PONY ⭐️ UP Y’ALL 🏇

Living a post "Cowboy Carter" release reality feels surreal. Beyoncé really did her big one!!!

Twitter: @GatherThemPod
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Chapters

• 0:00 Podcast Update and Personal Reflections
• 17:13 Navigating Social Media and Dating Realities
• 33:26 Memories of Degrassi
• 43:42 Exploring Degrassi Character Dynamics
• 56:40 Discussion on Baldness and Attraction
• 1:01:43 Discussion on Representation and Music
• 1:06:09 Beyoncé's Album and Meaningful Music
• 1:16:41 Analyzing Beyonce's American Requiem Album
• 1:23:47 Reclaiming Genres Through Music Evolution
• 1:28:49 Beyonce's Impact on Music and Unity
• 1:35:18 Top Beyonce Songs and Speculation
• 1:42:37 Social Media Bots and Elon Musk

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

Hey everyone, thanks for listening to Gather them Podcast. I am Jerome, the host, the showrunner, the writer, the engineer, all of those things. I greatly appreciate it if you would leave a comment, review, thoughts, opinions. You know, wherever you get your podcasts, you know it could be Apple Music, it could be Google, it could be Spotify. Wherever you get your podcasts, you know it could be Apple Music, it could be Google, it could be Spotify. Wherever you listen to your podcast, rate and review. Also, share the podcast with your friends. This is how I, you know, can grow my listenership and, you know, expand the podcast a little bit. And again, I appreciate everyone that listens and let's get into the show.

Speaker 1: 1:16

Welcome back to another episode of Gather them Podcast. I'm your host, jerome. We're back on the show. It's funny. I ended last week's episode like very weird, trying to sing and I was like girl, why did I do that? But anyway, it's a new week, brand new things, exciting things to maybe talk about. And I mean things are exciting but they're not spectacular. Like it's not like we've won a million dollars yet, um, even though someone did. Like the Powerball is kind of hot right now. I'm not. This is not like promoted by a ticket or whatever, but like, um, powerball is hot right now and the numbers like pretty high. I think it's in the billions again um, which is a nice amount of money like I would honestly all right hold on sidebar. I know this is like the introduction, but this is like my adhd brain today. Um, I would say, if I won the lottery, like, I would definitely like ask my friends and family, like, honestly, I just probably, if I won that money, I just give them a million dollars up front, like I would give everyone a million dollars. And family, like, honestly, I just probably, if I won that money, I just give them a million dollars up front, like I would give everyone a million dollars and just be like that's it, that's all you know. Do what you want with that million dollars, pay off debt, um, buy a house, like, do whatever you want to do, like, and don't ask me for nothing else. Um, but yeah, I can see myself signing checks for like a million dollars to like friends and family, um, if I won the Powerball. But anyway, that's not a. That's not what this is about, um, what this is about is that you're back and welcome on back. Thank you for returning to the podcast.

Speaker 1: 3:04

I almost did not make an episode this week because I could not put together a outline that made sense. I've been like very split brain and it'll probably be this way next week too. We'll see. I don't know, I get bursts of inspiration, we'll see. But that's what I really want to do. I'll talk about it in a second.

Speaker 1: 3:29

But I've just been really busy. I have been feeling good, not bad, or anything Been feeling good, not depressed, which is good. Yeah, I've just been living, I guess, and you know how that is. It's not something like every day is just not special or spectacular. But I did finish a project for work that I was working on, that I was pouring my sweat and tears into that and it was just wild to get the reaction from my team and my co-workers about how well I did, because I I knew I was like stumbling and I knew I was like mixing, like I was talking, I think, quicker than my slideshow, was like going, and I think that that is one of the things that I I feel like when you know how, you know how the presentation flows or you know what you're going to talk about, it's hard to just section it off if it's like a lot of information. So it was a lot of information. I got a lot of good feedback. It was like people were like, wow, this really informed me on XYZ, blah, blah, blah. So that was that. Part of it was good and then I even got, you know, praise from my boss for it as well.

Speaker 1: 5:06

But I'm also still working on my grant project, which is due next week, and I'm like very, I don't know, it feels like every time I'm almost done I think of something else, think of something else. That's the thing when you are working, when you are like an adult, like I'll say it like that it feels like when you're a kid and you're in school. It feels like you know you are, the assignment is complete when you've met all of the marks, and I feel like that is kind of open. When you're an adult, like there's endless bounds and hours and hours and hours of you can like just keep talking and or talking about an issue and it's like how engaged am I? How, you know, are people listening? Like what's going on? So for me it is one of those things where a project, like a grant proposal, for example, where I don't have a specific project or I mean I have a like, you know, like I'll say like is that not a specific thing where I start to feel overwhelmed by all the options? What feels like it's in my capacity, what feels like it's in my wheelhouse For Grant, disconceptual, the ideas are just so broad and so big of what could be, and how do you take that idea and then make it into something that's actually usable or like doable?

Speaker 1: 6:50

Um, so, since you know my idea is conceptual, um, it's just like really hard for me to like just, and it's a startup. So that's also another thing. It's not like this thing just flew out the sky, but like, like it's a startup. And, as someone that is not, has never done nonprofit management or starting a business, it's I mean I started, I mean like I mean just not for profit. Or it's not like hire, I don't have employees and like all of this and that, but like it's just a lot to take in and it's a lot to think about.

Speaker 1: 7:33

I will say I'm glad that this course gave me experience with budgeting, because a lot of times when you want like macro jobs, they want you to look at a budget or create a budget or, you know, review a budget, whatever it is. So, outside of personal experience, which I'm, you know, on budgeting, I feel like having an actual class that we sat down and talked about what net zero is and how you should always get to net zero in a budget. I was like, okay, that makes sense, and why programs oftentimes don't have any extra money left over because their funds are already allocated, and like what that means essentially. Or why, you know, company can't give you a raise because it wasn't folded into the budget or like whatever. So it's just interesting learning all of that different stuff, um, and I will say it is like a challenge for me as I've not done budgeting or grant proposals outside of grad school, um, and even in grad school we didn't do a budget. So you know, um, but my presentation went well, still working on my grant project. I need to be done by Wednesday.

Speaker 1: 8:50

I have an interview, excuse me, on Monday, um, which I don't know how it's going to go, because you know that is a very uh, the job itself is like a program analyst position and it's for behavioral health, it's through the city, um, and I feel like I'll get it. I feel like a strong feeling about it, um, like off the rip, um, excuse me, but I feel like once you got like after today excuse me, after today like getting that praise from my um team, and then also, uh, just kind of almost feeling like when you're when you've like mastered something, it's always hard to do something new, and so this would be a something new for me. And because I've done a lot of direct care, I've done a lot of a lot of direct practice work and moving into this space where all of my experience lines up, all of my like my master's degree, which is great, all of these things are like lined up and it's I don't know. It's like kind of scary how it's becoming real, or it feels like it's becoming real, like the things that you had, like I've asked for and like I've been wanting a macro job to offset therapy, because I feel like I still want my clinical license. But I think for me I have to have something that's like not as patient centered, because it gets exhausting when you work with people, like anybody in customer service, anyone that's worked any job working with a person. It is very frustrating to work with people and I like therapy because it's a space where I can talk to someone like one on one and, like you know, really get their insight as to what is going on in their lives and like figuring that out or helping them figure that out. Going on in their lives, and like figuring that out or helping them figure that out, um.

Speaker 1: 11:08

But other than that, like it's oh, my god, what the fuck is happening outside. There's like there were sirens, um, not too long ago. There's that siren just then. And then there's like I'm leaving work in one of the uh buildings I guess the student housing, or like one of those like really expensive condos or whatever their fire alarm was going crazy and then the fire truck had to come and but you didn't see smoke. So I was like I don't know what's going on, but it's been very active in Philly this week. I think people are sensing the spring weather's coming. Active in Philly this week. I think people are sensing the spring weather's coming and next week it does look good for weather wise, like it's going to be 70 ish, I think, one day, which I'm I'm excited about, I mean in the sense of I'm ready for it to stop being cold, like I'm running my heater in the background right now because it, because it's like cold in my house and I feel like there's no balance anymore of just being comfortable. It's either too cold or too hot and that's bugging the shit out of me. But yeah, that's it, I think, for the week.

Speaker 1: 12:18

Um, let me see, I didn't have too much else to talk about, oh, oh, the last thing was well, two things. I'm kind of I'm trying to unplug from social media a little bit, but that's kind of hard to do when you have a podcast. And then the other thing is so I'm doing career day at my high school. I think I mentioned this a couple weeks ago on a previous episode. But I'm doing career day at my high school and I feel confident in the sense of like if someone asked me a question about social work, I feel like I'd be able to answer it.

Speaker 1: 12:58

But I'm a little nervous just in terms of what it's going to be like to possibly be around, um like old classmates or um like just kind of learning, like these students like of today. Like it's very surreal to think that I graduated from high school 14 years ago and I've been in the Philadelphia public schools since then because I did TSS work. But it's just, I don't know. It just feels like reconnecting in a way, reconnecting um in a way, and I know it's going to probably be different because they changed a lot of. They changed some stuff. On the outside it's not that different, um, but they painted like a mural. They have a little like garden on the outside, so I can't imagine what kind of stuff they've done to the inside, and so I'm I'm interested in seeing, like, what it looks like. You know what the students are like.

Speaker 1: 14:07

It's report card time, so I feel like people aren't really as super serious about their classes right now. And I am very interested to talk to Alexis, who again will be on the show to talk about what the experience was like for both of us going back to high school, because we met in high school. So it'll be really interesting to have that take and that conversation. So I'm looking forward to that part. I am looking forward to that part like reflection of it all and experience of teaching something to individuals that are younger than me.

Speaker 1: 14:56

Like I think that that to me matters because I feel like there are a lot of things I didn't really find out until I was an adult, or things that my parents kind of held back on because I was, you know, too young to know, and it's like almost like these realizations have been coming up for me throughout my life since my parents passed of uh, insight, knowledge, the wondering why um you know all of those things, um, having some answer questions from those um you, whether it's like through experiences or talking to family members, or um, it can be anything. Honestly, that's that I've just been through and um, and I just there's a lot that I kind of wish I knew back then, that I knew that I know now and I know it's not like one of those talks this is just a, you know, very career focused talk, but because all that you know in high school, all we were taught was just like you go to college and you go to college and you go to college and you go to college, and if you go to the military, you still go to college. So I'm very interested to provide adult wisdom and insight and also to like, I don't want to go in and be like super proper, like people do that, and I feel like that's just that's you're not connecting as well. Um, I feel like that is very hard to do, um, in general, but I, the reality of it all is, is that, like the world is falling apart and we do need people is falling apart, and we do need people in these careers, um, that aren't just like a social media influencer or like a like selling yourself as a brand, like we don't really need that as much, um, and what we do need is people that are going, are going to, that are that have skills, that have the know-how that can figure things out. We need more money across the board, um, or the price.

Speaker 1: 17:13

I feel like, honestly, at this point, either the prices of things just got to get lower, like if the money's not going to increase, like then we got to tune back on some of that, uh, that bullshit with raising prices on stuff, um, but yeah, I just feel like being like very real, or as real as I can be with, like teenagers, adolescents, like is important, um, and not to like scare anyone, but just like put it into perspective of this is what we're dealing with. You know, and this is what it can look like when you enter these spaces and this is what you're going to guess, you know you're going to be wondering damn, is this person like have something against me? Um, like, why are they acting this way to me. Um, I feel like we don't really learn like conflict mediation. It's kind of something you just are taught or like you how can I say? You're not taught it, but you're like you get influenced by it with adults like no one's. Actually, I've never sat down and had a conflict resolution class or I've never sat down and had like a course or something about that.

Speaker 1: 18:27

Um, in my time in school, even as a therapist, like we talk about, um, de-escalation and like what that looks like, but that's not to say that every situation is going to be a situation that revolves. That is going to be like going from zero to 100, you know there's levels and we aren't really like taught those levels in school because we're taught, like all this other stuff. That's like like useless for the most part, but it's only going to matter if you like focus in the field. You know like like useless for the most part, but it's only gonna matter if you like focus in the field, you know. So, yeah, I'm very interested in that. I'm very excited to talk about that. I'll try to hold my opinions until the episode. Uh, so I can, you know, chat with it, chat with alexis about it. Um, what else. I think that was my last thing. That was my last thing.

Speaker 1: 19:30

Um, those were just kind of like my weekly updates, things that I've just been noted, or kind of thinking about, um, or things that have happened. I don't have a segment or a new segment and we're just going to jump into the media lab. We're going to talk about two things. One, we're going to talk about Degrassi, the Next Generation, to be specific. So what actually made me think about this was, since I'm going on my social media break, that I or not break, but I'm plugging a bit.

Speaker 1: 20:09

So I'm trying to not use social media as much at home unless I'm working on something specific or like allowing myself, like or locking my apps out. Like you know, when you do that thing where you put the timer or you set a limit for like a one minute and then the app locks you out and you have to request more time by putting in your password, I'm having a lot of my apps just lock out so that if I click it, I'm like, oh yeah, I can't get on it right now, or I'll have to like put in my password if I want 15 minutes to be on the apps. But if I'm like working on something like on my computer or something that is like for the podcast or whatever. Like I feel like those would be more of me the times of me using social media for an intentional purpose. Like I can't keep doom scrolling, I can't keep hearing everybody's thoughts and opinions on stuff. Like I don't it's not that I don't care, but I feel like a lot of people that go viral or that have these like big posts or whatever, like it just feels like it's nonsense. It feels like it is there's nothing of substance.

Speaker 1: 21:33

I just saw something today about, um, this I don't even watch the whole, like I honestly did not watch the whole thing. It was a clip of something that I uh, saw someone post before before, but it was about these men and they popped this balloon and like, if you know what I'm talking about, like you know, you know, if you know, you know, um, if you don't, don't worry about it. But it was about these like men, um, who were, I guess, popping balloons. Um, this is me watching the one minute and 30 second clip, but, um, they popped their balloons and then talked about why they popped their balloon, um, and then the guys were basically supposed to, I guess, keep their balloons unpopped if they were interested in the person. But the guys they were going down the line and the guys were talking about why they didn't pop their or why they popped their balloons and for me it just like the commentary around dating and relationships right now is interesting.

Speaker 1: 22:44

But I also feel like it's for it's interesting, but it's also for various reasons, and the reasoning of like you're just not my type when you don't really know someone is odd to me. Like I get it. Like you, you know you're attracted to who you're attracted to at the end of the day. But I can't keep doing this conversation about dating. When people talk about Love is Blind, for example. I can't talk about the shadiness and the almost like underhandedness of these dating shows because it almost feels like it's putting this expectation that dating is a game or that it's like fun and giggles, because people are just starting to take it too far for me. So it's a thing of um, and I'll get into degrassi in a minute, but it's a thing of I think.

Speaker 1: 23:53

For me it's just a thing of saying to someone that I don't want to be walking around with someone that looked like my uncle when you also look mature, um, and you're 25 versus his 31. That, to me, sits so weird, because the way in which these 20-somethings dress and act like they're older, like we just had this conversation on social media about how Gen Z looks older than millennials and I think for me, like being a millennial, I've been noticing that a little bit more, especially with the people that are especially men. I'll say men more so people that are especially men, I'll say men more so um, with the beards and like the really scraggly beard or, um, the dark circles, the like looking like you stayed up all night, kind of vibe. The dress is just very much giving 40s, um, sometimes, like this guy had like four, uh, four braids or dreads in his hair or locks in his hair, and I'm just, and the way he was dressed, I'm like this looks like you could literally be in your 30s too, so to say, make a comment like that.

Speaker 1: 25:21

I think they were just, I think he said it because his hairline was pushed back to a 31 year old. But bitch, my hairline pushed the fuck back too, and I'm just living with it. Like you know, people can't control shit that they can't control. Like you know what I mean, and I feel like something about like, oh, you know, having a pushback hairline, a little belly, like that's not enough for me to like not want to talk to somebody. Like it's enough for me to maybe be like, hmm, like I'll entertain, but like because the guy did not look bad. Like when I saw his face I was like, oh, he looks pretty cute, like he's not a bad. Like. When I saw his face, I was like, oh, he looks pretty cute, like he's not, um, a bad looking guy.

Speaker 1: 26:06

But I feel, like all of the guys that they were asking the questions of why'd you pop your balloon? They were just, like you know, iced out, bling, uh, fancy dress, like very, with the you know uh, youth culture dressing, but still, like looked older than, like you know they were, I guess, saying that they were so, needless to say, that's why I'm taking a social media unplug a little bit, because I just feel like it's rotting my brain. It feels like I need to open a book, I need to touch some grass and I'm glad the weather is going to be nicer soon. I really want to read in a park. That I think I'm going to do. I'm going to try to read either. I'm going to try to finish All Good People here if it comes back to my e-reader from the library, from Libby, if it comes, you know, because.

Speaker 1: 27:13

Another thing I don't know why there are e-reader books that are on hold. When it's an e-book, like, that doesn't make sense to me. I get that you have to buy the copy, but like it's an e-book, it should be cheaper, you should, yeah, anyway, and and for a book to like for me to have to wait 50 something weeks, that's a little ridiculous. But, um, some people give up their space in line, so we'll see I might get back to that. But if I don't get back to all good people here, um, then I want to do Gerald's Game, and so this is kind of on time for me, where I told my one friend, my one internet friend, austin, who he reads a lot, like he reads so many freaking books, like I don't know how he does it, but he's like reading almost like a book a day.

Speaker 1: 28:03

Uh, and for me I get like headaches and migraines and I get tired of looking at the, at the pages, um, after a while, unless I'm like really into it and I'm speeding to the end. But that's me like jumping over description to get to to know what happens. But he's like reading like it in like two days, which is 800 pages, uh. And so I told him I was like I want to read gerald's game because I was, that's a book I have that I've not read and I want to, uh, just kind of, I guess, talk about it with him, um, or give him my opinion or my thoughts on it, because, like, I'm getting into like the Stephen King kick again, um. And so since I have this book that I've never opened, not once and I actually got it from, I think, either a thrift store it might have been the thrift store, um, that I got it from or a bargain bookstore or something like that, but it was cheap and I was like, oh, this looks good, I'm gonna get it. And then to find out there's also a movie for Gerald's Game I was like, damn, like I need to hurry up and read this book. So it's kind of perfect, every it all kind of lines up, my grant project will be out the way, I can start, like the weather will be nicer, I can start reading again for personal fun and not make it feel like a headache. So I'm looking forward to it. But yeah, going back to Degrassi.

Speaker 1: 29:34

So since you know we're not watching or we're not super tapped into social media, we're not, you know, really watching the best, the brand new, newest and greatest. I're not really watching the brand new, newest and greatest. I wasn't really doing that too much. Anyway, newest and greatest TV show, I still will go and watch a good movie, a new movie, but for TV shows I'm pretty tapped out. I'm not going to lie when it comes to anything new.

Speaker 1: 30:05

Right now I might watch georgia mary because it looks horny, but I'm I just need to figure out if it's, if it's bingeable or not. If it's bingeable, I'll binge it and watch it. But if it's not bingeable and I have to wait weeks for because I'm not going to do that, like I can't do another show like that. I already do that with Abbott and I'm trying to pace that out as slowly as I can. It's so funny because Crystal said on the read that she's trying to ration out Abbott and I was like, yeah, girl, I'm trying to basically do the same, because that's like one of the only shows that makes me like one of the only live action shows that's on right now that I can say by the end of every episode I'm smiling and I feel like I'm gonna need that um a little bit more, uh, later on down the road. So 20, you know it's gonna be an interesting 2024, but yeah, so I feel like when it comes to new stuff, I can't.

Speaker 1: 31:11

It's hard to focus, as I've been revisiting degrassi and I think this time around this is like maybe my second, third degrassi rewatch from the beginning, um, from the new generation or the next generation, and I feel like there's stuff that I always pick up on or read into differently. Um, especially now because it's 2024 and Degrassi, like I think, debuted in like the early 2000s. The next generation, like the high school, degrassi Junior High and um Degrassi High, were way earlier, like those were like the first Degrassis and then, um, they rebooted it and did Next Generation, brought some of the original you know cast back from previous episodes or previous series and things like that, and so, um, it's interesting, having grown up with it and seeing these episodes countless times, like I will watch the end, like whenever, um, but as a fully like grown adult, watching this, like watching these shows, I'm like huh, or it makes you think a little bit. I always knew, for example, that Hazel felt like the token Black character because she didn't really have a plot. But it became way more obvious as I'm watching and I remember, I mean there was a lot of Hazel hate, like I remember being a part of that Um, and I think part of the reason why I didn't like her was because she was. She followed Paige, uh, you know, almost to a T, like basically agreed on't have her own storyline. So I think that for me, growing up as a Black student, to not really see that many experiences from like Hazel, for example, and then Liberty was like the other Black girl that you know, ended up getting pregnant.

Speaker 1: 33:26

And then, oh my God, the guy that Emma, the season, season three we I'm not even there yet but uh, the guy that used to wear the headphones all the time, forget what. I think his name was chris. I think his name. That feels like that's right. I feel like his name was Chris and how she had a relationship with him for a minute and that he disappeared. Like I just I was watching the episode where Hazel bullied that one girl for being Muslim and Arab and I'm just looking back at that and I'm just like, damn, that's all we got from her. I'm just looking back at that and I'm just like, damn, that's all we got from her was a moment of self-pity or self-internalized hate, like, is that it? Like, that's all we get? Um, so I felt like that was a little annoying for me, um, to, I guess, rewatch or, you know, to relive.

Speaker 1: 34:28

But this past episode I just watched, you Got the Look, which is actually one of my favorite episodes. Season three had a lot of good episodes. Let's start there. You Got the Look was one of those. If you remember, that was the episode where Manny had the thong All I need to say. If you remember, that was the episode where Manny had the thong All I need to say. And the next episode, pride, is also one of my favorites, but it's a two-parter and I'll probably maybe talk about it next week We'll see, depending on what I come up with, or I'll maybe sprinkle it in at another time or something, or record, because I feel like there's always just stuff.

Speaker 1: 35:15

It's hard to do a weekly podcast when you are ADHD, need to know what's important and or needs to know what's important to say, and you have very hyper, fixed interests. So Degrassi for me is like a very hyper fixed interest where there's times where I want to talk about it and there's times where I won't. So maybe I need to just record the little segment and just keep it on the back end and plug it in. When I need to plug it in, we'll see. I like that idea. But anyway, back to the episode.

Speaker 1: 35:43

So, of course, the focus, the A plot, the main plot is Manny being obsessed with wanting to be sexier and not just be adorable, as she says at the beginning of the episode to Emma. She wants to be hot and know. She reveals her crop top, uh, shirt, or you know, crop top, yeah, it was like a shirt and, um, that hat that she had on. She looked really cute in that outfit. Honestly, that was like one of my favorite mani outfits. Let's actually do that right now. Let's look at the um, you got the look, uh, and then we'll kind of go really quickly. Sorry, my family's like always posting stuff in a group chat, um, and so, yes, I'll keep talking, but anyway, um, so you got the look. It's just really one of my favorite episodes, I think, because it highlights Manny's character.

Speaker 1: 36:48

It starts to, she starts to break off from Emma, and that's one of my favorite parts about this episode. They end up, you know, deading their friendship by the end of the episode, but I think it was important in the sense of her developing her own storyline, and that was, I mean, it was becoming the school, which, again, the fact that she's a Filipino actress to me I'm like all right to make her like the school slut was a little typecast for me. I didn't like that and that's something I've realized, I think, now, looking back at the on the show, because I'm like All these other girls I could have picked from, like y'all couldn't have picked someone else, um, because I feel like oftentimes asian women get, um, they're always brought up in like these like very sexual, like conversations about, um, I don't know, like scan, like it's just, I guess, the scandal of it all, like I think about the white male gaze and I think about, uh, the buying a or, you know, purchasing, you know quote unquote, a wife from asia or um, I think about it in the way of just like the over fetishized fetishization of Asian women. So for me, like that was just a little because and the thing is too the other one more thing I'm going to just say this and then move on. Another thing is, I think it's also to the fact that men will do this thing where they will like go to Asian countries and like will do this thing where they will like go to Asian countries and like, talk about, like, oh, I'll find me a Asian wife, and you know they're obedient over there, and blah, blah, blah, xyz. So, even though the show was in Canada, I still felt like, like when they picked um, this Filipino girl with this very strict family. By the way, they did that twice, uh, once to her and then to the um. I think her name was ali. Ali was the muslim girl and the newer and the next generation, but she was like in the uh, batch of kids that came from that other weird school.

Speaker 1: 39:21

When Degrassi started to fall off a little bit, um, but looking at her outfits, um, yeah, so it was the blue. Let me see, it was the blue. Um, yeah, it didn't have like, it didn't have like the spaghetti straps on it and, um, she had a like little jacket that went with it, which I guess she wore later in the day, because she um took it off when she got to the school and then put it back on with her and emma went to the mall but then she had this like really it's like when they were at the mall she had that really cute hat on and it was like a it's like a bucket hat and, um, the crop top and the like. I think that was a really cute look. I feel like the classic thong her wearing the hat, the thong look. I like the lacy, uh midriff top.

Speaker 1: 40:22

I am not a fan of low rider jeans. I've never been a fan of low rider jeans. I've never been a fan of low rider jeans. Um, I feel like a lot of people that wear them don't. I don't think they look good. I just don't think they really look flattering on someone.

Speaker 1: 40:40

Um, and then the thong coming out. That was a hot-ass mess, um, which again I kind of like not I'm not shaming her in that way of like you know the way in which the boys and like everyone was shaming her, you know when she was uh walking around in the thong, but I think it's more of like I know how disgusting and pervy these old men are, so I'm just I always get like very concerned about that. I'm like girl, do you? But like these men are just nasty and disgusting and sorry, I can't. So the thong thing was a bit much for me, like that just kind of was like over the top and it felt weird, like it felt like a very dramatic shift. And I think manny is a very dramatic character. Uh, the classic, you're just jealous. And the fact that she oh, my god, not she, we're not there yet but like uh, organized to break page's leg, like that was crazy. She's a very dramatic girl, um, but I like that. She is like very passionate and she does give a fuck about her friends, um, when she's not feeling like they're jealous, um.

Speaker 1: 42:02

And then the last outfit was the one at the end. No, because there was an outfit. I think this was the one where liberty told on her for wearing the thong. And this outfit was the one where she like bent over in the classroom and everybody went to say and that's, I was like what are y'all looking at? Was it going to be her butt crack? Cause I don't know which y'all were going to see? Um, but they all kind of bent out, like turned to look cause she went to uh, bend over. And then JT jumps in. And that was my other point about this episode. I feel like JT is one of those characters who you can't not like.

Speaker 1: 42:47

But I also remember not liking him when I was a teenager or, yeah, I was like a teenager because mainly for the fact that I felt like he was just so immature and so annoying and obnoxious and so annoying and obnoxious. But I look back at that and I'm like as an adult I'm like, damn, like he was just having a ball and that's it and I love that for him. So also a shame. Rest in peace, jt. But he was also, I mean, a pretty good friend. He just was very naive, very, you know, young, gullible. I see some of myself in him now, of just this idea or this. Like sometimes you let the clown come out way too much and you need to pull back a little bit.

Speaker 1: 43:42

So I feel like with like that, like I feel like I feel I can connect to that um, but the like showing off for sean and toby or anybody who could, you know, give him a little bit of props, like I never liked that, like I don't like that in people because it seems like desperate and very needy, and I don't like the idea of needing to be seen Like that's not something for me. Yeah, so I think Liberty was jealous and a hater. I do think that was true. Like I think that that part was true and I only think that she did any, and all of that was because she had a crush on J was true, and I only think that she did any and all of that was because she had a crush on jt. And the fact that manny had never once brought up jt until he started paying attention to her is a little suspect. Like I'll give liberty all of that, because she's been said this, like she's been said she's interested, manny just kind of disregarded her. And this is what I mean when I talk about, like these, the way in which, like some of the characters were written on the show Because, again, like I remember, emma knew, emma knew that they both liked each other.

Speaker 1: 45:01

I think Manny knew that they both liked each other or not, they both liked each other, but that Liberty liked him. I think that they both knew that. But JT did reject Liberty, which I guess made her feel like she should just get over it. But it's also weird, if you're my friend and I tell you I'm crushing on someone, they reject me and then you go and sleep with them when you don't even really like them. Like that's the thing that manny did, like she entertained jt because he was giving her attention when she's, and then she started, I mean, she started feeling like the school slut because, you know, everyone started that rumor, or started the rumors about her, and then, oh my god, and her having to get an abortion and all of this and that. So I feel like she's definitely one of those people that knows what she wants.

Speaker 1: 45:53

But again she's like a I mean written as a teenager, like she's not going to be perfect, she's not, you know, she's trying to find herself. Like that's the point of Degrassi. It's a show about coming of age and finding yourself and, um, and self, you know, discovery, like social learning, like all of that stuff. Um, what else, what else, what else?

Speaker 1: 46:16

Oh, I also will say I do don't give Manny too much flack about this, but the fact that she, when she got dumped by Craig, I think that did impact her way deeper than they made it seem on the show. It seem on the show, um, because I remember the episode where she was daydreaming about when she went with craig to oh my god, where the fuck did she go? She went with craig to oh god, what the fuck was it? I guess they went to the movies, but then the movie theater had a carnival inside or something, uh, and manny wanted to do that instead, even though they were going to miss the movie. Um, and she replayed and and the episode was interesting because Craig's perspective was more so the real perspective, and then Manny's was the overly exaggerated everything went good version.

Speaker 1: 47:14

But I feel like and even in that there still like the level of the truth like I don't 100 trust craig's interpretation either, but I feel like she liked craig, like you know, really, really liked him. Like she talked about him, she daydreamed about him, she was like shocked when he asked her in season one, or was it season one might have been season two, I don't know. I've been watching, I've been binging from the episode where she did, where ashley did molly, but because I can't watch the episode where emma got, uh, almost got, uh, sexually assaulted, was wild. That one, the cyber bullying one, was very wild, um, especially because I was talking to like 20 something, supposedly when I was like 12 my mom would beat my ass, but she, I feel like with um, with manny and that whole thing with craig, the idea of becoming a different person kind of makes sense for her character. I will say that the thong thing was a little wild because I'm like, is this Manny like taking it too too far?

Speaker 1: 48:26

And then the no underwear was also the one that was the next one which I don't know. I feel like that one is kind of like no underwear is crazy, but like, feel like it's not crazy, crazy, I feel like it's something. I think that no underwear thing. And see, that's where I'm like, if it wasn't for the halter tops, like the mid drifts, like you wouldn't even know, like you wouldn't know she wasn't wearing underwear unless you were looking under the stall or some shit, and you'd get arrested for that. So I don't think it was necessarily that one for me. I just think that the Thong one was the most extreme because it seemed like it caused a lot of stir in the school.

Speaker 1: 49:20

Um, I mean, it shouldn't be a big deal, but it looked goofy like. I think that's the thing. It looked goofy as hell, like even if it was supposed to be sexy, it looked crazy as hell like walking down the hall with your thong out and you are like in ninth grade, like that. And even like if you were to just walk around on the street as a you know adult, like 20, 30, whatever, like it would still look very weird, like it looks weird to me when men wear their boxer briefs out, like you can see, like they're on, you can basically see the boo-boo stains, like I, I like to me that's ridiculous. So I feel like this is also falling into that category of ridiculous. That was the show. That was a show ridiculousness. Um, yeah, so that's how I felt about that.

Speaker 1: 50:13

Um, and then also, too, I I felt like in this one episode, oh, this is the last, no, second last thing. Um, I also felt like in this one episode, oh, this is the last, no, second last thing. Um, I also felt like in this episode, um, emma did try to be supportive of manny, like she didn't outright judge her, she did like, and I will say like emma's that one character that I did hate in the beginning because she was like always into some shit. But I will say that in this episode we really did get to see her show up for her friend, like she literally was like girl, I don't know like, even when, like manny got all those guys, you know, all those um other, all the boys, to come to emma's uh talk about I think it was about freeing the whales or I don't know some shit she was on protesting about, but they were all paying attention to Manny and Manny's just like, yeah, I'm sure I can make them come back.

Speaker 1: 51:07

And I feel like that, even though I, you know, see Emma's point, like I see the point that you know, know, manny is becoming a different person and all of this, you know other stuff that she told her in the end, um, she did bring a turnout and unfortunately, I hate to say it, especially for a kid show, but sex sells. And I feel like, even if and that's what I feel about sometimes with my podcast, like this is like almost like a self-reflective moment. But the fact that I don't do the things that normal people are I mean not normal, but like people that are mainstream podcasters do, like the Fresh and Fit podcast or whatever DJ Academics is doing or whatever, like I just feel like, because I'm not that messy and I know better and I'm, like educated enough to talk about things that are a little bit more important, I feel like the draw is not going to be there. You know what I mean. Like the draws aren't, cause that's not what people want. People want to be like overly entertained and everything's got to be, you know, clocked to tea, messy, ridiculous, whatever. And I feel like with Emma, even if she were to follow Manny's lead and try to present as sexier, they would only be doing it because she's dressed sexier. That's the only reason. And they wouldn't even be taking in that information, most likely because they're just paying attention to her, because they're just paying attention to her. Now some might.

Speaker 1: 52:57

Now, that's not to say, that's not to discredit everyone, but I think that the message always gets lost when looks is put first and unfortunately, I think that that is a product of social. I mean, it's social media, it's the media, it's what we think people should be attainable. I mean, sex is a very primal need, desire, want. So I just always feel like sex is going to sell. Excuse me, always feel like sex is going to sell. Excuse me, but I also feel like some people got it and some people don't, and that's like weird.

Speaker 1: 53:51

I feel like I can only say. I feel like I can only say that because I'm just commenting on emma and manny and don't actually know anyone in real life that are, you know, kids or whatever, and first of all, like even looking at a child like that is crazy. But that's the thing about these shows like these shows were like tackling like a lot of adults, so it feels weird to talk about it. But it's also like I went through that, like I went through all, like some of the things that happened on this show, so I feel privy enough to talk about it as an adult, especially a millennial, that we review everything. Um, and you know, this is what this podcast does we create to recritic, recritique the media, so.

Speaker 1: 54:38

But I even I just feel like the whole portrayal of sex selling and getting finding love and that is just, or even trying to sell something that actually matters, it almost like not devalues it, but it does distract from what the main point is, and a lot of times we want people to take away the main point. Like I feel like if you could weave in selling sex and a really important big thing all into one thing and again I feel like some people can probably do that Cool. But to show up to a thing, like teenagers showing up to a thing about whales or vegan food or whatever it was like them just wanting to talk to Manny was not a surprise. It also made me uncomfortable with all those boys just standing around her because, again, like page got raped in the one episode or you know, a while ago um, and I'm just like, like I just I don't know, I, I know what happens in the end, but I also don't feel great, uh, for manny, um, or for you, any woman that feels like they have to do it for male attraction. I think the difference between then and now, though, is that girls and women don't A lot of women now are at the point where they're like I don't care how these men see me, because they're going to see me how they want to see me, regardless, and I think that that's a more powerful message than back then, which was a lot of the slut shaming, a lot of the idea that you know, if you show your body, you get more attention, which is still true today. You do, but it's not always wanted attention. That's the difference.

Speaker 1: 56:40

And, um, I thought you have Degrassi. I mean, degrassi is one now, I think, but or did they try to reboot it or something? But, girl, I'm too old, like I can only keep up with the shit that happened either during my time or before me, like I can't with the new stuff unless it's like really good or like I get I hear good reviews or something like that, and that's mainly like for these kid shows, like kid adult novels, kid shows, you know, young adult books Like I can bear it, like I've read the one. Oh my God. I told you about that when I read that one book, a Thousand Pieces of you, and I thought it was going to be a little. I didn't notice that it was a young adult book and I just was so like exhausted by the writing of that book and I don't know if it was just a writer, but it just was too teenager-y and I was like I can't do this, so never again.

Speaker 1: 57:41

The last thing I just wanted to comment on um was Joey Jeremiah and how I had I had and have this like really huge crush on him and it's like every time I see a bald man I'm always just like I find them attractive. I don't know what that's about and it's weird because I'm bald and I always get on people about dating people that look like them. Well, the gays dating people that look like them, um, but it's something about a bald head on a man it is. I feel like it's one of those things where you've like Come to peace with the fact that you've lost your hair and that's why I don't really care too much about being bald and don't go out and run and get a 22 inch bust down because I could if I really wanted to, I could, um, but I also recognize that, like there is kind of a power in reclaiming not to tread on alopecia or you know anything like that, but there is something powerful about cutting your hair off when you're starting to, when it starts to go, or when it patches, start to come up or rise, because and even, like you know, for people that are cancer patients like I feel like there's just something so powerful in holding your head up high and having a bald head, like the fact that people used to say things like bald-headed skittle diddle or um.

Speaker 1: 59:27

Comment on the fact that, like you know, you're already growing up with like c4 hair, um, and then to like lose it from, like anxiety and stress, and the fact that your family is predisposed to that, to not just run and get a wig or a toupee and put it on. I don't know. It just feels like you've accepted something and I think that, unlike not comparing that to cancer Don't eat me up bearing that to cancer, don't eat me up I'm just saying that like there is something about an individual that has no choice but to go bald and they just decide to wear it and they don't disguise it. There's nothing wrong, of course, with wearing a wig, there's nothing wrong with weaves or anything like that.

Speaker 1: 1:00:17

I think, just as a personal thing, like the way in which people have that connection to their hair, there's, like this connection I have to baldness and the idea of, at least for your head, like I'd rather a hairy guy, because that's where people joke all the hair goes is on your body, but I'd rather hairy guy or guy with hair, body hair, versus someone that didn't have body hair and had a full set of hair. Um, but there's something about having a bald head. I think that just feels very mature. Like it feels very like you've, like you've been through stuff or something like and I know it's not that deep or like I don't know how to read it um, into that that deeply, but cause I guess I haven't really thought about it, but I'm thinking out loud about it and I'm like, yeah, it is something about a ball hit for me and Joey Jeremiah is like another example of a man with a ball hit where I'm like, yeah, like that is a problem, maybe a problem, maybe not a problem. Only reason I I'm not going to say why no, I'm not going to say the other reason why, I'm just going to say why no, I'm not going to say the other reason why I'm just going to leave it at that. Um, but I was just going to say he was a bald, beautiful man.

Speaker 1: 1:01:43

I went on for like minutes just now talking about this bald, beautiful, uh light skinned man. Um, and was he light skin or was he? I assumed he was Latin, I don't know. I think when I was younger I assumed that, but I don't know. He looks mixed. I'm just gonna say that that beautiful, bald man, goofy as hell, wanting really his uh glory, does I think he is white.

Speaker 1: 1:02:19

The thing is, I think the thing that like throws me though about the show is the way in which the characters are all really diverse. They have all these like really specific, like diverse backgrounds. Um, kind of the start like everyone's, like this is the black girl, this is the white fat girl, this is the goth girl. This was the like. Everyone had their own thing and I feel like with joey I could never land because he didn't seem. I guess the relationship, the thing it was, is the relationship with him and his daughter, because his daughter is biologically his and she's Filipino as well. So I don't know. And then Craig's not half Filipino, like I don't know if I almost half Puerto Rican, half Filipino, and so I think for me, like maybe it was growing up, I was like I know she's not fully white and but her and Craig share the same dad or same share the same mom, um, and she died and Craig's dad is like white, like Craig's white. I'm like huh, how did he not end up being half Filipino? That's weird, um, and so that's why I thought that Joey was um mixed or had, or you um mixed or had, or you know, yeah, mixed or Latin, or something, cause I was just like huh, like there's, there's an ethnicity here that I'm not seeing. Why am I rambling about this? Um, but he wanted to relive his glory days and I applaud him for that, but I also wanted him to sit the fuck down. Uh, cause he was just being goofy as shit and it was a little bit too much Moving on. The last thing I'm going to talk about is Cowboy Carter.

Speaker 1: 1:04:25

So I've listened to the album a couple of times. First of all, beyonce. I don't even know where to begin. Don't even know where to begin, um I. And it's interesting cause I remember I went into this last week talking about how I can't watch or can't listen to 27 songs in one sitting, and then you find out that it's actually not 27,. 27 songs, uh, it's more, it's less than that, um, um, because of the interludes and the radio, uh, the breaks in between, uh, with Willie Nelson, the smoke hour, um, so it's not actually like 27 songs.

Speaker 1: 1:05:07

But when I first started listening to like the first three songs, I was like, nah, I gotta take a step back. And the main reason why I had to take a step back was because of people. I guess everyone was talking about it like all day. And then I finally listened to it Friday evening and admittedly, on an edible I did do that and I was just thinking about how, or like kind of thinking about some of the lyrics and, like American Requiem, thinking of like what a Requiem actually is and this idea of the Blackbird, 16 Carriages, the Blackbird 16 Carriages. And when I first, I guess, started listening to the album and I got to 16 Carriages, I was like I got to put this down for a minute. The edible hit me too strong. I think.

Speaker 1: 1:06:09

Number one, number two I was like what is she doing? Like, what is she actually doing? Because I feel like everyone's been talking about the album as this, like you know, as a Beyonce album. That is like you know she's going to talk about. Of course she's going to talk about twirling on, you know, on Jay-Z's dick and, you know, doing a split and all this, any other, of course she's going to do that, but I just kind of felt like in the lyrics of american requiem and then hearing this like blackbird as this yes, it is this kind of ode or like moment where she's singing about not being in, uh, or being left out of the conversation when it comes to country music, but then to have a second song where you bring in other female country artists, I'm like, hold the fuck up, like, like, that's fucking crazy, like to do that.

Speaker 1: 1:07:21

And everyone was like, and that was the other part of it, like I kept watching people post the like who was going to be on the album, all of the features, on Thursday, and it was so exhausting because I was like I just want the album, like I just want it at this point, because you're just it's teasing it out, but I wasn't going to listen to it until midnight, even if I were to, you know, have listened to it earlier in the day, like I would have listened to it when everyone else did. But I was like I need a minute because I feel like I'm going to need to digest this album and really sit with it, because the fact that that happened and then, you know, there was like the 16 carriages it started feeling very and I might be stretching it might, you know, might just be me overanalyzing, but it felt like there was this part of it that felt, I guess, political-ish, where I feel like, yes, the and I guess I'll break it down like this Like I'll say that, yes, this album is born out of the idea that Beyoncé was not nominated for daddy lessons and, you know, at the time when she went to the CMA, she faced the backlash and all of this, and that I hear that, but I also hear just this like message of what America was and this push to make it better and almost like because when she talked about you know how things were, you know kind of promised and I'm forgetting the lyric off the top of my head directly, but like Um, and then just singing you know American Requiem, um, the was and where we're going, I guess, and I think that speaks to, and again, because Beyonce is a very smart, talented woman, I think I would not underwrite it or undercredit her to say that she would not create a song that has, or or songs on the album that have more than one meaning to them. Um, I think that she is crafty enough, um, to do that and, again, talented, it has the skill, like she has the. She works with people that are like, really, that are like-minded, that get her her vision, that get what she's trying to portray and put off. And I feel like when she had talked about, I think the thing that really drilled home for me was when she talked about how she felt oh my God, I'm losing the thought but like when she really talked about how she felt, like she wanted to release this album first as act one and then renaissance is act. Two to me was like almost like, my antennas went up like huh, like, why would you do that? And so I went back and, kind of which, I also went to the record store and brought Renaissance for like 50 something dollars, because it's the one that has the album book in it and it's beautiful. So I digress, I will definitely be getting Cowboy Carter as well.

Speaker 1: 1:11:11

This album was supposed to have been like the first part of the trilogy released, but I decided to push it until after the Renaissance came out because of the pandemic. She was like I feel like people just were in a space where they needed to dance, they needed to, you know, release kind of rejoice and live, and I think that that felt very intentional at the time and that felt very much the spirit of Renaissance. When you think about it, two years ago, when it came out, times were just starting to get hard. That's an album, I feel like, where we have to lean on it now, because things are getting way worse. And I feel like Cowboy Carter, even though it was supposed to be first and this is how I think a good musical artist is is that if your project is interconnected, you may be able to create it, where you're able to tweak some things, change things around. You know, the mood feels different, the goals feel different. You've re-envisioned that's what it is. It's like the goals start to feel different and then it starts to align with, like what's actually happening in the moment.

Speaker 1: 1:12:36

And I feel like back then, when we were still deep kind of in pandemic even, whether or not people wanted to believe it or not we were very much still like I hadn't even gotten COVID yet and didn't get it until 2023. So we were still very deep into pandemic, like Miss Panty. But I think we did need renaissance at that time, because it was almost like everyone felt very defeated, like we had gotten, you know, joe Biden in the office and he's like falling the fuck apart and everything just starts looking like it's going to shit. And I feel like that that was important to highlight at that time, to lift people's spirits, to get people to start doing some self-healing, self-reflecting. I remember one of my friends talked about how Renaissance really helped her after the death of her father. Um, and I just like remember feeling, when Break my Soul came out, this like re-, like this, I guess reinvigoration, or like re-energizedness, um, to myself and feeling like okay, like maybe life is worth living a little bit Because shit was fucking hard as hell. And shit still is hard as hell. Don't get me wrong.

Speaker 1: 1:14:06

But when I did my stint in New York for a little bit and was there for three months, I felt I was really depressed, like I felt, you know, I was in a new place, you know traveling between Philly and here. The work itself wasn't hard or bad or anything like that, but I had a negative experience with my manager there because she was just so on my ass all the time Like you can listen to the previous episodes where I've talked about that and feeling almost like I can't function because I feel so overwhelmed with this decision of wanting to do travel, social work. Having a boss, that's not the greatest. Having to still come home and check on things, get the mail out the door, drive back and forth to New York or drive back and forth to New York, it just was a lot. It was a lot of work. So I started to feel and not having friends in New York I had my co-workers, of course, but I'd go home, I wasn't really cool or talk to my Airbnb host he was a good guy or whatever, but like I just you know we never really like hung out or anything, but even in that I just like felt depressed. I felt, you know, like sleeping a lot. I was, you know, I was sleeping so much when I look back on that I was sleeping through my weekends. Like it was so bad, like I was barely when I was there on the weekends, like I was barely ever outside and I was doing a lot of door dashing and a lot of things like that. So when I look back on that time I'm like damn like and I was depressed. Like I said, I was depressed. I was, you know, cutting, I was drinking, I was doing like all of the things like, and so I think to have break my soul.

Speaker 1: 1:16:41

Come out at this point in time where, again, my life's life was a mess as well, after losing her father, and the world is still on fire post-Donald Trump, and this promise of I really connected on that level with American Requiem, as it is the song of empty promises and the dream of what, the dreams that come here to die, that are buried here, that are taken advantage of to die, that are buried here, that you know are taken advantage of. Like no one should be struggling right now. Like I'm so dead serious when I say this but I don't care if you are homeless, I don't care if you are on Social Security, like I don't care, like no one should be on this earth struggling. Like that to me does not make sense. It does not make sense to me that we have a war, that multiple wars going on across out the ass and penny pinching all of us for all we got like and then to you know, want to build up the prison industrial complex and you know, basically like create new slaves. Like it's like the dream of the American dream just feels like it never existed and specifically it's never existed for Black people and even more specifically, black women and Black queer women.

Speaker 1: 1:18:06

So it feels a little bit more powerful at times for me when I'm listening to this album album and almost like in the song, the fact that the song protector was on there I was just like is beyonce trying to say something to me? Because I feel like she's trying to say she's on our side. So I kind of want to go through and like look at the lyrics, um, for some of the songs, because some of the songs like you are just kind of like okay, this is not a, this is a Beyonce track, like she's just kind of talking her shit on here, or it's a song that is like a dedication to, like a style of country music, or I mean, country music is so rich. It is the one genre I feel like I've not explored that much, and there are songs that I know that are country songs that I do like, but it's a genre I've never explored as much because I've never connected to the fact that it's mainly the advertisement of it is that there's no one that looks like me, and so I think that this album is very powerful, both sonically, visually, like the album cover, like the outfits, the um, her going on these like award shows and giving her speeches, like everything feels so specific, tailored.

Speaker 1: 1:19:44

I just don't like, I just don't be. I don't know what it is with beyonce. It's something about her and I, and this is why I say like when you know the reed was talking about her too, like for two weeks in a row, and I was like, oh my god, like why y'all keep talking about her like two weeks in a row? And I was like, oh my God, why do y'all keep talking about her and it just always brings me these moments about Beyonce are the things that always bring me back to her in a way of which I'm like I understand you, and I think this album might be that album that sticks with me long enough to say I see you.

Speaker 1: 1:20:13

Because the thing about Beyonce is I feel like I never really know with people. We talk about billionaires all the time and she's not on her own a billionaire, but her and her husband are. And I mean again, I try to not put too much stock in people in the sense of people I don't know. I talk about that all the time on the show. I talk about how we don't know these people. We don't know these people. But what I also do know is that I trust someone like Crystal. I feel like I could trust her and I feel like she gets good energy and good vibes about people. I also trust Kid Fury as well, because he also has the same level of like discernment about people like that. You're not going to play in my face. So I feel like I would trust both of them to tell me if Beyonce was like a horrible person.

Speaker 1: 1:21:17

So I feel like that you know, with me, not knowing her, I can't imagine a world where she's just this like billionaire and it's the fact that she actually does give back like the a couple. It was a couple of weeks, weeks or months ago where, um, her and Kelly Rowland announced that they were creating a low-income project home situation for people in Houston, texas, and I think it was going to be over a million dollars spent to make this happen for people and I'm like that's not a bad person, you know what I mean. That's not someone that is outwardly that I feel like would turn their back, when Now I feel like she'll protect her family and herself Like I do feel that but I feel like she would be crafty enough to, in the musical realm, to continue to weave pieces that are that have more than one meaning or that have this like coded message or something in it, the way in which happened in the creation of country music. And that's what I think I feel like if you stuck long, you know, stuck long with, stuck with me, long enough to get to this point to talk about the album and why I feel like there is some politicalness to it. It's this level of the way in which country music came about. So the fact that it was built out of gospel and I always forget the other one, I think it's blues Gospel and blues are the two. I think it's blues, gospel and blues are the two. Blues was more secular, gospel was a lot more church bound, and so I didn't realize this until I started, you know, when I was like, huh, something's like, I'm feeling something, but I'm not understanding it. And I started doing research about like, because I didn't know this, you know, going in Because, again, country is like one of my genres I listen to, like the least, not necessarily one of my least favorites, but it's just the one I listen to the least.

Speaker 1: 1:23:47

When I started to learn that, like, country music was built from slavery or during slavery, as a kind of method of passing messages, or at least it bore out of this, it bore out of struggle, which, again, that's how I feel, like a lot of our genres, when white people say this belongs to us, or black people can't claim this, this, or blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. Y'all think y'all own everything. The fact that folk music and classical music were the only two things that really white people brought to America from Europe. But, like, black people have been able to cultivate country as a genre, get kicked out of that. Cultivate rock and roll as a genre built off of country, get kicked out of that by white people. And then now we're at a point where hip hop is in that same boat and it's fighting for its life.

Speaker 1: 1:24:36

It feels like Beyonce, it's just doing something. It just feels it's something there, like the fact that Crystal was like, oh, the album is coming out, like on 3-29-2023, and then Renaissance came out on 7-29-2023, or 20,. No, renaissance came out 29, 729, 2022, and then this one was three, cowboy Carter's 329, 2024,. I feel like that even is significant, like something is up there. I don't know like Beyonce's just doing something. I feel like I don't know Like Beyonce's just doing something. I feel like my theory is that she releases the third act in three years.

Speaker 1: 1:25:35

I feel like, again, the fact that this album was kind of a surprise drop I feel like almost not a surprise drop in a way to it's just a surprise drop in the fact. That's just a surprise drop in the fact that, like she did this in a commercial, she was just like, oh, drop the new music. And then all of a sudden there's like new music. There's an album coming out on the 29th and like this whole thing that Beyonce does is just she's a witch. I'm sorry. Like there's something like I don't know, like it's just got. I'm sorry.

Speaker 1: 1:26:02

Like there's something like I don't know, like it's just got really on her side, like it's just something there, because the way in which that planning happens, the way in which she just is able to like play my house in a Superbowl commercial for like five seconds or whatever, and then talk about breaking the internet and, you know, releasing the new music and you know all of this, and like there's just this like methodology, which I mean I know she's been doing this for, like she says she's been working on this album for years and years and years. But like it's just something about an artist that I feel strongly about when they can make statements like that, when they can do things like that and still keep some level of secrecy, like I feel like she keeps it in the music. And so I feel like there's just again this like thing of just letting us know where she stands and that she sees that everyone is in a bad situation right now. That again, going back, I like detoured greatly. But going back to the fact that, like country music, you know, was born out of call and response, um, sending messages to other workers, um to know, you know what was going on, um, which is like so smart, like that's something I feel like you could really only achieve out of having that experience and that's the you know. Again, like the whole kind of premise of this project, like I feel like that's what it is, premise of this project, like I feel like that's what it is. I feel like this project is just speaking to us in a way of and when I say project I mean trilogy I just feel like it's just speaking to us in this way of reclaiming yes, of course, reclaiming these genres that are now super heavily dominated by white people. But it also feels like there's this level of reclaim that unifies a little bit, that is Trying this thing of creating something that's new, interesting, that fuses the old with the new.

Speaker 1: 1:28:49

The fact that this you know trilogy is coming out during this time, right now, is crazy, because it just feels like, when I talk about music, I feel like music that is good usually comments on some like real things, like real, like not. It just can't all be like I shook my ass in the club, like it can't all be that. But I feel like, when it comes to someone like a Beyonce that has such an artistry, I'm like there's something there, like there's something going on. I feel like I'm feeling the signs, like it's making sense to build people up and to reinvigorate folks this coded language, so to speak, of sending messages so that white people couldn't understand what was going on or what was being said or what was happening, and to just kind of stay almost like low profile because, of course, like you know, they're just probably thinking like oh, these, you know, niggers are like talking gibberish or whatever, or they're probably just glad that we were speaking English, honestly, because we were still speaking our native languages. But yeah, it just almost feels like she's doing this thing of like trying to unify everyone and create less division within music and life Because, again, like the thing about music is that it unifies people.

Speaker 1: 1:30:27

So I feel like with her, like someone like her that is striving to be great, greater than I don't know if she's ever said this but greater than Michael Jackson. I mean, it seems like she's trying, or she has in some cases, with just the impact that she's had on the industry. I can't really name a male artist that's doing the same. That's doing the same when I really have to think about it in my brain. People do they compare the Weeknd to Michael Jackson. I've talked about that before and I was like, eh, I see it, but I also, and I could see him trying to achieve it, and he's been given that crown by some people. But I feel like the thing about Michael Jackson was that he also was able to unify people.

Speaker 1: 1:31:28

There are people all over the world that listen to Michael Jackson and that love his music, and I feel like Beyonce's striving for that, while also actually putting the work into be innovative and different and create something that feels new and fresh, because country music is not, and that's part of the turnoff for country music for some folks is that it sounds like some old, whiny white man, like you know, bordering a folk song of just about, uh, having woes and miseries that, like you know, a black, like a slave, would not. You know, a slave would have it 10 times worse. You know what I mean, and that's again not to say that, um, white people don't ever have it bad. It's just the recovery, for it is, um, not easy if you do end up in a bad situation. But I feel like beyonce knows that we're all headed for a bad situation and I feel like we all like to take from, to use like music from and inspiration from, like black artists and have black features and on the on the album and have you know these different segments, like Willie Nelson and Miley Cyrus that was a little surprise, but Willie Nelson I'm not. The song is good, but it was a surprise. I didn't realize she was going to have her on there.

Speaker 1: 1:33:18

Group of people feels almost intentional in the sense of let's not fight about who at the core, let's not fight about who created country music, but let's like fight to make spaces equal, to give people the opportunity to showcase their talent. There's so many people that are like, wow, there's all these country artists I haven't discovered because I never really listened to country and I think that, again, this is why she's done it. She's done it because she recognizes that these are areas that have been lackluster as of late when it comes to Black recognition and to Black recognition, and to provide back to the community in that way is, of course, one of the biggest like gifts you can give, you know, a community, to give them, like, their voice and their space back by using your voice, like that is a very powerful message that I think Beyonce sends. Wow, that is wild and deep. But also, since I mentioned a gift, one more thing.

Speaker 1: 1:34:36

I'm not going to do a final thought because I don't really have a final thought this week, but one more thing I just want to say for the people that hate the gif, or not the people that hate the gif, but I think the people that um are like oh, the gif wasn't that great, or I skipped the gif. Or blah, blah, blah, xyz. Yeah, it wasn't like Beyonce's, like you know, it wasn't like just her own project, like she had, you know, it was a collaboration with Disney or whatever, but like that was they that those songs were. They're still good, like don't not too much, because find your way back is one of my favorite Beyonce songs.

Speaker 1: 1:35:18

Probably if I had to list Beyonce songs off the dome without even using um Cowboy Carter, cause I feel like I still am trying to figure out what my favorite is Um, if I had to say top three Beyonce songs, ooh, yikes, let's do top four Beyonce songs. Um, oh god, that's even harder still. I would definitely say haunted ghost um from renaissance as alien superstar and I don't know. Find your way back. And then some I feel like Deja Vu is probably my fourth one. I would probably say Between those, those are like my top favorite Beyonce songs of like all time Not Deja Vu, I don't know why I'm thinking it. Daydream Daydream is one of my favorite Beyonce songs of all time, but even in that I feel like the album is so good. Find your Way Back. Top four for me, number three.

Speaker 1: 1:36:34

But I feel like people have been like oh, the GIF is, it just was okay, or it didn't really give, or blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. But y'all was turning up to them homecoming songs when she was performing them live. So let's not, you know, let's not play that game. I again love the album, love the direction. I didn't see that. I never saw the movie. Actually now I'm saying this out loud I've never excuse me I've not seen the Lion King live action and I think the only reason why I didn't was because I don't know why I'm having gas all of a sudden. I think the only reason why I didn't was because I think I heard mixed reviews about it.

Speaker 1: 1:37:26

And then I was like I kind of don't want to, I don't really care about a live album now, like I was like or not a live album. I wasn't. I didn't really care about a live um musical thing. Like I was just like, okay, that's, whatever. You know. Um, I'm just trying to see something real quick.

Speaker 1: 1:37:51

I don't know why I said that uh, y'all was hating on the gift because because it came out around the same time as the renaissance album. That's why I got that mixed up. I mean, it came out around this in the same year of um each other, but the gift had came out later. I did forget that. Either way, everyone said that music video was good. The music videos, um, for that, were good as shit. Everybody was turning the fuck up to um, what song was it? Move Forever, like that song was everywhere.

Speaker 1: 1:38:26

Like I feel like people, how soon, you know, people forget. So I feel like. And then again, once Beyonce, like she keeps reinventing herself. So I feel like once, like this next album comes out, I'm going to be like I don't know how she keeps it. I'm gonna do this all over again. I'm a literally have a. I don't know how she keeps doing this, how she keeps us on our toes, kind of situation Like she's just larger than life, with being very humble at the same time, like she just knows who she is.

Speaker 1: 1:38:56

And I find that, find that that's a very like attractive trait, like to have to just know who you are, to know what you, with the music you want to put out, the type of like sound you want it to have you you know break down your body and you know just to dance, like, keep creating these big, like projects that get bigger and bigger and bigger. And it's like I'm just always like, damn, what is she going to do next? Like I, that's my thing with her. I'm like I don't, I don't even know. Like I don't even know, like it's, I don't know what to say. But I do think that I will speculate a little bit and say that I do think that the third album and the act will be a rock album. I do agree with that.

Speaker 1: 1:39:46

Now, I wasn't on board with that theory before because, again, I hate when y'all speculate like way too much and it seems like y'all fall in love with that idea. That's again just me reading it off of social media. It feels like y'all want it so bad that y'all are claiming it. And I'm like this isn't even your project, so I don't know why you're like super, super, like that deep invested in it. But it would make sense then for this next album to be a rock inspired album, because a couple things I remember.

Speaker 1: 1:40:18

Beyonce said she had a goth face, I remember, and that was around the time when she released Self-Titled, so I think she had a comment or someone had asked her about her style or something, and she was like I had a goth face and she did the track with oh God, jack White on Lemony lemonade. And then she had daddy lessons on lemonade. I'm just like I feel like when I have to go back and listen to lemonade, because I feel like we didn't, there's something there we didn't catch, uh either. Um, because in a way I feel like this feels connected to like the trilogy somehow, like I don't know, because I'm like daddy lessons. And then if she do come out with a rock song, I'm like don't hurt yourself. And then I'm like so then, what was the dance song? Like I am trying to figure that out. I, I mean, all her songs were dance songs, but Ooh, I was about to say something crazy. I was about to say something so fucking crazy. Just know, if you ask me about 6-inch heels, ask me off the chat or off the live. You gotta ask me off of this, because I just a connection connected and I was like, oh, telling, um, it was a little bit of tea, I was clocking a little tea. So, yeah, that's it for this episode. Um, again, thank you all for listening. Um, definitely, rate review.

Speaker 1: 1:42:04

I feel like I could have been better this week, but at the same time I'm here, I showed the fuck up this week. I almost did not show the fuck up, but I showed the fuck up. So clap for me. You know, if you got any advice. If you want to curse me out, you send a letter to gather them pot at gmailcom. I would. I mean, I'd be interested to get a curse out and read it all. I probably would bust out fucking laughing. Um, if you want to connect with me on the socials, I'm gathered them pot on instagram and on x.

Speaker 1: 1:42:37

Also, shout out you ate this like one little thing, elon musk the fact that he talked about wanting to get rid of these bots on social media. You ate like one little thing, elon Musk, the fact that he talked about wanting to get rid of these bots on social media. You ate that one little thing and that's it. That's all you eat, because it's always some lusty woman. Never a man, like literally never a man, unless you type in sugar daddy and that comes up, which I fucking hate. That, like, you can't say sugar daddy without without a bunch of people dming you.

Speaker 1: 1:43:07

But, um, you got all these bots popping up and then you got me sitting up here being like, oh well, I gotta figure out, like, which way this square goes because of, you know, whatever reason, blah, blah, blah, x, blah, blah, x, y, z. And I'm just like no, like, how are the bots existing on this app? Get them out of here. So you know, shout out to him for that, but that's all he gets from me. So, yeah, that's it for this week's episode, um, and I'll talk to everyone next week. Bye.