The Broski Report with Brittany Broski - 88: Left My Gallbladder in Italy

Episode Date: March 26, 2025

This week on The Broski Report, Fearless Leader Brittany Broski discusses her gallbladder removal in Italy, unpacks her first music release, and returns to the topic of The Roman Empire.  👕 Get your merch here: https://broski.shop/ Follow The Broski Report: https://www.linktr.ee/broskireport https://www.tiktok.com/@broskireport https://instagram.com/broskireport  Follow Brittany: https://www.tiktok.com/@brittany_broski  https://instagram.com/brittany_broski  https://youtube.com/brittany_broski  Follow Royal Court: https://www.youtube.com/@royalcourt  https://www.tiktok.com/@bbroyalcourt https://www.instagram.com/royalcourt https://www.twitter.com/bbroyalcourt  Brought to You By:  Hungryroot – Get 40% off + Free Item For Life at https://hungryroot.com/broski with code BROSKI Tinder – Download the app now – https://open.tinder.com/9K8a/broski   Seat Geek – Download the app and get 10% off tickets using code BROSKI2025 Reproductive Resources: https://aidaccess.org  https://plancpills.org  https://Ineedana.com  https://www.reprolegalhelpline.org/  https://heyjane.com  LGBTQ+ Resources: https://Translifeline.org  https://Glaad.org   https://Pflag.org  https://www.thetrevorproject.org/  Climate Resources: https://Oceanconservancy.org  https://Climateemergencyfund.org  Some helpful credible resources/links to help Free Palestine: Palestinian Children’s Relief Fund - https://www.pcrf.net/ UNICEF - https://www.unicefusa.org/stories/helping-gazas-children-cope-trauma Doctors Without Borders - https://donate.doctorswithoutborders.org/secure/give-monthly-double-your-impact-search-onetime-reverse-mobile?ms=ADD2301U3U49&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=BRAND.DWB_CKMSF-BRAND.DWB-GS-GS-ALL-DWBBrand.E-BO-ALL-RSA-RSARefresh.1-MONTHLY&gclid=Cj0KCQjw6PGxBhCVARIsAIumnWZpQAMikxPIRiPMfAjYsJZ-eHiRQV2pw7tu2Jlo6YL8Gk_uaTSwH0MaAtFGEALw_wc World Central Kitchen - https://wck.org/ World Health Organization - https://www.who.int/ Headcount - https://www.headcount.org/ IG ACCOUNTS TO FOLLOW: @eye.on.palestine @aljazeeraenglish @palestinianyouthmovement @byplestia @motaz_azaiza @impact   CHAPTERS: 00:00 – Intro 01:01 – Italian Vacation 05:41 – Gallbladder Removal 27:25 – Music Release 38:54 – Roman Empire 47:28 – Song of Achilles 52:42 – Roman Collessium  1:00:34 – Charcuterie Nachos #brittanybroski, #broski, #broskination, #broskireport, #italy, #rome, #romanempire, #surgery, #gallbladder, #harrystyles, #music, #songofachilles, #collessium

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New customers only, service for news monthly unless canceled. Credit card required. Conditions apply to apps. HBO Max Basic with Ads begins after DirectTV five-day trial. Learn more at directTV. Direct from the Broski Nation headquarters in Los Angeles, California. This is The Brozky Report with your host, Brittany Brozky. Whipping that bitch like a rental.

I'm dragging my nuts got my dick on the dirt. Do you all know that song? Guys, guess who they let back in the United Mother Tucking States of America? Me! Y'all fucking two weeks this has been. Oh my God! Oh my God! So much has happened in the last, what, not even 14 days.

I guess it has been 14 days. Oh, my sweet Lord. Y'all need to strap in for what I'm about to lay on you, okay? Have mercy. Okay, let's start with... You're looking at a woman that is one less organ than now I was two weeks ago. Okay? What the fuck?

You always hear, oh, she had her gallbladder out. She had her pancreatic removal surgery. It went great. Who the fuck is that ever about? Because it's, you think it's not going to be you. You know what I mean? Oh, it's now about me. Gallbladder surgery?

Goofy-ass surgery. I feel a cool one. Oh, I tore my, I tore my nubiscus. I, I tore my, I tore my hybiscous muscle during bar method because I was going so hard, because I'm so ripped and muscled that it, it just snapped. It's never that. It's, she had a gold bled around. What the fuck?

Goofy head. Unserious ass surgery, bro. Except it was very. It was actually kind of like really super scary. Okay, let's talk about it, I guess. So I'm going to get out of here. Rewind the clock two weeks. I'm in Rome, Italy.

By the way, I literally got back last night. So this is hot off the motherfucking press for y'all. Okay, so I'm on a family vacation. All goes well. We start in Paris and we take the Orient Express from Paris to Verona, Italy. one of the most magical experiences ever. It is an overnight train, and you literally wake up in the Swiss Alps. Like, it is just, it's psychotic.

It's something that was a real bonding experience for me and my whole family. It was so neat. And it's such a unique preservation that they've done of these train cars. I mean, from the 20s and 30s, they've restored them to their original artisan craftsmanship. and the original, it's like the grandsons of the guys who made the cars or the ones who serviced them. It's spectacular, okay? Not to nerd out, but like, wow. Dining cars, bar car.

It was amazing, okay? We get off the train in Verona, walk around for a little bit. Shout out Verona, Italy, which has the, and I might be wrong. Second largest Roman amphitheater ever found besides the Coliseum, okay? Amphitheater meaning two theaters, amphi meaning two. right, like amphibian. So, second largest Roman amphitheater ever found, really, really neat. They do like opera concerts there now.

We walked around the city in literally an hour and a half. This episode is going to have some severe Roman Empire undertones, by the way. It's on, it's fresh on the mind. I also started reading Song of Achilles. Okay, I'll get back to my gallbladder in a second. Started reading Song of Achilles. What the fuck? We'll get there.

Okay, but the Roman Empire weaves its way. into this story, so mind you. We get out in Verona, really cute town. Old as fuck! Every city in Italy is old as fuck! They're like, and this building was built, when can I remember, 1,200 AD? What the fuck are you talking about?

That's not real. Made up year. So, then we take a commuter train from Verona to Rome. We have a beautiful time in Rome. It rains the whole time, but it honestly was superest. aesthetic, super ambient, okay? Do a walking tour of Coliseum, of the Roman Forum, of all these magnificent places.

I've been to Rome before probably 10 years ago. This was to see it through, like, adult eyes and as an appreciator of history and someone who sees history as not only a direct informer of how we behave today, but of, like, what could have been. Oh, it was just, it was psychotic. me and my brother were geeking, tweaking out. We do all that, whatever. It's the final day.

We're supposed to leave for the airport at 5. Okay, this is on Saturday morning. We're supposed to leave 5 a.m. Well, around 1 a.m., my tummy starts to rumble, okay? And not only does my tummy start to rumble, my mouth starts to water. And I said, oh, fuck. I know what this is. So I'm nauseous.

I go and puke in the back. and it does not stop. And usually when I have food poisoning, I have given it to myself by eating, I don't know, rice or pasta that's been left out or, you know, eating at some unsavory places. Because I, at the core of my being, want to be Anthony Bourdain. And so I get real adventurous with food. My tummy can't handle it, girl. My tummy's like, no, no.

And then I spew from both ends. All that to say, I know what food poisoning feels like. I know what it sounds like in my body. I'm well acquainted with it. This was different, okay? I start puking, and it does not stop. And immediately after puking, this intense pain in my upper abdomen starts. And it's something I have never experienced in my life.

I mean, it felt when they say knives in your stomach, when they say writhing in pain, there is not a better descriptor. There's not a more apt description than what that experience was. nothing would relieve it. I couldn't lay flat. I couldn't like use my abdominal muscles to get up. It was horrible. I couldn't lay on my side. After a while of getting up and down, up and down, the nausea wouldn't stop. My mom, bless her. She stayed behind because I was like, I'm not making it on that plane, girl. So my dad, brother, and sister went home and my mom stayed behind and got me some Italian version of gas ex.

I was popping that. I think it's called Geffer. They call that shit Geffer. I was huffing the geoffer. I'm a geoffer queen, okay? I took it, like you drink it, you mix it with water, and it helped with the nausea, but the pain would not go away. I was doing Tylenol, thank God I always traveled to Tylenol and ibuprofen.

It was the only thing that could, like, it still hurt, but I could, like, drift off to sleep a little bit. until the town novel would wear off and then I would be brought back to the suffering reality of my abdominal pain. After a while where I was like, this is not normal. It's been 24 hours. It's not going away. The pain then spread to under my right rib cage. And it got hard to breathe. And that's when I start to freak the fuck out. I don't smoke weed. I don't smoke cigarettes. I don't do anything that involves my lungs because there is nothing scarier to me, like very genuinely, nothing is scarier than not being able to breathe, not being able to take a full breath, not being able to meter your breathing. And so when I couldn't do that, I was like, absolutely fucking not. I called my doctor

back in America. And luckily with the time difference, they were up. And a hospital answered, and they were like, here's what I recommend. He said, Describe exactly where the pain is. I was like, you know, it's right under my right rib cage, and it's piercing, stabbing pain. I cannot lay. I cannot do anything. I can't even take a full breath. He goes, okay, that sounds like your gallbladder.

And I said, what the hell is that? Of course, I've heard of a gallbladder before, but not in my body. Not all me. He was like, sounds like either your gallbladder or your pancreas. Because I had web-m-Ded myself down a hole, and I had diagnosed myself as having pancreatic cancer, of course. So he was like, sounds like your gallbladder. I said, you sure, doc?

It sounds like pancreatic cancer to me. He said, no, it's probably your gallbladder. And he was like, okay, here's what I would recommend. You need to go to an English-speaking hospital nearby, and you really need to get this checked out. And I was like, hospital, bro, what the fuck? This can't wait until I'm back in the States. Fast forward? No, it could not wait.

So what I actually was about to experience was. Acute colescystitis, acute colestisitis, an inflammation of the gallbladder, typically caused by a gallstone blocking the cystic duct. So here's what I've come to learn about gallbladder. I'm super versed in it now. Galstones develop on their own, and they can be unproblematic until they are. What happened in my gallbladder, so the gallbladder produces bile, and bile sits in your stomach and helps digest the food that you eat. My gallbladder had been blocked, okay. That's what was causing the sharp pain, and not only was there a blockage, it was perforated, the walls were super thick, it was inflamed, and necrosis had set in. Oh, okay, what the fuck are you talking about?

all of that happened. We made the decision to go to the hospital because I was like this pain is, it is unimaginable. We went in, I described all my symptoms, and to the doctor, the Italian doctor, God bless. The name of the hospital I went to, and I'm about to say everyone by name because they were so fantastic. This hospital was, I mean, truly, how scary is it to be in a foreign country? You don't speak the language. and now you're being told you have to undergo a surgery. This hospital was so lovely to me.

In the grand scheme of things, I was like go-time decision mode when it came time to, you know, have this conversation with the doctors. But like grand scheme of things, God, it was terrifying. But I wasn't really terrified in the moment. So I go into the doctor and he's like, you know,

what's wrong? We just went to the ER. And I was like, food poisoning. I gave myself food poisoning, you know, we had sushi, I had tuna, like it was raw, I don't whatever. He goes, what is wrong? And I was like, a food poisoning. He goes, no, no, no, no, tell me what is wrong. And I say, okay, so you've a good point. I said, I have abdominal pain. I've been vomiting, but no diarrhea. Sorry to get super graphic. Do y'all don't care about me or not? No diarrhea. And he said, that's a telltale sign that it's not food poisoning. Because it would be

evacuating the premises at all cost if it was food poisoning. This is actually going to be something completely different. And so he goes, okay, lay down and I'm going to do an abdominal exam. So I lay down off the Tylenol, off the perk 30, Tylenol 500 milligram. And for the first time ever, I could lay flat because I was on so much Tylenol. I'm oversimulated. I'm oversimulated right now, by the way. There's a screech in my throat. I got scritches in my throat. The lawn guys were doing that There, it's hot in here, my water's lukewarm, there's a lot going on. I feel really actually overstimulated as fuck right now, but I'm going to power through. And so he tells me to lay down, and then he does an abdominal exam.

And when he pushed on my gallbladder, oh, my fucking God, I have, I wanted to scream. And he goes, okay, we're going to have you do an ultrasound. And I'm not joking, when we showed up to this hospital, no one was there. No one. There was one other person in the waiting room, and it was an old guy with his wife. We were seen immediately. It was the doctor and then nurses who took all my vitals and did whatever. I was in an ultrasound within two hours, maybe an hour and a half.

And she did the ultrasound, and sure enough, on the monitor, you can see little gallstones. Oh, okay. And so she goes, this looks like inflammation of the gallbladder. we're going to send you to have a CT scan. What the fuck, bitch? I've never been a sickly person, okay? I've never had to do the in and out of hospitals, doing this, doing all these scans and whatever.

I've never had to do it. Thank God. I mean, I've been so lucky. And to me, that's always been like, you know, oh, you hit 55 and you start doing all that stuff. This was very scary. As like a 27-year-old relatively healthy person, like I really take care of myself, at least I try to. This was like, bitch, what the...

So, did the CT scan. And what? They don't tell you about a CT scan that they... It was all IV. It was all intravenous. Intravenous. They put this solvent or whatever through the IV and she goes, bless her, because she spoke broken English, she was speaking Italian, she goes, going to be hot. And I said, oh, just like the temperature in the room? Okay, there's no worries. I can sweat. I sweat all the time.

She puts that shit in my... It was the weirdest feeling. So, did the IV, puts me in the CT scan where it's over, you know, it's... Circling around you. When that shit, when it... The machine mixed with whatever the fuck was in my veins, it burned. It was hot. I literally, I felt like such a puss because she warned me going to be haws.

I go, like a baby. And then from the fucking mic speaker in the room, she goes, are you all right? And I said, yeah. She's humiliating. But they do that, I guess, so it illuminates the veins and you can see the inflammation. I don't know. Regardless, got out of the CT scan, and they were like, yeah, it's bad. They show all these images to the doctor.

We wait around. they decide to admit me and they start administering antibiotics. I'm thinking, oh, okay, it's just inflamed. Give me some antibiotics. I'll probably be here overnight. They'll release me tomorrow. We can leave the next day.

Well, girl, later that night, the doctor comes in. The same one, God bless him. Dr. Carlo. Dr. Carlo Konsani. By the way, this hospital was UPMC, Salvatore Mundi, International Hospital in Rome. Spectacular, fantastic care. And shout out Dr. Carlo, because he, for real, was like, tell me what is wrong, not you diagnosing yourself.

You know, like, I want to see it all laid out so I can properly diagnose. And he did. He came in and he was like, here's the deal. gall water's super inflamed the walls are super thick you have a blockage now we have two options we can keep you here

for four or five days five days just pup you full of antibiotics and you can have the surgery when you're back in America and I go okay hold on one second the surgery what do you mean like to remove the gallstone he said

no no to remove your gallbladder and I say right could you just go ahead and point when we're talking to where that is on my body? Because I'm not really understanding. I ask him to pull up one of those like infographic charts on the wall. I'm like, could you just point to where on my body where it would be? Okay, I get it now.

I get it now. Thank you. And so he comes in, he goes, that's option one. Option two, the surgeon is going to come in in a little bit. And like most surgeons do, he's going to tell you you need surgery. I would hear him out because it's a lot worse than I, I, I, initially thought. And I'm like, okay, the surgeon comes in, and he's immediately like, we need to do this tomorrow. He said, it is super inflamed. There is a blockage, and I cannot

put you on a plane in good conscience. He goes, I understand, you know, I know this is scary. You probably want to do this in America, but I really recommend you do it here. And I'm like, okay. So I'm on the phone with my dad. back in the States, my mom is there with me. I've talked to both the doctor or the surgeon, and I call my American doctor. And I'm like, here's the status. Here's what they're telling me. What do you recommend? Because ultimately, you know, you listen to everyone's advice, but you have to weigh it all. And it's your decision, ultimately. And that's what Dr. Carlo said. He was like, it's your choice. It's your body. You do what you think is best. I called my American doctor, and he goes, you really need to do it there.

And I go, okay, that's the decision, I guess. And so the next morning early, like 7.30 a.m. The surgeon and Dr. Carlo come in and they're like, well, what do you think? What have you decided? And I go, let's do it. Let's do it here. Girl, I was, that was probably, what, 738? I was under anesthesia by 1245.

It was immediate. it. And it's such a blessing because as I was running around doing all the tests, like the CT scan and whatever, the hospital was packed. It was packed. Not an open seat in the waiting room. And so what was, it just feels this whole experience felt so like, okay, it was at the tail end of my vacation. It was at a quiet day in the hospital. And they were able to operate immediately. Like all of these things lined up, I feel so fortunate and so blessed that it was just like, this is happening now. It's happening now.

They take me in. They do it laparoscopically. So right now I have about five wounds on my stomach where laparoscopic surgery, by the way, is a marvel of modern medicine. I mean, I am one to marvel at the, in awe of human innovation always. and this is one of those things. It's literally robot surgery. They did surgery on a grape.

They did surgery on Brittany Brosky. They did robot surgery on Britney Brosky. It was crazy. I was watching these videos of, not on me, because hey, I'm going to vomit. I was watching these animated videos of what a laparoscopic gallbladder removal surgery looks like.

It might as well have been magic. It looked like magic. It is amazing what they can do. By the way, this was only, like first properly characterized and described in like 1934. So this has been around less than 100 years that this was even a problem point that they know how to fix. So whatever.

They do the surgery. Everything goes fine. They do anesthesia via IV. Hey, what the fuck? There's nothing scarier. There's nothing scarier. One minute I'm awake. Next minute.

Dead. Dead in the fucking water. Girl, the next thing I know I woke up, and it was immediate, my teeth are, I don't know what it is. I started looking up all these symptoms of, you know, coming out of anesthesia and it can last for weeks after you go under general anesthesia where all these side effects can happen. And mine was teeth chattering. They put a breathing tube down my throat, which is so scary. And I was coughing because I imagined them. ripping it out of my throat really fast.

That's how it felt. Like, my fucking head lulled back when they pulled it down. I was coughing so bad. And then I started to cry just because, of course I did. And one of the sweet Italian nurses old woman, she goes, don't cry. Don't cry. And I was like, yeah, lady, I didn't want to. I'm humiliated.

I'm trying. She goes, don't cry, not cry. And I was like, yeah, you're so right. And so I bossed up, stopped crying. But I was shivering so bad, and I wasn't cold. I don't know what it was. And so they put a space blanket on me under my hospital blanket. And then they wheeled me back into my room.

And my mom got it on video. I immediately in my hospital bed, I said, Chow! In front of all these lovely Italian people. Chow! Making fun of their language. What the fuck? me off the perk 30 anesthesia.

Chia, o bela, ovella, chow, bela, chow, chow, bela, chow, chow, chow, and so they will be back in. And Dr. Carlo is in the corner, and he's watching me, and he's like, okay, all good. And I give him a thumbs up. And then he comes over and he goes, you made the absolute right decision. And I was kind of out of it still, but my mom caught it. And he goes, if this would have been 24 hours later,

would have been a much different story. And I was kind of still out of it and I was like, okay, good. Like that relief came over me of like that needed to happen. I'm glad that I made that decision. Well, later that day, one of the surgeons, his name was Dr. Papa Luigi. Shout out. Or wait. Luigi Papa.

Dr. Luigi Papa. Dr. Papa comes in and he was like, oh, girl, gutted, rotted. Like truly necrosis. Like, it was so much work. than we thought. They pulled it out and they told me that truly, like, if I would have gotten on that plane, if I would have been like, just pump me full of antibiotics, put me on the plane, my gallbladder probably would have burst midair. Hey, that's terrifying. It would have ruptured, which is so scary because then bile goes everywhere and then you're dealing with sepsis

and infection. It was just horrible. So thank God I decided to have it done there. And then I was in the hospital for two more days after that, because they were administering me antibiotics via the IV, I had this drainage tube out of my gut. What the fuck? I had a sack. I had a sack. They gave me a sack.

And when I had to go to the bathroom and I had to go to sack. I had to pee! Then one of the nurses came in and I go, peepie. She goes, and holds her finger up to me, leaves the room, comes back with a bed, pan and I'm not joking, a doggy piss pad. Put the piss pad on the bedpan, told me to lift my butt up, and I had peed on the pad. Pissed on a pad? Chipped like a puppy. Every time after that, I'd have to

use a bathroom by I had to get up out of the hospital bed with these fresh stitches and take my little drainage sack and hold it. It was so embarrassing. And it's also just frustrating, like, not being mobile, you know, like not being able to move how you usually do. It was just like, I was getting so frustrated. Um, and so they eventually removed my tube, my sack tube. And, uh, I didn't feel any pain after the surgery, which is such a miracle. Um, there was just antibiotics they were giving me and I couldn't eat normal. They were, they fed me like, bread and the most bland chicken soup you've ever, ever, one could imagine. Just to make sure, they did that just to make sure that, you know, things were going smoothly. I wasn't nauseous.

It wasn't putting too much strain on that newly formed, you know, track that my digestive system has to go through now. It's now double hard on my liver, which kind of sucks because no alcohol for a month, no fatty foods, probably ever, because my body just can't handle it. So it's, yeah, it's stuff like that that, you know, you think it won't happen to you until it does. And it's very scary. And I'm so thankful that I had my mom there and the doctors were amazing. There was a nurse named Ilaria. Shout out Alaria. She used to live in Ireland. That's my queen. All the nurses were so kind and so attentive. And the room was private. I had a bow. I mean, it was just when socialized medicine works.

So they discharged us from the hospital on Wednesday morning, and I wasn't cleared to fly until Sunday. So I literally got back yesterday last night at like 8 p.m. And I had a post-op appointment today where they did my blood work and whatever. And I'm fine. Everything is fine. It's just, I'm exhausted, obviously, from jet lag and from having a surgery. I have to give myself these weird, which I guess is normal after any surgery, these weird anti-blood coagulant shots, and they're self-administered, and I hate doing it.

But I don't want blood clots, bro. So I have to do that. But honestly, guys, to make a long fucking story short. I am minus one gallbladder plus one Harry Styles cover release. Okay, so with that, let's go ahead and transition. Is he talking about the music? Thank you so much. Okay.

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If you missed it. I had gone ahead and released a sort of cover of Adore You by Harry Styles reimagined with the Brodsky special on it. Okay. This has been in the works, and by this I mean, a much larger project,

has been in the works for, I'm not joking, five years. It's been, Damn, it's been five years from when this process started to finding the sound, honing the sound, and perfecting, not perfecting, but I guess mastering the craft of not blowing your voice out when you sing, how to get into the mindset of writing and co-producing and being an active participant in this creative process. Because of course, because it's my project, it's me.

But it's such a creative collaboration every step of the way. And it's so much fucking fun. It's so much fun. Like, I talk a lot of fucking bullshit on this podcast about everything. But like one thing that I hope rings true is my passion for the arts and my passion for music and how everything and every fiber of my being is informed by that passion for music. It's something I feel in my soul. It's something that's in the very bones of people that get it. You know what I mean?

and from everything I've talked about of being raised in the church and all of my inspirations and the sonic universe that I exist in in my mind that I wanted to, you know, breathe life into this project. It's happened and it's here and it's so exciting, truly. It's so overwhelmingly exciting and also nerve-wracking, right? Because you share something that intimate with an audience and you're subjecting yourself to criticism and commentary, and I'm not worried about that. I have my fair share of opinions on music, and I urge people to listen and develop their own opinions. That's what it's there for. But at the same time, it's there for me. You know what I mean? I talk about this all the time of art is for the artist, as much as it is for an

audience for the voyeur as much as the creator. And this to me was the process of even creating this Harry Styles cover. And of course it was a Harry Styles cover. It had to be a Harry Styles

cover. Harry Styles in one direction is quite genuinely one of the pillars of who I am, why I am the way I am, my friendships, the connections, I've made, both professional and personal, who I am on a personal social level, treat people with kindness

was my first ever tattoo. Like, there are so many reasons why this had to be a Harry Style song. And not only that, but it was also to show as a proof of concept, look what is going on up here. You know what I mean? Like, the lyrics to adore you are devastating if you think about it like that. just like the lyrics to You Are My Sunshine are devastating if you think about it like that. And I knew that I wanted to flip it and make it this

you know, whimsical, ethereal rock song. And we did it and shout out Scott Hoying. Holy fuck. Because he completely rearranged it with me. And we just brought a new life to it. And it's so exciting.

because here's this song that was top of the charts. Everyone knows it. Everyone knows the words. And it's totally different. And it has a different meaning now, too. That is what... It makes my penis rock hard. So this whole process, plus the visuals, oh my fucking God.

Paige, Sarah, my creative director, Elizabeth Youngling, my love. All of the people who worked on this project with me, the best is yet to come. truly the best is yet to come. And this was just the fucking Schmorgasborg, the apparitivo of what's to come. It had to be a cover.

It had to be hairy. And I just knew that. And I'm so happy with the release. I'm so shocked by the outpouring of love that y'all have, I mean, it's, I am blown away. I did not think it was going to be like that.

I thought I was going to release it and people were going to do that. another fucking TikToker making music. Yeah, you think I haven't gone to that fucking conversation with myself? You bitch! I fully understand the optics on this, okay? And I saw someone comment, and I damn near cried.

Someone commented under a video where someone said, Not everyone needs to make music. Someone commented, why? And it's such a... Look at someone who's trying to paint or someone who's trying to learn how to fucking hop scotch and say, no, there's too many. We don't need you.

That's not how art works. It's not how life works. Like truly anyone, anyone can buy a fucking microphone or use their iPhone microphone and make a song. Dochi is a living example of that. Dochi is such an inspiration. It's like that I knew that was going to be a part of the, conversation because of who I am and my background and how I came up on the internet. Completely fine. But when that's used as a weapon as to why someone shouldn't make art or someone shouldn't

express themselves through art, what are you even talking about? It sounds stupid as fuck. Because it's not hurting you. If it annoys you, okay, don't listen to it. Sorry. It's not for you. You know what I mean? Art isn't for everyone. But when it connects. how and when it's supposed to connect to that person or that demographic. It's fucking magic. It's magic. So I just can't thank you all enough. I mean, it truly, it's been psychotic watching everyone's reaction videos and TikToks and edits.

It's an art. It's just been. better than I ever hoped because I tried to keep my expectations realistic and temper my reaction to a release because it's something, even though it's, I didn't write that song, it's very personal, you know, when it's being sung from a place of connection. And, yeah, I'm just, I'm over the moon with the fact that y'all like it. So if you like that one, that's just sort of appetizer. So I'd sort of hit lock in.

I'd lock the fuck in and get ready. So that's all I'm going to say on that right now. I'm going to say right now. Okay. All right, quick quiz for the hiring managers out there. What's worse? Being understaffed or being poorly staffed? Well, that's a trick question, because both are recipes for chaos.

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This is a job for Indeed's sponsored jobs. I'm U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy. We all seem to be in a rush these days, from work to driving our kids around. But when you're behind the wheel, please, do not speed. A few minutes save by going faster is never worth a risk. So follow the speed limit. Enjoy the drive. Maybe bring some snacks for the kids and know that along the way, you're getting quality time with your family.

Paid for by NHTSA. So I've kind of been dancing around this. subject and I'm going to sort of lock in and get to it, the Roman Empire. Have we talked about it enough? Yes. Who gives a fuck about the Roman Empire? Me! Me! So let's talk about it. Okay? Are you mad?

Here is the thing. I thought I was, okay, I have about 107 things I want to say, and also I'm sweating. Sometimes I catch a glimpse of myself when I do my hair a certain way and I'm like, God, you like Queen Victoria. Like that fuck-ass hairstyle they used to do, where it was just like, I just look like, I just look so British, it scares me sometimes. That's not me, but it is me.

Fuck! Okay. The Roman Empire. What the fuck was I going to say? Oh, it's been a long damn time since I've come on this podcast and talked about it. a man. Okay? It's been a long damn time. But I'm about to do it. And it's not, it is not.

And I say that and mean it. It is not out of a place of yearning. Okay? It is out of a place of academic curiosity. There is a TikToker by the name of Frederick Atkinson. Is he British? You may be asking yes, okay? A fucking course he is. Frederick Atkinson. He does a lot of different content, but I would describe it as being,

and shout out Frederick because he's definitely going to see this, pretentious, okay? And that's fine because guess who's watching it? Big forehead meat, okay? Big cavern empty, that I am just frothing at the mouth to fill with the classics,

to fill with literature, to fill with Greek and Roman mythology. And guess who is at the metaphorical tap on TikTok of that wealth of information, Frederick motherfucking Atkinson? And I'm under the spigit of the faucet, okay? He does videos on, like I said, English literature, classics, even all the way back to like the Odyssey, Beowulf, any of, of these classic poem, John Milton, Paradise Lost, he's talked about Dante Olegary, like all of these

tomes that you would study in a classics class. And I like his style of content because he does it in a way that's digestible. He puts pictures up on the screen so I can look at them. And he tells it like a story. He also does stuff sometimes where he'll go on the road. And he went to a, who the fuck's great? He went to Oscar Wild. grave and showed it there and talked a little bit about his life and his end and his legacy. And I enjoy videos like that. Okay, I find them highly entertaining. And now, does he look like Milo from Atlantis? Yeah, he does.

Does that intrigue me? Yeah, it does. You motherfuckers, y'all hate me. Hate me. And it shows. Damn. Can I talk? Can I speak?

Oh! And what the fuck is a Queen Victoria sponge cake? Y'all did not have to eat like that. The menu on the Titanic was fucked up. Can't believe y'all were eating like that. RIP and Queen Victoria, you would have loved Tustino's pizza rolls. You would have loved fucking Tyson anytizers. Okay, anyway.

Frederick Atkinson. I enjoy his content, okay? on one video I left to comment and then I immediately deleted it because I'm humiliated okay I left to comment like I love your content

keep it up what the fuck hey go ahead and log out for me love your content keep it up I turn 28 in a month figure that shit out dude and I come out here and I'm like Men, I hate men.

I turn into fucking Godzilla on this podcast. And I'm coo, coo, man. And I breathe fire and I burn everything down. And then I'm like, lift your content. It's not a fucking tool. Such a tool. Chat, can girls be tools? Damn.

Anyway, I've really, that's been my addiction lately. And he talks. So, hold on, I was getting somewhere with this. he talks about Greek and Roman mythology, okay? And he will tell the story of these gods or goddesses and how they came to be, what they're known for, who their lineage is. And of course, this has got me thinking, okay? Song of Achilles has been sitting on my shelf for the past three years,

and I read the first five pages, and then I got sucked into another book. So it's been there, and I know Circe, is another one that that same author wrote that they're both just people love those fucking books. Well, it got me thinking because I was like, I just finished my Viking smut book, Fated Fate of Ink and Faded in Ash and I don't fucking know, bro. I don't know. I gave it three stars on Goodreads. It wasn't my favorite, but it definitely kept me entertained and did they have sex? Yeah, they did. Okay. And was it in a hot spring? Yeah, it was. And would I've gotten a UTI, yeah, I would have.

Anyway, that one I finished, and I was like, I want something that, because I don't want to jump right back into Sherlock Holmes, okay? Sherlock Holmes, I got to take a break from every now and then. I love Sherlock Holmes, and y'all know I'm powering through it, all of them. And I just finished, what's the one of the redhead, the redheaded Sherlock Holmes, Red-headed The Red-Headed League. That one was crazy, okay? Just finished that.

And I don't want to read nonfiction. I don't want to read, you know, George Orwell's why I write. That's been on my nightstand for a long time. I started it and I just, I find myself yearning for fantasy. Because when I sit down to read Orwell,

I love Orwell, but I want to take notes. And I'm not always in a place where I can annotate and like study the text the way that I want to. And I'm also not always in the mindset to do it. You know, like, I want to be locked the fuck in when I do that.

Not like, I gotta read duties. I want to enjoy it. So it's been sitting on my nightstand for a long time. I digress. All right, quick quiz for the hiring managers out there. What's worse? Being understaffed or being poorly staffed? Well, that's a trick question, because both are recipes for chaos.

Either way, just say to yourself, this is a job for indeed sponsored jobs. You'll get matched with candidates. that meet the skills, certifications, and everything else you're looking for. Or, go a different way and get no traction. Seriously, sponsored jobs posted directly on Indeed are 95% more likely to report a hire than non-sponsored jobs. It really is a no-brainer. Spend less time searching and more time actually interviewing candidates

who check all your boxes. Less stress, less time, more results. When you need the right person to cut through the chaos, this is a job for Indeed sponsored jobs. And listeners of this show will get a 75% dollar sponsored job credit to help your job get the premium status it deserves at indeed.com slash podcast. Just go to indeed.com slash podcast right now.

Indeed.com slash podcast. Terms and conditions apply. Need to hire? This is a job for Indeed sponsored jobs. I'm U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy. We all seem to be in a rush these days, from work to driving our kids around. But when you're behind the wheel, please do not speed. a few minutes saved by going faster

is never worth a risk. So follow the speed limit. Enjoy the drive. Maybe it brings some snacks for the kids and know that along the way you're getting quality time with your family. Paid for by Nitsa.

I started Song of Achilles because of one Frederick Atkinson who by the way is writing a book, Hey Freddie, go ahead and send that shit to me. I'd love to read it. Song of Achilles. I'm about 60 pages in, it's incredible.

It's incredible. I get it. I get it now. I'm not even a third of the way through the damn book, and I'm like, just the best book I'm ever. It's, I really am enjoying it. And it's gay. Gay! I didn't know Greek and Roman mythology was so freaking gay.

It's really, really a beautiful story. So that's Song of Achilles. And now I'm down this rabbit hole of that is the telling of Achilles from a obviously positive portrayal. Now there is a book that is a retelling of the story of Achilles from the opposite perspective called The Silence of the Girls. And this says, throw back to 2021 when we all went from, He is half of my soul, as the poets say, to we called him the butcher. Damn. So after I finished Song of Achilles, naturally I have to hurt myself and read the silence of the girls.

Then I'm going to read Searcy. And I also bought a Clem... Clemeninestra. Klimnestra? Climnestra? The daughter of Helen? Climnestra. Klytemnestra.

Greek mythology was the wife of Agamemnon, king of Mycenae. the Mycenaeans and the half-sister of Helen of Sparta. Okay. Right. There is a book by this name. Yeah, this one. Claytemnestra, a novel. I started this one, and by started, I mean, I'm on page six.

And I started it on the plane. And I like her writing. It's very easy to follow, very descriptive, very, um, I love a book. I've told you all this, like books like the secret history and any Dan Brown book, I'm like, yes, teach me new words. Teach me new words. I want to be reading a book and be like, right, and have the dictionary open, the dictionary app open on my phone. That, to me is, there's nothing better.

Okay, I got my peppermint tea. I got my reading ambience on my TV screen. I'm in my bed, okay? Candle lit, lights off, reading lamp on. Unlock the fuck in. There is no other place I want to be than boom, book. that is both feeding my brain and my heart and my dictionary app open. That is paradise to me.

Okay? Anyway, Song of Achilles. I'm down this rabbit hole now of I'm going to pick a god or a goddess and fixate. It all kind of started back when I read The Secret History years ago because it's based on a group of classic students. And it's based around Bacchus, Bacchus. And the Bacchanol, Bacanol, where it's basically like a big pleasure orgy in many senses of the word, and everything spirals out of control from there. And it's just very interesting because it's all in a lot, all of these authors, right,

when you talk about someone like a Donna Tart or a Pierce Brown or even, you know, Madeline, who wrote Song of Achilles? Madeline Miller. these people are clearly fanatics of the classics of Greek mythology and are well researched. And Pierce Brown, I mean, he loves the Roman Empire almost to a degree that is, you know, you're a freaking nerd. You're a nerd. But it makes for great world building. And I really, really admire that where you are writing a fiction or, you know, in this case, a sort of retelling.

of a very popular story from the perspective of an academic. So interesting. I love it. I think it's a great way to resell these stories to a new generation and to keep them alive. Because, damn, there's a reason they're still around. You know what I mean? There's a reason people just cannot get enough. The gods were T.

The gods were T. That's probably why. They were fucking. capital F fucking their brothers their sisters their mothers everyone

they were drinking wine and fucking and afterwards they would have an olive yeah I'm interested you're gonna look at me and tell me

you're not interested that you wouldn't partake anyway yeah that is it's been my latest thing okay and in that vein

because I was just in Rome for way longer than originally intended I had some time to sort of marinate in it. Okay, I was, I was in it. I was all up in there. My God. I mean, I could just talk for hours of all the stuff that I learned. We did this tour of, um, of the Coliseum, and of, like I said, the Roman Forum, Circus Maximus, all of these places that are, uh, still standing. I'd been to the Pantheon before. I'd been to these places, but to see it now and

marvel at it for different reasons. You know, you, I remember 10 years ago, I was 18, my initial sort of, wow, was that it's still there, right? That's the initial reaction is, holy shit, this is from, the Coliseum was finished in 80 AD, 80 AD, and it's still around. That is something in and of itself to marvel at. The next thing is that they were able to build it. And I don't only able to build it, but with better materials than we use today. You can see where they've done repairs on the Coliseum to either make it look more presentable, make it look whole, or just to repair damage that tourists have done. And even the building materials that they use and their repairs do not hold up. They don't hold up against weather the way that the Roman materials still do. That

shit makes me just... And so, if you've ever wondered why the Coliseum looks like that, it's because people recycled the marble. When they were building new buildings, no one gave a fuck about the Coliseum after the Empire fell and they used the marble, they repurposed it. And so they would go up there and just destroy it. And they'd take down the marble pieces and there are holes all in it because inside of any of the arches or the columns or the...

the seating was iron that they would use and they would, it would be a sort of indent or a groove in the flat marble and they would pour hot iron into it and it would go down into a little hole and it would bind it. And so when it cooled and solidified, everything was held together. It's amazing. It's amazing. Well, when, like I said, the empire fell. People were not impressed with these buildings anymore, or rather, these buildings were negative reminders of what life under an empire was or under a certain ruler. Also, the reason it was called the Colosseum is because there was a giant statue of Nero right outside of it that they called Coloso, Colosseo.

Okay? And then the building right next to it became referred to as the Coliseum. now that statue was taken down, I'm sure, melted down, and again repurposed, but why does the Coliseum look like that? That is not its original design. The way that it slants off to the side, the other half of it is missing. It used to be one giant building, similar to how the amphitheater in Verona looks. You put all that up here. And it's incredible to think that entire structure used to be,

covered in the whitest, purest marble, polished, shown, gold statues, bronze statues in each of the openings above the seats. There were clear and still are clear markings above each of the entryways that corresponded to your ticket, where you would sit, where your entrance was, and of course it was stratified. The emperor had his box, and then all of the nobles or well-to-do sat in sort of the 100 section. The 200 section was, you know, servant men, and then the higher up is slaves, women and children. So it's just incredible that the Schitzel stands and what they were able to do. And it makes me, I did a lot of reflecting on the Roman Empire while I was in Rome, because what else is to do. And I came to this conclusion that's kind of like, you know, when I think of the Roman Empire,

I think what a tragic waste of potential. That's what I think. I think it was a waste of what could have been the closest thing we could have had to a utopia. But if you said when could the go, yes, but would. When you, when, when. Shut up! I think about the Roman Empire as what could have been a beautiful society, but instead was the very definition of empire. It was a horrible tragedy. And it was succumb or die. And when you, I mean, look at this image of what the Roman Empire covered at one point in time.

Do you see this? all of the red is the Roman Empire. This goes all the way up from the UK, from what is that, Wales, all the way down to the Nile. All the way down. I mean, it's incredible. It is incredible what they were able to do,

but it's so devastating because to what end, right? To what end? where you make the emperor a god, where all of these people are forced to succumb and become Roman citizens and these Roman structures pop up, for what? Like when you lose beauty and individual culture

and customs and dress and religion and all of the things that make humanity human, when it all just becomes homogenized, what a loss. even if you're providing them with benefits like aqueducts, bathhouses, entertainment, food, all of these things, you know, you get all the benefits of the innovation of the Roman Empire, but they're built with slavery. And that's not, it's just, I could write a paper on it of like the epic tragedy of the Roman Empire. And I fail to see how it was ever going to succeed. right? So much to think about. Anyway, I think that that mixed with, when you think about even then,

Romans, Roman mythology is stolen directly from Greek mythology and they just changed the names and warped the stories and made it fit. I mean, what's new about that? You know, taking a religion or a ideology and warping it to fit your political propaganda. Okay. It's not new. We haven't not heard of that. But it's just, it's like, to what end? That's my question, to what end? Anyway, to be able to go to where the circus maximus used to be, like the chariot racing and where the marble seating was. And in the Coliseum, you can actually see, they have a little mockup in one section where marble remains of what, you know, if you imagine that all the way around the M Theater, what it used to look like. There is a huge spider.

the corner of the room. And I'm trying really hard not to actually piss my pants right now. So, oh my God, it's huge. Ew! Okay. Okay, okay. So I'm just going to go ahead and wrap up the episode right now, too. I've got to let y'all know one last thing that I've really been addicted to lately. It's charcutory nachos. Oh my God, I can't get enough of them motherfuckers. That motherfucking thing! Low fat, salt and vinegar chips. Pepperoni. Now, this is my dairy-free low-fat, you know, bullshit because I can't eat like an old human. Salt and vinegar,

baked lays, salami, turkey breast, turkey, like deli meat, banana peppers, olives, crushed up salted pistachios, and to finish it all off,

dill, fresh dill, and a drizzle of hot honey. Go ahead and make that in your kitchen tonight and tell me that's not the most delicious bullshit you've ever had in your fucking life. I was blown away.

Okay? It's my latest obsession. Now, I'm going to see y'all next week because I feel like I talked for about 35 minutes about my gallbladder and I feel real sorry about that, to be honest. Thank you for listening to the music. If you want some merch, go to broskey.com. Get you a moomoo, get you a t-shirt.

Probably more to come soon, by the way. So keep your eyes peeled on that. I love and appreciate y'all. more than you will ever know, okay? You listen to me ramble about the Roman Empire. You listen to me ramble about Frederick Atkinson, and you listened to me ramble about Call of Duty masked men. Okay?

And by the way, don't even get me fucking started on Pedro Pascall in this last of us campaign that he's doing. I don't want to talk about it. Don't ask me about it. I don't want to talk about it. It's too much. New Royal Court episodes coming out very soon. Keep your eyes peeled.

There's some fun ones coming out. I will see y'all next week. Goodbye. more information. I'm U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy. The sound of a seatbelt. It's one of the most important sounds in our car. It means everyone is ready and everyone is safe. The more our kids see us put on our seatbelts, the more natural it is for them to put theirs on two. Make it a priority. Buckle up every time. Hear the sound? Make it a habit. Paid for by Nitsa. Exima's unrelenting itch and rash.

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