1 00:00:00,720 --> 00:00:04,080 Speaker 1: I am all in again. 2 00:00:06,559 --> 00:00:12,240 Speaker 2: Oh that's just you. 3 00:00:17,760 --> 00:00:22,360 Speaker 3: I Smell pop Culture with Easton Allen and iHeart Radio podcast. 4 00:00:22,720 --> 00:00:25,880 Speaker 1: Hey everybody, Hey, it's Easton. My name's Easton Allen. You 5 00:00:25,920 --> 00:00:28,000 Speaker 1: just heard Scott Patterson say my name, and now I 6 00:00:28,040 --> 00:00:30,760 Speaker 1: am saying it. This is the I Smell Pop Culture Podcast. 7 00:00:30,880 --> 00:00:32,360 Speaker 1: That is what we do here. We take a big 8 00:00:32,400 --> 00:00:35,159 Speaker 1: whiff of the pop culture references in Gilmore Girls and 9 00:00:35,200 --> 00:00:37,920 Speaker 1: we talk to the people behind them, the dreamers, the 10 00:00:38,000 --> 00:00:40,240 Speaker 1: visionaries that bring them to life. What makes a pop 11 00:00:40,240 --> 00:00:42,080 Speaker 1: culture icon? How do you become a reference in a 12 00:00:42,080 --> 00:00:44,520 Speaker 1: show like Gilmore Girls. We are going to figure out 13 00:00:44,560 --> 00:00:49,080 Speaker 1: all the answers to those questions. So you've probably seen 14 00:00:49,240 --> 00:00:51,640 Speaker 1: on Netflix a show called Queer Eye. It is an 15 00:00:51,680 --> 00:00:55,440 Speaker 1: incredible program. You can't get through an episode without sobbing. 16 00:00:55,560 --> 00:00:59,360 Speaker 1: It's just such a heartfelt show. And you may or 17 00:00:59,440 --> 00:01:01,800 Speaker 1: may not know this, but it is actually a reboot 18 00:01:02,040 --> 00:01:04,040 Speaker 1: of a show called Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, 19 00:01:04,080 --> 00:01:07,360 Speaker 1: which premiered in two thousand and three on Bravo in 20 00:01:07,360 --> 00:01:11,240 Speaker 1: the early days of Bravo, and Queery has been referenced 21 00:01:11,280 --> 00:01:14,680 Speaker 1: a number of times in Gilmore Girls. We're going to 22 00:01:15,040 --> 00:01:18,440 Speaker 1: highlight a specific reference this is from season six, episode eight, 23 00:01:19,120 --> 00:01:22,440 Speaker 1: and it's in the cold open there Laura's picking up 24 00:01:22,440 --> 00:01:25,280 Speaker 1: paint colors. This hit home for me personally when I 25 00:01:25,360 --> 00:01:28,640 Speaker 1: was rewatching this episode. We are going through the paint 26 00:01:28,720 --> 00:01:32,920 Speaker 1: color debate at my house. There's nothing but swatches, nothing 27 00:01:32,959 --> 00:01:35,440 Speaker 1: but samples. We are deep in it. So watching this 28 00:01:35,600 --> 00:01:38,640 Speaker 1: was really really traumatic for me. But I continued on. 29 00:01:38,800 --> 00:01:40,760 Speaker 1: Laura I's picking up paint colors with Luke and she's 30 00:01:40,760 --> 00:01:43,319 Speaker 1: asking paul Anka for advice because Luke has no input, 31 00:01:43,360 --> 00:01:47,520 Speaker 1: of course, and Paul is like tapping the samples with 32 00:01:47,600 --> 00:01:54,080 Speaker 1: his paw and constantly picking out, you know, a magenta 33 00:01:54,320 --> 00:01:58,440 Speaker 1: for dark magenta for the baseboards, for the ceiling. He's 34 00:01:58,480 --> 00:02:02,360 Speaker 1: picking dark magenta for everything. And at one point Lori Lesisabalanka, 35 00:02:02,480 --> 00:02:05,680 Speaker 1: You've got the queer eye, my friend and Queerie for 36 00:02:05,720 --> 00:02:08,400 Speaker 1: The Straight Guy, an Emmy Award winning show ran for 37 00:02:08,480 --> 00:02:12,160 Speaker 1: five seasons on Bravo, and it would involve these guys 38 00:02:12,160 --> 00:02:14,320 Speaker 1: that we call him the Fab five. They're gonna take 39 00:02:14,639 --> 00:02:17,600 Speaker 1: a clueless straight man and give him a makeover, teach 40 00:02:17,639 --> 00:02:20,640 Speaker 1: him how to dress, teach him how to cook, and 41 00:02:21,240 --> 00:02:25,560 Speaker 1: open their eyes to a more colorful world. And we 42 00:02:25,600 --> 00:02:28,520 Speaker 1: are going to talk to one of the original Fab five, 43 00:02:28,800 --> 00:02:32,640 Speaker 1: the culture expert Jay Rodriguez. He is so cool. This 44 00:02:32,720 --> 00:02:35,720 Speaker 1: guy is awesome. If you watched the show in its 45 00:02:35,760 --> 00:02:40,120 Speaker 1: original run, he would like help the guys with like 46 00:02:40,280 --> 00:02:44,560 Speaker 1: finding cool stuff to do, night life, Broadway shows, things 47 00:02:44,600 --> 00:02:46,800 Speaker 1: like that. Who was like a pop culture expert. And 48 00:02:46,880 --> 00:02:49,160 Speaker 1: if you watch the new one, he Caromo kind of 49 00:02:49,160 --> 00:02:53,360 Speaker 1: picked up his mantle there. But we're going to talk 50 00:02:53,360 --> 00:02:55,160 Speaker 1: to Jay Rodriguez. We're gonna find out if a dog 51 00:02:55,200 --> 00:02:57,560 Speaker 1: can actually help you pick up paint colors. We are 52 00:02:57,560 --> 00:02:59,440 Speaker 1: going to talk about it all with Jay Rodriguez, and 53 00:02:59,440 --> 00:03:01,919 Speaker 1: he is here in the waiting room. I'm so excited 54 00:03:01,919 --> 00:03:03,600 Speaker 1: to talk to you. This is gonna be so much fun. 55 00:03:03,639 --> 00:03:05,000 Speaker 1: How's it going, man, Easton. 56 00:03:05,200 --> 00:03:07,320 Speaker 4: I'm having a great day. It's a beautiful weather here 57 00:03:07,360 --> 00:03:09,400 Speaker 4: in California. I'm wearing a tank top. I mean it 58 00:03:09,480 --> 00:03:11,959 Speaker 4: is you listen, it's a it's a it's. 59 00:03:11,840 --> 00:03:12,440 Speaker 2: A great day. 60 00:03:13,160 --> 00:03:15,640 Speaker 1: If I may comment, his delts are looking great. He's 61 00:03:15,720 --> 00:03:19,440 Speaker 1: really pulling off that tank top. I'm so jealous. So 62 00:03:19,560 --> 00:03:22,560 Speaker 1: we're chatting. Just before we started here, a couple of 63 00:03:22,639 --> 00:03:25,079 Speaker 1: different references to queer eye for the straight guy in 64 00:03:25,200 --> 00:03:29,200 Speaker 1: Gilmore Girls there is one in particular in season six 65 00:03:29,440 --> 00:03:32,560 Speaker 1: I wanted to bring up to you where Lorelei and 66 00:03:32,639 --> 00:03:38,280 Speaker 1: Luke are like repainting her house and she, Laura is 67 00:03:38,320 --> 00:03:40,680 Speaker 1: asking her dog paul Inca, for help picking out a 68 00:03:40,720 --> 00:03:44,680 Speaker 1: color and he's constantly picking dark burgundy or something for 69 00:03:44,720 --> 00:03:46,760 Speaker 1: the baseboards, for the ceiling, and then she says, you've 70 00:03:46,760 --> 00:03:49,560 Speaker 1: got the queer eye, my friend. Brilliant queer Eye for 71 00:03:49,600 --> 00:03:53,720 Speaker 1: the Straight Guy just celebrated twenty two years ago, premiered 72 00:03:54,600 --> 00:03:57,600 Speaker 1: such a cultural icon. And how does it feel to 73 00:03:57,680 --> 00:04:00,040 Speaker 1: be involved with something that is synonymous with having great. 74 00:04:00,600 --> 00:04:03,720 Speaker 4: Well, it's a push pull because at the time you're 75 00:04:03,880 --> 00:04:07,200 Speaker 4: you know, one of the differences between the original Queeri 76 00:04:07,280 --> 00:04:09,520 Speaker 4: twenty two years ago and the new version is we 77 00:04:09,560 --> 00:04:11,680 Speaker 4: shot consistently for three years. 78 00:04:11,960 --> 00:04:14,400 Speaker 2: When you're moving that fast, there's no social media. 79 00:04:14,440 --> 00:04:16,440 Speaker 4: If you want to watch something, you watch it in 80 00:04:16,480 --> 00:04:19,320 Speaker 4: real time or you DVR or back then you t 81 00:04:19,560 --> 00:04:23,160 Speaker 4: vote it. That was the brand of DVR, and you 82 00:04:23,200 --> 00:04:26,480 Speaker 4: don't you miss a lot. And so when you're doing 83 00:04:26,560 --> 00:04:30,760 Speaker 4: something iconic, you generally don't know it's iconic. 84 00:04:31,120 --> 00:04:33,080 Speaker 2: It wasn't really I think the. 85 00:04:33,080 --> 00:04:37,120 Speaker 4: Moment that had dawned on us was probably The first 86 00:04:37,120 --> 00:04:39,080 Speaker 4: time we set out loud to us by someone we 87 00:04:39,120 --> 00:04:42,640 Speaker 4: admired and respected was when we did a reunion ten 88 00:04:42,720 --> 00:04:46,880 Speaker 4: years after and it was moderated by Andy Cohen, shot 89 00:04:46,920 --> 00:04:51,880 Speaker 4: in New York City on a set and Key listed 90 00:04:52,080 --> 00:04:54,920 Speaker 4: the accolades that Queeri had accomplished. 91 00:04:54,920 --> 00:04:56,120 Speaker 2: And just two or. 92 00:04:56,120 --> 00:04:58,320 Speaker 4: Three years ago, I did watch What Happens Live and 93 00:04:58,640 --> 00:05:00,800 Speaker 4: we're coming back from a commercial was the bartender. I 94 00:05:00,839 --> 00:05:02,880 Speaker 4: was promoting a cabaret show at fifty four below that 95 00:05:02,920 --> 00:05:07,919 Speaker 4: I was starring in, and Andy choking because it still 96 00:05:08,040 --> 00:05:11,159 Speaker 4: takes my broth away. He said, Jay Rodrie, you know 97 00:05:12,000 --> 00:05:14,479 Speaker 4: you guys built this house, meaning Bravo. 98 00:05:15,839 --> 00:05:17,320 Speaker 2: No one had said that. 99 00:05:17,800 --> 00:05:21,200 Speaker 4: Certainly we were not getting paid what folks get paid 100 00:05:21,240 --> 00:05:22,640 Speaker 4: now on things like Housewives. 101 00:05:22,800 --> 00:05:24,400 Speaker 2: We didn't know what Evander Pump was, you know what 102 00:05:24,440 --> 00:05:25,880 Speaker 2: I mean, Like, yeah, it was a different era. 103 00:05:26,200 --> 00:05:29,679 Speaker 4: So I mean, I don't think you recognize the impact. 104 00:05:29,720 --> 00:05:30,280 Speaker 2: I do know. 105 00:05:30,720 --> 00:05:33,760 Speaker 4: I was parodied twice on SNL. Elijah Wood was the 106 00:05:33,800 --> 00:05:36,840 Speaker 4: big star. Actually it was once a SNL once on 107 00:05:36,920 --> 00:05:40,680 Speaker 4: had TV. Elijah was the guest star and he played 108 00:05:40,720 --> 00:05:41,480 Speaker 4: me and I was. 109 00:05:41,480 --> 00:05:45,320 Speaker 2: Like, listen, let an honor, listen, you know you made it. 110 00:05:45,360 --> 00:05:48,640 Speaker 4: When but I think because at the time we didn't 111 00:05:48,640 --> 00:05:51,479 Speaker 4: have social media. I think what we were left with 112 00:05:51,680 --> 00:05:55,080 Speaker 4: was people stopping us at airports or whatever. So when 113 00:05:55,160 --> 00:05:57,360 Speaker 4: you were forever linked to fashion, you have moments like 114 00:05:57,400 --> 00:05:58,840 Speaker 4: you're going to even though. 115 00:05:59,279 --> 00:06:00,880 Speaker 2: I was not the fashion guy. 116 00:06:01,160 --> 00:06:05,160 Speaker 4: When I go to a clothing store or any any 117 00:06:05,240 --> 00:06:09,800 Speaker 4: place where people are purchasing items that revolve around any 118 00:06:09,839 --> 00:06:13,440 Speaker 4: of the categories any I'll have someone come out to 119 00:06:13,440 --> 00:06:14,919 Speaker 4: be like, which one do you do you think of this? 120 00:06:15,000 --> 00:06:16,640 Speaker 2: And I was like, oh, I don't work here. 121 00:06:16,720 --> 00:06:18,320 Speaker 4: They're like, I know, but you're from that show, so 122 00:06:18,800 --> 00:06:21,920 Speaker 4: do you think this is? And it's it's really funny. 123 00:06:21,920 --> 00:06:23,919 Speaker 4: And you know. There's a comedian that was opening for 124 00:06:24,000 --> 00:06:26,880 Speaker 4: Margaret show at Carnegie Hall. His name is Bruce Daniels, 125 00:06:26,960 --> 00:06:28,960 Speaker 4: and I went to go see Margaret. Did not know Bruce, 126 00:06:29,320 --> 00:06:31,600 Speaker 4: and I sat in the audience at Carnegie Hall and 127 00:06:31,640 --> 00:06:34,719 Speaker 4: he opened for her, and he's like, I freaking, hey, queer. 128 00:06:34,760 --> 00:06:36,719 Speaker 4: I now my straight friends think I could do all 129 00:06:36,800 --> 00:06:39,840 Speaker 4: the things at the Fab five and the whole like 130 00:06:40,040 --> 00:06:42,560 Speaker 4: the audience around me like turned and it's funny. 131 00:06:42,600 --> 00:06:43,039 Speaker 2: When I moved. 132 00:06:43,040 --> 00:06:44,640 Speaker 4: He he was one of the first friends I made. 133 00:06:44,640 --> 00:06:46,359 Speaker 4: I was like, you may not remember I was in 134 00:06:46,360 --> 00:06:47,560 Speaker 4: the audience blah blah blah. 135 00:06:47,640 --> 00:06:50,880 Speaker 1: But yeah, I watched the show as it aired and 136 00:06:50,960 --> 00:06:55,080 Speaker 1: I loved it. And I'm a heterosexual man. I took 137 00:06:55,120 --> 00:06:56,720 Speaker 1: a lot of tips from that show. 138 00:06:57,360 --> 00:07:00,960 Speaker 2: But also same I learned, well, listen, I was young. 139 00:07:01,000 --> 00:07:04,239 Speaker 4: I was twenty three, so I learned while the straight 140 00:07:04,240 --> 00:07:06,080 Speaker 4: guy was learning so many of the things that were 141 00:07:06,120 --> 00:07:09,119 Speaker 4: not taught. And by the way, we had, like Martha 142 00:07:09,160 --> 00:07:13,200 Speaker 4: Stewart's producers, you know, we had really good research teams 143 00:07:13,520 --> 00:07:16,480 Speaker 4: that could we could give an idea and the producers 144 00:07:16,480 --> 00:07:18,960 Speaker 4: would expand on it, return it to us, and then 145 00:07:19,000 --> 00:07:22,360 Speaker 4: we would craft that idea back to a place that 146 00:07:22,360 --> 00:07:25,000 Speaker 4: would make sense coming out of us and via our 147 00:07:25,080 --> 00:07:27,440 Speaker 4: world review, which is each of us had a different one, 148 00:07:27,480 --> 00:07:27,680 Speaker 4: you know. 149 00:07:27,960 --> 00:07:30,400 Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, that's awesome. I'd like that. It is a 150 00:07:30,480 --> 00:07:33,520 Speaker 1: collaborative process like that. And so you join after like 151 00:07:33,560 --> 00:07:35,400 Speaker 1: the second or third episode, is that right? 152 00:07:35,640 --> 00:07:37,920 Speaker 4: So how it happened was they had a cast of 153 00:07:38,000 --> 00:07:40,920 Speaker 4: five guys. The chemistry was off for whatever reason. I 154 00:07:40,920 --> 00:07:43,600 Speaker 4: don't know if anyone really ever pinpointed what was off 155 00:07:43,600 --> 00:07:43,960 Speaker 4: about it. 156 00:07:44,040 --> 00:07:47,400 Speaker 2: But so no one's seen the show. It's just in production. 157 00:07:47,520 --> 00:07:50,360 Speaker 4: They've shot two episodes, they decided to do an emergency 158 00:07:50,360 --> 00:07:54,480 Speaker 4: recast on the DL. I had been with my agency 159 00:07:54,640 --> 00:07:57,040 Speaker 4: since I was eighteen. I was in Rent. I'd taken 160 00:07:57,080 --> 00:07:59,640 Speaker 4: a six months leave of the Broadway musical Rent to 161 00:07:59,640 --> 00:08:03,600 Speaker 4: do an off Broadway show. And when you do Broadway financially, you're. 162 00:08:03,560 --> 00:08:04,200 Speaker 2: Kind of okay. 163 00:08:04,360 --> 00:08:04,560 Speaker 1: Yeah. 164 00:08:04,680 --> 00:08:07,040 Speaker 4: You go to off Broadway and you're making four hundred 165 00:08:07,080 --> 00:08:09,200 Speaker 4: and like ninety dollars a week in New York City, 166 00:08:09,800 --> 00:08:12,360 Speaker 4: You're like, how am I? So I told my agent 167 00:08:12,560 --> 00:08:14,280 Speaker 4: my acting and I said, listen, can you look for 168 00:08:14,800 --> 00:08:17,800 Speaker 4: any other sideline things? And I was doing a cabaret 169 00:08:17,840 --> 00:08:20,640 Speaker 4: show at night like imagine gay justin Timberlake with a 170 00:08:20,680 --> 00:08:21,520 Speaker 4: live cover band. 171 00:08:21,880 --> 00:08:22,320 Speaker 2: It was. 172 00:08:23,000 --> 00:08:25,920 Speaker 4: It was the height of probably when Gilmore Gore started. 173 00:08:26,040 --> 00:08:29,360 Speaker 4: I was gigging at a nightclub called Excel Live Band. 174 00:08:29,440 --> 00:08:32,360 Speaker 4: They would not let boys sing there. Drag queens and 175 00:08:33,120 --> 00:08:37,120 Speaker 4: females only were allowed to perform, and I beg I said, 176 00:08:37,120 --> 00:08:39,720 Speaker 4: I'm playing a drag queen on Broadway and they said, okay, 177 00:08:39,720 --> 00:08:41,559 Speaker 4: we'll give you one night. It became a huge hit, 178 00:08:42,080 --> 00:08:43,720 Speaker 4: and I think it was like New York mag Someone 179 00:08:43,800 --> 00:08:44,680 Speaker 4: reviewed me as the gay. 180 00:08:44,600 --> 00:08:46,560 Speaker 2: Justin Timberlake of New York and that really brought the 181 00:08:46,600 --> 00:08:47,120 Speaker 2: crowds in. 182 00:08:47,559 --> 00:08:49,040 Speaker 4: And you know, if it was on the radio, we 183 00:08:49,040 --> 00:08:51,840 Speaker 4: were doing it live band, background singers, sometimes dancers. 184 00:08:52,120 --> 00:08:54,680 Speaker 2: When Dirty came out, I performed it with dancers and 185 00:08:54,800 --> 00:08:57,040 Speaker 2: like Chaps, the whole thing so awesome. 186 00:08:57,480 --> 00:09:01,520 Speaker 4: I was in the night life New York ether but 187 00:09:01,600 --> 00:09:04,360 Speaker 4: also doing an off Broadway show that had billboards everywhere, 188 00:09:04,720 --> 00:09:07,560 Speaker 4: and so this show is happening, this TV show. No 189 00:09:07,559 --> 00:09:09,480 Speaker 4: one's heard of it. It's not like something I would 190 00:09:09,520 --> 00:09:12,640 Speaker 4: even have heard about. So I get an audition. I 191 00:09:12,720 --> 00:09:16,760 Speaker 4: want to say, like a Wednesday for a Thursday. And 192 00:09:16,920 --> 00:09:20,079 Speaker 4: all I was told, which might sound strange to our 193 00:09:20,120 --> 00:09:24,400 Speaker 4: listeners here and our viewers, they're looking for a night 194 00:09:24,440 --> 00:09:30,400 Speaker 4: life expert who will will join a team of dynamic 195 00:09:31,000 --> 00:09:36,959 Speaker 4: hosts think Charlie's Angels meets Trading Spaces meets the view 196 00:09:37,200 --> 00:09:42,040 Speaker 4: Like there was no reference. So so I remember thinking, well, 197 00:09:42,080 --> 00:09:46,520 Speaker 4: it's probably going to help financially fill you know, the 198 00:09:46,600 --> 00:09:48,720 Speaker 4: void and pay that I have in my life at 199 00:09:48,720 --> 00:09:51,400 Speaker 4: the moment. And so I had a night life gig. 200 00:09:51,440 --> 00:09:52,840 Speaker 4: I was like, I could be a night I know 201 00:09:52,920 --> 00:09:54,839 Speaker 4: New York like the back of my hand. Every time 202 00:09:54,840 --> 00:09:57,280 Speaker 4: a tours comes to see your Broadway show. What are 203 00:09:57,280 --> 00:10:00,880 Speaker 4: they asking you for your recommendations? So on Thursday I 204 00:10:00,920 --> 00:10:02,679 Speaker 4: went in. I sat across from what would be our 205 00:10:02,760 --> 00:10:06,640 Speaker 4: product placement woman would formally come from casting, and she's 206 00:10:06,679 --> 00:10:08,480 Speaker 4: talking to me and she says, I want you to 207 00:10:08,520 --> 00:10:11,760 Speaker 4: take me on a date. As a divorced dad living 208 00:10:11,800 --> 00:10:14,600 Speaker 4: on Long Island. Take me on a romantic New York 209 00:10:14,600 --> 00:10:17,760 Speaker 4: City date. Easy for me because again, with so many 210 00:10:17,760 --> 00:10:19,840 Speaker 4: tourists coming in and out in New York, you have 211 00:10:19,880 --> 00:10:21,760 Speaker 4: your finger on the pulse because you're directing them on 212 00:10:21,840 --> 00:10:24,160 Speaker 4: things to do that they've not heard of. So she 213 00:10:24,280 --> 00:10:25,640 Speaker 4: was like, I love that. How old are you and 214 00:10:25,679 --> 00:10:28,200 Speaker 4: I said twenty three? She said you're twenty seven. She 215 00:10:28,240 --> 00:10:30,520 Speaker 4: said okay, and she goes, where'd you go to college? 216 00:10:30,559 --> 00:10:32,320 Speaker 4: I said, well, I started to go to Wagner, but 217 00:10:32,360 --> 00:10:34,400 Speaker 4: then I got rint. She only went for like, you know, 218 00:10:34,559 --> 00:10:36,559 Speaker 4: a month and a half. She goes, you graduated. I'm 219 00:10:36,559 --> 00:10:37,760 Speaker 4: going to give you a call back tomorrow. 220 00:10:37,760 --> 00:10:38,360 Speaker 2: So I go in. 221 00:10:39,200 --> 00:10:42,920 Speaker 4: I'm sitting in a waiting room with I felt like 222 00:10:43,080 --> 00:10:47,960 Speaker 4: a room full of like gay people of color and 223 00:10:48,000 --> 00:10:50,480 Speaker 4: I so I was like, okay, they're looking for this 224 00:10:50,600 --> 00:10:53,640 Speaker 4: role to be someone of color gay. Well, I knew 225 00:10:53,640 --> 00:10:55,120 Speaker 4: you had to be openly gay, which, by the way, 226 00:10:55,120 --> 00:10:59,320 Speaker 4: in two thousand and three was a huge, possibly career 227 00:10:59,720 --> 00:11:00,720 Speaker 4: end decision. 228 00:11:01,000 --> 00:11:04,120 Speaker 2: Yeah, and this is again, you're not playing a role. 229 00:11:04,559 --> 00:11:08,280 Speaker 4: This is a docuseries that's documenting the work of these 230 00:11:08,320 --> 00:11:12,040 Speaker 4: five men who have expertise in these categories. So I'm thinking, 231 00:11:13,240 --> 00:11:17,720 Speaker 4: I mean, whatever, it's on Bravo. Nobody watches Bravo. This 232 00:11:17,840 --> 00:11:20,200 Speaker 4: is literally what I'm thinking. No one's gonna see it. 233 00:11:20,200 --> 00:11:22,040 Speaker 4: And by the way, I wasn't alone on that. So 234 00:11:22,400 --> 00:11:25,000 Speaker 4: I go into the room. There's three chairs that's Fate 235 00:11:25,040 --> 00:11:29,000 Speaker 4: that are facing a boardroom. There are NBC on one side, 236 00:11:29,080 --> 00:11:31,280 Speaker 4: Bravo on the other, so that means Andy Cohen's in 237 00:11:31,320 --> 00:11:33,720 Speaker 4: the room. The head of NBC blah blah, the creator 238 00:11:33,760 --> 00:11:35,120 Speaker 4: and director of the show are at the head of 239 00:11:35,200 --> 00:11:37,480 Speaker 4: the table furthest from me and these three chairs. 240 00:11:37,520 --> 00:11:39,640 Speaker 2: And so I sit in the empty seat and there's. 241 00:11:39,440 --> 00:11:41,559 Speaker 4: A brightly dressed blonde guy to my right and sort 242 00:11:41,559 --> 00:11:44,239 Speaker 4: of a gay buddy, Holly to my left. There's Carson 243 00:11:45,080 --> 00:11:49,240 Speaker 4: Carson from Drag Race and Everything, and Ted Allen from Chopped. Now, 244 00:11:49,280 --> 00:11:51,400 Speaker 4: mind you, they hadn't been on those shows yet. No 245 00:11:51,400 --> 00:11:54,040 Speaker 4: one knew who they were visually, so I sat down. 246 00:11:54,559 --> 00:11:57,080 Speaker 4: The board would proceed to ask me a question, and 247 00:11:57,200 --> 00:12:00,840 Speaker 4: these two guys kept jumping in. They were upstaging me. 248 00:12:01,320 --> 00:12:04,320 Speaker 4: They were kind of ribbing me in sort of this 249 00:12:04,400 --> 00:12:10,680 Speaker 4: kind of hazing fraternity style queer jabs reading me, and 250 00:12:10,760 --> 00:12:12,560 Speaker 4: I was like, I'm not going to get to answer 251 00:12:12,600 --> 00:12:15,000 Speaker 4: these questions and I'm not going to get this job. 252 00:12:15,360 --> 00:12:17,760 Speaker 4: But what I will do is be funny, quick, quitted, 253 00:12:17,880 --> 00:12:19,079 Speaker 4: quippy and memorable. 254 00:12:19,240 --> 00:12:22,000 Speaker 2: So NBC thinks about me for a sitcom in the future. 255 00:12:22,240 --> 00:12:25,040 Speaker 2: That was my mindset. So I threw it. 256 00:12:25,040 --> 00:12:27,760 Speaker 4: Right back to them the boardroom, everyone's laughing. Mind you, 257 00:12:27,840 --> 00:12:31,320 Speaker 4: my off proabably show. My character had platinum white hair. 258 00:12:31,440 --> 00:12:34,240 Speaker 4: This is someone made a poppet of my character and 259 00:12:34,280 --> 00:12:37,240 Speaker 4: it's literally this is what I look like. This is 260 00:12:37,280 --> 00:12:39,520 Speaker 4: the costume from the show. I had white air. I 261 00:12:39,600 --> 00:12:43,000 Speaker 4: had this lightning bolt sparkly T shirt with riped jeans 262 00:12:43,000 --> 00:12:45,400 Speaker 4: with sequence all over them, and that was my character 263 00:12:45,440 --> 00:12:47,160 Speaker 4: and that was the billboard at So I'm walking in 264 00:12:47,200 --> 00:12:50,440 Speaker 4: with like looking like mister j from Top Model. Okay, 265 00:12:50,880 --> 00:12:53,480 Speaker 4: so I leave. I have to tell you Easton, I 266 00:12:53,600 --> 00:12:57,800 Speaker 4: was so just I was like viscerally disturbed. It was 267 00:12:57,800 --> 00:13:00,600 Speaker 4: a Friday. This is my callback. I into the theater 268 00:13:00,760 --> 00:13:03,560 Speaker 4: to try to do the glitter on get ready for 269 00:13:03,600 --> 00:13:06,320 Speaker 4: the show, and I'm like. I call my agent, who 270 00:13:06,400 --> 00:13:08,520 Speaker 4: was a different agent agency had never met him before. 271 00:13:08,559 --> 00:13:10,360 Speaker 2: He was a hosting agent. I said, listen, man, you 272 00:13:10,360 --> 00:13:10,760 Speaker 2: don't know me. 273 00:13:10,800 --> 00:13:12,720 Speaker 4: I don't know you, But what I do know is 274 00:13:13,120 --> 00:13:15,440 Speaker 4: I just made a fool out of myself. I was 275 00:13:15,559 --> 00:13:19,200 Speaker 4: so utterly humiliated. These two guys must want the job 276 00:13:19,280 --> 00:13:22,199 Speaker 4: better than me, or they want it more. And I 277 00:13:23,120 --> 00:13:24,920 Speaker 4: don't ever want to go out for anything like that 278 00:13:24,920 --> 00:13:27,200 Speaker 4: ever again, he said, noted nice medium. 279 00:13:27,840 --> 00:13:29,960 Speaker 2: An hour later he calls back. He goes, I guess 280 00:13:29,960 --> 00:13:30,800 Speaker 2: you didn't do that bad. 281 00:13:30,880 --> 00:13:33,679 Speaker 4: You start Monday who And all of a sudden, then 282 00:13:33,720 --> 00:13:35,680 Speaker 4: the producers called me to congratulate me. 283 00:13:35,760 --> 00:13:37,559 Speaker 2: They came to see the musical I was in over 284 00:13:37,559 --> 00:13:38,080 Speaker 2: the weekend. 285 00:13:38,880 --> 00:13:41,680 Speaker 4: The boys came to my Monday night twist and cabaret 286 00:13:42,120 --> 00:13:45,000 Speaker 4: show at this club on Monday night. I went to 287 00:13:45,080 --> 00:13:50,360 Speaker 4: their meetings and I started shooting that Tuesday. So I 288 00:13:50,360 --> 00:13:53,640 Speaker 4: would work from six am sometimes till seven point thirty. 289 00:13:53,640 --> 00:13:56,280 Speaker 4: And the rule that the theater had given was as 290 00:13:56,280 --> 00:13:58,559 Speaker 4: long as you could make it to the theater by 291 00:13:58,640 --> 00:14:01,600 Speaker 4: eight or five. Well, hold curtain for you, because I 292 00:14:01,720 --> 00:14:03,480 Speaker 4: was like the I was the name, you know, I 293 00:14:03,480 --> 00:14:04,720 Speaker 4: was like a bit of a name in New York. 294 00:14:04,960 --> 00:14:06,959 Speaker 4: So and this is before career. I so I'm doing 295 00:14:07,000 --> 00:14:09,439 Speaker 4: both at the same time, and I knew I was 296 00:14:09,440 --> 00:14:14,480 Speaker 4: a replacement. So I shot episode three sequentially, but when 297 00:14:14,520 --> 00:14:18,040 Speaker 4: it aired to the viewer, that was episode one, and 298 00:14:18,080 --> 00:14:21,600 Speaker 4: then they aired the ones that they had shot first 299 00:14:21,640 --> 00:14:25,080 Speaker 4: and second as episodes two and three and labeled the 300 00:14:25,120 --> 00:14:28,480 Speaker 4: guy who originated the role as a guest culture expert. 301 00:14:28,600 --> 00:14:31,440 Speaker 2: Gotcha, Yeah, so that's how that all went down. 302 00:14:40,880 --> 00:14:43,480 Speaker 1: Something about your role on the show. I mean, like 303 00:14:44,600 --> 00:14:48,280 Speaker 1: with the other guys, it's like fashion, cooking, uh, the 304 00:14:48,440 --> 00:14:51,640 Speaker 1: like home decord, those are all like tangible. Yeah, these 305 00:14:51,680 --> 00:14:54,880 Speaker 1: are all like tangible things. They exist in three dimensional space. 306 00:14:54,920 --> 00:14:58,520 Speaker 1: But like you as the like culture expert, I mean, 307 00:14:58,560 --> 00:14:59,960 Speaker 1: what was this down for you? 308 00:15:00,160 --> 00:15:01,920 Speaker 4: Okay, great, So this is a really good question. I 309 00:15:01,960 --> 00:15:05,360 Speaker 4: think Caramo and I have my successor on the Netflix version. 310 00:15:05,400 --> 00:15:07,480 Speaker 4: I have talked about this in great detail, but you know, 311 00:15:07,640 --> 00:15:10,120 Speaker 4: imagine how it works is you show up to the 312 00:15:10,160 --> 00:15:13,480 Speaker 4: meetings on Monday, who we are going to be discussing 313 00:15:13,800 --> 00:15:17,440 Speaker 4: are generally two guys who the guy is next week 314 00:15:17,880 --> 00:15:20,239 Speaker 4: and or rather this week. 315 00:15:20,080 --> 00:15:22,680 Speaker 2: Coming, and the guy who's the week after. 316 00:15:23,240 --> 00:15:25,640 Speaker 4: So you're doing final touches on the person you're going 317 00:15:25,680 --> 00:15:28,320 Speaker 4: to be working with tomorrow, and then you're going to 318 00:15:28,360 --> 00:15:31,560 Speaker 4: be forward producing what is going to be happening a 319 00:15:31,600 --> 00:15:34,800 Speaker 4: week from now. So we get a dossier, and in 320 00:15:34,840 --> 00:15:38,560 Speaker 4: that dossier, producers have interviewed this guy. If relevant, there's 321 00:15:38,560 --> 00:15:42,240 Speaker 4: photos of his home, of his kitchen, of his hair, 322 00:15:42,480 --> 00:15:45,800 Speaker 4: of his closet. So now all the other categories have 323 00:15:45,880 --> 00:15:52,680 Speaker 4: a visual example of deficit of need. And for culture, 324 00:15:53,320 --> 00:15:57,320 Speaker 4: the producer has to assess, after meeting them, spending some 325 00:15:57,360 --> 00:16:00,840 Speaker 4: time with them and their family, where they might be 326 00:16:00,960 --> 00:16:06,400 Speaker 4: lacking in non tangible ways and how I could be 327 00:16:06,400 --> 00:16:08,320 Speaker 4: an asset to them. And that is a really tricky 328 00:16:08,320 --> 00:16:11,760 Speaker 4: thing because they present me with a blurb a paragraph, 329 00:16:11,840 --> 00:16:15,320 Speaker 4: and then I am supposed to interpret, without having met 330 00:16:15,320 --> 00:16:19,440 Speaker 4: this person, what that paragraph might mean via someone else's 331 00:16:19,520 --> 00:16:22,360 Speaker 4: lens of them, and then come up with a physical 332 00:16:22,520 --> 00:16:26,480 Speaker 4: tangible thing to give them and a physical thing for 333 00:16:26,600 --> 00:16:29,320 Speaker 4: them to do the thing with me. And Karama is 334 00:16:29,400 --> 00:16:31,800 Speaker 4: Karamo really fought because of his social work or background 335 00:16:32,120 --> 00:16:36,600 Speaker 4: to have a conversation be just the segment and having 336 00:16:36,640 --> 00:16:39,520 Speaker 4: that shift be inward and maybe not for a camera. 337 00:16:39,920 --> 00:16:42,920 Speaker 4: Not at the time, maybe see Bravo was like, absolutely not, Jane. 338 00:16:42,720 --> 00:16:43,560 Speaker 2: Needs to physically. 339 00:16:43,720 --> 00:16:45,680 Speaker 4: That's why so many times you'd seen me giving him 340 00:16:46,120 --> 00:16:49,040 Speaker 4: a book or theater tickets in addition to what everything else. 341 00:16:49,240 --> 00:16:51,080 Speaker 2: I didn't want to do that, but I had to. 342 00:16:51,560 --> 00:16:53,720 Speaker 4: I also had to wear a blazer, even if I 343 00:16:53,720 --> 00:16:56,000 Speaker 4: wore a T shirt in the middle of summer, because 344 00:16:56,000 --> 00:16:58,800 Speaker 4: it would age me up because I was a decade younger. 345 00:16:59,080 --> 00:17:02,000 Speaker 4: So I had these on me that the other guys 346 00:17:02,000 --> 00:17:05,440 Speaker 4: didn't have, and so it was really kind of interesting. 347 00:17:05,480 --> 00:17:07,800 Speaker 4: But yeah, it was the category that should have been 348 00:17:07,840 --> 00:17:11,359 Speaker 4: labeled something else, but needed and I wish now at 349 00:17:11,400 --> 00:17:16,040 Speaker 4: forty six, I would have had the moxie or the 350 00:17:16,080 --> 00:17:20,000 Speaker 4: confidence to advocate for myself and give pushback. I didn't 351 00:17:20,040 --> 00:17:22,720 Speaker 4: do that season one. I started to season two and through. 352 00:17:22,800 --> 00:17:25,439 Speaker 4: Once we got a little sparkle, once we got you know, 353 00:17:25,520 --> 00:17:30,040 Speaker 4: the Emmy and everything, I was like, Okay, I need 354 00:17:30,080 --> 00:17:33,080 Speaker 4: to start speaking up for myself. And especially because we 355 00:17:33,119 --> 00:17:36,480 Speaker 4: had cycling in of different directors all the time who 356 00:17:36,480 --> 00:17:39,240 Speaker 4: did not know us and had seen the show, and 357 00:17:39,640 --> 00:17:41,880 Speaker 4: you know you're shooting for a week and that's edited 358 00:17:41,920 --> 00:17:44,520 Speaker 4: to forty two forty three minutes. They don't know me, 359 00:17:44,760 --> 00:17:46,479 Speaker 4: you know, so they don't know what I'm capable of. 360 00:17:46,520 --> 00:17:49,600 Speaker 4: So I had to really advocate. But the category culture 361 00:17:49,880 --> 00:17:51,680 Speaker 4: is such a broad one. I did not want to 362 00:17:51,720 --> 00:17:54,000 Speaker 4: be remembered as just like the Puerto Rican Emily post. 363 00:17:55,040 --> 00:17:57,240 Speaker 4: You know, that was not the goal, and so I 364 00:17:57,280 --> 00:18:00,840 Speaker 4: think for me, I found unique and different ways to 365 00:18:01,000 --> 00:18:04,280 Speaker 4: lean into my strengths. And I also bonded with a 366 00:18:04,320 --> 00:18:06,840 Speaker 4: straight guy because there were so many times after he'd 367 00:18:06,880 --> 00:18:09,080 Speaker 4: been comedically beat up by the other guys that I 368 00:18:09,119 --> 00:18:10,960 Speaker 4: was like, I know, I get it, I get it 369 00:18:11,000 --> 00:18:12,879 Speaker 4: from when I are the same body. But we're going 370 00:18:12,920 --> 00:18:14,640 Speaker 4: to figure this out together. And so in many ways, 371 00:18:14,680 --> 00:18:17,560 Speaker 4: I says Wingman. And I was also sort of what 372 00:18:17,640 --> 00:18:21,359 Speaker 4: I labeled the concierge of cool, which is, if life 373 00:18:21,400 --> 00:18:23,639 Speaker 4: is your hotel, I'm going to direct you in the 374 00:18:23,680 --> 00:18:27,000 Speaker 4: right avenue of something you didn't know existed but have 375 00:18:27,080 --> 00:18:30,160 Speaker 4: always secretly wanted, all along with something to remedy your life, 376 00:18:30,160 --> 00:18:33,080 Speaker 4: make your life easier, or expand your life and make 377 00:18:33,119 --> 00:18:35,200 Speaker 4: it bigger in a way that I think would benefit you. 378 00:18:35,960 --> 00:18:38,439 Speaker 1: I love it. I love it so much. And you 379 00:18:38,440 --> 00:18:39,959 Speaker 1: know I used to watch the show and be and 380 00:18:40,400 --> 00:18:42,320 Speaker 1: like part of it would be like, oh, of course, 381 00:18:42,480 --> 00:18:47,800 Speaker 1: like straight guys, it's up to gay men to help 382 00:18:47,840 --> 00:18:50,040 Speaker 1: a straight guy be like better, Like why is it 383 00:18:50,080 --> 00:18:53,919 Speaker 1: your responsibility to like make straight people like palatable to 384 00:18:53,960 --> 00:18:54,320 Speaker 1: the world? 385 00:18:54,359 --> 00:18:54,560 Speaker 3: You know? 386 00:18:54,800 --> 00:18:56,560 Speaker 4: Yeah, well, you know It's funny about that is women 387 00:18:56,760 --> 00:18:59,920 Speaker 4: have been saying to their husband's partners, whoever for you 388 00:19:00,160 --> 00:19:03,280 Speaker 4: years before we showed up, the same thing we say 389 00:19:03,280 --> 00:19:05,919 Speaker 4: at once, and they're like okay. And I think the 390 00:19:06,000 --> 00:19:09,399 Speaker 4: role reversal of the locker room hazing that many of 391 00:19:09,480 --> 00:19:14,320 Speaker 4: us got or whatever from gay from straight guys, reversing 392 00:19:14,480 --> 00:19:18,280 Speaker 4: and flipping that switch and empowering us, highlighting that many 393 00:19:18,320 --> 00:19:22,280 Speaker 4: of us, in a comedic cliche way, have expertise in 394 00:19:22,320 --> 00:19:27,280 Speaker 4: this era, not all, not all, And I think that 395 00:19:27,400 --> 00:19:30,960 Speaker 4: kind of comedically gave us a platform. And by the way, 396 00:19:31,000 --> 00:19:34,600 Speaker 4: we're now off the wings of queer's folk l word 397 00:19:34,760 --> 00:19:38,040 Speaker 4: will and grace. And so there's this that we did 398 00:19:38,200 --> 00:19:41,040 Speaker 4: shot this cover of Vanity Fair and they mixed up 399 00:19:41,080 --> 00:19:43,760 Speaker 4: all the casts of the current shows that had queer 400 00:19:43,840 --> 00:19:46,040 Speaker 4: content in the early odds, and it was like what's 401 00:19:46,119 --> 00:19:47,560 Speaker 4: next for gay TV? 402 00:19:47,680 --> 00:19:49,680 Speaker 2: And yeah, we were a gay show. 403 00:19:49,720 --> 00:19:51,960 Speaker 4: I mean we didn't fully have all the colors of 404 00:19:51,960 --> 00:19:54,480 Speaker 4: the rainbow, but we did, you know, even makeover. I 405 00:19:54,480 --> 00:19:57,800 Speaker 4: think one of the first trends men to get a 406 00:19:57,840 --> 00:20:00,720 Speaker 4: makeover on television was on Queer Eye in two thousand 407 00:20:00,760 --> 00:20:03,919 Speaker 4: and like four or five. So we were progressive. And 408 00:20:03,960 --> 00:20:07,960 Speaker 4: I think at that time the reason why so many 409 00:20:08,160 --> 00:20:11,600 Speaker 4: straight folks watched was because A was in the title 410 00:20:11,880 --> 00:20:14,880 Speaker 4: for that. But I found throughout the years so many 411 00:20:16,200 --> 00:20:20,359 Speaker 4: teenagers and closeted folks in their twenties and such would 412 00:20:20,359 --> 00:20:23,240 Speaker 4: say I used to sneak upstairs and watch Queer Eye, 413 00:20:23,280 --> 00:20:23,800 Speaker 4: and I was like. 414 00:20:23,960 --> 00:20:24,679 Speaker 2: You didn't have to. 415 00:20:25,359 --> 00:20:29,560 Speaker 4: It was prescribed for your straightness, even though you weren't straight. 416 00:20:29,600 --> 00:20:31,840 Speaker 2: You know, they didn't want to be guilty by association. 417 00:20:34,119 --> 00:20:37,159 Speaker 1: So something that really stuck with me over the years 418 00:20:37,280 --> 00:20:39,800 Speaker 1: is like, at the end of the episode, sometimes you 419 00:20:39,760 --> 00:20:43,680 Speaker 1: do these like quick little tips and hip tips, hip tips, 420 00:20:43,760 --> 00:20:46,199 Speaker 1: hip tips. The one that I will never forget it 421 00:20:46,280 --> 00:20:48,359 Speaker 1: his I can't remember lost time I open to CD case, 422 00:20:48,440 --> 00:20:49,120 Speaker 1: but I will. 423 00:20:50,520 --> 00:20:50,600 Speaker 4: Do. 424 00:20:50,840 --> 00:20:51,639 Speaker 1: Do you know I'm talking about that? 425 00:20:51,880 --> 00:20:55,440 Speaker 2: I know because Virgin Megastore I would see them do it. Yeah, 426 00:20:55,720 --> 00:20:57,680 Speaker 2: And I was like huh. 427 00:20:57,720 --> 00:21:00,160 Speaker 4: And you know you have to have like a very 428 00:21:00,480 --> 00:21:03,760 Speaker 4: blunt granite or something like marble, and you could just 429 00:21:03,800 --> 00:21:08,000 Speaker 4: slide the wrapping off the CD case and it would 430 00:21:08,040 --> 00:21:10,000 Speaker 4: break open because it was always so hard to get 431 00:21:10,040 --> 00:21:11,920 Speaker 4: the CD out of the case if you didn't have 432 00:21:11,960 --> 00:21:13,359 Speaker 4: like a key or nine or something. 433 00:21:13,440 --> 00:21:16,639 Speaker 1: Yes, yes, and frameone. What we're talking about. The shrink 434 00:21:16,640 --> 00:21:19,000 Speaker 1: wrap on like a CD jewel case used to be 435 00:21:19,600 --> 00:21:22,320 Speaker 1: a herculean effort to get it off. And my friends 436 00:21:22,320 --> 00:21:23,960 Speaker 1: in Fab five, my friends, they taught me to you 437 00:21:24,040 --> 00:21:25,720 Speaker 1: rub it against the edge of like a table, and 438 00:21:25,760 --> 00:21:28,200 Speaker 1: I ruined a couple of countertops doing this. 439 00:21:28,440 --> 00:21:30,480 Speaker 2: Yeah, we didn't give a caveat them. You're gonna ruin 440 00:21:30,560 --> 00:21:32,280 Speaker 2: things you're going to get to hear your music? 441 00:21:32,359 --> 00:21:32,600 Speaker 4: Yeah. 442 00:21:32,800 --> 00:21:35,320 Speaker 1: Do you have a favorite hip tip that sticks out 443 00:21:35,359 --> 00:21:35,560 Speaker 1: to you? 444 00:21:35,600 --> 00:21:35,840 Speaker 2: One? 445 00:21:36,359 --> 00:21:39,200 Speaker 4: There's so many that are not my category that get 446 00:21:39,400 --> 00:21:43,280 Speaker 4: parroted back to me. And one is in terms of fragrance, 447 00:21:43,640 --> 00:21:47,160 Speaker 4: spray delay and do you know the end of that spray. 448 00:21:46,880 --> 00:21:50,040 Speaker 2: Delay walk into it? Yep? I remember that spray. 449 00:21:49,800 --> 00:21:51,840 Speaker 4: Delay walk away. People say that to me all the time. 450 00:21:52,119 --> 00:21:55,920 Speaker 4: And how about shaving? Do you remember anything about how 451 00:21:56,040 --> 00:21:57,720 Speaker 4: to shave what direction? 452 00:21:58,160 --> 00:22:01,920 Speaker 1: Oh, against the green? No, with the grain. 453 00:22:02,800 --> 00:22:05,800 Speaker 4: Yeah, I know, well we're gonna have to that's a fine. 454 00:22:05,800 --> 00:22:08,120 Speaker 4: I'll send you the episode turn it out. But those 455 00:22:08,119 --> 00:22:10,080 Speaker 4: are the two things peop were like. Shaving with the grain, 456 00:22:10,160 --> 00:22:11,960 Speaker 4: I learned how to shave. I mean I still go 457 00:22:12,080 --> 00:22:14,160 Speaker 4: a little, you know, trying to get a close shaver 458 00:22:14,200 --> 00:22:16,840 Speaker 4: or something. But but yeah, there was a lot of things, 459 00:22:16,840 --> 00:22:19,960 Speaker 4: a lot of really cool things, especially and specifically about 460 00:22:20,000 --> 00:22:23,800 Speaker 4: like fit of things. I never in my early twenties 461 00:22:23,800 --> 00:22:27,159 Speaker 4: would have considered taking things that were slightly ill fitting 462 00:22:27,440 --> 00:22:30,280 Speaker 4: to a tailor and how you don't need to buy 463 00:22:30,320 --> 00:22:34,160 Speaker 4: expensive clothing. You just you're going to look better if 464 00:22:34,240 --> 00:22:37,960 Speaker 4: the garment you've selected for yourself that you love fits 465 00:22:38,200 --> 00:22:40,960 Speaker 4: your body and you can get it to fit your 466 00:22:40,960 --> 00:22:43,560 Speaker 4: body by taking it to a tailor to make some 467 00:22:43,640 --> 00:22:47,560 Speaker 4: slight adjustments. Never would have thought of that, and that 468 00:22:47,720 --> 00:22:50,080 Speaker 4: was something that I've taken away I think from the 469 00:22:50,119 --> 00:22:52,240 Speaker 4: show with me. I think there was a lot of things, 470 00:22:52,280 --> 00:22:54,960 Speaker 4: like especially like remembering someone's name, you know, if we 471 00:22:55,080 --> 00:22:57,520 Speaker 4: meet you know you, like like Easton, J Nice to 472 00:22:57,560 --> 00:23:01,040 Speaker 4: meet meet you, Easton, you know, like repeating someone's name back. 473 00:23:01,160 --> 00:23:03,119 Speaker 2: That was mono minded. I still do that. 474 00:23:03,119 --> 00:23:07,119 Speaker 4: That's helpful to use it throughout the conversation and early conversations. 475 00:23:08,240 --> 00:23:09,359 Speaker 2: That was a good tip. 476 00:23:09,400 --> 00:23:13,479 Speaker 4: I feel there were some funny ones, some lighthearted ones. 477 00:23:13,600 --> 00:23:15,800 Speaker 2: I mean, you know, we would. 478 00:23:15,520 --> 00:23:19,359 Speaker 4: Pitch our sort of producing team on different things, and 479 00:23:19,359 --> 00:23:21,280 Speaker 4: then we would get copy and if we liked. 480 00:23:21,200 --> 00:23:23,000 Speaker 2: It, we would use it, and if we didn't, you know, 481 00:23:23,119 --> 00:23:23,680 Speaker 2: we wouldn't. 482 00:23:25,000 --> 00:23:26,840 Speaker 4: But yeah, it was really really kind of fun in 483 00:23:26,880 --> 00:23:30,040 Speaker 4: that era because I think people really like that. It's 484 00:23:30,040 --> 00:23:33,920 Speaker 4: a great little tag to a show. I wonder I'm 485 00:23:33,960 --> 00:23:36,159 Speaker 4: sure the new version still does that. They might not 486 00:23:36,240 --> 00:23:38,199 Speaker 4: label it the same way, but I believe from the 487 00:23:38,200 --> 00:23:39,720 Speaker 4: episodes I've seen they still do it. 488 00:23:39,720 --> 00:23:40,520 Speaker 2: It's a good tradition. 489 00:23:40,800 --> 00:23:43,520 Speaker 1: Yeah, it's great and I love it, and it stands 490 00:23:43,520 --> 00:23:44,160 Speaker 1: the test of time. 491 00:23:44,320 --> 00:23:45,040 Speaker 2: It's life acts. 492 00:23:45,200 --> 00:23:48,000 Speaker 1: Yeah, life acts, baby Wearing it out with Jay Rodriguez. 493 00:23:48,000 --> 00:23:50,320 Speaker 1: This is the I Smell Pop Culture Podcast. We're gonna 494 00:23:50,320 --> 00:23:52,639 Speaker 1: play some commercials right here, so please listen to them. 495 00:23:52,680 --> 00:24:04,000 Speaker 1: I need this job. It's I Smell pop Culture. I 496 00:24:04,080 --> 00:24:06,000 Speaker 1: Smell pop culture and you smell it too. I'm hanging 497 00:24:06,000 --> 00:24:08,760 Speaker 1: out with Jay Rodriguez, one of the Fab five from 498 00:24:08,880 --> 00:24:14,160 Speaker 1: Queer Eye so you dropped for the Street Guy. Uh, yeah, 499 00:24:14,440 --> 00:24:16,960 Speaker 1: the season one. Yeah, and it's it's funny because it 500 00:24:17,600 --> 00:24:19,520 Speaker 1: in my head, I'm always like, I want to call 501 00:24:19,520 --> 00:24:20,800 Speaker 1: it that because I just thought it was kind of fun. 502 00:24:20,840 --> 00:24:22,119 Speaker 1: But Queer Eye is easier to say. 503 00:24:22,600 --> 00:24:28,880 Speaker 4: Even the producers who were insistent on it being dropped 504 00:24:29,320 --> 00:24:31,280 Speaker 4: after season one because we wanted to be able. We 505 00:24:31,280 --> 00:24:33,920 Speaker 4: were making over everybody you know in the house, and 506 00:24:33,920 --> 00:24:36,000 Speaker 4: and certainly we didn't make over only straight up. 507 00:24:36,000 --> 00:24:38,560 Speaker 2: The majority of them were straight guys. But they wanted 508 00:24:38,560 --> 00:24:39,760 Speaker 2: to drop it, and so they did. 509 00:24:40,880 --> 00:24:45,960 Speaker 4: But now when we do any cross press like we were, 510 00:24:46,400 --> 00:24:49,160 Speaker 4: Vice President Harris invited us to the White House last June. 511 00:24:49,200 --> 00:24:53,600 Speaker 4: It was me, Carson Caromo, JVN, and the creators and 512 00:24:53,640 --> 00:24:56,760 Speaker 4: executive producers of Queer Eye, and they were referencing our 513 00:24:56,840 --> 00:24:59,359 Speaker 4: version as for the Straight Guy. But I'm like, you 514 00:24:59,400 --> 00:25:02,320 Speaker 4: guys were so insistent that after the first season it 515 00:25:02,359 --> 00:25:05,640 Speaker 4: was just fear and even even the logos, everything was just. 516 00:25:06,119 --> 00:25:08,760 Speaker 2: Clear, right. But everyone says for the strike, I don't 517 00:25:09,040 --> 00:25:11,600 Speaker 2: I don't mind, but I know that we made over women. 518 00:25:12,600 --> 00:25:15,000 Speaker 4: You know, we made over trends, men, we made over 519 00:25:15,440 --> 00:25:17,960 Speaker 4: you know, it wasn't just straight we made over. 520 00:25:17,880 --> 00:25:18,920 Speaker 2: Some gay guys on the show. 521 00:25:19,040 --> 00:25:23,720 Speaker 4: We also made it for some men who later joined 522 00:25:23,720 --> 00:25:25,760 Speaker 4: the Alphabet Mafia we found out. 523 00:25:26,200 --> 00:25:29,400 Speaker 1: You know, so you never know, now, if you had 524 00:25:29,440 --> 00:25:32,760 Speaker 1: to give a makeover to Luke from Gilmour Girls, what 525 00:25:33,200 --> 00:25:34,520 Speaker 1: what tips would you have for him? 526 00:25:35,080 --> 00:25:37,159 Speaker 4: I mean, you know, so much, so much of the 527 00:25:37,200 --> 00:25:40,119 Speaker 4: clothing I just did to rewatch. So much of the 528 00:25:40,240 --> 00:25:44,560 Speaker 4: clothing was of the time, so it was interesting to 529 00:25:44,640 --> 00:25:47,960 Speaker 4: see things like fit of like button ups and stuff 530 00:25:47,960 --> 00:25:52,360 Speaker 4: were really baggy dress shirts, dress shirts like really blousey. 531 00:25:52,800 --> 00:25:54,160 Speaker 2: I don't think that would fly now. 532 00:25:54,240 --> 00:25:56,720 Speaker 4: I think someone in costuming would have taken them in 533 00:25:56,760 --> 00:25:58,960 Speaker 4: a little bit. I mean, I think Luke is such 534 00:25:58,960 --> 00:26:02,919 Speaker 4: a handsome guy that I think there's a piece of 535 00:26:03,080 --> 00:26:05,800 Speaker 4: me that like kind of enjoys the aesthetic of it all. 536 00:26:06,119 --> 00:26:08,160 Speaker 4: But I think I would have worked on fit overall. 537 00:26:08,280 --> 00:26:09,480 Speaker 4: Note the fit. 538 00:26:09,760 --> 00:26:12,359 Speaker 1: All right, Well, the guy who plays Luke is on 539 00:26:12,400 --> 00:26:15,800 Speaker 1: this podcast too, so I will pass that along. That's 540 00:26:15,840 --> 00:26:16,280 Speaker 1: the note. 541 00:26:16,359 --> 00:26:18,640 Speaker 4: Well, I wonder I'd be very curious how he felt 542 00:26:18,720 --> 00:26:21,359 Speaker 4: in the clothing. I mean, you know, we had all 543 00:26:21,359 --> 00:26:24,600 Speaker 4: our stuff tailored, like we had fittings with off the 544 00:26:24,720 --> 00:26:25,439 Speaker 4: rack things. 545 00:26:25,840 --> 00:26:28,120 Speaker 2: Then in the fitting like most. 546 00:26:27,960 --> 00:26:30,800 Speaker 4: Every TV show, there was someone there pinning, and then 547 00:26:30,840 --> 00:26:33,080 Speaker 4: it would go away and it would be tailored in 548 00:26:33,080 --> 00:26:34,480 Speaker 4: a week, and you know, you'd. 549 00:26:34,240 --> 00:26:36,199 Speaker 2: Have something that fit nice for camera. 550 00:26:36,520 --> 00:26:41,120 Speaker 4: And I'm curious if creatively, if it was a choice 551 00:26:41,200 --> 00:26:45,480 Speaker 4: because they live in a small town, and also if 552 00:26:45,520 --> 00:26:48,199 Speaker 4: I make an addendant to that would also just be like, 553 00:26:48,880 --> 00:26:52,600 Speaker 4: were there specific moments where if it was like a 554 00:26:52,680 --> 00:26:55,720 Speaker 4: romantic scene or something that he noticed the fit got tighter. 555 00:26:56,080 --> 00:26:59,639 Speaker 4: I'd be very curious if he felt a shift in 556 00:27:00,080 --> 00:27:03,119 Speaker 4: costuming based on what his character was up to. 557 00:27:03,800 --> 00:27:05,399 Speaker 1: That's an interesting perspective. 558 00:27:05,600 --> 00:27:08,480 Speaker 2: It influenced the scene. 559 00:27:08,840 --> 00:27:10,560 Speaker 1: Yes, if that makes sense, because those. 560 00:27:10,440 --> 00:27:13,320 Speaker 4: Were women we know, you know, if you know you 561 00:27:13,359 --> 00:27:16,320 Speaker 4: put a woman on camera in a certain color or 562 00:27:16,320 --> 00:27:19,400 Speaker 4: a certain kind of neckline. We're already alluding to where 563 00:27:19,400 --> 00:27:22,200 Speaker 4: we might be going with the scene, and I'm wondering if, 564 00:27:22,320 --> 00:27:25,919 Speaker 4: as you know, the leading man on that show, would 565 00:27:25,960 --> 00:27:27,680 Speaker 4: he have felt or even noticed it. 566 00:27:27,880 --> 00:27:28,840 Speaker 2: I'm curious. 567 00:27:29,800 --> 00:27:33,120 Speaker 1: I'm curious too. I want to take a weird pivot here. 568 00:27:33,520 --> 00:27:36,240 Speaker 1: I learned something about you earlier today that you have 569 00:27:36,359 --> 00:27:41,479 Speaker 1: had a paranormal encounter. Oh yeah, I heard your ghost story, 570 00:27:41,840 --> 00:27:43,440 Speaker 1: and you know, I'm not going to make you retell 571 00:27:43,480 --> 00:27:45,720 Speaker 1: the whole thing here, but it was it sent chills 572 00:27:45,720 --> 00:27:47,640 Speaker 1: down my spine just picturing it. 573 00:27:47,800 --> 00:27:50,960 Speaker 4: So Okay, So basically, when I was a kid, my 574 00:27:50,960 --> 00:27:55,520 Speaker 4: my mother and her sister both a single parents, and 575 00:27:55,640 --> 00:27:57,719 Speaker 4: so it was me and my cousin were three weeks apart, 576 00:27:57,760 --> 00:28:00,320 Speaker 4: my mother and her sister, like Bestie's. The four of 577 00:28:00,400 --> 00:28:02,240 Speaker 4: us go up to Lake George, which is an upstate 578 00:28:02,280 --> 00:28:05,879 Speaker 4: New York and we're at this cute little like nineteen fifty. 579 00:28:05,680 --> 00:28:07,920 Speaker 2: Style resortie thing, and. 580 00:28:09,480 --> 00:28:12,880 Speaker 4: I remember bringing my At the time, I was super 581 00:28:12,920 --> 00:28:14,840 Speaker 4: into smart, so I had a pop a smart plushy. 582 00:28:15,359 --> 00:28:18,640 Speaker 4: We spend the day doing some excursions. That night and 583 00:28:18,760 --> 00:28:19,600 Speaker 4: we're heading. 584 00:28:19,320 --> 00:28:21,440 Speaker 2: Back to the motel, and so. 585 00:28:21,400 --> 00:28:24,479 Speaker 4: We're in the motel two queen beds. When you walk in, 586 00:28:24,560 --> 00:28:25,960 Speaker 4: the first thing you see the left is the two 587 00:28:26,000 --> 00:28:28,359 Speaker 4: queen beds that are separated by a nightstand and a lamp. 588 00:28:28,800 --> 00:28:31,840 Speaker 4: Then you have a club chair in the far right. 589 00:28:31,960 --> 00:28:34,040 Speaker 4: And then if we kept walking from the entrance of 590 00:28:34,080 --> 00:28:36,680 Speaker 4: the room, all the way down is a bathroom and 591 00:28:36,760 --> 00:28:38,520 Speaker 4: when the door is open, you can see a mirror. 592 00:28:38,560 --> 00:28:40,920 Speaker 4: To the left is the shower, to the right is 593 00:28:40,920 --> 00:28:43,160 Speaker 4: the toilet. Great I set up the room, so we 594 00:28:43,240 --> 00:28:45,320 Speaker 4: go out whatever, and then our parents. We are meant 595 00:28:45,360 --> 00:28:47,920 Speaker 4: to be asleep, but we're not really sley and they've rated. 596 00:28:47,680 --> 00:28:48,200 Speaker 2: The mini bar. 597 00:28:48,280 --> 00:28:50,840 Speaker 4: They're having the little you know, like seven and sevens 598 00:28:50,880 --> 00:28:54,360 Speaker 4: or whatever they're doing, and this is the eighties, and 599 00:28:55,200 --> 00:28:57,960 Speaker 4: so we're pretending to be asleep, and all of a sudden, 600 00:28:58,080 --> 00:29:01,720 Speaker 4: I hear we are on the bed closest to the door. 601 00:29:02,280 --> 00:29:04,320 Speaker 2: I hear my mother gasp. 602 00:29:04,880 --> 00:29:08,000 Speaker 4: I jump up and look toward her, which puts me 603 00:29:08,040 --> 00:29:11,240 Speaker 4: with an eyeshot of the bathroom. That was the only 604 00:29:11,400 --> 00:29:14,520 Speaker 4: light that was on, and the door was slightly a 605 00:29:14,640 --> 00:29:20,440 Speaker 4: jar enough for us to see the passing of a figure, 606 00:29:20,560 --> 00:29:26,200 Speaker 4: a dark figure. My aunt screams, and they grab us and. 607 00:29:26,880 --> 00:29:28,800 Speaker 2: Take us out of the room and they run downstairs. 608 00:29:28,880 --> 00:29:30,480 Speaker 4: You know, these are two women in their twenties with 609 00:29:31,000 --> 00:29:33,800 Speaker 4: small kids, and you know, to like the manager on duty. 610 00:29:33,880 --> 00:29:35,800 Speaker 4: He comes and inspects the room, and mind you, at 611 00:29:35,840 --> 00:29:38,440 Speaker 4: this point, my little papa smart I had left on 612 00:29:38,480 --> 00:29:41,000 Speaker 4: the bed. He goes back, inspects the room. I can't 613 00:29:41,000 --> 00:29:43,320 Speaker 4: find it, and I look and it's under the bed, 614 00:29:43,440 --> 00:29:45,520 Speaker 4: like the middle under the bed. There's no way I 615 00:29:45,520 --> 00:29:47,920 Speaker 4: could have gotten there. So in the middle of the night. 616 00:29:48,000 --> 00:29:49,840 Speaker 4: They're determined that you know that they were going to leave, 617 00:29:49,880 --> 00:29:51,520 Speaker 4: and they're like, ladies, you don't want to drive them 618 00:29:51,520 --> 00:29:51,960 Speaker 4: on the night. 619 00:29:51,840 --> 00:29:52,240 Speaker 2: In the forest. 620 00:29:52,320 --> 00:29:54,040 Speaker 4: They don't do that, So I need you just to 621 00:29:54,160 --> 00:29:55,880 Speaker 4: stay here. You can check out in the morning. So 622 00:29:55,920 --> 00:29:58,719 Speaker 4: that's their plan. We're going to sleep. Middle of the night. 623 00:29:58,800 --> 00:30:02,600 Speaker 4: I feel like something's watching me, and I opened my 624 00:30:02,720 --> 00:30:05,400 Speaker 4: eyes and I see in the corner of the room 625 00:30:05,800 --> 00:30:10,000 Speaker 4: what appears to me to look like a nineteen fifties businessmen, 626 00:30:10,160 --> 00:30:13,200 Speaker 4: full on fedora and you know, kind of trench coat 627 00:30:13,200 --> 00:30:16,040 Speaker 4: and business you know, nineteen fifties mad men esque. And 628 00:30:16,280 --> 00:30:20,800 Speaker 4: I'm panicked and I'm freaking out, but you're paralyzed with fear. 629 00:30:21,200 --> 00:30:23,440 Speaker 4: And so I remember like him staring at me, and 630 00:30:23,480 --> 00:30:26,920 Speaker 4: I didn't feel threatened, but I don't know why. 631 00:30:27,120 --> 00:30:28,080 Speaker 2: Little me was like. 632 00:30:28,040 --> 00:30:30,880 Speaker 4: I offered him my teddy bear and he said no, 633 00:30:31,440 --> 00:30:33,400 Speaker 4: and he did this and go back to sleep. 634 00:30:33,440 --> 00:30:35,720 Speaker 2: So I don't know. I just went back to sleep. 635 00:30:36,000 --> 00:30:39,720 Speaker 4: The next morning, we're packing in a mad panic and 636 00:30:39,760 --> 00:30:42,200 Speaker 4: we have those hard SAMSONI luggages. 637 00:30:42,560 --> 00:30:43,560 Speaker 2: Mine was sky blue. 638 00:30:43,640 --> 00:30:45,800 Speaker 4: There's details to this that I remember to this day. 639 00:30:46,240 --> 00:30:49,240 Speaker 4: And so I'm packing my things, all my little stuff. 640 00:30:49,360 --> 00:30:53,160 Speaker 4: I put my plushy in there. We head out the door. 641 00:30:53,680 --> 00:30:58,360 Speaker 4: As we're driving away in my mother's Chevy Nova, I 642 00:30:58,640 --> 00:31:00,440 Speaker 4: look up to the room and I can see this 643 00:31:00,520 --> 00:31:06,040 Speaker 4: man in our room between the curtains, which were to 644 00:31:06,240 --> 00:31:09,280 Speaker 4: the left of the door if you're facing the building. 645 00:31:09,280 --> 00:31:12,760 Speaker 2: And I'm like, and he's holding the Papa Smurf And I'm. 646 00:31:12,600 --> 00:31:15,400 Speaker 4: Like, oh, So I go home and sure enough, Papa 647 00:31:15,440 --> 00:31:18,720 Speaker 4: Smarp's not in there. So years later, when I had 648 00:31:18,840 --> 00:31:21,160 Speaker 4: heard this story, I asked my mother to give me 649 00:31:21,200 --> 00:31:23,400 Speaker 4: pictures and everything to see if I could find where 650 00:31:23,400 --> 00:31:25,880 Speaker 4: this motel was. I found it because I know it's 651 00:31:25,880 --> 00:31:28,400 Speaker 4: doing a celebrity ghost story. I found the motel and 652 00:31:28,440 --> 00:31:32,680 Speaker 4: I recounted the story to I literally, I said, this 653 00:31:32,720 --> 00:31:33,760 Speaker 4: is going to sound so crazy. 654 00:31:34,040 --> 00:31:34,640 Speaker 2: How have you used it? 655 00:31:34,640 --> 00:31:36,520 Speaker 4: And they're like, actually, And they told me the story 656 00:31:36,560 --> 00:31:40,320 Speaker 4: about how this man lost his child in the pool. 657 00:31:40,440 --> 00:31:43,680 Speaker 2: The kid he was just basically not watching his kid. 658 00:31:43,520 --> 00:31:46,200 Speaker 4: And his kid drowned in the pool, and that he 659 00:31:46,680 --> 00:31:50,760 Speaker 4: is a benevolent spirit who watches over the children at 660 00:31:50,800 --> 00:31:53,040 Speaker 4: the hotel and they've never had any problems with him, 661 00:31:53,280 --> 00:31:57,520 Speaker 4: but that it's not the first time kids specifically have 662 00:31:57,600 --> 00:31:58,520 Speaker 4: seen this man. 663 00:31:58,560 --> 00:32:01,080 Speaker 2: And I felt so validated because I didn't tell her. 664 00:32:01,240 --> 00:32:03,400 Speaker 2: I didn't tell her my story. I didn't say nothing. 665 00:32:03,880 --> 00:32:07,840 Speaker 4: She volunteered it and it completely aligned with my story. 666 00:32:08,840 --> 00:32:12,120 Speaker 1: What I mean, I have chills listening to that. It's like, 667 00:32:12,480 --> 00:32:14,160 Speaker 1: I know he's a bullet and benevolent spirit. It's still 668 00:32:14,160 --> 00:32:15,440 Speaker 1: like a scary thing to see. 669 00:32:15,880 --> 00:32:17,480 Speaker 4: Yeah, as a kid. And by the way, then it 670 00:32:17,520 --> 00:32:19,440 Speaker 4: was so funny because we were not super religious at 671 00:32:19,440 --> 00:32:23,080 Speaker 4: that time, but years later my mother and my teens 672 00:32:23,120 --> 00:32:26,920 Speaker 4: became very evangelical born again Christian and so I was 673 00:32:26,960 --> 00:32:28,360 Speaker 4: always scared to kind of bring it up because I 674 00:32:28,400 --> 00:32:31,960 Speaker 4: wonder what her memory of it is, and through that 675 00:32:32,200 --> 00:32:35,480 Speaker 4: now newly a sort of religious lens, if she would 676 00:32:35,480 --> 00:32:36,800 Speaker 4: acknowledge that that happened. 677 00:32:37,040 --> 00:32:39,320 Speaker 2: And so I started with my aunt and I was like, hey, 678 00:32:40,560 --> 00:32:43,640 Speaker 2: do you remember anything weird that happened at Lake George. 679 00:32:43,720 --> 00:32:45,560 Speaker 4: She goes, you mean the man that was in the room, 680 00:32:46,000 --> 00:32:48,400 Speaker 4: and I was like yes, and she was like, no, 681 00:32:48,520 --> 00:32:49,360 Speaker 4: that really happened. 682 00:32:49,400 --> 00:32:50,280 Speaker 2: And then I asked my. 683 00:32:50,280 --> 00:32:53,200 Speaker 4: Mother and she was like, oh yeah, oh no, yeah, 684 00:32:53,200 --> 00:32:55,760 Speaker 4: I think it was something not good like you. It 685 00:32:55,840 --> 00:33:00,000 Speaker 4: was very fascinating how everyone remembered it, but no one talked. 686 00:32:59,800 --> 00:33:00,400 Speaker 2: To me it. 687 00:33:00,840 --> 00:33:03,920 Speaker 1: Yeah, oh my goodness. And it's it's one like whether 688 00:33:04,040 --> 00:33:05,960 Speaker 1: you believe or not, like when you have multiple people 689 00:33:05,960 --> 00:33:09,760 Speaker 1: that experience something so similar. I mean, my wife has 690 00:33:09,800 --> 00:33:12,480 Speaker 1: a similar story, and it's just like it's it's undeniable, 691 00:33:12,520 --> 00:33:15,760 Speaker 1: you know that something happened. Yeah, yeah, well again you 692 00:33:15,760 --> 00:33:18,479 Speaker 1: can well you can watch this on Celebrity ghost Stories 693 00:33:18,520 --> 00:33:23,320 Speaker 1: on A and E. You you mentioned cabaret earlier. Your 694 00:33:23,320 --> 00:33:24,480 Speaker 1: cabaret performance is that that? 695 00:33:24,920 --> 00:33:25,120 Speaker 4: Yeah? 696 00:33:25,120 --> 00:33:26,600 Speaker 1: I can't believe you were doing Rent when you were 697 00:33:26,600 --> 00:33:27,360 Speaker 1: like eighteen years old. 698 00:33:27,400 --> 00:33:30,800 Speaker 2: That's right out of high school. Why it's so wild 699 00:33:30,840 --> 00:33:32,000 Speaker 2: because I didn't have an age or anything. 700 00:33:32,000 --> 00:33:33,280 Speaker 4: I want to perform me or a high school and 701 00:33:33,360 --> 00:33:35,760 Speaker 4: a girl who had graduated before me was like, my 702 00:33:35,800 --> 00:33:38,680 Speaker 4: agency would love you. You need to meet with them. I, 703 00:33:38,840 --> 00:33:41,120 Speaker 4: you know, was nervous about my future, didn't know. 704 00:33:41,600 --> 00:33:42,920 Speaker 2: I met with this agency. 705 00:33:43,160 --> 00:33:45,520 Speaker 4: They gave me audition size through at law and order 706 00:33:45,520 --> 00:33:47,240 Speaker 4: for me to play some like drug dealer. 707 00:33:47,040 --> 00:33:49,800 Speaker 2: Kid, you know, a cliche Latin boy role. 708 00:33:49,880 --> 00:33:54,600 Speaker 4: And so then I remember she said can you sing? 709 00:33:54,680 --> 00:33:57,800 Speaker 4: I said yes, I sang something from Rent mid song. 710 00:33:58,320 --> 00:33:59,200 Speaker 2: She called casting. 711 00:33:59,280 --> 00:34:01,680 Speaker 4: She said, I have some some clients and today, can 712 00:34:01,720 --> 00:34:04,360 Speaker 4: you see one more? I went that very day. The 713 00:34:04,400 --> 00:34:06,600 Speaker 4: casting associate gave me a callback on the spot. The 714 00:34:06,640 --> 00:34:09,120 Speaker 4: next day the agency signed me. So I went from 715 00:34:09,200 --> 00:34:11,920 Speaker 4: Long Island to the city again to sign with his agency. 716 00:34:11,960 --> 00:34:12,960 Speaker 2: Didn't know what that meant. 717 00:34:13,320 --> 00:34:15,319 Speaker 4: Callback, callback, And then by the time I got to 718 00:34:15,360 --> 00:34:18,319 Speaker 4: the casting director, Bernard Telsea, who now casts major motion 719 00:34:18,440 --> 00:34:22,319 Speaker 4: pictures as well as TV and Broadway, he. 720 00:34:22,280 --> 00:34:24,400 Speaker 2: Said, where have you been? I was like, Oh, I 721 00:34:24,400 --> 00:34:27,240 Speaker 2: didn't have an agent or like a headshot or a resume. 722 00:34:27,360 --> 00:34:29,480 Speaker 2: He's like, I would have cast you without any of that. 723 00:34:29,520 --> 00:34:30,359 Speaker 2: You're perfect for this. 724 00:34:30,920 --> 00:34:32,600 Speaker 4: And I went through the whole process, you know, the 725 00:34:32,600 --> 00:34:36,560 Speaker 4: director of the choreographer, Jonathan Larson's parents because they owned 726 00:34:36,600 --> 00:34:38,759 Speaker 4: the estate and so they had to approve me. And 727 00:34:39,360 --> 00:34:41,319 Speaker 4: then at eighteen, I mean, I was sleeping in the 728 00:34:41,360 --> 00:34:44,680 Speaker 4: streets to get tickets in nineteen ninety seven Spring and 729 00:34:44,719 --> 00:34:47,200 Speaker 4: starring in the show Fall of nineteen ninety seven. 730 00:34:47,360 --> 00:34:51,920 Speaker 1: Incredible, it's so wild. Yeah, So if people want to 731 00:34:51,920 --> 00:34:55,200 Speaker 1: see you perform, now is how can we see you? 732 00:34:55,719 --> 00:34:56,520 Speaker 2: So here's what I do. 733 00:34:56,640 --> 00:34:59,359 Speaker 4: I basically tour with what I call the ninety minute 734 00:34:59,400 --> 00:35:03,400 Speaker 4: Raddar Glee version of my life, and I sing Top forty, 735 00:35:03,440 --> 00:35:06,279 Speaker 4: I sing Broadway, and I tell funny stories about sort 736 00:35:06,320 --> 00:35:08,600 Speaker 4: of my journey, and I always frame them a little differently. 737 00:35:09,320 --> 00:35:10,879 Speaker 4: So if I play the same venue and I feel 738 00:35:10,920 --> 00:35:12,400 Speaker 4: like it's going to be a lot of the same folks, 739 00:35:12,400 --> 00:35:16,240 Speaker 4: and I'll retitle the show and pepper in some new 740 00:35:16,680 --> 00:35:17,960 Speaker 4: songs so that people whatever. 741 00:35:18,000 --> 00:35:18,960 Speaker 2: But I keep in the favorites. 742 00:35:19,200 --> 00:35:22,240 Speaker 4: And obviously I talk about my upbringing, I talk about rent, 743 00:35:22,440 --> 00:35:25,719 Speaker 4: I talk about queer eye, spill all the tea, and 744 00:35:26,600 --> 00:35:28,560 Speaker 4: it's kind of like, you know, my biggest role models 745 00:35:28,560 --> 00:35:32,319 Speaker 4: growing up were the Lily Tomlin one person shows, the 746 00:35:32,840 --> 00:35:35,160 Speaker 4: Whoopy Goldberg, and the John leg was Amo shows, and 747 00:35:35,200 --> 00:35:37,759 Speaker 4: that's what I really wanted to do. But coming from 748 00:35:37,800 --> 00:35:39,839 Speaker 4: a musical theater background and being a sort of a 749 00:35:39,880 --> 00:35:43,400 Speaker 4: pop rock singer by trade, it felt weird to just 750 00:35:43,600 --> 00:35:45,960 Speaker 4: do it without any music. So now I just kind 751 00:35:45,960 --> 00:35:49,160 Speaker 4: of I would say, follow me at Ji Rodriguez on Insta, 752 00:35:49,239 --> 00:35:52,360 Speaker 4: and I have a Patreon and so I post clips 753 00:35:52,360 --> 00:35:54,800 Speaker 4: on there, but like I just paided a clip. I 754 00:35:54,840 --> 00:35:58,600 Speaker 4: did a cabaret show in like two weekends ago in 755 00:35:58,760 --> 00:36:01,600 Speaker 4: San Diego, and it was super fun, and I think 756 00:36:01,640 --> 00:36:04,040 Speaker 4: one of The fun things about it for me is 757 00:36:04,520 --> 00:36:07,279 Speaker 4: it's a weird part of me that even some of 758 00:36:07,280 --> 00:36:09,919 Speaker 4: my closest LA friends have never seen me do because 759 00:36:09,920 --> 00:36:11,560 Speaker 4: I'm usually traveling to do it. 760 00:36:11,600 --> 00:36:14,799 Speaker 2: And when people who know me or know me. 761 00:36:14,760 --> 00:36:18,799 Speaker 4: From television but don't know this side, they're like, you're 762 00:36:18,840 --> 00:36:21,960 Speaker 4: so You're so good, And it's not like I received 763 00:36:21,960 --> 00:36:25,400 Speaker 4: that in that way. It's more like I'm allowing folks 764 00:36:25,440 --> 00:36:29,240 Speaker 4: to see what New York audiences knew in two thousand, 765 00:36:29,520 --> 00:36:32,359 Speaker 4: you know. But I think I got so swept up 766 00:36:32,360 --> 00:36:36,680 Speaker 4: on TV and film here in Los Angeles. I never really, 767 00:36:37,760 --> 00:36:40,400 Speaker 4: you know, leaned into being like some kind of recording artists. 768 00:36:40,800 --> 00:36:43,960 Speaker 4: So all that for me is as a talker, as 769 00:36:44,000 --> 00:36:47,480 Speaker 4: a storyteller is cabaret. It's not a concert because I 770 00:36:47,600 --> 00:36:49,799 Speaker 4: like to tell stories, and so it's you know, I 771 00:36:49,880 --> 00:36:52,160 Speaker 4: love the idea of mixing those two. 772 00:36:52,200 --> 00:36:54,279 Speaker 2: And when Leslie Jordan, God Bless his. 773 00:36:54,239 --> 00:36:57,000 Speaker 4: Soul, when he was still with us, I would steal 774 00:36:57,040 --> 00:37:00,400 Speaker 4: his cabaret dates because I would play venues that he 775 00:37:00,520 --> 00:37:02,960 Speaker 4: played before me, and I thought, okay, we have a 776 00:37:02,960 --> 00:37:06,319 Speaker 4: crossover audience, so I would email the venue right after 777 00:37:06,360 --> 00:37:09,280 Speaker 4: he played there. I was like, hey, fellow show because 778 00:37:09,280 --> 00:37:11,799 Speaker 4: he would just tell stories and he would say, he's 779 00:37:11,880 --> 00:37:14,799 Speaker 4: such an incredible storyteller. So I kind of took a 780 00:37:14,840 --> 00:37:18,319 Speaker 4: page from his book and incorporated the music. And I 781 00:37:18,320 --> 00:37:20,799 Speaker 4: think the music is the big, showy kind of Oh 782 00:37:20,840 --> 00:37:22,239 Speaker 4: you didn't know I could do that, you know, And 783 00:37:22,719 --> 00:37:24,279 Speaker 4: and of course get people what they want to hear 784 00:37:24,280 --> 00:37:25,600 Speaker 4: about the projects I've been on. 785 00:37:26,160 --> 00:37:28,440 Speaker 1: I love it. You're the coolest guy in the world. 786 00:37:28,480 --> 00:37:30,440 Speaker 1: I mean, thank you so much for hanging out with 787 00:37:30,480 --> 00:37:33,120 Speaker 1: me again. Follow you, he Rodriguez. If you don't already, 788 00:37:33,120 --> 00:37:34,680 Speaker 1: you got to smash that follow button. 789 00:37:34,880 --> 00:37:37,360 Speaker 2: Is it true that you guys like you and your girlfriend? 790 00:37:37,440 --> 00:37:37,560 Speaker 4: Like? 791 00:37:38,000 --> 00:37:39,120 Speaker 2: Is you your wife? Your girlfriend? 792 00:37:39,120 --> 00:37:41,680 Speaker 1: I can't remember that's my wife? Yeah, oh wife? Love it. 793 00:37:41,960 --> 00:37:44,680 Speaker 2: I'm stalking your socials. You guys like theme parks? 794 00:37:45,400 --> 00:37:48,000 Speaker 1: Oh my goodness, Yes we do. We do. 795 00:37:48,120 --> 00:37:51,160 Speaker 2: I do too. Will you be doing Halloween horror nights? 796 00:37:51,360 --> 00:37:51,560 Speaker 2: You know? 797 00:37:51,680 --> 00:37:54,960 Speaker 1: I just became brave enough to do it. I'm new 798 00:37:55,000 --> 00:37:57,040 Speaker 1: to Halloween hornits, but I'm obsessed. I can't wait this. 799 00:37:57,160 --> 00:38:00,520 Speaker 4: So you're the guy who says no, baby, you first 800 00:38:00,560 --> 00:38:02,320 Speaker 4: and use her as a human shield. 801 00:38:02,960 --> 00:38:04,600 Speaker 1: Yes, I am got it. 802 00:38:04,680 --> 00:38:05,840 Speaker 2: I want to hang with you, guys. 803 00:38:05,880 --> 00:38:07,480 Speaker 4: I want to go with you guys. It's one of 804 00:38:07,520 --> 00:38:10,840 Speaker 4: my favorite things. I don't like horror movies. I love 805 00:38:11,520 --> 00:38:14,880 Speaker 4: watching other people get scared. It cracks me up. I 806 00:38:14,920 --> 00:38:18,120 Speaker 4: watch the YouTube clips of when Ellen would send people in. 807 00:38:18,120 --> 00:38:19,839 Speaker 2: Those mounted I can watch. 808 00:38:19,840 --> 00:38:21,879 Speaker 4: If I need to pick me up, I will watch 809 00:38:21,920 --> 00:38:24,520 Speaker 4: her little reporter go through. I've seen it a million times. 810 00:38:24,600 --> 00:38:27,080 Speaker 4: It still makes me. Anyway, we have to do a 811 00:38:27,120 --> 00:38:27,720 Speaker 4: theme park. 812 00:38:27,600 --> 00:38:28,000 Speaker 2: Is my point. 813 00:38:28,120 --> 00:38:31,279 Speaker 1: Let's do it. Yeah, I'm down anytime. Wow. Thank you, 814 00:38:31,560 --> 00:38:33,160 Speaker 1: Thank you so much again. Ja, you're the coolest guy 815 00:38:33,160 --> 00:38:33,520 Speaker 1: in the world. 816 00:38:33,520 --> 00:38:35,279 Speaker 2: Thank you, Thank you so much. Do I talk to 817 00:38:35,280 --> 00:38:35,520 Speaker 2: you soon. 818 00:38:36,600 --> 00:39:07,040 Speaker 3: Good Bye, everybody, and don't forget. 819 00:39:07,080 --> 00:39:11,160 Speaker 1: Follow us on Instagram at I Am all In podcast 820 00:39:11,239 --> 00:39:25,400 Speaker 1: and email us at Gilmore at iHeartRadio dot com.