A culture podcast by two introverts that explores queer life in Nashville and the South, politics, and the arts.
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In today’s world, we are always giving up our privacy for the promises of safety, connection, and convenience. But is the tradeoff worth it? In this episode, we explore how surveillance companies like Flock are actually making our neighborhoods more unsafe, why you just can’t seem to stop swiping (and paying for it!), and why nothing may have an actual price anymore. Stay for a revamped game at the end. We’re calling it “Going/Not Going” where we tell you what trend, person, or other aspect of culture is or isn’t getting us out to the party. • The Age of Surveillance Capitalism by Shoshana Zub
For this patreon-only conversation, we met up at a local favorite, Americano Lounge, to discuss the many forms catfishing takes in queer communities. Both of us have been catfished more times than we can remember. Once you spend enough time on the apps, you of course develop something of a sixth sense when it comes to grainy, overcropped photographs and chatty blank profiles. But we also recognize the pressures bearing down on us—the pressures to be fit, masc, white, and young in order to be deemed desirable and make connections. When we meet each other increasingly less and less in the real w
Member of the ‘Tennessee Three’ Rep. Gloria Johnson is an educator at heart. Sometimes, that means being a teacher voice in the legislature (read: asking her republican colleagues ‘if you can hear me clap once!’ ‘if you can hear me clap twice!’), but it always means standing in the gap for all Tennesseeans. Join us in this honest conversation about Gloria’s new podcast, Standing Tall with Gloria Johnson, and spilling a little sweet tea on corruption in Tennessee politics. • Rep. Gloria’s Socials: votegloriaj | standingtallpod • Standing Tall with Gloria Johnson • Gloria Johnson, Knox News Sent
There are at least three things that you’re likely to experience in a Rasheed Newson novel: 1) A feeling of period-correctness 2) A well-researched ethical dilemma 3) Sex — fortunately his latest book, There’s Only One Sin in Hollywood, is no exception. Our hosts talk with Rasheed about his career as a screenwriter and novelist, but also about the importance of letting historical figures be real people. • Rasheed’s Socials: Instagram | Website • There’s Only One Sin in Hollywood • My Government Means to Kill Me • Diahann Carroll • Sidney Poitier • Bayard Rustin • Andrew Goodman — Join our Patr
Flanked by a giant spinning wheel of party guests and all the extroverted energy they can muster, our hosts head to Nashville Pride! There, they talk to historian Sarah Calise of Nashville Queer History on just how not new Southern Prides are and how we can all become queer archivists. Listen as festival goers (maybe you?) spin the game wheel to decide if they’re going to the party or not and leave us with their Pride hot takes! • Sarah’s Socials: Instagram | Website • Jackie Shane • The Jackie Shane Papers — Join our Patreon for bonus content (starting at $5 a month) — About the show: A cultu
Sometimes not succeeding at things can be good, especially if we’re talking about gay conversion therapy. There’s no better person to reflect on this than Timothy S. Rodriguez, author of the recently-released memoir, Conversion Therapy Dropout: a Queer Story of Faith and Belonging (Broadleaf). Recounting his experience with gay conversion therapy programs and ministries such as Exodus International, and his work as a digital strategist for megachurches like Hillsong and Willow Creek Community Church, Timothy walks us through his path to a kind of freeing failure, and success at living his trut
We’ll be at Nashville Pride on Bicentennial Mall from 11AM – 6PM this Saturday, June 27th! Stop by to hear interviews with special guests and for your chance to play the game with us (and maybe even be featured on the pod!) — Join our Patreon for bonus content (starting at $5 a month) — About the show: A culture podcast by two insufferable queer introverts in the South who really need to know who’s gonna be there before they commit to anything. Instagram: @whosgonnabetherepod TikTok: @whosgonnabetherepod
In this episode, we look at the anti-capitalist afrosurrealist film I Love Boosters (Boots Riley), and the highly-anticipated anti-something The Devil Wears Prada 2 (David Frankel). We explore the common threads (sorry!) of fashion versus capitalism, the depictions of the right kind of billionaire, and the importance of soul sucking demons. Of course, we talk Marxist theory as it applies to fashion production (so, Karl by Karl Marx?) and which film embodies the world we’d like to live in. • Boots Riley • David Frankel • The Devil Wears Prada 2 • I Love Boosters • Dialectical Materialism — Join
‘Blue dot fever’ happens when you look at a concert seating chart and see mostly unsold seats (blue dots). As the epidemic worsens with a flood of cancelled tours, our hosts explore archival live performances as a cure to blue dot fever. Join as they analyze style, scene, and technique in six recorded shows. • Patti LaBelle: Somewhere Over the Rainbow • Joni Mitchell: Both Sides Now • Whitney Houston: All the Man That I Need • Beyonce: Daddy Lessons • Michelle Williams: Say Yes • Bruce Hornsby: The Way It Is — Join our Patreon for bonus content (starting at $5 a month) — About the show: A cult
The hosts are spilling the hottest tea over on Patreon. Now that their gag orders are lifted, the stories they share about the organizations that exploited them will have you shook. Join the Patreon to hear the full episode from the coffee shop where it all started, Frothy Monkey 12 South. • Join the Community on Patreon • Frothy Monkey — About the show: A culture podcast by two insufferable queer introverts in the South who really need to know who’s gonna be there before they commit to anything. Instagram: @whosgonnabetherepod TikTok: @whosgonnabetherepod
A Baby Boomer, Gen Xer, Millennial, and Gen Zer walk into a…ring. Well, you can guess how that goes. Join our hosts for deep dive into the second season of Netflix’s hit series, BEEF. Blake and Kashif examine character motivations, wealth inequality, the healthcare system and more. Later, an intergenerational panel takes on some of the themes explored in the show. Who is really to blame for our current economic and political situation? Are Gen Zers returning to a type of traditionalism usually associated with Boomers? Beyond the middle and side part divide, the generations try to find common g
Isaac Fitzgerald, author of American Rambler: Walking the Trail of Johnny Appleseed (Penguin Random House), stops by the pod to talk about the historic figure of John Champan, Isaac’s own complex familial relationship with the outdoors, faith, and American legends. How did apples become a symbol of Americana? Bars and stadiums, and churches? Isaac’s first time getting ducked, a tradition as American as apple cider. • Isaac’s: Instagram | Website • Purchase a copy of American Rambler (out May 12!) • Dirtbag, Massachusetts: A Confessional (2022) • Johnny Appleseed • The Epic Romance of Saeed Jon
On this episode of Who’s Gonna Be There?, Blake and Kashif sit down with DJ Afrosheen, one of the hottest DJs of the queer South, and a name you might recognize from Bonnaroo, SXSW, or opening for Jill Scott. The trio talk about Afrosheen’s journey from studying dance to curating the music for queer people to dance to, and Afrosheen’s commitment to ensuring that everyone (especially Black folks) feel safe in queer spaces. What makes a good DJ? What does it mean for ravers to ‘catch the spirit’? Has dance music gone gospel? Afrosheen joins the hosts for the game. ALSO: Today is the official lau
The US war with Iran brings Armageddon into public conversation, yet again. This time, with some US military leaders allegedly aiming to bring about this endtime battle, while others (Pete Hegseth) warn that Iran is the one desirous of a religious Armageddon. So, what exactly is Armageddon and where does it come from? In this episode, our hosts look at the history of apocalyptic thought, Armageddon, and surrounding ideas such as the Rapture, Great Tribulation, and millennialism. How have evangelical media depictions of these ideas contributed to our current geopolitical situation? A special en
Nicholas Boggs, author of the new James Baldwin biography, Baldwin: A Love Story (Farrar, Straus and Giroux), stops by the pod for a conversation on the platonic and romantic love life of the icon. How did Baldwin’s love for men, women, and people square with his love for Country? What James Baldwin did with all his longing. A look at euro-centric beauty standards and unusual paths to self-love. The importance of the archives, and remembering that your favorite bygone writer used toilets, too. • Nicholas Boggs Socials: Instagram • Baldwin: A Love Story by Nicholas Boggs • 2018 Reissue of Littl
Fun fact: kissing isn’t a universal human behavior, and is only exhibited by about 50% of humans, mostly in the industrialized parts of the world. In this special episode on touch, co-host Blake, a licensed massage therapist and educator, guides us through an exploration of physical touch. What actually happens in our bodies when we touch? Can touch make me more attractive? What’s the correlation between violent crime and touch? Beyond the pale of sexual vs non-sexual touch, and into new expansive language about this experience of healing, communication, and even revolution. A special cuddle e
Sarah Jane Chapman is a yoga therapist, tarot reader, astrologer, and founder of Be With Your Body, a total embodiment practice. She stops by the pod to tell us what astrology already knew about our present darkness and what we can do about what is to come. To manifest or not to manifest: that is the astrological question. How is tarot a mirror? What does loving your body actually feel like? Sarah joins our hosts for a special tarot edition of the game. Sarah Jane’s Socials: Instagram | Website Sarah’s Tarot Deck: Be With Your Body — About the show: A culture podcast by two insufferable queer
In this season premiere, guns are close to home. Our hosts explore their relationship to bearing arms, and how the respect of that right changes based on who holds the gun. They explore the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense and lesser known armed Black self-defense groups. Who are these new Black Panthers defending against ICE? Was MLK a gun owner? What does it mean to be nonviolent and own a gun? The striking similarity between Freedom Summer and Minneapolis. • This Nonviolent Stuff’ll Get You Killed by Charles E. Cobb • Freedom Summer • Black Lion Party for International Solidarity • Blac
In this bonus episode, Blake recounts a wild experience of group hypnotism and an unexpected power differential. Kashif examines James Baldwin’s first three novels, and how, he too, was hypnotized—by love. — About the show: A culture podcast by two insufferable queer introverts in the South who really need to know who’s gonna be there before they commit to anything. Instagram: @whosgonnabetherepod TikTok: @whosgonnabetherepod
In this bonus episode, Kashif offers a brief history of beauty supply store extensions, otherwise known as ‘pack hair’. He traces its emergence as a social marker. Moving 18th century England, he examines the parallels betweens wigs and wealth. Blake (an actual square dancing champion), walks us through the architecture and history of square dancing. From France to Henry Ford, he explores the Americanization of the iconic dance, considering more accessible and queer (of course!) models. — About the show: A culture podcast by two insufferable queer introverts in the South who really need to kno
R.K. Russell, the first openly bisexual player in the NFL, visits the pod to chat about Heated Rivalry. Russell’s live Threads posts garnered attention in the fandom for his honest, tender, and sometimes controversial takes on the Canadian series, which stars Connor Storrie and Luke Hudson. Russell came out as bisexual in 2019, playing for the Dallas Cowboys and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The trio also discusses representation in the series, and hopes for season 2. • R.K. Russell’s socials: Instagram | Website • R.K. Russell • The Yards Between Us • Prison or Passion • Heated Rivalry — About th
In this bonus episode, Blake reveals a personal connection to sun-sneezing, and how it can tie people to one another. Kashif explores the symbolism and history of the flower, Lily of the Valley. — About the show: A culture podcast by two insufferable queer introverts in the South who really need to know who’s gonna be there before they commit to anything. Instagram: @whosgonnabetherepod TikTok: @whosgonnabetherepod
Why do holidays matter? In the season finale, our hosts share their ideal year of holidays: some ancient, some sacrilegious, and some downright pornographic. Considering sociologist Amitai Etzioni’s scholarship around holidays, Blake and Kashif decide to keep, tweak, or trash celebrations that occupy the American calendar year. What the heck is up with Groundhog Day? A tough day to be ugly in Ancient Greece. TLC’s Trading Spaces–Ancient Roman Edition. DOGEing the hell out of American war holidays. They close with the last Game of the season. • Amitai Etzioni • Kwanzaa • Saturnalia • Iyanla Fix
Nashville-based ambient artist JayVe Montgomery stops by to talk about his work in this elusive genre of music.
A nerdy and comical exploration of coffee shops and third spaces.
