"Theater" w/ Charlene Incarnate

Summary

Podcast Summary: StraightioLab – Episode "Theater" featuring Charlene Incarnate

Introduction

In the November 5, 2024 episode of StraightioLab, hosted by George Severis and Sam Taggart from the Big Money Players Network and iHeartPodcasts, the dynamic duo is joined by guest comedian Charlene Incarnate to delve into the intricate relationship between straight culture and the world of theater in New York City. The episode, titled "Theater," offers a candid exploration of how Broadway and broader theater scenes are navigating the interplay between straight dominance and LGBTQ+ influences.

Setting the Stage: LA vs. New York City

The conversation kicks off with a light-hearted comparison between living in Los Angeles and New York City. Charlene humorously reflects on missing the multitasking romance of New York life, such as balancing a coffee in one hand and the subway in the other:

[05:12] Charlene: "I have had a realization recently that I'm a huge tote bag. Gay."

This sets the tone for a discussion that intertwines personal anecdotes with cultural observations.

Broadway's Evolution: From Gay Haven to Straight Enterprise

Charlene and the hosts critically examine Broadway's transformation over the years. They lament the shift from a predominantly gay-friendly environment to one increasingly influenced by straight culture and commercial interests. Charlene remarks on the influx of formulaic, IP-based musicals:

[38:04] Charlene: "I was trying to express this to Charlie before we record. I love theater, and I love going to the theater. What I struggle with and have struggled with historically is the Broadway musical... it's constant... Disney marvel ification of Broadway."

The hosts discuss how productions like Legally Blonde, Mean Girls, and Matilda mirror a venture capital approach—combining popular elements to guarantee commercial success rather than artistic integrity.

The Cruel Reality of Modern Musicals

Delving deeper, the trio critiques specific Broadway shows for their perceived lack of depth and authenticity. Charlene shares her disappointment with productions such as Sweeney Todd and Company, highlighting how these shows have been sanitized to cater to mainstream, straight audiences:

[40:33] Charlene: "We have been in a drought, an era in our tenure as gay New Yorkers, we've mostly been in an era where theater in New York is consumed by and participated in... it's a lot. Really, really straight, in my opinion."

"Straight Shooters" Segment: Rapid-Fire Insights

In the episode's interactive segment, "Straight Shooters," Charlene participates in a rapid-fire question game designed to probe preferences and stereotypes within straight culture. The segment is rife with humor and quick-witted exchanges, showcasing Charlene's sharp comedic prowess. Notable exchanges include:

[24:34] Charlene: "The diving for sure. Absolutely. The ADHD thing, we got gay people identifying into that left and right. It's practically autism at this point."

[26:09] Charlene: "I'm gonna go with tennis."

The segment underscores the nuances and sometimes absurdities in how straight culture intersects with LGBTQ+ identities.

Reclaiming Theater: The Push for a Gay Era on Broadway

Charlene passionately advocates for a resurgence of genuine LGBTQ+ representation in theater. She contrasts current productions with the "glory days" of Broadway's more authentic and inclusive performances. The discussion touches on recent shows like Wicked and Chicago, critiquing their modern iterations for lacking the original's queer essence.

[40:00] Charlene: "We're moving back towards gay theater. We've got O Mary on Broadway. We've got the Jellicle Ball. Likely transferring. If God is real."

Shout Outs: Celebrating Culture and Icons

The episode concludes with the "Shout Outs" segment, where Charlene and the hosts give heartfelt and humorous praises to various cultural icons. Charlene notably shines a spotlight on country music, humorously dissecting the perceived homophobia within the genre while celebrating its subtle LGBTQ+ influences:

[80:53] Charlene: "I want to give a big shout out to country music... Garth Brooks is a card carrying cocksucker."

Her candid and unabashed commentary adds a layer of raw honesty to the episode, blending humor with critical cultural analysis.

Conclusion: A Call for Authentic Representation

Throughout the episode, Charlene, George, and Sam articulate a compelling case for preserving and enhancing LGBTQ+ representation in theater. They argue that authentic storytelling and inclusive production choices are essential for maintaining theater's rich, diverse tapestry. The episode serves as both a critique of current Broadway trends and a rallying cry for a more inclusive future in performing arts.

Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• Charlene on Tote Bags and Identity:

  "[05:12] Charlene: I have had a realization recently that I'm a huge tote bag. Gay."

• Charlene on Broadway’s Commercialization:

  "[38:04] Charlene: ...Disney marvel ification of Broadway."

• "Straight Shooters" Rapid Responses:

  "[24:34] Charlene: The diving for sure. Absolutely. The ADHD thing, we got gay people identifying into that left and right."

• Charlene on Reclaiming Theater:

  "[40:00] Charlene: We're moving back towards gay theater."

• Charlene’s Shout Out to Country Music:

  "[80:53] Charlene: I want to give a big shout out to country music... Garth Brooks is a card carrying cocksucker."

Final Thoughts

This episode of StraightioLab deftly balances humor with incisive cultural critique, offering listeners an engaging and thoughtful examination of theater's place within straight and gay cultures. Charlene Incarnate's contributions add depth and vibrancy to the conversation, making "Theater" a standout episode for fans interested in the evolving dynamics of Broadway and inclusive representation in the arts.

Transcript

[George Severis]

Hey comedy fans. The funniest comedians in the world are on tour and you can get tickets to see them live near you. Laugh at the biggest names in comedy like Atsuko Okotsuka, Chelsea Handler, Jimmy Carr, Kathy Griffin, Matt Matthews, Matt Rife, Sarah Silverman, Sebastian Maniscalco, Stavros Helkias, Wanda Sykes, and so many more. All kinds of shows, all kinds of venues, all kinds of funny. Head to livenation.comcomedy to get your tickets today. That's livenation.comcomedy.

[Sam Taggart]

Every day our world gets a little.

[Charlene]

More connected, but a little further apart.

[Sam Taggart]

But then there are moments that remind us to be more human.

[Charlene]

Thank you for calling Amica Insurance.

[Guest Comedian]

Hey, I was just in an accident.

[Charlene]

Don't worry, we'll get you taken care of. At Ameca, we understand that looking out for each other isn't new or groundbreaking.

[Guest Comedian]

It's human.

[Sam Taggart]

Ameca empathy is our best policy.

[Charlene]

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[Sam Taggart]

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[Guest Comedian]

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[Sam Taggart]

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[Guest Comedian]

Terms and conditions apply. See app for details. Hootie Hoo everyone. This is your weekly show Update. If you are in New York City, you can see me, George Severis. Do an hour of standup comedy at the legendary Joe's Pub on November 14 and November 25. And the first show is almost sold out, but there are a few tickets left for the second one. It is a genuine dream come true to do Joe's Pub, so I would really love to see some glamour girls in the crowd. And you can get tickets to both of those [e-mail] and if you're in the beautiful Canadian city of Toronto, we are at long last doing a Stratiolab Toronto show on Saturday, November 23rd at the Paradise Theatre. And tickets to that show are available in our Instagram Bio and on linktree.com Stradolab and they're, I have to say, already going fast. So I would act now. Enjoy the show.

[Host]

Podcast starts now. Welcome all to Stradiolab live from New York City.

[Guest Comedian]

I just started a black coffee at 11:50am I am about to be soaring.

[Host]

Well, I want to tell you something coffee related since we're on coffee right now.

[Guest Comedian]

Coffee Chat.

[Host]

Since we're on Coffee Chat. As we all know, I've been living in LA for the last six months, and one feeling that I forgot about in New York that I really miss is the sort of chastity play of holding a coffee with one hand, holding onto the subway with the other, and getting a buzz on your phone and being like, what do I do? And it's like, what if it's important? And it's like it never is, but it's like I want nothing more. Then for the next 45 minutes, all I'm thinking about is looking at my phone.

[Guest Comedian]

So much of living New York is balancing various things on your two hands. And it really is. It's actually like there's such a romance to it because you are Anne Hathaway and Devil Wears Prada when you have like, phone water bottle. I refuse to wear AirPods. It's, it's, it's wired headphones that are just trailing behind me. You know tote bag where both straps are falling off so that you're also. And then you get it in the inside of your elbow and then you want to, like, hold the door for someone. Then that person is, like, rude to you. Then you. So then you use that head to flip them off.

[Host]

Yes. Well, yes. I mean, the way that a tote bag. I don't know if I've said this on the pod, but a tote bag is such a foreign idea in la. No, I know people there do not use them. If you bring them around. People are like, Are you moving? It's, like, one of the weirder things.

[Guest Comedian]

I have had a realization recently that I'm a huge tote bag. Gay.

[Host]

Sure.

[Guest Comedian]

And I had a realization recently. I have to. It would do so much more for the gravitas that I have if I switch to, like, a nice leather bag.

[Host]

But you'd lose your humanity.

[Guest Comedian]

Or would I gain a sense of sort of authority? A sense of gravitas. Like, imagine me in, like, a gorgeous, expensive, like, leather tote bag.

[Host]

Well, this is the difference between you and I, because for me, I'm like. But then you won't be a man of the people.

[Guest Comedian]

Oh.

[Host]

Like, to me, the tote bag is what shows people, like, I'm a member of this community, and I'm not trying to get ahead of you guys, but.

[Guest Comedian]

You know how the tote bag I always carry around is my London Review of Books tote bag, which is literally me signaling. I read. I read.

[Host]

Yeah, no, I get it. Maybe you should just lean in then.

[Guest Comedian]

Yeah. This is a general thing where I was like, I bought jeans that actually fit me rather than being, like, big and Bushwicky, and I was like, oh, is this. Am I gonna start just dressing like a businessman now?

[Host]

Oh, like. But it doesn't feel like an age thing to you?

[Guest Comedian]

No, I think it actually feels. There's something about, like. It's the very obvious thing of, like, wait, so if things fit you correctly and look expensive, then you look better.

[Host]

Rather than worse, but you lose your edge.

[Guest Comedian]

No, I know. It's true.

[Host]

I've been feeling very. I'm staying in Bushwick while I'm back. Back in the old stomping ground. And the way that, like, in the last six months, everyone is wearing, like, the baggy, the ripped. I'm like, oh, I look Republican now.

[Guest Comedian]

Yeah, I know. All of a sudden, we both look Republican today. And actually, our guest looks very cool and very Bushwick.

[Host]

Yeah. Which. Should we bring our guest in?

[Guest Comedian]

I'm ready. I have to say, we've been wanting to have this guest on for sure.

[Host]

Please introduce. Please introduce.

[Guest Comedian]

I just think she's one of the funniest people alive. And I want to say, also, just a real performers are rare these days. I actually think sometimes people do performing as a way to avoid death or as a way to prove that they exist. And so people. It's lost its art.

[Host]

I agree.

[Guest Comedian]

And so please welcome to the podcast, Charlene.

[Charlene]

You see, I'm really glad that I didn't miss that intro segment bit. I was really afraid that I Might. Because I was 10 minutes late.

[Guest Comedian]

No, no, no.

[Charlene]

Very straight behavior, I might add. I should have been a full half hour.

[Guest Comedian]

Exactly, exactly. No, I feel like 10 minutes late is the most neoliberal amount of time to be late. Like, you are basically, you know, the vice president running late to a meeting.

[Charlene]

It's like, I have to explain it. But the train is enough at 10 minutes. Right. Anything over that and I'm had to knock the dick out of my mouth to get here to make it even a half hour on time. See? But I'm glad I didn't miss that opening segment because I was going to begin speaking with something like a scoff like, ugh.

[Guest Comedian]

Yeah.

[Charlene]

Because I. And right away, I must give away a lot. I'm not actually a podcast gay. You're not a podcast gay? Not typically, no. I give good podcast. I give good guests. I've been in this very room before for Like a Virgin, an iheart production. But I. In this day and age, I find that podcast radio. Okay. So de facto, what we're doing, we're replacing the AM radio, our youths. And I used to love that when I was a child and I was a much lonelier person, because I think what we're doing is we're actually just creating the sensation for someone who's alone and doing a task alone, that they're not so much alone nowadays. I have too many bitches in my ear nonstop and nauseam all day long. Very gay New York behavior. And so I don't have much peace and quiet. I like to fill my time with airwaves of nice music, something that keeps the demons at bay rather than more gay people flapping their gums at me.

[Guest Comedian]

Totally. No, it's true.

[Host]

100%.

[Charlene]

So I have to say that I had not really done my due diligence for Stratio Lab until I was on a very long road trip this past week. And I did a nice sampling of all five seasons from you two.

[Guest Comedian]

Oh, my God.

[Host]

Wow.

[Charlene]

And I know that especially since now we're at the second recording of the day, especially in the second recording, you two tend to be a little hard on each other at the top of the show. So I'm glad I didn't miss that, because now I know not to open with a scoff.

[Guest Comedian]

Oh, my gosh.

[Charlene]

Because y'all were talking about such levity. Tote bag, the difference between LA and New York.

[Guest Comedian]

Yeah.

[Charlene]

So now I can say hi. Thanks for having me.

[Guest Comedian]

Oh, my God, what an honor to be he's seen in such a Clear way.

[Host]

It's always such a great feeling in.

[Guest Comedian]

The second recording of the day. We are hard on each other, you know, you. I'm sure it's right.

[Charlene]

And you start reusing words. So habitually. I know Joe didn't throw any SAT words at us, so I'm probably in the clear. Right?

[Host]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Guest Comedian]

Well, you know that when I get stressed, it's like an animal. Like, when it's scared, it starts using big words.

[Host]

Yeah. And my stress reaction is just, like, talking about things that make me horny.

[Guest Comedian]

Yeah.

[Host]

Like, it's like, I guess I'll just do that. Totally. Yeah. Which I kind of did last episode, actually.

[Guest Comedian]

That's true. We were talking about how, well, we can't go into it again, but we were talking about what if Paul Hollywood would be a top or a bottom?

[Charlene]

That's what Joe Castle Baker.

[Guest Comedian]

Well, that was not his topic, but.

[Host]

It was something that came up. One of the things we were talking about.

[Charlene]

No, I met her over a decade ago when she was giving her. She was trying her hand at the drag game under the name Michelle Brunch. Joe, she's still one of my favorites. Yeah.

[Guest Comedian]

Do you know this?

[Host]

I think I maybe knew that he had done it, like, a little bit, but not in a big way.

[Charlene]

A little bit.

[Host]

Wow, that's juicy.

[Guest Comedian]

Charlene, you one time had a tweet many years ago, which I'm gonna butcher, which was like, gay guys ask me all the time, Charlene, we've met before. Why don't you remember me? And I tell them, sweetie, just do one memorable thing ever.

[Charlene]

I mean, distinguish thyself, my dear. Y'all got strand toe bags.

[Guest Comedian]

It's actually such a perfect response because it's like, I don't remember you because you are not memorable.

[Charlene]

Right. Grow some tits or something.

[Guest Comedian]

Yes. Literally, do something like, get a dangly earring.

[Charlene]

Dangly earrings are so.

[Guest Comedian]

I guess not. What do you have to do to set yourself apart these days?

[Host]

I literally don't know.

[Guest Comedian]

Literally.

[Charlene]

Or have me on a podcast.

[Guest Comedian]

That's right. That's right.

[Host]

Certainly helps.

[Guest Comedian]

Then you'll do your research. Oh, my God.

[Host]

I would say I. The thing with that, I like about listening to gay podcasts versus, like, because I also, like, I'm horrible at responding to texts. Like, if someone's like, you need to send this email. It'll take me three days. But I love a podcast because, like, I can have the joy of having a conversation without having the pressure of needing to respond ever.

[Guest Comedian]

Yeah. I love that.

[Host]

I can just sort of like eavesdrop and not participate.

[Guest Comedian]

And then the one time you'll have a thought you'll be like, oh, they're so stupid for not thinking.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Guest Comedian]

And they'll running as fast as they can.

[Charlene]

Yeah. I get a little peeved that I can't interject.

[Host]

Yeah, yeah, no, that makes sense.

[Charlene]

And then I'm always wondering why your guests didn't think. Knowing. Knowing them as the, you know, convivial, light hearted and very quick spirits that I know them. At 2am I'm like, why can't they fucking think? And here I am at 11am I have not been awake this early in perhaps like a half decade.

[Guest Comedian]

Yeah.

[Charlene]

And that was a municipal appointment. Something like my. Something like the dmv. First of all, we're on it. My old alarm clock. I was like.

[Guest Comedian]

So wait, I have a question. What is your normal sleeping schedule?

[Host]

Oh, great question.

[Guest Comedian]

You know, you're a nightlife girl.

[Charlene]

Yeah, A nightlife girl, so to speak. Normal sleeping schedule. What's normal?

[Host]

Sure.

[Charlene]

I don't know, My circadian rhythm's all fucked up. I medicate up, I medicate down. A regular Judy Garland, you know what I mean? I love it, I love it. I feel cozy and snug as a bug in a rug. If I'm in bed before two on a not work night. Oh sure, on a work night I'll get home between 4 and 5. It's fine in the winter, cause it's still nighttime. But when that sun's creeping up, you just have to go out on the fire escape and smoke one more joint. And then next thing you know it's noon and you got a brunch to be at or gay in New York. Right, whatever.

[Host]

Speaking of brunch, I have a secondhand story that I think about all the time where Josh Sharp was at one of your brunches and a Michael Jackson song came on. And his telling of it is you ran to the microphone and you said, Michael, all is forgiven.

[Charlene]

Nobody cares anymore. Well, you know, it was like that, there was like several years ago there was that completely damning, utterly first person, primary source, fully exposing documentary, Wade Robson and all them. And then of course Oprah had it pulled from the airwaves completely because it didn't follow like, you know, us due process or something. Like really, really crazy, like threatened. You don't remember that?

[Guest Comedian]

No, no.

[Charlene]

Yeah, Oprah had it removed. And nowadays you hear Michael Jackson music. There was a dip there.

[Guest Comedian]

Yes, there was. Yes.

[Charlene]

And nowadays, and nowadays it's like, you know, everyone forgot Oprah Really? She nudged the mand effect in her favor a little bit there.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Guest Comedian]

The way Oprah. Oprah's. I know it's a cliche to talk about Oprah's power. Of course, she has so much power over our culture, but it is kind of crazy to think this kind of soft power is unheard of. She chose our president. She decides who gets canceled and who doesn't. She. Currently. Currently. It's clear that she's in cahoots with the Elvis estate because she just picked the new Lisa Marie Presley book in her book club. It's the posthumous book about Elvis. And they are trying with Graceland. There's a lot going on where they're trying to get buzz around Elvis again. That's why there's so many Elvis movies they like.

[Host]

What's the goal?

[Guest Comedian]

Just to make more money. It's like, okay, it's been long enough without us caring about Elvis. Time to go. Elvis again. Okay, so there's a big movie. There's like, you know, and Oprah is, you know, she's essentially a hired princess.

[Host]

Yeah. We should have to elect the next Oprah.

[Guest Comedian]

I know who will be the next Oprah.

[Charlene]

She sent a bunch of kids to my high school on scholarship. And that's when I thought it was, like, not as nefarious, but the post facto pardoning of Michael. It's really like. I mean, you talk about the Elvis thing that's pumping a lot of money into the Tennessee state economy.

[Guest Comedian]

Yes, exactly.

[Charlene]

Bad for gay. Right. They've got all those. They like. You know, they're trying to, like, de. Trans children and shit. And then also with that. Oh, my God, when you say Elvis, it just makes me think. Is a small tangent. Okay. Here at the top of the show. A very gay topic. A topic for gaydiolab. The. Oh, Mary, opening night. Do you remember? They had Elvis there, front and center, sitting next to. Who is it? Claudia Schiffer's daughter. Cindy Crawford's daughter who's dating or whatever.

[Guest Comedian]

Kaia Gerber.

[Charlene]

Yes.

[Host]

Whoa.

[Charlene]

They had her front and center, maybe second or third row, so they could still see the feet.

[Guest Comedian]

Mm.

[Charlene]

That's the real premium scene. Yeah, totally on Broadway, but yeah. Okay, so they had her there, and they also had Mr. Russell from the Gilded Age there.

[Guest Comedian]

Oh, hot guy.

[Charlene]

Yes, hot guy. Furry. All of us want his love. Really.

[Guest Comedian]

You know who.

[Charlene]

Unspeakably hot.

[Guest Comedian]

What is his name?

[Charlene]

Elvis, however, has a neck that I could snap with one hand. I could fit my whole hand around his neck and snap it. But I Learned something really profound about Hollywood stardom and all the things of the. Like that night, we won't say any more about. Oh, Mary. I mean, come on. That bitch's name is on the airwaves quite enough. But I will say this, people. Straight people, monolithically, really. I had not realized the gravity, the degree to which we prefer and deify movie stars over television.

[Guest Comedian]

Oh, 100%.

[Host]

Oh. It's one of those.

[Guest Comedian]

Even in the age of TV when no one even watches movies. But still, if, you know, Kate Winslet walks into a room, it's over, right?

[Host]

Yeah.

[Charlene]

And so, Elvis, we've got Russell. Mr. Russell. What's his fucking name? I don't know. He's got a really cute wife. They were dressed like, you know, downtown. Ish. He was standing on the sidewalk. And of course, all of us, we're to. We're. We're at the Omar premiere ourselves. We're at opening night ourselves. So we're not gonna go up to Mr. Russell. But Elvis, on the other hand, she walks out and there is immediately a swarm of straight people.

[Guest Comedian]

Yeah.

[Charlene]

How did they even know? I thought we were like trying to keep it under wraps or something. They knew he was there already. There's a guy who's coming up with like, I don't know, his own custom merch for him to sign. He's like, my man. There you are. Elvis is like, hey now, there you are again. How did they know? And I was like, oh. Whereas in gay culture, we really, really prefer the Mr. Russell's just because of their hotness. They're on TV. We watch all our movies on TV. Anyway, Mr. Russell is who. All of us who are too cool to swarm him because we're at the. We're gay and we're in the fucking. You know, we're in the capital of Panem. Proverbially, ourselves. We're not gonna bother him. Yeah, the movie star, she's not safe on Broadway. No, no.

[Guest Comedian]

Well. Cause Broadway is. Broadway is the most like. It's so mainstream. It's so Disney. You know what I mean? Like, you think I remember growing up not being in New York City. You have this image of Broadway being the coolest place you can be. And it's like the tippy top. And then you go there, and I have a similar story for you, which is when I went to see the Outsiders musical, I turn around, I see Tony Kushner in the audience. I was very starstruck. And then I see people start to hound someone. I'm like, oh, they're going to Tony Kushner, but then they pass him, they're going somewhere else. Young Sheldon was in the audience. Everyone was ignoring Tony Kushner. And when I tell you there was a line in intermission of people waiting to meet young Sheldon, which obviously, yes, more people know young Sheldon than Tony Kushner, but it is just like that is the level of culture we're talking about it. Outsiders, the musical.

[Charlene]

Yeah.

[Guest Comedian]

It's not. People are not gonna want to talk to the hot theater trained guy on the TV show anyway.

[Host]

It's literally that meme with the line. With the lines.

[Guest Comedian]

Yes.

[Host]

That's like there's like one person outside one line.

[Guest Comedian]

Stop and think or top a twink.

[Host]

Yeah, Literally. Yeah.

[Guest Comedian]

Should we do our first segment?

[Host]

Oh, well, yes.

[Charlene]

I was thinking that was a fabulous segue into our main topic.

[Guest Comedian]

I know, I know.

[Charlene]

That's how I want to get the.

[Guest Comedian]

Segment out of the way.

[Charlene]

Yeah.

[Guest Comedian]

Okay.

[Charlene]

Let's do it. Let's.

[Host]

Okay, perfect.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Hey, comedy fans. The funniest comedians in the world are on tour and you can get tickets to see them live near you laugh. With the biggest names in comedy like Atsuko Okatsuka, Brian Regan, Chelsea Handler, Corey Holcomb, Dane Cook, Sarah Milliken, Matt Matthews, Nick Swartzen, Sebastian Maniscalco, and so many more. All kinds of shows, all kinds of venues, all kinds of funny. Head to livenation.comcomedy to get your tickets today. That's livenation.comcomedy.

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[Narrator]

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[Charlene]

I'll wait.

[Narrator]

Learn more at howlifeunfolds.com Papertarian hey, it's.

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[Sam Taggart]

Oh, such a clutch off season pickup.

[Charlene]

Dave I know right?

[Host]

I was worried we'd bring back the same team.

[Charlene]

Oh no.

[Guest Comedian]

I meant those Blackout motorized shades. MVP of the room.

[Host]

Blinds.com made it crazy affordable to replace our old blinds.

[Guest Comedian]

Hard to install.

[Charlene]

No, it's easy. Even you could do it. Nice. I installed these and then got some from my mom too.

[Guest Comedian]

You fly across the country to do the install? Nope.

[Host]

Blinds.com can do it all.

[Charlene]

All she had to do was pick what she wanted.

[Host]

She talked to a design consultant for free and scheduled a professional measure and install.

[Guest Comedian]

Look at you hall of Fame son.

[Charlene]

Oh, I just picked the winning team. They're the number one online retailer of custom window coverings in the world.

[Guest Comedian]

Oh blinds.com is the goat the goat shop.

[Charlene]

Up to 45% off select styles plus a free professional measured and a 100% satisfaction guarantee during the blinds.com year end blowout. Up to 45% off [e-mail] blinds.com rules and restrictions may apply.

[Host]

Charlene our first segment is called Straight Shooters and in this segment we're going to ask you a series of rapid fire questions to gauge your familiarity with and complicity in straight culture. Okay, it's basically this thing or this other thing. And the only rule is you can't ask any follow up questions or we will scream so loud it will make your ears ring.

[Charlene]

I'm choosing a preference or I'm saying what comes to the ground.

[Guest Comedian]

That's a question.

[Charlene]

Oh, shit. Okay, okay. Charlene, I'm talking for a few. Okay.

[Guest Comedian]

Sorry, Charlene. Diving into the deep blue sea or suffering from adult adhd, which is more gay?

[Charlene]

The diving for sure. Absolutely. The ADHD thing, we got gay people identifying into that left and right. It's practically autism at this point.

[Guest Comedian]

Practically.

[Host]

Okay. Hosting friendsgiving or toasting to French living?

[Charlene]

The more straight of the two is toasting to French living. Abso fucking tootly.

[Guest Comedian]

Panic at the disco or being manic in San Francisco?

[Charlene]

Probably the manic in San Francisco is the straighter of the two. Options. Lots of gay people running around, identity crises. Panic at the disco. That dude wears eyeliner.

[Guest Comedian]

Yeah.

[Host]

Okay. Cancel Culture or Juicy Couture.

[Charlene]

Ooh, wow. We're just like the days in the New York Times crossword. We're getting a little tougher. I'm inclined to say Juicy Couture because my first girlfriend in high school wore it religiously.

[Host]

Wow.

[Charlene]

Yes.

[Guest Comedian]

Double jeopardy, Doubles tennis, Double penetration or Dublin, Ireland. Ooh.

[Charlene]

I'm gonna go with tennis.

[Host]

Wow.

[Guest Comedian]

Yeah.

[Charlene]

I ain't never met a tennis playing gay.

[Host]

Okay, let's put a pin in that.

[Guest Comedian]

Because literally I've only met tennis players.

[Host]

It's the new thing.

[Charlene]

Damn.

[Host]

An old soul or a loose hole.

[Guest Comedian]

Ooh.

[Charlene]

The straighter of the two is the loose hole. I know that's probably controversial, but I could explain it if I had the time. But this is rapid fire straight shooting.

[Guest Comedian]

Buying a cybertruck or finding a guy to fuck.

[Charlene]

The straighter of the two is probably finding a guy to fuck.

[Guest Comedian]

Yeah, totally. I'm sensing a pattern.

[Host]

Okay.

[Charlene]

I know Queen's on wait list for that cybertruck girl.

[Host]

Being sleepy and wanting a matcha latte or touching something steaming and going hachi.

[Charlene]

Matchi matcha latte has rainbows coming out of the steam. So the other. Although I'm not even sure I remember what you said.

[Guest Comedian]

Wow. Well, you know, we rank our guest performance on a scale of 1 to 1000. Dubs.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Guest Comedian]

How do you think Charlene did?

[Host]

I think Charlene really pushed through. There was an instinct to ask questions and then she sort of built her own government within the game.

[Guest Comedian]

I agree. And there was a confidence there that I really respected.

[Host]

Yes. So I'm gonna go 9:22.

[Charlene]

Okay.

[Guest Comedian]

How do you feel?

[Charlene]

I Mean, I feel like I've been found out because I claim to have listened to this several times and then had no idea how to feel.

[Guest Comedian]

And I didn't want to say anything. No.

[Charlene]

I mean, like, I was driving and smoking pot and like, I don't know, man.

[Guest Comedian]

No, I love it. That was iconic.

[Host]

Well, to so clearly see us at the beginning and then to have no.

[Charlene]

Idea what's going on.

[Host]

Yeah. I was like, this is actually a.

[Charlene]

That was not a preference. It was a preference. Or like, what's straighter? I did what's straighter?

[Guest Comedian]

And those were my answers. The whole sort of point of it is that it, like, trips everyone up. Cause there's no rules. So every.

[Charlene]

Okay, great.

[Guest Comedian]

It's like a Rorschach test. So then everyone. You have to, like, go with the one that you are feeling more connected to.

[Charlene]

Just to jumble up my bullet points for this to be an engaging conversation before we begin.

[Host]

Exactly, exactly.

[Guest Comedian]

I do. I am curious about your assertion that there are no gay guys playing tennis. We must run in such different circles.

[Charlene]

I think it's. Cause I. Well, you live in New York, don't you? And are all of your tennis playing gays in Greece?

[Guest Comedian]

No, no, no, they are. It's like, you know, I think a lot of them are younger than us.

[Host]

Some are our exact age.

[Guest Comedian]

There is this. I'm realizing now, maybe it's all one friend group.

[Host]

And so there is, like, literally one guy I know who plays tennis and posts about it a lot.

[Charlene]

Is it Jake?

[Host]

No.

[Guest Comedian]

Okay. Well, there's.

[Charlene]

There's a suspicion I have that these guys are actually would be or will be trans women in this place.

[Host]

Wow.

[Guest Comedian]

What?

[Charlene]

You know, that's like, myself, a completely hetero.

[Guest Comedian]

Do you feel like I actually. I think there's something to what you're saying. Like, tennis is a very elegant, feminine. Right. Like, you want to be Zendaya in challengers.

[Charlene]

Yeah, of course. Wow.

[Guest Comedian]

Well, I'll look out for that.

[Charlene]

I mean, there's. There's a feminine affect that's associated with homosexuality. I'm trying in this day and age to sort of like, say, you know, we've done a lot of work in our lifetimes to separate gender and sexuality. You know, we even, like, if you were to take. If you were to take a class on it when we were that age, they might insist, Yes. I am growing up in this city, in this world, and this sexual orientation, I'm inclined to disagree. I think they're more informed each other here.

[Guest Comedian]

I completely agree. This is one of Those things that always. I remember when we were in college, and it would be like, the person that works at the LGBT center comes and gives a talk, and it's like, trans 101 and gay 101, and how does it all work? And then people will be like, okay, misconception number one. Gender is the same as sexuality, so the reason that's not true. And then they would, like, do this whole thing, and you'd be like, wait a minute. Our whole thing here is smashing binaries. And you are insisting on this boundary between gender and sexuality. Why don't you look in the mirror, chica?

[Charlene]

Yeah, I mean, like, you know, before you come out of the closet and you hear that statistic of, like. You're like, I am. I am. A 10% statistic. It's that 1 in 10, 1 in every 10. And then you come out of the closet, and you start getting that, and you start reeling, realizing, registering the I's that are coming your way, and you're like, ooh. It actually might be quite a bit more than that. We might be talking about, like, openly practicing gay people or maybe one in 10. And then in your lived experience, it's more like eight or nine.

[Guest Comedian]

Literally eight.

[Host]

I mean, I will say 90% of people I know are gay. Right.

[Charlene]

Well, you're a coastal elite as well.

[Host]

Well, needless to say. Well, it's also like.

[Guest Comedian]

I'm sure the 1 in 10 thing is like. Like, some study that was published in 1979 that, like, was put in Time magazine. Someone read it, and then it was like, oh, that's the thing. It's like how people are. Like, one glass of red wine is good for you. No, it's not. But someone just said that once.

[Host]

Well, now they took it back, actually.

[Guest Comedian]

They took it back, but. Or like, back when people said that, like, dark chocolate is good for you.

[Host]

Yeah, it's just like, I love studies like that.

[Charlene]

It's anything dark. It's high in antioxidants. But the chocolate and the wine, they both come with a lot of sugar, which apparently, I don't know, is worse. Cancels it out. I do both still. Same day? Same day.

[Guest Comedian]

Same.

[Host]

Well, needless to say.

[Guest Comedian]

Well, there's something about knowing that one glass of wine is not good for you, where you're like, oh, then I might as well have seven. You know what I mean?

[Host]

No, I literally have, like, convinced myself tequila sodas are good for me.

[Guest Comedian]

Totally.

[Charlene]

Also, it's like the glass, it's not a unit. And everyone's like, how many Cups of coffee did you have? How many tabs of acid did you do? I'm like, those are not units, like, the actual what we're talking about. Like, if I have a gigantic big Gulp, I still had one cup of coffee.

[Host]

I mean, when I, of course, count a beer and shot as one drink.

[Guest Comedian]

Well, obviously, I mean, if it's a.

[Charlene]

Standard shot, that is a unit, and the beer is 12 ounces. So I can.

[Guest Comedian]

Yeah. You know, it's funny you say that about tequila soda. I recently, no reason, convinced myself getting a gin tonic is healthier than getting a tequila soda. There's literally no scientific basis to it, but I'm literally like, if I'm in a healthy mood, I'm like, you know what? I'll do a job.

[Charlene]

Wait, let's see here. There is. So gin is essentially. It's vodka that's got juniper berries tinctured in it. It's like, seeped with the juniper berry. There's your lead. If the juniper berry itself is medicinal, or if you can find some witches who say that it is, you can work the proof of that theory.

[Host]

Perfect.

[Guest Comedian]

I love that.

[Charlene]

Yeah.

[Host]

That's amazing.

[Guest Comedian]

Okay, Charlene, not to once again change course, but I'm so desperate to get on the topic that I'm gonna make you just get right back into it.

[Charlene]

I feel like I brought up the statistics thing for a reason, though. It was like a punctuation and maybe even another segue too. Oh, no, the thing about one in ten. The thing about.

[Guest Comedian]

Yes, yes, yes.

[Charlene]

Okay, so we've got tennis playing gays. You find out as you travel down the rabbit hole of queerness that not only are you dealing with a sampling of straight people who are lying about being gay, and we're actually dealing with 9 or 10. 8. 9 or 10 out of 10 people who are actually somewhat queer. You take the sampling of that 1 in 10. We have a new population. The 1 in 10. The gay people, the queers within that one. Within that 10%. We're also dealing with a skewed statistic because we have the belief that trans people are marginalized or fewer in numbers than the big bad CIS gay man. Really, the numbers are about the same. You're dealing with a whole population of gay men who, if, you know, if things were different in our society or whatever, eight or nine probably would be women if they chose. So I would be willing to bet that your tennis playing gays are trans. Yeah, probably.

[Guest Comedian]

Wow.

[Charlene]

Probably.

[Guest Comedian]

What an incredible back and forth to.

[Charlene]

Be like, Charlize being like, essentially, what we're doing is like changing ourselves into gorgeous women.

[Guest Comedian]

Yes.

[Charlene]

From gay men into gorgeous women. Not all of us. There's a. Oh my God. When I figured out that trans dykes were a thing, my mind was blown. You mean someone into women who wants to do all of this? Couldn't imagine. Right. That's that gender and sexuality thing.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Charlene]

Anyway, our topic.

[Host]

Yes.

[Charlene]

Is as we were talking about earlier, of course, we have to admit this is not an episode of gaydiolab.

[Guest Comedian]

That's right.

[Charlene]

Which is a phrase I know, having done my research.

[Guest Comedian]

Well, yes. We've had two gayety olive guests, Macy and. Macy and Celeste.

[Host]

Celeste.

[Charlene]

However, I must insist even that this is an episode of Stradiolab. I must insist that the corner of straight culture that we must chew the fat on right now is theater in New York.

[Guest Comedian]

Yes.

[Host]

This is obviously an interesting and controversial topic because people will say, well, theater, that's gay.

[Charlene]

Absolutely.

[Host]

What would you say to those people?

[Charlene]

It was.

[Guest Comedian]

Yeah.

[Host]

Yes, it was.

[Charlene]

Yeah, it was in the glory days. And it has phases. It's a lot like pop music in that way, which is something a little more palatable to our non coastal elite listeners to understand. We have. We have the aughts in pop music. We've got Beyonce wearing denim on the red carpet. We have a boring era.

[Guest Comedian]

Yeah.

[Charlene]

From like, I don't know, by the time, you know, Britney losing it. Between Britney losing it and of course Lady Gaga coming along, you were talking.

[Guest Comedian]

About the Katy Perry era.

[Charlene]

Denim on.

[Host]

Well, Katy Perry counts with the Gaga.

[Guest Comedian]

Oh, Katy starts.

[Charlene]

Absolutely.

[Guest Comedian]

So we're talking like 2007 to 2012 or something.

[Charlene]

No, no, no, pre Gaga. I'm marking Gaga as the return of gay pop. We had a drab era.

[Guest Comedian]

Yes.

[Charlene]

We had a really drab era. We had the Ashlee Simpson catastrophe, which nowadays autobiography. I'm like, she's back.

[Host]

The world is right.

[Charlene]

But see, because pop music is gay again. We had Lady Gaga burst onto the scene and all the girls found out that people like it. If you put flower pots on your head again. And so ergo, pop music is gay again. We had fabulous clothes, we had dance beats we were in. And then of course, we'd start going away. We got Lady Gaga wearing a captain cowboy hat. We got the tween twanging and the yeehawing. We've got people infiltrating the works who are not necessarily nowadays. We have full. It's a wave. What's. What I'm trying to say is that even though gay guys are into it all the time. It's not necessarily gay all the time, 100%. In today's era in theater in New York City, we are witnessing a shift back into gay theater. However, we have been in a drought, an era in our tenure as gay New Yorkers, we've mostly been in an era where theater in New York is consumed by and participated in. And the creative slant is really a lot. Really, really straight, in my opinion.

[Host]

I can't believe this is, like, very smart.

[Guest Comedian]

Yeah.

[Host]

Cause I've never thought it's one of those where, like, because it's such a, like, stereotype, it's like, theater is gay. Theater is gay. You, like, forget to examine it as something straight. And I am thinking, like, no one I know is, like, going to musicals regularly. Like, like, you are the only person I know that, like, goes to plays. And, like, the plays are generally, like, yes, there's always, like, one play that's for, like, cool Brooklyn people. Like, but, like. But Most of it, 90% of it, is for people from Long island coming to visit on Christmas morning.

[Guest Comedian]

So I love. I was trying to express this to Charlie before we record. I love theater, and I love going to the theater. What I struggle with and have struggled with historically is the Broadway musical. And I think I can most relate to what you're saying in terms of just the influx of terrible IP based, like, Legally Blonde, the musical Mean Girls, the musical Matilda. It is just constant. I mean, the one I was just mentioning, Outsiders, which actually was pretty good. But it's just. It's this, like, Disney marvel ification of Broadway. And it almost seems like the business model is one of, like, venture capital or something. Like, it's like you can imagine people in a board meeting being like, okay, we're gonna combine. People love three things. They love Hillary Clinton, they love, you know, Sex and the City, and they love Marvel. What can we do that combines all three and it suffs.

[Host]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Guest Comedian]

It's sort of. It's like. It's this kind of, like, artless paint by numbers, like, calculation for what the crowd will want.

[Host]

It really is, like, disrespectful to what a musical could be.

[Guest Comedian]

Right? Exactly.

[Host]

Because it is just like. It's as if someone hates musical theater and is making a musical. They're like, what? You just put songs in something we already like. Sure do that. And it's like, well, shouldn't you, as the producer of Broadway, have a bigger vision? Shouldn't you care more? Sure, I can be a bitch about it and be like, oh, yeah, take Some shitty movie and put a song in it.

[Guest Comedian]

Yeah. Also the price, I would say, adds to the straightness because we're talking. This is something that should be an art for the people. An art form for the people is the most exclusive thing in New York. The most exclusive thing in New York is seeing Book of Mormon.

[Charlene]

Well, I mean, it shouldn't be that way. We're supposed to be the ones with the disposable income.

[Guest Comedian]

That's true.

[Charlene]

You know, prohibitively expensive. Yeah. But I mean, the gay ones are even more so these days. I just think it's like. It's like we didn't even realize it was happening. There was a glory days in the dark days of pop that I was just talking about. We were in a glory days of theater in New York City. We had. We had the John Doyle Broadway productions. Those were two Broadway Sondheim revivals wherein the band was on stage and compromised by the players themselves.

[Guest Comedian]

Was that the company one 2007 company in 2006.

[Charlene]

And then I believe it was after that that the Sweeney Todd.

[Guest Comedian]

Yes.

[Charlene]

I don't know which one.

[Guest Comedian]

I don't know much about the Sweeney Todd one, but the Company one is like, was huge in my, like finally understanding Sondheim is that album.

[Charlene]

Oh, yeah.

[Guest Comedian]

And I'm. And. And then I went and saw the company they did last year and I was like shocked.

[Charlene]

That's what I'm saying, girl. It's for straight people now.

[Guest Comedian]

You know, it's also funny, like.

[Host]

To.

[Guest Comedian]

Do a gender flip company. Right. Something you would think is on paper. You're like, oh, that's quote unquote queer, quote unquote different. And then it ends up being more straight.

[Charlene]

And the press thinks it was fabulous. Yes, they do, they do. But if you have any card carrying homosexual who knows their shit, who you talk to, who saw that production. Ugh, there we go. Finally a scoff. I don't know whose idea it was. And also, by the way, Sondheim himself, a gay guy.

[Guest Comedian]

Yes.

[Charlene]

Blocked at a gay rendering of Company back in the day and approved of this one, which I just think, ah, it's insane. It's so suspect to me. I don't know who thought of that character as a woman. But I don't wanna go to the theater and see three men say that a woman is crazy in an upbeat sing song. I just don't need it in my life. Like I don't need the. So the character Bobby, she's turning 35 years old and they turn it into this whole biological Clock thing. I'm like, is being miserable and alone not enough anymore? That's the game.

[Guest Comedian]

You have to also be barren.

[Charlene]

No, seriously.

[Host]

Hey, that's such a good point.

[Charlene]

It's not just like, I don't want to be alone. It's like, oh, I want to bear a child. And they have all these 35s in the staging. Oh, it was just horrendous. And also that mark at the. That she had to hit this mark. It must have been a dime on the stage to have a single panel of rain fall on her at the end of Marry Me a Litter. Litter a little. The final number in Act 1, which I think Sondheim just put in there. Cause we have to have an intermission. That song is just nothing special in this.

[Guest Comedian]

Doesn't it also rain on her during being alive?

[Charlene]

No, you're thinking of the end of act one. Did you leave? I would have.

[Guest Comedian]

Okay, okay. But yes, I remember the rain. I remember the rain.

[Charlene]

Right. A single panel. She has to hit a mark on a. And I think that they actually. You saw an early. You saw it in the. Early on in the run. Because I think that they scrapped the rain.

[Guest Comedian]

Oh, wow. In the end, the rain was so bad.

[Charlene]

It was, wasn't it? And then they have the same costume that she changes into in the intermission. That's like. They have a dry one and like, run. I'm just like, she's wearing the same thing. And the Keds. Oh, my God, the Keds. They had homegirl out here in Keds. She was in a heel on the playbill. Thank God.

[Guest Comedian]

Okay, so you mentioned something about, like, the critics loving it, which I think is another part of this, which is a mass delusion. Not only are we gonna produce bad stuff, we are gonna gaslight you into thinking it's good. We're gonna put something self evidently bad on stage. And then almost as though we're paying them off, have every critic, like, talk out of their.

[Host]

Because not as many people can see it and get away with it. Because, like, in a movie, if a critic is like, it's amazing. And that 1 million people go see it, they're like, well, it kind of sucks. Then it's like, well, that critic's bad. But here, if only, like, a thousand people can see it, they're like, I guess that critic knows better than that.

[Guest Comedian]

More people are gonna read the review than are gonna see the.

[Host]

Absolutely. Which is also not to give them more airtime. We know that many people are already talking about on the air, but that's why Omari is so impressive, too, because it's getting all these rave reviews, and then you go and you're like, wait, it actually is amazing. And as amazing as people say, I know it's.

[Guest Comedian]

Here's a question. Like, is this just, like, a form of nostalgia? Where in my mind, like, it used to be all scrappy theater makers. No, like, it did used to be like that.

[Charlene]

It did. Well, no, it used to be. What I'm saying is it used to be gay. When we were teenagers, there was a revival of Fiddler on the Roof. Not many people remember this. Fiddler on the Roof, one of the most canonically hetero musicals ever created about values, traditions, and, you know, like, you know, someone holding onto those in the face of progressivism and, like, you know, exile and everything. We had a revival on Broadway starring in the heterosexual married couple, starring roles Harvey Fierstein and Rosie O'Donnell.

[Guest Comedian]

I did not know that. That's so. I'm sure this is classic theater history that I should know, but you can.

[Charlene]

Find it on YouTube. We have those two singing to each other. Do you love me? Do I what?

[Guest Comedian]

Literally, by the way, like, gay Broadway isn't doing a gay company, Gabe. Broadway is doing a straight couple played by Harvey Fierstein and Rosie O'Donnell. Like, that is. There has to be this undercurrent. It has to be, like, family values on stage, but an undercurrent of just debasement. Well.

[Host]

Cause you're fucking with it. Like, that's what makes it fun. The literalism of it being gay people isn't what makes it fun.

[Guest Comedian]

Yes. No, exactly. Wow.

[Charlene]

And like Patti LuPone as Joanne in that I have a Patti LuPone tattoo on my ass.

[Guest Comedian]

No, I love. Yes, we love Patti.

[Charlene]

But I will say that casting her as Joanne in that production, giving her that wig and that faux fur, it just seemed it was worn. It was worn and weathered like a ride at Disney for me. Like, it's a small world after all. It's so utterly obvious. And she did it in the playbill. She said, just having fun with this one. I'm like, you know, not like, I didn't student rush you as Mama Rose four different times just so you could spit on me from four different angles. So I could try and catch one of the ripped up pieces of the letter at the end of Everything's Coming up roses that you throw into the crowd at the end of act one. Like, now she's just like, I'll dream to that. Oh, God. Just so perfectly timed, too, with The Sondheim death happening right in the middle.

[Guest Comedian]

And it was blasphemous.

[Charlene]

Just a perfect storm of hetero nonsense. It was for me. There was a few standouts. That Tony winning performance from Jennifer Simard, I think, is how you pronounce that.

[Guest Comedian]

What was she in?

[Charlene]

She was the. She was the sole talented person in the cast.

[Host]

Oh, okay.

[Guest Comedian]

If you recall.

[Charlene]

If you recall, she was the one.

[Guest Comedian]

Well, what about the gay guy?

[Charlene]

She was kind of, like, obsessed with working.

[Guest Comedian]

It sings so quickly.

[Charlene]

Girl, I love Matt Doyle. I saw him in Spring Awakening as a younger gay several times. I fancied myself sort of a distant relative of his. We kind of have. He's got a Mediterranean vibe.

[Sam Taggart]

Right?

[Guest Comedian]

Sure.

[Charlene]

I will say this. There was probably nothing more disappointing to me than that gay rendering of Amy and Paul. Having seen the John Doyle performance myself, and I think her name was Heather Laws. Wow. Another. Another supporting Tony Wen.

[Guest Comedian]

Sam. So this is. This is a song. Not Getting Married Today, which famously is so f. Fast. Like, you're just like. It has. It's this incredibly difficult, just technically difficult.

[Charlene]

It's a patter song.

[Guest Comedian]

It's a patter song.

[Charlene]

A patter song is a theater term for a song that requires so much vocally, not in terms of maybe the notes of the singer. It requires so much vocally in the mouth. It's the tip of the tongue, the roof of the mouth, the teeth and the lips of musical theater. And it is supposed to mimic the sound of rain pattering on a roof. So we have, like, I am the banana of a modern major general or like whatever we've got Pattersongs all over. That one by Sondheim is sort of like the grandmother of all patter songs. And the meter that Sondheim wrote it in, the tempo that Sondheim wrote it in is impossibly fast. Heather Laws and the John doyle company in 2006. She did it. You can see it on PBS. They recorded that shit. They were not about to let that thing go undocumented. Matt Doyle in the revival. Just to match the flavor of the rest of the production, I wanna say they slowed it down to about half speed for her and changed the key. It's fine. You know, she's family. I do hope for a Tony win in her future. Like, you know, somehow, some way, I think Jennifer from that. From that production, I think she's gonna be. I think she's gonna be in this. Death becomes her revival. That's happening, which I'm excited. See, this is what I'm talking about. We're moving back. We're moving back towards gay theater. We've got O Mary on Broadway. We've got the Jellicle Ball. Likely transferring. If God is real.

[Guest Comedian]

I couldn't get tickets.

[Charlene]

It was impossible. It was a hot ticket.

[Guest Comedian]

And, you know, it's one of those things where, okay, so this is actually related to this theater being struck straight. I hear something. I hear they're doing Cats and it's ballroom. My initial thought is not how cool and gay my initial thought is without knowing anything about it. This is a cynical, straight thing. And they're trying to get the drag race audience because I've been so trained to be suspicious of projects like that. So then I didn't get tickets. Come to find out all the gays love it. And I should have gone, but, like, that is how bad it is that you literally hear about something being ballroom cats and you think, that can't be right.

[Charlene]

We were all skeptical.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Charlene]

The audition notes, as you recall, went viral. They were like, buster for Jones is non binary 2000 retweets. I was like, girl, I don't know how this is gonna go. None of us knew. It was the first production of that brand new theater at the World Trade Center. It's funded by Bloomberg. We all thought it was good. And then the reviews come out and it's like, wait, I think the headline is, wait, the gay cats is actually good. As though it weren't gay enough already, we have it in and of the community. We've got Junior labeija as Gus, the theater cat. She's in Paris.

[Guest Comedian]

Sort of a small miracle.

[Host]

It's so weird. I mean, it's fun.

[Charlene]

Yeah. We've got Queen Jean designing no less than 96 costumes for the. It's a gay ball, so it's gotta be fabulous. Fashion left and right. Every character wearing a dozen looks. Queen Jean Sketch 96. I think the bitch is gonna win a Tony, to be honest. Queen Jean, of course, is the primarily known as an activist. She does a lot of rallies. She's doing a lot of work for. She's doing a lot of organizing for Gaza right now. Black Trans lives matter in 2020 was her ascent into the podium and the microphone. She's also a costume designer. We've got drag queens who I know making the wigs for the Jellicle Ball. We've got bartenders at the bar I work at. I saw a friend of mine, Garnet Williams, understudy Grizabella. The night. The first night that I went to Cats, I saw a close Friend of mine, I was killing a stage in New York City, an off Broadway rendering of Cats, as though it weren't gay enough. Now we have the added element that they're actually in a ball. Like, Paris is burning every. Like. You know, it's kind of nonsensical the way that Cats goes, because we're just. It's a. Cats is a musical that is a musical rendering of a T.S. eliot book of poems that he wrote for, I think God, children or something that are just cat. They're poems about different cats, different characters. And so it's kind of nonsensical. Therefore, in the original production of Cats, we have like, sort of like a. Doesn't make much sense. They're all vying. We're being introduced to these cats as though they're all vying for a proportion. In this rendering, every single cat is walking in a category against others, and they're the one who ends up stealing the trophy. Right. Does it still sound hokey to you? As someone who didn't.

[Guest Comedian]

I'm saying. I know it sounds fun. No, it's like, that's what. I'm kicking myself for being so cynical going in.

[Charlene]

Me too. But I guess I caught wise to it quickly enough.

[Guest Comedian]

No, I mean, by the time I did, it was like 400 tickets.

[Charlene]

Yeah. When a friend of mine was bullying me into going, I was like, just so you know, I will likely hate it.

[Guest Comedian]

Yeah.

[Charlene]

And I will be vocal about that the whole time as I am. Like, when I see anything. You know, I consider myself a child of. There's an old school affect that we're going for here. Remember, the gay community is kind of split on this. I am someone who believes very much Fran Leibowitz when she says that there is a dearth of connoisseurship. You know, that viral video of her being like, everyone with taste died of aids.

[Guest Comedian]

People criticize that. And I'm like, no, she's clearly right.

[Charlene]

Like, it's so right.

[Guest Comedian]

It's factual. Yeah.

[Charlene]

I mean, the three of us would all be gone. We are connoisseurs.

[Host]

No more shreddy allowed.

[Guest Comedian]

No more podcasting because of. Because of aids.

[Host]

Oh, my God.

[Guest Comedian]

Yes.

[Host]

But.

[Guest Comedian]

Yes. No, you're. And you know what? Maybe, though, do you think that's related to this theater straight era?

[Charlene]

Absolutely.

[Guest Comedian]

I mean, that really to bring it back to a historical perspective.

[Host]

I mean, it makes sense.

[Charlene]

It's up to us.

[Guest Comedian]

Cause that's when those people would have come. That's when those people would have been, you know, in their 40s 50s, 60s, like, funding things, making decisions, being the decision makers in the room. Producers.

[Host]

I want to talk fagtasia.

[Charlene]

Yeah.

[Host]

Because you're. Is it always Wicked?

[Charlene]

No.

[Host]

Okay.

[Charlene]

Fagtasia is a production. It's a product. It's paid me. The grandest drag show in Brooklyn happens at $3 bill. One of the grandest spaces in Brooklyn. It is a show produced and directed and pretty much run by my friend Babylove, who's a very talented, very gorgeous drag queen in Brooklyn. She produces a monthly version of it.

[Host]

Whoa.

[Charlene]

And it's a gay drag rendering of any myriad of gay interest topics. She does a lot of. She does Lord of the Rings. She used to do Harry Potter Potter.

[Host]

She stopped.

[Charlene]

Well, you know, the J.K. rowling. Of course. Of course she does Shrek. Shrek is very popular. Fantasia. It's only a musical rendering when I am involved and bullying her into mounting it so that I can play one of the roles that I've always wanted to play. So it's Wicked when I'm involved and. Or Chicago when I need to be Velma Kelly.

[Host]

Wow.

[Charlene]

She's Roxy to my Velma. And she's Glinda to my Elphaba. And we render the entire original Broadway cast of Wicked on stage. And we also include the soundboard recording that is, you know, in our generation of musical theater gays, It's a heralded MP3 to get this recording from the soundboard of the early San Francisco run, the pre Broadway run of Wicked. We have a recording of the soundboard, so we have all of the dialogue recorded in hd. So we use a lot of this and lip sync the whole thing. So basically what you're seeing is a full drag rendering of the original Broadway cast of Wicked. There are a bunch of fun elements that are, like, thrown in there to make it a little more current and trans. Babylove really loves fucking with the material and making the whole thing a highly like, you know, cerebral version rendering of whatever it is. But I'm someone who likes it very canonical and I like to be very by the book. If it were up to me, it would be completely beginning to end.

[Host]

Just played straight.

[Charlene]

Yes, played completely straight. Like, I'm trying to be Elphaba here. I'm trying to take the Grail from the Gershwin Theater for one night, be Elphaba. And we even have a fly show. We've even almost had a no fly show. Are you familiar with the terminology?

[Host]

Does that mean, like, in a harness where you're, like, being.

[Charlene]

Oh, oh, right at the end of Act 1 of Wicked. Famously, Elphaba, at the end of Defying Gravity, flies up. You know, it might be 30ft in a tiny human sized cherry picker with a hydraulic arm that's like hidden. And so it's giving this illusion that she's actually flying above the crowd. However, maybe like 0.1, maybe 0.2% of the time, the safety mechanism that she clicks into in the dark and the fog and the lights and everything doesn't trip. Or maybe there's like, you know, a new person on the tech board that day or whatever and she won't actually fly. And you know, like the whole audience, their heart starts going. They're like, we paid money for this. The chorus is directed to sort of like fall to the ground if it happens. And Elphaba just walks forward on foot, essentially ruining the entire night. Everyone, if you're straight, if you're gay, you are a chosen one. You're one of the chosen ones who gets to see a no fly show. I'm not trying to do all that at fagtasia because we're already lip syncing Honey. And we have one of these. We have one of these lifts, like a cherry picker that's actually for rearranging the club lights because it's a nightclub.

[Host]

Oh.

[Charlene]

So it's this like hydraulic lift thing that's like, you know, very forky, very clunky and not human sized at all. I'm not trying to mess around with all that and I'm definitely not trying for. For my co stars to be stranded on the floor like that. I don't know what I would do. We had a really close call with this last one. We've done this show four times, turning it into an annual thing, I think like an end of summer fun Labor Day. Sort of like tradition, you know, like watching Harry Potter at Christmas, which apparently that's a Christmas thing now. I didn't know that.

[Guest Comedian]

Is that true?

[Host]

Yeah, I guess it's always whenever the Christmas.

[Charlene]

Yeah. It exists within Christianity, which is another. We should have known. The J.K. rowling thing, it's a movie about. It's a book about witches and wizards and they celebrate Christmas. The fuck?

[Guest Comedian]

Yeah. Literally. Yeah. Okay. I was saying that I've never seen Wicked and what has stopped me from going to Fantasia, which I really want to go to, is I want to like first see some version of Wicked and then get it. But it sounds like I can just go to factasia.

[Charlene]

Yeah, I'm inclined to agree with that. I don't know what Kind of shape the show is in right now, to be honest. I'm sure whoever it is, really the most recent time I went to Wicked was right before COVID and it was a girl named Hannah Corneau who made my top three Elphabas of all time. She really ripped into it, but I don't know how she is now. I think the current Elphaba's a little bit mature.

[Guest Comedian]

I have seen Chicago many times. Have you seen Chicago?

[Host]

I mean, I've seen the movie.

[Charlene]

That's good enough.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Charlene]

The one time, I think that they've gotten it completely right. All movie musicals were leading up to and or following that one moment.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Charlene]

Ugh. The one time, I think that it got the movie. The movie has kept that show in its bare bones form on Broadway that entire time.

[Guest Comedian]

It's so bare bones. I did not know. I went essentially as a joke when Pamela Anderson did it. And I could not believe how low production it was. It's just like an empty stage and someone tap dancing, basically. Oh, you think it's gonna be this super duper production?

[Charlene]

Well, it was originally in 96 when they mounted it on Broadway. It was originally just a cheap way to make a book for the producers because it was a. There's. There's a rendering. There's a concert series that Broadway does where. Well, they'll. They'll just do a show, any given show as a concert, like at Carnegie Hall.

[Guest Comedian]

Sure, sure.

[Charlene]

It was a mounting of that. So that's why there's no costumes, no set, none of that. It was like this was so popular, this concert version of Chicago. They were putting her on Broadway. All it has to last at that point. It didn't even have to last 10 years on Broadway, which is like nothing to balk at. But it doesn't even have to last that long before Catherine Zeta Jones and Renee come in and clean up money for these producers for the next 2025. However long picture. So truly. Yeah. Best Picture, Best supporting. Catherine.

[Guest Comedian]

Catherine.

[Charlene]

I think they should have put her up for Best Actress myself, but I think they wanted her snatched.

[Guest Comedian]

Well, they. Yeah. And Renee was put up for Best Actress. And Catherine and Queen Latifah were both in Best Supporting Actress that year.

[Charlene]

If you'll recall, during Catherine's speech, there's somewhat. Catherine's like, oh, no. I think it was the best picture in someone. Someone who won an Oscar for Chicago. In their speech, they're like rattling off the thanks and someone in the audience at the top of their lungs. And you can hear it on the stage Mike goes. And Queen Latifah. And the guy goes, right. And Queen Latifah, which I'm like, I don't know. She doesn't have that much screen time, but damn. At the time that Chicago came out, there was one of those magazine feature articles. You know, the magazines where they're, like. They describe at length the way that the celebrity, like, comes into the room or whatever and, like, sets their bag down. It's like you're supposed to take a.

[Host]

Bite from the fruit plate.

[Guest Comedian]

Yeah.

[Charlene]

You're supposed to know something about their character.

[Guest Comedian]

And the first sentence is like, renee Zeideweger was running late. But not for the reason you think, right?

[Charlene]

Yeah, totally. So in this, I, like, knew who I was gonna like before I even saw the movie. I knew who I was gonna identify with. Because this interviewer, stacked kind of the way you two do here, stacked one after the other at some fucking Keith McNally restaurant in Midtown. Renee. And then Catherine. Renee came in her gym clothes and ordered a side salad, did the interview politely, and then bowed out. Catherine came in a leather trench, ordered a filet mignon blue, which is more raw than rare, and a glass of champagne like she was in the T Mobile commercial at that very moment. Get more. Remember those?

[Guest Comedian]

Yeah.

[Charlene]

She was T Mobile's spokesperson for a long time.

[Guest Comedian]

I forgot cast. She is someone. I almost think she is someone that had so. That had so much.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Guest Comedian]

And I actually think it makes sense that she is not still out there, because it's like she's actually too fabulous to be.

[Host]

Yeah, you can't burn that.

[Guest Comedian]

Sort of like a workhorse. You know what I mean?

[Charlene]

I'm actually having this post facto hallucination that it was Catherine in that movie, the substance, the whole time. Have you seen it?

[Host]

Yeah, we loved it.

[Charlene]

I am remembering the entire thing as though that were Catherine instead of Demi.

[Host]

She would be amazing in that, Right? Actually, that would be great. I want to say I'm so surprised at your theater knowledge. I like.

[Charlene]

Oh, really?

[Host]

You know, I think of you as such a club girl that I was like, to me, club and theater don't go together. And I'm, like, blown away.

[Charlene]

I love country music.

[Guest Comedian]

No, it's encyclopedia.

[Charlene]

A real eclectic kind of tran. I am.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Charlene]

But, yeah, I mean, I was singing Defying Gravity in my free period in high school, so it just kind of stuck. And I'm still, you know, I'm excited about this Idina musical that's gonna be iffy. I'm excited about Shoshana Bean Replacing her. What do you think of Audrey's replacing her? What do I think about the Audrey? Gypsy? I do think that it is a harbinger of things moving in the right direction.

[Guest Comedian]

Yeah.

[Charlene]

Like I'm saying, I think, I think we're moving back towards a gay era of Broadway. But I'm not sure about the casting choice. I mean, we've seen in our lifetime a perfect rendering of gypsy with Patti LuPone as Mama Rose and Laura Benanti as Louise.

[Guest Comedian]

The Tony's performance of that is like, I would say life changing. It's just crazy. It's like if you want to show someone this is what acting is, you show them that.

[Charlene]

Yeah.

[Guest Comedian]

But it's also funny because Laura Benanti has to be on stage just to deliver one line in the Tonys performance.

[Charlene]

Oh, right, Is it? I thought you did it for me.

[Guest Comedian]

Yeah, exactly. And then Patty's like, anyway, and then just like starts doing the song.

[Charlene]

Yeah, she got hers. I think it was a Tony. Maybe not for that. Maybe it was My Fair Lady. I don't know. Maybe it was.

[Guest Comedian]

But she does have a Tony.

[Charlene]

Yeah, she does.

[Guest Comedian]

Okay. What property would you like to see as a musical?

[Host]

That's a really tough question.

[Guest Comedian]

Showgirls. That's so obvious.

[Host]

You know what I mean?

[Charlene]

But it's a harbinger of things moving in the right direction. Girl, we have Water for Elephants on Broadway right now. And it's doing well not to hate on it because I was actually, and this is further proof that theater is for straight people. I was in my first off off Broadway show in the spring short run during Pride at the Tank. And then I was at the Tank this week.

[Guest Comedian]

Oh yeah, I saw Vile Isle. Did you see that?

[Charlene]

I didn't, I didn't. It was, it was actually my, my first time in the theater. My character's name was on the marquee and the whole lobby had been turned into my character's lair. So I helped myself to the booze the whole time. But I was in the production with, if you will believe me, an actual card carrying heterosexual couple playing a real life heterosexual couple in the play. I didn't think when I met this, I met these two and I was like, okay, this is obviously the femme in the relationship. I call her Downtown Nicole Kidman. She's got that sort of like, you know, everything she says sort of has a flourish and like she's always like gasping. Very reactive to anything that said. So I'm like, this dude is sort of. Has gotta be like, I don't know, her gay best friend or whatever. And they're just playing it. And as time goes on, I'm seeing him bringing crunchwrap Supremes to rehearsals. I was like, oh, my fucking God.

[Guest Comedian]

You were just talking about this how when we were younger, everyone who wanted to be an actor was gay. And then suddenly you get older.

[Host]

Something happened. Everyone who's an actor is straight.

[Guest Comedian]

You're looking around and they're straight.

[Charlene]

The gays fall off and become drag queens.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Guest Comedian]

Yes, totally.

[Host]

It's so confusing.

[Guest Comedian]

Or it actually is so traumatic that they fall off and become like, consultants. Like, they don't.

[Host]

I was wrong to express myself.

[Guest Comedian]

Yes. Like, there's actually.

[Charlene]

They can fall off and become comedians. There's more money in drag and comedy clubs, probably.

[Guest Comedian]

Yeah.

[Charlene]

Than there is the work that you're putting in, the time that you're putting in for theater. Holy shit. I've never had an experience that quite snapped into perspective how lucky I am to go on at 5:00am yeah.

[Host]

Yeah. Like, damn. I mean, to perform like eight times a week, like an hour plus two hour show or whatever. Nightmare.

[Charlene]

I would die if it's eight times a week. You got that equity minimum, which is probably what. That's what it's gonna take for me to go back into the theater, I think.

[Guest Comedian]

Yeah. The equity minimum.

[Charlene]

Coin for time, baby.

[Guest Comedian]

Yeah. You and Patty.

[Host]

The only theater that I. That I liked, like, as a youth was west side Story. I was really like, I want to be one of those dancing little boys.

[Guest Comedian]

Trying to think what was like, the theater, you know, to quote our friends, the theater that made me say theaters.

[Host]

Theater's for you. Yeah.

[Guest Comedian]

You know, not to bring it back to Greece, as I always do. And I can't believe it's been this long since I had. But, you know, in Greece, you can go to the ancient Greek theater, like ancient Greek theater that's like still standing from ancient Greek times, and see a production of a Greek tragedy.

[Charlene]

I saw Norah Jones there.

[Guest Comedian]

Yes. No, they also do. They also do concerts. Yeah. Talk about a Greek tragedy. And there is something about that that felt like this is transcending reality in some way.

[Charlene]

How academic.

[Guest Comedian]

But then I'm like, I'm trying to.

[Charlene]

Think of something not rent.

[Guest Comedian]

And you know what? Honestly, if I'm being honest, it was rent. I watched it over and over when I was in high school and I had no one to talk to about it. And the movie, the movie, which I know that real theater people think is.

[Charlene]

Bad, I don't know, because of the Broadway cast. And they're like.

[Guest Comedian]

Well, but they are 40, so.

[Charlene]

Yeah. But there's some charm in that for me.

[Host]

Yes, it's true.

[Guest Comedian]

So I think that was definitely a big part of it. And then I do think it was a lot of clips of Tony's performances. Cause I wasn't living in New York, so it's like that Patty performance. I know it very well. Or. Oh, God. There was some. Tony's opening number one year. It was the Year of Hair with Rip Gavin Creel. That was a big. I was like, wow. To be in New York. You can see this day to day. And then you come to New York and it's Legally Blonde. The music.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Charlene]

Did you catch that production of Hair?

[Guest Comedian]

No, I didn't. I've never seen Hair. I've never seen Hair.

[Host]

When did. How did you connect with theater?

[Charlene]

Yeah, I was in a production of Cabaret.

[Host]

Oh.

[Charlene]

As an eighth grader.

[Host]

Wow.

[Charlene]

Which was. My high school was eighth, eighth through 12. So it was a big scandal that an eighth grader had made the cast. And so I felt like it was somewhat ordained at that point. And I became obsessed with the music.

[Guest Comedian]

Were you Sally?

[Charlene]

Cabaret? Was I Sally? Believe it or not, I was not eligible to play female roles at the time.

[Guest Comedian]

Sorry. Literally did not even think of it.

[Charlene]

No, I wasn't. I wasn't the MC either. I was nobody's Sally Balls in high school.

[Guest Comedian]

It didn't even occur to me. Okay, word, sweetheart.

[Charlene]

Was I Sally?

[Guest Comedian]

Were you Sally?

[Charlene]

It was a very progressive school in Alabama.

[Guest Comedian]

You know, by the way, I'm seeing. I nabbed free tickets to see Adam Lambert in Cabaret. What do you think of that?

[Charlene]

I think that you're gonna have a great time.

[Host]

Is that a push towards theater, being gay or.

[Charlene]

I think so. I would rather see Adam Lambert as the Eddie Redmayne. It's just like this rendering. See this? This is further proof of things moving in the right direction. That we have replaced Adam Lambert. We've replaced Eddie with Adam Lambert. Because the Eddie interpretation of that character. I gotta say, there's two ways to play Cabaret. There is the way in which we are very obviously entering the Third Reich in Germany. Things are macabre and dark. There is also the way to play wherein everything is fabulous and gay, despite the darkness looming outside the Kit Kat.

[Guest Comedian]

Club, which in fact makes it more dark. Cause you're so aware of the dark danger to us.

[Charlene]

Exactly, exactly. Because you have nuance. Because you're gay. However, Eddie Redmayne is up, facing a camera straight on, doing a little swastika. With his arms. I'm like, girl, I do not need all of this in my life.

[Host]

Oh, my God.

[Charlene]

I don't need it in my life. We're in too difficult a time politically.

[Guest Comedian]

We don't need you making a swastika.

[Charlene]

No, I want Adam Lambert throwing glitter into the air and being fabulous and saying everything is beautiful despite the fact that we are entering the end of civilization.

[Guest Comedian]

Yeah, That's a movie you should watch. Cause that is a movie that you think, I don't know. You're like, oh, how good can it be? It's literally a masterpiece. It's just plays Eliza Minnelli.

[Host]

Oh, yeah. Okay. Fun.

[Guest Comedian]

Anyway. Okay, Charlene, any final thoughts on theater as straight culture?

[Charlene]

I think we've covered quite a bit.

[Host]

I would have to.

[Charlene]

It's almost one.

[Host]

Wow.

[Guest Comedian]

Okay.

[Host]

Sheesh.

[Charlene]

Well, there's a closing segment.

[Guest Comedian]

Yes, yes, I know that. And we always make them up on the spot. And I don't have one, but go ahead.

[Host]

Okay, I've got one.

[Ryan Seacrest]

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[Charlene]

I'll wait.

[Narrator]

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[Sam Taggart]

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[Charlene]

To connect with new nature, maybe chase.

[Sam Taggart]

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[Charlene]

Well, listen up.

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[Charlene]

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[Charlene]

Search by acreage, location, the kind of.

[Sam Taggart]

Hunting or fishing you dream of. Land.com it's where the adventure begins.

[Host]

Our final segment is called Shout Outs, and in this segment we pay homage to the grand oral street tradition of the radio shout out. So you can give a shout out to anything that you enjoy. People, places, things, ideas. Imagine 2001. You're at TRL shouting out to your squad back home about anything you like. And I have one that I don't think I talked about yet when we recorded the other day. And if I did, choke me to death. Okay, what's up freaks, losers and perverts around the globe? I want to give a huge shout out to Shaving with a traditional razor and shaving cream. I have never done this in my life. I don't really Know how to shave someone. My dad gave me an electrical razor when I was, you know, of age and said, figure this out. And I said, okay, I think I can figure this out. Sort of, sort of did a half assed job. Sort of made that my identity, that I sort of just have scruff at given times and sort of am roughing it. I forgot to bring this with me. I said, what do I do when I'm in, I need to shave because now it's looking bad. And I was like, I guess I can just buy a razor and figure it out. And I called my boyfriend. I say, how do you do it? And apparently it's.

[Charlene]

He knew, he knew.

[Host]

And it's so easy. And you just put stuff on and you go ahead and scrape it.

[Guest Comedian]

Sorry, you.

[Host]

And before you get into it, even the performance of it, I want to say, you know, I dress. We talked about how I. I wear. I'm going Americana. I am reappropriating masculinity.

[Charlene]

Did you get hard?

[Host]

And I got a little hard. And it was so hot. And I was like, this is amazing. I look like a dad from a commercial.

[Charlene]

A freshly shaved face that you can still smell.

[Host]

Yes. I was like, this is deeply erotic.

[Guest Comedian]

Have you ever used a razor?

[Charlene]

No.

[Guest Comedian]

That's crazy.

[Host]

Yes. Well, lock me up and throw away the key. So that's my shout out.

[Sam Taggart]

Wow.

[Host]

Yeah, I just use a little electric one.

[Guest Comedian]

I mean, sure, but. But even once. You've never once used one until now. That's so funny.

[Charlene]

Even when you say the same.

[Guest Comedian]

I mean, even like when you're first, like going through puberty and have a little mustache, like, even then you used.

[Host]

I just like, let it. Like, I was like, maybe no one notices.

[Charlene]

How traumatizing was that? That starting and being like, when is the. When do the scales tip? When do I start?

[Host]

Yeah, I hate that. And then that's when, like, one Christmas, my dad was like, you should use this and gave me like some electric razor.

[Charlene]

Christmas, huh?

[Host]

Christmas. And I was like, ashamed.

[Guest Comedian]

This is like your version of like, me never learning to drive. Like, it's like, it's like something that everyone did when they were younger.

[Host]

But like, when it gets too late.

[Guest Comedian]

And you're like, oh, God, like I'm in my 30s.

[Host]

Did you have to be taught or did you just like wing it?

[Guest Comedian]

I. I don't remember exactly, but it is sort of just like exactly what you think it's gonna be.

[Host]

Yeah. But I was like, maybe there's a nuance to it.

[Charlene]

There is. There absolutely is. I mean, go the wrong way, you'll look like you dumped your chin in eight.

[Guest Comedian]

No def. Very true. Okay, I have one. What's up, freaks and losers? I want to give a shout out to Ellen DeGeneres. I sat down and I watched Ellen's new special. Okay? And when I tell you, you know, it starts out with this, like, montage of her career highlights. And you're like, I cannot believe this is happening. They're literally doing a montage of her career highlights that are projected on walls. And she's walking through a tunnel of her tunnel of hits and she's going to the stage. Then she talks about being canceled, and every single line she says gets a standing ovation. I've never seen anything like this. And despite it all, I'm laughing.

[Host]

You liked it?

[Guest Comedian]

I would not say. I thought it was, like, excellent. But you know, when she's in her element, doing airplane jokes, doing jokes about, like, oh, why are you okay? Can't eat this and you can't eat this. Doing jokes about aging, doing jokes about being Ellen. You're like, you know, there's a reason you're Ellen and I don't care. It's definitely still clean. But then you know why? So it's clean. So then when she does drop an F bomb, it's fine. Cause you're like, not expecting it.

[Host]

She's edging you.

[Guest Comedian]

She's edging you. She comes out as having a billion different illnesses. She's like, I have adhd. I have ocd. I have. She says, I used to think The O& OCD stood for organized.

[Host]

Oh, she's bad.

[Guest Comedian]

Oh, she's bad.

[Charlene]

She is gay.

[Guest Comedian]

And I was just like, you know what? Like, go throw. Throw stuff at your employees. Why not?

[Host]

Why not?

[Guest Comedian]

We live one life.

[Host]

Live out loud.

[Guest Comedian]

So shout out to Ellen.

[Charlene]

Woo.

[Host]

Okay, Charlene, whenever you are ready.

[Charlene]

What's up, freaks and losers? Charlene here. I want to give a big shout out to country music.

[Guest Comedian]

Woo.

[Charlene]

Heralded often as a straight thing, but there are gay cracks in the firmament. I was just listening to gay radio and reminded of none other than Travis Tritt, famous southern closet case, country singer, singer of the classic who could forget I got rice cooking in the microwave. Which you'll only recall if you're a southern girl like me, perhaps.

[Guest Comedian]

I mean, I'm gonna Spotify it soon, honey.

[Charlene]

This queen is fabulous. On the album cover, she is sitting cross legged with her hands folded around her knees and a huge smile like she just took a dick up the butt. She in 2020 was. Do you know all gay country Venn diagram crossover people know this about this queen, that she's like a flamer. Someone ran her face through the Dragonator filter or like whatever. She shared it on Twitter and said, this is another more proof of the lies of the left. Someone just ran her face through a drag filter and said that like Travis Troy had done drag or whatever. And she's like more proof of the lies of the left. Whoa. This queen is so utterly deep in the closet and it's mandated by her profession.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Charlene]

Even though we've got Casey Musgraves and like, like people like, I don't know, what's that girl's name? Marin Morris. Casually, casually beckoning the younger generational gays to. Towards them. We've got, we've got Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood from our generation married to each other. A bull and a fairy. Seriously, Garth Brooks.

[Guest Comedian]

I think Garth Brooks is like gay friendly or something.

[Charlene]

Brooks is a card carrying cocksucker.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Charlene]

And any second, any further delving into his discography and. Or music videos especially will reveal that to you. He has a whole album as a drag character.

[Guest Comedian]

Yes.

[Charlene]

That's why Chris Gaines, who has a flavor saver and a whole different sound and dyed black hair that's a whole trans masculine that is is Garth Brooks.

[Guest Comedian]

I actually learned it last year.

[Charlene]

That's crazy.

[Host]

I had no idea.

[Charlene]

Huh.

[Guest Comedian]

Wow.

[Charlene]

Trisha Yearwood, his wife actually came close to outing him on stage recently saying something cheeky like, if I hadn't met this man who I'm sharing the stage with, I'd probably be, you know, in the arms of some tractor driving like, I don't know, dude. And he probably would too. I was like, whoa, we're just being out that Maren Morris has, has had a go with these two.

[Host]

Maren Morris had a go how to.

[Guest Comedian]

Go with these two.

[Charlene]

But the links that these people go to to say straight, I'm like, why can't you just be like Garth is literally.

[Host]

You think Garth is literally gay?

[Charlene]

I know it. I know. Absolutely.

[Guest Comedian]

It almost goes full circle where you're like, you're doing drag. You're doing drag as a straight man. And that is gayer than being, being, you know, what's that? Straight Luke Evans. You know what I mean?

[Charlene]

Controversial. It was when he agreed to play at Biden's inauguration.

[Guest Comedian]

Yeah.

[Charlene]

I'm just saying, I mean like it's not, it's not completely out of character. It's not completely out of the question. We've already established that eight or nine out of every ten men are gay.

[Guest Comedian]

I mean, that's science in the first place.

[Charlene]

You can look at the boots on a male country singer if, like. If the boot is, like, completely showing and nice and polished, you've got a faggot on your hands. If there's like. If it's, like, covered and caked in shit in mud. Like, George Strait is a country star from our. From our upbringing, who I believe. Who I actually believe. I saw him with Martina McBride when I was in junior high, and he had shit caked onto his boots. I was like, that motherfucker is a pussy, man. Seriously. Wow. Wow.

[Host]

That was groundbreaking.

[Guest Comedian]

One of the most substantial shout outs you've ever had on this podcast.

[Host]

Yes.

[Charlene]

Is it?

[Host]

It is.

[Guest Comedian]

Well, Charlene, I have to say, this has been one of the greatest episodes.

[Host]

Yes. Thank you so much for doing the pod. We really appreciate it.

[Charlene]

Have me back.

[Guest Comedian]

Oh, we will. And we'll have you do a live show if you're up for it.

[Charlene]

Up for it, baby. Live's what I do.

[Host]

Much, much later at night.

[Guest Comedian]

All right. Okay, love. Yeah. Oh, wait. And Charlene, do want to say where people can see you? Anything you want to promote, anything like that?

[Charlene]

Yeah, there's shit going on all the time. I'm a local hero, God damn it.

[Guest Comedian]

Period.

[Charlene]

Come to a drag bar in Brooklyn. If you don't see me, I'm asleep that night.

[Guest Comedian]

All right.

[Host]

Okay.

[Charlene]

Bye. Bye.

[Host]

Podcast ends now.

[Guest Comedian]

Want more? Subscribe to our Patreon for two extra episodes a month. Discord Access and more by heading to patreon.com stradiel and for all our visual learners.

[Host]

Free full length video episodes are available on our YouTube.

[Guest Comedian]

Now get back to work.

[Host]

Stradio Lab is a production by Will Ferrell's Big Money players network and iHeart.

[Guest Comedian]

Podcasts, created and hosted by George Severis and Sam Taggart, executive produced by Will.

[Host]

Ferrell Hansani and Olivia Aguilar.

[Guest Comedian]

Co produced by Bay Wang.

[Host]

Edited and engineered by Adam Avalos.

[Guest Comedian]

Artwork by Michael Fails and Matt Grubb.

[Host]

Theme music by Ben Kling Foreign.

[Charlene]

You wake up, put on your Ray Ban meta glasses, you're living all in.

[Guest Comedian]

You realize you need coffee so you.

[Charlene]

Say, hey, meta, how do I make.

[Guest Comedian]

A latte brew two shots of espresso.

[Charlene]

After Meta AI gets you caffeinated, you're ready for some beats.

[George Severis]

Hey, meta play hip hop music, you.

[Charlene]

Head to meet some friends but can't remember the place. Hey, meta, call Eva Ray Ban Meta glasses, the next generation of AI glasses. Just say hey Meta to harness the power of Meta AI shop [e-mail] smart.

[George Severis]

Glasses hey comedy fans. The funniest comedians in the world are on tour and you can get tickets to see them live near you. Laugh at the biggest names in comedy like Atsuko Okatsuka, Chelsea Handler, Jimmy Carr, Kathy Griffin, Matt Matthews, Matt Rife, Sarah Silver, Sebastian Maniscalco, Stavros Helkias, Wanda Sykes and so many more. All kinds of shows, all kinds of venues, all kinds of funny. Head to livenation.comcomedy to get your tickets today. That's livenation.comcomedy.

[Charlene]

Hate has been winning for too long. It's at an all time high and.

[Sam Taggart]

Too many people are facing too much.

[Charlene]

Hate all over this country. To turn the tower tide, we have to stand together as a united team. We can change the momentum.

[Sam Taggart]

It's time to take a timeout Against Hate.

[Charlene]

Visit standuptoallhate.org to help. Join us in calling for a hashtag timeout against hate by following otzupwithhate or posting the Blue Square emoji.

[Sam Taggart]

Every day our world gets a little.

[Charlene]

More connected, but a little further, further apart. But then there are moments that remind.

[Sam Taggart]

Us to be more human.

[Charlene]

Thank you for calling Amica Insurance.

[Guest Comedian]

Hey, I was just in an accident.

[Charlene]

Don't worry, we'll get you taken care of. At Ameca, we understand that looking out for each other isn't new or groundbreaking. It's human.

[Sam Taggart]

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