"The Concept of 'My Oasis'" w/ Alison Leiby

Summary

Podcast Summary: StraightioLab

Episode: "The Concept of 'My Oasis'" w/ Alison Leiby
Date: July 28, 2026
Hosts: George Civeris & Sam Taggart
Guest: Alison Leiby

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Episode Overview

This episode explores the straight-coded phenomenon of “My Oasis": the tendency, especially among women in straight relationships, to carve out a special, personalized space in their home—a “little oasis” or sanctuary. Through a blend of humor, pop culture, personal stories, and sociological observation, George, Sam, and guest Alison Leiby dissect the gendered dynamics behind these spaces, the retail and design culture that supports them, and what they reveal about broader social and family structures. Along the way, the group shares anecdotes about social media, nostalgia for media objects, and the interplay of aspiration, identity, and mundane domesticity.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Birthday Energy & Opening Banter

• The episode begins with George’s birthday, adding a celebratory and self-reflective tone. Both hosts are recovering from travel exhaustion and discuss feeling “frazzled.”
  • “I'm worried that I'm like frazzled woman late to a meeting, and I'm going to say something crazy during this recording. Thoughts?” – Sam (03:47)

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2. Greek-American Meme Accounts & Culture Wars

(05:01–08:49)

• Sam shares a realization about following “Greek-American meme accounts” and discovering their shift to culture war territory after the release of Christopher Nolan's new film "The Odyssey," leading to discussions about right-wing attitudes, Greek identity, and American appropriation of classical culture.
• George and Sam riff on how cultural artifacts (like The Odyssey) become flashpoints for contemporary debates, both within Greek communities and among American conservatives.
  • “In some ways, when you're a white person from Ohio, you weirdly feel more connected to ancient Greek culture than some actual Greek people... The guy you're describing wants to be more represented in the Odyssey than I do as a Hellenic American.” – Sam (06:09)
• Alison weighs in on race-blind casting and how classic stories are continually remixed:
  • “In my mind, the classics are, like, in the way that Shakespeare can be done... It's made to be remixed... It would never occur to me to have to tie it to a time and a place.” – Sam (06:43)

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3. Alison’s Book & Cultural Backlash

(09:01–14:14)

• Alison introduces her new book, "I'm a Surviving Myself and All the People I've Been."
• Conversation about backlash (or lack thereof) for different creative works:
  • “My abortion show had no... Like, I never got bothered by people. Instead it was just women being like, thanks for making me feel seen. And I was like, but where are all the people who hate me?” – Alison (12:22)
• Discussion on the fickle nature of criticism, often driven by random communities or factual slip-ups instead of big “dangerous” topics.

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4. Media Nostalgia & Decline of Print

(16:47–22:22)

• The group discusses the demise of print media, with Alison lamenting how difficult it’s become to buy magazines, even at airports.
  • “Buying print media has never been harder.” – Alison (22:19)
• Discussion about the new wave of AI-generated beach reads and nostalgia for old advertising aesthetics (“Steve Madden ads,” “Mad Men era”).

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5. Candles, Scent & Gendered Domesticity

(36:09–37:41; 44:46–46:13)

• A digression into “Candle Chat,” Alison and Sam’s group chat about candles, underlines how scented objects become part of the “oasis” narrative.
  • “Candles and scents are a huge part of this. Even just seeing what's behind us, those—what are those called? Smelling sticks... diffusers.” – Alison (37:41)
• Scent is an example of how “personal” spaces permeate shared domestic zones, complicating boundaries in gendered ways.

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6. Defining and Dissecting ‘My Oasis’

(32:20–44:44)

• Alison’s straight topic: “Shopping for things for my little oasis at a Home Goods.”
• Sam reframes it as the “woman version of man caves”—a feminized answer to the male ‘I need my space’ trope:
  • “I think a woman who lives with a man needs a little oasis in the way—the way that, like, men think everything in this house ... is like for everybody. And I want stuff that's just for men... women... need a release.” – Alison (33:28)
• The “little oasis” is loaded: it seems light and self-care focused but also signals constraints and gendered labor.
• The hosts discuss the darker undertones—such as a woman not fully “owning” her designated space, having to maintain it, and facing mockery or resistance from partners.

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7. Suburban Space & Family Dynamics

(36:13–41:44)

• More space (like a suburban home) sometimes means issues are avoided, with couples opting to “build a room” instead of addressing conflict directly.
• The “oasis” becomes a retreat not just from husbands, but from children—and the entitlement different family members feel toward various spaces.
• Dad’s office is off-limits; mom’s “oasis” is up for grabs—reinforcing gender boundaries.
  • “Dad is dangerous. Mom is welcome. It's safe. And it's—what's hers is yours.” – Sam (39:40)

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8. Chaos Retail & The Search for Self

(41:05–44:13)

• HomeGoods and similar stores as venues of “hope,” promise, and self-discovery—like thrifting but for mass-produced goods.
  • “Maybe I'll find the best one. I think that's like this kind of dream. And then I can bring that good thing home and put it in my space. And it just has this very trapped woman vibe to it but with kind of a twinge of hope.” – Alison (41:10)
• The fantasy that something new and mass-produced can change your life, versus the “burden” of items with history.

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9. Building Your Own Oasis: An Exercise

(44:13–48:13)

• The hosts and Alison elaborate what would go in their fantasy “oasis”—candles, cozy blankets, weird novelty lamps, vintage rugs, and personal tchotchkes.
• Debate over the merits of comfort vs. taste, and nostalgia for the coziness of a 2000s basement.

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10. Monoculture, Nostalgia & The Media Loop

(63:12–66:34)

• What actually “sticks” in culture today? Is there any monoculture left?
• Madonna’s new album, “Barbenheimer,” and Donald Trump are floated as the only true, sticky phenomena.
• Critique of media for perpetuating negative discourse rather than “changing the conversation” in more positive directions:
  • “How about you tell me if the movie's good? ... Change the conversation. You're the media.” – Sam (65:03, 65:13)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Gendered Retreats:
  • “My little oasis is like hyper straight, I think... Like my mother-in-law suite downstairs, which I'm turning into my little oasis.” – Alison (32:51)
  • “Not only that, but then the husband is probably, like, making fun of it: 'What did you buy now? Another candle that smells like...?'” – Sam (35:00)
• On Scent as Weaponized Domesticity:
  • “Smell isn't contained. So you can be like, well, it's just my candle... But then the entire house smells like lavender. And the man is like, that's emasculating.” – Sam (38:36)
• On ‘Hope’ in HomeGoods:
  • “Maybe it'll be me. Like, you know, it's kind of that... like that hunting where it's like a shelf that has 700 different mugs. And you're like, which one? I'm gonna—what if I find the best one?” – Alison (41:10)
• On Nostalgia:
  • “Now it's literally just a guy with a phone being like, you gotta check out poop powder.” – George (23:52)
  • “I want it to be like 2003 and I'm in my richest friend's basement. Like, that's literally all I want.” – George (52:52)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• Greek-American memes & The Odyssey culture war:
  05:01–08:49
• Alison discusses her book & backlash:
  09:01–14:14
• Media nostalgia, magazines, print decline:
  16:47–22:22
• Candles, scent, “Candle Chat”:
  36:09–37:41; 44:46–46:13
• Defining “My Oasis” and its gendered undertones:
  32:20–44:13
• Chaos retail/store culture as self-search:
  41:05–44:13
• Build your own oasis (group exercise):
  44:13–48:13
• Monoculture, sticky pop culture, and media’s ambivalence:
  63:12–66:34

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Style & Tone

• Irreverent, playful, and gently self-deprecating, always circling back to sharp cultural observation.
• The hosts and guest frequently use humor and exaggeration, especially when unpacking straight/gendered behaviors (“the delusion of us wanting to have good quality work,” “my sex tips for Cosmo: smile, sweetie!”).
• Warm camaraderie and nostalgia infuse even their critiques of culture’s decline.

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Final Segment: Shout Outs

(70:00–74:36)

• Sam’s Shout Out: Neros Da Steel’s album "My Skyscraper" as an unexpected, organic word-of-mouth music hit.
• George’s Shout Out: Pitchfork for its (somewhat arbitrary) role in pop music discourse and maintaining a sense of balance without flame wars.
• Alison’s Shout Out: Going to the pool (or beach) in the afternoon instead of the morning—permission to break the old rules and claim time, not just space, for yourself.

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Closing Reflection

• The concept of “my oasis” is both escapism and a symptom of constraint—an aspirational patch of peace in a house ruled by other people’s needs.
• The group ends with the hope that their podcast might serve as an “oasis” for their listeners—a shared space of humor, introspection, and cultural camaraderie.

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For further context and discussion, you’re encouraged to check out Alison Leiby’s new book, tour dates for George and Sam, and yes, apparently, rewatch Breaking Bad.

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[End of Summary]

Transcript

[Allison Leiby]

This is an iHeart podcast.

[Steph]

Guaranteed Human Hi, I'm Steph and I work at UnitedHealthcare. When I think about UnitedHealthcare's members, I think of my own family. My niece was diagnosed with an ultra rare genetic disorder. I know how hard it is for families at UnitedHealthcare. We can make it easier.

[Brian]

I'm Brian. I care because I know what it's like to not speak the language. It's not easy. Health insurance is complicated. I would say our job is to make everything easy for our UHC members. I work for UnitedHealthcare. I'm committed to care.

[ChatGPT Work Announcer]

This episode is brought to you by ChatGPT work. You know that feeling when feedback, notes and data are coming in from every direction? ChatGPT work can make sense of it all, turning scattered context across the apps you use every day into docs, sheets, slides and more. With your permission, ChatGPT work can gather context from apps and files, summarize incoming messages, rebuild decks, and help finalize high quality documents for your team or clients. Stay in control as you move from a goal to polished. Work faster with ChatGPT work. Download the ChatGPT desktop app today and take on your most ambitious work.

[Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Announcer]

Some people say it's wrong to be this into a show, but the new shape of my Galaxy Z Fold 8 from Samsung is just right for diving into every social post from the cast. And when I unfold it, I can lose myself in every episode on the perfectly sized screen while I defend my theories in the group chat. Gotta go. Just got an alert about a potential

[Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Trade-in Announcer]

spin off whatever you're into, the all new Galaxy Z Fold 8 is the right size to get really into it. Save up $1200 with eligible trade in when you pre order NC6 volt supplies last see trade in terms and [e-mail]

[Sam Taggart]

your energy is gone, your hunger is loud and your plants aren't feeding you.

[7-Eleven Announcer]

So what are you still doing here?

[Sam Taggart]

Cool off with a refreshing Large Big gulp drink at 7:11. Cold, refreshing and made the way you like it. It's available at 711 and just finish $0.59 with 7 rewards. Download the app and swing by the local 711 near you. Valid through 82526 while supplies last participating stores see after full terms. Tour announcement starts now. This is George Just a reminder that you can see my dear co host 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 and LA 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 linktree.com George Severis the link is in my Instagram bio and if you want to see Sam on tour, you can find [e-mail] getthis samtaggart and that link is in his Instagram bio. God, we love symmetry, folks. Well, enjoy the show.

[George Severis]

Podcast starts now and guess what? It's George's birthday.

[Sam Taggart]

Happy birthday, George.

[George Severis]

Happy birthday to George. I must say, you're being so nonchalant about your birthday. It's freaking me out.

[Sam Taggart]

Well, I just got back from a trip last night and I'm having a big birthday party tonight.

[George Severis]

That's true.

[Sam Taggart]

And I'm insanely jet lagged and actually this coffee is doing the opposite of what it needs to do.

[George Severis]

Well, let me.

[Sam Taggart]

I'm worried I'm gonna really start. And I also, I just got out of the shower, my hair is feeling a little crazy and I'm worried that I'm like frazzled woman late to a meeting. And I'm going to say something crazy during this recording. Thoughts?

[George Severis]

I can see where that fear is

[Sam Taggart]

coming from based on my general vibe.

[George Severis]

Based on your general vibe. You know, you were sort of panicking right before you. I'm in a panic and you're grasping a topic, saying, you were saying, what was that space thing that happened in the last five years?

[Sam Taggart]

I'm grasping.

[George Severis]

And we're like, what are you talking about?

[Sam Taggart]

Well, okay, there was our guest who is not allowed to speak currently. Her topic last time was space and I was like, it seemed, I feel like she was ahead of her time because two major space things have happened in that time. One is Katy Perry going to space and everyone hating her and all women. And the other one is the positive thing where people came back from space and everyone was happy about that.

[George Severis]

But I think space stuff is always happening. That's sort of the point. It's like how prep is back. It's like, well, prep in a sense is always back.

[Sam Taggart]

Prep like the drug?

[George Severis]

No, like dressing preppy. Oh.

[Sam Taggart]

I was like, were people not on? I didn't know prep was on the outs and then came back.

[George Severis]

Yeah, no, people don't do prep anymore. They want a little more risk in their lives.

[Sam Taggart]

I do have a topic if you don't mind, please, that I wanted to bring to the table.

[George Severis]

I'm scared.

[Sam Taggart]

So over the years, I have followed a variety of, kind of middle of the road, I would say, Greek American meme accounts. So these are accounts that will do, like, little jokes about stereotypes about Greek grandmothers.

[George Severis]

I'm aware.

[Sam Taggart]

Sort of like Greek iced coffee and blah, blah. Okay, okay. All right. So that's the backdrop.

[George Severis]

Love that.

[Sam Taggart]

I've never thought twice about it. I'm like, I'm laughing. I'm sending it to my sister. I'm sending it to my mom. Cut to this month, Christopher Nolan's the Odyssey comes out. Every single account is like, boycott the Odyssey. Disrespectful to our culture. How dare they make him trans. I was like, I had no idea that this entire time I've been following right wing media.

[George Severis]

This is so complex. I mean, I would love to hear your Greek perspective on what's happening. Because the. The thing is, at least those accounts are, in theory, Greek people.

[Sam Taggart]

Sure.

[George Severis]

Like, maybe they can, you know, they can freak out if they feel. Yeah. I think the most freakouts I'm seeing are like, the most random guys from Ohio who have that same opinion.

[Sam Taggart]

Well, in some ways, when you're a white person from Ohio, you weirdly feel more connected to ancient Greek culture than some actual Greek people. It's weird how that sort of works.

[George Severis]

That is odd.

[Sam Taggart]

Like, it is. I genuinely think that, like, what you're. The guy you're describing is more. Wants to be more represented in the Odyssey than I do as a Hellenic American.

[George Severis]

Sure, sure, sure.

[Sam Taggart]

Do you think that the casting is unethical? Yeah, I'll say it. I'm against it. I think it should be all white.

[George Severis]

Do you think Christopher Nolan had a meeting that was like, well, do you think we should get Greek actors or.

[Sam Taggart]

I guess, okay, maybe I'm so naive and, like, I'm so politically progressive that I'm shocked that this is happening. But in my mind, the classics are, like, in the way that Shakespeare can be done of. It's made to be remixed. That's sort of how I feel the ancient Greek texts are. It would never occur to me to have to tie it to a time and a place.

[George Severis]

No, obviously. Obviously. And I don't. It doesn't feel like it. Yeah. It exists within, like, a race.

[Sam Taggart]

So, in fact, what I. I was like, it makes sense. We really are making this intro pretty long. I. I thought it made sense for it to become a culture war thing in America, but I was really, like, I kind of thought Greek people would be, like.

[George Severis]

Like, grow up.

[Steph]

Yeah.

[Sam Taggart]

I thought they would sort of be, like, flattered it was happening at home.

[George Severis]

Do you think they're, like, how, like, passionate do you think they're being about this?

[Sam Taggart]

Like, they're being pretty passionate, really. It's because I was. This is very fresh in my mind because I just got back from Greece last night and. And it's definitely, like, an issue that is being discussed. It's being discussed on the daytime talk shows. It's being discussed by, like, Greek commentators and influencers and news people, I think, on both sides, so to speak. I will say there is this other argument that's being made that the quote, unquote issue is not anything with race or the casting. And it's more that, like, there was no kind of attempt to include Greece in any way. Like, they didn't. Like, for example, they didn't have, like, a big premiere in Greece. Whereas I think I remember I was in high school when the movie 300 came out and 300 was actually very popular in Greece, and people were, like, going off and, like, I remember going to the mall to see it, and, like, there were posters everywhere, and they would have, like, the original ancient Greek, like, quotes and stuff. And I think. I think 300, maybe Troy, maybe Alexander, some of these movies did sort of, like, as a almost virtue signaling type thing, have a big event in Greece or a big premiere in Greece. And I think the Odyssey just, like, didn't. So I do understand that perspective. I will say.

[George Severis]

Sure, that makes sense.

[Sam Taggart]

Anyway, Alison, what do you think about. About race, blind casting, about the Odyssey, and about how my culture is portrayed

[Allison Leiby]

in Greek culture in its original form. Well, I don't like any of it.

[Sam Taggart]

Oh, amazing.

[Allison Leiby]

I do.

[Sam Taggart]

Welcome Alison Leiby, whose new book is called I'm a Surviving Myself and All the people I've been. And I was just saying, if you're watching on video, you can see me holding it. But I was just saying it is the correct length and size for a book.

[Allison Leiby]

It's a. They did a really good. This is a trim. Size is correct. It's like, the biggest compliment that I get now. Yeah, it's because I was like, the dimensions.

[Brian]

Yeah.

[Sam Taggart]

Well, I'm remembering, like, when people made fun of Harry Styles for. When he was promoting. Don't Worry, darling. For being like. It's just. It feels like a movie. It's just a mood. That's how I feel about this book, where I'm like, these are the books we grew up with. Yes.

[Allison Leiby]

Yeah. He's like, every once in a while, like, I get a book and I'm like, what is this W Magazine? Why is it, like, the wrong size? Stuff like that.

[Sam Taggart]

And the way I try to. If something is. If someone has not written enough, they'll try to, like, make the margins larger.

[Allison Leiby]

Yes. Or term paper rules.

[George Severis]

I haven't checked the margins yet.

[Sam Taggart]

Well, you know, there are the correct margins.

[Allison Leiby]

You're a protractor.

[George Severis]

I have not checked the margins yet. Simply looked at the outside.

[Brian]

Yeah.

[George Severis]

Judging the book by its cover, which is a perfect shape and size.

[Sam Taggart]

Exactly. A very good color story.

[Allison Leiby]

Yes.

[Sam Taggart]

I feel like you went through many,

[Allison Leiby]

many, many, many, many versions.

[Sam Taggart]

It's hard to be like, obviously it's nodding to millennial aesthetics, but it's not succumbing to them.

[Vital Proteins Announcer]

Yeah.

[Allison Leiby]

Thank you. That is exactly what I told them when they asked, what do you want the COVID I was nervous about the title because I was like, it wasn't my. It was like kind of my last pass before I, like, sent out the proposal. And I was like, I don't know, let's just call it I'm a Lot. And my agent was like, don't worry, we'll change it. And then everybody was like, we love the title. And I was like, ok, but only with a really specific cover. Like, this goes real south real fast with the wrong cover. And I was like, you know, I don't want to be on the COVID And the publisher was like, no, we would never.

[Sam Taggart]

You're like, well, I want you to want me to be on the COVID

[George Severis]

Like, let me say no.

[Allison Leiby]

That's gonna be a me decision, not a you decision. But it worked out really nicely.

[Sam Taggart]

I know what you mean, though, with

[Allison Leiby]

like, I'm a lot, and it's like, me with my arms.

[George Severis]

Well, it seems like that almost could be genius. Almost like 80s stand up comedian style if.

[Allison Leiby]

Yeah. If the book didn't, like, dig a little too deep into my actual psyche and was more just like, flatly very funny. I think that's a very fun. I would have been like, let's make it really stupid. But then I was like, but then I talk about how I almost died in my complicated relationship with my parents.

[Sam Taggart]

Sure, sure, sure.

[Allison Leiby]

Maybe I don't want to make a joke entirely out of it, but it would have been a fun alt the wario to this book.

[Sam Taggart]

Don't you feel like we're in a place where, as a white woman, what options are left? You know what I mean? In terms, like, literally, it's like no, no. It's just like, it's so loaded to be like, I'm releasing a book of humor essays. As a brunette.

[Allison Leiby]

Yes, yes. With glasses.

[Sam Taggart]

Yeah, As a brunette with glasses. It's like. It's like, already people have their tomatoes out. Like, shut up.

[Allison Leiby]

They're like, oh, was it hard? Was your life hard? And it's like, I don't know. I just, like. I'm, like, waiting for, you know, people to be upset about it, but so

[Sam Taggart]

far, I haven't seen anyone be upset about it.

[Allison Leiby]

I mean, there's, like, a couple of, like, little good reasons. I found the few of.

[George Severis]

You have to find a few.

[Allison Leiby]

I found a few.

[George Severis]

But do you secretly hope for backlash so that then you can have backlash to the backlash, which is ready for backlash?

[Allison Leiby]

And, like, I don't get it on the things I think it deserves.

[George Severis]

Yeah.

[Allison Leiby]

Like, I do get it on stuff where I'm like, why do you care about this completely? My abortion show had no. Like, I never got bothered by people.

[Sam Taggart]

Really?

[Allison Leiby]

Never.

[George Severis]

That's so interesting.

[Allison Leiby]

Not in the. Like, I was expecting my DMs to be just, like, flooded with, like, you know, no photo accounts being like, you're a baby killer. And instead it was just women being like, thanks for making me feel seen. And I was like, but where are all the people who hate me?

[Sam Taggart]

It is weird the things that do get backlash. It has to do so much with specific communities that just happen to be toxic. And it's never the ones you think we got. So some of the meanest comments we've ever gotten were because we made a factual error about Madonna.

[Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Trade-in Announcer]

Whoa.

[George Severis]

Yeah. And then it wasn't the. It was factually incorrect because the information hadn't come out yet. But the clip came out later.

[Sam Taggart]

Yeah. We thought that Bad Bunny was going to be on the new album because we had read that it was rumored

[Allison Leiby]

also, like, okay, sorry, sorry.

[George Severis]

And then the clip said this, and then we kept getting comments that were like, he's not on the album. We were like, we know.

[Sam Taggart]

Also, people thought we were confusing him with a different Latin artist and thus were racist. We're like, no. We literally read a rumor that he was going to be on it.

[Steph]

Yeah.

[Allison Leiby]

I feel like people want to latch onto, like, a, like, being like, oh, like abortion. Or, like, big. Or like, discussions of X, Y, Z. And they're like. They're like, what about that one tiny thing? Then we can drill down and be like, wrong, and there's a right and a wrong. And then instead of kind of like, grappling with a larger discussion. It's like, well, we don't need to talk about that because we're going to talk about this.

[George Severis]

It's also like they don't have all day. Like they're just doing one argument. It has to be something you can succinctly get to the bottom of.

[Steph]

Yes.

[Sam Taggart]

I also feel like for me, what I spend most of the time being self loathing about is like the actual quality of my work. It's like there are parts of my special that I know could have like joke wise, could have used one more pass. That's never gonna get backlash because no one is watching it being like the joke structure is 80% of the way they are.

[Allison Leiby]

This needs one more tag. Like no one's upset about that.

[Sam Taggart]

Only you they're upset about. The joke can be either bad or good. The thing they will get upset about is just the topic you chose to write the joke about.

[Allison Leiby]

Yes, yes.

[George Severis]

They could be upset if it's bad. If it gets super popular. I think that's the only way people get.

[Sam Taggart]

And then they're like, it's for anybody in this room. I know.

[Allison Leiby]

Oh, no.

[Steph]

Damn.

[Vital Proteins Announcer]

Drag us.

[George Severis]

No, it is true.

[Allison Leiby]

I think we're all safe

[Sam Taggart]

from being too popular for the controversy. Being that you're too popular. Yeah, I guess that's never happened to me yet. No, no.

[George Severis]

I've never gotten.

[Allison Leiby]

Can't expect that it's going to. As I age as a woman, it

[Sam Taggart]

will be so

[ChatGPT Work Announcer]

well.

[Sam Taggart]

But I think that it goes back to the brunette writing a book thing. It's like the fact that you even wrote a book as a brunette. You're already too popular.

[Allison Leiby]

Yes, yes, I already am using the privilege of being a brunette.

[Sam Taggart]

That's true.

[George Severis]

That's true. There's something about the delusion of us wanting to have good quality work where it's like we think we're gonna get too popular, where we're like, well, it has to stand up to the millions of people that are gonna consume this or that.

[Allison Leiby]

It's something anyone wants or values or thinks about or recognizes.

[Brian]

I know.

[Sam Taggart]

You know what though? Then there are these things. The only time quality matters. Get ready. Lighting and movies. Suddenly there's like an army.

[Allison Leiby]

Sound mix.

[Sam Taggart]

Yes, and sound. There's an army of people that are like putting two things side by side. And it's like Devil Rush part of one. Devil Rush part two. And they're like, well, I'm gonna fucking kill Anne Hathaway.

[George Severis]

Yeah.

[Allison Leiby]

Everybody suddenly is an expert in film grain and like Understands like why warm lighting makes people look better. And it's like. But the movies.

[7-Eleven Announcer]

Yeah.

[Allison Leiby]

What do we think about the movies as quality, like cultural artifacts that we evaluate their quality of.

[George Severis]

Huh. Are you still on the Internet?

[Sam Taggart]

Yeah. What's the tea?

[Allison Leiby]

In some ways, I actually want to

[Sam Taggart]

know this because you're someone who. I feel like I became aware of you before we were close friends because you were.

[Allison Leiby]

Well, that's still in process.

[Sam Taggart]

No, definitely. And I. I've definitely made some mysterious warriors y. Close friends. It's quite.

[Allison Leiby]

I want to label it that.

[ChatGPT Work Announcer]

Yeah.

[Sam Taggart]

Yeah. Well, you know, you were at my wedding, but I feel like you were a classic, like stand up comedian that made good use of Twitter early on. And like, were you set that era? Yeah, yeah.

[Allison Leiby]

And blah.

[Sam Taggart]

And I feel like, correct me if I'm wrong, but I feel like it probably even helped career wise at that time. And like, you know, there was just like, it was when that was part of the path.

[Allison Leiby]

Yes.

[Sam Taggart]

And so what is your online presence like now and your Internet use?

[Allison Leiby]

It's Instagram and some threads and then TikTok at night where I keep accidentally leaving really inscrutable comments in my sleep as my thumb swipes across different videos, including three laughing, crying faces on a horrific story of somebody getting murdered.

[Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Trade-in Announcer]

No.

[Sam Taggart]

Oh, it's like. Well, I'm always accidentally reposting something on Instagram.

[Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Trade-in Announcer]

Yeah.

[Sam Taggart]

Because my thought made. It's right there.

[Allison Leiby]

They make it to. I think they intended intentionally make it too easy. So you have to continually return to the app to correct mistakes.

[George Severis]

Yeah.

[Allison Leiby]

Yeah. I don't like, I miss text based Internet. I miss the words. As an author.

[George Severis]

So do you like. So you. You're like off. Off Twitter?

[Allison Leiby]

Yeah. Like two years ago. I like deactivate. It was just like one of those moments where like everybody was like, leave now. And I was like, all right. Yeah. Like, I'm. I'm done. I no longer get anything from this. I may as well just like leave and like, and not engage with it anymore.

[George Severis]

Yeah. I deactivated. I know you deactivated, which is so scary to me.

[Sam Taggart]

So late. Like, I only did like two months ago. I was really like the last person left at the party.

[Allison Leiby]

Yeah.

[Sam Taggart]

I mean, I wasn't using it a lot, but it was even more pathetic where I would just watch. Like, I was like a lurker.

[Allison Leiby]

I know. But that's what I realized I was doing. It was just like reposting, I don't know, like social activism stuff that made me be like, is it this? You Know, and then just watching and I was like, well, what. What kind of life is this? This isn't a life. There's a whole chapter about being on the Internet in my book to bring it back. And all about, like, my. Like, the beginning, like, my early Internet days through kind of like where we are when I finish the book, which was a year ago. It took a really long time to write and just kind of like the evolution of Just, like, What? Like, I'm 42. So, like, my Internet is, like a very specific one, but, like, talking about, like, the heyday of Twitter and then kind of like the decline of Twitter and.

[George Severis]

Yeah.

[Sam Taggart]

What's the future look like?

[Allison Leiby]

I know it's not fun. Like, I don't like algorithmic based things.

[George Severis]

Yeah.

[Allison Leiby]

Like, I'm not enjoying the way that things come to me. I. I miss finding things.

[Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Trade-in Announcer]

Correct.

[Sam Taggart]

Well, I'm. It's funny because the algorithm, like, there was a brief time when it felt exciting. And during that time, we killed newspapers, magazines, whatever else. And now the Internet is. And you're like, okay, amazing. I want to go back to before, but none of those things exist anymore.

[Allison Leiby]

Have you tried to buy a magazine at an airport recently? No, I like to buy magazines to go on planes. I like getting Elle. I like getting Vogue.

[Sam Taggart]

Wait, me too. You couldn't. I feel like the airports are the only place you can find them, but

[Allison Leiby]

the offerings have changed a lot and it's hard to find. I forget what I think. I was at JFK. I think I was playing JetBlue for some reason. I don't know.

[Sam Taggart]

Well, there's your first problem.

[Allison Leiby]

That's the first problem. But, like, I went to three different stores that all, like, pretended to sell things that would include magazines, and none of them had, like, a cl. Like a classic fashion magazine that I could purchase. It was all just like, Harry Styles the magazine. And you're like, I don't.

[Sam Taggart]

Oh, my God. Yes. Well, they'll do. Like Taylor Swift over the years. Princess Diana.

[Allison Leiby]

Yes, yes. There was one that was like, the Titanic the magazine. And I'm like, the magazine. Like, what are we.

[George Severis]

Who's making these?

[Allison Leiby]

I don't know.

[Sam Taggart]

Well, I don't know who was making them before, but I'll tell you one thing. Currently, I'm sure all of that is automated. Like, can you imagine any human is, like, sitting down making Titanic the magazine.

[Allison Leiby]

Yeah. Let's chart Taylor Swift's dresses. Like, what are we doing?

[Sam Taggart]

Not just that, but speaking of human written books at airports now, it's basically AI generated Beach reads that are, like, the vacation that started when it stopped. And it's like. And then the COVID is, like, a illustration of, like, a woman with a bathing suit and three kids.

[Steph]

Yeah.

[Allison Leiby]

It's dark out there, and I just like. I like to, like, load up on, like, a couple fun ones or weird ones. I'm like, I'll pick up Esquire, you know?

[George Severis]

Yeah.

[Allison Leiby]

And it's been, like, challenging in a way that I'm really sad. And then when you do pick up a magazine, it's this thin and mostly ads.

[Sam Taggart]

Mostly ads. Sometimes, like, it's poorly printed. Like, the photos are bad. One time I was looking for. Years ago, I was looking for New York magazine in New York City, mind you. Well, and I was. I found a bodega that. That had the New York Mag logo on its awning. Went in. I go, hey, do you have New York Magazine? You have its logo on your awning? Yeah, they don't. I'm saying, like, should we all just kill ourselves?

[Allison Leiby]

Yeah, I think so. Because, like, I. Not to brag, was profiled in the New York Times for fearlessly fraught. Whatever. The COVID of the style section.

[Sam Taggart]

Yes. For riffing on fraught issues.

[Allison Leiby]

Riffing on fraud issues, which I know.

[George Severis]

She's not afraid to riff on the fraught issues.

[Sam Taggart]

Riff on the fraud issues.

[Allison Leiby]

I riff on the fraught issues. I wanted to buy a copy of it because it ran in print. I had to go to five stores to find a Sunday New York Times in my neighborhood. No bodegas sell them. No grocery stores or convenience store. Finally, I found one at a smoke shop, and I was like. I, like, went into a bodega. I was like, you guys don't have newspapers? And he was like, the smoke shop next door does. And I was like, why do they. And you don't?

[Sam Taggart]

Well, you know, I have an amazing hack for the New York Times, which is our neighbors spend most of the year in their second home, and they get the New York Times every day. And so whenever I want a copy, I just steal one of theirs.

[Allison Leiby]

So I have to.

[Sam Taggart]

What are they gonna do? Want it back? Like, they're all gonna come back a month later and be like, Where's April 12?

[Allison Leiby]

Anyway, buying print media has never been harder.

[George Severis]

Yeah, I mean, I couldn't agree more.

[Sam Taggart]

I'm like, sam, your take.

[George Severis]

Like, I have nothing to add. I have not tried to buy a magazine in years. I, to be fair, have always had issues with magazines and the fact that they're always ads. I'm like, enough but the ads are.

[Sam Taggart]

I. I mean, this is my.

[Allison Leiby]

In fashion magazines, the ads sometimes are like ads or more compelling than some of the photo spreads they do. So.

[Sam Taggart]

Well, you know that one of the.

[Allison Leiby]

Not anymore. Now it's all just like, what if it was Zendaya? I mean, it should be, but like, also.

[Sam Taggart]

Okay, well, one of my favorite. One of my favorite Zendaya ads is she's in a literal print ad for like a watch company or something. And the ad is just a red carpet photo of her not even wearing, like an existing red carpet photo of

[Allison Leiby]

her not wearing the watch. And I'm like, paparazzi photo.

[Sam Taggart]

And I'm like, God bless. Like, she made. She literally made passive income from being like, here's my face. Yeah, like, here, Getty Images.

[Allison Leiby]

But you could use.

[Sam Taggart]

I'll give you a Getty Image password and you can download it.

[Allison Leiby]

Um, but.

[Sam Taggart]

Okay, one of the. To me signs of cultural decline is that I'm getting nostalgic for literally like aughts ads I know. Which at the time were so depraved. And we were. I mean, nostalgic is the wrong word, but we're like, wow. Remember like a beautiful Mad Men era advertisement where they like, really, like, you know, there was like an illustration and blah, blah, and it was like a cigarette ad. Now I'm getting nostalgic for literally like

[Allison Leiby]

Steve Madden ads and the Quiznos, like all of the. But even like, well, yeah.

[George Severis]

Ads because we've declined so far. Like, now it's literally just a guy with a phone being like, you gotta check out poop powder.

[Sam Taggart]

And you're like, oh, God, yeah, I'm listening.

[Allison Leiby]

Yeah. And it's either like a licensed photo of Zendaya from another event advertising for watches that she's never seen before, or it's like a six minute ad with like a current zeitgeisty famous person doing like a short film for Motorola. And you're like, how did we. Motorola? How old am I?

[Sam Taggart]

The short film thing I have.

[Allison Leiby]

One of the heated rivalry guys was in like a. Like, there was like an extended cut of like an ad where he's running on a treadmill. And I'm like, well, it's not this either. Like, this is also not what I'm looking like. I don't want it to approach media. I want it to, like, live in ad worlds. We really built a hellscape for ourselves that we can't leave.

[Sam Taggart]

Do they still do sex tips on Cosmo?

[Allison Leiby]

Yeah, I was like. I was like, odd. Like, you guys are still kind of in that closed loop of hosting together.

[George Severis]

Do they still do sex tips?

[Sam Taggart]

Do they still do sex tips?

[Allison Leiby]

I don't know if Cosmo still exists.

[Sam Taggart]

It does. In fact, I. I'm on the COVID I'm on the COVID And it's all. It's my sex tips. The whole issue is Georgia's sex tips for women.

[Allison Leiby]

Okay.

[Sam Taggart]

Interestingly, they were looking for someone. Yes, it's my sex tips for women. And they are, you know, be on prep.

[George Severis]

Yeah. Step one, step two, get in there, guys.

[Sam Taggart]

Get in there.

[George Severis]

Step three, have fun. Yeah.

[Sam Taggart]

Just like take yourself out for a drink.

[George Severis]

Don't forget to smile.

[Sam Taggart]

Yeah. It's my sex tips, Ruben. And it's smile. Yeah, sweetie, smile.

[George Severis]

Smile. You'll have more fun if you smile.

[Sam Taggart]

Yeah. And it stop being a huge B word. And maybe guys will like you.

[Allison Leiby]

That's a big one.

[Sam Taggart]

Yeah. Has anyone ever suggested that?

[Allison Leiby]

Just smile as much.

[Sam Taggart]

Stop expressing all your political opinions. Maybe get interested in sports.

[Allison Leiby]

Yeah.

[Sam Taggart]

You know, cook.

[Allison Leiby]

Sure.

[Steph]

Clean.

[Sam Taggart]

Clean.

[Allison Leiby]

Come on. What are makeup brushes.

[Sam Taggart]

Quit your job. No one likes that. So.

[George Severis]

Yeah.

[Sam Taggart]

So, yeah, Cosmo does.

[Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Trade-in Announcer]

Yeah.

[Sam Taggart]

And I'm heavily involved still.

[George Severis]

Yeah. That's awesome.

[Allison Leiby]

I think so.

[ChatGPT Work Announcer]

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[Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Announcer]

Some people say it's wrong to be this into a show, but the new shape of my Galaxy Z Fold 8 from Samsung is just right for diving into every social post from the cast. And when I unfold it, I can lose myself in every episode on the perfectly sized screen while I defend my theories in the group chat. Gotta go. Just got an alert about a potential spinoff.

[Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Trade-in Announcer]

Whatever you're into, the all new Galaxy Z Fold 8 is the right size. To get really into it, save up to $1200 with eligible trade in when you pre order NC6 volt supplies last see trade in terms of conditions that

[Steph]

apply to samsung.com hi, I'm Steph and I work at UnitedHealthcare. When I think about UnitedHealthcare's members, I think of my own family. My niece was diagnosed with an Ultra rare genetic disorder. I know how hard it is for families at UnitedHealthcare. We can make it easier.

[Brian]

I'm Brian. I care because I know what it's like to not speak the language. It's not easy. Health insurance is complicated. I would say our job is to make everything easy for our UHC members. I work for United Healthcare. I'm committed to care.

[Vital Proteins Announcer]

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[Sam Taggart]

Shall we do our first segment?

[George Severis]

I think we should do our first segment. So our first segment is called Straight Shooters. And in this segment we're going to ask you a series of rapid fire questions. It's basically this thing or this other thing to gauge your familiarity with and complicity in straight culture. The only rule is you can't ask any follow up questions or we'll simply scream at you.

[Sam Taggart]

Correct.

[George Severis]

George, kick us off.

[Sam Taggart]

I will kick us off. Okay. The temptation of Christ or the emancipation of Mimi.

[Allison Leiby]

The emancipation of Mimi.

[George Severis]

Being heaven sent or needing to repent.

[Allison Leiby]

Being heaven sent.

[Sam Taggart]

The fairest of them all or the heiress is at the ball.

[Allison Leiby]

The heiress is at the ball.

[George Severis]

Oh, Captain, my captain or no laughing. Why is there laughing,

[Vital Proteins Announcer]

Captain?

[Allison Leiby]

I can't.

[Sam Taggart]

Declining birth rates or ascending free weights.

[Allison Leiby]

Declining birth rates. Period.

[George Severis]

Past the point of no return or past the joint I'm trying to get turned.

[Allison Leiby]

Oh, pass the joint. I'm trying to turn.

[Sam Taggart]

Burning man or Fearless Girl?

[Allison Leiby]

Fearless Girl.

[George Severis]

It's fun getting into trouble or you're stuck in your political bubble.

[Allison Leiby]

It's fun getting into trouble.

[Sam Taggart]

Oh, that one was deep.

[George Severis]

Hey, I have to say, you know, you have. What's going on that's so difficult between us is that you have the trump card to unfortunately use that phrase of having just gotten back from an international trip, whereas I also just traveled and so I'm like actually quite tired. But my travel wasn't as big as yours, so it's like. It was domestic.

[Sam Taggart]

Well, it's domestic from la, but also Sam has been on tour, so he's been traveling a bunch. So I get it.

[Allison Leiby]

It's the different Domestic traveler.

[Sam Taggart]

Oh, by the way, because of my recent Delta usage, because of touring reasons, for the first time ever, I got thanked personally on the Delta flight for being a silver medallion member, which isn't even high enough to use the lounge, mind you.

[Allison Leiby]

The lowest.

[Sam Taggart]

But, no, it gives you nothing.

[Allison Leiby]

It's airline usage.

[Sam Taggart]

Exactly.

[Allison Leiby]

You're like, they're not hitting you.

[Sam Taggart]

What you get is the thank you.

[George Severis]

I'm sorry to be comedians talking about planes, but we have to a little bit. I'm like, so I'm spending $1 million a year to fly, and I'm somehow on the very last seat, the last person aboard. I'm like, so, what's everyone else paying? How much money are you guys throwing down for this stuff? I'm the lowest rung of society all of a sudden.

[Allison Leiby]

I do think they should put a piece of paper on every seat that says how much that person paid for that seat.

[Sam Taggart]

Oh, my God. I agree.

[Allison Leiby]

Like, just a little tag kind of like. Like, when you're riding Amtrak and they, like, put the thing of, like, what Stop. You're getting off on the top.

[George Severis]

Yes.

[Allison Leiby]

I just want to know, like, you

[George Severis]

meet people who are so casual. Like, well, of course I am in the. In this section. Like, well, I haven't flown back there in a long time. I'm like, so you're consistently spending $4,000 on a seat. Like, that's insane.

[Sam Taggart]

Flying is one of those things where you suddenly realize people you thought were your social class or way wealthier than you and then no one's ever allowed to address.

[Steph]

Or worse, with money.

[George Severis]

Or worse, with money.

[Sam Taggart]

That's. That's true. That's the hope.

[Allison Leiby]

Yes.

[George Severis]

I'm gonna start spreading that.

[Steph]

Yeah.

[Allison Leiby]

I just am. Like, I'm like, oh, you spend. You spend too much on things that you shouldn't spend money on.

[Sam Taggart]

Yeah. You actually feel bad, as if.

[Allison Leiby]

I also am not going to.

[Sam Taggart]

Right.

[Allison Leiby]

I was about to say, but they don't know that.

[Sam Taggart]

I feel like that's something you also do.

[Allison Leiby]

But they don't know that.

[Sam Taggart]

But they don't know that.

[George Severis]

Yeah, they don't know that.

[Sam Taggart]

So, Allison, last time, as we mentioned, you're talking.

[Allison Leiby]

That was my score. Yeah.

[George Severis]

We didn't rate, honestly.

[Allison Leiby]

Thank you for.

[Sam Taggart]

That's true. Thank you for doing that. You used to be, you know, you used to be able to get a low rating by doing a Cosmo quiz, and you haven't had that in years. So you need some gay gu to be sort of rude to you.

[Allison Leiby]

Yes.

[Sam Taggart]

Okay. I mean, I will say what do you think?

[George Severis]

No, kick us off.

[Sam Taggart]

I think that you were so consistent and clearly knew how everything worked in a way that hit the mark but was not in any way unexpected. You know, I'm almost like.

[Allison Leiby]

No subverting of expectations.

[Sam Taggart]

Yeah, no subverting of expectations. All right, so I'm thinking it's in the, like, it's in the 800 range.

[George Severis]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, 815. 815.

[Allison Leiby]

All right, I'll take it.

[Brian]

Yeah.

[Allison Leiby]

It's a B. Yeah.

[George Severis]

That's a really good number, though.

[Brian]

Yeah.

[Allison Leiby]

I really thank you. I needed that. Yeah.

[Sam Taggart]

It's a B minus B.

[George Severis]

Should we get into the topic?

[Allison Leiby]

Yes.

[Sam Taggart]

Okay. So, Allison, what is your straight topic that you brought with us with you today? And what is straight about it?

[Allison Leiby]

Okay, so last time I was here, I went esoteric and big and said outer space. And then I wanted to be like, go really small and just. And I think. And we'll have to figure out how to word this. So as an episode title, isn't four sentences Shopping for things for My little oasis at a Home Goods.

[Sam Taggart]

You said something sort of in conversation that really made it click for me, which is like, this is the woman version of Man Caves.

[Allison Leiby]

Yes, yes, yes.

[Sam Taggart]

Like my little oasis.

[Allison Leiby]

Yeah, my little oasis is like hyper straight, I think. And I feel like I was watching an old episode of, like, some Bravo show, and it was like, home goods, spot and con, which is like, what kind of like. And I was just like, oh, right, we've been doing this for a long time already. Like, they're just like. They're like, should we go to home Goods? Cause I have to furnish my little. My mother in law suite downstairs, which I'm turning into my little oasis. And you're like, it's like, chilling.

[Sam Taggart]

So my little oasis, I'm thinking it could go a variety of ways. It could be empowered single gal. It could be empty nest, your mom, who, like.

[Allison Leiby]

I don't think either of those women need a little oasis.

[Sam Taggart]

I see.

[7-Eleven Announcer]

Because I don't want to.

[Allison Leiby]

I think a woman who lives with a man needs a little oasis in the way. The way that, like, men think everything in this house, like, in straight couples, I think, as someone who's never lived with anybody, are like, oh, everything in this house is, like, for everybody. And I want stuff that's just for men. Like women. It's like every room in the house is a workspace, and something needs to be the release. And it's just like you could feel like a woman walking into a room that has lavender throw pillows everywhere and just going, oh, God.

[Sam Taggart]

I actually relaxed just thinking about it.

[George Severis]

That's kind of nice.

[Allison Leiby]

Yeah. There's a Zen garden. There's a water feature. That's the desk where I'm gonna write in my journal. And all of those things are purchased at kind of like the home goods TJ Maxx, kind of like everything's on the same shelf kind of stores. I feel like that's what those stores are for. And that kind of like entire A to Z experience of going into that store, finding an incense holder, bringing it home, putting it on the shelf and being like. And this is my space is like one of the most heterosexual things that exist.

[George Severis]

There's something about the aspirational element of this.

[Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Announcer]

Yes.

[George Severis]

Because you do. You see, you buy them. You have the fantasy, like, even, like, you know, we talked about man caves on the show before, and there's, like, darkness and evil there. But then, like. But the fantasy of a woman being like, this will be my oasis when I buy this pillow.

[Allison Leiby]

Yes.

[George Severis]

But then no matter what, it always turns into a communal space anyway.

[Steph]

Yes.

[George Severis]

It is never her oasis fully.

[Allison Leiby]

Yes. And she's responsible for maintaining it as well.

[George Severis]

Yes.

[Allison Leiby]

It's not like somebody else is going to come in and clean it.

[Sam Taggart]

Not only that, but then the husband is probably, like, making fun of it and being like, the fuck did you buy now? Like, another candle that smells like.

[Allison Leiby]

Yeah, that's why my dumb candle room.

[Sam Taggart]

Yeah, exactly. Right.

[Allison Leiby]

It's just so. It's like. It's like, it feels so, like, light and bright and like, like, you should have a little space girl. And then like, when you realize kind of like the underpinnings of, like, why that needs to exist and what it means within, like, a home, you're like, oh, straight culture is still so dark. It can be very dark.

[Sam Taggart]

Have you seen the invite?

[Allison Leiby]

Yes.

[Sam Taggart]

Okay, so it's like, me too, in the invite.

[George Severis]

Me as well.

[Sam Taggart]

This is. I feel like part of their dynamic in the Invite is like, she has a passion for interiors. And he consistently makes fun of her for spending money on these, you know, in his mind, superficial surface level things. Rugs, ceramics, throw pillows. Oh, she wants to paint the wall a shade of teal. And he thinks they all look the same. Yeah. So it's actually, I think that's part of the darkness of it, is that it is a site of gender war where, like, the woman is like, well, it's important to me.

[Allison Leiby]

Yeah.

[Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Announcer]

Yes.

[Sam Taggart]

You know what I mean? Like,

[George Severis]

there's something about maybe this Will lead to a dead end, but we'll try it.

[Sam Taggart]

Yeah.

[George Severis]

There's something about a suburban home. Like something where there's too much space, where almost if you don't have that extra room, you actually do have to talk about your issues. But because you have extra room, you're like, let's not talk about it. I'm building a room.

[Steph]

Room.

[Brian]

Yeah.

[Allison Leiby]

Yes. Like, yes, I'm gonna be over here. And the door closes.

[Brian]

Yeah.

[Sam Taggart]

Well, a suburban home is essentially a war zone where at any given time the troops are moving towards one direction or towards the other direction.

[Allison Leiby]

Yeah, it's.

[Sam Taggart]

Yes. And sometimes a man is winning, sometimes a woman is winning. But of course there's one rule which is it can't be addressed. So it's like you have to talk around it in some way. And it either it's like, oh, we only have the lactose free milk. And it's like, like, that's not what you mean. Yeah, you mean you haven't had sex in five years. I want to get into. I feel like I should mention, Allison, that you and I are in a, at this point, pretty defunct group chat that is explicitly only about candles. Called Candle Chat.

[Allison Leiby]

Candle Chat.

[Sam Taggart]

It was relatively active for like three years.

[Allison Leiby]

I didn't get too heady with it.

[Sam Taggart]

And it was four of us and basically was just candle updates.

[Allison Leiby]

Yeah. The candles hitting the scene.

[Sam Taggart]

One time I was gifted inexpensive candle, a tomato scented loewe candle by my sister in law. And I had everyone over and we actually all lit it together and played a piano and played the Olympic theme song because we were lighting the torch.

[George Severis]

That's nice.

[Sam Taggart]

And so I feel like candles and scents are a huge part of this.

[Allison Leiby]

They're absolutely a huge part of this. And even just seeing what's behind us, those like, what are those called? Smelling sticks.

[Sam Taggart]

That's different than a diffuser. Yes, a diffuser.

[Brian]

Yeah.

[George Severis]

Yeah.

[Sam Taggart]

Because incense is different. They're like actually light them.

[Allison Leiby]

Those are just like oils that get kind of.

[Sam Taggart]

The sticks. Oil sticks.

[Allison Leiby]

The.

[Sam Taggart]

My mom. My mom's. I mean, talk about my oasis. My mom will like, first of all, she'll go wild during the holidays. So she'll be like, amazing gingerbread smell. And it's like, okay, so we need that for two weeks tops. But then if you keep it there, then the house will just always smell like gingerbread.

[Allison Leiby]

Yes. Because like over time those things just emit all those smells.

[Sam Taggart]

Okay. But here's what I want to say about smells in terms of the war. What's interesting about smells Is that you can be like, this is my little oasis. I'm putting them here. But they complicate space because it smells.

[Allison Leiby]

Not contained.

[Sam Taggart]

Exactly. Smell isn't contained. So you can be like, well, it's just my candle. Like, I got it because it's a little thing I'm doing for me. But then the entire house smells like lavender. And the man is like, that's emasculating.

[Allison Leiby]

Which feels tactical.

[Sam Taggart]

Exactly. I want it to, like, exactly.

[George Severis]

The war continues.

[Steph]

Yeah.

[Sam Taggart]

And the man is like, why doesn't it smell like stainless steel and shoe leather? And shoe leather.

[George Severis]

Yeah. The. There's something about. Do you. Do these gender wars exist when people don't have kids? Where do kids fall into this? Because there is something too, about an oasis where it's like. Like their kids do. When in the war of a family.

[Allison Leiby]

Yes. Kids, like, really take up space.

[George Severis]

And, like, almost specifically, they feel more entitled to. I feel like the woman's space.

[Steph]

Yes.

[George Severis]

And so, like, like.

[ChatGPT Work Announcer]

Well, it's very.

[Sam Taggart]

Don't go into dad's office.

[George Severis]

Yeah.

[Allison Leiby]

Right.

[George Severis]

That's where business happens.

[Allison Leiby]

There's letter openers. They'll kill you. Like, it's like there. It feels. It feels very dangerous.

[Sam Taggart]

Dad is dangerous.

[Allison Leiby]

Yes.

[Sam Taggart]

Mom is welcome. It's safe. And it's. What's hers is yours.

[Allison Leiby]

Yes.

[George Severis]

Yeah.

[Sam Taggart]

And actually, if you. If you as a mom are like, don't touch that expensive throw pillow. You're a frigid.

[Allison Leiby]

Yeah, yeah. Right. Nothing is yours.

[Sam Taggart]

Yes. Whereas if you as a dad are like, don't touch my freeway.

[Steph]

That's normal.

[Sam Taggart]

No one is being like, don't say that.

[Allison Leiby]

You're gonna get hurt. And there's that.

[George Severis]

Yeah. So I find that to be an interesting little detail in it because I do empathize. Like, where I'm like, God, having an oasis, like when the kids are taking over everything. I need an oasis more than anything.

[Sam Taggart]

That's true. And we've been talking about it, about the oasis as defined against the husband, but it's actually also defined against the

[Allison Leiby]

kids, the entire family.

[Sam Taggart]

Yeah. It's like an oasis.

[George Severis]

Yeah.

[Sam Taggart]

It's an oasis from my family that

[Allison Leiby]

you built for yourself.

[Sam Taggart]

From my hate. Yeah, exactly.

[Allison Leiby]

You needed escape from.

[Sam Taggart]

Yeah. No, I'm unhappy.

[Allison Leiby]

Yes.

[Sam Taggart]

And I need to leave my family.

[Allison Leiby]

Yes. And that's why I'm gonna do that by closing the door in a room and listening to Paula Paula Cole CD completely. That's what I assume is happening in there.

[Sam Taggart]

Yes. Like a headspace, 20 minute meditation. And I'm gonna have my you know, sort of musk scented. What are they called again? These sticks?

[Allison Leiby]

Sticks.

[Sam Taggart]

Scent sticks.

[Allison Leiby]

Scent sticks.

[George Severis]

Well, we talked about once, like, dad hobbies, being like, wanting to run away. And I actually feel that, like in a store, that's when a woman is like, what if I started fresh?

[Allison Leiby]

Yes.

[George Severis]

What if everything, like, about me changed and this store was my new life?

[Allison Leiby]

Well, that's like kind of the, like, I like, consider. Like, I don't shop, but like chaos stores. Like Home Goods, a TJ Maxx where it's just like, who knows what I'll find in here? Maybe it'll be me. Like, you know, it's like kind of that. Like that hunting where it's like a shelf that has 700 different mugs. And you're like, but which one? I'm gonna. What if I find the best one? I think that that's like this kind of dream. And it's like. And then I can bring that good thing home and put it in my space. And it just has this very trapped woman vibe to it, but with kind of a twinge of hope.

[George Severis]

I've never thought about the level of mystery in like a TJ Maxx or a Home Goods.

[Allison Leiby]

Yes.

[George Severis]

Where it's like the stuff there can get quite weird. It is almost like thrifting, except everything's like brand new.

[Allison Leiby]

It's new and like made by AI.

[Sam Taggart]

Yes. You are so correct that it's like the vibe is I might find a hidden gem, even though it could not be less of a completely like, machine made experience.

[Steph]

Right.

[Sam Taggart]

Like, you're not gonna find a hidden gem.

[Allison Leiby]

Right. Like, yes, I think you can walk in and every once in a while, like, there's some like, off color Le Creuset that's like marked down slightly from what it would be if you were buying it at retail or whatever. But like, for the most part, it's just crap. And it's like the idea that there's something hidden in all of that crap, I think is also just like the way that straight women date.

[Sam Taggart]

Straight.

[Allison Leiby]

Mention something good here.

[Sam Taggart]

Yes. Yeah, yeah.

[Allison Leiby]

Just gotta get through all this.

[Sam Taggart]

It's also like the home goods store is a microcosm of the suburban home in that overall, it's like, I'm not masculine. That's not what. But it's overall, it's like rational. It's like, okay, this is the kitchen

[Allison Leiby]

section and there's no frills to the space itself. They're very much like a. Almost a warehouse, like fluorescent lighting. There's like the signage is like, all just very, like, Tresos.

[Sam Taggart]

Right. You know, so then you find the one section. It's almost like my little oasis within home goods. You find the one section that has the. Like, the little throw pillows with, you know, the Pinterest font that says Hope on it.

[Allison Leiby]

Yes.

[Sam Taggart]

And the ceramics.

[Allison Leiby]

A mosaic picture frame.

[Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Trade-in Announcer]

Yeah.

[Sam Taggart]

Like, the part of West Elm that has ceramics that are made to look handmade but are not handmade is. I mean, there's something so deeply sad.

[Allison Leiby]

I know. And it's like. I'm like, is it tricking people?

[Sam Taggart]

I know.

[Allison Leiby]

Or are you. Or are you just giving people who want to be tricked the thing they want completely?

[Sam Taggart]

And also, like, when you buy. Because I have purchased things from West Elm that are, like, on clearance, that I'm like, this looks homemade. Like, I could tell someone I got this at a flea market and they would believe me.

[George Severis]

Well, there's something. There's something Oasis about an item not having a past.

[Allison Leiby]

It came out of nowhere.

[George Severis]

Yeah. When an item has a past, you can sort of be like, I don't know if I can take on someone else's thing.

[Allison Leiby]

Yeah.

[George Severis]

But when an item is brand new from a machine, you're just like. Like, okay, so you have nothing on you. Like, I get to imprint whatever I want on this piece.

[Allison Leiby]

Yeah.

[George Severis]

That can be really freeing.

[Allison Leiby]

Yeah.

[George Severis]

Okay. If you guys are building an oasis, what are you putting in it? Wow.

[Sam Taggart]

Okay. I wanna.

[Allison Leiby]

Okay.

[George Severis]

Maybe three items.

[Allison Leiby]

Three items.

[Sam Taggart]

Oh, this is really good. Okay.

[Allison Leiby]

This is really good. Are we assuming there's, like, furniture in there, or is there.

[George Severis]

You can assume a basic amount of furniture.

[Allison Leiby]

Like, there's, like, a chair. Like a comfortable chair.

[George Severis]

Yeah.

[Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Announcer]

Yeah.

[George Severis]

Think college dorm lounge. Amount of fridge. Yeah.

[Sam Taggart]

Or even, like, a little love seat.

[Allison Leiby]

Yeah.

[Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Announcer]

It's just.

[Allison Leiby]

I won't be like, there's a rug. I'm like, chair.

[Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Announcer]

Yeah.

[Sam Taggart]

You're like, I want a fridge. I don't want to starve.

[ChatGPT Work Announcer]

Yeah.

[George Severis]

Jacuzzi, I guess.

[Allison Leiby]

I mean, I would want a candle. Like, I would have to start with, like, having a nice. I always have a candle going. Like, I want. I'm gonna need a candle in my space.

[Steph]

Yeah.

[Allison Leiby]

I would like Kiel to make one from their musk. I don't know why they won't.

[Sam Taggart]

This is one of your big issues.

[Allison Leiby]

Many letters to that company. Please make a candle. You make everything else.

[George Severis]

This is a good point.

[Allison Leiby]

So I would do a candle. I do think a giant, comfortable pillow that is slightly more. Not like a big cushion. Not a tuft. Yeah, not a tuft. But A pillow that's kind of malleable for me, because if I'm spending a lot of time in my oasis, I will be moving positions a lot within my kind of large chair. And sometimes you want that to be kind of upright and leaning. And sometimes you want that to be kind of like, I'm almost lying down and reading.

[Sam Taggart]

Well, you're an author. You're a published author, so you are

[7-Eleven Announcer]

doing a lot of research.

[George Severis]

You have to read.

[7-Eleven Announcer]

Yeah.

[Sam Taggart]

Now you don't have. That's what happens when you become a publisher. You never have to read again because you graduate from reading, and now you're just writing.

[Allison Leiby]

When you sign your contract, they're like, like, no more books.

[George Severis]

Well done.

[Allison Leiby]

You get to have books, but you don't have to read them.

[Sam Taggart]

So a magical pillow that does exactly what you wanted to do. What you wanted to do.

[Allison Leiby]

And I think not to, like, double up on lighting, because I don't think of those candles as lighting. They are scents.

[Sam Taggart]

We're so on the same page. Yes. The lighting needs to be perfect. So you want a floor lamp.

[Allison Leiby]

A. Correct. A warm light lamp that has kind of that, like, creates like, a real softness. And like, no overhead, no blue light, no anything like that. Like a nice floor lamp.

[George Severis]

That's gorgeous.

[Allison Leiby]

I think that would be mine.

[Sam Taggart]

What do you think? Sure. Okay, so I think this is a little out of the box.

[Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Announcer]

Okay.

[7-Eleven Announcer]

Please.

[Sam Taggart]

I. Something that is always. That I always covet is like an expensive sort of like, vintage movie poster. Like, not a. You know what I mean? Like, you know, you'll see like a. It's like a Japanese movie poster of, like, an old God. I was about to say Woody Allen movie. You know, insert different reference here. You know, and it's like. And it's randomly, like, $600. And you would never buy it for yourself.

[Allison Leiby]

Yes.

[Sam Taggart]

One thing we put on our wedding registry, which people did buy us, is this vintage Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown poster. That's huge. And then we got it framed, and it's in our. And I'm like. It actually calms me down so much to be like, how fun. Like, it's like, elevated. It's weirdly like elevated dorm furniture.

[Steph]

Yeah.

[Allison Leiby]

I find that with, like, also like, with a certain flavor of vintage advertising.

[Sam Taggart]

Yes, exactly.

[Allison Leiby]

It's like, the shitty version is, like, always a good day for a Guinness, the two kind or whatever. But, like, there are better versions of that that are, like, cool.

[Sam Taggart]

Yes.

[Allison Leiby]

And you bring it all the way back to ads. Say, I'm sorry.

[Brian]

No, no, please.

[Sam Taggart]

But that's exactly. It's like. Cause you don't want the. You don't want a movie poster or an ad poster in your living room. Like, that's a little sort of tacky. But you do want it in your Oasis.

[Allison Leiby]

You do want it in your Oasis.

[George Severis]

If your Oasis is just for you.

[Sam Taggart]

It's very. It's honestly like man cave, but make it a little gay. It's like you have the. You have the, you know, the poster for, like the. For like an Unmarried Woman, that movie with Joel Clayborg. It's like, okay, so that's a fun poster. And it's like, nicely framed. Whatever. So maybe that I want like a really cozy vintage rug that's like discolored in all the right places.

[Allison Leiby]

Yeah.

[Sam Taggart]

And then I want. I mean, the most difficult thing, of course, is seating, because what I really want is a giant beanbag chair. But I don't want it to look, you know, trash. Like, I want it to.

[George Severis]

Oh, I know. I know what you mean.

[Allison Leiby]

Sophisticated in the room you have with your. With your movie poster and your tapestry

[Sam Taggart]

on the floor and your beanbag.

[Allison Leiby]

Wanted to go to college.

[George Severis]

Describe your college. You're going man cave with it also.

[Sam Taggart]

But I do think I want. Yeah, I want a gay man cave. Like, I want like a really like, like feminine sort of like if.

[Allison Leiby]

If.

[Sam Taggart]

If 18 year old me had unlimited money. That's what makes me feel safe. I don't want it to be tasteful. I want it to be like the movie that I loved when I was 17. A really fun rug and a giant beanbag chair.

[Allison Leiby]

Yeah, yeah, I see that.

[Sam Taggart]

What do you want?

[George Severis]

Okay, first and foremost, I want a giant blanket.

[Allison Leiby]

Yes.

[Sam Taggart]

Ooh.

[Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Trade-in Announcer]

Okay.

[Allison Leiby]

What material are you imagining?

[George Severis]

I want, like, it just needs to be really soft.

[Allison Leiby]

Okay.

[George Severis]

Where you pick it up and you go like, oh, my God, this is so soft. And it's like a little too much where, like whenever you wear it, you're like, kind of sweating, but you are like. But what if it was cold enough where this made sense.

[Allison Leiby]

Yes.

[Steph]

Yes.

[George Severis]

That would be awesome.

[Allison Leiby]

Which is the fantasy.

[George Severis]

That is the fantasy. I think I want to go a little bit. I want to lean into HomeGoods core.

[Allison Leiby]

Yeah. I think that's important.

[George Severis]

And I want like a stupid lamp that's like a monkey that then like, maybe with symbols, but then it's like a lamp with a lampshade.

[Allison Leiby]

Yes.

[George Severis]

And you're like, who would buy this novelty lamp? Yeah, but it's like, like, but it's clearly for a Suburban home. And you're like, this is so weird. Why does the store have this? I think if you can put one of those in your home with your full chest.

[7-Eleven Announcer]

Wow.

[George Severis]

People take note.

[Allison Leiby]

Yeah, that's a really good point.

[Sam Taggart]

Nomi Fry's husband, who's a sculptor. I don't know if he still does, but he used to make floor lamps and he made one that. That looks almost like a geometric palm tree.

[Allison Leiby]

Yeah.

[Sam Taggart]

Do you know what I'm talking?

[Steph]

Yeah.

[Sam Taggart]

And we know this couple that has it in their home. And every time I'm like, God, that like to have that in your oasis, like a novelty art. Floor lamp.

[ChatGPT Work Announcer]

Floor lamp.

[Sam Taggart]

Yeah. The other thing, this is not an object, but I'm like, I want this room the second I walk in. Without me having to press a button to start playing, like low key instrumental, electronic, like calm electronic music. Like sort of like if Massive Attack. It's like if Massive Attack made a playlist for a spot.

[Allison Leiby]

Okay.

[Sam Taggart]

You know what I mean? Like, that's what I want.

[George Severis]

Music for airports, that type of thing.

[Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Trade-in Announcer]

Yeah.

[Brian]

Yes.

[Sam Taggart]

Music fair.

[Allison Leiby]

Music for airports. I would also like to add, mine does have a ceiling fan, but that's part of a structural.

[Sam Taggart]

The whole thing with temperature controlled, of course.

[George Severis]

This whole fantasy, it mostly all I want.

[Allison Leiby]

We're just like, what do you want in a room?

[Sam Taggart]

Yeah.

[ChatGPT Work Announcer]

Right.

[George Severis]

This whole fantasy, mostly what I want is to be like. I want it to be like 2003 and I'm in like my richest friend's basement.

[Allison Leiby]

Yeah.

[George Severis]

Like, that's literally all I want.

[Sam Taggart]

Yeah. Yeah.

[George Severis]

That was the heaven on earth for me.

[Allison Leiby]

Yeah.

[George Severis]

When I talk about beanbag chairs.

[Sam Taggart]

Yeah. I am describing a basement, basically.

[Vital Proteins Announcer]

Yeah.

[Sam Taggart]

That's where you are.

[Allison Leiby]

I imagine this in like a basement or even like a. Like a basement where you walk at like a house that's built on a hill and like the basement has like an exit.

[George Severis]

I love those.

[Sam Taggart]

Yeah.

[George Severis]

God, you can really be free.

[ChatGPT Work Announcer]

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[Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Announcer]

Some people say it's wrong to be this into a show, but the new shape of my Galaxy Z Fold 8 from Samsung is just right for diving into every social post from the cast and when I unfold it I can lose myself in every episode on the perfectly sized screen while I defend my theories in the group chat. Gotta go. Just got an alert about a potential spinoff.

[Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Trade-in Announcer]

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[Allison Leiby]

that apply to samsung.com hi, I'm Steph

[Steph]

and I work at UnitedHealthcare. When I think about UnitedHealthcare's members, I think of my own family. My niece was diagnosed with an ultra rare genetic disorder. I know how hard it is for families at UnitedHealthcare. We can make it easier.

[Brian]

I'm Brian. I care because I know what it's like to not speak the language. It's not. Not easy. Health insurance is complicated. I would say our job is to make everything easy for our UXC members. I work for United Healthcare. I'm committed to care.

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[George Severis]

My third thing.

[Allison Leiby]

So we've got cozy blanket.

[George Severis]

Cozy blanket. We've got novelty lamp, novelty monkey lamp. Oh well this is.

[Sam Taggart]

This goes back to say it.

[George Severis]

Okay. You know those chairs where it's like a basket?

[Sam Taggart]

Yes.

[George Severis]

With the.

[Allison Leiby]

They have a name, but I don't know. We're not gonna get there.

[Sam Taggart]

It's one of those things that I always. I read the name in books, then look up on Dictionary.com and I'm like okay, great. Remember?

[Allison Leiby]

And then I'm done. Just every time.

[George Severis]

I love those chairs.

[Sam Taggart]

Yay.

[Allison Leiby]

Impossible to get in and out of. Always breaking.

[George Severis]

I wouldn't. And you sit in and it just creaks a hundred different ways.

[Sam Taggart]

Right. So you want sort of like a. Like a startup from 2011 that has NAP pods. You want the nap room at the startup?

[George Severis]

Yes, basically, yeah.

[Sam Taggart]

The other item I want get ready is just an ocean view. I just want to be able to open the window ocean.

[Allison Leiby]

But you're still in a landlocked setting.

[Sam Taggart]

I don't care where I am but I want it to look realistic and I want an ocean view.

[Allison Leiby]

Yes.

[George Severis]

We stayed in like a rental house once and this where it like it was like a time capsule to 2005 because they haven't updated it in forever and it was like the most comforting thing that has ever happened to me. And they need to make this a thing where it's like this is period accurate 2005. You can return.

[Allison Leiby]

Yeah, yeah. It would be nice to get a rental home that is just like everything is 2005 including the access to technology and just like.

[George Severis]

No, there's really something there.

[Sam Taggart]

I would do that.

[Allison Leiby]

But then it's like I have my phone.

[Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Announcer]

Right.

[Sam Taggart]

There's something that's like a.

[Allison Leiby]

For the whole trip at a house

[George Severis]

that could be awesome.

[Sam Taggart]

I recently had a real sense memory. So in this era that you're describing, we were still living in New Jersey and I was in my parents house in Greece this last week and I was looking for a book to read and all my mom's old books from the New Jersey era still have like Barnes and Noble weekly pick sticker but it's like you know, Torn and Ray.

[Allison Leiby]

Yeah.

[Sam Taggart]

And I'm like, oh my God. Remember like she would just go to Barnes and Noble and get the weekly

[Allison Leiby]

pick and just like whatever they recommended.

[Sam Taggart]

Yeah. And she read a lot of good books.

[George Severis]

Yeah.

[Allison Leiby]

I'm sure.

[Sam Taggart]

Now we have to listen to Dua Lipa book club. Now it's the Dua Lipa book club and that's best case scenario.

[Allison Leiby]

I wish.

[George Severis]

Yeah.

[Sam Taggart]

Wow. Well, I think we've learned a lot.

[George Severis]

I think we've learned a lot. Are you petitioning Dua Lipa or maybe Lorde to include your book on the book club?

[Allison Leiby]

Yeah, I need one. Both. Any of the fabulous gals that have ever read a book if you could just carry it around the next time you're on vacation, that would be my dream. Please. A Jenner would be fine.

[Sam Taggart]

Oh, a Jenner would be great.

[Allison Leiby]

Even Chris, you know.

[Sam Taggart]

Hey, Chris Especially Chris.

[Allison Leiby]

Especially. It's for older gals.

[Sam Taggart]

Well, I'd say it's for the, for the Kim generation.

[Allison Leiby]

Yeah.

[Sam Taggart]

More so than the Chris generation but

[Allison Leiby]

it's like more for Kim than Kylie with a lot of like reflecting on youth.

[Sam Taggart]

Who would be your ideal celebrity to be photographed holding your book?

[George Severis]

Amazing question.

[Allison Leiby]

Oh my God.

[Sam Taggart]

And actually we are also going to answer it Even though we don't have books out.

[Allison Leiby]

I'm like, Brian Cox. No.

[Sam Taggart]

Oh, my God. That would be funny.

[George Severis]

That would be huge.

[Sam Taggart]

But I think. I think you're on the right track, though, because that's so unexpected that it'll become a meme.

[Allison Leiby]

Yes, exactly. Where it's like. It's like, what is this. This old man doing reading this Burnett woman's book? Like, it would just be.

[George Severis]

So. It's like when Grimes was reading, like, Marx or whatever.

[Allison Leiby]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay. Freelancer. I'm like, Michelle Obama.

[Sam Taggart]

Michelle Obama.

[Allison Leiby]

You know, it's like, who's the most

[Sam Taggart]

famous person who's, like, who's sort of adjacent to publisher.

[Allison Leiby]

Yeah. Who were people who look up to that person and know that person and don't, like, hate that person.

[Sam Taggart]

Yeah.

[Allison Leiby]

Also are like, I've read and they buy books.

[7-Eleven Announcer]

Yeah.

[Sam Taggart]

Okay.

[George Severis]

Okay, Great answer. Great answer. Imagine Madonna carrying it.

[Sam Taggart]

That would be amazing.

[Allison Leiby]

It's like, it is a title where I'm like, it is a bit. If you're carrying it around. Like, it is kind of a funny. I haven't seen it in the. I've seen it at stores, but I haven't seen, like, anybody with it yet. But I'm hoping that that happens once. That's probably the only amount of time. Like, that's, like, the most expected amount of time. It would probably happen for me, but I don't know. It could be, Watch out, Bell Bird. And I'm coming for your title.

[Sam Taggart]

I'm like, bell Burden is interesting because obviously that book is so huge, but I actually haven't. Have you seen anyone in the. No, I've seen someone in the wild reading it once, but you would expect. You know, we live in Brooklyn. You would expect.

[Allison Leiby]

Like, I feel like I used to do so much commuting around by train, and really, I don't anymore. So I am seeing people carrying books around a lot less because they're. When I'm crossing paths with people, they're walking. So it is a little.

[George Severis]

Yeah. Imagine my experience living in la. First of all, everyone's driving. Second of all, no one can read.

[Sam Taggart]

Who would be your ideal celebrity to read your book when it comes out?

[George Severis]

No, I want it to be Madonna, of course.

[Sam Taggart]

Oh, you want it to be Madonna.

[George Severis]

Yes, I want Madonna to be reading that thing.

[Sam Taggart]

I want Donald Trump to be photographed reading my book. And that's my final answer.

[George Severis]

I think that would be huge for you.

[Vital Proteins Announcer]

Yeah.

[Sam Taggart]

And then I could even, like. I could be like, this isn't for you. And then we Would, like, get into a fight.

[George Severis]

I mean, that would be huge.

[Sam Taggart]

And then he'd be like, well, it's good because it's poorly written.

[Allison Leiby]

Yeah, right.

[George Severis]

Do you guys think, you know how, like, when George Bush is not president anymore and now it's like, oh, he's fine. Do you think, like, 10 years from now, if Trump is still alive, we'll be like, you know what? You guys, like, you're too hard on him.

[Sam Taggart]

Yes, I do think that's gonna happen.

[Allison Leiby]

I think that the culture will do that for sure.

[Sam Taggart]

You know, the thing with George Bush, this is scary. When they first tried to do that, obviously we were all like, don't do that. And it's now been long. Obviously, I still think he's a monster, but it's now been long enough that there is a part of me that's like, oh.

[Allison Leiby]

And also the relativity of it, when you compare, like, just the way Trump's administrations have been and his like. Like, even from, like, the, like, cultural decency or, like, what, like, like, obviously he is a war criminal and an absolute monster. But, like, Trump still feels worse. Like, in the moment, Trump feels worse because that's a distant memory. So it's like, with relativity, I guess it, like, depends on if we, like, swing back or keep going down this path.

[George Severis]

Well, because I'm. When you said he was reading your book, I was imagining, know, in the future, him holding your book and being like, you know what? Trump's actually trying to do better. He's reading George's book.

[Sam Taggart]

Well, it is like how Bush, to his credit, if I may, has basically not spoken about politics since he's left office, which, to me, it's like, if you're one of the worst presidents in history, that is the respectful thing to do.

[Allison Leiby]

Yes, agreed.

[Sam Taggart]

At the very least, like, I will give him that.

[Allison Leiby]

Yeah.

[Steph]

Yeah.

[Sam Taggart]

And I wonder what. I mean, what if Trump's post presidency is, like, more Obama, like, where he's, like, releasing his favorite books every year.

[Allison Leiby]

He has playlists.

[Sam Taggart]

Yeah. He's literally like, I love the new Katie Kimora.

[George Severis]

I mean, it's absolutely going to happen.

[Sam Taggart]

No, it's not. He's gonna start. He's gonna. No, it's gonna be like, truth, social TV or whatever.

[George Severis]

Sure, sure, sure.

[Allison Leiby]

Maybe he'll die.

[Sam Taggart]

I don't know physically if that's gonna happen.

[Allison Leiby]

I know.

[Sam Taggart]

I feel like it would have happened by now.

[Allison Leiby]

I know you'd think so.

[George Severis]

Do you think Trump would pick a big blanket or a candle first?

[Sam Taggart]

I think Trump is very my oasis. I Think. Cause I think he, he, he's.

[Allison Leiby]

So the White House is his oasis now. He's like the ballroom. The ball. Yeah. The ballroom is his oasis.

[Sam Taggart]

No, Trump is so. Interiors focused. Much more so than any, like, Democrat president, 100%. He, he has specific aesthetic tastes, more so than anyone else who's ever been

[Allison Leiby]

in that white taste. That's true.

[Sam Taggart]

And like, except for, like, Jackie O.

[Allison Leiby]

Right.

[Brian]

He's.

[Sam Taggart]

He rivals Jackie O only in his attention to aesthetics. Objectively, like, literally think of who are the most. Who are the people with the strongest aesthetic eye that have been in the White House. Donald Trump and Jackie O.

[Allison Leiby]

Yes. Wow.

[George Severis]

It's.

[Allison Leiby]

Wow.

[George Severis]

It's horrible taste, but it's a strong point of view.

[Allison Leiby]

But you can, like, see something and know if it would be like, in his oasis or not.

[George Severis]

Yeah, you would see.

[Allison Leiby]

You would see. We could show you 49 president or how many presidents.

[Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Trade-in Announcer]

Oh, yeah.

[Allison Leiby]

It's like. Cause he's twice. Some of them are twice. Like, I don't know how many men there are, but you can put every president's oasis up and you would know exactly which one is Trump's and you might not know who anyone else's is.

[Sam Taggart]

I don't like what isn't Obama's oasis. It's literally like pod Save America merch.

[Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Trade-in Announcer]

Yeah.

[Sam Taggart]

And then like a fun, you know, Hawaii poster.

[George Severis]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Allison Leiby]

The hidden ashtray.

[Sam Taggart]

Yeah. Oh, and the hidden ashtray.

[George Severis]

Ashtray.

[Allison Leiby]

But like everybody else, you know, it's just like. But you would know what Trump's looked like.

[Sam Taggart]

You would know.

[Allison Leiby]

You would know it in a heartbeat. You'd scan and be like, that's what. That's his.

[Brian]

Yeah.

[Sam Taggart]

And you would know what Bill Clinton's look like. It would be like porno bags.

[Allison Leiby]

Yeah. Saxophones.

[Sam Taggart]

Saxophones. And porno mags.

[George Severis]

Just tissues and socks.

[Brian]

Yeah.

[George Severis]

Shout out, shout out.

[Sam Taggart]

Shout out to all the presidents.

[George Severis]

Shout out to everybody.

[Allison Leiby]

Just a blanket shout out, you know, blankets.

[George Severis]

You did it. You ran for president and you won that shit.

[Sam Taggart]

Crazy.

[George Severis]

Fair and square.

[Sam Taggart]

Literally, so far. I mean, we'll see what happens in 2028. I don't think it's going to be good, but.

[George Severis]

No, probably not.

[Sam Taggart]

So far it's been pretty fair and square.

[Vital Proteins Announcer]

We.

[Sam Taggart]

With a couple of exceptions that I can think of.

[George Severis]

Yeah. One off the top of the head, but. Yeah, well, whatever.

[Sam Taggart]

Hanging chads. Remember that? That's when I said the world is unfair. We could have had Al Gore.

[Allison Leiby]

Remember how long that cycle lasted?

[Sam Taggart]

Yes, I sure do.

[Allison Leiby]

Of just even like, the jokes still Being part of culture. And it's like, now it's like, it's been eight minutes. We really need to move on to the next thing.

[Sam Taggart]

Yeah. I mean, I think about. I think about this with, like, Janet Jackson, the Super bowl, like, these. If that happened today, it would be over within 20 seconds.

[Allison Leiby]

Yes.

[Sam Taggart]

Well. Well, cool. So I guess overall, it's pretty much some things are better, some things are worse.

[George Severis]

Time is.

[Sam Taggart]

Time is crazy.

[George Severis]

You know, does anything stick now? I'm, like, literally trying to think about, like, what stuck.

[Sam Taggart]

Well, this is one of the eternal questions of this podcast is like, what is monoculture now?

[Allison Leiby]

Right.

[Sam Taggart]

And I do just like, Barbenheimer. Barbenheimer stuck Brad Summer.

[Allison Leiby]

That stuck Brad Summer. Yeah.

[Sam Taggart]

Donald Trump.

[George Severis]

He's sticking.

[Allison Leiby]

He's sticking. End of list.

[Sam Taggart]

End of list. I guess it's just the big three.

[Allison Leiby]

All right, well, America, can I say.

[George Severis]

So this is our first podcast recording since the new Madonna album. Of course. And so.

[Sam Taggart]

And thank you.

[George Severis]

So we needed to address that. And I guess I just want to say, like. Like, is that. Is that sticking?

[Sam Taggart]

No. Obviously, in my world, it's as though Barack Obama was reelected. But when I hear people talk about it. But I don't think, generally speaking, it's sticking in the way that we think it is.

[Allison Leiby]

No.

[George Severis]

Yeah. I feel the same way.

[Sam Taggart]

Like, to me, I'm like, it's Madonna Summer. And then you'll talk to people and like, oh, I didn't know she was an album. Yeah.

[George Severis]

Yeah. Like, the world is different to me. And it's. But I think we are in such a bubble.

[Sam Taggart]

I saw a, like, women's mag to bring it back to women's magazines article that was like, this is one of the best Madonna albums in 20 years. And yet all anyone is talking about is her plastic surgery. And I'm like, not in my world. In my world, everyone is saying she's never looked better, and this is the best album in 20 years. Like, no one in my world is having that conversation.

[George Severis]

Well, there's almost something where it's like, well, you're the magazine. Change the conversation.

[Sam Taggart]

Thank you. Like, talking about it.

[Brian]

Yes.

[George Severis]

You're the one talking about it.

[Allison Leiby]

You're talking about it.

[Sam Taggart]

Yeah.

[George Severis]

You can just say, this is the best album.

[Vital Proteins Announcer]

26.

[Sam Taggart]

It Pisses Me off. And it's the same with the Odyssey. I'm like, like, yes, people are having conversations that are racist. How about you tell me if the movie's good?

[Allison Leiby]

Right. Right. Change the conversation.

[Sam Taggart]

Change the conversation. You're the media.

[Allison Leiby]

You're literally the media.

[George Severis]

You are the media.

[Allison Leiby]

For now.

[Sam Taggart]

How about you riff on fraud topics?

[Allison Leiby]

You know, you call me when you're riffing on fraud topics, and then we'll

[George Severis]

discuss the thing with the Odyssey backlash. There's also just like, yes, you can find any conversation on the Internet, even if it is like this. You can find maybe 50 people on Twitter are talking about this, but it's like, that's only 50 people on Twitter. Like, in the context of how many people are seeing this movie, this is not that big of a deal.

[Allison Leiby]

Right. There's kind of like a. Just because, like, I feel like maybe our general. Like, I always, like, struggle with, like, what we understand reality to be. But, like, just because something is, like, printed, like, some on the Internet, I mean, like, even, like, Twitter.

[7-Eleven Announcer]

Yeah.

[Allison Leiby]

Like, just because it's there and you can read it instead of, like, overhearing someone talking doesn't mean it's, like, more valuable than two fucking idiots talking.

[George Severis]

Totally.

[Sam Taggart]

But. And what's. What's even more frustrating is that because increasingly, as magazines and newspapers have, like, fewer budgets and there's, like, fewer resources to do deep reporting, then they will print things that two people said on Twitter.

[Allison Leiby]

Exactly.

[Sam Taggart]

Thereby making them more legitimate.

[Allison Leiby]

Yes.

[Sam Taggart]

And then you're like, well, I did actually read it in the New York Times.

[Allison Leiby]

Right. And then somebody shares the New York Times articles, like, see? And then it, like, becomes this kind of like.

[Sam Taggart]

Was it just two people, though?

[Allison Leiby]

Yes, exactly.

[Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Announcer]

Cool.

[Sam Taggart]

So that's cool.

[George Severis]

So media's back.

[Sam Taggart]

So media's back in a big way.

[George Severis]

I love media. I love books. What else?

[Sam Taggart]

Music, even film. Television. Well, television, I would say not so much currently.

[George Severis]

It's actually. There's no show.

[Sam Taggart]

I liked it in the 2010s.

[George Severis]

I love TV in the 2010s.

[Allison Leiby]

Oh, my God.

[George Severis]

Oh, my God. It was amazing. So, yeah, Stream Breaking Bad.

[Sam Taggart]

Stream Breaking Bad. And buy Alison Levy's book.

[Allison Leiby]

Yes, yes. Do those two things.

[George Severis]

And listen to confessions, too.

[Sam Taggart]

Confessions, too. Alison, any final thoughts on this is my Oasis?

[Allison Leiby]

No, I think we really covered a lot of it, and I feel like it's kind of like we're recording on our wish list, which was an interesting. My stomach is growling.

[Sam Taggart]

Not only that, but this room, we've seen it go through so many changes. This room was kind of like, you know, one of the less glamorous rooms, I would say, in the iheart offices. And as we New York City, during our residency here, it has gotten progressively more beautiful. There's plants, there's lighting, there's rugs, there's

[George Severis]

little mic covers now.

[Sam Taggart]

And now it really is our oasis.

[Allison Leiby]

It is an oasis.

[Sam Taggart]

So I feel seen and heard.

[George Severis]

I feel seen and heard and listened to and safe.

[Sam Taggart]

Shall we do our final segment.

[ChatGPT Work Announcer]

Before you jump back in? You know that feeling when feedback, notes and data are coming in from every direction? ChatGPT work can make sense of it at all, turning scattered inputs into ready to review work. With your permission, ChatGPT work can gather context from apps and files, summarize incoming messages, rebuild decks, and help finalize high quality documents for your team or clients. Stay in control as you move from a goal to polished. Work faster with ChatGPT work. Download the ChatGPT desktop app today and take on your most ambitious work.

[Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Announcer]

Some people say it's wrong to be this into a show, but the new shape of my Galaxy Z Fold 8 from Samsung is just right for for diving into every social post from the cast. And when I unfold it, I can lose myself in every episode on the perfectly sized screen while I defend my theories in the group chat. Gotta go. Just got an alert about a potential spinoff.

[Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Trade-in Announcer]

Whatever you're into, the all new Galaxy Z Fold 8 is the right size to get really into it. Save up to $1200 with eligible trade in when you pre order NC6 fold supplies last see trade in terms and

[Allison Leiby]

conditions that apply to samsung.com my name is Jessa. One of the things I love the most about working for United Healthcare is that everybody matters. Every mom matters.

[Sam Taggart]

There's a person behind every problem. I care because it's what I was

[Allison Leiby]

put on this earth to do. I'm Ben and I work at UnitedHealthcare.

[Sam Taggart]

I am just one piece of a larger puzzle. But every piece matters.

[George Severis]

It's more than just work.

[Sam Taggart]

We wanna make the healthcare system better for everyone. I care because I wanna make a difference. That's what Committed to Care means to me.

[Vital Proteins Announcer]

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[George Severis]

So 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 enjoy. People, places, things, ideas. Do you have one?

[Sam Taggart]

I have a serious one that I can do.

[George Severis]

I would love if you got serious.

[Sam Taggart]

I want to give a shout out to the Neros Da Steel album Slay. So this. Has this crossed your desk at all?

[Allison Leiby]

No, not yet.

[Sam Taggart]

I think that. So this is this gay guy who's like in his 60s. 60s. In his 60s. And these are songs that were recorded over the last like four decades. And basically like, you know, people got together and they were like, let's kind of like curate this into an album.

[Allison Leiby]

Okay.

[Sam Taggart]

And it just sounds like the most amazing kind of like mixtape of 80s and 90s New York. Kind of like cool club tracks. It's incredible. And it like came out of nowhere. He has like. Not that everything is followers, but like, I won on his. Has less than like 5,000 followers. He's just like a he. And it just came out. It got this amazing Pitchfork review. Everyone's talking about it. I think there's like a. It actually feels very kind of old school, word of mouth, popularity, like. And so I think it's a nice antidote to our media conversation that something like that can still happen.

[Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Announcer]

Yes.

[George Severis]

Yes.

[Sam Taggart]

So there you go.

[Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Announcer]

Woo.

[Sam Taggart]

It's called My Skyscraper.

[Brian]

Yes.

[George Severis]

What's up, everyone around the globe. Freaks, losers, perverts. I want to give a huge shout out to sort of like Pitchfork's whole deal. I'm sort of confused on what your whole deal is, but we don't have any sort of, you know, reputable music review website anymore. So I'm sort of like, I guess this is the best we've got.

[Sam Taggart]

Totally.

[George Severis]

And so I do look at it in this way of, like, scientifically, like, what is the culture like? What are we talking about? And I found it interesting that they gave confessions to and Kaleila's album, both 8.1, but not best New Music, which, you know, you what this means, I don't know. But I was grateful that it was equal because I felt like my two girls were like, at least it's fair. My two girls are both equal, so no one can get upset. And I was like, thank God no one's fighting right now. We're all just coming together. And the. The fact that they get a slight bit of underdog status of not having Best new Music, I think is beautiful because then gay guys can be psychotic about them still. And I think the fact that they got an 8.1 is still quite respectful.

[Sam Taggart]

It's weirdly the perfect score.

[George Severis]

And so I'M saying thank you to the team over there at Pitchfork. You are doing some interesting problem solving, and you are making it so that we aren't fighting. And I am glad that Madonna and Kaleila are respected, and I love both of those albums. So shout out out to everyone over there at the team. Xoxo, Sam.

[Sam Taggart]

Wow. Allison.

[Allison Leiby]

Hey, ladies. Amen. I would like to recommend, as a lifelong, get up early to go to the beach or pool and do early day beach pool. So you could be there all day.

[Brian]

Go to the.

[Allison Leiby]

Go in the afternoon. I'm going to the pool in the afternoon. I mean, I live very close to a pool, but I'm going. I'm not going at 11 every day. Okay. Sometimes I'm going at 4. I'm doing my hour at 4. I'm hanging out at the pool, and then you're done, and it's happy hour, and you can enjoy. And you weren't like, you got stuff done, like, even the beach, like, going, just go at 2. It's fine. You don't have to get up when the sun comes up because your mom thinks you need to be more tan. You don't.

[Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Announcer]

You.

[Allison Leiby]

It's fine. You don't have to get eight hours of sunlight. You can just completely go. Go in the afternoon is my new going places in the afternoon.

[Sam Taggart]

I'm right there with you. I also, like, wake and go up. Sending literally three emails just to be like, well, I did some work.

[George Severis]

Yeah.

[Allison Leiby]

Yeah.

[Sam Taggart]

And then having a nice piece of toast and. Yep. Then maybe doing a quick 10 minutes on the treadmill, maybe for saying, okay, well, I basically did everything.

[Allison Leiby]

Yeah.

[Sam Taggart]

Now I deserve.

[Allison Leiby]

I worked and it's time to go sit.

[Sam Taggart]

Yeah.

[George Severis]

Also not having to worry about getting sunburned. If you go too late, it's Right.

[Allison Leiby]

And then, like, the sun starts going down, and it's kind of like a golden hour. If you're trying to do so and

[George Severis]

you're like, this is only mine. Like, everyone else is going home. And you're like, bye.

[Steph]

Yeah.

[George Severis]

Real beach heads know that it's still valid to be here when the sun's going down.

[Allison Leiby]

Exactly.

[George Severis]

In fact, there's something nice about it.

[Sam Taggart]

Well, because morning is always more capitalist.

[Allison Leiby]

Yes, of course.

[Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Announcer]

Yes.

[Sam Taggart]

You know, golden hour. That's for the real kind of loungey girls.

[Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Announcer]

Yeah.

[Allison Leiby]

That's for the artists.

[Sam Taggart]

That's for the artists.

[George Severis]

That's for the artists.

[Brian]

Wow.

[Sam Taggart]

We've covered so much.

[George Severis]

I know.

[Allison Leiby]

We really did.

[George Severis]

Thanks for doing the pod.

[Allison Leiby]

Yeah. Thanks for having such a treat.

[Sam Taggart]

And I hope that for some people out there, we can be your oasis.

[Allison Leiby]

You are. This is.

[George Severis]

Yeah, yeah.

[Sam Taggart]

All right. Buy Alison's book, see us on tour. And again, please stream Breaking Bad.

[George Severis]

Please. Seriously, you guys watch Breaking Bad. Bye.

[Sam Taggart]

Podcast ends now.

[George Severis]

Stratio Lab is a Production by Will Ferrell's Big Money Players and iHeartRadio Podcasts

[Sam Taggart]

created and hosted by Sam Taggart and

[George Severis]

George Severis Executive produced by Becca Ramos

[Sam Taggart]

produced by Casey Donahue edited and mixed by Laura Lawrence Stumpf Social Video done by Hot Dog Sandwich.

[ChatGPT Work Announcer]

One last thing before you go. You know that feeling when feedback, notes and data are coming in from every direction. ChatGPT work can make sense of it all, turning scattered inputs into ready to review work. With your Permission, Work and ChatGPT can gather context from apps and files, summarize incoming messages, rebuild decks, and help finalize high quality documents for your team or clients. Stay in control as you move from a goal to polished. Work faster with ChatGPT work. Download the ChatGPT desktop app today and take on your most ambitious work.

[Steph]

Hey Fidelity, what's it cost to invest with the Fidelity app?

[Sam Taggart]

Start with as little as $1 with no account fees or trade commissions on US stocks and ETF ETFs. That's music to my ears.

[Allison Leiby]

I can only talk.

[7-Eleven Announcer]

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[Sam Taggart]

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