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More Pride & Dance Divas (with DJ John Michael)
0 Playsin 12 hours
We're back from a quick hiatus (I turned 40—milestone unlocked!) and covering a lot of pop culture ground with DJ John Michael. This episode, we spotlight an underrated Michael Jackson deep cut, give Traci Lords' "Control" its overdue flowers, and shout out Bradley Stern. We unpack the drama around William Orbit and Madonna's "Veronica Electronica," talk DJ John Michael’s Pride Ride with Cody Rigsby, and dig into some standout tracks in his mix, including Chris Lake’s remix of Kylie Minogue’s “In Your Arms” and Barry Harris & Pepper Mashay’s “Dive in the Pool.” Plus, I open up about his DJ days, we get nostalgic over Wild Orchid’s unreleased Fire album, and show some love to the HQ2 Club Mix of Toni Braxton’s “Spanish Guitar.”
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Transcript
Energized on Day 28
00:00:08
Speaker
Girl, it's probably day 28. We're all exhausted. Can I be honest? I'm a little energized. Oh, good. I love that because right now where we're we're going to be 80-20 on this one. Yes. i And you know what? I love a good 80-20 cut of meat.
00:00:23
Speaker
Hey, no not going to lie. I love that. It's one of my favorite cuts of hamburger. so Well, then you're the lean and I'm the fat today, so it's okay. Okay. Well, let's celebrate that. Let's celebrate that.
Haircuts and Pride Power
00:00:36
Speaker
Let's celebrate a new haircut. A new haircut. I know. Right now in this lighting, I feel a little bald. I'm like looking. I like. I'm like. Overhead lighting. Overhead lighting. It's giving me. it's giving bald. But I'm not mad about it.
00:00:48
Speaker
no I like it. It looks good. Shout out to Bruce and Punch Up Barbershop. My friend Davis owns a new barbershop that is quite literally. i can get there in two minutes. Yes, we love that. It's amazing. I go.
00:01:01
Speaker
I'm a little bit of a whore when it comes to my haircut. So I go once a week. ye Yep. I knew it. and Go once a week, especially now that it's buzzed. I am going to have to go like probably every five days because it just gets so fluffy. In fact, so he cut it on Thursday and I loved it. I loved it.
00:01:18
Speaker
But when i I woke up the next morning and saw that there was a couple areas, like the corners of my head are so funny to cut. And it's and i and I'm a diva about it.
00:01:29
Speaker
And so I actually went back and it was like, I love this. Let's take it a little bit shorter because I was like in like another day, it's going to be going be like a chia pet. right So yeah, he's incredible, super accommodating, and could not ask for better barbers that live like two blocks from me. So let's celebrate that. I mean, and let's be honest, the Pride haircut is a big one.
00:01:47
Speaker
It really is because you we need our batteries to be charged. and And they say that gays are at their most powerful when they have a fresh haircut. It's true. Even though I have my bandana on, I just got one this week. I'm like, I literally just rolled out of bed and like threw some water
Cosmetology School Stories
00:02:00
Speaker
in my hair. And can I just say I'm so jealous of your hair because you have this thick, full head of hair, these luscious curls, and you can rock a bandana.
00:02:08
Speaker
I've never worn a bandana. I'm sure it'll be fine. i you but The amount of hair that you have on your head? i know. like we've see We've all seen those photos. right ah Right. Yeah. yeah What if I was just like surprised it's actually toupee? think no, because I feel like you could, you with the way that your hair is, you could totally get like a perm.
00:02:29
Speaker
Totally. Oh my God. Yeah. do that. You know, I don't know if I could sit through a perm. I, that smell, it gets like, I remember I um i did it once in cosmetology school. Cause you know, you have to practice. Right. Right. And I was like, I don't think I could ever do this again.
00:02:44
Speaker
Yeah, yeah. Some of it's pretty, pretty rough. I can't even lie. I was going to be like, it's not that bad. I'm like, actually it is. Some of it's bad. Because it's like you're sitting there for long time. It's like chemical poop almost. Yeah, yeah. It's kind of what smells. That and the keratin treatments, they both smell terrible.
00:03:00
Speaker
Oh, I've never done a keratin treatment. Wait, have I? What is that? Is that what relaxes the hair ah Sort of. it' smooth It smooths it out. Smooths it out. That's right. That's right. Oh my gosh. The curly girls will get it for that, but yeah.
00:03:11
Speaker
Two former cosmetologists. Right. Just chatting it up on a program about music. You know I keep forgetting that about you. I keep forgetting Yeah. You know what's funny? is that So when I went to school, I went to the Douglas J. Veda Institute here in Grand Rapids.
00:03:27
Speaker
And I was very proudly the second male to graduate from that school particular school. Um... but when So in our intro class, we had to do we were like you know kind of learning all the basics and learning everything.
00:03:41
Speaker
And we had to do a project that was talking about the ah levels of hair color, one through 10. And we had to find photos that kind of showcased all the different levels of hair.
00:03:53
Speaker
hair color or hair ah shades or whatever. And I use Madonna every single you were going to say that.
00:04:01
Speaker
Wait, so how about, I have to look for it because I think I still have it on on on a hard drive. But I went to, i when I was in beauty school, it was whatever the year or right around the era that Rihanna's Disturbia came out. So what year is that? That was 2007.
00:04:15
Speaker
Okay, so I had already been working in salons before that, but that was when I was like, all right, I actually need to take this seriously and like go to school and be like, wait, so you wait so that's when you were in school? Yeah, it was in 2007. So was I. Oh, yeah, yeah, because I had started working as a receptionist, and this is what I was doing. The salon that I worked at in Staten Island was right across the street from the YMCA, and I had both jobs at the time.
00:04:34
Speaker
Love that. Okay. So I was working it in the mix on Staten Island at the time. was my last salon that I worked at. And um the YMCA was across the street. But anyway, so when in 2007, I was working at a place called Envy and I was a receptionist there. And then at some point I was like, you know what?
00:04:48
Speaker
Maybe I'm just going to do the thing. And so I went to school, went to the Paul Mitchell School, didn't really love that, left there, and then went to like just like the state school, which was just very like, we're going to help you pass your boards, everything else you're going to learn in the salon.
00:05:00
Speaker
Right, yeah. I was like, okay, great. We had to do obviously like mannequin, like they would give us mannequin heads to cut and like try different things and like teach us how to do different types of haircuts. And so then every once in a while we would have to like present to the teacher, like a haircut, something, a blowout, whatever that we were inspired by.
00:05:17
Speaker
i have pictures. I did one blowout that was, I was trying to do the exact same blowout as Celine Dion's hair on the cover of the Taking Chances album. yeah and then the haircut that i presented was rihanna's haircut in the disturbia video of course that's incredible right right had to do short haircut of course and it was like that was just a thing at them at that time and and let me tell you what find a cosmetologist during that time ah female cosmetologist that did not have that haircut at all at that time right every single girl in my school had a haircut
00:05:51
Speaker
And I was, and every time, and we were like, oh my God, you're so edgy and
Michael Jackson's Legacy
00:05:55
Speaker
different. my God, it's giving Rihanna. It's giving Rihanna. Oh my god Like you were about to say, shut up and drive. Right. It's so crazy, but it's so true.
00:06:04
Speaker
Yeah, that's so, I love that. And also the Celine Dion one. I mean, like she, she couldn't have had more hair. Right. That's why I was just like, we're gonna I have to find the photos. I have to send them you. It's so funny. ah Amazing. I used to be really good at blowouts. I was really good at blowouts. I love blowouts.
00:06:18
Speaker
Yeah. I was really good at them. In fact, I was doing a blowout when ah the day that Michael Jackson died. and which just happened. i was Yeah. We just had the anniversary. Gosh, it's been long now? 16. Crazy.
00:06:30
Speaker
crazy Yeah. Nuts. I remember exactly where I was. I was doing a blowout. I was assisting. So I had gotten a job at a salon called Salon Lark RIP. They were only open for like a year. And I was assisting my friend, Joshua, who's also a local drag queen here in Grand Rapids. Shout out to Dia Electra.
00:06:46
Speaker
And, um, An incredible drag queen, by the way. Work. The fact that the he has not been on RuPaul's Drag Race is kind of a crime. But anyway, um he I was i was ah assisting him and kind of helping him do out all of his like blowouts for his clients and whatnot. And I remember we had the news on.
00:07:04
Speaker
And when I was doing the blowout, I was like, I think I need to take a second and sit down. Because my... Because Michael Jackson was huge for me. Oh, Huge for me. So, like, that was, like, my to like seeing my quite literally my childhood kind of die before my eyes.
00:07:19
Speaker
yeah. Yeah. Yeah, I was in San Francisco. I was visiting my friend Marissa, who's lesbian that I know out there. And i was with a bunch of her girlfriends. And we were in I was in a lesbian lingerie shop in the Haighton-Ashbury area.
00:07:33
Speaker
Wow. And I'm texting with my friend Anthony, who is a hairdresser in Staten Island. And we're talking about like just random stuff and what he's doing and what's going on and what's happening in New York, what doing this weekend. Wow. He's like one of these people, like when you text, like he'll text like a thought, a thought, a thought, a thought, a thought. Like it's not like a paragraph. Each yeah each thing is its own separate line.
00:07:50
Speaker
So he's sending me like this, you know, barrage of texts. And then like in the middle of them, he's like, yeah, so you know, I have like another client I got to do. I got to do a full foil in an hour. Oh, and did you hear Michael Jackson died? Yeah. And then tonight I have to go pick up and blah, blah, blah. And it was just like such like mixed in. And I went, um wait, what?
00:08:06
Speaker
Wow. And I just like walked over to my friend Marissa and I was like, i I said, did you guys hear anything? I said, I have an unconfirmed text here that Michael Jackson died. And then all of a sudden, everybody's phones started going off.
00:08:17
Speaker
and everything And I was like, oh my God, this is happening right now. And we ran out to the street and literally everybody on the street was like, staring at their phones as we walked.
00:08:28
Speaker
every All the TVs were on with news. but It was the craziest moment. I will never forget that. And like the whole day, people were just in shock all throughout San Francisco. It was wild.
00:08:39
Speaker
Oh, my God. Yeah, crazy. Yeah, what ah but a time. My friend Michael my friend michael hates Michael Jackson. Oh, look, there are people – look, I can't – I get it. I get it. I understand. i understand. He calls him his sleep paralysis demon. And I was like, okay, well, that's a lot. But... Right. But I also... There's there's there's there's very, very different to Michael Jackson, the the later years, and Michael Jackson, the early years, obviously.
00:09:03
Speaker
Totally. And honestly, like I'm going to sit there. Obviously, we all know his earlier work as being revered. as And clearly... you set the precedent and really set the precedent for pop music and everything I will say though I feel like a lot of his later music from like 95 and on is severely underrated yeah I love Butterflies so much yeah Butterflies is great um there's a lot of stuff on Invincible that's good andvincing yeah, Invincible's great.
00:09:29
Speaker
um Shout out to Alex G, part of Rip Rock and Alex G, who helped produce some of it. All roads lead to Rip Rock and Alex G. All roads lead to Rip Rock and Alex G. It's in the Bible.
00:09:40
Speaker
Right, right. And the Quran. Right. um But I would say I love his song Morphine from Blood on the Dance
90s Techno Nostalgia
00:09:47
Speaker
Floor. Oh, yeah. Arguably maybe his most and experimental track in his discography. Like it's just that this six minute industrial like rock electronic anthem with like this crazy like piano breakdown and it samples the elephant man. It's like it's wild. Nine Inch Nails meets Michael Jackson. Yeah, right, right. Yeah.
00:10:08
Speaker
Speaking of industrial and this is going to be the craziest segue ever. Get it. But are you familiar with Tracy Lords?
00:10:17
Speaker
That sound. Okay. Tracy Lords. Okay. I don't think I know. i'm assuming. Wait. Female? Yes. Yes. Female. Okay. Female. I am picturing cover. Is this a singer?
00:10:31
Speaker
Yes. I'm picturing like a very like, how do I even describe it? Like punk rock DIY type of album cover. Sort of. Okay. its Sort of.
00:10:42
Speaker
But like, I don't think I've ever heard their music or if I have, I don't think I've, would know it. So, okay. So former pop porn star in like the nineties and that like her claim to fame. And then 94, I want to say, released an album called a thousand fires.
00:10:58
Speaker
And ah very yeah right. Very sort of like underground cult, like nineties techno. Like there's a song called control that I think is like the first song on the album. Um,
00:11:10
Speaker
It's like I was playing it before because, okay, so how did I get here? So, you know Bradley, Mew Mews? Bradley Stern? Yes, yes. Yeah, a m yeah, yeah. So I follow him, whatever, on Instagram and he posted that.
00:11:22
Speaker
ah So there's another a vinyl account that I follow called Addiction to Vinyl. They posted that they were going to do like um a limited pressing, thousand copy pressing of this album from 94 that I don't think has ever been on vinyl.
00:11:33
Speaker
So I saw it and Bradley posted it and I saw it and I gasped immediately. And I was like, this is so niche. I was like, actually can't believe this. I was like, and i thank you for posting this.
00:11:45
Speaker
That's incredible. Right. He's like, this is absolutely unreal. I said, oh my God. So like I was playing it before and i'm like, actually the song kind of holds up. Like if you listen to the song control, which you have to listen to after, but it really does. Like, it sounds like techno from today. And I'm like,
00:12:00
Speaker
Ooh. Tracy Lourdes was ahead of her time. Ahead of her time, mama. I'm so excited for this vinyl.
Madonna's Remix Strategies
00:12:06
Speaker
You have to listen to this. stuff It's all over the place. like There's all different types of stuff. It's very 90s electronica. I cannot wait. That's, I mean, we know I love that. we it has your name all over it. can't wait. And speaking of Bradley, ah he it's someone and in recent months was feeling a way about me and said that I was basically like the dumbed down version of him, which was like the biggest compliment because Bradley is an incredible writer and has met so many of our faves and definitely
00:12:35
Speaker
could hold his own on this podcast very much. But we all do different things and we all have different, like, like she's so like in her UK bag with the UK pop girls. And I love that for her. And like, that's like her place of authority. And it's like, yeah, I feel like I specialize in like nineties dance music and like all of that type of like classic, like gay house and whatever. And you do too. And you're, yeah you're brilliant with charts and you can remember like weeks and dates in a way that I absolutely cannot. Like all of the, get all of the pop gays that are having podcasts right now, I feel like we all do.
00:13:05
Speaker
different things very well. for sure. You know, and I i i they don't want there to ever be like a weird, it's so silly. It's so silly. and And I had tagged him in a story and he he reached out and was super, super sweet. So that would be hey he would be a fun guest.
00:13:21
Speaker
Oh, absolutely. I think that would be really fun to just do with ah any of the pop ones just in Yeah, absolutely. so many good ones out there. There really are. And I mean, no one on, and I don't hear anyone talking about Gina G as much as we do.
00:13:33
Speaker
I mean, I'm just saying. And I don't hear anyone talk about Ray of Light as much as we you do. no Not even Madonna talks about Ray of Light as much as we do. She sure doesn't. She's like, wait.
00:13:43
Speaker
Wait, so I had my DJ run last night at Peloton with Adrian. And Cody also has a class on Friday nights at the same time, which is usually when we'll do our DJ ride. So obviously we're in the Tread studio. He's in the Cycle studio, but we're in the green room at the same time.
00:13:55
Speaker
And so at some point we started talking about Madonna like we do, and then Ray of Light came up like it does. And then he was just like, okay, he's like, what's Veronica Electronica? Explain it to me. And I was like, okay, so. yeah I was like, how much time do you have? I was like, because this is the full story and how it started.
00:14:13
Speaker
Yes. Seriously. I'm, I'm, I'm so excited. I mean, did you see that William Orbit kind of dragged the whole thing? Yes. I just saw his post from today where he posted the, that CD of ah the Madonna. Was it? Unreleased. Yeah.
00:14:27
Speaker
yeah Like unreleased tracks. yeah yeah Yeah. So he, I mean, I saw people like commenting on it on Twitter and we're like trying to drag William about it. And I was like, listen, He's not wrong.
00:14:38
Speaker
I was like, this project the project that is being released is different from the original conceptualized project that was originally talked about back in 1998, 1999. And I will say, I think some of his takes were off because he was kind of dragging...
00:14:52
Speaker
the BT and Sasha remix of Drowned World. I think he was also dragging the Twilo remix of Ray of Light. which he Which he talked about in his post today where he was just like, maybe I shouldn't have done that. you know He's like, people have been saying, you know you really need to experience it in like a bigger room. He's like, so I'm i'm really going to kind of take that into consideration.
00:15:09
Speaker
Yeah. and And my thing is, it's like these remixes, none of these remixes that are being released are new. i mean, right's it's, it's, it's, they're new edits, but I don't think that they're like touching them up other than the fact, just making them shorter, which is fine. Like I'm down for new edit. i think there's like a little bit of a remaster.
00:15:24
Speaker
Yeah. yeah by it um But I was like, these remixes have been around since, I mean, that project was originally released. So I'm like, the fact that they somehow got past William Orbit all this time, I'm like, babe, these have been around. Right, right, right. and i and I don't know.
00:15:39
Speaker
I don't know. I wonder, like, if you're William Orbit in the 90s, like, how much of that stuff? Because... You don't have an approval process. It's not like they're sending them to him to be like, hey, these are, you know, he's paid to do a certain amount of work. And then I guess whatever Madonna does after that, you know, the label does after that. It's not.
00:15:54
Speaker
I mean, look, I all I can say is that she's going to get a lot more coins when this project comes out. So good for her. Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, yeah. And I'm excited. I'm here for it. I'm ready for the new and, you know, grateful that the edit of skin is out, even though, as we mentioned before, we would prefer the extended version. And it's funny because I actually I met with a rep from UMG this past week and we were talking about this. and I actually brought up this project to him, even though she's a WMG artist.
00:16:21
Speaker
And I said, you know, I said, the thing that's interesting, I said, is that when a lot of the labels or you guys put this stuff out, I said, sometimes you do like the dance vault mixes for like the Deborah Cox stuff or the Whitney Houston or Annie Lennox or whatever.
00:16:33
Speaker
I said, you know, the remixes that were done in the 90s, early 2000s were so iconic and they were on the radio and they were still like a big deal. I said, but a lot of them really are like 11 minutes. I said, and they're great. I said, but...
00:16:45
Speaker
even for like a place like peloton like to do you know our classes are 30 minutes 29 technically if you include cool down right you know so like doing that sort of thing is really kind of crazy and while some of them do have radio edits i said i'm gonna be honest i said it's very difficult to play some of this stuff and so i even threw it out and i was like look i said whoever's doing them i'm not really sure but if you ever wanted help identifying and maybe editing, I said, I'm down to help.
00:17:14
Speaker
Ooh, that's a great call though. Yeah. Cause there's so many things that I'm like, you can't, you're not just casually throwing on a 13 minute remix or even an eight minute remix. Yeah. Right. You know? So it's like, I just, sometimes you just need the snackables because a lot of those things, like a lot of those mixes from them were like the buildup you'd get like two and a half minutes before the first vocal even starts.
00:17:35
Speaker
Totally. yeah Which I love, but I'm like – Yeah. And you know what? And this is what I will say. For for all my hatred towards the two-minute song, a two-minute song is great for DJ sets and – For workouts.
00:17:50
Speaker
For workouts, things like that. Especially if you're trying to you know you're trying to keep it moving and you're trying to add variety throughout 100% a edit is perfect. Right.
00:18:01
Speaker
So that's a great idea. Yeah. say I don't know. And I, like I said, and I told him, I said, it's not very difficult to do. I said, I've been doing them my whole life. I said, so, you know, if if anybody needs help, if any anybody at a record label right now wants to release old music, I said, you let me know and i will come and help ah because it's just, it it's so terrible, especially because some of like, I think the biggest hits of some of these artists, if you look at like a Christine W or an I a day or like any of these like divas from then,
00:18:28
Speaker
They were massive hits, but again, the only people that are really going to put on those types of mixes are people from our demographic. And it's like, if you want to kind of get in with where they are now today, you've got to offer a shorter version. It's as much as I don't like it.
00:18:41
Speaker
It's just the reality. Yeah, for sure. For sure. Yeah. And I wonder, I mean, that would be an interesting challenge. Like how would you take an eight minute club mix and cut it down to two minutes to three minutes?
00:18:56
Speaker
have folders of them. With that, really? Oh, yeah. that So I didn't, I never knew how to do production work. I had no idea. i but Anything I've known that I've learned learned how to do has been either self-taught or working with someone else.
00:19:08
Speaker
Yeah. And the first thing when I knew I wanted to get into it that I started doing was making edits of longer tracks because I was like, I just, sometimes I wanted to like take them in the car and be able to burn a lot of them to the CDs that I would just do.
00:19:21
Speaker
was doing at the time in the 90s. Yeah. And you couldn't do like more than, you know, the CDs were only like 45 minutes, 90 minutes, whatever. Right. So I just started working on making edits and that's how I got familiar and started to understand the patterns of like, okay, so we start with the kick and then you add the hi-hat and then you add this and then, and how you stack these elements to make this full song. That's where I started to learn it all.
00:19:42
Speaker
Yeah. So it was through making edits. So I just, I made so many of them over the years that I have like tons and tons of them. I mean, like, Again, they were probably with the most questionable files that I was downloading from LimeWire at the time. Sure. So a lot of them would have to be redone, but...
00:19:56
Speaker
the the fact of the matter is that it's not that difficult and it is, I think it's necessary in order for this music to survive for another generation. 100%. Because the new generation needs Christine W. in my opinion. Absolutely.
Influence of LGBTQ+ Icons
00:20:07
Speaker
I mean, I will give her credit when show she does put out music, she does, she'll put out like 112 remixes and 67 of them are radio edits. And I love that for her. Yeah. Yeah. And I, yeah, i cannot be more thankful and appreciative of that. So let's celebrate that. Yeah.
00:20:20
Speaker
um So I know that on the last episode, we wanted to talk about LGBTQ artists part two, the girlies, the girls. And I can't even find the list that you sent. I know, right? Yeah. I was looking. I was like, you sent such a great list. And I'm like, where is it? Oh, it was in the text message. That's why.
00:20:35
Speaker
Yes. And we had covered, we covered covered a few. We talked about Betty Who. We talked about Chapel Roan. Yes. um We talked about, so briefly mentioned Samantha Fox, who I have to, I have to be honest. I don't really, I'm not super familiar with Samantha Fox.
00:20:47
Speaker
And I get it. Like, if you're you're either an 80s baby or a 90s kid, and I totally get that. But, like, yeah she wasn't out and proud in the 80s. Like, she was definitely in her bag getting her thing. But yeah she went from being, like, a topless model and being, like, what in the UK they are. I think that's called a page six girl.
00:21:03
Speaker
Okay. And it's just a every page six and I guess whatever their paper is over there, they would have, like, a girl that was in, like, a bikini. And they would just do, like, I don't know. It's super weird straight people stuff. yeah Anyway, so she was, like, that girl. And then I don't know how she made it to music, really. But...
00:21:16
Speaker
Thank God, because she was on she was on Jive. She was on the same label as what eventually would be Britney and- Britney and NSYNC and all those i think Backstreet Boys, yeah. Yep, yep. But um she worked with Full Force mostly from, if you know, like Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam from the 80s with Full Force.
00:21:32
Speaker
Yeah. ah Very, very big um pop songwriters, R&B songwriters of the 80s. And i believe they also had stuff on early Backstreet Boys albums and Britney album. The first Britney album. Yeah. For sure. For sure.
00:21:44
Speaker
um And then, yeah, I want to say she came out either in the 90s or early 2000s. She had had like a longtime partner. who I think ended up getting ill and I think passing away in like somewhere in the mid 2000s or 2010s.
00:21:57
Speaker
She's with somebody else now. But yeah, I was like so surprised. I had would never have thought because she was like literally a pinup girl. But I always say that anything I ever learned about being a woman was probably from Samantha Fox. I was obsessed with her.
00:22:08
Speaker
I love that. She's the reason why I wore fingerless gloves in my Peloton classes. Okay. Inspiration. Let's celebrate that. I was just like, okay. I was like, I don't really have a thing. I was like, but I love this. I was like, so I'm going to try to bring that. And also because when I clap, my hands like bricks.
00:22:22
Speaker
It's horrible. It's ridiculous. but but I mean, look we need to celebrate your pride ride that you did with Cody. oh Did you do it? Oh, yeah, you did do it. I did. I did. I did i did the first 20 minutes. I still need to finish it. But but i Loved it.
00:22:36
Speaker
it It's so fun. and when you played when you played Dive Into the Pool by Barry Harris, who's one half of Thunderpuss featuring Peppermache, I because...
00:22:47
Speaker
i lost my mind because That is such a specific song right right to play that plays – it plays in one of the end of the episodes of Queer as Folk, like the original US TV show.
00:23:00
Speaker
And every time it comes on, I was like, oh, like take me to the club. take me Take me to Babylon. Right. And so when I heard that, I lost my mind. i was like, I think I shrieked.
00:23:12
Speaker
Right. It's so crazy. So ah the club that I worked at, Paradise and Asbury Park before um before I worked at Peloton, they have a big pool. It's like a big hotel complex. And they have a huge pool outside where they do like pool parties. And every Sunday, Shep Pettibone, who owns it. And if you don't know who that is, do a Google search.
00:23:27
Speaker
um But Shep would do like a Sunday pool party and it was just super fun, but they would always, at least once during Pride, there would be one drag queen that would do a performance around the pool and she'd be running around, getting her dollars, doing her thing.
00:23:39
Speaker
And then at some point during dive in the pool, she would literally dive in the pool. i love that. I've seen them like swinging on ropes and diving. Like it insane what they would do. And it's always like just this drag queen in a gown, just like diving in the pool. It's so hysterical.
00:23:52
Speaker
So that's what I always think of. And I just have such a connotation with that and pride. So I'm like, this feels right. I was like, and there is a demographic that takes my classes that I'm like, we'll absolutely appreciate this. Oh, absolutely. wait and i But it was so funny because afterwards, like some of the DMs I got was from women who were like, oh my God, I used to take dance classes in the mid to late nineties. And we used to have to do like dance recitals to this song. And I'm like, to dive in the pool. And I'm like, are you?
00:24:20
Speaker
Let's. Let's get soaking wet. And they're just throwing water on these young girls. I'm like, what? So that is the craziest thing. I would never have thought that in a million years.
00:24:31
Speaker
That's hysterical. Yeah. Wow. And that's the intersection of the Peloton community, honestly. It's just so bizarre like that. That is amazing. Yeah. I mean, I don't think she's a queer artist.
00:24:42
Speaker
No. Pepper. Pepper Mache. I mean, I mean, she's probably she's performed at probably every pride event ever. Yeah. I was going to say, because she was on a ton of like, I think Thunderpuss tracks.
00:24:55
Speaker
And um who else? I want to say maybe the Hex Hector. She was on something else. She's done so many with so many things. And what the other one I actually really like is I got my pride. I didn't have that one, but I just I was like, dive in the pool feels more like wake up.
00:25:08
Speaker
Yeah, it really was. As soon as you hear that, oh! oh Yeah, yes, no, literally. yeah because Because for me, and also i had to shout I have to shout out your transition from the Deep Dish remix of music into, I believe, the Chris Lake remix of In My Arms yeah by Kylie yeah was...
00:25:26
Speaker
So good. I appreciate that because there was a loop in there. So I appreciate that. It was so good. As soon as I heard that little like that, like, I don't know if it was like a little percussion or a synth or something from In Your Arms.
00:25:37
Speaker
I was like, wait, what is this? And then when I heard it, I was like, I had not listened to that song, let alone that remix in a minute. Well, and it's so funny because like, Usually, Cody is usually the only person that will have something to say about the playlist. And not in a bad way, but just sort of like, I'm always trying to push him to play like the more esoteric stuff. And he's always trying to like get me to come back in and be like, nope, nope, nope.
00:26:00
Speaker
Let's give them something that they know. And I'm like, all right, whatever. So we have a little push and pull up with that. So like originally I had in the... um what is it? Thunderpuss mix of Don't Tell Me because I wanted to go from the Thunderpuss of Dive in the Pool into the Thunderpuss Don't Tell Me. And I was like, you know, I said, we don't really ever play that one. I said, I feel like the ones on Peloton that get a lot of love are like um the...
00:26:22
Speaker
what is it, the remix of Give It To Me, Eddie Amador, I think. That one gets a lot of love on Peloton. And there's a couple of Madonna ones. I took a Cody ride. There's a cup ah Cody ride that ah from like a few weeks or a couple months ago that had a lot of remixes on it. And one of them was music, the Calderon remix. Yeah. um Yeah.
00:26:42
Speaker
Yeah. but so And so then, like and I also had, what... I had Kylie's, i had a different Kylie in there. I don't remember what I put in there, but he was like, honestly, he's like, I was at a party recently and they dropped this Chris Lake remix of In My Arms. He's like, and it went off so much. And I was like, okay. I said, you know what? I love that. Throw it in.
00:27:01
Speaker
yeah And then as we were doing, he's like, actually, I think that, and he said, he's like, I think that the transition would be fun from music into In My Arms. And I said, let me play around with it and see what I can find. yeah As soon as I got to that part, I was like, boom, we're done. We're in.
00:27:13
Speaker
said, yeah, it was so, so good. Yeah, no, it was amazing. And so as it was, it gave me a little extra energy as you tell you two were bantering. It was so fun. um Yeah. I, I, I try to do the 30 minute classes, but I've been finding that like 20 minutes, cause I always combine it with something else that 20 minutes is like perfect for me. Right. No, I get that.
00:27:33
Speaker
Yeah. I wish that I had classes that were like DJ where you just like them for 20 minutes and then it's done. Right. Like to just the most high energy, just like bang people over the head. out Yeah. Cause like, cause actually today, cause what I did is I did 20 minutes of a cycling class and then I did 20 minutes of like upper body arms and then in 20 minutes of core. And then I was like, okay, we've got a full body workout. We're good.
00:27:55
Speaker
Yeah. ah love It was excellent. yeah Yeah. It was so good. Well, I was going to say what was good and I will just shout out. So I did my DJ run last night and on the playlist. So the first five artists were all queer artists and ah started with Kim Petras, Heart to Break, because just because. Classic.
00:28:14
Speaker
You know, and I was listening to the playlist as I was going to the studio yesterday and It really like, and I don't know how much we'll talk about it like in the mainstream, but like as far as pop songs go, Heart to Break really is pinnacle for me of like just a perfect, perfect pop song. It has all of the elements, it checks all of the boxes, all of the ad libs, the production. I mean, it really is just such a fantastic pop song.
00:28:40
Speaker
It really is. And especially over the last few years, it has really become like a pride anthem. Right. Like it has become like you hear that at pride and people go nuts. Yeah. And I will say though, like it it tricks me every time when I hear the intro, cause it's usually just that drum beat at first. Yeah. I always think it's a sped up version of closer by nine inch nails.
00:28:59
Speaker
and Oh, because look at that, that, that snare drum is very identical. Yeah. So I'm always like, I'm like, Oh, we're going, we're going we're wild right now. I was like, it is 5.00 PM. Yeah.
00:29:10
Speaker
And we're in Dwayne Reed. Exactly. um But yeah, no. I started with that. And then I went into the first time I got to play Mr. Z Machine on the platform. Yay! Yes, with How Will I Know. Because I wanted to give everybody a chance to celebrate queer artists, but not be like not have like a pride party. like And I wanted it to be songs that everybody knew. And sometimes I find difficult to sort of like just jump in and be like,
00:29:36
Speaker
what are they singing? What are the words? What are the lyrics? And it's like, you're trying to work out and there's so much happening at the same time. So right. Yeah. Easier point of entry. So we did Z's version of how will I know, which is so good. Um, into Jordy's version of pink pony club.
00:29:51
Speaker
Oh, I haven't heard his version. oh my God. It's so good because the original is like 109 BPM. He kicks it up to like one 22. The chorus is full on pop, like dance banger. You will love it. Oh, okay. Yeah. Yeah.
00:30:06
Speaker
And then we did um Bentley Robles. First time I got to play him on the, on the platform as well yeah with his ABBA cover of lay all your love on me. oh my God. Love. Yeah. And then we did and E K's version of Queens. Don't stop me now, which I live for. Wow.
00:30:22
Speaker
Oh, that's fun. That's a really good idea to do like, to do that, like doing cover queer artists, doing covers of songs, just as you said, to let people kind of be familiar, but also something new and fresh. Yeah. Right.
Pride Weekend and Sobriety
00:30:34
Speaker
So I'm like, we did that for the first because usually so when i when I program Adrian's classes specifically, they're split in half.
00:30:39
Speaker
There's an intro song is usually like three or four songs of like dance music. Then there's like a break to give everybody recovery, then another section of dance music and then the cool down. So what we do in those dance sections are like somewhere I'll either theme it out or try to figure out like what.
00:30:53
Speaker
two different styles of dance music, two different stuff, whatever. Like that's usually what I'm playing around with. So that, and then our break was zombie boy. Cause as soon as that started, everybody just went wild. And I was like, ah, we weren't expecting that. yes Yeah.
00:31:06
Speaker
And then it just sort of went into, there's another song that I've played that. um So there's a local DJ. Her name is high life. She's not queer, but she's amazing. And she plays house music and she put out a song called champagne in bed with this girl, Sherry Lily. And in the video, have you listened to this?
00:31:21
Speaker
ah Yeah, you sent it to me. It's so, so good. It's so fun. And in the video, they have Amanda Lepore, which you have to see. It's fabulous. It's so fabulous. You need to see the video. um But yeah, so it was the first time I got to play her on the platform because we had worked with her previously. She had done like um a couple of yoga classes with ah one of our yogis.
00:31:38
Speaker
And so I was happy to shout her out. And then when I do after that, oh, and then it was like Million Dollar Bill Freemasons, Robin, Call Your Girlfriend, Cascade, and then, you know, ah the LPGOB, El Trinité Free. Oh my god. The way that you and I would absolutely annihilate playlist together. oh my god. Are you kidding me? Because this is reminding me of but in my DJ days of... So I've never learned how to DJ live. I've never learned how to do it.
00:32:05
Speaker
And never had the technology, never had this the the equipment. So i whenever I DJed something, i would premix everything prior. Right. And then just hit play. And typically we'd just dance with everyone.
00:32:15
Speaker
Right, right. and and just And that's how you do it sometimes. And that's we're goingnna how we're going to go. And so I remember specifically i ah my friends Quinn and Teddy. Teddy is a former roommate of mine.
00:32:27
Speaker
They asked me to DJ their wedding. And this is back in like 2015, 2016-ish. and so And Quinn's family ah is a little bit of a higher profile family here in Grand Rapids, the Gilmores. And so I was like, okay, so I was like, I'm trying to i was like i'm going to do three sets.
00:32:48
Speaker
And I was like the first set, like for to get people on the dance floor, I was like, that's going to be really family friendly. And I was like, so I'm trying to think of the audience who's going to be there. So again, without like, since I'm pre-mixing everything, I'm not taking requests.
00:33:00
Speaker
and And I'm like, we're just trying to think about what's going to be there, who's going to be there, what's going happening. right So I did this 45 minute, like kind of throwback set of like,
00:33:15
Speaker
Funk, disco Yes And like big band Like all of these things Like R&B That was like new but old So at the very first song was Calling All Hearts By DJ Cassidy Featuring Jessie J and Robin Thicke Yes And then it went right into Kylie Minogue's version of Cool and the Gang Celebration Yes Which then went into I believe it was Craig David's version of Signed, Seal, Delivered Yes And then I forget like the rest of how it went, but like there was a remix of Shake Your Body Down to the Ground by the Jackson 5. I had ah put in there Pixie Lots version of your love.
00:33:56
Speaker
live too Oh, it's so good. I love that version. So good. And then there was what else was in there? there I put in a mashup of, oh my God, Uptown Funk with Jungle Boogie.
00:34:10
Speaker
hu um I did i mashup of Sexy Back with Aaliyah's version of Got to Give It Up. Did they love it? and Oh, it was amazing. It went off. right It went off.
00:34:22
Speaker
um well Oh, there was a mashup of ah Beyonce's Love on Top with I Want You Back by The Jackson 5. Like it was, i like not to like toot my own horn, but I was like, I was like, toot, toot. It was amazing. It's a party, blow your own horn. Exactly. yeah He's a she, but we all agree.
00:34:45
Speaker
ah Controversial yet brave, Christine. Exactly. um And yeah and then I remember like one of the other mixes, the other mixes were more than just like top 40, like whatever.
00:34:56
Speaker
um But I remember my friend, a last minute addition. So my friend Teddy, he has Scottish heritage. ah boy and so And so I was like, okay, well, what how can I like shout that out? Because they were like talking about it whatever.
00:35:11
Speaker
And it was actually at the rehearsal dinner the night before that they were like kind of talking about all of this. And I was like, I'm going to make something. I'm going to re-edit this like one or whatever. And I started it out with the live version of Into the Groove from the Reinvention Tour with the bagpipes.
00:35:28
Speaker
Yeah. And they loved it. course they did. It was amazing because they were expecting like, they were like, they were like, what is this? And they're like, because I think it's like Scott McCloud, which is like a famous like Scottish song whatever.
00:35:41
Speaker
And um so they were like, everyone was like, they were all going nuts or whatever. And then as it like goes into into the groove, people were like, what? Like, it was so good. Also, speaking of it speaking of into the groove, though, i need to drag a couple of Ks.
00:35:54
Speaker
Uh-oh. So a couple weekends ago, I was at the Dunes Resort in Saugatuck, Michigan pool, just hanging out with some gays. And um into the groove started playing. And I turned to them and I was like, oh my God, I love this song. And they looked at me and they go, who is this? Oh,
00:36:11
Speaker
Yeah. You finish the story and I'll tell you the one that happened. I looked at them right now and I go, you tell me who did, who does this song? I said, you tell me. And they looked at me. I don don't remember who they said, but it was not Madonna.
00:36:21
Speaker
And I said, wow. So then I said, I looked at the other person. I go, do you know who sings this? And they're, they're like, yeah, I know this song. And I was like who sings it? And they're like, um, um, that was like, no way. And these men are not that young.
00:36:33
Speaker
Right. Okay. They are. i I was like, I was the oldest one there, but these were, these were men in their thirties. Right. Yeah. I was like, Open the fucking schools.
Remixing Challenges and Triumphs
00:36:43
Speaker
wait So I'm in class and this is all in the class. It's on demand. You'll see.
00:36:47
Speaker
um So Adrian, and I, at some point, I maybe like a few classes ago, just started doing this thing where like, he'll ask if anybody either knows like the title of the song or the artist or whatever, as, as I'm playing. And if they don't, he'll like change like the increase on the, on the treadmill or i like how fast they're going. And so it becomes like a game or whatever.
00:37:06
Speaker
Yeah. So we were doing this and I was like, okay. I said, so they'll know the songs in the first half. I said, but the artists in the second one is what they should know. I played million dollar bill and almost the entire room had no idea it was Whitney Houston.
00:37:18
Speaker
Oh, I was like, if I had an ejector button on all of these treadmills right now, I was like, through the roof you would all go. i was Literally. What? And then the next song went into Call Your Girlfriend and they all screamed out Robin. And I was like, wait a minute.
00:37:32
Speaker
You knew Robin, but you didn't know Whitney Houston. Right. And those songs were released, what, like a year apart? Right. Maybe two years apart? Like, yeah. I cannot. Yeah, there was like ah one or two girls in there that and that knew it was Whitney, but most of them had no idea. And I was like, this is why. I said, this is why I still play at the classics, girls.
00:37:49
Speaker
Yeah. The chokehold that that Whitney Houston, the Million Dollar Bills Freemasons remix had on me 2009, like... like Yeah. And let me tell you something. So I actually, I did Junior's remix of Million Dollar Bill for him. Like me and um my friend Billy and Joel, we had all like programmed his remix for him.
00:38:09
Speaker
And so they sent us the vocals. And this was in a very difficult time for Whitney on the I Look To You album. Yeah. vocals were... Not vocaling like they used to. And, you know, we knew ah we all knew things were were were ah pretty rough. And yeah the original vocal of Million Dollar Bill, there were parts in it that were so rough. It was so upsetting to hear some of the notes that she... Yeah. that really And when I tell you what the Freemasons did was make magic.
00:38:39
Speaker
Because all of whatever they used, how they used the background vocals, how they added the reverb on her voice. Because some of the... whoa who The last one that she does in the actual vocal, there's a crack in her voice that is so rough.
00:38:54
Speaker
and i'm like Oh, It was really, really upsetting to hear. but i'm like she was i mean I guess that tracks, considering it was written by Alicia Keys. Right. which is Right. but no no i'm like yeah no I'm like, yeah, no. Just thinking about her Super Bowl crack, which hey happens to all of us. yeah Look, we're only human and I totally get it. But yeah like shout out to the Freemasons because they really like they made magic on that one. They really had a moment 2006 to is for Beyonce. Greenlight. Greenlight is phenomenal.
00:39:23
Speaker
they the the remix is for beyonce green light green light is phenomenal It's insane. So good. That one. um i Heartbreak, Make Me a Dancer with Sophie Ellis-Baxter will forever be my number one with them. yeah Their version of Alanis Morris that's Uninvited.
00:39:39
Speaker
Yep. yeah Incredible. They did um Gypsy by Shakira. i think they also did Waka Waka yeah and Loka.
00:39:50
Speaker
Yep. by Even their own track. They had a track called Bring It Back. I was obsessed it. Oh, I've never heard that. Oh, yeah. it was like I think it was like one of their later singles in 2009. And you know what remix I love that by them? It's probably one of my favorites of theirs is Sandcastle Disco by Sly Lange.
00:40:05
Speaker
Probably that one is probably like neck and neck. Yeah. Yeah. yeah I like that even better than the original. they Yeah. Are they still active? I think so. I think their music is slightly different now, but yes.
00:40:16
Speaker
I see follow them on Instagram. I see them pop up every once in a while. Oh, good. Because I always wonder about these different remixers, and I never know, like, is this one person? Is it two? Is it three? And similar to, like, there's Bimbo Jones. I think they go by Wawa. There's one of them. um Who else?
00:40:35
Speaker
ah ah There's another one. There was like there was like three or four the names that I would just see on every remix ah EP that would come out in those years. Yep.
00:40:47
Speaker
Freemasons being one of them. And I'm always just kind of like, are they still making music? Are they still doing stuff? Like, who are they? Right, right. Them, Motoblanco is another one. That was the other one that was thinking of. Yes. yeah Yes.
00:40:58
Speaker
Yeah. Iconic remixes. Truly. Yeah. So, so good. I mean, i they did everything from, again, Beyonce. Mary J.B. Without You. Pinnacle. Pinnacle.
00:41:09
Speaker
Come It still works. Still relevant. No matter where you put that on, it will go off. And just fine, i believe. Yes. Yes. Yeah. um Yeah. I mean, J.Lo, do it well. And hold it, don't drop it. Oh, God, I love that. I always forget about that J-Load song, and I love that song. Yes. Oh, what's the George Michael and Moody Ubuena duet? Oh, God. This is Not Real Love?
00:41:34
Speaker
Yes. Loved that remix. Oh, my God. i never get name right. Name another podcast talking about Moto Blanco right now. I'm just saying. Just saying. You're welcome. All seven of you.
00:41:48
Speaker
Like, wow. Like now I kind of want to go and they did it like, ah how would you describe their style? It's kind of like a house. House, definitely. Yeah. Like disco house. just Disco house, kind of 90s inspired. Commercial disco house.
00:42:01
Speaker
Yeah. But like before like the 90s trend really started taking off again. like Totally. Yeah. like which just It's tea dance music. It's just like Sunday morning, Sunday afternoon outside.
00:42:12
Speaker
Really versatile could really go anywhere. Like you play it at night, play it during the day. It's not going be, it's not going to be jolting to anyone. Whereas like, you know, if you're playing the HQ2 remix of I learned from the best at noon, you might get some, you might get some looks and um which speaking of an edit, by the way,
00:42:31
Speaker
I love the radio edit of that song. However, it does miss the breakdown, which I think is the best part of the song. that's one of That's one of those where it's like, I understand that adding that breakdown would just make it longer. But I was like, that to me, the drop is one of the best drops in dance music history.
00:42:50
Speaker
Well, but that's why it's like, it was always difficult to do edits for things like the Tony Braxton Spanish guitar remix. Like, because if you're not going to have that full like guitar flamenco breakdown, like, I don't know. I feel like we're missing like the whole, like the best part of the song there.
00:43:05
Speaker
I'm laughing because I literally listened to that remix last night on my walk. and And I was like, like, like
00:43:19
Speaker
Just walking shirtless in the skimpiest shorts you've ever seen. just like with my headphones on. Just
Pride Fitness Journey
00:43:24
Speaker
like. dying. Oh my God. You're making me sweat.
00:43:30
Speaker
i'm dying oh my god sweat That's It was good. That's the clip. That's the clip for social media. Right. Yeah. So good. i just. funny.
00:43:43
Speaker
They don't just don't make them like that anymore. Yeah, no. Yeah. Well, but you know, we're probably going to hear a lot of these. Well, I don't know. Is there is it Pride where you are now or you just had your Pride? We just had our Pride last weekend. it was a it was a ton of fun. So also, like, sorry, everyone. I know that I didn't even, like, make an announcement that we were skipping a week.
00:44:00
Speaker
Honestly, like, the fact that my birthday came up kind of came up. i I knew it was coming, but then I blinked and I was like, holy holy shit, I'm turning 40 this week. Right. And then i had taken part of the week off. There's been some other things happening. And then we had Grand Rapids Pride. Anyway, long story short, we were just like, time got away from us. Right, right. um But that said, yeah, we had our Pride last weekend. It was like 95 degrees.
00:44:24
Speaker
And yeah, crazy hot. I started it by, so I've been part of this movement group called Friendship Miles. Shout out to Friendship Miles. Sammy, the co-founder, queer, absolutely incredible human being.
00:44:36
Speaker
And, oh, hold on. Sorry, my alarm just went off for some reason. um And ah they i had a friendship mile run at the commencement ceremony of the Pride event. Oh, nice.
00:44:51
Speaker
Yeah. So we did I did a three-mile run in, like, 90-degree weather. Oh, my God. Yeah. I was like, yeah, it was crazy. and then But then I went ah to my friend Michael's place, who he lives nearby, showered at his place. And then we went downtown, bopped around for like four or five hours. And then we were supposed to volunteer at our gay sports league event or our table, I should say, but they got really windy.
00:45:14
Speaker
And so we were, so we ended up tearing down. um And then we ended up going back to his place, showering really quick and then changed and then went out. I was out till like two 30 in the morning, like a crazy person.
00:45:24
Speaker
Look at you. I know. past your bedtime. Way past my bedtime. I was wearing that slutty little one piece ah white, saying Let me tell you what, though. Never been more comfortable in my life. I bet.
00:45:35
Speaker
Never been more. I could move. I felt kind of like that Sally O'Malley character. I was like, I can squat. I can kick. I was just like. I'm 40. I am 40.
00:45:48
Speaker
I have to say, never been more proud of myself. Best shape of my life. Like. I mean, she's doing it. I mean, the dedication is intense. It's very intense. But I just, and beyond looking this way, though, like, I have never felt better. And to me, that's the most important thing, truly, because I know that there's a lot of people, you know, for a variety of reasons, can't. And so um I feel very grateful.
00:46:14
Speaker
No, totally. All that said, it was very fun. ah Yeah. And so this Pride, this weekend is New York City Pride. So, okay. Yeah. so this is the big one. So that's why I'm like, okay, we really, and we have made like not very many plans. um Sunday is probably the bigger day. So Peloton, we have our partner that we partner with for pride every year is the Ali Forney center, which is amazing work with.
00:46:37
Speaker
teens, LGBTQ teens, and just you know all different types of people that they help the community, and they're wonderful. They've been around forever. So we have the opportunity to march with them, so we're actually going to walk the parade. Oh, cool. Yeah, with them in the morning, which I think will be really, really cool, because if you've ever been to New York City Pride navigating the streets and the sidewalks, it's like There's so many barricades and you have to go all the way up here to cross over here and get over. It's so complicated.
00:47:02
Speaker
yeah So I was like, honestly, I was like, i kind of love the idea of us just like walking the parade route. And then at the end, we're just like, hey, festival. Yes. No you know real talk. Yeah. Right. I was like, it actually feels like the smartest, like planning wise. I said, because we're not going to be like bumping into people trying to get through. It's so hot. You're fanning. You're trying to like, I was like, right so we're actually just going to walk through the parade, wave flags and everybody kiss babies and keep moving. and Yeah. Speaking of fans.
00:47:25
Speaker
So, uh, Ellie and AJ performed here in Grand Rapids pride. Yeah. Yeah. and Yeah, it was wild. So we went, again, like 90 degrees. In fact, they were supposed to – so they performed Sunday, and they were supposed to perform at 6.30. They pushed it back to 8.30 because of how hot it was. Oh, wow.
00:47:43
Speaker
And so so we went, and they performed – Their entire new album, Silver Deliver, which I was good for them, wasn't what I was there for. Right. um They sound amazing.
00:47:55
Speaker
I believe it. Sound amazing. They look incredible. But it was funny because I had a fan on me and I was like clacking it to like, and the music is like, people were calling it country. It's not country. I would say it's like pop rock, maybe yat rock type of thing.
00:48:08
Speaker
And I it was just like clacking it to the beat. I was like, not the type of music you normally do this to, but we're doing it anyway. However, i do have to say, so of course, everyone's waiting for a potential breakup song, which was the last song that they performed. They also performed right before that was Into the Rush. Those are the only two old songs that were part of the set list. Everything wow everything else is the new album. Yeah.
00:48:26
Speaker
Bold choice for a pride. Very bold, but I will say ah they, the crowd was loving them and we were chanting, chanting, chanting, and they did come back up for a special encore.
00:48:39
Speaker
And did two acapella snippets of Chemicals React and like, whoa. Word. And so my my friend Ricky got a little video of me being like, go. Like getting my life. Because that's what I wanted. I wanted Chemicals React and like, whoa.
00:48:54
Speaker
Yeah. And yeah. So that was a lot of fun. A pride miracle. A pride miracle, if you will. And the night before at Rumors Nightclub, which is the only gay nightclub here in Grand Rapids, which is amazing. unfortunately getting over to university people oh no um yeah but um they did play a very random dubstep remix of potential breakup song that night that nobody asked for but no one asked for it i was like i didn't realize it was 2012 right but let's celebrate that Crazy. Yeah, no. i So we didn't really like make a lot of plans here. but And I've got to be honest, I don't i don't even know like a ton of what's going on. I think tonight there's DJ Ted Patterson. I don't know if you're familiar with him. He plays more like Soulful House.
00:49:32
Speaker
Okay. um He's doing a party and Kevin Jay-Z Prodigy is going to be there too. Hey. Right. So I was like, oh, I was like, I'm very, very into that. I said, so let's go check out what that is. So I think we're going to do that later on tonight. And then tomorrow going do the parade and then probably like a little bit of festival stuff, walk around, whatever. So I'm still like not drinking. So I feel like this pride is going very different.
00:49:53
Speaker
Yeah, no for sure. this is This will be month 17, I want to say, I think. Congratulations. That's awesome. Yeah. And I think earlier in the day today, we're going to do a youth pride we were invited to and like see what that's like, which I feel like is just going be me.
00:50:08
Speaker
crying and just like looking at all like LGBTQ youth and like I just want to like yeah yeah oh that'll be sweet yeah that'll be really really good I did get a crazy message um Sunday morning from someone ah who apparently watched me and my friend Michael and my friend Luke walk around shirtless at pride did you see this can I read this to you yeah please this is this is nuts and I was like why am I getting all of these crazy messages all the time okay let me find it okay It says, you and your friends don't fool people. A lot of people laughed at you, Michael and Luke yesterday saying how attention seeking and how y'all fuck each other. Only night only nice thing was the bodies, lol.
00:50:47
Speaker
And then I said, excellent. and And then they followed up by saying, if you do fuck your friends, that's kind of disgusting, though. So hope that's not true. Faceless profile. No idea who they were. Allegedly, they filled out this portion. They allegedly are 25, 155 pounds.
00:51:03
Speaker
And they describe themselves as fit, quote unquote. But there's no photo. So it could be anyone. this from Grindr? I'm such a slut. It's from Sniffy. Oh. Well. ah well I mean, whatever. An app's an app, but yeah um that's wild.
00:51:19
Speaker
and That is so wild. It was crazy. wait This is like the fourth but hate message that I've gotten in like and a month. But like imagine saying that you're seeking attention during Pride.
00:51:31
Speaker
I was like, what do you think we are at right now? Right. That's very, very confusing. But those types of messages to me just speak of somebody who's not comfortable with their own level of homosexuality.
00:51:42
Speaker
not comfortable, very jealous, very insecure. um and what does Beyonce say? Like, you hate me because you want me. Right. Girl, when you put up your post and and i i I hit the slide and it was like, the beehive is buzzing. The beehive is buzzing. Yeah. I laughed so hard. The beehive is buzzing. The beehive is buzzing. But truly, like, i i I didn't, you know, those messages used to really bother me. i still want not anymore. i yeah I still wonder, I'm like, why, like, why am I getting this? Right.
00:52:18
Speaker
But at the same time, I'm like, what a weird, I'm just sad for you. Like whoever that is, if it's the same person, if it's multiple people, whomever, I'm just like, I'm sad for you. Like, it's very clear that you're unhappy and you're projecting for whatever reason onto me and other people. I'm assuming I'm not the only person that's, that's getting directed to.
00:52:38
Speaker
But also it's kind of like, I'm like, it's quite literally pride. As you mentioned, it's 95 degrees out. Human as hell. Cause Michigan is homophobic. And, um, I'm like, yeah, I'm going to be walking around shirtless at pride. I had a very different outfit outfit planned, but I was like, it's hot.
00:52:56
Speaker
I'm sorry. Like I, and there were people, what is more pride than shirtless men? What are we talking about? And let me tell you what, you had everyone under the sun quite literally there. I mean, every we had people you had people dressed up. You had people, you know, you had the furry community was out and about, which I was looking at them and I was like, yeah y'all are breed. I don't know how do you do it. It's a commitment.
00:53:17
Speaker
It's a commitment and I would be dead right now. Dead. Heat stroke. if you think that any joke If you think that any drag queen at any Pride event would not be would not rather be walking around shirtless, You are crazy. Shout out to the drag queens performing. Literally, so one of them performed at ah the opening commencement ceremony.
00:53:34
Speaker
And i was just like- so admirable of daytime drag. I was like looking at her and I'm like, girl, I don't know how you are doing it, but you are doing it flawlessly. Unbelievable. It really is. un but Because I see them every year at Queen's Pride and it's hot.
00:53:48
Speaker
And they're dancing and like- shablamming and doing all the things and I'm like oh my god god bless them god truly I'm so glad we talked about LGBTQ artists today I know we talked about one right one just one but you know that's how we though gonna hear tons of them this weekend you know what i mean but we do want to hear tenns of them this weekend Exactly. Exactly. And we want to, I mean, always celebrate the LGBTQ artists, not just month, but every month all the time.
00:54:22
Speaker
yeah and if you And if you don't, you're homophobic. It's true. Yeah. It's true. You heard it here first. You heard it here first. Yeah.
Hidden Gems and Nostalgia
00:54:27
Speaker
John Michael, it does come to that point in the show where we love to talk about a song we don't talk about enough, where we bring up a deep cut, a bonus track. Maybe it's a remix.
00:54:37
Speaker
I have to say i am, I am Sophie's choice right now between two. I have – so I've actually been really good about this lately and because, like, um for a while I was making a very good list every time I came up with one or any time I would, like, see one in in the wild.
00:54:51
Speaker
Yeah. actually been – I slacked a little bit recently, but I came back and I have four. And I'm I don't even know. oh my gosh. what How about we both do two? Okay.
00:55:01
Speaker
So I'm going to – yeah. I think i think one – ah Yeah, I'm going to leave one off because I think it's actually from a musical, so that's not even necessary. Okay. So one that I want to talk about, out of these three, which one? Okay, I'll just pick. Okay.
00:55:16
Speaker
Do you know who Pia Mia is? Yeah, I do. You do? I feel like a lot of people know her be from a TV show maybe or something, or you know she was somebody's friend on a show. I don't remember what it was.
00:55:27
Speaker
I don't know. i and Truly the only song that I really know of hers that I'm like super familiar with is that song that she did with Chris Brown and Tyga. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. Was it Do It Again? believe that's what it's called.
00:55:38
Speaker
Yes. Yeah. yeah um It's ah kind of one of my summer songs. I always have on my summer playlist. um So there is a song that I think you would absolutely love. It's called Touch. um you Yes, you sent this to me. oh my god it came out it's like i think it's just turning ten years old this year and it's like it was a single i she didn't i don't think it broke like any ground or like made like huge waves or anything so she is actuallymaro which are chamaro people other people from guam and Oh, cool.
00:56:05
Speaker
Chamorro. My husband is part Chamorro. Okay. And that's how we ended up discovering her because I think he discovered her and was just like, oh my God, she's Chamorro. That's kind of crazy. Yeah. And so I just put, oh my God, it's like it's written by her and Justin Trantner and Julia Michaels. And it's like, it's got two of the Swedish guys. which I never, never get their names right. God help Matt, Matt and Robin?
00:56:26
Speaker
No, no, no. It's a Tor Erik Hermansen. and Oh. Yeah, and Mikkel Eriksson. Yeah. Isn't that Stargate? Yeah, that's what I was going to say. never get their names right, but it's Stargate. Yeah.
00:56:37
Speaker
Yeah. And it's it's just an absolutely just perfect slice of pop music. Mid-tempo, like, don't want to say reggaeton because it's not really reggaeton, but it's like that sort of. it's like that It was like that, it came out during that time where there was like, I i would, for lack of a better term, like tropical pop.
00:56:53
Speaker
Yes. was really popular. yeah Back in like 2015, 2016, I would say like Justin Bieber really popularized it with like, what do you mean? yes um And sorry. yeah And so, yeah, that type of sound for sure.
00:57:06
Speaker
So that one, and then i don't know, i don't remember which Instagram account I posted. Do you follow Jeffrey Mixed? Jeffrey no. It's either Jeffrey Mixed or ho Homo Macabre.
00:57:19
Speaker
There's like two like gay accounts that post these like absolutely wild, like bizarre video clips. I have to send them to you because you of all people would love them. And you can definitely find a way to use some of these clips. But one of them, I don't remember, went down this route and put an entire carousel up of Wild Orchid video clips.
00:57:36
Speaker
Stop. and i was like, I don't even know how you have these because like they are so clearly transferred from VHS. Right. yeah That I'm like, it's so bizarre. And I'm like, and they were things I've never seen. And I just like got my life and I was like, oh my God, Wild Orchid. And i said, you know what?
00:57:53
Speaker
was like, what was that song that I love? Stuttering? Oh my God. Yes. And it's not on streaming and it makes me really, really mad. And I actually need to do like research into it and figure it out because it came out in 2001 and I don't even, was Fergie in the group then? I don't think so. She was. Oh, was. This was her final recording.
00:58:11
Speaker
Yeah. It was the final recording. Yeah. um And it was produced by JC Chazay. Yeah. Yes, I was going to say, i remember I remember this. The album was supposed to be called Fire. I don't think the album ever got released.
00:58:22
Speaker
Stuttering was the first single. I was obsessed. There was another single, wasn't there? There was a B-side called Lies yeah that that I was obsessed with that I think was produced by, again, Rip Rock and Alex G, um or at least one of them.
00:58:37
Speaker
um But I remember JC working. I think he he worked on several tracks for that yeah for that album. He might have even been an executive producer on it. ah Probably because I think he's got a lot of writing credits on it too. And I think that there was even like an MTV like you know like news special about the creation of the album.
00:58:52
Speaker
But I think ever got released. No, but this song, so they did do remixes of it though. And Richie Santana, who's a local guy from Staten Island, he did a remix of this song that I was so beyond obsessed with.
00:59:04
Speaker
Do you know it? and You told me about it. You need to send this to me. Oh, I need to send it to you. I'll have to see if I have it in my Dropbox. But it is, it's so phenomenal. You will live your life. Talk about a remix, like an a remix artist that I had no business listening to. was like a 14 year old.
00:59:19
Speaker
Like this like crazy circuit party after hours music. And I'm just like, do, do, do. right ah For no reason. For no reason.
00:59:31
Speaker
Oh, that was our excellent choices. Yeah. i mean, we could really do like the whole like Wild Orchid. Like and they would they were a moment. I don't care. Like I love them. Talk to me is a bop. Oh my gosh.
00:59:43
Speaker
Take us back. Yeah. Go, go back to them. Fergie. and three night Can you imagine actually? That would be cool. That'd be really fun to release the fire album. Finally. I mean, we got Brandy and Monica announcing a tour.
00:59:57
Speaker
Hey, i am so excited about that. I am so excited about that. i have to go. Like I need to go. I was like so curious. Like what are they going perform? Right. Doesn't even matter.
01:00:07
Speaker
No. Are they going to do like a Charlie Troy type of thing where they kind of go back and forth? Are they going to do like, you know, one artist and the other? Like, how are they going do this? I'm very my God. I want them to do like a medley of a like all just like girl duets that never get done. Like, can you imagine? Like Brandy and Monica, give me no more tears. Enough is enough. Go. Yeah.
01:00:25
Speaker
That would be amazing. I would gag. That would be so good. Yeah. Okay. Here's my two. So first one, um i was listening this the other day, a fun summer song for me. It was a song that is kind of going back to the beginning. We were talking about William Orbit
Underrated Tracks and Albums
01:00:40
Speaker
earlier.
01:00:40
Speaker
um The song Feel Good Time by Pink featuring William Orbit. Okay. It was from the Charlie's Angels 2 soundtrack. Yeah. um i thought it was gonna be a huge hit here in the us it was not it flopped hard um it was the precursor it was after the misunderstood era and before the try this era um kind of during a period of time where pink was not very commercially successful um and this was like the start of that and but the song is like this like electro tinged uh funky boppy, like beachy song that I'm obsessed with. And I put it on my summer playlist and it came up the other day and I was like, God, I love this song and it holds up so well.
01:01:19
Speaker
It's, it still sounds so good. And it was written by Beck. Was it? It was written by Beck. Yeah. I did not know that. Yeah. so Such a good song. And I loved, like, she, I think she performed this at the MTV movie awards, not video music awards, but the movie awards.
01:01:34
Speaker
And I remember like when they would do the MTV movie awards back in like the early two thousands, it was such a fun show to watch because they always had like usually about three musical performances. They had nothing to do with the show.
01:01:46
Speaker
um And I believe she performed it there And it was incredible The same award show Is when Tattoo performed Not Gonna Get Us With like hundreds of girls That looked like It was so good actually revisited that performance The other day And I got goosebumps Oh absolutely I was like It's so good Wait did you see Kelly Clarkson's cover?
01:02:05
Speaker
Yes. Yes. Girl, I died. Yeah. Yeah. If anybody was going to do that well, it was going to be her. Of course. Yeah. Yeah. um So we need to shout out Pink, Feel Good Time featuring William Orbit.
01:02:18
Speaker
Underrated. Deserved more. Love that song. um And the second one, I'm going very brave right now. There is an artist That has been getting a lot of shit lately so And they had an album That was released last year That was very highly anticipated and then shat on by the entire world Oh, I think I know who it is There is a song on that album That I am going to say right now is an incredible song and desert should have won probably should have been a single maybe would have maybe started the album off on a better note had this been the lead single I don't know if it's lead single material but hindsight is always 2020 oh wait no I actually think that this could be one of two people
01:03:04
Speaker
this is This song is all the love by Katy Perry from 143. Yeah. Yeah. I'm going to say it right now. The song fucking slaps. It's an incredible song. It's a great, great summer song.
01:03:17
Speaker
The melody is beautiful. The lyrics are great. I know, yes, unfortunately, it's produced by Dr. Luke. But I'm at this point right now where we've mentioned it before. i i really am so tired of like the...
01:03:31
Speaker
putting all this blame on the women right when when we let all the men kind of get away with it. like Like, yes, Katy Perry has made some questionable choices in her career. Name an artist that hasn't. But hold her accountable for those.
01:03:44
Speaker
Hold her accountable for those. But like, yeah. Anyway, long story short, the song is really, really good. And I think that we're going to enter a time probably in the next maybe three to five years where people are going to revisit 143 and realize, yeah, we were probably a little harsh on it.
01:04:00
Speaker
Absolutely. I will still stand my ground that like the album as a whole could have been better had they done certain things with, you know, whether the song lengths or if they, you know, some of the production choices that they made, yada, yadda yada, yada. The sequencing.
01:04:13
Speaker
The sequencing. But this is a song that for sure is an incredible song yeah and deserves the love and attention that other songs get.
01:04:24
Speaker
I agree 100%. 100%. I actually thought you were going to give me either Katy Perry or Normani. Yeah. And I was like, I don't know where this is going to go. oh my God, Normani. and Oh my God. Sorry. Something just got in my eye.
01:04:37
Speaker
um ah No, Normani. I mean. i was like, I don't remember when her album came out. Was that last year? Was it two years ago? it but I mean, does she know? Right. i have no idea. I mean, honestly, truly Normani, that's a fascinating thing that happened because Normani there was so much hype around her this would be really funny if this makes it to social media maybe my one eye closed right um but ah I mean that album back when she released Motivation in 2019 there was so much hype around her and so much hype around it and then the album never came well it's a Max Martin song
01:05:12
Speaker
It's a Max Martin song, also co-written with Ariana. Right. So, like, I don't know. And then now she, like, tries to act like she hates that song. And she, even when when Dopamine came out, she was in interviews talking about kind of shitting on a couple songs that made it onto the album. And I'm like, girl, what are you talking about? Like, it sounds like she's so worried about being cool and hip. Right. Which I get, right? You want to you want to feel good about the music and the art that you're making. I totally get that.
01:05:39
Speaker
But I was like, you seemed... gas and and stoked about motivation. And then now you're talking shit about it. You seem, you know, hype about this song and then now you're talking about I'm just like, I don't know. Right. I'm almost certain that it has to do with the circumstances around it and not the song because I feel like it's been...
01:05:57
Speaker
if you sort of zoom out and watch the whole progress of like the timeline of how it happened, there's been a lot of like weird missteps. And I feel like yeah the management changes has been, this has been a record label things like, and it's just, I feel like one day we'll find out in an interview that like she went through some wild shit. I have feeling. For sure. But like, yeah, it it makes me sad because I mean, she isn't ah she is a very talented artist. yeah um Singer, dancer, and you know, to be in that predicament sucks, but it is what it is. And yeah, I would love to know.
01:06:28
Speaker
I would love to know. Yeah. so And I will just say, and I'm just going to throw this out there as like a last, um just in general, somebody that I don't feel, a final thought that we don't celebrate enough as an artist, because I think she's got her talk show thing now, is Jennifer Hudson.
01:06:41
Speaker
Oh, totally.
Cancel Culture and Unity
01:06:43
Speaker
100%. Because the song I had picked was Love You, I Do from Dreamgirls because it was like the song that they added to the musical. And it's so good. It's just such a good song. And her voice is so incredible. And I'm like, you're doing your talk show thing, but like, girl, like, come on. Like, give me another girl all night. Get in the studio at Gorgon City.
01:06:59
Speaker
and know Don't tease me. that Don't tease me at the good time. If she gave me a whole album of that, oh my god. Truly. Well, and you know what? I'm glad that you brought that up because she is an artist. She's like the only person that I've ever say seen kind of discuss publicly about how she originally was like not an ally and how she, because she grew up in the church and so she was raised to believe that ah being gay was a sin and yada, yada, yada.
01:07:24
Speaker
And then like as she you know got into the industry and and you know started meeting us meeting us and presented with real life that she like changed her you know way of thinking and and her her views and her values and became more inclusive. And I remember when she, I think it was with Gorgon City, but that single that they did, yeah I want to say it featured same sex ah a same-sex marriage in the video. Oh, yeah, i yeah, yeah. yeah was Was that the single? Yeah.
01:07:52
Speaker
And so I just think that that's so cool that she was you know had admitted that, hey, I was wrong at first. and Right, right. Which I like, again, kind of back to the cancel culture of it all.
01:08:03
Speaker
i want to shout out Patagonia. ah She's incredible. She's incredible. i have, I have ah the pleasure of knowing her before she was Patagonia. Oh, work. Yeah. she he so his real name is Wynn and he is friends with my friend, Jill.
01:08:17
Speaker
And so, and he's and um create an incredible photographer. i don't know if you need that. I believe that. I believe that. And, and so, and they met each other on a photography retreat. And so he was here visiting Grand Rapids. This is like 10 plus years ago.
01:08:30
Speaker
um Super, super sweet. Where was I going with this? Anyway, I think that was just a side note. But he he was in an interview recently where was talking about how The thing that the right is so good at is, quote unquote, uniting under a cause. Oh, absolutely.
01:08:45
Speaker
And I couldn't agree more. i was like, we are so focused on canceling people because they did something problematic, quote unquote, 15 years ago. Right. I'm not saying that we can't hold people accountable. no absolutely.
01:08:57
Speaker
But at the same time, like we have got to stop being so... focused on all of those things it's the infighting it's the infighting and then being and then not giving people the opportunity to like redeem themselves or or like the internet has a really bad way of like rediscovering the problematic thing every two to five years and then it gets brought up over it it's like it's like i'm seeing that now with zoran Yeah. I'm like, yeah and i'm like yeah like times were different 20 years at times or different 10 years ago. Like people grow, people change.
01:09:30
Speaker
And, and we can't keep holding people accountable because they, they i not accountable, but they, we can't like hold someone down because they said faggot 25 years ago. Let me tell you, like everybody that loves me now and like appreciates me for the person I am you would not have liked me in my twenties.
01:09:47
Speaker
yeah i can promise you that. and Not that I was so wildly different, but my priorities were completely askew. And I was like, not the person that I am today. Now, granted, it made me the person that I am today because of all of that. But it's like, yeah, I to the idea that anything that I did or or said at that time, like I'm so completely different in my in my headspace that I'm like, yeah,
01:10:09
Speaker
It's just another lifetime ago. Like I can't imagine. So when people are like pulling up old tweets and I'm like, look, we have a problem in this country with racism, full stop. Like it's not even a thing, but it's like, you know, if you're, I need to know that you're not that person anymore, but that should be clear by this point, especially if you're in the public eye.
01:10:26
Speaker
Yeah, absolutely. It's weird. So stop. Stop that. Right. Just stop that. that No, it's, it's, and this is, and I actually said this in my class last night. I said, you know, it's, it's, The thing that i that travel and and and just being out and meeting people, and meeting so many people, especially over the 10 years because of Peloton, it we are so much more alike than we are different.
01:10:48
Speaker
It's crazy. And like for as unique as we all think that we are, you're not, babe. And I'm not even saying that shade. yeah Unique? Right, unique. it's It's just like we're all humans having the same human experience. And yeah the sooner we realize that, the better off that we're going to be because...
01:11:05
Speaker
I tell you, when you look back and you look and you see all of the time that you spent on hatred and not with your people, you're going to be really upset. Yeah, 100%. Like, your you don you don't want to be on your deathbed and realize that your whole life has been uncovering tweets from people from 25 years ago. Right. like Like, come on. Right. What are we talking about? Yeah, what are we doing here? Yeah.
01:11:25
Speaker
This was an amazing episode. Yeah. Happy Pride, y'all. Happy Pride, everyone. Thanks for listening. And stay safe out there. Stay cool. Stay hydrated. Yes, please. And then until next time, we'll talk to you later. Bye.