you don't go to that.

[Brian Safi]

Oh, okay. Yeah, we'll be in with Touch.

[Becca Ramos]

Touch.

[Sam Taggart]

I'll email you.

[Brian Safi]

Okay.

[George Severis]

Okay. Bye. Bye.

[Brian Safi]

Podcast ends now.

[George Severis]

Stratio Lab is a production by Will Ferrell's Big Money Players and iHeartRadio podcasts

[Brian Safi]

created and hosted by Sam Taggart and

[George Severis]

George Severis Executive produced by Becca Ramos

[Brian Safi]

Produced by Casey Donahue Edited and mixed by Lawrence Stumpf Social video done by Hot Dog Sandwich.

[Sam Taggart]

The game started.

[Becca Ramos]

Call your dad.

[Brian Safi]

I'm on it, Ma. Hola.

[Sam Taggart]

Hello, Hijita. I can't hear you. I'm at the stadium in Monterrey.

[Brian Safi]

Cool.

[George Severis]

Here.

[Sam Taggart]

Shout Go together. Get non stop talk, tax and Data in the U.S. mexico and Canada with T Mobile, America's best network. Switch on the TLife app or on T mobile.com Connectapy on qualifying plans not for extended international. You must reside in the US and primary usage must occur in our network. Best based on analysis by Ooklo Speed Test intelligence data to H2025

[Cal Penn]

hey everyone, it's Kel Penn. I'm inviting you to join the best sounding book club you've ever heard with my podcast, Hearsay, The Audible and iHeart Audiobook Club. Every episode, I nerd out with amazing guests and dive into the best new audiobooks available on Audible. It's the book club for your ears. Listen to Earsay, the Audible and iHeart audiobook club on the iHeartradio app or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Sam Taggart]

M and M's Popped Caramel do sound different.

[Brian Safi]

Oh no.

[Sam Taggart]

People are gonna be obsessed. What do you mean?

[George Severis]

Hmm.

[Sam Taggart]

People hate the sound of chewing. Maybe they won't like the crunch. Maybe we're saved.

[Cal Penn]

Wait a minute.

[Brian Safi]

Minute.

[Sam Taggart]

Yellow. Have you been eating them this whole time?

[Becca Ramos]

Mmm.

[Sam Taggart]

So tasty.

[Brian Safi]

Hands off us.

[George Severis]

M&M's popped caramel. It's more fun together.

[Sam Taggart]

When you're a maintenance engineer in a beverage manufacturing plant, you keep production lines moving and quality on track because there is no room for slowdowns. With Grain Granger's vast selection of high quality motors, sensors, belts and hard to find parts. You can get what you need fast and all in one place, so nothing gets in the way of getting the job done. Call 1-800-GRAINGER clickranger.com or just stop by Grainger for the ones who get it done. This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.