Latest / Besties Do Verticals / Episode 18 - Interview with Greg Duffy

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Episode 18 - Interview with Greg Duffy · Besties Do Verticals

• Aleta: Hello and welcome to Besties Do Verticals with your besties, Alita and Lucy. And today we have a special guest. Hi, I'm Alita. Lucy: And I'm Lucy. Greg Duffy: And I'm Greg Duffy. Aleta: Yeah. Greg Duffy: Ha ha Lucy: As we have mentioned before, the aim of our podcast is to promote and support queer verticals, actors, and all the other creatives that go into producing the projects we love. We are so thrilled to have our fifth interview guest with us today. Greg Duffy the Man, the Myth, the Legend. I really had to have that in there. Greg Duffy: Ooh, high praise, high praise, high praise, a lot to live up to. Lucy: I wanted Alita to say it, but she made me and that's fine. Aleta: Ha ha Greg Duffy: That's why you two are perfect compliments for each other as hosts. Aleta: You gotta say your stuff. ⁓ She makes me say enough. Like, ⁓ my god. Greg Duffy: I've heard some things that you've had to say. And I just wanna be the first to apologize for those things in certain scripts that now live in infamy. ⁓ Aleta: It makes it fun. Lucy: I like hearing her say them in French. It's great. Should we say some of them now? ⁓ okay. That's fine. I won't do that to you guys. Okay. We're keeping it professional. Aleta: We're not doing that today. Okay. Greg Duffy: Mm-hmm. Mostly. Aleta: Alright, besties, you know we're so excited to have Greg with us today. Greg is a wonderful actor, singer, and model who has been in nine verticals so far. Is that right? And including four boy loves. Greg Duffy: So yeah. No, yeah. Aleta: Our beloved entry into verticals, Straight Until He Kissed Me, was his first lead, and since then he's gone on to have numerous leading roles, including The Prince's First Love, which is tied for my favorite, ⁓ Your Your Hired Billionaire Callboy, and Drive Him Wild. The spiciest. All credits will be listed in the YouTube description box, along with the apps that they're on. Greg, would you like to tell us a little bit about yourself? Greg Duffy: Mm. Hi, I am so happy to be here with the both of you. I am originally from Rhode Island, big family, and then ⁓ grew up finding my home in music and theater, and then only recently ⁓ came around to acting full-time. ⁓ I left my corporate career behind, wanted to take a little bit of a risk, and have since been So pleasantly surprised and rewarded with the taking of that risk by being invited into this whole world of new friends and support and new challenges, things I never thought I would do if you could have told me a few years ago where I am now. So that's where we're at. We're working on new projects, exciting things, and I'm just happy to be along for the ride. Lucy: We're so happy you you did it. I routinely s Aleta: Ha ha ha. Lucy: I routinely say, I I don't know how often I must say it a lot, but I'm like, Thank you, Evan and Greg, for following your dreams. Greg Duffy: Hmm. Awww. Lucy: ⁓ Cause so many good things came to us. That's how met Alita, and she's been one of the best I could ever ask for. And it's not just her. amazing ⁓ people out there that we've just gotten to know and ⁓ never would have met them without you. Like Greg Duffy: Mm. Amazing. Yeah. Lucy: You have inspired like a global fan base. people from all over the world are in your chats and talking and enjoying your work. So anyway, we just adore you. Greg Duffy: Wow. Amazing. Lucy: ⁓ Aleta: Ha ha ha. Greg Duffy: Thank you. I feel so privileged that that is the case. ⁓ And I it's a good reminder that like by ⁓ like your dreams is not a selfish thing. Actually, in ⁓ pursuing things that your heart tells you to pursue, you open up the door for other people to do the same. Right. And so when I think about chasing my dreams, I'm like, ⁓ wait, no, no, no. I this isn't selfish. I I I owe this to myself and to everyone else, you know? Lucy: And it's paid off, I think. I think you're doing awesome and it's just rippled along, you know? It's just keeps giving back. Greg Duffy: ⁓ thank you. It does. It t it t it keeps on giving. Lucy: Would you be willing, Greg, to we've been playing a would you rather game with some of the folks. We Greg Duffy: Love it. Lucy: just a couple of Aleta: Ha ha ha. Lucy: you haven't heard. ⁓ but here we go. Let's let's let's get a little unhinged. ⁓ Would you rather ⁓ spend the weekend with pirates or ninjas? Greg Duffy: I think pirates Lucy: Ooh, why? Greg Duffy: Pirates have this lore that they're like looking for the buried treasure, you know? There's like this sense of adventure that's depicted, at least in the media I've consumed, much more of this sense of adventure, get on the ship X marks the spot in storytelling and like Treasure Island. ⁓ I think Robert Louis Stevenson, right? ⁓ the book that I pretended to read in like an eighth grade. ⁓ there's this this swashbuckling on the high seas type energy that I'm much more familiar with. And so I would love to be on that adventure, have a sword and, you know, find the treasure. I think that's so fun. Lucy: Like that. What about you, Alita? Aleta: the same but I don't I don't know. Probably not ninjas, no. Lucy: Really? Ninja? I want ninjas. Ninjas. Yeah, my reasoning's weird. I my reasoning isn't fun. Aleta: Yeah. Not as fun. ⁓ Okay. Greg Duffy: How about you, Lucy? Really? Okay. Tell us why. Okay. Lucy: rather hang with ninjas pirates are trouble they cause a lot of trouble always taking maidens and I'm like you know a ninja doesn't want a maiden not that I'm a maiden but you know what I mean Greg Duffy: Fair. All right. It's true. They're gay ninjas. They're not looking for maidens. ⁓ Lucy: There we go. ⁓ okay, how about they're gay pirates and then I'll choose pirates. Aleta: I'm pretty sure that there were I'm pretty sure that was the thing. Greg Duffy: Mmm. I think like yeah, I think I would say even more pirates than if that's the case. I'm I'm picturing like Orlando Bloom Pirates of the Caribbean, like, mm-hmm, I'll go with pirates. Don't you change Lucy: Okay. Well then then maybe I'll change. I'll change my mind. Aleta: Ha ha ha. Lucy: I'll go with pirates. Aleta: Ha ha ha. Lucy: I like Orlando Bloom as well. Yep. ⁓ Okay, would you be able to ooh take back anything you say ⁓ or ⁓ hear convo is about you? ⁓ Greg Duffy: your ⁓ yeah. ⁓ yeah. ⁓ Mm. Hear any combo about me. Lucy: Okay. Greg Duffy: Well and let me tell you why. My first my first instinct was neither. Because I I'm pretty measured with what I say. ⁓ I say a lot, I talk a lot, but I don't really speak out of turn much. Like I ⁓ I I mean what I say. So I'm really interested. I don't need take things back. But ⁓ I ⁓ I'm also not that interested in opinions, except, except. ⁓ How many Aleta: Ha ha. Greg Duffy: auditions do I send out that I never hear anything about? And the most. And so it would be really interesting to get really honest feedback, a conversation that's happening without me, on every single thing that I do, 'cause I feel like that could be actionable, that could be helpful and interesting. ⁓ you do get feedback when you get the role usually. They're like, We loved you and you're like, Grey, that's also not that actionable. But you so Aleta: Ha ha. Greg Duffy: of this job like sending an audition tape into the into a black hole and never hearing and you're like, Well, wonder, you know? So that's Lucy: Yeah. Greg Duffy: For that reason I would do that. Lucy: That makes a lot of sense. Okay, Alita. Aleta: Take back. Okay, only because like I I am a really shy person and so like I'm still replaying conversations in my head from twenty years ago and thinking I should have said that differently. Greg Duffy: Take back. Are you saying things that you want to take back? Yeah. Or how about Aleta: So, Greg Duffy: when you think of a comeback? You think of a comeback like three hours later and you're like, Shit, I should have said that. Aleta: you know, ⁓ Yeah. Lucy: Very true. Aleta: I I have that that sounded stupid, I shouldn't have said that, yeah. But whatever. ⁓ Greg Duffy: I doubt it, it's as bad as you think. Aleta: Ha. Lucy: Ha ha ha. Greg Duffy: You're like, well, little do you know. Lucy: I'm with you, Alita. I would also probably want to take back. Sometimes I well, sometimes I put my foot in mouth. ⁓ it sounds like you're into zodiac, Greg. I'm a I'm a l I'm a Libra. And sometimes I can just yeah, I can just run my mouth sometimes on it. I'm like, wait, what did I just say? And sometimes I don't even realize until someone's like, I'm really mad at you and I'm like, What? ⁓ Greg Duffy: I love Zodiac. Okay. Mm. ⁓ well you're speaking you're just speaking your mind. You're not intending to be, ⁓ you know, hurtful, but you're just saying something true and people can take offense. Hmm. Lucy: Yeah, it doesn't happen too often because I am careful, but I sometimes sometimes I mess up. But yeah, I don't know. I'm with Alita on that one. Okay, this last one for you. She she did this one specially for you. Okay. Would you rather give up swearing forever or give up ice cream for twelve years? Greg Duffy: Ha ha ha. Yeah. ⁓ I'm excited. You knew this about me. You knew ice cream's like my favorite food. Lucy: Seen it. Greg Duffy: Did you know that? You knew that. You knew that. And yogurt. I mean, we could talk about that for days. You'd see my refrigerator. I Aleta: Mm. And yogurt. Greg Duffy: ⁓ you know what? Evan once opened up my refrigerator and said, that looks like the store's refrigerator. Like that looks like you're selling yogurt with the amount of yogurt you have. I like, I'll finish it. By the by the expiration. Don't you worry. There's a sale. Lucy: Ha ha! Greg Duffy: There's a sale. okay, never swear or give up ice cream. Lucy: For twelve years. Greg Duffy: 12 years is such a funny, like random number. Aleta: Hm. Lucy: Ha ha ha ha. Greg Duffy: ⁓ I would have to say I would give swearing, which truthfully would be a little bit difficult for me. I already swore on this podcast, I just realized I was like, no. ⁓ but I think that I could come up some really ⁓ creative. ⁓ Aleta: Yeah, whatever. Greg Duffy: workarounds for swear words. I I could do some types of acronyms. I could do something sounds if you don't know, then you wouldn't know that I'm swearing, but ⁓ I could come up with some like new linguistic ways to swear. ⁓ I can't replace ice cream. mean maybe I would have yogurt instead, Lucy: I wanna know what some of these acronyms and ideas you would have. You might not know them Greg Duffy: but just not the same. Aleta: Ha ha ha ha. Lucy: but someday it'd be great. ⁓ Greg Duffy: ⁓ I mean I could I there's one I have in mind that I I can say it on the pod. Yeah. You know, Lucy: Let's do it. Let's do it. Yeah. Greg Duffy: in in sometimes in queer spaces, there's a fun little mnemonic device that's you next Tuesday. You know about that one? And that that full word I actually kinda I don't like I think that word is like I don't really say that word. ⁓ But I'll say the the euphemism, you know? Aleta: Mm-hmm. Yeah, yeah. ⁓ yeah. Yeah. Mm-hmm. Do you not know that? Lucy: Do you Okay, after the recording, did you guys like my head tilt? I was like Greg Duffy: the pod, after the pod. Like, huh. Huh. See, but that's that's the power of some of these euphemisms. Actually, they might completely like go missed by other people. It's like, great, no problem. I got it off my chest. Lucy: Yep. Aleta: I feel like I've said that in our private chat about certain things, and you've never didn't know what it meant. Lucy: Sometimes, girl, I just smile and nod. I'm like, we're a different generation. I was like, it's a thing. Greg Duffy: Totally. I there's been a murder on the podcast. There's been a murder. A death shot was fired. Aleta: Please Okay. I'm I'm out of here. Lucy: You Alita, you're not gonna leave me with you'd be upset if you left me and Greg alone. Okay. ⁓ I know, just be the Alita show. Okay. Anyway. ⁓ all right, Alita, fire off real fast and then we're jumping to questions. Ice cream or swearing? Okay. Greg Duffy: Who knows what we would do? Aleta: ⁓ Greg Duffy: Yeah. Aleta: For it all. ⁓ I'd give up ice cream. Greg Duffy: Ugh. Aleta: I if it was chocolate it might be a a difficult question, Greg Duffy: Idiot swear. Aleta: but I could give up ice cream. For twelve no ⁓ Yeah. Greg Duffy: Mm. Mm. Yeah. Lucy: Ha ha I'm not as into ice cream and as long as I have chocolate cake, I'm good. So ⁓ yeah. ⁓ I ⁓ I Greg, I some of the episodes way than and we're explicit for a reason, because I tend Greg Duffy: Mm. I love chocolate cake. Lucy: to drop the F bomb way too much. So ⁓ Greg Duffy: It's like a characterization, like it's explicit. It's like categorized as expli that's great. Hell yeah. Lucy: It is. So you can say whatever the hell you want, just so you know. Aleta: You have to. Greg Duffy: The the good part is I don't have to go of ice cream or swearing. Aleta: Mm-hmm. Lucy: Yes. Greg Duffy: I should go get a bowl right now and then drop some F bombs. Lucy: There you go, do it. ⁓ Alrighty. Well, are gonna jump into some awesome questions, actually. I'm very impressed with these and somebody who came up with them. So, but these ones are mine. I'm the basic one here. ⁓ Okay, Mr. Greg Duffy: Yeah. Great questions. Really good. Aleta: Yeah. Lucy: we are shaking things up for Please, ⁓ yes, please tell us what made you want to become a musician. Greg Duffy: Nice. I love shaking it up. I mean, music was really my first love. Like, I started playing piano when was five. ⁓ and my teacher, Mrs. McGreevy, lived down the street. I used to ride my bike to her house. And I had one of those like level one little booklets of, you know, songs you play first with just the right hand, then the left hand. And ⁓ I always blew past like what she set for me that week because my dad is a really good pianist, and my older brothers. Played the piano. And I I found such a home in music early. And the feeling of putting my head to something and my hands to something, and then seeing the effect of it so visibly, really kept me so motivated. And every week having this lesson. And I would say, like, also just so thankful that my parents put me in those lessons. I didn't have the the awareness to like want to do that, but they forced me to. And I was I'm very grateful for that to this day because it's not a small expense as a parent to think about putting your child into music classes. So anyway, I found a home so fast. Like ⁓ because I was able to sink into playing a song and kind of forget about whatever else was happening. And for me, that escape was such a safe space my whole life. And it became even more of a safe space as I got a little bit older and didn't necessarily fit in in some of the like earmark ways that my older brothers certainly fit in. They were like tall and athletic and stuff, and I was kind of like artsy and truly have no hand-eye coordination. And so ⁓ I found such a home in it and it was such a safe space that just my love for it grew over time. Lucy: Getting emotional already. All right. Like Aleta: Mm-hmm. Lucy: feeling it. ⁓ Okay. ⁓ Now we are ask we usually ask the others, ⁓ what made you wanna go acting after being a musician for all these years? And how are you kind of juggling both? Greg Duffy: Mm-hmm. Hmm. I feel like the universe threw it at me until I finally said, okay. Like I was working corporate jobs, and my first, as you know, many of my jobs were in corporate music. ⁓ I worked for Sony music, I worked for some music tech companies, and I wanted to know when I graduated college and started my first job, first, you know, job, full time job. ⁓ will I will I be happy if I'm working alongside music my whole life? Like, will this scratch the itch that I have to be around music? And will it be enough? And then I'll play music at night, I'll do this stuff, but like, will this be enough? And ⁓ the answer is no, it wasn't enough. ⁓ And I Aleta: Ha ha ha Greg Duffy: was working for a company that eventually went under. It was a startup that eventually went and this is a few years ago, and ⁓ I ⁓ Started applying for other jobs, getting other interviews, and I just couldn't do it. I was like, I am, I hear myself in these interviews, and it just does not sound like me anymore. I've changed enough, I've grown enough, I've learned enough that like this is not it for me right now. But the universe, I honestly think, had been throwing it at me for a while. I quit a job several years ago and I started acting and then COVID hit. I started doing extra work. Like I just dipped my toe and then COVID hit. ⁓ I moved to LA for music reasons, but actually What's happened is that acting, this is obviously the hub for acting. And so, ⁓ my original reason for coming here is not ⁓ has been augmented, you know, with all this acting stuff. So I think the universe was like, You're gonna do this and you're gonna learn and you're gonna throw yourself in there. And what has been so nice too is that so many people have connected with my music because of my acting. And that feels amazing. They they are so complementary to each other. And I thought at one point in my life I had to focus on one art form to to be good or to be successful. And the answer is you do not. And you can do all sorts of things. And so and I love all of these things so much. And I've rediscovered my love of acting. And I feel so lucky and grateful that the universe is kind like keep going, keep trying. ⁓ and I said like open the doors that should be opened and then look at all the doors that have opened. It's been so unbelievable to me. So That's how I got into it. And juggling both, it's like, honestly, acting, when I'm acting, there is not a lot of music that gets written. Those days are very long. And then I finish a project and then I'm like kind of free outside of auditioning and stuff like that. So ⁓ they're quite complimentary. The past couple months I have been doing nothing but making music in the studio. So I feel so I feel like that they're so complimentary to each other. ⁓ In terms of getting them both done just at different times, different parts of my calendar. Lucy: We can't wait. We cannot wait to just see what these last few months Okay, okay, I'll stop. ⁓ I see. Sorry. Aleta: yeah. Ha ha. Greg Duffy: Hmm. I think there's more coming. I wonder when. Aleta: I don't know. I'm Lucy: Yes. Aleta: starting to think it's not coming. ⁓ Greg Duffy: It's just you said the man, the myth, the legend. This is the myth part. It never comes to Aleta: No. ⁓ no. Just choke. Greg Duffy: ⁓ Just you wait. ⁓ Lucy: ⁓ You You always come through, Greg. Just FYI. We we know that about you. ⁓ Greg Duffy: I will. ⁓ I will. Don't you worry. It's coming. ⁓ Aleta: I just have to I just have to keep bugging you about it. Greg Duffy: Mm-hmm. Keep bugging me. It's coming Lucy: Ha ha ha. Greg Duffy: along with many other I've had the chance to work on and I'm very excited to share. Lucy: I can't wait! I'm so excited! Greg Duffy: I'm very excited about it. Very proud of it. Aleta: Yeah. Right. ⁓ so it as you said, it's been kind of a whirlwind for you since you took the plunge and started acting. I I know you love it, but it must be really overwhelming at times. And we wonder how you keep yourself grounded and maintain your sense of self with all of the attention. I mean we know you love the attention, but Greg Duffy: Tell me. Aleta: ⁓ Lucy: Well you're the one who does and it's awesome. It feeds us. Greg Duffy: Yeah. Aleta: Ha ha. Greg Duffy: I can't I can't even pretend that I don't love the attention. ⁓ You know, it's it's the attention that really is ⁓ underlied how much the work means to people. ⁓ Like attention is not ⁓ without a strong foundation of people supporting me because they have connected with the work that made. And that to me is not just attention for its own sake. It's not just like being in a headline, being in like a picture. and in particular, like if someone was just like, ⁓ like he's you know, something like we we just think he's good looking or something, where it could be kind of vapid. It's not really that. The support that I feel actually runs deep. And so the attention that arises from that type of support is nothing sort of thrilling to me. It Aleta: Ha ha ha. Greg Duffy: truly. ⁓ And ⁓ You know we were talking about astrology and you know this. I'm a Leo. I n I know you know this. ⁓ And I Lucy: Picture perfect. Greg Duffy: put me in front of a room of people and don't and just tell me to like keep them occupied. Do ⁓ love it? ⁓ I was at one of my good friends' weddings ⁓ a couple years ago and I had not prepared a But it's of my close friends and at the rehearsal dinner, they're like, ⁓ Greg, would you just give a speech? I was like, sure. And I give like a 15-minute speech about this friend, and I thrive. I just love it so much. I'm like, people are looking at me, people are laughing at things I'm saying. I love it. So one, it feels great, truthfully. ⁓ not to say that there weren't negative comments, but really the good outweighs the bad for me. It really does. and I I also will be super honest. I'm 32 years old. ⁓ Shh, I'm playing half the time. ⁓ But ⁓ right, right. Aleta: Your your baby. ⁓ Greg Duffy: I you know, I young adult stories that I get to a of because ⁓ the emotions ⁓ that you get to portray are very real, particularly for young adults. These first these stories are so Connected to being in your teens or early 20s, things that a lot of us experience during that time and the emotional roller coasters that we go on before we really mature. And at 32, I'm like a super boundary person. Like my circle is pretty small. I have my personal life is not. I hate, I hate to say, I hope this isn't boring. My personal life is not dramatic. Like, it's not. And I feel lucky, but also that's very intentional. ⁓ Aleta: Mm-hmm. Greg Duffy: like when people show you who they are, believe them. I've certainly had blips, ⁓ whether it's dating somebody or whether it's someone becomes a friend in your life. ⁓ And ⁓ I'm quick to be like, ⁓ this person's not a great fit. And that's only Only with experience. I was not always that way. I look back at some of my exes and I'm like, what the hell was I thinking? ⁓ But ⁓ you know, like they stuck around longer. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Exactly. Aleta: Haven't we all? Lucy: What? Greg Duffy: So so I was not always this way, but at my age, I do feel ⁓ very grounded. And I think that if this happened to ⁓ started acting let's say this happened ten years ago, and ⁓ some of my co-stars are in that age group. ⁓ I think ⁓ It's much harder. I think it's much harder to stand your ground, ⁓ defend your values, you know, and some of them are amazing at it, but I don't think I would have been amazing at it if this happened to me at 22, let's say. And I had those aspirations, musically speaking, at 22 for sure. I wanted to be a f you know, a famous singer, songwriter. And it didn't happen at that time. you know, and I still have aspirations around being able to do a global tour and all of that stuff. But I feel so lucky by the people I'm surrounded with, who truly, and I I'm sure you have people in your life like this, are superheroes to me. And it's a small circle, and they're some of the most incredible people, and they're my circle, and they keep me grounded, and they keep me humble, and they me inspired. ⁓ Aleta: Ha ha Greg Duffy: And took me a long time to get there. So that's how I'm grounded, I think, today in ways that I probably wouldn't have been a while ago if this happened earlier. Lucy: I love that about you. You I think we've always kind of guessed that about you, that you kinda just knew who you know who you are and you know what you want and it doesn't surprise me that you say this. It's a very mature response and it I think it's what many of us should strive for at all times. Greg Duffy: Wow. Yeah. No, again, at risk of being boring, right? It'd be great if I had some hot gossip about my personal life. Lucy: I nothing you're saying is boring. This is awesome. Just know that. People are already gonna freak out. They don't know this is coming. So Greg Duffy: Great, love it, love it, love it, love it, love. I know. You've kept this a secret. Aleta: Every time they're like, Is it Greg? Is it Greg? We're like Greg Duffy: Like, I don't know. You actually do it's a very something that I would do. It's like, I don't know, you know, like Lucy: We don't know. We're like have Declan. We're like here's Tristan Greg Duffy: Here's Declan. Totally. Aleta: Literally gave put did a poll, like, do you want to know ahead of time or not? And they voted no, so you get nothing. Greg Duffy: Let it they spoke. Lucy: I loved I love doing surprises. So this is the best. Greg Duffy: It's ⁓ isn't it so fun? You know I love a surprise. I know. Now you know you have secrets of your own to keep how hard it is, but how fun it can be too. Aleta: It's so hard to keep the secret. It's killing me. ⁓ Lucy: It's not hard for me. I get like a sadistic joy every single time. They're like like it was so funny talking to Andrew, because he's a Libra too, but he was like, ⁓ I just I can't keep surprises. And I was like, it's the best thing in the whole world to just hold that in and just watch. ⁓ Greg Duffy: Yeah. I know. And and to anticipate the that eventually will come, which is also so exciting. ⁓ People losing their minds over, know, the secret being revealed. This is ⁓ so fun. Aleta: You're too good at it. I'm like, tell me Lucy: It is so fun. You are, but I appreciate it. Keep it up. That's right. Greg Duffy: So fun. Keep him guessing. Lucy: ⁓ Okay. ⁓ let's see here. of the roles that you have played date, which is your favorite and is there one you relate to more? Greg Duffy: Mm. Such a good question. I think out of the roles I've played so far, I relate a lot to Lucas from The Prince's First Love. Now, he's got all this bad boy street cred that like I may not necessarily have, ⁓ but I can act ⁓ But Aleta: Mm-hmm. Ha ha ha. Greg Duffy: but what I really relate is ⁓ he is so of the people that he loves. Like he's intrinsic motivations are most frequently about protecting his loved ones. He has such a close relationship with his grandmother, ⁓ who is you know kind of his mom. ⁓ And ⁓ we don't even get that much story about the but Parents, but he doesn't really have parents in his life. And he's so protective of Alice, his best friend. He has a small circle. But you even see he has like a really strong moral compass, even though he's seen as the bad boy, you know, he's protecting, he's beating up the bullies who take the other guy's lunch money. So he has this kind of moral compass that guides him, regardless of if it makes him a loner. You know, like my impression of Lucas is that. He's a loner because he sticks to who he is, you know? And he's okay with that, even though it's lonely. And so letting someone in like the prince is scary, ⁓ because he's got control over his tight little circle. So I I relate a lot to him for all those reasons. I think he's like a very ⁓ there's a lot of layers to him as a character. Lucy: We like Lucas. Lucas is good. Greg Duffy: Mm. Yeah, it's so fun. You know, around that time I was he's bad boy, but a guy. Aleta: Mm-hmm. Greg Duffy: think ⁓ I I I that a lot. I I think he had some like cool spunk, cool personality, cool style. ⁓ but he's such good guy, you know? Lucy: He is. Those are our favorite types of bad boys. You did it well. Greg Duffy: Yeah. Yeah. ⁓ Aleta: Okay. Who has been your biggest influence as an actor and why? Greg Duffy: So being new to this. I have to be honest and say that my biggest influences are my co stars and friends. Evan Gambardella. We that was the first lead for the both of us, but he, you know how good of an actor Evan Gambardella is. And I will say, I think so much of the success of Straight Until He Kissed Me is because of the types of risks Evan took with his acting. That read so well, that were so fun. And that truly like elicited reactions from me that were so organic. You know, some of those scenes where I'm literally just laughing and they caught it on camera, and that's the scene ⁓ because he Lucy: Ha ha ha ha Greg Duffy: improvised something. ⁓ And so ⁓ when I think of my inspirations being thrown into the deep end with some of these projects and not being classically trained in any particular way, ⁓ my like ⁓ theater as a as a kid, ⁓ Evan and Andrew who both studied this and know like the classical people will say something like, you know, there's this method and there's that method, and I'm sitting there like, who the hell? Meisner? ⁓ Who is that? ⁓ Lucy: Ha ha ha ha ha! Aleta: Eisner is Stanislavsky. Greg Duffy: I'm like, I don't know. But but then I work I work across these people who make these choices that are so inspired and so thoughtful, ⁓ that come very naturally to them. ⁓ And so working and learning from ⁓ co-stars has a crash course ⁓ in ⁓ ⁓ and and inspiration. And sometimes, know, I'm taking a role, like, you know, Evan and Andrew and other friends are my ⁓ I go to them for advice. Would you do this? What do you think? And Evan, Evan often says, it's paid practice. Go do it. And a cool way to think about, okay, cool. Like let me just step into this role and do my best and ⁓ we'll see how goes. But ⁓ I've learned so much from them. So I'm very, very, very inspired by them. Lucy: And I'm starting to cry. Okay. I I I was immediately when you were like, you know some of the scenes, I was thinking of the end of Strah is this awesome! I'm so excited we're talking about this. Okay, at the end of Straight Until He Kissed Me, this scene where he comes out from under the desk and he's like And then you're just like You're just cracking. That Aleta: ⁓ Ha Greg Duffy: Yes. Which you have a very important meeting. Yeah, yeah. Lucy: used in so many edits because how natural and like beautiful and organic it was and like we just we Greg Duffy: It was like, yeah, go ahead. It was it was like a Sesame Street. It was almost Lucy: No, please. It's just great. Greg Duffy: like Elmo. You have a very important business meeting. And people, I don't know if Aleta: Yeah. Greg Duffy: everybody understands the amount of courage it takes to take such ⁓ a crazy risk as to do that is not in the script. And he's like, What if I did this? ⁓ And does it? And I'm like, and I'm trying not break, and you see me. And I'm just like, this is so fun. I'm having so much fun. And they Aleta: Ha ha ⁓ Greg Duffy: and the they caught it. ⁓ Honestly, I think he made me look like a better actor because I'm just but it looks so organic because it is. And I'm like, they caught that on camera? Hell yeah. Aleta: Ha ha ha ha. Lucy: That I mean it is, and Greg Duffy: That's acting. Aleta: Yeah. Lucy: I I straight until he kissed as a whole. Like I mean, and Evan did talk about that, you know, like, yeah, I got I got a lot of liberties with that, and it was so great for my first lead. But every time we watch it, it's just a consistent, joyful response as a fan. There are there are BL verticals that they're they're good, they're great, but they don't, they're not rewatchability is important to me. The further ⁓ Greg Duffy: Mm. Yeah. Mm. Yeah. Lucy: We go along like in this journey kind of with you guys. And there's maybe to me currently, maybe like seven or eight that I would rewatch over and over again. And you and Evan. It's just great, awesome on-screen chemistry. And it was organic and it was amazing. And ⁓ I could gush about suck ⁓ for three Greg Duffy: Mm. Mm. Lucy: hours. So ⁓ suck ⁓ You know, and McCunter. Greg Duffy: Flatum Aleta: Ha ha. Greg Duffy: McCunter. McCunter Lucy: But whatever. Let's just say it on the we're gonna state on this podcast. Evan, where are the McCunter panties? We've been waiting for seven months. Where are they? Anyway, okay, I'm sorry. Release the panties. Okay. I'm so sorry. I had to get a little weird just once, but ⁓ Aleta: Ha ha ha Greg Duffy: Where are they? Release them. Totally. I don't think we're weird enough. I think we got we got some room to go. Lucy: We do have someone gonna lead us like I hate you. ⁓ I love you. ⁓ Okay. ⁓ back to serious stuff. Alright. Very serious. Greg. Okay. Mm-mm. How do you define this is so hard because I just want to go back to suck them. How do you def this is hard. Okay, how do you define success, Greggels? Aleta: Love you. ⁓ Greg Duffy: Very serious. Aleta: How do you go back to the ⁓ God. Greg Duffy: Mm. Greggles. Lucy: Is it a ⁓ Greggles? I had I gotta get I'm trying to break it in there. ⁓ Is do you success is a moving target? Greg Duffy: ⁓ great question. ⁓ yeah. ⁓ you want to get serious for a second? this is so serious. I I'm I'm being serious. I think a lot about dying. For real. For real. Lucy: shit! Greg Duffy: On my deathbed, will I be proud of what I did? I think a about. Choices that I'm making, things within my control. Did I make the best choices with the information I had? Did at that time, not in retrospect, just at the time. You don't have a little grace for some of the decisions you make with your best knowledge at that time. ⁓ the world better than I found it. That's the best of my knowledge, the best of my ability. did I have fun? Truly did I have fun? Or did I live, did I did I work toward things or did I kind of run away from things? Like these are the questions ⁓ you know, I've never been on my deathbed, but I could imagine like, okay, cool, what will I think about my life? And I don't live there all the time, but I just think as an exercise, it's like, okay, what does success mean then? I do think of that person. and I think when I look back, what will I feel like to find success? And that that's what it is for me. Did I have fun? Did I try my best? Did I make the best decisions I possibly could with the information I had at the time? ⁓ and did I take risks? Like that success to me. And so I think those are inputs that I can control. I certainly have goals. Like I'd love to do a global tour with my music, you know? And there are certain, I'm a pretty mathematical person, and there's there are certain quantifiable metrics that are. important to be able to accomplish some of those things. You have to be able to financially support a global tour, right? People have to buy tickets. Like there's all those things, but that is a little bit outside of my control. I can control the inputs. And so if I if my values are aligned such that I feel like I did my best and I had fun. And sometimes it's easy to forget to have fun, but I really think it's actually core, then I think I'll then I think I'll, you know, believe that I'm successful. I think all the other quantities and goals that I have are secondary to that looking back. I mean like, did you accomplish did you align with your values and leave the world a better place and did you have fun while you were doing it? And I think I'm doing that, you know, and so I think I'm successful in that way, even though I have all of these other goals that I have yet to achieve. Lucy: I think you're doing it too. You look like you're always having fun and just living life to the fullest. ⁓ And Aleta: Ha ha ha. Lucy: the ⁓ when you do that, it feeds everybody else. So it's awesome. It really, really is. I ⁓ you mine is cr I when you said that I was like, ⁓ damn, because mine's I feel like I'm just like, okay, I just gotta make it until my kids this age, which is terrible, terrible thinking. ⁓ Greg Duffy: Hm. Yeah. Thank you. Mm mm mm. Because you're thinking about caring about your child, right? You think about like making yeah yeah. Yeah, well I well Lucy: Yeah. Yeah, I'm like I'm like I can go d this time. I don't want to. But you know what I mean? Like what I was like, what's he gonna say? So mine's Greg Duffy: But it's a very it's a very beautiful maternal instinct. And I'm not a parent and I I think maybe maybe it changes when you're a parent. Lucy: So, but I love I I feel like I always learn a lot from you and Evan actually. The two of you are so wise, especially like we may be older, but wow, it's the maturity level and the wisdom you both bring. And when you guys speak, I a lot of it sticks with me, at least. Like that really stuck with me. I'm like, yeah, maybe instead of saying I just gotta make it to this long. Greg Duffy: Mm. Mm. Mm. Lucy: Maybe start thinking about what I'm doing. Will I be proud of myself at the end of it? Greg Duffy: But I yeah, ⁓ true. But I also think, you know, this starting this podcast is a great example of taking a risk, getting yourself into an uncomfortable place, something you don't know much about, and have to learn about. I'm looking at your setups right now, both of you with these beautiful mics and these pop filters in front. I'm like, you had to Aleta: ⁓ Greg Duffy: learn about all this setup, I'm sure. And you weren't afraid to go do that and put yourself out there. ⁓ Let that like put yourself on camera. I know that was something that you hadn't done. And look at you. ⁓ Aleta: I did ne I never intended to put myself on camera when we started. Greg Duffy: Totally. And look where you are. Mm mm. Lucy: She she was supposed to be an avatar. She would have been an avatar after this. Just speaking to you. ⁓ Aleta: Not at all. ⁓ Yeah. Greg Duffy: Yeah, and look and look Aleta: Yeah. And then it was like, ⁓ if we're gonna interview people that's gonna look really stupid, so ⁓ yeah, I guess I have to do this. ⁓ Greg Duffy: It well, it reminds me of ⁓ another ⁓ quote I live by that I actually don't know who is attributed to, but it's what I I think of it frequently, ⁓ is that ⁓ is not the lack of fear, but the courage to do what's right in the face of fear. And ⁓ I believe I my own five second rule, which is that I feel like a lot of life exists actually on the other side of making a really brave decision ⁓ in five seconds. know, we dwell, dwell, dwell, dwell, but then when it comes to Just go up to that person and say hi. Or you know, put yourself out there for that job thing. Just press send. Go. Like, I think a lot of decisions are actually kind of these smaller, quicker decisions ⁓ in the face of fear. And I think you don't have to be brave, brave, brave, brave, brave all the time. I there are these little moments where it's like, I'm just gonna stop thinking about it. I'm gonna go do it. And then you're suddenly doing it. And here you are on camera, and you're like, now you're doing it, and you've done it. Aleta: Huh. Greg Duffy: And I'm sure it gets a little bit easier over time. So I it's very inspirational to like to see that, you know. Aleta: Yeah, just Lucy: Your risks made us take risks. Aleta: DMing Lucy saying, you know, all these people doing podcasts, they're just like ⁓ regular like us. Like we could do that. ⁓ Greg Duffy: Now it's so cool. Mm. Totally. Aleta: And here we are. ⁓ Greg Duffy: And you are. Lucy: Ours is a little more unhinged, but I like it. Let's just That's why it's explicit. Aleta: Ha ha ha. Greg Duffy: I think people love the unhinged. People Yeah. It has such an an innocent name, Besties Do Verticals, and here we are. Explicit version dropping the F bomb. Aleta: Huh. ⁓ it's it's not an innocent name. Lucy: No no no no no no no no no no no it's not innocent and we will tell you after the podcast and you know what listeners if you can guess where besties Yes the besties came from Greg but if you can guess what besties do verticals is actually from I will I don't know whoever guesses I will send you something I will I will surprise a guest ahead of time I don't know but Aleta: Craig's face. Lucy: Let's let Greg spiral with that for the rest of the interview. You you're Greg Duffy: Every every time there's something euphemistic, I think it goes back to one thing. Butthole virginity. Lucy: Ha ha! Greg Duffy: Truly that's where mind goes every time. Every time. I'm like, how is this related to that line? Lucy: Yes Yes. You just made my whole day Thank ya Now Alita you do butthole vagina Greg Duffy: It had to be said. It had to be said. It had to be said. Aleta: Ha ha ha. Lucy: She messed that up on the Waterboy 2 podcast episode. It was 20 minutes of laughing, and then I was like, yeah. No, no, because the first half of Waterboy Yeah, I had to because the first half of Waterboy 2, I told this to Declan, I was like, it was a great vertical guys, but I it sent me into anxiety attacks, and it really did because it reminded me of like my my past breakups and stuff. Aleta: ⁓ my god, I we were so tired. That's that's not Greg Duffy: ⁓ my God. ⁓ my god. Aleta: Like you have to cut that out. Greg Duffy: Include it. Wow. Lucy: And so the first half was like, yeah, this is really sad. This is this is this. And then here comes Alita with butthole vagina. And it was twenty minutes of chaos. And you know, people told us it brought it back. So we're good. We're good. Yep. Greg's work is just giving, you know? It gives past drive him wild and goes into other episodes. So. Greg Duffy: Nice, good. I'm glad. I'm glad it's back. I'm glad it's back. Aleta: Ha ha ha ha. Greg Duffy: Shout out to the writers who put that into that script. Aleta: ⁓ my god. Lucy: Okay. It's beautiful. I want more like that. Give Greg more unhinged things to say. Aleta: That whole vertical is just so delightfully unhinged, like Greg Duffy: Uh-huh. You know, since I've started, I've gotten more comfortable with getting a little spicier and and knowing ⁓ that fans appreciate it. As long as they're like respectful and spicy. I'm like, okay, let's do it. You know? ⁓ And and and that one in particular, Jeff so good to work with. He was diving in. Like we were boom. And it was great. It was awesome. Aleta: Ha Lucy: chemistry. I'd love to see you guys together in another one. I just here for it. ⁓ Greg Duffy: Yeah. Totally. Me too. Me too. Lucy: ⁓ Alita, I know you and I this has become so beautifully off script and I am here for it and can keep doing that. But if for any reason you're like, I'm gonna skip this one, that's okay. Just you know. Aleta: Well, we did already talk about your music and ⁓ how we're waiting for your next release. Greg Duffy: Right, right. That next song. Lucy: Ask him the big one the the the big big question The end of the year question says she hopefully. Aleta: Yeah. Greg Duffy: Mm. Aleta: End of the year question. ⁓ can we expect to have an album's worth of music by the end of the year? ⁓ Greg Duffy: I will tell you, in the past couple months, I have been solely focused on writing and producing new work. ⁓ And a lot of ⁓ is close to done. And ⁓ it's I'm it, might be surprising, ⁓ but I'm taking it a little bit of a different direction. ⁓ And it's going to ⁓ a little bit more A little bit more confessional, a little bit more diaristic, heartfelt. And I know my a lot of my stuff is that way, but if you if you think about the last couple of songs, Excuses for You and If Looks Could Kill have been very confident and pop and fun. what is gonna come next is going to be the most, probably the most intimate. And vulnerable and honest music I've ever made. Lucy: Hmm. Greg Duffy: A little stripped back, ⁓ a little possibly. ⁓ Aleta: So you're gonna break our hearts is what you're saying. Greg Duffy: Yeah, and and ⁓ and that actually that type Aleta: Okay. Greg Duffy: of songwriting comes really ⁓ naturally to me even more than like the pop I love writing a fun pop song, but you know, I grew up being a pianist and a singer and some of the stuff is gonna be me at the piano telling autobiographical, ⁓ really ⁓ tough, like vulnerable stories from my ⁓ that they're scary to me. ⁓ In in some way, and I think that means that I really have to tell those stories. Lucy: It's gotta be like therapy for you to just get it out. But then also jumping off a cliff. Like here is everything inside me. Here you go, world. Greg Duffy: Я Yeah. Exactly. And you know, even being concerned that certain people might feel a certain way about the way I tell my story, you know, and inherently in writing it and making it public, you know, those people are entitled to their feelings about my work. I don't have to listen to them, but ⁓ it they might start some tough you know, people might have strong feelings about them and that's okay. But they're true. They're just true. So ⁓ that's what's coming up in the rest of the year. Lucy: So so we're hearing by the end of the year there could be an album of multiple songs just hanging about. Greg Duffy: Y you're gonna get lots of songs before the end of the year. For sure. For sure. Yeah. ⁓ Lucy: excited. ⁓ yeah, the your the two you released, ⁓ besides Make You Stay, they're dance party songs. I dance do dance party with my kid. So Greg Duffy: Yeah. Yeah. That is amazing. And that's what they're meant to be. You know? They're meant to be these confidence boosting songs, which are still very true to me. And I I sometimes channel that when I don't feel confident and ⁓ you know, to make myself go to that place. ⁓ Yeah, and I and I love that. It means it's amazing to think about people dancing around to the music, you know? Then this one maybe Thank Lucy: Your music is really good. Greg Duffy: you. Thank you. ⁓ Aleta: Ha ha Greg Duffy: And this I I hope the next few songs make people feel seen, like really seen. That's what my hope is. Lucy: I'm sure they will. You're pretty raw with, you know, and and giving, you know, with what you write. It can be emotional as it is. So we're just gonna be prepared to cry harder. ⁓ So we're Greg Duffy: Just be prepared. Aleta: There there's a reason why s my Spotify is like ⁓ because listen to Greg Duffy, hear s Sad Songs playlist. ⁓ Lucy: Ha ha ha ha ha ha. Greg Duffy: Yeah, it's not like I haven't written a bunch of sad songs already. They're already out there. They're already out there. Aleta: Ha ⁓ Lucy: beautiful. Okay, Alita, I think you I I want to hear about ⁓ that kind of newer question that was picked out. The the sense question. Greg Duffy: Mm-hmm. ⁓ yeah. ⁓ Aleta: ⁓ well that was yeah, kind of related to the other one in terms of your ⁓ character development process. We know you're really into scents. D is creating a scent profile part of your character development. Greg Duffy: Yeah. It is. I would say even more than a sonic reference for the character, I first go to a scent reference. What does this character smell like? ⁓ No, all they all smell amazing. They all smell amazing, but they smell different. ⁓ actually, you know what I say? Lucy: Are any of your characters stinky and then you gotta let Greg Duffy: Brady from Wild. ⁓ One, he's a hockey player, but two. ⁓ Aleta: Ha ha Greg Duffy: He sprays himself with like Axe Body Spray. It's not cute. Lucy: I knew that would come out. Greg Duffy: It's not cute. Yeah, yeah. It ⁓ it's what he wears for sure. And he's like a probably like a walking cloud like ⁓ sweaty hockey gear ⁓ masked by the cloud of Axe Body Spray. So not everyone smells amazing. That's a quite a unique scent that he has. ⁓ And and each person has, like, it's not what I would necessarily wear, right? Like, this is meant to get into Aleta: Yeah, yeah. Greg Duffy: the character. ⁓ like Lucas, for example, there's a scent. ⁓ a friend bought me the scent when I got the role, and it's called Bad Boy. And it's Caroline Herrera, it's kind of like ⁓ smoky, ⁓ dark, ⁓ has this ⁓ like Dark limey type of scent where it's like, I don't know, it's sure that smells amazing, but it's certainly like bad boy, you know? It's just it's dark, maybe dark tobacco-y wood, ⁓ a little bit of spice. And that's what Lucas wears. He's a high schooler. Like the high school ones, it's like they might not have found their, they might not have settled in yet to like a really nice scent profile, but this is what they wear. They're 18, you know? ⁓ Hunter is the most like me. Hunter has expensive Aleta: ⁓ Greg Duffy: taste. ⁓ And he wears ⁓ that is woody, a sandal wood, mixed with like a like a whiskey, dark, warm. ⁓ There's a scent that love. There's a few scents that I love in this profile, like Tom Ford Tuscan Leather, ⁓ Messon Margiella Jazz Club, is smoky and ⁓ and sexy. ⁓ there's a scent that I love from a French perfume house called Maison Caravelli. And it's called Oud Maracuya. And so Oud is kind of that woody, leathery, dark smell. very grounded. Like me personally, I wear a lot of woody scents. I think they're very grounded. but maracuya, I mean, they thought you know it's passion fruit. ⁓ Mm-hmm. Aleta: Isn't it passion fruit? Yeah. Greg Duffy: So it has this pop. and I love I love a blend of masculine feminine. I think me personally, feel very ⁓ And I love playing with both. ⁓ And so smell that's woody and fruity. There's another one dipty called Odorilla. And it's inspired The Silk Road. And it has those ⁓ woody, strong tones, ⁓ leather tobacco with a pop of raspberry. And so I love ⁓ The science behind playing with those things. And so that's Hunter. Hunter, masculine, grounded, Tom Ford, Tuscan leather, but has this pop of something else? Cause he's comfortable with who he is. He doesn't mind like a little bit of a pop, of a color, of a fruit, that kind of thing. So scents are like, I get so passionate about them. And I own all these, and I'm like, what day is it today? What am I wearing? ⁓ Because I'll also Aleta: Ha ha ha. Greg Duffy: say that really inspires me to feel in a certain mood. And when I'm with another a new actor, when I'm with someone who's new to me and I have intimacy scenes with them, you better believe I'm gonna be smelling good. ⁓ am ⁓ mouthwashed and I am deodorized Aleta: Ha ha ha Ha ha ha. Greg Duffy: and have a tasteful amount of a perfume or cologne, so that is a pleasant as possible to make out with me. ⁓ Aleta: Mm-hmm. Lucy: You heard it here first, folks. Behind the scenes. This is great. I love this. Aleta: Ha ha ha Lucy: I didn't expect that. That is awesome. ⁓ Greg Duffy: Yeah. Mm. When someone says to me out of the blue, like a stranger's like, wow, you smell really good, I'm like, that's one of the best compliments you can give me. Cause I've 'cause I've thought about it, you know, I'm being really intentional about it. Lucy: You know what's really awesome and kinda cute is you lit up and were so passionate, just like Andrew was with swords and pirate ships. So this was like I know, but that just you know, okay. I got I know we're running out of time, but I gotta say this. I'm throwing myself under the bus. So when you were saying like ⁓ Greg Duffy: Amazing. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Aleta: ⁓ yeah. Lucy: When you you were like, he'd smell like axe. I I was like, I like axe. Aleta: Mm. Greg Duffy: Yeah. It's not, listen, it's not the worst thing in the world. It's just, it's almost like a cliche. It's almost like high school. I went to I went to an all-boys high school. We all had like axe body spray in our lockers. And then like in between class, we're and then you You know? And it's better than what you're covering up, probably. You know? It's just so. Aleta: Mm-hmm. Lucy: It is a cliche. Aleta: Ha ha. ⁓ god. Lucy: Ha ha ha. Greg Duffy: emblematic of like a particular age and type and you know and it's fun to make fun of because it's a cliche, but it's not the worst thing in the world. It's not worst smell. Lucy: You just inspire me to actually sort of care because this must be like the butch mask side of me where I've just I don't do perfume and and and I've I've always been appeal like it sounds appealing. And when people wear it nicely, you're like, you'd smell lovely, but I just didn't know there were all these scents and like you know all these term Okay, well I'll try to open it up. Greg Duffy: Okay. Hmm. Yeah. ⁓ it's a whole world. It's it's a whole world. Yeah. It's like wine. It's like coffee. like once you open the door, you realize, ⁓ my god, there this whole world. And there's indie perfumers. ⁓ And obviously the designer perfumers. I think the indie ones are so interesting. Like they have much smaller market but you can go to some of these. Just go to a perfume shop in your town and just tell them like what you tend to like. And they'll give you a whole like, they'll give you a whole not a tasting, but a smelling. You know, it's kind of like try all these different things. And it's such a an amazing olfactory experience. I truly, you are transported. Because smell is so linked to memory. And so anyway, it's I think it's amazing. It's so fun to be transported by smells. Lucy: Well, if I ever get my first perfume, I might be like, hey Greg, where do I put it? You know, what's the spray amount? Like, ⁓ and then, you know, go around up people and be like, smell me. Anyway. ⁓ Aleta: Ha ha ha. Greg Duffy: Totally. Smell me. Lucy: So smell good. ⁓ This is great. ⁓ Okay. ⁓ okay. ⁓ Alita, sorry. I'm gonna move forward. Greg Duffy: Smell me. Aleta: Okay. Lucy: Alright, ⁓ Ooh, I want you to ask this one though. ⁓ can you ask the corporate one? I'm so excited to hear that one. Aleta: ⁓ yeah. Yeah, but well as you've you said earlier, before you decided to go for acting and music full time you had a whole different career on the corporate side of music. ⁓ How that experience helped you with promoting your own music and other content? Greg Duffy: Well, I'll say number one, I've worked at many music companies. And the really freeing realization is nobody knows what they're doing. ⁓ Everyone says that they have the secret sauce retrospect when something is successful. But it's actually really hard to ⁓ encapsulate what resonated with people because when we're talking about success in music, we're talking about ⁓ making people ⁓ Aleta: Hmm. Greg Duffy: care about this art form and connecting with them on a really fundamentally human level. And some people do it with great success and some people don't. And the differences between those two can be quite hard to identify. and so one, it's freeing. One's like a lot of people don't know they're doing. And so if you don't if you feel like you don't know what you're doing, you're probably you're doing yeah you're good. You're right. There's no secrets, there's no secret to be learned. I worked a lot in data analytics. I worked at Sony Music in data analytics. And I worked at a company called Vivo, if you're familiar with the music videos. And I actually did learn a lot about ⁓ content online. And for example, I basically was in charge of all of the data for all of the music videos that were on YouTube ⁓ that went through Vivo. And Vivo is owned by Sony Universal. And so Every music video that came out from Sony Universal, which are two of the biggest three labels in the world, we were doing 35 billion views a month across all genres, across all levels of artists. I had the back-end YouTube data for all of that stuff. And my job was to report insights on those videos to the record labels themselves. And so I went to all of the record labels at Sony, which is actually how I ended up working at Sony, but I You know, there's all of the sub labels at the at the large record labels. ⁓ so Sony has Columbia and RCA and Arista and Sony Nashville. ⁓ Universal has you've heard these names, Republic. what else does Universal have? There's so many. UMG Nashville. I mean, that there's all of these huge labels that a lot of our favorite artists are assigned to. And so I learned a lot about ⁓ users' behavior and how they interact with music videos, ⁓ which was super interesting and has ⁓ through lines with how you might think about creating content on Instagram and TikTok. Really the simplest thing is how do algorithms work. And there's so many users on creators that are like, ⁓ TikTok just changed the algorithm, and this is what you gotta know to like hit the algorithm. And it's like, maybe, yeah. Like, okay, maybe YouTube is favoring shorter videos now because they've introduced shorts and they're gonna push shorts on YouTube versus long form content. Maybe, maybe. It's impossible to know that, and that stuff changes all the time. what you need to know is that you need to retain viewers, right? And we all know that too. You know that on TikTok people start with a hook. The simplest thing about the algorithm is that it wants you to stay on the platform as long as possible. We all know that. And this is what I learned. This is the crash course that not only did I have to learn, but I used to give talks about this at conferences, and then I used to go present on this. ⁓ it's about user retention. And how do you make something that people care about? And for me, I mean, there's tips and tricks, but also it's like, how do you take an experimental approach to the content you make and see what people respond with? You see a lot of content that I make that's response to comments. Well, people comment the things that they care about. I'm gonna respond to the comments that they put because that's them telling me what they would like to know. And so really it comes down to how do you create something that resonates with people and what are the you know tips to do that and how can you take an experimental approach to the content and not be tethered to something that doesn't work even though you thought it would, you know? so anyway, I learned a lot about that with my time working on music videos and stuff. But I would say those two things. How how do you figure out what people care about? And two, like, no you nobody knows what they're doing. So just go do it. Lucy: ⁓ That that hooked me right in because so I'm I'm I'm I'm in my I'm I'm 40 something. Anyway, you a light switch flips for women in their 40s, and that is like one of the first things that came to light is no especially in corporate world, nobody knows what they're doing. We're all flying by the seat of our pants. Yeah. If I could tell, it is so freeing. You're like, okay, and and that was part of the reason. Greg Duffy: Mm-hmm. ⁓ no. No. It's so freeing. Lucy: Her and I were like, let's just be crazy and do something crazy. Because we're like, nobody knows. I was like, we'll figure it out and we're figuring it out and we'll just see what happens. But yes, world. Greg Duffy: Ugh, so inspiring. And you only figure out by doing, not by anticipating. Preparing. Just stop preparing. Just go do it. And fail. Fail. Lucy: Yep. Fail a lot. Greg Duffy: Fail lot. Fail Lucy: It's the way. It is the way. ⁓ Okay, I am going to jump here. Give me one I'm jumping kind of far, Alita, unless there's something that means a lot to you, okay? Greg Duffy: Totally. Yeah. Aleta: ⁓ sure. I mean I yeah. This happens every time we have too many questions. Lucy: Okay. All right. And then later, Greg, before we so you c you can see why Declan and Andrews went Greg Duffy: Ha ha ha. I don't know Well you had so many great so many great questions. I knew I was like I was like I was like I could talk about this for six hours, you know? So I knew, I knew. Aleta: We had like forty five questions for Andrew. We had no idea. Lucy: Yep. Well, seriously, you know, you're always welcome back. If you want to stay longer, Greg Duffy: Great. ⁓ Great. Lucy: totally fine, but we are whoop. ⁓ Alrighty. ⁓ this one I really want to know. This will kind of be the ⁓ you know what? No, we're gonna move, move, move. Okay. ⁓ Greg, ⁓ if you could give ten-year-old Greg any advice or encouragement about his future, what know now, what would it be? ⁓ Greg Duffy: Mm-hmm. ⁓ my god. The thing okay, so I felt very isolated for a long time. I felt very different from the rest of my family, from where I the place small town I grew up in. And what I would say is I would hold his little hand and say, the things that make you feel isolated and the things that make you feel so different and misunderstood are. Going to be your superpowers. You're not going to succeed in spite of them. You are going to succeed because of them. And those superpowers will be used for the forces of good. ⁓ Aleta: Ha ha Greg Duffy: And all you have to do is trust yourself. You will be told many, many things by many, many people about what should should not do. And you should disregard the vast majority of it. ⁓ And you should Lucy: Ha ha Greg Duffy: trust yourself. ⁓ It doesn't mean the hardship is less. ⁓ It doesn't mean alienation that you feel is any less. But have found that in direct correlation to just how deep those things hurt ⁓ is how ⁓ deep the strength that developed because of it. ⁓ ⁓ I this recently, actually in the subscriber chat. ⁓ because I was experiencing some physical pain. I was like, I feel more connected to other human beings because of the painful things I've experienced than the successful, quote-unquote successful things I've experienced. And so while pain sucks, ⁓ trust yourself. And you're gonna be, you're not only gonna be okay, not just okay, you are going to live a life beyond. your wildest expectation. Just keep going. Just keep going. Lucy: Okay. Thank you for sharing. Don't mind me. Greg Duffy: ⁓ He wa I I he was Aleta: Ha ha ha. Greg Duffy: I mean, he was a he was a scared kid. He was such a scared kid, he was such scared teenager, he was such a scared like early twenties something. So yeah. ⁓ Lucy: Yeah. I think I'm getting emotional because you're not like like your experience it I I don't know I I can't quite say if it's collective. We haven't spoken to tons of people, but some of the people we've spoken to, it was very difficult for them when they were young. And so this is one of the reasons we wanted to keep this question in is I feel like the advice we've been hearing from all of you is really powerful and if there is somebody listening, they can take from that. Because I feel like every time you guys talk about it I take from it. It's beautiful. And emotional, but yeah. Greg Duffy: Yeah. Yeah. Totally. And that really is like the underlying reason that I do this work. ⁓ I I love and I love to do it, but the underlying reason, the life force, is that ⁓ I I mean, can't tell you how many messages I've received from people that say, Thank you so much for ⁓ acting in this project. You inspired to come out to my sister. Like I get a lot of messages from people whose lives are directly positively impacted. And sometimes it's so easy to think some of this stuff is silly and it's fun and it's, you know, quirky. But it really is meaningful and it is changing people's lives and bringing people together and helping people accept themselves. And I think it's nothing short of like magical because of all of that. And so, you know, I feel so lucky. Like that's in the hard days, that's the driving force that keeps it going. Lucy: That's awesome. We'll keep trying to give that love as much as we can. Keep going, Greg. Wanna see more? Greg Duffy: No. Woo! ⁓ I'm gonna keep going and you just wait ⁓ for what's coming Aleta: Hmm, we heard about something. We Lucy: This is my fan girl squeal! Greg Duffy: Did you hear about something? I cannot Aleta: may have heard about something a couple of people that we're wondering whether you're involved with. ⁓ Well Greg Duffy: Who is telling the beans? I don't know. I don't know what you're referring to. Lucy: Ha ha ha. Aleta: Mm-hmm. Lucy: This is great. Okay. ⁓ Alita, if you're good with it, I think you should jump down to the f to well not to the end Anne, but the fan one. Aleta: Right to the end? Yeah. So I've I've done this two ways. Greg Duffy: I and I can go I can go another five to ten. Lucy: Okay, then we're gonna throw in another question. Hold on. Hold please. Pick another one, Alita. I've got one. Can I do one? Can you ask can you ask him about the NYU adjunct? I've been dy Craig, I've been wanting to ask you about this forever. I was so excited she put it in there. I did, I'm sorry. Well, I'm being respectful. Let's let's let's at least do this one before we get all sappy. Okay. Sappier. Aleta: ⁓ my god. ⁓ okay. Yeah, sure. Greg Duffy: ⁓ Aleta: ⁓ yeah, yeah. Greg Duffy: Totally. Aleta: You jumped it though. That's all right. Yeah, yeah, you Greg Duffy: We're back. Yeah. Aleta: we were curious what what you taught at NYU and did did you like teaching? Greg Duffy: Yeah. Yeah, I don't talk about this much online. Sometimes I feel like, you know, I have these different versions. One's the acting stuff, one's the teaching stuff. But I love talking about this. I had been an adjunct at NYU at the Clive Davis School of Recorded Music for seven years. ⁓ teaching a couple sections of a class every semester. It's a senior level class ⁓ called Professional Development and Music Business. You can see my little bio on NYU's website. It's like a really old picture of me. and basically it was crafted, ⁓ invented this particular class for seniors to help them graduate and be connected into a professional career in the music business, whether they want to be an artist, a manager, an agent, work at a record label, whatever they're interested in. Now the Clive Davis School is primarily people who want to be artists or songwriters. And so I have ⁓ every semester it's usually this the fall is more, but usually it's like fifty students every semester. who are some of the most talented seniors, talented young people, and they're making music and they're struggling to figure out how they're gonna make You know, their professional career workout in an artistic venue, and they're feeling pressure from their parents who have paid NYU tuition to like figure out their lives ⁓ post-graduation. They come in with a lot of dreams freshman year. And, you know, maybe a couple of them are graduating with record deals, but the majority aren't. There's some famous alumni from Clive Davis like Maggie Rogers. ⁓ there's a few, you know, well-known, but a lot of them are still figuring out. One student who I had who graduated a year ago, her name is Mercer Henderson, is incredible. She's making incredible pop music and she's finding quite a good amount of success already. But a lot of them are still trying to figure it out, you know? And with my experience in music, ⁓ corporate industry, ⁓ I connect them with a lot of people who I know, you know, whether they were at record labels, whether they were at some of the music tech companies I worked at. ⁓ and I Honestly, because of the pressure they feel to like be realistic, I say, take it off the table. Everyone's telling you to be realistic. What what's your pie in the sky dream? What do you want? What do you want, want, want? No tether, no butts. Just so you can be honest. I'm not saying that's what you're gonna get tomorrow. And what's so interesting about that exercise is a lot of them say, Well, I think I would maybe ⁓ like to Like start writing songs as a songwriter and ⁓ find some success in that and then maybe then move to they actually limit. A lot of us limit we don't even honest, like what do you want, want, want dream wise. And so then I say, Okay, cool, thank you for that. That's awesome. I think that's a beautiful dream. Is that really what you want? Or that's what you think is like a realistic want? Throw that out. And then I say, Aleta: Mm-hmm. Greg Duffy: like, go bigger. Is it bigger? Is bigger? If I'm sensing it's bigger, go bigger, go bigger, go bigger. Until they admit this is what I want. I want to be a pop star. I'm like, cool. Hell yeah. That's Aleta: Ha ha ha. Greg Duffy: awesome. ⁓ Most people who become pop have to say first, I want to be a pop star before it doesn't just happen. So cool, say it. So anyway, my job is really not about being realistic with them. Although I do, I ground it. I then say, How do we work towards this goal? How do we break it up into quantifiable ⁓ goals? How do we start ⁓ all that stuff I do. can and I connect them with, you know, my ⁓ how my career has happened, which has taken tons of lefts and rights and twists and turns. And I really just encourage them to like speak their dreams into existence first and foremost, and then we create a plan to develop professionally. And so that's what I've been doing for seven years. ⁓ and still ⁓ Yeah, the semester just finished I just finished it, which has been really hard with acting because ⁓ now my Aleta: So you're still doing it? Okay. Yeah. Greg Duffy: schedule all over the place. ⁓ So TBD on if I continue, we'll find out. But yeah, I just wrapped up another semester just now. Lucy: I had no idea you were still teaching. Wow. This feels like serious tea. I'm so glad. This is tea that we asked that. And I was I was going to say like who are you? Because the way you just spoke and like you pulled out full teacher mode and I was gonna be like, wow, you still got it, Greg. No, you're still doing it. Greg Duffy: Mm-hmm. Yeah. Aleta: Mm-hmm. Greg Duffy: The tea. Aleta: Ha ha ha Greg Duffy: I'm still doing it. I I Lucy: This is great. Greg Duffy: have so many things love to in life and I'm like, why not all of it? Do it all. Why not? ⁓ I am doing all. ⁓ Yeah. Lucy: You're doing it all. You're doing it all this ⁓ Keep no, just keep doing it. Greg Duffy: I'm having Aleta: It's Greg Duffy: fun. ⁓ Aleta: yeah. It's interesting 'cause I taught ⁓ year of first year French at university and I was just like, No, this is not for me. ⁓ Greg Duffy: Yeah. I there might be a difference between freshmen and seniors, that's pretty palpable, probably. Aleta: True, true, but yeah. You gotta teach a lot of one hundred level courses to get the ⁓ fourth year Lucy: Ha ha ha. Greg Duffy: Right. ⁓ Aleta: courses ⁓ Greg Duffy: I taught ⁓ music an afterschool program my senior year of college at like the local YMCA for middle schoolers. ⁓ Let tell you what a disaster. What absolute ⁓ I was like, I'm never meant to teach ever. So ⁓ they Aleta: Mm. Ha ha ha. Greg Duffy: I tried my very best. We had a recital at the end of the at the end of the season, like spring, whatever, we had a recital and they were all pissed at me because they all wanted the solo and I was like ⁓ So ⁓ it's dependent on age, subject matter, you know. I don't think I'd be I'm cut out for middle school teaching. No. Lucy: ⁓ gosh. Aleta: Yeah. Lucy: L let's let's say on the podcast, anyone out there who's a middle school teacher, you're a true hero. Greg Duffy: Shout out. I have the utmost respect for teachers and as a society I think we should be paying them more. I'll say that. For sure. For sure. Aleta: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Definitely. When my kids were Lucy: Yep, that's right, darn tootin'. Aleta: little and in French immersion, their teachers were like, You you should go back and get your teaching, you you know, so you can teach French immersion. And I was like, I cannot teach elementary school students. Like ⁓ my own kids, great. Other people's kids? No. Greg Duffy: Perfect. Aleta: ⁓ Greg Duffy: I am so with you. Only love, but not for me. Right. Right. Right. Lucy: Ha ha Like I'm teaching adults, dang it. Only adults. Alright, Alita. Let's d let's do the last big one. Aleta: Even adults, anyway. Okay. So I did this in two parts. So ⁓ and the other BL Boys have really built like just the most amazing community. We've talked about this ⁓ people who support you and each other. ⁓ does having that supportive fan base mean to you? Greg Duffy: ⁓ I am so grateful and often surprised by just how much the fan base shows up and supports us. You know, th the work that you make, just because it means something to you, doesn't necessarily mean that it'll always resonate. And the way that I have seen so many of the fans connect with My work, like I told you the messages that I receive sometimes that are that are so beautiful. ⁓ I received a letter in my P.O. box that was like it was so cute. It was like, thank you so much for inspiring me in all of your work. Like I started playing the guitar again. ⁓ like that kind of thing it surprises me somehow because I'm like, it's weird. It's so magical and it's weird to feel like, ⁓ my gosh, like pursuing these things and making these things that mean something to me. Are helping other people make their things. And then they're probably inspiring people in their lives. And I think you two are a perfect example of doing this podcast. I find that to be very inspirational. Watching the community that has come together. How many things have happened in like the subscriber community and the subscriber chat over the course of 10 months that are actually really serious life things? I mean, we have a ton of fun and we are very silly and we're very unhinged. And then the next moment someone's going through. a life threatening emergency Lucy: Yeah. Greg Duffy: and people show up. And I am so inspired by the community that has formed that it really is this, you know, positive flywheel, like virtuous cycle of wow, we really get to inspire each other. And then I have these friends who are amazing and talented and they're inspiring me and challenging me to be better, that I get to work alongside. ⁓ So it really is this ⁓ community. And I didn't ever that I would be a part of something like this. So I'm continuously surprised and grateful and have to pinch myself that this has what has formed around the work that we've all made together over the last not even year. Imagine. ⁓ Lucy: Yeah, it hasn't it hasn't even been a year. And I'm I'm telling you, it started with you and Evan. I don't know what it was. It was the fan engagement, it was coming on lives actively. It was you were vulner you got you got both are vulnerable to all of us. And I think that made a lot of people feel seen in of itself, like not just the actual verticals, right? Like just being vulnerable, like sharing your music, sharing things that have happened to you, ⁓ and wisdom. It's huge. Greg Duffy: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Mm. Yeah, yeah. Mm. Lucy: And it's just beautiful to hear that you feel it too, you know, from us as well. ⁓ Greg Duffy: I feel it so Aleta: Mm. ⁓ Greg Duffy: much. ⁓ I feel it. electric. Lucy: Both ways. Aleta: Tienes muchos seguidores hispanohablantes y tu canción en español es muy esperada. ¿Qué significa para ti este apoyo? Greg Duffy: Ay, ay, ay. Es increíble Aleta: Mm-hmm. Greg Duffy: cuando yo hablo en español. Yo tengo estos seguidores que vienen ⁓ y hacen comentarios en Y me siento muy conectado ⁓ a este grupo completamente ⁓ De todos part de partes del mundo, de Sudamérica, de ⁓ Centroamérica, de España, Europa. Que pueden conectarse con el trabajo, con la música, con sus experiencias propias. Y yo sé que hay una canción que viene bastante pronto that se llama Déjame en paz. ⁓ Y ⁓ me he sentido conectado ⁓ a ⁓ la comunidad hispano-hablante. Casi todavía, pero especialmente después de estudiar in España, después de viajar in Sudamérica. And no se puede explicar totalmente, but I mean cómodo. And muchos lugares hispanohablantes como españa porque yo tengo un hogar en España en Madrid en Toledo yo tengo unos amigos allá también y en México por ejemplo me siento muy bienvenido cada vez que yo voy a México y en este tiempo histórico hay una lucha Aleta: Mm. Greg Duffy: Especialmente en los Estados Unidos, entre los inmigrantes, especialmente en Los Ángeles, los inmigrantes hispanohablantes, ⁓ y es ⁓ difícil mí entender ⁓ la que enfoca en las diferencias, porque somos una familia. ⁓ Entonces, yo que yo puedo usar. Mi voz para lograr un mundo un poquito mejor y yo puedo conectarme con mucha gente que no tiene la misma oportunidad que yo tengo, y yo puedo ser esta persona que puede ser la conexión entre la gente que habla español y la gente que no habla. You would have the rest of the year about Aleta: Mm-hmm. Ha ha ha. Greg Duffy: ⁓ But this is. will ⁓ see in Spanyol. You in Spanyol to connect the who have and who don't ⁓ have. ⁓ It is very important to ⁓ me. ⁓ know there was a answer for that question, but ⁓ Aleta: Mm. Lucy: It sounded beautiful whatever you said. I loved the expressions and I was just like, this is great. I don't know what's happening, but Alina will translate later. Aleta: All good. Ha ha ha. ⁓ Greg Duffy: I love it. I love it. I love it. I in broadly for those who don't speak Spanish. I spoke for a long time, but it's very important to me to be a connection point between those who speak Spanish and those who don't. ⁓ I feel very comfortable by the communities that I've been a part of that speak Spanish, whether it's the times that I visited Mexico or South America or the time that I lived in Spain. ⁓ as you know, I have a Spanish ex. I mean, I had a whole family ⁓ via this person in Spain at that time. ⁓ Lucy: Wow. Greg Duffy: And I feel ⁓ like I've been so welcomed. And so in this historical moment of xenophobia and racism, being able to be a connection point in English and Spanish feel especially in living in California, feels very meaningful and important to me. Lucy: It is meaningful and it is really important. So I'm very Yes. Yes. Okay. Greg Duffy: Mm. Yeah. And I'm gonna keep writing in it and yeah, you're gonna hear more of it. Yeah. Aleta: Yay. Can't wait. Lucy: ⁓ We are going to officially wrap up because Greg is and he us more time. ⁓ So you are awesome. ⁓ we do really appreciate what you did and and this yes, we're both excited that we got to talk to you and meet you and share a little bit about ourselves. ⁓ but this Greg Duffy: Yeah. Lucy: Is gonna make a whole fandom freak out. Aleta: Mm-hmm. Lucy: I'm Greg Duffy: I Lucy: so excited for this. ⁓ We've got a couple of people who are waiting. Greg Duffy: can't wait. ⁓ Lucy: ⁓ Aleta: Uh-huh. Lucy: one kind of side question here. ⁓ we did ask a couple of other gentlemen who came on, but if you know a queer vertical that you do comes out, would you ever ⁓ as long as we didn't torture you, you know. Would you be willing to maybe come back and like recap one with us? Give us some BTS? Greg Duffy: I would love to. I would absolutely love to. Aleta: Yeah. Greg Duffy: Exclusive tea here on Besties Do Aleta: Ha ha ha Lucy: We are here for it. This is great. All right, Alita. Aleta: Greg, it has been such a pleasure to speak with you today. We are so looking forward to your upcoming projects and music. And you know that we're here to support you and all the BL Boys every step of the way. And on that note, besties, it's time to let Greg go for now. We can't keep him all day. Greg Duffy: Totally. Aleta: We hope that you enjoyed this episode as much as we enjoyed recording it. See you next time. Bye, besties. ⁓ Lucy: Bye Besties. Greg Duffy: Bye besties.