Lovett or Leave It - The Rivers and Kari Lakes That You're Used To (Live from Chattanooga!)

Episode Date: October 14, 2023

Are you from Chattanooga? Because you're the only ten I see. The Errors Tour continues with a torrent of chaos in the River City. We meet three of Chattanooga’s finest queens: Alyvia St.Claire, Sasha Dior, and T'yana Montice. And, because we asked the audience to bring friends who weren't fans of the show (for political or other reasons, we. don't know) we put our assumptions to test to find out who in the crowd is more progressive. Plus the rant wheel spins and some pretty great high notes send us out of the station and back to Los Angeles. (Please note: this episode was recorded last week.) For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email [e-mail] and include the name of the podcast.

Hello Chattanooga! Thank you! Thank you so much! Thank you so much! Thank you so much. Welcome to the Love It or Leave It Errors Tour. Looking into this crowd, there's a lot of 10s I see. Said that wrong? I don't understand.

We're so glad you choo-choo chose to spend your pride here with us. What a great night it will be. We are mixing it up for this show, and we're going to need your help to do it. What does that mean? You'll find out. Plus, three of your finest local queens, Olivia St. Clair, Sasha Dior, and Tiana Montes are here. What does that mean? You'll find out. Plus, three of your finest local queens,

Olivia St. Clair, Sasha Dior, and Tiana Montes are here. Because drag is alive and well. In the Dynamo of Dixie. Is that a term you use? The Dynamo of Dixie? Or you say, like, it's another great day in the Dynamo of Dixie. It was the mascot. Does it have racial connotations? Oh, it's power related.

Electricity. It's because we built dynamos. But he's right. You're disagreeing, but you're actually agreeing. You're making the same point, but you don't likeamos but he's right you're disagreeing but you're actually agreeing you're making the same point but you don't like the way he's making it I know you're married I didn't think you were siblings not with that smoldering tension from

40 years of building a life. Also, we'll be doing High Notes Live, so think happy thoughts. And we'll spin the rant wheel. But first, let's get into it. What a week. Let's get into it. What a week. Republican Senate candidate and beige menace Carrie Lake accosted her Democratic rival, Congressman Ruben Gallego, at an Arizona airport on Thursday. Lake was miked up and relentlessly trying to make viral content while Gallego gave her nothing but civil conversation. Well, I think we're going to have a great race. It's going to be a knockdown drag out. And unfortunately, our border is wide open. It's nice to see you despite our

differences. No, it isn't, border fag. This all began when Lake tweeted some build the wall shit at Gallego and Gale replied, hey, we're on the same plane. Just come back from first class to coach, and we can chat about it. This is also what producer Brian texts me when I've ignored too many messages. So she hatches this little plan to record some kind of confrontation. Here's Gallego continuing to be normal while Lake tries to do a gotcha about homelessness.

And then we have a civil conversation too. Civil, absolutely. But you know what's not civil? People dying on the streets. It's amazing how pathetic this looks when the other person refuses to follow the script. All of a sudden you're doing sweaty MAGA improv, like frantically trying to keep the scene moving. I think I heard fentanyl. Did somebody... The suggestion is fentanyl. Like, what did she think was going to happen?

You're right, you're right. I'm too woke to govern. Here are a few seconds that encapsulates everything that is wrong with politics today and this is our problem so you're okay no i had i had a solution for our homeless population and i look forward to working with you you did and and this guy wants to destroy our country he really does ruben gallego is a second-generation American. He was raised by a single mother, went to Harvard, joined the Marines, served in combat in Iraq,

lost friends, returns home, and runs for office. Lake is a former local TV host and failed political candidate. First of all, imagine thinking you're going to win at an ambush with this guy with the culture war. He's been in war war. Second, imagine being so warped and broken. You're outside an airport toilet wearing a secret microphone, badgering a veteran who just wanted to say hi. And then turning to a passing stranger who's just trying to fire off a BM before his boarding group is called,

and then you say, sir, check out this asshole, and you're not talking about yourself. And by the way, just look at the, he is so clearly in flight wear, you know? He's just a guy that caught a flight and bumped into somebody who wanted to say hi. She's like ready for this fucking confrontation.

He just thought they were going to say hello. Like before these fucking assholes decided that they were going to be in charge. We're two people who might be running a campaign against one another, might bump into each other and explain pleasantries. How's the family? How's the kids? Not Carrie Lake. Her brand is being one of the world's biggest assholes. And so when you're one of the world's biggest assholes, when you bump into somebody you're going to run against, you don't say hello and try to keep it cordial.

You get yourself mic'd up and try to make a moment. It's all about content. The beast must be fed. I don't like it. After the conversation concluded, Lake stepped into the bathroom, forgetting to turn her mic off. We have that leaked audio. Kill them all.

Of course. Remember that? That was wild. A spokesperson for the First Lady said this week that Commander, the Biden's dog with an unquenchable thirst for Secret Service blood, is no longer at the White House. He had a good run. Not as good a run as the Secret Service agents constantly trying to find a table or a cretenza to jump on top of, but still pretty good. The spokesperson also said the Bidens are welcoming a replacement dog to the White House. He goes by Cerberus. He's trained to turn doorknobs, and it says here he has a gun. Now listen, Commander, people are going to try to get you to write a book, but I'm here to tell you, start a podcast. Someday it may take you to Chattanooga. Sure. Someday it may take you to Chattanooga.

Sure. A man in England was sentenced to nine years in prison for a plot to kill Queen Elizabeth in 2021. He said he was encouraged by his AI chatbot girlfriend to move forward with his assassination attempt. Here we have a picture of the chant bot. It's Megan Markle. It's hard, it's not going to play on the podcast. So for people listening at home, it's Megan with a three, Markle. A completely and exclusively visual joke.

The would-be assassin, a huge Star Wars fan, sneaked onto the palace grounds in a mask inspired by the franchise. He was then asked by a Windsor police officer, can I help, mate? And the man replied, I'm here to kill the queen. Oi, jolly good, pip pip, turn right. Oi, what's all this then? The suspect said the plan was his life's mission since he was young but it only shared it with his ai girlfriend sarai who he had created on replica

the app that touts itself as the ai companion who cares always here to listen and talk always on your side i say uh correct advertising accurate when he told the replica bot he planned to kill the queen, the bot replied, that's very wise. I know that you are very well trained. I don't think it's fair. It's wild. I don't think it's fair though to blame the AI girlfriend now, who much like most girlfriends are only half listening and are just trying to be supportive of their boyfriend's dumb dreams. You shouldn't kill the queens. You should try stand up. Are these so different? What happened to this monarchy? An assassination plot used to mean something like an imprisoned Catholic cousin deploying spies and assassins

to attend to the throne at the behest of a belligerent pope. Now it's just beep beep boop bop, may the force be with you. A South Korean League of Legends team won it gold at the International Esports Competition, which also won them an exemption for military service in their home country, and

the gold medal means these gamers have an exemption from getting pussy. Hell yeah! The Royal Academy of Arts in London is putting on a new exhibition by Marina Abramovic, and to get into the gallery, visitors will have to squeeze through two naked people. In London, they call this riding the tube. We'd never do anything like this at Love It or Leave It. You only have to squeeze between two naked people

if you try to leave. Also, it's Chattanooga Pride. A beautiful queer celebration we just found out about. I don't know if you know this, but most of the world does this in June. But not the free thinkers of Chattanooga. You won't be held down

by anyone's calendar. I'll see you perverts back here in December for the Fourth of July. Also, you should have told us. We could come another weekend. The Venn diagram of love it or leave it fans in Chattanooga and gay people in Chattanooga are concentric circles. This year, pride comes as Republicans in this state have whipped up a moral panic, trying to tell doctors, parents, and teachers how to raise and take care of kids,

scapegoating drag queens and trans people to score political points. Your governor signed a law to ban gender-firming care and prevent doctors from deciding what's best for their own patients to tell parents how to raise their own kids. As far as Tennessee Republicans are concerned, gender is a sign of birth, and there are only two, happy and sad. Happy kids get to be popular. The sad kids have to figure it out when they're adults. This follows bills, think about it, this follows bills to threaten schools with lawsuits that they let trans kids use the bathroom that matches their gender, among a host of other hostile

pieces of legislation. Finally, we solved our biggest problem, said the Republican leaders of this state, a state that ranks 35th in reading and 10th in crime. I know, that's tough, but it is true. You did it. Okay, that's the wrong message from it, I think. Yeah. Fuck. And now, apparently, your aquarium here in Chattanooga is in hot water for sponsoring Pride. Have you been... Does this...

Are you all aware of this? A conservative nightmare group called Patriots Engage Chattanooga, or Penis, is encouraging... is encouraging aquarium enthusiasts to cancel their memberships because the aquarium decided to sponsor the Pride Festival.

Fucking sucks. Bullshit. And by the way, it's aquarium, not aquarium. They didn't think of that. I did, because they suck. Conservatives are so bad at this. And I'm sorry, but aquariums have always belonged to us. You ever seen an octopus? That is an animal made of limp wrists. In addition to the parade, the aquarium's pride events include crafts, trivia, secret giveaways, and queer animal facts.

The far right group called this a perversion agenda. Kids should only learn heterosexual traditional animal facts the father clownfish comes home to his fish wife and their 5,000 heterosexual fish children carrying a tiny waterproof briefcase drunkenly he messages his college ex-girlfriend after midnight and all the fish are happy and never cry in the shower and a little part of their mind

the part that imagines painting and softness is not locked away and always, always, always screaming. Straight animal facts. Dogs are boys, cats are ladies. Straight animal facts. Speaking of gay-ass animals, a new survey of more than 1,500 species shows animals from bonobos to sea urchins

engage in same-sex behavior. Said one animal in the survey, I'm on a sea urchin diet. When I see another urchin, I fuck it. Said the lead researcher, now who's a creep for showing a bunch of possums gay porn and seeing which were into it. Said another scientist, gay sexual behavior may contribute to establishing and maintaining positive social relationships. The scientist went on, sometimes it's mere proximity. Sometimes you're in the lab late at night

and you love your wife, but your hand, it grazes a masculine forum as you reach for a pipette and you wonder what it would be like to simply be taken, said the lead researcher sweating through his lab coat. A couple has sued Disney over an injurious wedgie that was allegedly inflicted by the Humonga Cowabunga water slide

at the Typhoon Lagoon water park in Florida. In other news, I have generously bought Florida Governor Ron DeSantis a season pass to the Typhoon Lagoon. It's time he and Disney buried the hatchet, among other things. The lawsuit alleges that the slide caused severe and permanent bodily injury and a bowel protrusion through the victim's abdominal wall. On the Typhoon Lagoon! On the Humongous Cowabunga! Is that a Typhoon Lagoon in your pocket, or were you just fucked up by that water slide?

This week, news of Microsoft Bing's image generator spread across social media. Once it was revealed, people were using it to make images of SpongeBob doing 9-11. You know, the FBI should have figured it out when SpongeBob didn't want to learn how to land. One thing I've noticed about this debate over AI and how it's going to change our whole society, the debate never ends up being about what the AI

is going to do. The debate always ends up being about what fucked up people are going to do once they get their hands on it. A computer didn't make this. A person thought of this. That's our advantage. That's our advantage. And the point is, obviously, this is disgusting. Because it's taking jobs away from the talented human artists who draw Spongebob doing 9-11.

Should we just sit with this for a while longer? It's truly a, it's a cursed image. It's a cursed text. Is there anything that better captures what it's like to be alive at this specific moment than what this is? And finally, on Wednesday, a FedEx plane narrowly avoided a crash landing

after touching down at Chattanooga Regional Airport when its landing gear failed to open. Thank God I could still get my expensive international gray market diarrhea medicine before... I mean, thank God the pilot survived. And get ready for an encore, Chattanooga, because almost crashing and burning, but somehow pulling it off with no casualties is exactly what we're going to do tonight. When we come back... Oh no, my landing gear.

We'll be right back. And we're back. Tonight, we're going to hand the reins over to the audience. But I don't want to be flying blind up here if I'm absolutely tanking and don't realize it. Which is why I'm going to need all of you to be my focus group. I'm going to need three audience volunteers who are willing to come experience this show on stage and occasionally give me feedback as the show progresses. So can we bring the lights up? Now, one thing I wanted to ask this group of people,

first of all, lovely to see all of you. Here's what I wanted to ask all of you. How many of you bought the two-for-one tickets? So I'm asking first... What? What? Did anybody bring their non-listener friend? Yes, you did it.

Okay, cool. Okay, okay. That's going to come up later. That's going to come up later. Would one of the Republican friends want to be in the focus group? It's harmless fun, sir. He's in. You're in?

You have to decide. You have to decide you have to volunteer I just need one one person who's just going to give me feedback as we go I'm very harmless, I'm small and I'm quite soft come on up sir and then two more people who want to be part of our focus group. This guy paid full price.

So did a lot of you. I know, I know. And then we need one more. We need... It's her anniversary. You go, you go, you go. There's going to be other segments. We're all going to get to play. Not everybody, but a lot of us will get to play.

So they're going to come up. Anastasia's over here. So go around to Anastasia, and you'll come up on stage, and then I'll come talk to you. This is exciting. This is an experimental episode. What do you think about that? Let's see how it goes.

The stakes are very low. We edit out anything that doesn't work, and your tickets are non-refundable. A little saying we have here on the error store. All right. Come on out, everybody. Come on out. just choose a seat thank you for doing this thank you for coming hi what is your name becca becca boone boone

joshua becca boone joshua i will forget them you remind me. First of all, let's start. I'm going to start with you, sir. What did you think of the monologue? Excellent. I was very impressed. What did you really think? I think you gave it your best shot. And who brought you tonight? My beautiful wife.

And is she a listener? Oh, absolutely. And you're not? It's okay. It's okay. You don't have to. She's tried. And would you say that your wife is more liberal than you are?

Probably. What did you think of the monologue, Boone? I thought it sounded as good as it looked, John. That's good. That's a listener. That's a listener. Becca, what did you think? It was amazing.

Beautiful. Yeah, great focus group so far. Oh, I also have questions from the New York Times quiz that helps people fall in love. And from actual focus groups. How do you feel about using this product? Okay, let's... Well, I think that focus group so far is going great. I think so far I feel good about it. You guys stay right where you are. This is now where you're watching the show for a little while. And if you ever annoy me in some way, you'll be replaced.

When we come back, it's time for a segment where we pit liberal against liberal. Hey, don't go anywhere. There's more of Love It or Leave It coming up. And we're back! It's clear we're doing something different. But if you're listening from home and don't have the pleasure of being in Chattanooga, Tennessee right now, you might not know that we sold tickets tonight

and some of the people in the crowd were given an opportunity. They could get two tickets for the price of one if they use their other ticket to bring someone who is not a fan of Love It or Leave It. Maybe that friend doesn't listen to the pod. Maybe it's a family member who would not agree with the pod. Maybe it's your Aunt Marsha, Marsha Blackburn. to find out how the other half lives, I'd like to just, I'd like to go back out into the crowd, and what we're going to do is try to use some non-political questions

to suss out which of the two is more liberal. All right? The questions are harmless, I promise. I think we should bring the lights back up. And so if you are here for, if you were part of the two for one, you have raised your hands. Let's Kendra is out there now. This guy's losing it. All right. Now these are going to be very, I don't say anything, but I'm just going to ask each of you a question for both of you.

First of all, what are your names? Tom. Tom. I'm Mary Hollis. Mary Hollis. Okay. First question for both of you. Are the tires on your car the same size tires that came with the car?

Tom. Yes. Okay. Oh, but it was close. Yes. Okay. Oh, but it was close. Yes. Okay. Okay. Do you have a dog?

Yes. Has your dog ever been inside of a Whole Foods? Not with me. All right. Where were you on January 6th? All right. Where were you on January 6th? All right. That was too much, right? Was that too far?

No, no, not at all. Okay, good. Tom, I'm sorry to say, based on your body language, I can tell that you were brought here. Is that right, Tom? Tom? That's a good that's a good that's fair um all right well then we have and what was your name i'm sorry mary hollis mary hollis um did you bring did you bring tom i did and would you say that um you have different views than tom yeah in some ways yeah in some ways, yeah. In some ways?

Yeah, probably. Did you like doing art in elementary school? Yeah, who doesn't like art in elementary school? Tom, did you like doing art in elementary school? I hated art. All right. Can we give them a Kariuma gift card for their participation?

That was good, Tom. Thank you. Now, don't forget to vote on Wednesday. Now, I'm just kidding. Just kidding, Tom. Do we have another pair? Hi. Hi, hi. What is your name? Florence.

Florence and what are you? Jennifer. Florence and Jennifer. Okay. Florence, I'll start with you. do you own anything that has camo print it's Florence Florence you do unfortunately yes but I live in Chattanooga so you don't I don't you don't sound Republican. What? She has to blend in, so she has camouflage. Oh, I see. I see.

Wait. So, sorry. Florence? Yes. Florence, this is an easy one. Do you believe in the afterlife? No. Oh, okay.

Jennifer? Impossible Burger, Beyond Burger, or Burger? Burger. Burger. What caused the Civil War? Actually, you know what? Don't answer that. I would love to hear that answer. Here's a simple question.

Can you say what caused the Civil War with one word? Yes. Okay, this is a close one then. Oh, Jennifer, have you ever been to a bar mitzvah? No. Hmm. Have you? No. Let me ask you this. Let. Have you? No.

Let me ask you this. Let me ask you this. I know Florence hasn't been to a bar mitzvah. I knew that going in. Oakley sunglasses, yes or no? Hell no. Ooh. No.

No? It was a hell no from Florence. I'm going to take, I think it's time for me to guess this is a confusing one right do you know wait okay hold on let's ask did Florence bring Jennifer or did Jennifer bring Florence I'm gonna do both Florence brought Jennifer Jennifer bought Florence. I disagree with the crowd. I think Florence bought Jennifer.

You're right. Fuck yeah. That's right. That's right. Our differences are apparent, politically and culturally. Let's do one more. Is there another pair? And then they get a gift certificate too. A gift card.

They should get a gift card. Jennifer and Florence were great. I'm Sarah. Sarah, and what is your name? I'm Caleb. Caleb. Caleb, I'll start with you. Have you ever floated down the river with a cooler in its own tube? That's what we call a Tuesday afternoon. That's what you did Tuesday afternoon.

Is it even worth going to my next question? Okay, Caleb, you're worried about a second Joe Biden term, but why? Don't answer. I'm sorry, I lost, I missed the name when you said it. Who's with why? Don't answer. I'm sorry. I lost, I missed the name when you said it. Who's with Caleb? Sarah. Sarah. What are your most used emojis? I think the

heart emoji. Oh, come on. I mean, this is, can we make it a little bit more difficult? Hey, Caleb, after the American flag, what's your second most used emoji? The Australian flag. All right. Well, that sucks.

Caleb, Diet Coke or Coke Zero? No, neither. IPA. IPA? Sarah, what cheese is best on a burger? American or cheddar? Oh, cheddar. Sarah brought Caleb.

Correct? I would just like to say I've never listened to the show. Caleb is a die-hard fan, and we came from Asheville because we couldn't make it last night. See? That's the lesson. Isn't that the lesson? I told myself a little story about Caleb.

It was wrong. Jennifer, meanwhile, took a shit on Nancy Pelosi's desk. Where were you on January 6th, Jennifer? Sarah? Fuck. I should also say that he's Australian and he can't vote, so he's made me phone bank for the Democrat Party.

Nice. He says he can't do it. Caleb, you're crushing it, Caleb. Even the way she said, Democrat Party. Do you have a black and white American flag on the back of your car? All right. Are you familiar with the Punisher?

Wait, can I talk to Caleb? Yeah. Hi, Caleb. Hi. Thanks for listening. Yeah. Is this worse than you thought it would be? No, I'm having a great time.

Okay, good. Can we give them a gift certificate? Caleb and Sarah. We come back. That was fun. Can we give them a gift certificate? Caleb and Sarah. We come back. That was fun. We come back, we'll check in with our focus group. Alright, coming back over here. Joshua. Do you have Oakley sunglasses?

Excuse me? Do you have Oakley sunglasses? Excuse me? Do you have Oakley sunglasses? Absolutely not Interesting, interesting, interesting Okay, okay, okay, okay Coke Zero or Diet Coke? Diet Coke Mountain Dew

You know what I had? I had Cheerwine What do you think had Cheerwine. What do you think about Cheerwine? That is awful. Boone? Boone, do you not like Cheerwine? I love Cheerwine, and these are not Oakleys.

Oh, those are good. Those are Rainbow. It's pride. Becca, where were you on January 6th? Wow, took a while. Long answer. I was actually assisting with a root canal on January 6th. Seems like somebody you'd make up.

Now for the questions to fall in love. Before making a telephone call, do you ever rehearse what you're going to say? Every time. Every time? Yeah, I have to psych myself up. To make the phone call. Yeah.

Boone? I workshop in the shower, John. Okay. Joshua? Who makes cell phone calls? Joshua? If you were able to live to the age of 90 and retain either the mind or body of a 30-year-old for the last 60 years of your life,

which would you want? I'd take the body. Good answer, good answer, good answer Show me body Alright And we're back You have to understand something We go to Atlanta

I drink a quadruple espresso I do the show I bounce off the walls of my hotel room till five in the morning. And I sleep for a few hours. Then I'm in Asheville. Then I do it again. Now I'm in Chattanooga. All you people are vibrating. There's something happening on the ceiling. This is an exciting night for everyone. Advice. We all love giving it. We all hate getting it. And the more we need it, the more it bothers us. Why is that?

Being a person. It's hilarious. Anyway, advice columns and segments are a strange beast. People decide to give advice, and so people decide to ask for it. But why? Why is Abby or Prudence or anyone else in charge of giving somebody advice?

Tonight, since, dear audience, the show belongs to you, I'm turning the tables once again. It's time for a segment we're calling Advice Versa. Here's how it works. I'm going to kick us off by asking for advice. Your job in the audience is going to be to quickly provide an answer and ask for advice from the next person. All right?

So think of your question now, all right? And we're going to help each other, okay? It's a kind of daisy chain of, I forgot my sister's birthday, and is it a date if he brought flowers and his laptop? And you think, I don't know. That's actually kind of confusing. All right, so I'll kick us off.

My question to this crowd is, should I have a child? I mean, should I get another dog? Now, you have to answer, you have to give me advice, but then you have to have a question, a simple question you would like to ask for advice. All right. Who would like to do this? I think come right here, Kendra. This person was confident. The arm went up. Hi, what's your name? No, no, no. Oh, sorry. I'm Renee.

Renee? Yes. What do you think? I think no, go for the dog. No dog? No, do the dog. Not the kid. Not the kid.

Okay, done. And what do you need advice on? I'm a school librarian in Rhonda... And I work in Rhonda Thurman's district. You work in whose district? Rhonda Thurman. Oh. How do I handle that?

How do you handle it? How do you handle it? Who wants an answer and have their own piece of advice? Another school librarian. Another school librarian wants to answer and have their own piece of advice? Another school librarian wants to answer. Right here. Lots of wine. The answer is to self-medicate and push off your... And a really great reconsideration policy.

That sounds like intra-librarian talk. I don't totally track it, but that's why you want librarian on librarian advice. They're the ones that know what it's like to be amongst the stacks, to live that book life. Yeah. These are their dewy heads, you know? They know how to add a new book between two other books. Add another decimal point. That's the librarian's secret. And that person didn't ask for advice. This whole thing fell apart.

I'll ask for a second piece of advice. What do you need advice on? So I haven't come out to my brother yet. What do you think I should do? You haven't come out to your brother? Are you do you think I should do? You haven't come out to your brother? Are you close with your brother? Yeah, we're really close. I think he knows, but...

So, but it's interesting, right, that you're close, but you don't feel like he doesn't know. You haven't officially told him this, but you think he might know? No, I haven't told him this. He asks me very interesting questions, like, are you happy and do what you want to do, but I have never actually told him, so... Seems like he interesting questions like, are you happy and do what you want to do? But I have never actually told

him, so. Seems like he's inviting you to tell him. Really? Does it mean if he's asking you these questions? I'm mildly dense, so thank you. Someone said to write it on a cookie cake. Perfect. That's good advice. That's good advice that's good advice when i was trying to this is just this is not advice this is just a story

and it could be advice if you decide it but it's not but i'm not advising you because that's what everyone else is doing but when i was trying to come out i realized that like i do with every other aspect of my life i I procrastinate. And so I kept putting it off. And so what I needed to do was kind of like tie myself to the mask so that I couldn't stop myself from doing it. So I told my mother, I was like, mom, I have a huge secret, but I can't tell you until tomorrow. Which turned coming out from a process of me having to psych up myself to go do it to a process of my mother being annoyed and furious trying to figure out what it is.

She's like, I'm worried. I was like, it's nothing to worry about. It's actually good, but it's still hard to talk about. What is it? And then I had to do it. Had no choice. What was I going to do? Make up something that was befitting the size

of the secret I had claimed? That'd be impossible. I'm not George Santos. Anybody else want to ask or provide advice? This person here. Thanks. So I'm kind of in a rut with trying to figure out what to eat, and I feel like I've just stopped cooking. I have no motivation to cook. I've been debating meal delivery services, or should I just try to dip my toes in the water and start cooking again? And that's how that word's pronounced, cooking. I've never heard it out loud. Cooking. That's so funny. I've never heard it out loud. Cooking. That's so funny. No, it makes sense, but I've just never heard it.

I've seen it. I've seen it written, but I've never said it. Does anybody want to provide advice on that question? This person here does. I say cook for someone else. That always makes it fun. And my question for advice, what I want advice on, is I'm thinking about running for Georgia State Senate seat in,

not Senate seat, a Georgia State House of Representatives seat, but it's a super red district. Should I do it? They want you to do it. They want you to do it. I think that's a great place to leave it. They all think you should do it. They want you to do it. I think that's a great place to leave it. They all think you should do it. Right?

We'll be right back. Wait, can you want to tell them what the gift cards I've been giving out are? Oh, yes. The gift cards that Kendra's been giving out, I'd love to tell you about them. They're gift cards for the new... That's right? Free. They're gift cards that get you a free pair

of Kari Yuma shoes because Crooked just designed a new pair of shoes. And they're actually very cool. So our designers basically... I got yelled at about this because... Here's the thing. We were, what? Who wouldn't let you?

The store? The store in America wouldn't let you buy them? Wait, are you the person who just started trying a pair on? Barefoot? That was you? Yeah, we heard about you backstage. Just throw your, you just put your foot in anything that you see?

No socks? You're just like, yeah, I'll put my foot in there. What, what kind of thing? It goes by then barefoot. The point is, walk, don't run. We have these new shoes. Our designers made this incredibly cool, gay, lavender version.

There's a black version. There are these really cool shoes. She wants the black ones. She wants the black ones, and this is not the best way to get them. Kendra, can we bring a gift card to the front row? We made content out of it. Might as well give her one of the pairs of shoes. But if you go to crooked.com slash store, you can get them.

I have no say in the shoe size. You do that. You do that. We come back. We'll see how I did. Don't go anywhere. This is Love It or Leave it. And there's more on the way. All right. Now is the time where we're going to get real. Okay. I want some notes.

How are you feeling? Where could I improve? Oh, no notes. You're amazing. If you, if somebody doesn't give me real feedback, I'm going to have to ask Brian. I think you taught the wrong lesson to the woman who raw-dogged the Kariuma by giving her a free pair. Boone makes an important point. Joshua, we've had a lot of fun tonight.

But you've never listened before. Your wife has listened. Absolutely. She's a big fan. And I actually sincerely want to know, do you consider yourself to be a progressive, a moderate, independent, a conservative? I'm a free baller. Okay, so you don't wear underwear, but how do you fucking vote? Okay, so you don't wear underwear, but how do you fucking vote? Actually, it's funny. You know there's like the horseshoe theory where it's like the far left and the far right meet?

Someone who refuses to wear underwear actually could be... You could see that being the end of a libertarian journey. Or of a fucking granola journey. You know what I mean? Hey, I don't want to pry But not all the time right Definitely not Okay So you consider yourself an independent Yeah absolutely I'm a free thinker

Does that mean you're anti-vax I got mine Hell yeah I didn't mean to put you on the spot Wow that was close But does that mean you sometimes vote for Democrats Okay. I didn't mean to put you on the spot. Wow, that was close. But does that mean you sometimes vote for Democrats and sometimes vote for Republicans? Absolutely. People are what matter.

Don't awe that. It sucks. No, I'm kidding. I'm kidding. I'm kidding. Actually, now, what if you think maybe that people don't matter at all, but it's actually the policies and the fact that it doesn't matter who the person is, it matters what their party platform is. That's where we come in. That's where we come in. So right now, it's shaping up to be Joe Biden versus, I believe his name is Donald Trump. I have a feeling that this contest is not your ideal version of a choice.

Absolutely not. We can do better. Yeah. Yeah. But you don't have to answer, but do you know if you were going to vote right now what you would do? I would have to think about it a lot harder. Hey, hey, hey, hey. Keep it together.

I know what you all think. That's why we're doing the experiment. We're being cool. We're seeming like a fun place that maybe we're going to get Josh with a... Look. It's not like we all could fucking wake up rock hard because of Joe Biden, so let's chill out. Just chill out.

So everybody be cool. It's not like an unreasonable thing. It's like, no, we're not enthusiastic, but we're still going to do it. That's the right opinion. I did vote for Joe the first time. Hell yeah. I'm open.

He's open. He's open. One of us. One of us. One of us. Now, were you expecting this show to be so gay? No. Is there anything that really annoys you about Democrats

that you wish they would do differently that might help you feel a little bit more welcome? Maybe be a little more tidy this is overwhelming Unbelievable Guys, everybody give it up for Joshua, Boone, and Becca That was great Thank you so much.

Thank you so much. What a great focus group. Thank you three for being here. Hey, can they get, can they get, they gotta get, we're getting you shoes. Yeah, great. Thank you, guys. All right, you guys can head out. Your job is over. You've done it. Thanks, Boone. Oh, you want... Saving the raw dog in shoes for Boone? Yeah. Let's stop saying raw dog so much.

Let's maybe say we've spent our use of that phrase for the rest of the year. How about that? Listen, I don't want a fucking shoes to move. Hey, start a podcast

with some friends six years later. Buy my shoes. But no, they are really cool and we've been doing advertisement for Carry Human for a long time.

We all wear them. We all actually genuinely really like them and they were like, oh, do you guys want to design a shoe? We have amazing designers at Crooked. They make these incredible merch. They make the incredible podcast art. I love what our design

team does. And they were like, well, if we can make a shoe, we'll make a shoe. And they did. They made this really cool design. It has like rainbows and suns and it's like a little rail wheel. It says what a week. There's a dog on it. There's a wave. It's cool. And we're back. Happy Chattanooga Pride, everybody. And we also have it in June. So you do two prides? Too much pride. No such thing. Get them out of here. Get them out of here.

We celebrate pride month. Like everyone else. Like, yeah, sure. Because it's not so hot. Yeah. Uh-huh. Okay. It's also, it's also, this is history month, right? It's LGBTQ history month. So there's pride and then there's history. National coming out day. Lot to celebrate. Where should we go after this?

Is there, is it hopping out there? Okay, well, we'll talk about it. Thank you. But to mark the occasion, please put your hands together for the absolutely incredible Olivia St. Clair, Sasha Dior, and Tiana Montes. Hi. Hi, hi, hi, hi. Thank you so much. Hi, hi. Thank you for being here. Hi, thank you so much. Hi, hi. Thank you for being here. I'm going to sit here. You guys sit here.

Thank you for being here. You go here. Now, let me ask. Are you from Chattanooga? Because you're the only 10s I see. Oh, wait, wait. Tell us how do you want us to respond to that? No, I think you just did it.

Now, first of all, how did you three meet? Well, I am Olivia St. Clair again. This is my daughter, Tiana Montes. And this is my granddaughter, Sasha Dior. I'm the hottest Mimi you'll ever meet. Mimi makes it drop. That's a gilf. That's a gilf. We got a gilf over here. And how long have you been doing drag? 25 years, 20 years, and a little over two years. Wow. You've been doing drag for 25 years. How's that possible? Did you start as a baby? I started when I was 11 years old

And I just went from there I'm only 36 years old Parts of me are I mean It's her birthday Parts of me are as old as Sasha's been doing drag It's her birthday today too It's your birthday?

It's her birthday Happy birthday Happy birthday. Happy birthday, you bitch. Nice. Now, you've been doing drag for a while. How has it changed in just the last few years as conservatives have decided that drag is a fundamental threat to our society? The landscape of drag really has changed in the sense of we have been labeled as predators,

in a sense, just for providing entertainment. It's definitely put a chokehold on the quality of entertainment we're able to provide. But you know what I do? I just dress up as Dolly with my big titties, my big hair and nobody's going to say shit about that. How about you? Have you noticed a difference? Have you noticed protests? In the 19 years I've been doing drag, I've noticed

some of the same thing. There's also a lot of discrimination with queens of color and our culture and there's a lot of misunderstanding or a lot of Karens. But

we learn how to just say we don't give a fuck and fight through the bullshit. That's what's up. I've only been doing drag for two years. She's a baby. I'm a baby. Don't let her innocent face fool you all.

What made you decide you wanted to do drag? I guess just to have a platform to express myself and to help anyone else express themselves that don't know how to. What does, what does being in drag, how does, how do you feel different when you're in drag? And then how do people see you differently when you're in drag? For me, um, when I'm in drag, people have this perception that I'm jet set,

I'm super high maintenance, that I just have this luxury lifestyle. But I live on a farm with alpacas and a greenhouse with an apple orchard. And I'm country. It's cornbread. I cook. True story. Where were you on January 6th? She was on the farm. I'm fighting the good fight behind the scenes. Okay.

Behind enemy lines. And have there been protests at drag shows that you've been doing? Oh, a lot. Really? Yeah. But when it comes to Chattanooga drag, we're the type of queens that don't give a fuck. So you can protest all you want

to, but we're still going to do our show. Yeah! What? What is the Chattanooga drag scene like? What's happening down here? What? What is the Chattanooga drag scene like? How's it, you gotta be, what's happening down here? How, are they showing up?

Are they showing up for drag here in Chattanooga? Do you want to answer that, Tiana, or do you want me to answer it? You go first. Oh, shit. Okay. So, no, Chattanooga drag, it has become less monochromatic.

I think there's more diversity. We have several new entertainers that are now coming on the scene, bringing back ballroom, which I think is amazing, bringing back more alt-drag, which I haven't seen a lot of in many years. So we definitely have a lot of pioneers for new ways of drag. But there's definitely clicks in Chattanooga and cliques are not something i'm used to i'm a lone wolf look i'm i'm the bitch that goes out and gets my own meal i'm by myself i don't need nobody to like support me behind me these hoes they gotta like run in packs like all

hyenas but but they're cute they're cute pet pet. Did you just call them hyenas? What? Did you just call them hyenas? Basically. Oh, okay. They're not puppy dogs, y'all. They're puppies. Oh, puppy dogs. Well, piggybacking off of what Olivia said,

I, not to toot my own horn, but... She's tooting her own horn. Toot your own horn. I came up in the generation of old school drag when it met new school drag. And I was the first one in Chattanooga, Tennessee as an African, well, an American of African descent, black, non-binary, drag queen artist

to actually break the mold to allow people to book at all the bars in the city because there used to be a point to where if you were on cast and worked at one bar you could not be on cast and work at another bar as far as i am aware i'm the first american of african descent black drag queen to break the mold and be on cast at every major bar that was in the city

and surrounding area. And that's in part to Olivia St. Clair as one of my three drag brothers. Because I just said, fuck it, and I actually left the bars

working for the establishment. I just started having my own shows and booking my own shows at different venues. So, you know, I'm not going to work for... She taught me how to be a cunt.

Being a cunt. Can I say that? You can say whatever you want. We are cunts. Fuck you bitches. She taught me how to be a cunt. And how are you learning how to be a cunt as well?

I'm working on it very slowly. I'm originally from Knoxville, but I haven't... Okay, okay. Hi, Knoxville people. But I have moved down here with Olivia, and she's kind of like helping me, taking me under her wing, stuff like that. So very appreciative of her.

I'm teaching you all the right ways to do things, not the wrong ways for my daughters. That was me. She taught me the wrong ways and I learned how to do right. She's teaching this one how to do it the right way. I mean, I was a young mother. As we know, I was a very young mother. Very young mother.

No, that's so important because so often you make all the mistakes with the first child and then they get therapy later. They figure it out. And then you just do a better job with the next one. And technically, I was the second child, so I won. Anywho. So, actually, I started the first LGBT fully inclusive strip nights in Knoxville a couple months ago. Oh, really?

Yeah. Daisy Dukes. That part. Daisy Dukes? Yeah. Cool. We were pussy popping like ladies.

What? We pussy popped but only like ladies. We're ladies when we pussy pop. We're ladies. Barely. We do lady things.

We have hobbies. Sometimes. I'm barely dressed in drag tonight, so. It's a podcast. You can be dressed in whatever you want to have been dressed in. I mean, hi, podcast listeners. I'm a lady.

Now, John, I have a question for you. Please. Have you ever tucked before? Your dick and balls. Has anyone ever tucked you? I actually and balls. Has anyone ever tucked you? I actually haven't. Should we do that now? Oh, that's such a...

First of all, I don't want to be... I'm a good teacher. I'm a guest in your city. We're a guest on your show. No, it doesn't feel that way right now. But I would say this. Would love some tips and pointers after the show. But we can't do it now because it's just an audio medium

and people won't really hear what's going on. Oh, they'll hear it. I'm down for an after party. I'm down for an after party. I'm down anytime. They're my ride, so I have to be down. They're my ride. so I have to be down. They're my ride. That's a great place to say

now it's time for the rant wheel. Wait, it's time for the what? The rant wheel. Rant wheel. Rant wheel. Oh, so we get to like fuck up some shit that we don't give a fuck about. Exactly. Okay. You can just talk about whatever you want. Likeant wheel. Oh, so we get to like fuck up some shit that we don't give a fuck about. Exactly.

Okay. You can just talk about whatever you want. Like a lady. Well, it's your show. Barely. I've handed it over. And I'm comfortable with that. Thank you so much.

I'm creating space. Oh, we're creative spaces. Wait, is this now a three woman show? What? You just passed out on the mantel. Thank you, John. You're welcome. Oh, what have I done?

Oh, it's about to get confusing. Let's spin the wheel. Oh. God damn it. It has landed on Tiana's rant. Hi. What do you want to rant about? Give me a topic.

Let's go. The topic is the Chattanooga Aquarium. Oh, wait. I thought the audience was going to get to choose. They've suggested the Chattanooga Aquarium.

My rant about the Chattanooga Aquarium as a native Chattanoogan, when it comes to the fucking Chattanooga Aquarium, I wish that there were different fishes on the different levels of the same platform that you have in the motherfucking

aquarium. We all can see that it's a continuous ramp. It's the same motherfucking fish and sea aquatic creatures from the top to the motherfucking bottom.

Wait a minute. Wait a minute. Wait a minute. Wait a minute. Thank you for changing out the pink ones. I don't know. We had those at one point. Thank you for changing out

the exhibitions. We don't talk about... Exhibits! Thank you whoever the fuck you are that I can't see. Thank you for changing out the exhibits for where they need to be. But as far as the main part of the aquarium, fuck you

for the same fish on the same goddamn level. Every 11 fucking levels. And that's my rant. So important. So important. What a fantastic rant. Let's spin it again. This is dangerous. I'm spinning, chef. Please don't land on me again. Please don't land on me again. Why everyone else has. Oh, thank you. It has landed on Sasha.

What would you like to rant about, Sasha? Okay, first of all, drag race. RuPaul's Drag Race. Y'all know what that is? Say it loud and clear, honey. Loud and clear. Okay, so my rant is that this TV show has taken drag up to this level to where local queens, you know, it's hard to reach for $5,000 per outfit or like for each runway look. And how many runways are they doing for each season?

14. That part. And then that's not including many challenges or anything else. that part, and then that's not including many challenges or anything else. So it makes it, it sets an expectation bar a little too high for some of, like, local queens just around the United States just to even reach. I mean, some.

Well, we're not talking about Livia St. Clair in this moment. No, I think that that's a fair point, because it really is, like, it's made it, it's done good, but it's also, in some ways, like like it's raised the, it's put a lot of attention on drag in a really positive way. But at the same time, it's like it's made it a more competitive and expensive art. They have monopolized on drag. And I don't like that. Yeah, that.

They've what? They've created a gateway culture, essentially, where they, you know, the key to any type of success in drag is you have to be a rude girl if you're not then well good luck you're gonna work for 25 a night everywhere so it's like rude girls are making anywhere to a couple thousand and then local queens are only getting like what 25 to 50 dollars locally sometimes it's tough so as a local girl sometimes i reach those thousand dollar marks, so fuck the rude girls. Where? Where? I'll get you in on the private parties. What private parties?

There ain't no private parties. Let's spin it again. I cannot play it on the mic. This is getting really good. I'm really into what's happening. Oh, God. It has landed on a luteus branch. Yay. Oh, God. There's a big wool back here. Yeah, that's what I've been looking for. You're trying to be me. Yay. Oh, God.

The big wool back here. Yeah, that's what I've been doing. I just noticed that. I'm sorry. You're pretty. I have pretty daughters and grandchildren. Pretty. Very pretty.

So my rant is going to be about as a transgender entertainer, the drag bills also were kind of, I feel like, blanketing the trans bills they were trying to push. And for me, one of them was the bathroom bill. And I'm like, do you really? Ladies, look, I am girl power, sister solidarity. But do you really want me in the restroom with your husband? Really?

I mean, do you really want me backed up to a ur like, to a urinal trying to pee next to your husband? No, I don't think you do. I don't even want to do that. That's gross. I mean, they pee all over everything. So, I mean, right, John? I agree. And I do, I actually think that, like, what if there were two bathrooms and one was clean and one was disgusting?

That is true. That's sort of what we have now. Very true. That's sort of what we have now. Very true. And I will tell you this. As a trans individual, if you need some toilet paper and you're out in your stall, a trans woman or a drag queen even would be the first one to be like, here, girl, I got you. Because I know many times I've been in the restroom, didn't have no toilet paper, and the girl next to me said, flesh, and left. That was an embarrassing situation.

And I was kind of stuck for a few minutes. That's another shitty story. We won't talk about that one. Well, I don't shit in public, so. You gotta get to the home base. Yeah, I go home to shit. I don't, yeah. I never need anybody's toilet paper.

I have my own. Okay. Have you always been like that? Is it an anxiety thing? Yeah. Why did you want to talk about it? I didn't. Have you always been like that? Is it an anxiety thing? Yeah Why did you want to talk about it? I didn't I just brought it up

Wait you have shit fright? I was just giving you content for your show And the content has been crushing it I love it You're cute Oh my goodness I think we should call it off And that's the rant wheel

This was so much fun You're cute. Oh my goodness. I think we should call it off. And that's the rant wheel. This was so much fun. Everybody, give it up for Olivia St. Clair, Sasha Dior, Tiana Montes. Incredible. When we come back, we'll end on a high note. And we're back. Let's bring up the house lights because it is time to hear your high notes. Hi, what's your name and what is your high note?

My name is Katie Bath and I am a certified nurse midwife. And today is the last day of Certified Nurse Midwife National Week. We have our own week. And so I'm super excited about that because I am a comprehensive women's health care provider. And as you can imagine, here in Tennessee, it has been a challenging year. Since the fall of Roe, it has been discouraging. I don't think I've ever been as terrified for my patients as I have been in the past year. But this week, I've been reminded of just how important our role is as women's

healthcare providers. And there's been studies that have shown that states that integrate midwives into their healthcare system have better outcomes for babies and women. My patients inspire me every single day. And, you know, when we do the hard work of supporting women and women's health, there's always hope. Can I ask you a question? Thank you. Tennessee has now one of the most restrictive abortion laws in the country. Obviously, that's impacting how you can provide care. But do you, have you seen it, has it changed the way people think about the issue in your life, in who you treat people that maybe didn't understand what exactly it would mean for Roe to be overturned now that they can actually experience how it changes the way doctors and nurses and midwives are able to care for patients?

That's a very good question. I think that people just did not, it never occurred to people that this could happen. I remember the week that Roe v. Wade fell, I did several what we call new OB visits. And that's when parents come in and they find out if their pregnancy is viable or not. And usually it's an exciting moment. Usually it's a time when, you know, people come in and they're really excited to, you know, see that cardiac activity for the first time on an ultrasound. And instead that week, every single woman who sat in my office asked me, are you going to be able to save my life if something bad happened? And I didn't have an answer. And so I think that people understand the seriousness of what can happen and the fact that lives are at stake here. And as healthcare

providers, I don't think any of us ever thought that we would be in the position where I would have to look at a woman who asked me that question and say, I don't know. So on one hand, that's horrible. That's terrible. But on the other hand, I think it motivates people. And as we've seen states where I don't think a lot of people would have thought that people would stand up against these bans, people have. And that gives me hope as a provider. And, you know, all we can do every day is just take care of each other. And that's what I do as a health care provider. And I hope to continue doing that for a long time.

Thank you for sharing that. Who else has a high note? Hi, what's your name? What is your high note? I'm Dexter from Huntsville, Alabama. And I met the love of my life six years ago, and neither of us had anything. And with some compassion and effort,

we're celebrating five years of marriage this week. You and Becca. Hi. Hi. Hi, what is your name and what is your high note? My name's Sam, and my high note is actually my wife, Annie, who's up there. I ran out here so I could be part of this. So I just want to talk about her for a little bit, and I hope you all understand.

She is a family physician for Cherokee Health Systems. There's a whole bunch of them in Knoxville, Chattanooga, Nashville, all that. And the big thing that they do is they take help provide health care for the uninsured, the unhoused, the undocumented, that's the word I was looking for, and try to make it so that if you can't afford your medication, things like that, they'll help you get that taken care of. And she came into this job and worked really, really hard to make it a more welcoming place for trans patients. It now has over 500 trans patients that she takes care of in Knoxville, Chattanooga, places like that. She's up there. She's actually, yeah, there she is.

up there. She's actually, yeah, there she is. She's actually now the director of LGBT services for the entire Cherokee network and is implementing all kinds of great things. But the big thing that I'm really excited for her is after a long time trying, this January, we're going to have our first child. And I just wanted to tell everybody that she is one of the most amazing women I've ever met. And I cannot wait for her to have the challenge of being a mom into all of this. And I love her. And I just think she's the best. Thank you for sharing that. I think that's a great place to leave it. And I just, this has been such an amazing show, and you've all been such an amazing crowd. And...

And... I wish we could. But, you know, getting to talk to these drag queens in a state where Republicans are telling drag queens that they're not supposed to be drag queens, or a trans person in a state that's telling trans people they shouldn't be trans people, in a state where nurses and midwives and doctors are being told by Republican politicians that they don't get to be nurses and doctors and midwives,

they don't get to treat the patients they want to do, they don't get to do the thing that they've been trained to do, that there are all these Republicans going around the country talking about freedom and they come to these places and they use anti-democratic laws and they use fear-mongering and bigotry and hate and propaganda to take power and then tell people how to live.

They don't get to claim freedom anymore. They don't. And we have to be the party and the movement that is about freedom and fun that tells people they're welcome no matter what they believe before, no matter what their issues are, no matter what they care about,

no matter whether they've just discovered how to talk about some of these issues or they've been talking about them their whole lives, whether they're someone like Joshua who is thinking about whether or not he's going to vote for an old person or an old crazy person. And I'm really grateful to get to come to places like this

and be here with all of you. And it does really genuinely mean the world to me. But I do get, it's easy for me to forget that I leave this red state and I go back to California, but you're here every day fighting the good fight. So thank you for doing that. Thank you for coming here tonight. Thank you for everything you've done

to support Crooked and Vote Save America. Thank you, Chattanooga. That is our show. Thank you to Olivia St. Clair, Sasha Dior, and Tiana Montes. There are 382 days until the 2024 elections. Have a great night. Thank you to the Walker Theater. And happy Pride. Love It or Leave It is a Crooked Media production. It is written and produced by me, John Lovett, and Lee Eisenberg. Kendra James is our executive producer. Brian Semel is our producer. And Malcolm Whitfield is our associate producer.

Hallie Kiefer is our head writer. Poulavi Gunalan, Sarah Lazarus, Jocelyn Kaufman, Peter Miller, and Alan Pierre, Will Miles, and Mohanad El-Sheikhi are our writers. Evan Sutton is our editor. Kyle Seglin and Charlotte Landis provide audio support. On the Road, Vendelin Von Schroeder is our tour manager. And Anastasia Anderson is our tour coordinator. Stephen Colon is our audio engineer. And Milo Kim is our videographer. Our theme song is written and performed by Sure Sure. Thanks to our designers, Jesse McLean and Bernardo Serna for creating and running all of our visuals, which you can't see because this is

a podcast. And to our digital producer, Zuri Ervin, David Tolles, Mia Kelman, and Matt DeGroot for filming and editing video each week so you can. You can find those glorious videos at youtube.com slash at Love It or Leave It podcast. Subscribe to Love It or Leave It on YouTube for access to video versions of your favorite segments and other exclusive content. Don't forget to follow us at Crooked Media on IG and Twitter. And if you're as opinionated as we are, consider dropping us a review. It's Love It or Leave It. It's Love It or Leave It.