Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang - "Queers Together!" (w/ Justin Tranter)

Episode Date: August 26, 2020

It is Bowen and Matt's thrill and pleasure to welcome songwriting dynamo and queer musical life-giver Justin Tranter! Join the Cultch boys in their track-by-track exaltation of Justin's prolific work across so many wonderful artists, because chances are they've written a bop or three for your fav at some point. A true dump of creativity! Listen for wonderful bits of process, creativity and juicy stories, from Justin's experience working with The Chicks to reuniting with Gaga after one of the biggest pop tours of all time. It's all there, plus some business up top that mostly revolves around Christine Quinn and the rest of the "Selling Sunset" group, and as always some searing IDTSHs. It's ear candy on ear candy! Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This fall on Bravo. It's time to turn up. Think you've seen it all? I don't think you've been a good friend to me lately. We're friends like that, who needs enemies? You ain't seen nothing yet. Cheers to being Germanic. With the Real Housewives of Potomac.

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You broke the rules and now you're here getting upset. Watch all new seasons on Bravo or stream it on City TV+. Let's have a real good time. I'm Julian Edelman. I'm Rob Gronkowski. And we are super excited to tell you about our new show, Dudes on Dudes. We're spilling all the behind-the-scenes stories, crazy details, and honestly, just having a blast talking football. Every week, we're discussing our favorite players of all

times, from legends to our buddies to current stars. We're finally answering the age-old question, what kind of dudes are these dudes? We're gonna find out, Jules. New episodes drop every Thursday during the NFL season. Listen to Dudes on

Dudes on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, I'm Jay Shetty, and I'm the host of On Purpose. My latest episode is with Jelly Roll. This episode is one of the most honest and raw interviews I've ever had. We go deep into Jelly Roll's life story from being in and out of prison from the age of 13

to being one of today's biggest artists. I was a desperate, delusional dreamer. Be a delusional of today's biggest artists. I was a desperate delusional dreamer. Be a delusional dreamer. Just don't be a desperate delusional dreamer. Listen to On Purpose with Jay Shetty on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Trust me, you won't want to miss this one.

On Thanksgiving Day, 1999, five-year-old Cuban boy Elian Gonzalez was found off the coast of Florida. And the question was, should the boy go back to his father in Cuba? Mr. Gonzalez wanted to go home, and he wanted to take his son with him. Or stay with his relatives in Miami? Imagine that your mother died trying to get you to freedom. Listen to Chess Peace, the Elian Gonzalez story, on the iHeartRadio app,

Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Look, Matt. Oh, I see. Wow. Oh, and look over there. Wow, is that culture? Yes.

Oh, my goodness. Wow. Las Culturistas. Ding dong. Las Culturistas. Ding dong. Las Culturistas calling. Matt. Mm-hmm. I have a feeling I know what you want to talk about.

What do you think I want to talk about? Well, Bowen actually didn't test me. I did test you. I believe it actually was a little bit of a test. It was a test. But it was also a text. Because a test can be a text. It's actually RollerCulture number 49.

A test can be a text. And vice versa. And vice versa. It's actually a verse situation. Like Zachary Quinto, maybe. Just kidding. Just throwing it out there as a possibility.

He has top energy to me actually this can all be cut I think we keep this anyway I think we keep this just throwing it out there everyone should be versed we're all adults we're all adults it's actually roller culture number 99 everyone should be versed

we're all adults alright so the text was, are you watching Selling Sunset? And I had to say I had made it through some part of the first season, but wasn't as excited as Bowen seemed to be. Bowen Yang, you are deep into Selling Sunset? Well, I am not even that deep. I mean, there are some folks out there who have i was talking to miss rose dom new she had binged the whole all three seasons in one weekend um and we were we were sort of sharing thoughts but um i was i had put this out uh last week i was asking people is it worth it i'm always

suspicious of these shows that are just all white uh that these reality shows that have all white casts right exactly i don't know what the the value in this is i don't particularly care for real estate um or for properties you think you don't you think you don't and then i mean but the i mean i don't know if it's good or bad that the show sort of like versus you there's that word again versus you in the language in like the um truly in sort of the world of real estate and now i'm just i know i'm paying attention to the counters and the finishes and all that stuff oh yeah i didn't even really know what staging meant until now and now i'm

happy that i do but i have to say it is like that's actually my part of it well the show the whole show lulls you in even with the drama because the first like five episodes of season one i would say i'm just like i don't really really, I'm just doing the dishes as I watch this. I'm not really invested. I'm not on the edge of my seat. And then all the threads sort of come together by the last two episodes in the first season. And then you're like, okay, now we're off to the races. It's sort of like Mad Men in that way, right?

Yes. So Selling selling sunset is a lot like madman reality shows it's the madman of dumb the hills offshoot reality shows which this very much is even the fonts how they introduce the characters really give me the hills and like i feel like this is like if the hills girls grew up and like were really engaged in their job and like really good at their job if it was all whitney's if it was all whitney's on the hill if it was nine whitney ports yeah and some of them sort of did fun things with their hair and they all got to sit in a like open office plan which

i love their office it's a fun office it's really fun also unfortunately i would fuck the twins would would let both the twins take me probably at the same time. Okay. And that's just my journey. You don't have to agree. You do have to respect. Yes. And this is what I'll say.

Our guest is nodding. Here's how I'm feeling about the girls. Christine Quinn could sell me a migraine for a half a million dollars. I would be too scared to say no. She is the show. She is the show. If Christine Quinn asked me, do you have dementia? I would say yes, I do have dementia.

I'd be like, yeah. Yeah, 100%. This is a reference on the show. I mean, so she and Chrishell have this big fight at the end of season one. They sure do. She takes Chrishell up on selectively forgetting something that she had said. And then Christine keeps saying the line, do you have dementia? Which is kind of wild. But if I was confronted with that line of questioning, I would say yes.

Just everyone, I want you to imagine your worst bully from childhood looking you in the eyes and they're the hottest they've ever looked and they keep yelling at you do you have dementia that's sort of the reality programming that bone and i are hashtag standing right now not only that but if your childhood bully, if your high school bully was an AFAB drag queen, like, fully, who, like, I told you this, Matt. I think she is, like, an echo of Regina George. Oh, yeah. You pointed out, that made a lot of sense when you pointed out Bone was saying that Regina George might have been a formative character in Christine Quinn's life. Well, the way that you and I talk about how Rachel McAdams as Regina George has influenced a whole generation of blonde women who are cruel. Like, I think Christine has sort of inherited that sort of existence.

I would agree. It's so wonderful. And Christine, here's the thing. She's funny. She's smart. And she is competent. Like like i believe her to be a good agent i don't chrishell heather i i don't i don't know about that i watched the show and i watched them sort of do their showings and i'm like chrishell why are you so nervous yeah well i'll tell you heather so uncomfortable doing this chrishell to me I can't here's the thing about Chrishell when you are someone like Chrishell and you walk into Christine's space you actually do have to earn Christine's respect and the way that you don't earn her respect

is by cowering around like sort of being nervous around her when someone comes in a room and you go I'm sorry I have to go get a drink you A, you're being dramatic, and B, you are like running away from conflict. And let me tell you, someone like Christine, who is a formidable reality television show villain, is not going to respect that. And it's going to be harder for you if you keep creating these problems for yourself

by not standing up and being a tough bitch in a workplace with tough bitches. And the rest of them, sort of, I'm, like, on the fence about. Like, Heather, I feel like, has, like, um, hold on energy. And I'm like, girl, what's happening here? Uh-huh, uh-huh. What are your thoughts? I agree.

I feel like Christine, Maya... Love Maya. I feel like Christine, Maya are sort of, I see them sort of excelling in that environment and I believe them to be good agents. Mary as well. I like Mary. Can't believe her boyfriend. Can't believe Mary's boyfriend, Romaine.

We can't really talk about Romaine. It's too, it's a lot. It's fraught. It's fraught it's fraught i think that um chris shell franterado pointed this out chris shell as as an actress she needs people to like her and that's why she keeps crumbling and with christine she doesn't give a what anyone thinks this is who i am actually and it doesn't and like and it's just it's it's truly an embodiment of confidence and it's so alluring it's you're riveted you're like

i want to like she's the star like let's let's fix on her the way that her stepping out of a vehicle is a cinematic moment just whenever you, whenever they're talking about Christine and then they cut to a scene of just legs entering like a luxury vehicle and the song You know the storm is coming! We said we could

improvise songs that would play while Christine is like You better hurry up cause the crocs are coming in. You, you can't stand the heat. Like, it's just like, she's just like really like, she should put out a single.

She should put out a single. She should put out a single. And that actually, interestingly enough, is quite a good segue into what I have to say is our our true like distinguished guest i am so excited i'm so excited they're here um i mean just this year alone oh the work has been stellar. I mean, think about where we would be without music this year.

My life would be so much worse without music this year, specifically music. Their music. Specifically, I was going to say our guests' contributions to the musical canon. And we don't say that lightly, okay? Because it is canon. And also, can I say something?

Yes. It was late last year or maybe earlier this year when my concept of time has gone out the window. Yes, yes. But who's been standing Lose You to Love Me from the beginning? Who's been standing it from the beginning? Matt Rodgers. And you've been standing Rare from the beginning who's been standing it from the beginning Matt Rogers and you've been standing rare thank you beginning the album rare and

our lovely friend Leland I mean what a beautiful sort of convergence of talent there I mean Selena Selena not only has an army of gays that are her fans she's got an army of gays behind the scenes and the queers are

they know that to combine with selena is something special yes and our guest is actually rocking a shirt that says queers together and that's actually an early front runner for title event early front runner matt why don't you go through the credits i would be pleased to go through the credits so everyone just in 2020 alone our guest has written songs on selena gomez's rare lady gaga's chromatica have you ever heard of it aka i've been like stomping the fields on my hikes lately to chromatica chromatica an amazing workout album if you hike the field if you didn't know well i've been hiking the griffith park and it's chromatica actually has been driving me one of my personal favorite albums of the year gaslighter dualipa's future nostalgia

literally you could put the fucking album of the year grammy like put together with all of this for me and from my point of view anyway and the ace is under my influence just to name a few including uh one of the songs he wrote was of of course, Lose You to Love Me, which I just mentioned before, which was a number one hit on the Billboard Hot 100, which is not for nothing an achievement. They also wrote I Am America with Shia Diamond, who we know. We met Shia Diamond at, yes, at this gala. Yes, we met her at the Human Rights Gala.

Shia performed when Bowen received his Visibility Award. She is unbelievable. Also, not for nothing, but contributed songs to Thank U, Next, the Jonas Brothers' Happiness Begins, Camila Cabello's Romance, Kesha's High Road, like all truly unbelievable albums. And I have to say, even going back, I have songs to bring up that have been my jams on older albums. He worked with Kelly on a song that I love and I want to talk about.

And yes, so they're excited too. But basically, this is an activist, singer, songwriter, extraordinaire. I always love to have people that have actually made contributions to the culture. And this is one of those people. I don't know if I'm supposed to talk yet, but that's too hard not to laugh at that. Well, thank you for laughing. And the person who that joyful musical laughter belongs to is the one, the only, welcome to your ears, Justin Tranter. Hi. Hi. Oh my God, what a joy. Justin Tranter Justin Tranter Justin Tranter Justin Tranter Justin Tranter Justin Tranter Justin Tranter Justin Tranter Justin Tranter Justin Tranter Justin Tranter Justin Tranter Justin Tranter Justin Tranter Justin Tranter Justin Tranter Justin Tranter Justin Tranter Justin Tranter Justin Tranter Justin Tranter Justin Tranter Justin Tranter Justin Tranter Justin Tranter Justin Tranter Justin Tranter Justin Tranter Justin Tranter Justin Tranter Justin Tranter Justin Tranter Justin Tranter Justin Tranter Justin Tranter Justin Tranter Justin Tranter Justin Tranter Justin Tranter Justin Tranter Justin Tranter Justin Tranter

Justin Tranter Justin Tranter Justin Tranter Justin Tranter Justin Tranter Justin Tranter Justin Tranter Justin Tranter

Justin Tranter Justin Tranter Justin Tranter Justin Tranter Justin Tranter Justin Tranter Justin Tranter Justin Tranter

Justin Tranter Justin Tranter Justin Trattering Justin Trattering Justin Trattering Justin Trattering Justin Trattering Justin Trattering

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Justin Trattering Justin Trattering Justin Trattering Justin Trattering Justin Trattering Justin Trattering Justin Trattering we we don't lie when we say like you really have like you are a part of our lives like you have created so much of what we enjoy what we consume so this is so exciting for us to talk to you

well thank you thank you and it's so cool too for you guys to talk about everything that um i've worked on that came out this year because not that i'm complaining but so much gets brought back to like my my first couple years of success. Yeah. It's really cool to talk about the stuff that came out now, because obviously with COVID and everything, I'm not like doing a thousand interviews. So it's nice to hear people talk about the Dixie Chicks and all that stuff.

It's fucking awesome. Totally. I think we'll talk about this is this is just a concept that I am like fascinated with just in terms of creative practice in general because i was reading i was reading an interview of yours justin where you were talking about how the transition from being a vocalist yourself and and and being in this group and performing and touring was wonderful and gratifying and so great, but that you seem to be more suited towards helping other people writing to

their voices and that you just, you just love the practice around writing for other people, which I know, like, I don't know why I'm so like fixated on this. I'm just, I'm just, I'm,

I'm like sort of like, I always spot these people out. These people stand out to me anytime. Like they make that known. Like sort of like, I always spot these people out. These people stand out to me anytime like they make that known. Like it takes like, it takes a creative confidence to say, I am good at helping other people be creative. I think, you know, for me, I was just, it happened at the right time. And I mean like literal, like my age.

It was like it happened at the right age where like the band had been through so much fucking bullshit. Like every industry cliche of dropped from four record deals and, you know, obviously being a queer person and a femme person, like people just saying to you like emails that were sent to the whole record label, like, Hey, be less gay. Or, Hey, can we edit out this shot? Cause your hand is moving too femininely, which is hysterical. Your hand is moving. Your hand is moving gay.

Too moving gay. You do know I shot the whole video in gold glitter eyeshadow and six inch heels. I don't really know the hand isn't going to really help the situation. It's too late. It's not like a gay eraser we can take to this. It's just kind of what it is.

The band being Semi Precious Weapons, we should say, obviously. The band was called Semi Precious weapons um fabulous glam rock situation new york city based we opened for gaga we opened for catch show we did a whole bunch of awesome shit but when the opportunity to try to write with and for other people uh showed up i was like fuck it like what else do i have to lose? I've been dropped from all the record deals. And then I discovered how beautiful it was. And I think because in my band, I was living my truth so boldly in like a definitely like heightened version of my truth. It was like hyper sex, hyper femme, hyper everything. Still who I was was but it was like going for it yeah that i think

it really makes it i have the skill set now to help other people go for whatever their truth is and yes it has sadly yet to be um a glam rocker with a six inch heel collection but it is digging into people's truths about whether it's like their breakup or something weirder than that or whatever it is. And I just kind of found that it's like such a underrated thing to help other people tell their stories. I think we're also obsessed with telling our own shit, which is good too. Yes. Yeah.

And you've really found the emotion in pop. Like this is, this is what, this is something that I really respond to is I love emotional pop music. I love fun pop music. So many of your songs are so fun. But the reason I love Lose You to Love Me so much is because it really feels like Selena Gomez's truth.

And it really feels like it came from, you know, the belly of her particular beast. And I really responded to that and respected her so much, really with this whole album, which I actually have on vinyl. The same. Yeah, and it's really, the album fucking slaps. And that song, as I think the intro to that album, was such a bold choice because it is a ballad.

It is more emotional than stuff that we're accustomed to hearing from Selena Gomez. But I think it was really the right choice because you have to trust the audience that loves the artist. You know what I mean? And that's why I think that was a really, really good choice of a first single and what a success it was. Well, and it was her first choice. Really? Selena is so amazing in so many ways. If she wants to at some point in her life,

she'd be the best A&R that there is. She hears the coolest songs. She co-writes the coolest songs. And she picks Good For You was her putting her foot down on the last album years ago. Love Good For You. Good For You was her putting her, the label loved it,

but they just didn't think that was a single because radio wasn't that minimal at that point. It wasn't that sort of like mid-tempo, linear pop music was not a thing at that point. But then it did go in that direction. Well, you know, I had to do what I had to do. We have someone here that had a little something to do with it.

No, but it was Selena going, this is my first fucking single. Yeah. And I was going, alright, let's see what happens. And then it was, you know, number one on pop radio and then same thing with Lose You To Love not a typical first single but also the whole idea of the one two punch of going with lose you to love me and then surprise the next day there was look at her now yeah it's all selena's idea too so i'm very grateful to be in the room and be a part of the songwriting process but when it comes down to those choices and when it comes to selena it's

all she has complete control of it and like like, tells people what the fuck's happening. It's really cool to watch. Okay, that's, that's, that's awesome. I love that. I do just want to say how phenomenal Look at Her Now is. Just. Thank you. It's incredible.

Thank you. I mean, sort of, if you want, I mean, I want to just put out there, and correct me if I'm wrong, Justin, but, like the the chorus is basically wow look at it now it's like it's so like it's so skeletal and like simple and yet it like fucking like hits you like it hits the ear so well that you're like wait this there's there's just enough going on here it's not lush it's just it's just so well constructed and so stable with what it has it's i don't know that's what that is so so fucking sweet and so stable with what it has. It's, I don't know. It's so good. Well, that is so, so fucking sweet. And I will say, I love that song so much.

And when she told us that she was going to do the one-two punch, I was like, that is really, really smart. But also, I think looking at it now, it's like such a fucking smash and could go to number one on radio on its own. On its own. If you gave it its own life. But in terms of the storytelling, it was so smart. So like she was right in the long run,

but as a songwriter, you want like all of your songs to shine. But she did the right thing. She was, I think, as an artist, like trying to see the forest for the trees there. And I actually really loved it. Both those songs were out because it made me more excited for the album,

which I knew was going to speak a lot of different languages. And I would say also the thing about Look at Her Now that I love is it is a song that is really telling a story, but the chorus is exactly what you're saying, Bowen. You know what I mean? And I also just love the lyric, of course she was sad, but now she's glad she dodged a bullet. Took a few years to soak up the tears, but look at her now.

Watch her go. Which is a perfect follow up to Lose You to Love Me. I didn't realize that storytelling, that she was so intentional with that, that it follows up directly from that song. You know, he always said people who were child stars or who got a moment of random viral fame from whatever website they get viral on,

they can have one hit or one moment or whatever it is. When it happens again and again, it has to be because the artist is in charge of it website they get viral on they can have one hit or one moment or whatever it is when there is when it happens again and again it has to be because the artist is in charge of it and knows what they're doing you know i'm saying like some kid randomly blow up on tiktok and have one hit if that kid has 15 hits there's a reason you know that it is that that person has that talent so selena coming from disney if there would have just been one hit, well, she was famous on Disney and it just happened. Now there's been so many, you know that it is because of her. It is because she is that good. Yeah. Totally. What do you make of artists where the assumption sometimes for an audience is, well, they couldn't have like masterminded this whole thing. They have

a whole team behind them. Like, like, like where, where like how do you sort of um place that power and that control in anyone that you work with you know i get asked all the time like well doesn't it make you so mad that like you're the one like writing the songs and they get all the credit and i'm like well no first of all i'm co-writing the songs but second of all like it always takes a team someone has to be in charge but it always takes a team and i find it so funny like no one is furious that meryl streep didn't write and direct and star in her film but yet people get furious that pop stars had help and i'm like i don't it's such an interesting whitney houston never wrote a song right she's a fucking artist and you can't say she's not yeah exactly or like dolly parton is one of the great american songwriters but she also if she hears a song that somebody else wrote and she loves it she will sing

that fucking thing you know so it's yes i just have to laugh it off because people do get weird about it but like what are we gonna do yeah so i i did i and i did just want to like we definitely went through the credits but i want people that might not be as familiar to just understand the breadth of like your influence on music so i want to list some artists that you've worked with britney spears gwen stefani lincoln park kelly clarkson who's my girl selena gomez justin bieber dnce kesha who i've really been enjoying her last album actually lately, and I feel like people slept on. In Real Life, Fifth Harmony, Five Seconds of Summer, Ariana, Gaga, of course, B. Miller, and Fall Out Boy, just to name a few.

Obviously, in addition to that is your girl, Julia Michaels, who is your partner. Yeah. About half of the songs I've ever written have been with Julia. Once we met, we just had this magical chemistry and wrote, I would say, like, for like three years, I wrote like 90% of the songs I wrote, I wrote with her. And then obviously she became a pop star in her own right. And I had to keep working. So, you know, I'm not about to go on tour again.

So now there is a whole other chapter um that stuff that i didn't do with julia but what's fucking sucks obviously covet sucks for a lot of reasons one of the reasons that it sucks for me is that me and julia she wasn't going to tour this year and we were we were already back in the studio we did um i don't know if you've heard zara larson's love me land but i think you would love it not yet oh my god i love zara though it's a really fierce song called love me land that me and julia did and me and julie were about to go do a whole bunch of together and then obviously everything got shut down but yeah that's my that's my girl i mean hearing you talk about julia the way that she's taken off who and she still managed to maintain this songwriting yeah

she's been spinning that play like among like the performance aspect and it's good that she like knows her comfort she knows her line in terms of like if she doesn't want to tour then that's like fully her decision yeah which is like perfect like are you at this point and not to bring up semi-precious weapons again but are you sort of i mean was was that did that leave such a terrible taste in your mouth that you just have no interest in it anymore? I mean, are you open to it in the future? It's such a weird thing because the guys in the band were all still really close. The drummer in the band works with me on a whole bunch of stuff.

I'm currently making a queer Christmas album for a very, very magical project that will be announced soon. It's really exciting. It's no fucking joke. And the drummer from the SPW is with me working on the whole thing. So we're all still super good. It was just the experience of kind of what I went through. And it all happened, you know, this was like SPW's peak years were like 2008 to 2011, 12.

And like, you know, the shit that reporters would say about our band, they would lose their jobs now for the blatant homophobia that would be said and crazy shit but it was just it kind of exhausted me and this is going so well i don't really want to fuck with it you know yeah and i'm finding that um there are things i miss i miss talking about the visual i miss talking about the live show our band was known for the live show we were not known for our songs which is funny because now i'm professional songwriter but um so i miss that but i you know i have artists signed to me now and we get to talk about their videos and talk about what the show might look like if you know america ever gets this fucking shit together and we can all tour again yeah um or like i'm working on a bunch of film and tv stuff which is super exciting because there's a it's not just write the song and go home there's a whole big conversation involved so those things that I do miss

from being in a band and touring and performing, I'm finding ways to like scratch those itches in other places. Good, good. So just to talk about this year a little bit more, I have a couple of questions because you've truly worked on, I mean, several of my favorite albums this year.

I mean, just even talking about Chromatica and Gaslighter and Future Nostalgia, that's like so unbelievable. But I did want to ask about Chromatica specifically first because you wrote 9-1-1. Yeah. What intel did you have about the Chromatica to transition into 9-1-1?

Like, did you know that was happening when you heard it what did you think like what did that moment feel like i wish there was a story to tell you i had no part of that process oh my god i wrote alice in 9-1-1 with you know it was like we we we did two days for the album and those were the two songs and me and me and gaga go back years and years when i've been open for her her first couple shows as lady gaga were opening from my band in new york there's this really cool full circle moment wow that's awesome for us to be together and write songs you know well we never wrote in the old days so to write together finally and yeah um but then you know star is born happened because we wrote the songs before Star is Born came out. Oh. And so,

Store is, Store is Born. Store is Born. Store is Barn. Store is Barn. A store is barn. Store is a barn. Happened.

That's about Home Depot, that movie. It's great, great film, great film. And, obviously, you know,

the conversations about what was happening on Chromatica were not that they ended, but for me they did because I wrote the songs and then she went and did a six-month-long promo tour for Star is Born. So when I didn't hear,

I heard it when you heard it. That's the first time I heard it. Well, that was such a moment. I remember listening to it the first time through and that moment, just like that collapse into that song and just how it's such a highlight of an album that is chock full of highlights so it's it's just i had to know like what you felt when you heard that

happen like because it really does it just it rocket launches you into that next what i actually to be honest i didn't know what was even i just saw like 10 000 tweets of chromatica 2 into 9-1-1 chromatica what the fuck are they talking about i don't even know what's happening yeah because what was even, I just saw like 10,000 tweets of Chromatica 2 into 9-1-1. Yes. What the fuck are they talking about? I don't even know what's happening. Yeah. Because also to like a lot of the old school fans who either fell in love with us in New York at the same time or fell in love with my band because we were on tour with her.

They were so excited that we were back together in some version. Yeah. And so they're all just tweeting directly at me or tagging me and i'm like what the fuck are these kids talking about um and so then i listened i was like it's i mean it's so good and then to have it become like the meme of the year is pretty pretty fierce it's pretty fierce literally incredible and then um so to totally shift gears musically, you also worked on Gaslighter and you wrote so many great things on this album. Texas Man is incredible. My favorite song, I think, is Sleep at Night.

I always love like I love a good fucking hook. I love like a great pop song. And I just wanted to ask, like, what was it like to work on that with the icons that are the chicks? Like, can you talk a little bit about that? You know, like, it's like gay people who have the internet. We say icon a lot, but like they actually are icons. Yeah. No, for sure.

I mean, this is no hyperbole. They are it. Yeah. All three of them, though, like you watch, you go back and watch it up and sing. It's like, oh, they all had the way they all supported each other and Natalie. And I mean, like you just, that's, that, that doesn't, that, that almost never happens. That kind of like harmony and that support.

It's, it's just so beautiful and inspiring, but yes, they're icons. What was that like? Walking in the first day, which was also fabulous because it was me and Teddy Geiger, who I don't know if you know who Teddy is. I love Teddy Geiger. One of the greatest producers of our time.

And she's just, she came out as trans a couple years ago. And so it's just like for, you know, these, we all know that the chicks are really progressive. We like, we know that, but still they're country queens, right? So to like have these country icons with me and, you know, possibly the biggest trans music producer in the world. Yeah. You know, pretty cool moment for the first day that we meet. And the first day we met was Sleep at Night. So I mean, that that song is so great.

And I just love like I said just it's so emotional and it's so and there's something about you know you know the song is beautifully written and also Natalie Maines's voice I mean we talk about how you can feel everything she's gone through in her voice the voice is is pure heaven and what was so fun too is like so she's you know it's it's a it's an odd experience you guys are writers you understand like you sometimes you you know i don't know how it works for you guys but for me a lot of times you you write songs with someone you just met them there's no lunch beforehand there's no anything so it's like you just meet this person and i'm beyond starstruck and my my intro to the chicks is a little bit different than a lot of people. I was Patty Griffin obsessed in, in the late nineties.

Um, so I saw her perform at like the B stage of Lilith fair in like 96 or 97 or something. Wow. Patty Griffin, who, if you don't know who she is, she's like kind of like the queen of new folk music,

Americana, just like heaven. And the chicks were obsessed with Patty and, um, covered a couple of her songs, including fly, which would Let Them Fly on the album Fly, which was an amazing song. And so I was like, oh, what's this country group covering Patti Griffin? And so then I fell in love with the chicks that way. And so even though I found the chicks in a different way than most people, I was still obsessed.

And so you're meeting this person who's an icon who I've loved for years. Over 20 years. Yeah. 20 years. And you just have to write a song the first second you meet. And obviously she was going through a lot of crazy things in her personal life. That's her story to tell, not mine, but she's been public about it. So we all know what's happening.

Right. And, you know, we're just saying people say things. And my favorite thing to do in a session is go, whatever someone just said, go, okay, well, that's going in the song. Yep. Well, that's kind of a mouthful. How do we fit it in to an actual melody and a lyric?

And so those pre-choruses were just like taking direct words from her mouth and finding melodies for them. And the other ones can be like more poetic and whatever, but I love to find those lyrics in the song that are just like, no, someone actually said that. Yeah. Now we're going to sing it. Cause it just like cuts that much deeper.

It's just so funny. I have to laugh. Like there's nothing funny about that. Like, like, like that pre-chorus, like, like those elements you would say.

My husband's girlfriend's husband just called me up. How insane is that? How messed up is that? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Oh my God. That was just figuring,

like shoving actual conversation into song, which is my favorite, favorite thing to do. And so that's the first day we met was that. And we just like really loved working together and loved the vibe and just kept going. And, but I think we wrote five songs and four made the album, which that's not a normal percentage.

Normally you write like half of what you write gets thrown away forever. But with them, they're so special at all. Most of it stayed. And I got to say, those four songs are pretty much my four favorite. I mean, like Young Man. I love Young Man. Don't try that song.

You can't even try that song. You have to be ready. You have to be sitting. No, she's untriable. It's a thing where it's just like this album is very much about divorce and this is an element this is such a huge element of it and i feel like in one song she was able to really write a love letter to her sons and you know you guys just did an unbelievable job on that and i also love love my best friend's weddings I mean like that song is mmm truly truly great and we bop out to Texas man and it honestly made me

want a Texas man hey Bernie yeah it's it's stirred us it stirred our loins well I'm glad I'm stirring loins you know I I mean I didn't think I was going to stir loins With the Dixie Chicks but at least Loins have been stirred We are blue bottom bottoms No blue Another front runner for title of app It's shocking what's happening

What are you getting at here Okay we have to cut this out Blue No it's not getting cut. It's the flower. Do you mean blue balls? What are you talking about? Blue bonnet bottoms.

Blue bonnet bottoms. Okay. That's what I meant. Lord, lord. They're blue bonnet girls, anyway. Yeah. We are going to take just the quickest break and be right back with our guest, Justin Tranter.

The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City are back. I love that. Oh my gosh. Welcome. And last season's drama was just the tip of the iceberg. You're recording us? I am disgusted. Never in a million years after everything we've been through did I think that you would reach out to our sworn enemy.

We were friends. How could you do this to me? I don't trust her. The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City. Wednesdays at 9 on Bravo or stream it on City TV+. I'm Julian Edelman. I'm Rob Gronkowski. Guess what, folks?

We're teammates again. And we're going to welcome you guys all to Dudes on Dudes. I'm a dude. You're a dude. And Dudes on Dudes is our brand new show. We're going to highlight players, peers, guys that we played against, legends from the past. And we're just going to sit here and talk about them.

And we'll get into the types of dudes. What kind of types of dudes are there, Gronk? We got studs, wizards. We got freaks. Or dudes dude. We got dogs. Dogs. We'll break down their games.

We'll share some insider stories and determine what kind of dude each of these dudes are. Is Randy Moss a stud or a freak? Is Tom Brady a dog or a dudes dude? We're going to find out, Jules. New episodes drop every Thursday during the NFL season. Listen to Dudes on Dudes on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

On Thanksgiving Day, 1999, a five-year-old boy floated alone in the ocean. He had lost his mother trying to reach Florida from Cuba. He looked like a little angel. I mean, he looked so fresh. And his name, Elian Gonzalez, will make headlines everywhere. Elian Gonzalez.

Elian Gonzalez. Elian. Elian. Elian Gonzalez. At the heart of the story is a young boy and the question of who he belongs with. His father in Cuba.

Mr. Gonzales wanted to go home and he wanted to take his son with him. Or his relatives in Miami. Imagine that your mother died trying to get you to freedom. At the heart of it all is still this painful family separation. Something that as a Cuban, I know all too well. Listen to Chess Peace, the Elian Gonzalez story, as part of the My Cultura podcast network, available on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Cheryl Swoops, WNBA champ, three-time Olympian, and basketball Hall of Famer. I'm a mom, and I'm a woman.

I'm Tarika Foster-Brasby, journalist, sports reporter, basketball analyst, a wife, and I'm also a woman. And on our new podcast, we're talking about the real obstacles women face day to day. See, athlete or not, we all know it takes a lot as women to be at the top of our game. We wanna share those stories about balancing work and relationships, motherhood, career shifts, you know, just all the we go through.

Because no matter who you are, there are levels to what we experience as women. And T and I, well, we have no problem going there. Listen to levels to this with Cheryl Swoops and Tarika Foster-Brasby, an iHeart Women's Sports production in partnership with Deep Blue Sports and Entertainment. You can find us on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Presented by Elf Beauty, founding partner of iHeart Women's Sports. And believe it or not we're back and we're here with justin tranzer and we've just been kind of you know to use an oft-used word gagging so over their contributions to music and i did say before um so i stan kelly and you wrote the song Nostalgic and I this is

this is such a good song and I literally thought to myself like should this be a single on this album and then they kind of build on that album but I love that song now what are you what are you saying to me okay there's I'm ready I'm ready to tell the truth because it's so long ago we can just tell all the truth tell truth okay one it's one of my favorite things songs

ever yeah one I think it's a great song but two it's the first time a superstar ever recorded a song of mine. Now, she got... As you know, well, I'm sure both of you by default, because I'm sure Matt has forced you to know every Kelly Clarkson story ever,

but I saw the view. I can tell you're a fan too, but I know that Matt is the main one here, but as you know she got um pregnant i think it was the second kid and so even though she was my it was the first big cut i ever had it was not the first big song not the first big artist to play out a song of mine but it was the first big cut because it didn't come out for like another year and a half because of the baby situation right because straight people they can't stop so um but nostalgic is so important to me because of that and i love that song and it was

one of the i normally don't sing demos because i have like a rock voice but that is one of the songs i did sing the demo on so it's like extra special to my heart and that was kind of the song that they based like the whole vibe of the album really and they would we would hear from everybody which i didn't know at the time was actually a bad thing because they'll anrs and label people will play it for everyone saying this is our vibe but then it gives them like two years to find a song in that vibe that maybe is more current or maybe is more whatever but at the time i was like oh how fabulous. The whole Kelly album is based off my song. But then it wasn't fabulous because then it wasn't a single

and it wasn't blah, blah, blah. But it's still really special to me and she sounds so good on it. And when I went, because I didn't get to hear her vocal right away. I heard it before it came out, but I went to the New York offices where her label's based. I'm like, oh, do you want to hear her vocal? And I was like, oh my God, you have to. I'm going to die. Please. And I'm in this office trying to be super cool. I'm like, oh, do you want to hear her vocal? And I was like, oh my God, you have to. I'm going to die. Please.

And I'm in this office trying to be super cool. I'm a former glam rocker. Now I'm buzzing on the pop charts. Yeah. And they play the Kelly vocal and I start crying in an office building. Wow. Because I've been a fan for so long and her voice is just so fucking good.

And it just blew my mind. Piece by piece is pieces even as like a kelly i i'm not i i i'm not as much of a fierce fan as matt is but i can recognize that piece by piece is this and it was i mean it was the last album she was on before she was kind of liberated into meaning of life but i feel like a very personal album obviously but also very like solid fun varied songwriting i would say like um like and you had you had our girl maren morris on it you had oh that's right yeah um i there was i i think it's a solid very overlooked kelly album maybe not i mean maybe it's not to the wider kelly fan base or the or even the narrow Kelly fan base, but I feel like we don't as a culture recognize piece by piece for its musical value.

Well, we're still like a singles culture and there wasn't that real home run single on that album. So people don't know. But if you're listening to this, listen to Nostalgic just because it's my first cut. Nostalgic to me is the bop on that album and i think actually i think sometimes what happens with kelly is she will always find a way to make you talk about how talented she is because it's when she i i know i was actually watching live oddly enough i hadn't watched american idol in so long but she had i hand to god i like it was my life when i was young and then i somehow like um knew to tune in because

she was going to be on it because it was like the quote-unquote last season now it's back or whatever but um but she came back and she was so pregnant and she did that that piano version of piece by piece and it stopped time and went right to the top of the charts and she got a grammy nomination for it and brought more attention to that album yeah but I was really grateful that she did that as a fan who wanted people to listen to piece by piece because I thought it was great that album was made of hooks like that and honestly for me nostalgic is the bop of that album for me because it just she sounded like she was having fun doing it sometimes I think in those later years at RCA, it sounded like she was maybe a little disinterested

in some of the songs she was singing. Like, I don't know if she gives a fuck about Heartbeat's song. Like, for me, it's a whatever thing. It's a bop version of Jimmy Eat's World of the middle. Yeah, but I think that she- Which we love. I think she thought the monster on that album was going to be Invincible, which is a great song.

Oh, God. That's a Sia song, right? Yes. Yeah. Yes. And for some reason, it just didn't make it happen on radio. But there's a lot of good stuff on there. And Nostalgic is my favorite song on it.

So I had to give the kudos. Well, thank you. I actually have another Kelly Clarkson story, if I may indulge you. Yes, please, please, please. So I was, and I mean this, this isn't just like internet talk, whatever people say, like when they're pretending to be humble.

I was actually like super fucking honored and excited to be nominated for Golden Globe because I was like a music person getting to hang out with movie people and TV people. It's like, oh, now I'm like actually cool. Like this is fucking sick, right? So grateful for Grammy nod. Thank you, baby Jesus. But like the Golden Globe was kind of cooler because grammy nod thank you baby jesus but like the

golden globe was kind of cooler because i knew i was gonna get to go to the golden clubs right at my table born um no for um uh oh my gosh what the fuck is the movie called fernan um it's a nick jonas song yes yes jonas it's like a really beautiful like inspiring kid song it's the kid song but i fucking love it and uh-huh um so i got to go and so they put me at like the music table. So it's me and Nick Jonas and he brought Joe, his brother. And then it was Kelly Clarkson was presenting. So they just put her at like the pop music table.

Cause they just figured. And I hadn't met her yet. So even though she had cut Nostalgic, it was like all done. Like she was in Nashville and sent. So I got to meet her finally. And gosh what was it was just so cool and i met sharon stone that night made a total fool of myself sharon she's my number one like i'll kill myself for sharon stone happy to do it if that's if that's what it takes to save sharon i'm gonna do it so i love that

she's a great number one no she's my number one of anything, anything in the world. So I got to meet Sharon Stone, blah, blah, blah. But what was so fucking cool to watch, and Matt, you're going to love this the most, is that every movie star, the reason I met Sharon Stone is because she stopped to introduce herself to Kelly Clarkson.

Who doesn't love her? Who doesn't love her? Gina Davis stopped to introduce herself to Kelly Clarkson. Every movie, I got to meet every fucking a-lister i ever wanted to meet because they wanted to meet kelly clarkson wow and it's so funny you say that because that was famously the red carpet where she almost tripped down the stairs because she got so excited because meryl streep was there and she went over to metal street so i feel like

everyone thinks like oh kelly she's just like us you know she's normal she she fangirls over celebrities but to hear that they actually are fangirling over her is the real truth real that's yeah and then who's the um who's that i don't really like care what straight men do in this planet but there's the guy he was in 40 year old virgin what's his name steve carell and there's the moment where he gets waxed and yells Kelly Clarkson. Oh, Kelly Clarkson. Yeah, yeah, yeah. He came over to introduce himself to Kelly Clarkson. Wow. He owes her. Isn't that crazy? And they

had this whole moment together about the movie and it was like a whole shebang. That is so good. I love her so much. She's nice. She's the best. Oh, she couldn't be nicer. Couldn't be cooler. She like brought her own food to the Golden Globe. She's the best. Oh, she couldn't be nicer. Couldn't be cooler. She like brought her own food to the Golden Globe. She's like, I'm not eating this shit.

Kelly has that power though. It's like she is forever a pop culture. Like she's a staple. A staple. But like this whole, like she like legitimized a whole show, a whole franchise worldwide. like she is the reason why idol is still on you know like it's it's wild and she'll never go away because she always she she's always going to remind you how talented she is and to back it up she's also has that energy from within that emanates out like not surprised at all that she's now an emmy winning daytime talk show host like it's it just nothing surprises me and i always knew like i've been a fan now for

almost 20 years of hers like a big fan and i've always even in the ups and downs of her career because there were major downs i mean the my december era whatever was going on with her and clive davis at that time like that was tough and like there there's been ups and downs but i i never am worried about her i'm always just like excited about what she's going to do next and i always enjoy everything she does there you go and i wanted to but i did want to ask about our other icon which is gaga yeah um just we know we touched on the the 911 of it all there was this time in gaga's career even before star is born well i mean and then it all sort of like made sense later on in hindsight but like you had these dual tracks of gaga after joanne where she was doing the cure

and you're like okay this is like 90s r&b like what is this this is this is this is something fun and novel and new and then and and then you know stars born happened and then you're like oh okay so that must have been like a star is born cut or something right she wanted to keep for herself and then but then like the enigma thing happened in vegas where like is is this the enigma era is this aesthetic yeah yeah and then chromatica happened but then it all sort of converged i think in in the perfect way with chromatica where you had like new disco like house like all these different elements sort of coming together so i think it all sort of convalesced and and coalesced in the right way yeah when blood pop who produced the bulk of

chromatica um is just i think one of the coolest producers in the world. And me and Julia did Justin Bieber's Sorry with Blood Pop. Another monster smash. Just a little ditty for the kids, for the children. But it was really cool, too, because when I went back and wrote on Chromatica with Gaga, it was with Blood Pop again, who I hadn't seen for a couple sessions since, sorry, but not a lot. And so then it was so cool because it was not only coming back with Gaga, but then getting back with Blood Pop, who's just,

his sound choice is like kind of the coolest in the world right now. He like picks the coolest sounds. Can you talk a little bit, although I there you can't share the gritty details like can you talk a little bit or speak to the creative collaborative environment that is working with lady gaga yeah sure i mean you know it's i've been in some form or another been around her from a couple years before she got i would say the fame but actually the album the fame and being famous and then obviously very much the beginning yeah yeah and then working on chromatica and um you know she just is is the musician's musician she's the performer's performer um

you know those all the huge hits from the fame it was just her and red one alone it was just the two of them which i think is you got from my you know follow both of you enough online like you're pop super fans you know that nowadays most songs have minimum three people minimum but like a lot of times there's a lot more especially if it's their samples involved and you have to credit the writers from the original sample and there's like then there ends up being 20 people in the song yeah yeah all those early gaga songs that was fucking her and her alone. I mean, Speechless, she wrote by herself.

You know what I mean? Like, there's like, you're walking into a room with a real songwriter, a real singer, and a real performer. And then now she's a fucking actress. You know what I mean? Like, the whole, you're walking into someone who has the whole thing

and who knows exactly what she's aiming for and is going to fucking figure out how she's aiming for and is gonna fucking figure out how she's gonna hit that bull's eye every time um and also too what's so cool with her is she just takes real risks not like oh i'm a pop star who's gonna like you know get personal this time no like she takes you know that's always been personal i really took you know i love when i'm getting this is my most personal album yet. Well, what about the last single from yesterday? That was the most, anyway. Yeah.

She always takes real risks, like big sonic jumps and whole look changes. And I just think it's so cool to like, be a part of the process with someone who's jumping off the fucking ledge every time. Like it's really cool. That's amazing. Honestly, we talked about Kelly for me.

That's got her up for a moment. This is for me. Oh, really, yeah. Did you see the monster ball? Did you see me on the monster ball? I did not see the monster. The first tour I ever saw was Joanne, but monster ball I was following. Isn't that crazy?

But she literally did save his life. She did. But, but, but with the monster ball, I was looking up every single YouTube video of people recording. And of course, it was SPW. And then I have rewatched the HBO fame monster, the Monster Ball, just recording. It's pretty insane. So many times. I think that is one of the most important tours ever.

It's our generation. Yeah. It's our generation. It's our blonde ambition. Who's that girl? And fucking the girly show all in one. It's like all these huge Madonna tours all in one. Cause she like did like what?

Seven different legs of it. It was like a two year long tour. I was, I was, there was only six weeks we didn't do. Cause the sister sister did six weeks. But so of the two-year tour, we did every single show except, you know,

however many shows are in six weeks. But nuts. We did North America twice. We did Europe twice. We did Australia only once. It just never, ever. It might have been North America three times. I don't fucking know.

It was a lot. It was a lot because she did North America three times I don't fucking know it was a lot it was a lot because she did North America she did the stage version the theater version she did the arena version and then she did

the born this way into born this way like arena version too the theater version I think is is possibly like my most favorite pop tour

and I don't mean because I was opening I mean like her her show not me her show was my I think my most favorite pop tour of i don't mean because i was opening i mean like her her show not me her show yeah yeah was my i think my most favorite pop tour of like the last at least 15 years it's you know blonde ambition holds a very special place in my heart of course but i definitely think that the the

theater version of the monster ball was like actual perfection there was one time we were in the la show and i went out to watch. I watched like almost every night because it was just that good. Why not? You know, there's people actually like killing each other for tickets and I can just like walk out and see it.

So I might as well go do it. She did this thing with the audience. Like it was a stop in one of the songs. I can't remember which one. She was in like the beige skeletal outfit and she stopped and like they were applauding and like she just let them keep applauding and then she like did like a fake yawn like yep i'm bored and they went even crazier and i was like

well that's one of the cooler things i've ever seen what a rock star move and no my favorite the thing that has like informed everything about like my conception of performance is her during the love game uh in between love game and the remix of it like her just doing the whole like dance motherfuckers dance motherfuckers or her just being like i've heard they've got really big cock here in northern ireland so belfast get your dicks out. Like every city, like just, just mad living in the cities. Like it's, it's so genius. It's like, what? It's really funny that you bring up Belfast because in many cities and Belfast is one of them, they would put up after the first night that I would perform the next night,

they would either, um, threaten to not let us perform if I didn't change certain aspects of the show um or they'd put up signs saying that the opening act is not appropriate for children but that's obviously like extreme femme phobia and at that time i was i was and homophobia and like i was presenting so femme which i still do now if i'm like going out but it's only if i'm going out but um you know so there's elements of transphobia and that where they would like literally threaten to arrest us

happened in Boston. And then in Belfast, like we was all, one of the many times like warning, like this is not appropriate for children. And I'd be like,

oh, but when the cis woman says get your cocks out, totally fine. But because I'm, I mean, we had some crazy lyrics and like i would change my outfit on stage and it looked like i was naked but it was a full like nude bodysuit so i was not naked at all um but i think oh that's that's interesting so she's cool but i'm gonna get

arrested millions and millions of people in this world are literally afraid of gay people and of gay sex which is literally what homophobia is and means. And it's so, it's very shocking to confront that even in the environment that is like a Lady Gaga show. But that is unfortunately a reality. But really quickly, I just, I love that Justin's pointing out the distinction between homophobia and femphobia and of course transphobia but

absolutely but the femphobic aspect is this thing where it's like i sometimes i'll just i mean the this past season of work i would just be standing in a sketch and then i think like i would get tweets that week when i wasn't in any other sketch besides just like basically standing in the corner of one and saying one thing and then someone being like multiple people being like Bowen keeps acting gay what why does he keep acting gay why can we do anything with his hand his hand is being gay this is like no there's nothing we can do about our very nature I mean thankfully I don't I don't get that note internally um right uh which which which I'm very grateful for but I mean, thankfully, I don't get that note internally, which I'm very grateful for. But I mean, in terms of like the response from just anybody thinking that like, thinking that there's like, there's a threshold of gayness that they can handle as an audience member is like, so interesting to me. It drives, it drove me insane. I was just like, this is, it's not homophobia because homophobia is like, okay, cool. Like the idea of a gay person, I'm okay,

is like enrages me. But the idea of a person like with a limp wrist. Visibly gay, visibly femme. Sure, is a totally different thing. Yeah, that's a great distinction. And it's, you know, I think too, because of, and I try to always like forgive queer people because there's so much shame that's been put upon us.

But like, as we all know, you know, gay men are very guilty of femphobia too. Of course. So when you're opening for Gaga, there's a lot of gay men who are very uncomfortable with me being so fem and so sexual as well. Because it's like, okay, no, we're cool with Neil Patrick Harris, but you, that's too far. And Neil Patrick Harris can play Hedwig, but that's a character, and this is

actually who you are. Because we know he wears a tie. We love a tie. We've seen the girls in it. We've seen him in a tie. And his husband wears a tie too. And they're two tie wearing men.

Very safe. Yeah. Mm-hmm. And they pee standing up. Thanks. Thanks. Thank you. Even when they're tired.

Even when they're tired. You know what? You know, because we have to ask you the question, the question, capital T, capital Q,

but before we do, I would be remiss if I didn't mention just one more song which makes me act like an absolute whore in my dwellings here which is the iconic

Make Me Feel by Janelle Monae I mean can we just like this and Dirty Computer the whole album unbelievable but Make Me feel said this is what i am like can you speak a little bit about that song and working with janelle i mean one of the coolest human beings to ever live right that's just we all know that's the fact and yeah she shows up to the studio looking fierce which i really appreciate you know i feel like if we're

there you know i was i was writing this christmas album like if we're there, I was writing this Christmas album I'm telling you guys about. I was writing the Christmas album in my house with my friends. We all got tested so we could be together and do this album. And I still show up to, if I'm going to write a song,

there needs to be some sort of look. If it's going to be a t-shirt like this, I'm still going to do a high-waisted jean. I'm still going to put a fierce shoe on. We're creating. we're fucking creating. You're coming to work. You're dressing in work attire. If we're creating, we're creating.

And that's rule of culture. Number 106. If we're creating, we're creating. And I don't think you can create in sweatpants. I just don't. I don't agree with it. I don't approve of it. And I'm ready to die on this hill.

You know, of all the things. I agree with you. I'm an activist, it. I don't approve of it. And I'm ready to die on this hill, you know, of all the things. I agree with you. But my real activism is sweatpants while creating. A hundred percent. It should be outlawed. Banned. I'm calling GLAAD and telling them the new agenda. This is it.

Yeah. And you are a board member. I am a board member. And they are a board member. Yeah. By the way, also, too, just so you guys know, all pronouns are fine with me. So don't ever stress with my pronouns. All pronouns?

All pronouns. Love it. I love them all. Take them. Take them. But they are a board member. Of glad, damn it.

So no, so Janelle shows up to the studio, always in a look. Oh, do a, do a leap of, look every time. Every time. I love it. And what aua, Dua Lipa look every time. Every time.

Love it. And what a gorgeous, talk about two gorgeous women. Gorgeous. Oh my God. Oh my God. I saw Dua Lipa guest hosting Kimmel the other night. I was like, this bitch is on a Zoom looking like a model. All day, every day.

Gwen Stefani, honey, I'll show up to the house at 10 a.m. because she's on mom's schedule. So if I'm showing up at 10 a.m. to write a song with Gwen, she's done. She's looking like Gwen Stefani in the morning. She's always done. She's just done.

She's always done. I'm not saying everyone has to live that life, but I just want to shout out the people that do because I think it does take work. It does take work. She's the same age as Ted Cruz. Our friend Nicole Conlon says this. She's the same age as ted cruz our friend nicole conlon says this she's oh my god that's unbelievable conservatism eats you from the inside you look like shit at that people look

mean you know what i mean yes yes ugly people they're ugly inside deep in deep in there this is true but make me feel so how to talk about where this fucking came from. Because this song is an all-timer. Thank you. It came from me and Julia, Matt, Matt, and Robin, knowing that we were maybe going to have a chance to... Matt, Matt, and Robin are my favorite producers in the world. Mine too now.

Matt, Matt, and Robin? The best. Oh, and they're like super cute Swedish boys. They're just the best. One just had a baby. Congratulations. Congratulations. Yeah, creepy, but good for him.

We love babies. Babies are terrifying. But so we knew we were going to get a chance to maybe work with her. So we like just dreamed up a little starter idea because she's a real writer, right? So you can't show up with a song with Janelle Monae and she's going to smack you in the face. It's got to be just a little starter idea because she's a real writer right so you can't show up with a song with Janelle Monae she's gonna smack you in the face like it's gotta be so just a little starter idea and um luckily she came in she heard it and she was like fuck yes let's go um and it's one of those magical songs all my favorite songs for the most part they all it feels like they write themselves like you don't know who said what or where it happened. It just kind of comes. And the meat of all my favorite songs,

the core of them, all happen in, I would say, 45 minutes at the longest. It's just this dump of creativity. What a horrible word choice, dump. No, dump of creativity. Unfortunately, it's a front-runner for title of ep. I don't know what to say. When these things happen, it's against my better judgment judgment we have to just do what the universe is saying you know

just let it happen yeah it's like you know it's like songwriting really when the title of ep arrives the it arrives and dump of creativity is registering at about number three on the list things could change things could change we don't know that is true collaboration that's like when that's when it's like the best. Oh yeah. And that's why it's always so funny, which I love that you guys have not asked me this at all today.

Like, so at this part of the song, who did that part? And I'm like, not only is that not important because we're all in there doing it together, but most of the time I don't even remember.

You know, if Julia came in with the main idea, of course we fucking remember that. Like she came in with the main idea of course we fucking remember that like she came in with the main idea like hans and myself slain gomez julia walked in with that idea so of course we remember that i love that song oh my god the body of work thank you but yes and actually what's really cool too is that when we were writing it, the lyric sexual bender, it was kind of being interpreted as like when you go on a drinking bender,

like a sexual bender. Yeah, that's how I hear it. That's how I hear it too. But then she made the video that was very clearly a bisexual situation. So a lot of people were like, oh, sexual bender, like a gender bender, but a sexual bender, like she can go both ways. And I was like, oh, that's a lot cooler than what I thought theender like she can go both ways and I was like oh that's a lot cooler than what I thought the song that I

the dual meaning of it all isn't that cool so I don't know if she heard like if that's how she wanted the video to like heighten that line or if it just was all amazing coincidence but yeah she's the best what a pre-chorus so good also wait

we have to shout out two of my favorite songs that you've worked on which are well of course Erica Jane How Many Fucks but also the number one one and only let me couple these together and then Britney Spears

do you want to come over I think like unironically, one of Britney's better songs. RuPaul's Drag Race is making the biggest mistake of their life by not having that as a lip sync song. It, to me, is screaming out. I had my first lip sync. Make me feel. Oh my god, yes!

A winning lip sync. Shea Coulee. Shea motherfucking Coulee. Make me feel. Oh my god, wow, wow yeah that was the last episode that was the last ep wow isn't that cool oh my god

well honestly I will say Do You Wanna Come Over should be a lip sync song that song is has to be it has to be

whatever you want whatever you need uh huh like it's it's all again it's skeletal it's like there's

there's no there's no excess it's exactly the amount that we need that's Matt, Matt, it's skeletal. It's like, there's no excess. It's exactly the amount that we need. That's Matt, Matt, and Robin production as well. Me, Julia, Matt, Matt, and Robin. And we wrote it the morning after. We were all in Vegas in this writing camp and we went to go see Brittany perform, of course.

And she pulled me up on stage because her manager, you know, made it, fixed it. So I got to go up on stage and I got to be like the, when she's like the dominatrix thing and she like, crawl you know that whole thing have you seen the vegas show anybody yes i've not seen the vegas show but i've seen enough clips to basically piece it all together okay there you go like andy cohen did like you know whatever yeah i i yeah yeah so i was doing that and then the next morning we wrote make me it's not make me feel, sorry, do you want to come over? Yes. Fully inspired by

That moment? Yeah. Zayn's A&R had asked us to try to submit some songs for Zayn and we were just too overwhelmed by the performance we saw the night before that we just had to write a Britney song. Not kidding. Wow. Sometimes you just gotta write a Britney song, I find. You know what I mean?

Especially in Vegas. When you're in Vegas, it must happen. In Vegas. She's in the air. She's in the air. Especially in Vegas. When you're in Vegas, it must happen. In Vegas. She's in the air. She's in the air. She is Vegas. When you go to Vegas, it like, it is informed by who's, like,

there's like the Siegfried and Roy era where it's like, you go to Vegas. Like, I remember as a kid going to Vegas and being like,

oh, like, this is, we're like, miles, like two miles away from wherever Siegfried, from wherever Celine is,

wherever, like that person is. And like, she was, like, the queen of Vegas for, like, that period. Yeah. Well, I think Britney reinvented what Vegas meant. You know, even though it wasn't at her peak, peak of fame, she was still, Britney

was still kicking ass. And so to go to Vegas, where everyone else went, like, when it was years and years over. So I think Britney really reinvented all these people are going in their prime. I mean, Gaga was just there. It was fucking Star is Born took over the whole planet. You know what I mean?

I know. Do you, do you have any thoughts about what is happening with Britney right now? I mean, I feel like it's kind of top of mind for everyone that is a big fan of hers. Like I think that everyone's a little concerned. I'm wondering if you have a take on that situation. My take is that I just love her so much.

And the, because, you know, we did write together. Do You Want to Come Over? We just wrote for her. But some of the songs in the album, we 100% wrote together. We were in the room. So she's also there contributing and being the artist that is Brittany.

Yeah, there's a song called Just Like Me on Glory. That's this really twisted concept of her, amazing concept. Twisted's a compliment. When you talk about Britney, you have to be very careful because her fans are very passionate. So when I say twisted, the beautiful Britney fans, I mean that as a compliment. She had this beautifully twisted concept about walking in on

her lover, cheating on her with someone who looks just like me. I see. Twisted. Twisted. Fabulous. So twisted. Yeah. And so yeah, definitely spent time with her. She couldn't be sweeter. She couldn't be cooler. That beautiful vocal tone is actually

just comes out of her face. That special weird tone of hers. Again, weird to compliment Britney fans. Distinct. Yeah. Distinct. Singular. And so I just love her and I have so much love for her. And all I really want to say is I just hope whatever's happening, that she is as happy as she possibly can be. Yes.

I think with the controversy, we're all just, I mean, you can't really take a side on it beyond just being like, we just hope she's okay. Like she turns out okay. Yeah. And it's tough too, I think with, you know, I think some of the who i just i just wonder if all this drama is is helping her i right you know that's what concerns me is that i know that

people want the best for her i know that people are are rooting for her um i just hope that the way that they're rooting is actually helping her um that's because i just want to be amazing i want her to be happy and that's all you know and that's all i know i think i think fandom has evolved uh over the last uh few years in a way that i think or and i can see that she is able to tell when concern for her and like care for her is is coming from a good place and i think there is this collective sense of like, what's different from however she experienced things in her past is that I think it's very clear that everyone just wants the best for her.

Yeah, exactly. And that's what's tough is that it's all, with anyone who's in the limelight, when fans are trying to express love, it's a tricky thing because we don't know how that person is, wants to receive love. Right. Of course.

Of course. That's the fucking triple quadruple edge sort of being famous is like, who knows what the right thing to do is. So I just want her to be happy and, and healthy. And she deserves the best because she's given us all so fucking. She's, I mean,

that's the thing too, is like, you have to remember britney spears's contributions to music and to pop culture like it's not just it's not just like she came in was a success and now it's like uh you know she's doing whatever she's doing and is feeling however she's feeling she came in and she changed the culture you know what i mean she is a once in a lifetime once in a generation um movement moment like it is it is and she has earned this place in people's hearts that that's where i think this is all coming from it's like it's it's not like we are just you know navel gazers wanting to know what's going on with her.

It's we need Britney to be all right. And we love Britney from the bottom of our hearts. And we are people who call ourselves lost culturistas when we talk about pop culture. And let's fucking give it up for Britney Spears because she is a legend. It's an overused word, but that's a real bona fide living legend well and she changed pop culture like the second her video showed up on mtv the second she showed up it

was one world and then the next day it was another world another world and the people are still rooting for her happiness 22 years later is fucking amazing and she deserves it though she she she has put in the work to this fan base that, you know, she deserves all that love every second of it. You're right. I want to ask one thing before we do a break,

and then we'll ask Justin the question. But the thing that I do want to ask, and I really genuinely want to know, is I talked to James Anderson, who's this writer at SNL who's been there for 20 years and who's written so many things, and he talks to me all the time about how he's like

sometimes I'm just like I forgot that I wrote that thing do you have that kind of thing with your catalog or I'm just okay that's perfect and that is only a good sign that you have like are so creatively just like solid with your

output that you're just like oh it's not even about keeping track of my hits anymore you know well also it's just like you know you'll that you're just like, oh, it's not even about keeping track of my hits anymore. You know? Well, also too, it's just like you'll be in, of course, the ones that get played to death on the radio. It's hard not to remember them. Sure, sure. But before the world ended and you'd be walking through the grocery store or something

and an album cut would come up because that's just what's on the grocery store's playlist. I'd be like, this sounds so familiar. What is this? Cool. Right. Got it. I actually co-wrote the song. And it's a really weird... grocery stores playlist i'd be like yes it sounds so familiar what is this cool right got it i actually co-wrote the song and it's a really weird it's like such a weird thing too like on the gwen album i made um the this is what the truth feel or do it is what the truth feels like yeah great album great album thank you and there's so many album cuts on there that like grocery stores love. Make Me Like You is a grocery store song

and I mean that in the highest honor. Oh God. It's so good. I love Misery. Oh, Misery is my number one from that whole album. I think. Love Misery. Yeah, that was a special

because she's in my in my probably top three artists of all time so to work with her was like was pretty shocking and then to make an entire album with her and then a christmas album with her it's like just i'm good i can just i can jump in my pool never come out ever again die do you remember that you wrote like mariah by fifth harmony you know because i remember Do you remember that you wrote Like Mariah by Fifth Harmony? So good. Because I remember! I remember!

Singing like Mariah. That song is so high. It's so funny. So fucking high. Camila's like low-key no joke. Camila's so fucking talented. It's disturbing. It's disturbing how talented she's disturbing her voice is terrific her voice the way she writes melodies is terrific but like mariah again if i'm talking way too much

you can cut all this out but the i'm living for all that okay so like mariah i wrote with a woman named raja kumari and producer um jr wrote him and we my first hit ever was Fall Out Boy's Centuries. Probably might have not crossed your guys' radar because it doesn't waste a bomb. No, no, no, it was Centuries! Of course. Are you kidding? Which I actually wrote after watching a YouTube documentary about Marsha P. Johnson

and I wrote down the lyric, you'll remember me for centuries and then I went in and wrote, so. Happy birthday, Marsha. It's Marsha's birthday. Oh my God. It is her fucking birthday. Happy birthday, Marsha.

Peace. She would have been 70. 75. 75. Um, and a much, much, not nearly as important note.

So I was with that team and, um, the, the producer was like, I just talked to fifth harmonies, A and R. They really want a song where they sample something from Mariah. And I was like, okay, cool.

And then he sampled the... And I was like, well, that sample's just too iconic. We have to acknowledge Mariah in the lyric, else it'll just be distracting. It's too distracting. And so then that's how that happened. And pretty pretty dope though because fifth harmony does have one of those crazy fan bases so even though it's not it's not even

close to one of my like most well-known songs it does get brought up a lot because that fan base does not fuck around no i i'm i'm a i'm a lover of your harmon and Fifth Harmony. I love Fifth Harmony. And we were saying Normani was it. Yeah. Since before everyone else. I mean, that album, that first album is, I mean, Sledgehammer and then Top Down. And then like, that is such a solid album. Do you know who wrote Sledgehammer?

Meghan Trainor. Yes, I did know this. So she's kind of the slay of the millennium, isn't she, Megan Trainor? I wish that everyone could see Matt's face right now, because the true sort of like you, it feels like you're Sherlock Holmes who just cracked the ultimate case. Let's get down to business here. Megan Trainor's kind of the slay of the millennium.

The slay of the millennium. I've only ever written one song with Meghan Trainor and it's called Genetics. And if you haven't heard it, it features the Pussycat Dolls. And I think you guys would love it. It's like one of the gayest bops of all

time, which is obviously a compliment. It's obviously a compliment. I don't need any, like, I think her fans call themselves, like, M-trains or something. When I say it's the gayest song ever, that's obviously a compliment. It's obviously a compliment. I don't need any like, I think that her fans call themselves like M trains or something. I don't need, when I say it's the gayest song ever, that's obviously a compliment. Listen to Genetics. It will ruin your life in all the right ways.

Best Megan in pop culture, Megan McCain can take a walk. I also just want to actually shout out one other song, which is- Just keep going. Is this okay is this annoying to you that we're just making you talk about I'm loving it

because also you guys like really aren't asking me about any of like the big radio hits so I never get to talk about these songs so I'm loving every second well I'm going to continue that trend and say you know what song made me get to my knees and actually almost crying was Jojo's song music.

Bitch, that fucking song. I'm obsessed with that song. And Bowen, have you heard this? It's basically, it's basically, it's the first track on her album called mad love,

I believe. Um, and she, it's basically, it's a ballad and it opens the, it opens the album and it's basically her saying music is the love of her life. And she bets her life on music every day. And she will never stop despite the fact that it's been so hard for her.

She's had, yeah. She has been paid dust by the industry. And she is so gifted and so talented and still is out there killing it. And this, this song to me, can you talk about that song? I would love to. Working with Jojo was so fucking amazing.

Like all of us, like not only is that voice insane, but knowing if you're paying attention, you know, the fucking hell she's been put through with her crazy first record deal and all this shit. I have chills. So to get to work with her was so unbelievable. And like,

I love some of like the, this, like the, the more textured, smaller voices that I get to work with. I love that. Cause you tell stories in different ways, but then when you work with someone like Jojo,

you can tell stories in like a fucking, in a whole other way. Right. It's like a Natalie Mays thing. Completely. Her voice is like cinema. It's like, it can do it all.

It really... And then, you know, that song, the producer, his name's Yussi, but he goes by Yussifer. You know, the producers,

they all got some... He's a really, really awesome guy and very cute. And he was playing piano and we were with this amazing other writer named Hayley Warner

who did Katy Perry's Never Really Over, which I think is a very underrated song. Great song. And he was playing piano. And we were with this amazing other writer named Hayley Warner, who did Katy Perry's Never Really Over, which I think is a very underrated song. Great song. For me, one of the best songs that's come out in the past couple years. This posse, the four of us. So the three of us and JoJo, we had written probably six songs together at this point.

And this was the last one. Like, okay, I think we're done with the album. And I didn't do the whole album. But just like she was close to the end of her process. And let's just see if we can get one more and let's just be super raw and vulnerable. Like screw the computer. Let's just go over to the piano and see what happens. And Yussi started playing.

Hayley started singing this melody. And Jojo and I were just kind of talking about what she wanted to say. And we talk about some real, real honest, raw, raw shit in that song about her you know her dad and all this stuff um and so it just kind of one of those things that fell out sitting around a piano like it was the old days no computers involved obviously eventually they had to get involved but we just wrote it at the piano like from the heart and doing what i'd love to do the most which is just like talk to the artist and figure out how I can navigate their truth the best way possible. All the readers have to listen to this song. Music by Jojo.

It's amazing. It was a co-writer on the damn track, which is saying something. I, Jojo just sent me a vocal, um, on Friday night or Saturday night of this song she's featuring on for this, um, artist I'm working with.

It's like a dj producer super cool thing i don't think i can say who it is but jojo sent me a vocal you're not ready you're not ready it's like a it's fun it's like a bop but she's like still singing her fucking ass off which sometimes it's hard to do on a bop it's kind of hard to like really sing but it's jojo so of course it happens get ready for it you'll know it when you hear it it's comingJo, so of course it happens. Get ready for it. You'll know it when you hear it. It's coming, I think, in October. Who is the most underrated artist out right now? The most underrated artist out right now. I mean, my favorite artist, she's not really underrated, but I think she should be a thousand times bigger,

is Phoebe Bridgers. Yes. Obsessed with Phoebe Bridgers. She's just, she's like a songwriter's songwriter, but also vocally, she's amazing. She's just, she's like a songwriter, songwriter, but her also vocally, she's amazing. She's my favorite artist right now. Oh,

Tennille Towns. I don't know if you all ever get into the, the, the cooler side of country music. Well, Dixie Chick, so obviously you do. Tennille Towns.

Okay. Towns. Has a song called Somebody's Daughter that will ruin your life. I get to write with Tennille in a couple weeks over Zoom and I'm so fucking excited. Oh, I'm excited to check that out. She's like my new favorite.

Like she's my, I think she's like the best thing to come out of Nashville in like maybe 10 years. Like she's unbelievable. I love that. And I love that you shouted out Phoebe Bridgers. Matt, you should listen to this album, Punisher. It's so good.

And you, I'm excited. I've heard a lot about Phoebe. Emotional motion sickness. Have you heard, have you listened to that song, Matt? Oh, it's, i'll send you the stuff it's it's so good oh my god and it's also i'm so gagged because like she's on like she's indie she's cool as fuck like i'll never get to work with her so it's really nice too to have like this this to find a new album

that i'm just obsessed with as like a fan like like I'm 15 again. It's not about like, yeah, I think I could work on that. No, it's just like, I just listened to it endlessly and I wish that I was that good. That's pure. I mean,

I, I am when her album came out and, uh, I woke up groggy and I just decided to go, to go on a run of impressions of her where I did. I like, I like improvised a Phoebe Bridger song and I kept doing it and then it was just like I didn't know he was a Scientologist like it's all this like crazy these crazy details that

she's she's such a good lyricist um but anyway like I like just like tweeted them and then um didn't expect anything and then this was just like a this is this is how like Chloe Feynman must feel like like like Phoebe found it and retweeted it. I was like, this is the perfect full circle thing where she was able to appreciate. She had a sense of humor about her own work, which I was like, that's cool. That is the ideal and good for her for being there because anyway, she just seems rad.

Speaking of Chloe, when you guys were talking about Selling Sunset at the beginning, the only thing I know of Selling Sunset chloe's impersonation of the one woman yes yes yes i was like well i i kind of know what they're talking about but only because you know i stalk all of your whole posse on the internet you need to actually become familiar with christine quinn from selling sunset because i think the two of you should write a good work together because i don't know if she has any musical talent at all, but I don't think it matters.

I think that she should become, I mean. She's like an Erika Jayne. I have done reality star before. I mean, Erika does have talent though, so I don't know. She is very talented. Yes, very talented.

But you brought up how many fucks before and what's so funny is that one of my first gigs ever of writing for other people was to write for Erika Jayne. It was not How Many Fucks, though. It was way earlier.

Back in the painkiller era. Yep. And she heard something that I had written. It never came out, but someone played her some demo I had done. And she was like, oh, that's fabulous. And checked out my band. I was like, oh, that's definitely who should be working on my project. Yeah, it makes so much sense.

And so she flew me to Miami, which was really glamorous. At that time in my life, I hadn't been flown anywhere. Because in the band, you fly places, but you pay for it yourself. Like she paid for my ticket and I felt so chic. And I don't think any of the songs ever came out. But then later when I had a bunch of hits and someone from her team hit up my publisher and was like, anyway,

I know, I know she's a reality star, but is there any way Justin would work on this? And my publisher knew that like how Eric was one of the first people to ever think I was a good songwriter. And she was like, let me call, let me call Justin.

Cause I'm pretty sure there'll be down to do this. And I was like, Oh, I'm fucking giving Ericarika Jayne a fucking song to launch her off of Real Housewives. Is that what she's done in Real Housewives, right? Yeah. Yeah, she's done Beverly Hills.

Happening. So, yeah, me and Erika Jayne had another full circle moment. Many of those in this conversation. How many fucks do I give? And also, like, no, like, current, like, pop star would ever sing that. Not only does she deserve the respect because she believed in me before a lot of people did, but I'm not going to get any other pop star to say, zero, zero, zero, none, how many fucks do I give?

And then there's some really weird rhyme in, like, the second verse where I rhyme, like, dicks with eight somehow. Like, you can suck on my dake. And, like, I've had eight number ones. Suck on my dake and like I've had eight number one like it's not often that you get to force rhyme dick with the number eight

and if you have that opportunity you've got to take it also enough of that but she earns that because she can jump into a split like come on the woman is giving you everything the video for oh my god it's one of her videos but she expensive and i still don't give a fuck and she lands into that split i'm like bitch this is not a drill this is i

couldn't believe at the time i wasn't watching housewives like the addict i am now but at the time i was like she's on real housewives? This is like slang like I've never seen before since the war. Since the war? I haven't seen slang like this since the war. The Real Housewives of New York City are back for another bite of the Big Apple. Look who it is.

Joined by elite new friends. Rebecca Minkoff. Have you ever heard of her? But things could change in a New York Minute. She had this wild night and ended up getting pregnant by some other guy.

What? You told her? Not today, Satan. Not today. The Real Housewives of New York City. All new Tuesdays at 9 on Bravo or stream it on City TV+.

I'm Julian Edelman. I'm Rob Gronkowski. Guess what, folks? We're teammates again. And we're going to welcome you guys all to Dudes on Dudes. I'm a dude, you're a dude, and Dudes on Dudes is our brand new show. We're going to highlight players, peers, guys that we played against, legends from the past, and we're just going to sit here and talk about them.

And we'll get into the types of dudes. What kind of types of dudes are there, Gronk? We got studs, wizards. We got freaks. Or dudes dude. We got dogs. Dogs. We'll break down their games.

We'll share some insider stories and determine what kind of dude each of these dudes are. Is Randy Moss a stud or a freak? Is Tom Brady a dog or a dude's dude? We're going to find out, Jules. New episodes drop every Thursday during the NFL season. Listen to Dudes on Dudes on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. On Thanksgiving Day, 1999,

a five-year-old boy floated alone in the ocean. He had lost his mother trying to reach Florida from Cuba. He looked like a little angel. I mean, he looked so fresh. And his name, Elian Gonzalez, will make headlines everywhere. Elian Gonzalez. Elian, Elian. Elian Gonzalez. Elian, Elian.

Elian Gonzalez. At the heart of the story is a young boy and the question of who he belongs with. His father in Cuba. Mr. Gonzalez wanted to go home and he wanted to take his son with him. Or his relatives in Miami. Imagine that your mother died trying to get you to freedom. At the heart of it all is still this painful family separation. Something that as a Cuban, I know all too well.

Listen to Chess Peace, the Elian Gonzalez story, as part of the My Cultura podcast network, available on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Cheryl Swoops, WNBA champ, three-time Olympian, and Basketball Hall of Famer. I'm a mom, and I'm a woman. I'm Tarika Foster-Brasby, journalist, sports reporter, basketball analyst, a wife, and I'm also a woman. And on our new podcast, we're talking about the real obstacles women face day to day.

See, athlete or not, we all know it takes a lot as women to be at the top of our game. We want to share those stories about balancing work and relationships, motherhood, career shifts, you know, just all the s*** we go through. Because no matter who you are,

there are levels to what we experience as women. And T and I, well, we have no problem going there. Listen to Levels to This with Cheryl Swoops and Tarika Foster-Brasby, an iHeart Women's Sports production in partnership with Deep Blue Sports and Entertainment. You can find us on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Presented by Elf Beauty, founding partner of iHeart Women's Sports. Okay, we

have to ask you the question. Okay. And that is, what is the culture that made you say culture is for me? This is formative culture that sort of set you in a cultural direction. You said Sharon Stone is your number one of all number ones. But is there, are there other things that come to mind? So,

you know, of course I've listened to the pod. I know how this goes. And my publicist warned me that I would have to answer these. Warned? Well, prepared. Yes, yes, yes. No, you were warned about this. Every interview we do is an assault.

So it's good that you were warned. And it was, you know, I have an answer for you, but just before I said it, I want to just let you know there was some serious ties, if not runner-ups, involved. So why don't you say the honorable mentions? All right, so a serious honorable mention is Debbie Gibson. Now, I think I'm older than both of you, so I don't know if you understand the power of Debbie Gibson.

We understand the power of Debbie Gibson, the original Christina Aguilera, sort of. And she produced and wrote everything alone. Oh, I didn't know that. Alone? the power of debbie gibson the original christina aguilera sort of you know and she was her she produced and wrote everything alone oh i didn't know that alone bitch alone so this woman is no joke and i remember being five years old listening to her cd tape it was a tape then because that's how old i am so this was i think it was like miss cassette miss cassette williams she was casseting she was casseting for j She was cassetting for Jesus. And there was a song, and I went like, I think I can do this.

Wow. I could write that. So that's a big culture moment for me because it was like pop, pop female, songwriter, big thing, right? Then there was also much, much, much, much later in life, but in terms of like pop culture as like the trashier side, because I was a total music snob as a kid. Because once I was past Debbie Gibson, it was like you were either Courtney Love or Ani DiFranco or Tori Amos,

or you didn't exist. Like you had to be the coolest of the cool, you know? The first like big pop culture kind of like, I don't want to say trashy because I loved it and respected it, was Jessica Simpson's reality show situation even more specifically her gq photo shoot where she's in an american flag bathing suit in a parachute and the parachute straps are like really giving a nice frame for the nether regions that was a moment i was like okay this type of pop culture now i'm on board i never

understood it but i'm you know a 20 year old hipster living in brooklyn and i think all these hipsters are wrong please stop talking about the strokes i want to talk about jessica simpson in a parachute so yes big moment but then the one that i'm really choosing to define me is the madonna vogue performance on the vmas where she was giving you full Marie Antoinette. And that was the moment I went, my life is over. If I'm not Madonna or any sort of version of a female pop star, I'm not going to survive this world. The best to ever do it. The best to ever do pop star.

The best to ever do it. Yeah. And I love showing people Truth or Dare, especially younger folks that I work with in pop music. And they watch Truth or Dare and they go, oh, so she invented like this whole thing. Everything. And like with lots of inspiration from the queer community. But yes, she was the first one to fully be inspired by the queer community.

Because now all the girls are only inspired by the queer community or the black community, obviously. now all the girls are only inspired by the queer community or the black community obviously long conversation to have very serious but madonna was the first to really blow my mind and go okay this is my life now and even with vogue at the vmas like you still had your girl camilla cabello do like memory and twinette at snl she was doing which i believe was i believe was probably a purposeful homage. But it's still like, oh, but these are timeless things to reference. And there's no like, because there is a world where

someone, a girl now, does a thing that Madonna did, like an aesthetic, borrows from a Madonna aesthetic from 30 years ago, and it can be received as like, oh, that's like, actually not cool anymore. Yeah.

And that looks stupid and bad. Like, why would you ever wear that kind of hoop skirt or whatever? But now it's like, oh, wait, like these are all things that can be transplanted to any era or any, you know, pop culture in like the modern era, like time, you know?

That's like the power of Madonna. Yeah. That's the power of Madonna. And that moment, I can see it clear as day it was something like the tv upstairs in my house I grew up in and I just remember watching that performance and being like nothing will ever be the same for the world and for me it's all oh and also too because there were so many she had so many very obviously femme queer men on stage serving, kissing, like not hiding their femininity at all. And that was like, okay, so I might have to be a backup dancer, but I can still get on stage.

Like that was like a big, big moment for me. That's so interesting. Yeah. To register yourself in it. Oh, completely did. Completely did. What's your favorite Madonna album? I was going to say Era. I was going to ask the same question. Oh, completely did. Completely did. What's your favorite Madonna album?

I was going to say Era. I was going to ask the same question. Or Era, yeah, both. Answer both questions. Yeah, I mean, as an album as a whole, I would say Ray of Light.

Okay, good answer. That's the smart answer. That's the smart answer, but... Music nerd answer. Yeah, but as a, like as not an album, as an era,

it's weird because they overlap. The Like a Prayer slash Dick Tracy era because Vogue, which many people forget, Vogue was on the fucking Dick Tracy soundtrack, which makes no sense. Very little sense. This old-timey cartoon movie has a song about how gay men dance,

specifically black gay men dance in New York in the late 80s. How are these, how does that work? But that happened. So it's kind of the overlap of the Like a Prayer, which really you can just call the Blonde Ambition era. The Blonde Ambition era as an era is for sure my favorite by far.

But as an album, there are more, because a lot of them at early Madonna albums, if it wasn't a single, some of the songs were pretty hard to listen to. Madonna fans, please don't kill me. Please don't kill me, I worship. Well, they have bigger fish to fry right now, and they can come get their girl, actually. I'm trying to block out the fact that she's hawking Donald Trump's medication or whatever the fuck.

Not medication, Donald Trump's poison. Hyd the fuck you not medication Donald Trump's poison I'm trying to hydrochloric roxyquin everyone's got to get a bottle of hydrochloric roxyquin yeah I'm trying to block that out right now while we have while I just gave you my defining moment of culture and you know what people can be more than one thing they can be they can be the defining moment of culture for a lot of Americans and people worldwide. And also be hawking hydroclinic. As a COVID medication, which I have to say is hashtag not a thing. Not a thing.

Not real. Not a thing. Not a thing. Yeah. Did I answer that question correctly? Yes, you did. I was nervous. I'm not going to lie.

To know also you got Sharon Stone and Gwen Stefani in there contributing, it really clears things up for the girls. Okay, good. Sharon Stone and Madonna sort of line up very well, I think. They tell, like, they're compliments to the same story. They are the bombshell. The bombshell. But it's the Justin Tranter story.

Well, it's that hyper femininity with extreme strength and possible violence you know yes again I am not

it's a last away from a tear last away from a tear but I was I am not violent never have been which even though in some instances

I probably should have been to protect myself more but yes yes there is something about that Sharon Stone all those characters that she played so well where she's so beautiful and so to protect myself more. But there is something about that Sharon Stone,

all those characters that she played so well where she's so beautiful and so strong and might kill you. Really, I needed that feminine strength to get me through fucking junior high, you know? Yep, I totally get that. This is the thing that we were talking about with Selling Sunset, Matt. It's like the Christine Quinn's,

the Regina George's. These are women who are, who could kill you, who could murder you. I love the full circle nature of this. I do. And I, I need to be put on my toes by some of my pop culture obsessions.

I need, I need to be on a high alert. A whiff of death. Danger. A sense of danger. Yeah. Yeah. I need the threat of death. Yeah. Yeah. to be a whiff of death. Danger. A sense of danger, yes. Yeah, I need the threat of death. Yeah.

Urgency. You know, if it's not death, at least be super urgent. If you're not going to kill us, at least make us feel like what you're saying has this extreme sense of urgency. And be actively engaged with what's happening. You know what I mean? Like, I love it.

I love the eye of the tiger in it. For me, it's like, if I ever am not into someone, it's probably because their aesthetic or their image or their energy is passive. You know what I mean? Like I love energy. Yep. I agree. It's like whether I was obsessed with Courtney Love or Lil' Kim or Madonna or Gwen,

none of them were making music that was anywhere close to each other, but there was this urgency. And Sharon Stone, even though she wasn't making music, even though I've tried, I definitely have tried to reach out to more people. What if she wants a song?

We don't fucking know. She could. No, you don't know. That would be huge. That would be huge. It would be a colossal global hit. Can you imagine? Well, okay,

so now we have come to the moment that is I Don't Think So, Honey, which I know we've been doing a lot of I Think So, Honeys with our guests because, I mean, Justin has contributed it all, capital I, capital A. But now we're actually going to turn away from positivity and towards what we call be calling the show negative catharsis um and we are going to do i don't think so honey 60 seconds to rail against something in pop culture that we don't think so about um so uh bowen i could go first i think i okay that's good um i will put you first this is the the traditional order. This is Matt Rogers'.

Would you like to say something before? I would like to say one thing, which is almost my I Don't Think So Honey was necklaces that have your name on it. Okay. But I've decided that I will not do that today. Okay. And we have one

ready to go for another time? Let's just say if if i feel a certain kind of way about it on another episode i am launching into that one because i i don't know if i think so honey about these necklaces that say mary or the necklaces that say your name but but it's not today's all right i have to be a little bit more prescient and topical that's right okay so this is matt rogers's i don't think so honey is Matt Rogers is I don't think so, honey. His time starts now. I don't think so,

honey. The Republican national convention, which is happening right now as we speak. And if you are listening to it, watching it, responding to it, reacting to it, posting about it,

stop. I don't think so, honey, because you know what? That's what they want. They're going to say a lot of crazy fucking shit this week. And we're recording this on Monday, which means it's begun. And they're probably up there right now saying some crazy fucking shit.

Don't buy into it. Stay focused on one thing and one thing only, which is getting them the fuck out. We already have so many concerns right now that we need to be focused on that they are going to be talking about other things tonight, tomorrow, the next day, whatever, to distract us. That's what they do. It's his playbook. I don't think so, honey. If you haven't realized by now that what Trump does is create public circuses to distract you from the real issues, which are the fact that the Postal Service is still under attack all the time. And you know what?

Headlines will try to confuse you to make you sure it's all okay we need to be worried about voter suppression stay focused i don't think so any of the rnc and the chaos around it and that's one minute thank you wow this is what i this is this is how i feel which is we're better off not watching it and also what i think is very intentional is that the scheduling is crazy because we're recording this monday so it hasn't even i i wasn't even sure like when things would start but like i i got notifications throughout the day in the afternoon today where they were like okay they officially renominated trump and which was like okay yeah that that's like procedurally what happens but then like trump already gave an address i think in in the afternoon. He's speaking every night.

I know he's speaking every night, but at 2 p.m. or 3 p.m. He spoke at 2, yeah. He spoke in the afternoon. And the program, I'm saying the programming and the scheduling is also, I think, intentionally chaotic. So that no one really knows what to focus on or what not to focus on even. So that it's like you're being pulled into this no matter what, even if it's against your will. So yes, I mean, like, try to tune it out as much as possible. Don't fall for the distraction, even though that's going to be difficult. I mean, we're going to inevitably be talking about this throughout the week and the month before the debates, but like it's it's

and I will say, you know, right now we literally are talking about it because it's happening. And I did make comments last week about the DNC. And what I would like to say is that we recorded that on Monday. And by the end of the week, I actually want to give some credit to the people that put together and pulled off a virtual DNC. Because while I don't agree with, in fact, strongly disagree with some of the people that they had speak, I will say that at the end of the week, I actually felt hopeful about a Joe Biden presidency instead of just denying Trump and wanted to get Trump out of there. I think that it is really, really important that we see someone who not only is empathetic and not only really cares, but someone who, and this is really important,

de-centers themselves in the narrative. Notice how Trump has an inability, an incapability when it comes to taking himself out of it. It's always about him. It's always about what he's feeling, thinking, who's wronging him. He is unable to decenter himself. Whereas Biden will often make things about his son, his wife, his vice presidential nominee, his party, his American people. Understand that's really important. And for someone that is a white cis man who's in politics, who's probably been cultured to believe that the world kind of revolves around him. He's run for president several times. It's incredibly difficult for someone that's running for president to consistently decenter themselves in the narrative.

And I'm not I'm not just heaping praise at Biden's feet. I'm saying I am impressed that we have a real effort here to make this about the American people. And there's a real contrast between these two candidates. I don't think I'm speaking to anyone that's on the fence. But if I am, I hope that's something that you notice because it's growth and it's important. And he seems interested in us, which is not an interest of the president's I think it was an effective messaging moment for the party I fucking hate that they had Bloomberg up there cracking his bagoo jokes and he had I totally agree they

had like a virulently anti-Muslim politician up there. There was not enough Muslim presence at all. There was none. They could have had Rashida. They could have had Ilhan. I think that was a choice not to. And to instead open up big tent

bullshit and be like, let's have Kaysit come. That was the thing that sort of rubbed me the wrong way. And it only really worked as a harmonious sort of unified party message because you had progressives like AOC, like Bernie, sort of falling in line, as it were, to be like, yes, we're throwing our support behind Biden,

even though there was that dumb AOC dust-up with the second nomination thing. NBC News still owes an apology for tweeting out that she, quote unquote, did not endorse or support Biden. That night she was actually doing what procedure is. And she was seconding the nomination for Bernie because he earned enough delegates. So under they and here's the real truth. And, you know, whatever whatever i'll just say this nbc news willingly um posted that knowing how this shit works so you we have to understand that

you know i understand that a lot of people stan msnbc we got a lot of people out here who really appreciate rachel maddow and stuff like that. But this is a real problem. And I don't want to be out here on this podcast being like, don't trust the news. But they made a serious, serious, intentional decision there to confuse people about what AOC was doing. And it really is hard to convince me that the mainstream media doesn't want a story which is the democratic party is in shambles going forward because you know what it's a narrative and they're thriving off the narrative and it's not a fucking joke to real people in this country

who need trump to not be president so i'm really disappointed in that and that honestly is let's just call that another i don't think so, honey, because that was really, really, really frustrating and upsetting. It's tough, too, because I am fortunate to do a lot of fundraising and activism for certain groups, and it is always a tough decision, right? So with the DNC, they were very clearly trying to appeal to the white voters, that straight white voters who are maybe undecided, right? And it's hard to know. I think AOC even posted something about it on her Insta story that she understood what they were doing and she respects it. She 100% mentioned that there was no Muslims and all this stuff

that, of course, if she was in charge, it would have been done much differently. But it's hard to know. Like sometimes, right, in certain fundraising things, you're like, but do we need a straight celebrity here to help us raise funds for LGBTQ causes? But then sometimes you do because you need that exposure and you need that money raised. And so these are very tough conversations. And I am as progressive as, as they come. But I will say that just because in certain organizations in certain places,

I am behind the scenes in these conversations and they are hard conversations because if I had it my way at certain events, it would only be up and coming LGBTQ artists who need all the exposure and all the love and all that support. But then we might, if we don't pair it with straight fucking cis famous people who can really broadcast the message and amplify the message are are those young queer people even going to be heard is the money going to be raised it is a really really tough thing and so like of course i wish the dnce it's the dnce that's the

band jesus christ of course d i wish the the DNC was handled in a much more progressive, like seen through a much more progressive lens. But on the other hand, I do understand that they're trying to get people's votes who haven't decided yet. Not saying that I would have made the same choice. I'm just trying to like always look at the other side of it. I think we're all on the same page about this. And I think you mentioned AOC's response, which was, I thought, a perfect response, which was, no, I wouldn't have done it this way. But props and kudos to the people that did pull it off. And also, you know, there is something to be said about the fact that we were not the intended audience for it. Whether or not that is the right decision about how to program it this year.

Could there have been a little bit more outreach to the progressive block of this party, which is very real and very important to be heard. And we consider ourselves all a part of that. You know, that is a question mark that I have, but I thought overall there was a lot of positive stuff to be said. Yeah.

And it's also tough too, because the super, not all, this is a a lot of super young progressive people are not registered to vote and they're going to tweet and they're going to get pissed, but they're not registering. So on one way, should

they have made the convention geared towards getting those fucking kids to register? Or are they going to gear it towards the people who are already registered because they're 60 years old and they're on the fence? Like, I don't fucking have the right answer for that. It's hard to know. I mean, electoral politics are a nightmare. are reason why it's so difficult to navigate why there are these like superstructures above the whole like thing of voting that like make it hard for people to vote or make it inaccessible or all

these different things so um and we need to be worried about voter suppression like yes yes um i i loved um i loved the roll call. That was fun. It was great. There was so much great about it. And I did think that Joe Biden's final speech, it was a fantastic speech. And it was something that I don't think a lot of people realized they needed. But, you know, the American people needed to hear condolences on the unacceptable, disgusting loss of life that we have had over these past six months. I mean, it's just, it's heinous and it's been said ad nauseum, but it did not have to be this way. And there is something to be said about human decency and there's certainly a lot to be said about our fucking democracy. So if you are not registered to vote and you're listening to this podcast, girl, you got to get registered to vote. And we need to make this happen. And let's be really

clear about the fact that, you know, especially in those swing states and red states, we need you. Okay, so get out there and let's get this done. And we're going to be talking a lot about this in the coming months. You know, Lost Colch is going to be having some people on who on a local level are going to be running for important offices. We're super excited about that. And in fact, next week,

not running for office, but we are having Gabriel Ocasio-Cortez, who is the brother of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. And we are having him on the show and we're very excited to talk to him about all things. He nominated AOC for a brand new Congress so that she would eventually run for that seat. It'll be fun.

Okay. I have something. It'll be time now for Bowen Yang's I Don't Think So Honey. That is what happens after I go. Bowen goes, and he does always a stunning job. And this is going to be smart. It's going to be incisive. It's going to be important.

It'll be humorous. And it will ultimately teach everyone a lesson. So I'm so excited and honored to now introduce Bowen Yang, whose I Don't Think so honey time starts now i don't think so honey velvet couches how dare you try and create static electricity in my house how dare you catch the lint off of my ass and sit there and look dusty as hell when you literally just came to my house let me just say let me just warn

do a little consumer warning PSA for everybody if you order a couch hashtag if you order a couch off of joybird.com they have a wonderful selection but if you select the cobalt blue couch it will not tell you that it is velvet.

I thought I was getting a canvas motherfucking couch. They unboxed it and lo and behold, it's a velvet motherfucking couch and it only works if I am stoned off my ass and I like

the texture of it against my skin. Otherwise, I feel like I'm in the 80s. I feel like I'm in Dynasty. I don't know what's going on. It takes me a second to adjust to the fact that it's velvet. I don't think so, honey velvet couch. And that's one minute. Wow.

I have to say, I like your couch. I think that it promotes good posture. No, no, no, no, no, no. It's a new one. I got a new one this weekend. So you mean this new one that you don't like has replaced the old one that you didn't like? Yes.

Fuck your life. I mean, the area is great. It's comfortable to be. It's more comfortable than the last one, but I'm never going to find the right couch. I mean, you can do a whole reality show on this. Bowen is trying to find the right couch. Honestly, that might sell.

I'd watch it. It would make me sick. I'd watch it. Justin, do you have the right couches and the right furniture? That's a good couch. I'm really glad I'm sitting here because in the couch in my TV area, it's definitely like purple velvet. So my apologies to you.

That's okay. But I'm glad you didn't have to see it this whole two hours because that would have just been triggering but do you like it me yeah do you like oh i love my velvet couch i think it's amazing it's comfy she like you know it's you know you just because everything this is this she's a vibe i'm i'm you know she's a vegan queen so i had i wanted to get like uh all the couches are vegan and blah blah so velvet's kind of one of the best options for a vegan couch and it's just really really cozy it's it's a matter of personal taste uh which leads me to ask justin what is your favorite what kind of chair do you need to be in to work the best do you have you figured this out for yourself yet i just like the corner of a couch to write in.

Like the corner of a couch. And then I can turn, you know, like with my legs up, of course, like a teen queen and like turn and like face the artist that I'm writing with and like kind of in the corner so you can face the whole room. I can turn to the producer who's in front of me. I can turn to the side to the artist. We can get really intimate. You're a nook queen. Yeah, she's nooking. I can turn to the side to the artist. We can get really intimate. You're a nook queen.

Yeah, she's nooking. I'm nooking. Yes, come on. I'm nooking my whole life away. That's my main couch. Wow, fantastic. Unbelievable. Okay, I think it's time for Justin.

I think it's time. For Justin's I Don't Think So Honey. Okay, so before we start, just like you, Matt, I had one that I was gonna do, but then I changed it. So what i was gonna do but then i changed it so what i was gonna do is youtube eyebrows youtube eyebrows you know the kardashian like the overbrow the youtube makeup brow it's gotta stop it's um it's alarming it's offensive uh it's it's

not flattering on any on anyone um so that's just one. Well, we can say happily that it's now on notice. And it didn't get I Don't Think So Honey today, but it is on notice. It is on notice. Yeah, if it's still there in a couple months, I'm going to just crash your show again just to talk about Browse. Oh, please. And then we can talk about the 9,000 other songs that we didn't even get to today. We could truly talk to you forever.

But for now, we're about to hear the I Don't Think So Honey of Justin Tranter, and let me tell you, there was some contest about which one it was gonna be, and you heard what it almost was, and now you're gonna hear what it is.

So this is Justin Tranter's I Don't Think So Honey. Their time starts now. I Don't Think So Honey,, Their Time Starts Now. I don't think so, honey. You better find some motherfucking positivity. I am Elizabethan, right? I wanted Elizabeth more in all the fucking way. I didn't get her. And you know what?

I am finding the positives in Joe Biden. I am finding the positives in Kamala Harris. I am on board and I am fucking excited because even though it's not as progressive as we want, I am still positive because it's literally the most fucking progressive platform that any major nominee has ever run on. So if you can't get positive about this platform, bitch, well, have fun with Trump ruining your lives, taking your friends' jobs away, literally killing us all with COVID. So I don't think so, honey. Until the election happens, I don't think so with your negativity. Find some motherfucking positivity and shine and vote because I'm going

to vote with the biggest fucking smile on my face that i have ever had and that's one minute wow and you know what i'm really happy that you said that because i want to say something about kamala harris kamala harris is the most progressive person that has ever been on a democratic ticket ever and that is not just which is also not to say that she was the most progressive option but it does it is meaningful that she is very that she is the most progressive person to make it to that. And let's make it clear that I was definitely not saying that. I know that she was far from the most progressive person that was in the primaries. I am a Bernie Sanders voter.

I am someone who gave a lot of money to Elizabeth Warren. I'm probably very similar to the people in this Zoom where we find ourselves. But here's the thing. And this is something I've been thinking a lot about. This whole thing about Kamala is a cop. Sure. But I want to say something about the way that she's being talked about and depicted. Holding a woman of color responsible, more responsible for a white supremacist system is in and of itself racist. And I want everyone to really kind of fucking slow their roll about, you know, fuck Kamala, fuck Kamala. Because you know what? How dare you for these last four or five months talk about how we have to understand the perspective of black women and we have to you know

understand the that the black experience is so different and then say fuck her when all of a sudden she realizes the american dream of so many millions of black women and asian women in this country and i just think that you know what you're all entitled to your opinion. Is she as progressive as we need her to be? Maybe not yet. But I am really discouraged and disappointed about the take on Kamala Harris from a lot of progressive friends of mine. And yes, you are all pretty much white. And you know what? This is a different conversation for people of color that want to have this conversation but the shitting on of kamala harris from fucking white progressive people

and the total disregard for her perspective and her lived experience as a black woman who has gotten to where she is in an unprecedented way shame on you and i will say that and you're you're exhibiting racist behavior she um she did this interview with uh it's it was with an activist um back in november when she was still campaigning um october maybe uh and it was this it was this activist who um was basically trying to abolish policing and as, as, as we know it. And I think,

I think he even sort of brought up this thing of like, how do you square your candidacy as a black woman with, you know, your record and all this stuff. And she goes, well, I just want to talk. Oh no,

no, it was, it wasn't even that it was just about like representation about like what it means for her to run and for her to be this contender. And she brought up this really interesting thing that I haven't forgotten where she was like think about what i like think about what you picture when i say these four words the boy next door like you have an immediate image of who that is what they look like where they live all of this stuff that informs that image that's not even that specific but you have these specifics kind of like programmed in you yes and she's basically saying that like and this this was answering again like

a representation question but it got me thinking about how she was like i am running this i'm doing this thing that no one's ever really seen play out before in a way and she wasn't saying that in this sort of like you know um um um finger wagging way or anything she was just saying like i am figuring this out in the way that collectively we are all trying to imagine what a female candidate for president can be should be how she's able to reckon with her past record with um you know her her policy decisions. And then she like very gracefully talked about, you know, the carceral state after that. It's like she's not like stuck in that mode of, you know, district attorney, like the super cop who is like out there like prosecuting all

these people. It's like she's developing in the way that you would even say Joe Biden developed where let's not forget he was the one who sort of broke rank and said same-sex marriage should be illegal. And then that forced Obama's hand, and then you had a couple years later, a few years later, same-sex marriage be legalized. It's like these things are incremental, and yes, this is the most progressive ticket. And it's not as progressive as it could have been or maybe even should be. But it's like it's an incremental change that can still be ledgered against all of this other stuff that's going on. So that's been helpful for me. Well, I think, too, it's incremental in comparison to what we want when you put it up against what we're going to get. If we don't all get behind this excited, we have to be excited because I think

we should be excited. It's the most progressive thing we've ever seen. It's not what we want, but it's the most we've ever gotten. And if we don't get this, if we don't all get fucking excited and rally behind it, then we're, you know, it's the, you know,

Trump has over 160 attacks on the LGBTQ community and it's not going to stop. Right, right. Let alone the racism, let alone the death, let alone all this stuff. So I feel like, yes, we want better. The sheer incompetence. Sheer incompetence, yeah. It's like we just, I'm just, I'm excited, and I can't wait.

Yeah, yeah. I'm going to vote like I've never voted before. But I love this positivity frame around it that's perfect. It's wonderful. And you bring this to everybody with your work. And Justin Tranter, we thank you so much for coming. Oh my God, what a fun time. So fun.

Thank you guys so much. So wonderful. A living legend. Like Britney. Like Britney. Same. All legends right here. Too good. good i mean let me just say one thing and that is this we always and every episode with a song we always go into it

and that's it that's actually all i'm gonna do because i'm not gonna insult our guest I needed to lose you to find me And that's it. That's actually all I'm going to do because I'm not going to insult our guest. But to hear that song, listen to Selena Gomez. I think it sounded great and I've heard,

I've seen videos of you doing your Christmas show where you sing your ass off. I know, I know. Baby boy! Also too, you know, all those backing vocals, the big choir

In Lose You To Love Me That's me and Julia Doing it There we go And to hear more of that You gotta listen to The album Rare By Selena Gomez

The song is Lose You To Love Me This is KZKZM Alright Bye Bye I'm Julian Edelman

I'm Rob Gronkowski and we are super excited to tell you about our new show Dudes on Dudes we're spilling all the behind scenes stories crazy details and honestly just having a blast talking football every week we're discussing our favorite players

of all times from legends to our buddies to current stars we're discussing our favorite players of all times, from legends to our buddies to current stars. We're finally answering the age-old question, what kind of dudes are these dudes? We're going to find out, Jules. New episodes drop every Thursday during the NFL season. Listen to Dudes on Dudes on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Hey, I'm Jay Shetty, and I'm the host of On Purpose. My latest episode is with Jelly Roll. This episode is one of the most honest and raw interviews I've ever had. We go deep into Jelly Roll's life story from being in and out of prison from the age of 13 to being one of today's biggest artists. I was a desperate delusional dreamer. Be a delusional dreamer. Just don't be a desperate delusional dreamer. Listen to On Purpose dreamer. Just don't be a desperate delusional dreamer.

Listen to On Purpose with Jay Shetty on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Trust me, you won't want to miss this one. On Thanksgiving Day, 1999, five-year-old Cuban boy Elian Gonzalez was found off the coast of Florida. And the question was, should the boy go back to his father in Cuba? Mr. Gonzales wanted to go home and he wanted to take his son with him.

Or stay with his relatives in Miami? Imagine that your mother died trying to get you to freedom. Listen to Chess Peace, the Elian Gonzalez story, on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

I'm Sheryl Swoops. And I'm Tarika Foster-Brasby. And on our new podcast, we're talking about the real obstacles women face day to day. Because no matter who you are, there are levels to what we experience as women. And T and I have no problem going there. Listen to Levels to This with Cheryl Swoops and Tarika Foster-Brasby, an iHeart Women's Sports production in partnership with Deep Blue Sports and Entertainment. You can find us on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Presented by Capital One, founding partner of iHeart Women's Sports.