Latest / Brief Recess: A Legal Podcast with Michael Foote & Mélissa Malebranche / We Could All Be Renee Good (w. Yuhua Hamasaki)

Transcript

We Could All Be Renee Good (w. Yuhua Hamasaki) · Brief Recess: A Legal Podcast with Michael Foote & Mélissa Malebranche

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: A lot of people, you know, reach out to me.
• 0:02
  Speaker 1: I've made a video actually recently about how to get
• 0:04
  Speaker 1: involved if you're a lawyer, if you're a non lawyer.
• 0:07
  Speaker 1: I have tried so hard to respond to everyone's messages.
• 0:09
  Speaker 1: I got like two million messages. I made that video
• 0:12
  Speaker 1: on Thursday, right after the shooting. If I don't get
• 0:15
  Speaker 1: back to you, I'm still trying to sift through it all.
• 0:18
  Speaker 1: But there is an awesome organization that I have partnered with.
• 0:21
  Speaker 1: I've worked with them before, Trusted verified. I do legal
• 0:25
  Speaker 1: work with this group. It's the Acacia Center for Justice,
• 0:30
  Speaker 1: and I do a lot of work with them with
• 0:31
  Speaker 1: their children and undocumented miners Okay. But they have an
• 0:36
  Speaker 1: unaccompanied children program, and if you're an attorney especially, you
• 0:41
  Speaker 1: can get involved at Acacia Justice dot org slash defend Kids.
• 0:46
  Speaker 1: It's great. They strengthen and expand immigrant legal defense programs
• 0:50
  Speaker 1: across the country.
• 0:51
  Speaker 2: So I was going to ask you that whereas also
• 0:54
  Speaker 2: the country all.
• 0:55
  Speaker 1: Over the country. I think they're based in La Okay,
• 0:57
  Speaker 1: but I'm here supporting. I have clients around the country.
• 1:01
  Speaker 1: So it really is a great group. I've had a
• 1:04
  Speaker 1: great experience with them. Welcome to brief recess. I'm Michael Foote. Sorry,
• 1:16
  Speaker 1: fuck are you? Who is this? Get her out of here.
• 1:21
  Speaker 1: Today we're going to be talking about Renee Good. We're
• 1:25
  Speaker 1: going to talk about American citizens on ed Dray and
• 1:27
  Speaker 1: now we're going to talk about the ships in the courtroom,
• 1:29
  Speaker 1: the Uber eat driver who ran into the woman's home
• 1:31
  Speaker 1: to avoid ice. We also have an interview to lighten
• 1:34
  Speaker 1: things up a little bit with yu Juahamasaki, incredible drag
• 1:37
  Speaker 1: race along awesome local drag queen here in New York City.
• 1:41
  Speaker 1: We're also going to talk about Mariah Carey because I
• 1:43
  Speaker 1: am a fan.
• 1:44
  Speaker 2: I'm not not a fan. I am a fan. Don't
• 1:46
  Speaker 2: see God, see what happens.
• 1:50
  Speaker 1: That is how you know there's a key in the door.
• 1:55
  Speaker 1: That's how you know you have ADHD. Like they my
• 1:58
  Speaker 1: key's in the door all the time. I'm like, oh,
• 2:01
  Speaker 1: we don't need you don't need a diagnosis. You can
• 2:03
  Speaker 1: just check the door to see if.
• 2:07
  Speaker 2: All the and I'm baby, I also can't find shit.
• 2:12
  Speaker 2: And I don't know if I am just like that,
• 2:15
  Speaker 2: but I think I think maybe yes, I always was.
• 2:18
  Speaker 2: I also feel because when I was little.
• 2:21
  Speaker 3: You're so careless, like so that was always that's but
• 2:25
  Speaker 3: but I'll and I hate to sort of always lean
• 2:28
  Speaker 3: on perimenopause, but that bitch, well.
• 2:31
  Speaker 1: You weren't perimenopausal when you were a kid.
• 2:33
  Speaker 2: No, I wasn't. But I think whatever I had has
• 2:37
  Speaker 2: now and it's coupled with fed upness and like violent
• 2:44
  Speaker 2: tendencies because I want.
• 2:46
  Speaker 1: To to what's that we actually we got to the
• 2:50
  Speaker 1: studio early and we've removed all blunts sharp objects.
• 2:53
  Speaker 2: That's good.
• 2:54
  Speaker 1: I think that's that's my heart building.
• 2:56
  Speaker 2: That's wise for everyone involved, including myself, because if I
• 3:00
  Speaker 2: murdered death, kill you, you can't be my lawyer.
• 3:02
  Speaker 1: What are you in the partnership with Andre? Are you
• 3:05
  Speaker 1: the one who's like, honey, where's the fill in the blank? No,
• 3:08
  Speaker 1: you're the one who's got.
• 3:09
  Speaker 2: I'm the one. And so he'll say, like he'll go
• 3:12
  Speaker 2: in the refrigerator and he'll say, where's the butter? And
• 3:18
  Speaker 2: then I'm like, it's where it always is.
• 3:20
  Speaker 1: Where do you think the butter is?
• 3:22
  Speaker 2: Well, actually the butter's not in the refrigerator, but that's
• 3:24
  Speaker 2: a whole other thing. But like whatever he was looking for,
• 3:27
  Speaker 2: and he'll say, where is it and I'm like, it's
• 3:28
  Speaker 2: where it always is. Well, I can't see it, and
• 3:31
  Speaker 2: then I say, if I have to get up, this
• 3:35
  Speaker 2: is this is you turn into like your mother, right
• 3:37
  Speaker 2: if I have to get up, especially if whatever it
• 3:40
  Speaker 2: is he's looking for from where I'm sitting, I could
• 3:43
  Speaker 2: see it from there, and I'm.
• 3:45
  Speaker 1: Like, if I have to get up, where's Waldo and
• 3:48
  Speaker 1: the house?
• 3:50
  Speaker 2: Because where if I'm working from home where I sit,
• 3:53
  Speaker 2: I can see into the kitchen and I'm like, I
• 3:56
  Speaker 2: can see the thing that you're looking for. And if
• 3:58
  Speaker 2: I have to get.
• 4:00
  Speaker 1: Up, I'm not going to point it out, but I'm
• 4:03
  Speaker 1: going to.
• 4:04
  Speaker 2: Be really mad and then he'll stop and he'll be
• 4:06
  Speaker 2: like wait and then I hear like things moving around
• 4:09
  Speaker 2: and he's doing stuff and he'll be like, oh found it,
• 4:13
  Speaker 2: found it?
• 4:14
  Speaker 1: Yeah? Yeah.
• 4:15
  Speaker 2: I tell him all the time. I wish I had
• 4:16
  Speaker 2: a wife. Are you Who's who's the who's the seekert,
• 4:19
  Speaker 2: who's the.
• 4:19
  Speaker 1: F I know where everything is? I am I'm the
• 4:22
  Speaker 1: person who knows where the thing. I'm the keeper of
• 4:24
  Speaker 1: the keys and grounds at Hogwarts. I know where everything is.
• 4:28
  Speaker 1: And it's always like, where is this, And it's the
• 4:30
  Speaker 1: same thing. It's right where it always is, where it
• 4:34
  Speaker 1: always is.
• 4:35
  Speaker 2: It's right in front of your face.
• 4:37
  Speaker 1: I'm strategically hard of hearing, is how I approach it?
• 4:42
  Speaker 1: Where is that thing?
• 4:44
  Speaker 2: My grandmother?
• 4:45
  Speaker 1: Sorry, I didn't hear it?
• 4:47
  Speaker 2: My grandmother My whole life, My grandmother couldn't hear anything, right,
• 4:52
  Speaker 2: not like actually deafth but like very hard of hearing. Okay,
• 4:54
  Speaker 2: we grew up Gomele and she would like ignore us
• 4:57
  Speaker 2: or whatever it was.
• 4:59
  Speaker 1: It turns out she could hear. She just hated you. Yes,
• 5:01
  Speaker 1: she didn't want Well, it's.
• 5:04
  Speaker 2: So sort of so my entire life. And then and
• 5:06
  Speaker 2: then my grandfather got it's not funny. When my grandfather
• 5:09
  Speaker 2: got sick, he was at home in a hospital bed,
• 5:12
  Speaker 2: and my cousins who lived in Haiti would take turns
• 5:15
  Speaker 2: spending the night. And then one of my cousins like
• 5:18
  Speaker 2: reached out there. She was like, good, I can hear.
• 5:20
  Speaker 2: And I was like, what do you mean? And she said.
• 5:23
  Speaker 2: I was in the room with them, and I heard
• 5:25
  Speaker 2: him say her name was Renee, and he said Renee,
• 5:28
  Speaker 2: and she jumped up out of bed and she went
• 5:31
  Speaker 2: over to him and she was like, what's the matter
• 5:33
  Speaker 2: And he told her what she's like. This woman has
• 5:36
  Speaker 2: been selectively ignoring all three of her grandkids hour, And
• 5:45
  Speaker 2: in hindsight, I'm like, yoh, yeah, she was faking it.
• 5:47
  Speaker 1: She was faking it.
• 5:48
  Speaker 2: She did not want to hear what we had to say.
• 5:51
  Speaker 1: Bru It's like, oh, where where's that thing? No response, No,
• 5:57
  Speaker 1: I don't. I didn't hear it. And then I like,
• 5:59
  Speaker 1: you do I hear the wrestling. I hear them.
• 6:06
  Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, when they do that.
• 6:09
  Speaker 1: This is why you have. I know I do have.
• 6:13
  Speaker 1: I'm not a doctor, and I know I do.
• 6:16
  Speaker 2: I can't help it.
• 6:17
  Speaker 1: And then it's like and then he finds whatever it
• 6:20
  Speaker 1: is and it's gone, and it's it's.
• 6:22
  Speaker 2: Is he quiet about finding it? Is he silently?
• 6:26
  Speaker 4: Oh?
• 6:26
  Speaker 2: Really?
• 6:26
  Speaker 1: He won't.
• 6:27
  Speaker 2: He won't be like, oh found it?
• 6:29
  Speaker 1: Nope? No, no, no, no, Well that was that was
• 6:31
  Speaker 1: up and octave. That was your alphabet moment. That was
• 6:34
  Speaker 1: your found it.
• 6:37
  Speaker 2: Isn't that what everybody does when they find something? They do.
• 6:40
  Speaker 1: They don't go falsetto No, they do.
• 6:42
  Speaker 2: I think they do.
• 6:43
  Speaker 1: You think they crescendo like that.
• 6:45
  Speaker 2: I do, as opposed to lost it, lost it.
• 6:56
  Speaker 1: It's different, it's different. Amuse you took musical classes.
• 7:01
  Speaker 2: No, I can't think I wish I could, though, No,
• 7:04
  Speaker 2: I took you up.
• 7:06
  Speaker 1: What an open mic like you would tear it up.
• 7:09
  Speaker 1: You would just be great. Just like if I could sing,
• 7:11
  Speaker 1: I could totally see you taking over us.
• 7:13
  Speaker 2: Sure, if I could sing. But like that was a
• 7:18
  Speaker 2: Mary Jay that was in the Dancer that was.
• 7:24
  Speaker 4: Good.
• 7:26
  Speaker 2: No, that was Mariah. Mariah does that, she holds her
• 7:28
  Speaker 2: ear and then she does like a thing Mary j
• 7:31
  Speaker 2: does something else. She's more of like.
• 7:33
  Speaker 1: A if there's something, if there's a Mariah clip that
• 7:36
  Speaker 1: comes up on my feet, I stop every single time,
• 7:39
  Speaker 1: every single one of them.
• 7:41
  Speaker 2: You know what, though I wonder like very talented woman,
• 7:47
  Speaker 2: you can't take anything away from her. That voice is
• 7:50
  Speaker 2: the voice to end all voice. However, if I were
• 7:55
  Speaker 2: to pay money to go see Mariah or anybody in
• 7:58
  Speaker 2: concert and she's like barely.
• 8:00
  Speaker 1: Walking, no, I would, I would.
• 8:02
  Speaker 2: I would be really upset.
• 8:03
  Speaker 1: I would be upset if she were walking. I want
• 8:05
  Speaker 1: to see Mariah wheeled around the stage not moving. No, no, no,
• 8:09
  Speaker 1: that's no. I don't want I don't I want you
• 8:12
  Speaker 1: you want to see if I want the diva, I
• 8:15
  Speaker 1: want that is much diva behavior. That's touching walking through
• 8:20
  Speaker 1: this cor No, she's just so funny and.
• 8:23
  Speaker 2: The heel are too high and she's like a baby calf,
• 8:25
  Speaker 2: like holding.
• 8:26
  Speaker 1: Her up, holding her I know, I love that. Now
• 8:30
  Speaker 1: I'm going that to me? Is that is pure camp?
• 8:33
  Speaker 1: That is she's I think she's in on the joke
• 8:36
  Speaker 1: of Mariah.
• 8:37
  Speaker 2: She's like she's checked out and I don't even care. Yeah, no,
• 8:41
  Speaker 2: I paid a lot of money to see you sing perform.
• 8:45
  Speaker 1: Do you think she leaves her keys in the door?
• 8:48
  Speaker 2: No, because somebody somebody.
• 8:49
  Speaker 1: You think someone's opening the door.
• 8:51
  Speaker 2: You know, what's the matter.
• 8:52
  Speaker 1: I'm actually afraid that somehow she's going to see this
• 8:55
  Speaker 1: and I'm going to get in trouble if.
• 8:57
  Speaker 2: I don't see why we said we said that she's
• 9:00
  Speaker 2: amazing talents, she's an amazing I'm just well, I think
• 9:05
  Speaker 2: I think we're afraid of like the whatever her people are.
• 9:09
  Speaker 1: Like, what's what's her her beehive? What is it? No,
• 9:12
  Speaker 1: it's the people.
• 9:14
  Speaker 2: See No, now you're in trouble.
• 9:16
  Speaker 1: Now you're in trouble. Well no, I didn't say that
• 9:19
  Speaker 1: they were the same, but I just equated it to swift.
• 9:22
  Speaker 2: Gaga has like her monsters mayhive and.
• 9:25
  Speaker 1: Who's I don't know. I don't know.
• 9:30
  Speaker 2: People who love Maria now.
• 9:31
  Speaker 1: We're probably in trouble for not knowing who they are. No, no,
• 9:34
  Speaker 1: what's worse than a bad review? No review? Right?
• 9:36
  Speaker 2: No, no, no, no, this is not and this is not
• 9:38
  Speaker 2: a dig about her or her fan base, but like
• 9:40
  Speaker 2: the people who were like hardcore Mariah Carrey its. Do
• 9:45
  Speaker 2: you guys have a name?
• 9:46
  Speaker 1: C J? Can you look it up? Who is it?
• 9:47
  Speaker 1: Let's fact check this found it lost it?
• 9:54
  Speaker 2: Lambs? Yes, that's right. She calls them lambs, like like
• 9:58
  Speaker 2: their soft sheepskin. Yeah, like that, like she likes about
• 10:04
  Speaker 2: my obsession with and we go back to Melissa. All
• 10:11
  Speaker 2: topics lead back to me.
• 10:12
  Speaker 1: It's this obsession with fur.
• 10:16
  Speaker 2: I'm not obsessed with fur. I'm not. I am obsessed
• 10:21
  Speaker 2: with animal skins, quality vintage items that have been well
• 10:26
  Speaker 2: loved and well cared for.
• 10:29
  Speaker 1: Yeah, not new first, not new fir. Let the record reflect.
• 10:33
  Speaker 2: Let the record reflect.
• 10:34
  Speaker 1: I don't have to call this segment us getting canceled,
• 10:37
  Speaker 1: you know what. You know what, let's take a break
• 10:39
  Speaker 1: before we even get into the first right, this is sidebar.
• 10:46
  Speaker 1: We're going to talk about everything in the headlines. What's
• 10:47
  Speaker 1: going on right now, what's hitting our feed, what's hitting
• 10:50
  Speaker 1: our sources of news. Everything for me has been completely
• 10:55
  Speaker 1: dominated by what's happening in Minneapolis. Of course, I mean, yeah,
• 10:58
  Speaker 1: total tone change for going from Mariah Carey right to this.
• 11:02
  Speaker 1: But I oftentimes like wonder if I'm in a bubble, right,
• 11:05
  Speaker 1: Anything immigration related that hits the stratosphere immediately comes to
• 11:11
  Speaker 1: me through a text or a DM or something. So
• 11:13
  Speaker 1: I do sometimes like end up in this echo chamber
• 11:16
  Speaker 1: where I hear and see everything and that's all I'm
• 11:18
  Speaker 1: hearing and seeing. But this one really feels like this
• 11:22
  Speaker 1: is a nationwide, worldwide news. Everyone's really focused on it.
• 11:26
  Speaker 1: Sometimes this is like people's first entree into immigration law
• 11:30
  Speaker 1: or ICE or DHS.
• 11:31
  Speaker 2: So what have you been kind, Well, I've seen everything
• 11:34
  Speaker 2: I'm seeing, probably not exactly the same stuff as you, obviously,
• 11:38
  Speaker 2: but a lot of that stuff. And it also, obviously
• 11:40
  Speaker 2: it depends on am I engaging with that stuff? And
• 11:43
  Speaker 2: I am obviously right. I've spent a lot of time
• 11:48
  Speaker 2: looking at the shooting of Renee Good from all the
• 11:50
  Speaker 2: angles that are available to you. Yeah, And as it
• 11:53
  Speaker 2: relates to like ICE right, seeing other ICE members, like
• 11:57
  Speaker 2: you know, there's you see the Ice the ICE officer
• 12:00
  Speaker 2: or whatever it is he was running after somebody and
• 12:03
  Speaker 2: he slipped and fell on the ice.
• 12:04
  Speaker 1: Yes, yeah, she's seen a super cut of that. You
• 12:07
  Speaker 1: can scratch it on Melissa's story right now?
• 12:09
  Speaker 2: Did did I post it on my story?
• 12:11
  Speaker 1: She did? Super cut? I think it's the music. I
• 12:17
  Speaker 1: will say, just to back up, like, there was a
• 12:20
  Speaker 1: shooting of a woman at an ICE protest. She was
• 12:24
  Speaker 1: in her car. There are many angles of footage. I
• 12:27
  Speaker 1: have reviewed all of them, so is Melissa. I mean,
• 12:31
  Speaker 1: I am sure. I am no expert in these types
• 12:34
  Speaker 1: of things, but she was trying to leave a protest
• 12:38
  Speaker 1: and she was shot multiple times in the face by
• 12:40
  Speaker 1: an ICE officer.
• 12:41
  Speaker 2: Then after he killed her, yes, called her a fucking bit.
• 12:45
  Speaker 2: And here's the thing, right, so, we know that they
• 12:49
  Speaker 2: don't mind killing black and brown people. We know that, right,
• 12:53
  Speaker 2: known that we've we've known that for a really long time,
• 12:57
  Speaker 2: and they've gotten away with it. And I wondered what
• 13:01
  Speaker 2: would happen if they started killing white women. And I'm
• 13:07
  Speaker 2: surprised that there's not more outrage. But so, but while
• 13:12
  Speaker 2: saying to a friend of mine is like, I wonder
• 13:14
  Speaker 2: if what needs to happen is that it needs to
• 13:17
  Speaker 2: be a white Christian, heterosexual man married to a white Christian,
• 13:25
  Speaker 2: heterosexual woman and they have two point five kids, a dog.
• 13:32
  Speaker 2: Is that? Is that what it needs to be?
• 13:35
  Speaker 1: I would agree with you, But then I think about
• 13:37
  Speaker 1: like school shootings. I think about Sandy Hook.
• 13:40
  Speaker 2: Right, like you would think that white children, right, you would.
• 13:42
  Speaker 1: Think that like white children in the small sleepy town
• 13:45
  Speaker 1: in Connecticut would be the thing that happens. Or then
• 13:48
  Speaker 1: we get gun.
• 13:48
  Speaker 2: Control offs, right, It just the the endgame. The goalpost
• 13:54
  Speaker 2: keeps moving and it's getting further and further away, and
• 13:59
  Speaker 2: I'm you know, I am having conversations because I'm from
• 14:02
  Speaker 2: an immigrant family. I am having conversations with some real
• 14:06
  Speaker 2: conversations with my family about what we should be doing.
• 14:11
  Speaker 2: Way before my dad passed away. My when Trump got
• 14:15
  Speaker 2: into office in last January, my dad said, you know what,
• 14:19
  Speaker 2: maybe talking to he and my mom, he felt like
• 14:22
  Speaker 2: maybe he should walk around with his passport. And I
• 14:26
  Speaker 2: remember being so upset at that. Right, So, my father
• 14:31
  Speaker 2: is an American citizen. My father is a was a
• 14:35
  Speaker 2: Vietnam War veteran, and it bothered me to think of
• 14:39
  Speaker 2: my parents, who have lived in this country for my lifetime,
• 14:44
  Speaker 2: of course over fifty years, and that that was something
• 14:48
  Speaker 2: that they were talking about that, they were thinking about
• 14:51
  Speaker 2: my mom. I can't remember what happened. And when Trump
• 14:54
  Speaker 2: started talking about birthright citizenship, yes no longer being a thing.
• 15:00
  Speaker 2: This upset my mother tremendously. She was, well, what's going
• 15:04
  Speaker 2: to happen to you? Because when I was born, my
• 15:06
  Speaker 2: mother wasn't a citizen yet and my dad was, but
• 15:10
  Speaker 2: my mother wasn't. And I got to tell you. The
• 15:13
  Speaker 2: reason why my father was an American citizen was that
• 15:15
  Speaker 2: when the United States realized that they were losing the
• 15:18
  Speaker 2: Vietnam War, they went into other nations and they poached
• 15:23
  Speaker 2: mostly young men, young men of color, and they said,
• 15:27
  Speaker 2: if you come over to our country and help us
• 15:30
  Speaker 2: out with this. And they weren't calling it or right,
• 15:33
  Speaker 2: but they weren't calling it that. I forget what they
• 15:35
  Speaker 2: were calling the Vietnam War. But anyway, the conflict, it'll
• 15:39
  Speaker 2: be nothing will make you an American citizen on the spot. Wow,
• 15:44
  Speaker 2: That's why my dad and my father is not the
• 15:46
  Speaker 2: only one. And I will tell you my father had
• 15:51
  Speaker 2: was exposed to agent Orange. He was a young man
• 15:53
  Speaker 2: and battled health issues for his entire life, which contributed
• 15:58
  Speaker 2: to his death. Right. So the idea that someone like that,
• 16:03
  Speaker 2: and all the other someones who were like that had
• 16:06
  Speaker 2: this idea in their heads that they needed to prove
• 16:11
  Speaker 2: their worthiness to be here. I find insulting as fuck,
• 16:15
  Speaker 2: of course, and it also really bothered me on behalf
• 16:19
  Speaker 2: of my mother who now is thinking about me and
• 16:24
  Speaker 2: worried about me. And she said, well, you know, Andre's
• 16:26
  Speaker 2: a citizen, he was born here, like maybe he and
• 16:28
  Speaker 2: I just feel like so first, I was like, Mom,
• 16:31
  Speaker 2: they're not paying attention to me right now, and she's
• 16:34
  Speaker 2: like yeah, but she's always telling me to keep my
• 16:35
  Speaker 2: mouth shut on social media, which I will not do.
• 16:39
  Speaker 2: But the idea that my mother is spending any time
• 16:43
  Speaker 2: worrying about this is something that hits me in the heart.
• 16:47
  Speaker 2: It really really does.
• 16:48
  Speaker 1: To live her life, her long, incredible life, mostly here
• 16:52
  Speaker 1: in the States, raise her children to the age they
• 16:55
  Speaker 1: are now, and then to just now have to start
• 16:58
  Speaker 1: worrying about this so deeply disturbing it is.
• 17:01
  Speaker 2: And she's not the only person, you know, this is
• 17:04
  Speaker 2: just an example, right, I think this is happening to
• 17:07
  Speaker 2: a lot of families across this country. And I am
• 17:11
  Speaker 2: deeply worried, and I mean, and I had been for
• 17:14
  Speaker 2: a long time, but like the feeling of anxiety is
• 17:19
  Speaker 2: getting much worse.
• 17:20
  Speaker 1: A lot it. US citizens reaching out to me right
• 17:23
  Speaker 1: now asking what do I do? Not to help with protests,
• 17:27
  Speaker 1: but hey, I'm a black or brown US citizen, what
• 17:30
  Speaker 1: do I do? Should I be afraid? I have citizenship,
• 17:35
  Speaker 1: I have status?
• 17:36
  Speaker 2: Yeah, you should be afraid.
• 17:37
  Speaker 1: It's like this new phenomenon. Like I've been practicing in
• 17:41
  Speaker 1: rational eleven years. This is the first time I have
• 17:44
  Speaker 1: people asking me.
• 17:45
  Speaker 2: What You've never had to think about that before.
• 17:47
  Speaker 1: I had to think about it before. But the notion
• 17:50
  Speaker 1: that an American citizen we had one. It was brought
• 17:54
  Speaker 1: up at a congressional hearing. He was deported back to career.
• 17:58
  Speaker 1: He fought in the war, and christ know him on
• 18:00
  Speaker 1: the record said, oh, we've never deported a US citizen,
• 18:03
  Speaker 1: And the congress person was like actually zooming in from
• 18:07
  Speaker 1: Korea where he was deported back to a country he
• 18:09
  Speaker 1: hadn't been to since he was nine.
• 18:11
  Speaker 4: He is a combat veteran, a Purple Heart recipient.
• 18:15
  Speaker 2: He has sacrificed more for this country than most people
• 18:18
  Speaker 2: ever have.
• 18:19
  Speaker 1: Did you see that clip? It was crazy, just totally
• 18:23
  Speaker 1: caught in a compote lie like that in front of Congress.
• 18:26
  Speaker 2: Well, we know they don't care. These are people with
• 18:30
  Speaker 2: no morals, no scruples, no nothing. We've heard other people
• 18:34
  Speaker 2: say it lots of lots of times, but like cruelty
• 18:37
  Speaker 2: seems to be the point. And what they are looking
• 18:40
  Speaker 2: for is a white Christian nation. And you know, if
• 18:47
  Speaker 2: you ever make the argument about Native American people who
• 18:50
  Speaker 2: are indigenous to this country, those people don't count. Right.
• 18:53
  Speaker 1: It needs to be always starting.
• 18:55
  Speaker 2: Starting fourteen y correct, right when those people came home
• 19:00
  Speaker 2: over seeking safety and shelter. So those are the people
• 19:04
  Speaker 2: that count. But I don't know what we're going to do.
• 19:09
  Speaker 2: I literally don't know what will become of us. And
• 19:11
  Speaker 2: I hate to sound like that, but that is how
• 19:13
  Speaker 2: I am feeling. I had this conversation with a friend
• 19:16
  Speaker 2: of mine, and I wonder what you think she was
• 19:19
  Speaker 2: saying That she is questioning whether or not they're going
• 19:24
  Speaker 2: to be midterms.
• 19:26
  Speaker 1: Interesting.
• 19:27
  Speaker 2: I had thought about it.
• 19:28
  Speaker 1: I have not thought about that. I know it seems
• 19:30
  Speaker 1: like a lot of this is in the lead up
• 19:32
  Speaker 1: to the midterms. A lot of what's happening right now.
• 19:34
  Speaker 1: I wouldn't say that, but I wouldn't not say that you,
• 19:41
  Speaker 1: as citizen should be worried about being deported up until
• 19:45
  Speaker 1: a couple of weeks ago.
• 19:46
  Speaker 2: It's the thing, right, it's like all the things that
• 19:48
  Speaker 2: we never had to think about because we didn't think
• 19:51
  Speaker 2: that it was possible. Now it feels like, well, is
• 19:54
  Speaker 2: it really crazy for me to ask this.
• 19:56
  Speaker 1: It's like the word unprecedented. We keep having to redefine
• 19:59
  Speaker 1: it lost all meaning now right to say something's und
• 20:03
  Speaker 1: business like president since I had to put on a
• 20:06
  Speaker 1: mask in twenty nineteen, right, like you said, the goalpost
• 20:08
  Speaker 1: keep moving, and it feels as if we are I
• 20:13
  Speaker 1: want a new word for unprecedented, Like we have to
• 20:16
  Speaker 1: make it up of what it means to live in
• 20:18
  Speaker 1: America right now because we keep doing this thing where
• 20:21
  Speaker 1: we keep comparing what's happening right now to what's happened
• 20:24
  Speaker 1: in the past. Oh, well in the past it was
• 20:26
  Speaker 1: different and today and you know, would never happened because
• 20:29
  Speaker 1: of well what happened in the past was the president
• 20:31
  Speaker 1: was this or this is what happened four years ago,
• 20:34
  Speaker 1: or this is what happened during the first Trump administration. Right,
• 20:37
  Speaker 1: we keep looking back to say what's going to happen
• 20:40
  Speaker 1: in the future. But we can't do that anymore.
• 20:43
  Speaker 2: No, I mean, all that's us.
• 20:45
  Speaker 1: The response of what's happened in Minneapolis, right we have
• 20:49
  Speaker 1: during I think the first Trump administration, I don't think
• 20:52
  Speaker 1: we would have had the same response of it was
• 20:55
  Speaker 1: her fault, she was fighting the officer, even though there's
• 20:59
  Speaker 1: all this footage that proof otherwise. They're double triple quadrupling
• 21:02
  Speaker 1: down on this narrative.
• 21:04
  Speaker 2: They have to, though, I mean, if they are trying
• 21:08
  Speaker 2: to make this point that it was her fault and
• 21:12
  Speaker 2: that if people just comply.
• 21:14
  Speaker 1: It sounds like such a cliche that the truth doesn't
• 21:16
  Speaker 1: matter anymore, but it is more so now, and it doesn't.
• 21:20
  Speaker 1: It's more so now about like what narrative gets out
• 21:24
  Speaker 1: there and what one can we circulate the fastest, not
• 21:27
  Speaker 1: the one that has the most evidence. And that's the
• 21:29
  Speaker 1: hardest for me as a lawyer watching everything is like, well,
• 21:32
  Speaker 1: this evidence shows this, and this evidence shows that. But
• 21:35
  Speaker 1: like the evidence and the details, almost it doesn't matter
• 21:38
  Speaker 1: to this administration. They just want narrative, send it out there.
• 21:43
  Speaker 1: Who cares what the video shows.
• 21:44
  Speaker 2: Rather, they're making it up as they go along.
• 21:46
  Speaker 1: Yeah, but what was heartening to me, at least was
• 21:48
  Speaker 1: the public response. I have not been able to get
• 21:51
  Speaker 1: away from it. Even when I'm in a social media
• 21:55
  Speaker 1: or media setting that isn't one that is my own. Obviously,
• 21:58
  Speaker 1: I'm not gonna be able to get away from it
• 22:00
  Speaker 1: my own platforms. It's what people know me for. But
• 22:03
  Speaker 1: when I am walking down the street or seeing that
• 22:06
  Speaker 1: sort of like scrolling Marquee or looking at that news cycle,
• 22:10
  Speaker 1: whatever it is, it is dominating it and it's still there.
• 22:13
  Speaker 1: And for me, I mean not to say that like
• 22:16
  Speaker 1: that is hope for or I am feeling hopeful, but
• 22:19
  Speaker 1: for me, it's like, Okay, people who weren't paying attention
• 22:22
  Speaker 1: are now paying attention. And for me, that's always been
• 22:24
  Speaker 1: like where I see changes occur. Not to be that
• 22:27
  Speaker 1: person who then again like looks back and looks at
• 22:29
  Speaker 1: the past and says, this is where we're going to
• 22:30
  Speaker 1: go in the future. But for me at least, that's
• 22:33
  Speaker 1: always been the inflection point is when I see people
• 22:35
  Speaker 1: who like my yoga teacher, reached out to me of
• 22:39
  Speaker 1: like what can I do, and I'm like, this is awesome,
• 22:43
  Speaker 1: Like you and I haven't really ever talked about this before.
• 22:46
  Speaker 1: I've talked to a lot of people about this, but
• 22:48
  Speaker 1: not certain people, right, And I mean I love that
• 22:51
  Speaker 1: because I'm the eternal opt I'm always optimistic, like let's
• 22:54
  Speaker 1: get more people involved, like let's do the thing. So
• 22:57
  Speaker 1: that was like exciting for me.
• 22:58
  Speaker 2: It is exciting, I think, and I hate to sort
• 23:01
  Speaker 2: of be this person, but I'm going to be is that.
• 23:04
  Speaker 2: I think the part of it that is heart wrenching
• 23:08
  Speaker 2: for me is that, yes, while it is great that
• 23:11
  Speaker 2: there are people who are looking at this and paying attention,
• 23:14
  Speaker 2: and that they are coming to you and they're asking
• 23:16
  Speaker 2: you questions, what can I do? What can I do?
• 23:18
  Speaker 2: I hate that it took us to get to this place. Yes, yes,
• 23:25
  Speaker 2: some woman you know, a woman who's a mother and
• 23:28
  Speaker 2: had to get shot in the face multiple times for
• 23:31
  Speaker 2: other people to be like I should let me reach
• 23:34
  Speaker 2: out to the person that I know something's going on.
• 23:36
  Speaker 2: What can I do about it?
• 23:37
  Speaker 1: Right, It's like the school shootings. It's like, right, it
• 23:39
  Speaker 1: has to get to this place where we see for
• 23:42
  Speaker 1: people to really start to pay attention.
• 23:44
  Speaker 2: I know, but Michael, think about the school shootings, so
• 23:48
  Speaker 2: you know we can all, I mean most of us
• 23:50
  Speaker 2: can remember when a school shooting it was so shocking, right,
• 23:56
  Speaker 2: absolutely shocking, absolutely shocking. It is no longer.
• 24:01
  Speaker 1: Shocking, it's it's a footnote.
• 24:03
  Speaker 2: It's sad, it's sad, and people are sending thoughts in prayers,
• 24:07
  Speaker 2: but we are devolving as a society, and I am
• 24:12
  Speaker 2: again super concerned. Okay, so people are really excited about
• 24:16
  Speaker 2: what happened to Renee Good now, but is it going?
• 24:21
  Speaker 2: Are we going to get to a place where it's
• 24:25
  Speaker 2: a footnote? Again?
• 24:28
  Speaker 1: Like you said earlier, there's only so much attention and
• 24:31
  Speaker 1: energy people have towards the cause.
• 24:33
  Speaker 2: Yes, but we hear all the time, right like people,
• 24:36
  Speaker 2: you know people, I believe that's another future, right, and
• 24:39
  Speaker 2: people love kids and children are our most precious resource.
• 24:44
  Speaker 2: And if you cannot make a decision to do something
• 24:50
  Speaker 2: to protect children, but.
• 24:53
  Speaker 1: I think that's where, like, I mean, what you're describing
• 24:55
  Speaker 1: is basically this idea of well, that could never happen
• 24:57
  Speaker 1: to me, not like that, right, And I think that
• 25:00
  Speaker 1: people are seeing in Renee Good a lot of what
• 25:05
  Speaker 1: they see in themselves, right a like middle class, upper
• 25:09
  Speaker 1: middle class maybe person attending a protest who is trying
• 25:12
  Speaker 1: American citizen white trying to flex their democratic muscles, exercise
• 25:17
  Speaker 1: their First Amendment.
• 25:17
  Speaker 2: Rights, and what she thought was her privilege.
• 25:20
  Speaker 1: Exactly, and now we're in a place where I think
• 25:24
  Speaker 1: people are seeing themselves in that victim and saying okay,
• 25:28
  Speaker 1: and then now getting involved, which like it's awful, it
• 25:33
  Speaker 1: had to happen that way. I am focusing on the
• 25:35
  Speaker 1: latter half of the statements, which is people are now
• 25:38
  Speaker 1: getting involved, Like I am just throwing my weight and
• 25:40
  Speaker 1: energy into that. I will say I have seen the
• 25:44
  Speaker 1: judiciary shift a bit. I've gone to court twice since
• 25:47
  Speaker 1: the shooting's the judges have been so I'm trying to
• 25:54
  Speaker 1: equate it to someone who's like explained to someone's neverment
• 25:57
  Speaker 1: to court. They have been riding. Have you ever been
• 25:59
  Speaker 1: ridden at work? Where someone is on your ass about something?
• 26:03
  Speaker 1: The judges are like that to DHS right now, the
• 26:05
  Speaker 1: DHS attorneys, Well, where's the how come you don't have
• 26:08
  Speaker 1: this client produced? We gave you the A number. Did
• 26:10
  Speaker 1: you not have noticed? How come this wasn't filed in
• 26:12
  Speaker 1: a timely fashion? Why was this appeal dropped? F four
• 26:15
  Speaker 1: oh one? Right?
• 26:16
  Speaker 2: And what are they without talking about anything specific? But
• 26:20
  Speaker 2: like what what is the excuse?
• 26:23
  Speaker 1: Like or it's always you know, the basket of excuses.
• 26:26
  Speaker 1: I think, you know, I think people assume when they're
• 26:29
  Speaker 1: imagining court that we are there being held accountable by
• 26:32
  Speaker 1: the judge, which we often are. DHS and defense attorneys.
• 26:37
  Speaker 1: We are a guest in someone else's courtroom. I don't
• 26:39
  Speaker 1: work for the judge, and neither does DHS. So I
• 26:42
  Speaker 1: think that people think it's like, oh, getting your hand
• 26:45
  Speaker 1: slapped at the principal's office. No, when the principal's office,
• 26:48
  Speaker 1: the paradynamic is different. You are like reporting into the principle.
• 26:52
  Speaker 1: We are not reporting into judges. Judges are separate from us.
• 26:56
  Speaker 1: Oftentimes I have to do or say something that's going
• 26:58
  Speaker 1: to piss off a judge on behalf of my client,
• 27:01
  Speaker 1: and DHS does the same thing. So, okay, what I'm
• 27:03
  Speaker 1: witnessing are these like adversarial situations where judges and dhs
• 27:08
  Speaker 1: are kind of beefing right now. But it doesn't necessarily
• 27:11
  Speaker 1: it's it is it's nice for you to watch from
• 27:13
  Speaker 1: the defense table. Yeah, yeah, did you see this Uber
• 27:17
  Speaker 1: eats video?
• 27:18
  Speaker 2: Ida video, ma'am, I'm so sorry. I don't want to
• 27:22
  Speaker 2: do this.
• 27:23
  Speaker 1: Basically, this Uber eats driver ran into this woman's home
• 27:27
  Speaker 1: because they were being chased by a nice officer, and
• 27:30
  Speaker 1: the woman made this video of like, I don't know
• 27:32
  Speaker 1: what to do. This woman, she was like someone just
• 27:34
  Speaker 1: recently got shot in the face for you know.
• 27:39
  Speaker 2: Also in Minneapolis, and I think so was it in Minneapolis.
• 27:42
  Speaker 1: Also people have reached out to me like what do
• 27:44
  Speaker 1: I do? Like, what do I do in this situation?
• 27:46
  Speaker 2: I was actually saving it.
• 27:48
  Speaker 1: I was going to feel like and I will say, Okay,
• 27:50
  Speaker 1: So I've been like thinking about this, ride my bike
• 27:53
  Speaker 1: around the city, thinking about these hypotheticals all the time,
• 27:55
  Speaker 1: and it's like, I can tell you whatlegally you can do. Legally,
• 28:02
  Speaker 1: you can have someone in your home and you can
• 28:06
  Speaker 1: bar ICE from entering and ask them for a sign
• 28:08
  Speaker 1: judicial warrant. It has to have a signature. It should
• 28:10
  Speaker 1: have the migrants name on there. Like you do not
• 28:15
  Speaker 1: have to give an ICE officer access to your home. Right,
• 28:18
  Speaker 1: that is your Fourth Amendment, right, my favorite, my best
• 28:21
  Speaker 1: day of the Fourth Amendment.
• 28:22
  Speaker 2: But I do remember that you had said you can't
• 28:26
  Speaker 2: open your door and assure the person.
• 28:29
  Speaker 1: So if you can be accused of interfering if you
• 28:35
  Speaker 1: are like, hey, guys, get in here, I see you
• 28:37
  Speaker 1: being chased.
• 28:38
  Speaker 2: By But if somebody is so uber struve.
• 28:40
  Speaker 1: You open the door for the restress, that person runs
• 28:43
  Speaker 1: in what that woman in that video wasn't like get
• 28:46
  Speaker 1: in here right, person runs in now what right? So
• 28:50
  Speaker 1: that's what happens legally, But huge butt that assumes ICE
• 28:56
  Speaker 1: is following the law, which based off people who've been
• 28:59
  Speaker 1: shot in the face recently, they are not following the law.
• 29:03
  Speaker 2: They're fine law.
• 29:04
  Speaker 1: So I can tell you what legally your rights are
• 29:06
  Speaker 1: and what can happen, but it doesn't mean that the
• 29:10
  Speaker 1: laws and the Constitution and the amendments are being followed
• 29:15
  Speaker 1: right now. Like that is just not necessarily true. So
• 29:20
  Speaker 1: we have trials, we have you know, juries who decide
• 29:25
  Speaker 1: capital punishment, not ice officers. That's the big differentiator here.
• 29:30
  Speaker 1: Someone was executed yep and called a fucking bitch. So
• 29:35
  Speaker 1: it doesn't matter if she was interfering, if she was
• 29:39
  Speaker 1: committing a crime. The law states, you have a trial,
• 29:44
  Speaker 1: you have a jury that determines the punishment, not an
• 29:47
  Speaker 1: ice officer who received forty three days of training, less
• 29:52
  Speaker 1: training than someone who works at the cheesecake factory. Yeah. Literally, yes,
• 29:57
  Speaker 1: that is a fact. So that is what can happen
• 30:00
  Speaker 1: under the law. That's not necessarily what Whether the laws
• 30:03
  Speaker 1: are being followed right now really remains to be seen
• 30:06
  Speaker 1: based off the videos we're getting. But doing something versus
• 30:09
  Speaker 1: not doing something like that's the law. It really is
• 30:12
  Speaker 1: up to you. For me, I live my life by
• 30:15
  Speaker 1: the mirror test, which is will I be able to
• 30:18
  Speaker 1: look at myself in the mirror tomorrow. I remember hearing
• 30:20
  Speaker 1: a story about World War Two Japanese people were being
• 30:24
  Speaker 1: put in intermity camps on NPR. They interviewed this woman
• 30:28
  Speaker 1: and she was like, I was a secretary. I was
• 30:31
  Speaker 1: a clerk at this police station in I think the
• 30:34
  Speaker 1: Pacific Northwest, and they brought in a family of Japanese people.
• 30:39
  Speaker 1: The mother was distraught, streaming and crying. She said, I
• 30:43
  Speaker 1: haven't had water in two days. She said, I just
• 30:46
  Speaker 1: need a glass of water. All I need is water.
• 30:49
  Speaker 1: I'm not asking to be let go, just in tears, distressed.
• 30:53
  Speaker 1: She was like, not even for me. Can someone just
• 30:54
  Speaker 1: give my kids water? It's been two days without water.
• 30:58
  Speaker 1: And at that point you're starting to kind of hall loose.
• 31:00
  Speaker 1: And the woman was being interviewed recently, and after all
• 31:05
  Speaker 1: of these years, she remembers and still cannot live with
• 31:10
  Speaker 1: herself that she did not get this mother a glass
• 31:15
  Speaker 1: of water because she was afraid that she would get
• 31:17
  Speaker 1: in trouble. She was afraid her boss would say something.
• 31:20
  Speaker 1: She was afraid, she was afraid, she was afraid, and
• 31:22
  Speaker 1: she didn't do something. That shit still fucking haunts her. Sure,
• 31:26
  Speaker 1: I think about that all the time as I'm watching
• 31:28
  Speaker 1: these videos, as I'm in court, as someone reaches out
• 31:31
  Speaker 1: to me, Hey, I need help with this, Hey, I
• 31:33
  Speaker 1: need you to handle this case for my kid. That
• 31:36
  Speaker 1: is my gut check. I think about that story, and
• 31:41
  Speaker 1: that is when I decide whether or not I do something.
• 31:43
  Speaker 1: Is Will I be on MPR in fifty years talking
• 31:48
  Speaker 1: about that time in my life where I didn't do
• 31:51
  Speaker 1: something when and it still haunts me? So that is
• 31:55
  Speaker 1: my mirror test. Can I look at myself in the
• 31:57
  Speaker 1: mirror tomorrow and be able to live with the choice
• 32:00
  Speaker 1: I made yesterday holding myself accountable? Can I live with it?
• 32:05
  Speaker 1: And That's how I decide. Welcome back to Brief Recess.
• 32:11
  Speaker 1: I'm Michael Foot, I'm Melissa Albrew, and we are here
• 32:13
  Speaker 1: with Juhuahamasaki, the Iconic, the Diva, the Boots, the House Down,
• 32:17
  Speaker 1: the Grand Dam of New York City, local New York
• 32:21
  Speaker 1: drag artists, and also Repulse Drag Race Season ten alum
• 32:25
  Speaker 1: and also a recent season right Slater Royal, Slasian Royale,
• 32:30
  Speaker 1: drag Queen Extraordinaire Johahamasaki, thank you for joining us, Thank you.
• 32:36
  Speaker 1: Welcome to brief Recess. Have you.
• 32:38
  Speaker 4: I'm excited to be here.
• 32:39
  Speaker 1: Journalistic disclosure. I am a regular at UA's Friday and
• 32:43
  Speaker 1: night shows at Pieces in New York City. It is
• 32:47
  Speaker 1: so much fun. Please come, I'll be there this Friday,
• 32:50
  Speaker 1: so come Hi.
• 32:52
  Speaker 4: Drunk fun charismatics that supports h throwing dollars, honey are fulfilled.
• 33:03
  Speaker 2: We love that.
• 33:04
  Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, why don't you tell us a little bit
• 33:07
  Speaker 1: about your Friday night show because it is. It really
• 33:09
  Speaker 1: is so fun. And I think people hear like drag club,
• 33:13
  Speaker 1: New York City gay bar, they think it's going to
• 33:16
  Speaker 1: be like ninety nine point nine nine percent alcohol white muscle. Yes,
• 33:23
  Speaker 1: the drinks are very strong, so lose and vibe with care.
• 33:28
  Speaker 1: But also I think people think it's going to be
• 33:30
  Speaker 1: like a muscled up like cruisy scene. This is not that.
• 33:34
  Speaker 1: It's so different, and that's why I go because those
• 33:37
  Speaker 1: days are.
• 33:37
  Speaker 2: Long gone, oh right, Because.
• 33:39
  Speaker 1: Because as Melissa says, I'm a little bit too long
• 33:41
  Speaker 1: in the tooth to be going out all that.
• 33:43
  Speaker 2: How dare you dare that person?
• 33:47
  Speaker 4: But you're right. I remember asking you that question maybe
• 33:50
  Speaker 4: I think two years ago. I was like, why do
• 33:52
  Speaker 4: you come to Pieces Bar for the viewing party? And
• 33:54
  Speaker 4: he mentioned that it's less cruisy. Excuse my language. People,
• 33:58
  Speaker 4: don't you know grope us? Yeah, people are like looking
• 34:01
  Speaker 4: for your body.
• 34:04
  Speaker 1: I was.
• 34:05
  Speaker 4: I was.
• 34:06
  Speaker 1: Just not as once once I was groped once.
• 34:10
  Speaker 4: Okay, once it's yours? Joe want or do you want
• 34:16
  Speaker 4: to be like me? Ungrouped all these last sixteen years?
• 34:19
  Speaker 4: You know what I mean? Like you don't want that? Yeah,
• 34:21
  Speaker 4: But the crowd is like very diverse, it's very eclectic.
• 34:24
  Speaker 4: Everybody's there just for queer safe space, celebration joy, regardless
• 34:30
  Speaker 4: of your gender, race, sexuality, how you look like, different colors,
• 34:35
  Speaker 4: whatever you are, just be there as long as you
• 34:37
  Speaker 4: bring joy and that's what we care about. It's a
• 34:40
  Speaker 4: celebration of who you are.
• 34:41
  Speaker 2: How long have you been doing it a piece of pieces?
• 34:44
  Speaker 4: Oh now you're encyclopedia eight years? Eight years? But up
• 34:50
  Speaker 4: in the West Village for about oh lord? Oh lord?
• 34:56
  Speaker 2: No? Yeah, by quick?
• 35:01
  Speaker 4: It flies by, time flies back when you're like really
• 35:04
  Speaker 4: enjoying what you're doing.
• 35:05
  Speaker 1: You know, I get this feeling when I'm in Gabar
• 35:07
  Speaker 1: sometimes that it's like the people who have gone there
• 35:10
  Speaker 1: the longest, are the most regular, are the ones who
• 35:12
  Speaker 1: you know, Queen's talk to or get attention or whatever.
• 35:16
  Speaker 1: You are such a great host of this show because
• 35:18
  Speaker 1: no matter who is there, even if they are a
• 35:20
  Speaker 1: Taurus from the Midwest. I think there was like someone
• 35:22
  Speaker 1: from Iceland ones you pulled them up like you really
• 35:26
  Speaker 1: get in there with everyone. It doesn't matter who you are.
• 35:30
  Speaker 1: So that inclusivity, I really do attest it to you.
• 35:32
  Speaker 4: And oh, thank you so much. Yeah, You're going to
• 35:34
  Speaker 4: make sure that everyone is welcomed at the space of
• 35:37
  Speaker 4: their Actcause I've been to places before where are you
• 35:39
  Speaker 4: just like an outsider a guest and you don't know
• 35:42
  Speaker 4: where to like churn Tore, you don't know where you
• 35:43
  Speaker 4: fit in. But I've been in that position before, so
• 35:46
  Speaker 4: I don't want anyone to feel like in that position anymore.
• 35:49
  Speaker 4: And so I know what it feels like. So yeah, inclusivity.
• 35:53
  Speaker 1: I know it was a minute ago, but I have
• 35:55
  Speaker 1: to touch on drag Race. He's such a fan. I
• 35:57
  Speaker 1: love post drag Race. Tell us a little bit about
• 35:59
  Speaker 1: the experience you want to give us like an anecdote
• 36:02
  Speaker 1: in the top moment from that experience. Maybe people who
• 36:05
  Speaker 1: have known nothing about drag Race. Maybe my mother's watching,
• 36:08
  Speaker 1: what would you want her to her take away from experience.
• 36:12
  Speaker 4: I think for me, for drag Race, the most memorable
• 36:14
  Speaker 4: moment from season ten was walking through the entrance because
• 36:18
  Speaker 4: for many years I've watched Queen's walk through the entrance.
• 36:21
  Speaker 4: It's like a recognition of like, Okay, you've made it,
• 36:24
  Speaker 4: You're here, welcome to the sisterhood of a sorority. And
• 36:28
  Speaker 4: I felt like I walked through those doors, and I
• 36:31
  Speaker 4: felt like I made a mark on what I did.
• 36:33
  Speaker 4: But I think, like looking back at now, it's not
• 36:37
  Speaker 4: about like recognition or what others say. It's about what
• 36:41
  Speaker 4: you bring to the table. Is what you think.
• 36:43
  Speaker 2: Of yourself that matters.
• 36:45
  Speaker 4: So I think that at that time it was walking
• 36:48
  Speaker 4: through the entrance doors, but I think I'm looking back now,
• 36:51
  Speaker 4: it's the whole experience of it all. What I've walked
• 36:54
  Speaker 4: away with, Like those lessons I cannot get in real life,
• 36:58
  Speaker 4: like because you get such a big lesson you learn
• 37:00
  Speaker 4: this question, whereas in real life gets okay, a little
• 37:03
  Speaker 4: hic up here a little listen here girl like that
• 37:10
  Speaker 4: on Dragon?
• 37:11
  Speaker 2: What would you say if you had to think about it,
• 37:14
  Speaker 2: like give us like one or two big takeaways that.
• 37:18
  Speaker 4: Okay, So I guess I miss the question. I wanted
• 37:22
  Speaker 4: the other direction to take away of drag race, fun celebration.
• 37:28
  Speaker 4: Don't take life too seriously. I know that's a direct
• 37:30
  Speaker 4: quote from your PAULA. Seriously, don't take life too seriously
• 37:34
  Speaker 4: because we are all walking around. Everybody in this room
• 37:38
  Speaker 4: don't know what the f is going on, No shade,
• 37:42
  Speaker 4: We're all just trying to get by. They're all just
• 37:44
  Speaker 4: trying to wing it. We all have a reference of
• 37:47
  Speaker 4: what we had done in the past, experience that know
• 37:49
  Speaker 4: that works, and then we try to pass on the
• 37:51
  Speaker 4: advice for somebody else, or we're gonna do it again
• 37:54
  Speaker 4: for today. But we're all just trying to wing it.
• 37:57
  Speaker 1: Because I love this so much, because of pitomizes. What
• 38:02
  Speaker 1: is this moment? A year ago, I'm at your show.
• 38:06
  Speaker 1: I think you were like thirty minutes late. I were
• 38:10
  Speaker 1: stuck on a train. Do you remember this? Your train
• 38:12
  Speaker 1: got stuck and you couldn't get in Dragon time, so
• 38:16
  Speaker 1: you stopped at the guy who sells hats and T
• 38:20
  Speaker 1: shirts on the street and you bought a hoodie and
• 38:24
  Speaker 1: sunglasses and a hat and you showed up to the barroom.
• 38:29
  Speaker 1: My god, so funny photo, so funny. I have photos
• 38:35
  Speaker 1: so you don't remember this. Slightly It means it's happened
• 38:38
  Speaker 1: a couple of times.
• 38:39
  Speaker 2: Just slightly.
• 38:40
  Speaker 4: But I think, you know, like reposals, don't take life
• 38:43
  Speaker 4: to seriously. There's resource everywhere. As long as you make
• 38:46
  Speaker 4: it work, you know.
• 38:47
  Speaker 1: That was That was the best show everyone. Everyone lost
• 38:50
  Speaker 1: their ship. It was hilarious and it was great.
• 38:52
  Speaker 4: Thank you, thank you. Just make it work in life.
• 38:54
  Speaker 1: Oh do you want to tell us a little bit
• 38:55
  Speaker 1: about Slavery Royale.
• 38:57
  Speaker 4: We did Slaver Royal over last year. It was such
• 39:00
  Speaker 4: a quick turnaround. I felt it was such a long
• 39:03
  Speaker 4: project because it was like never and because we we
• 39:06
  Speaker 4: got the I guess, like the filter of like who's
• 39:10
  Speaker 4: interested in who they kind of want like an early
• 39:13
  Speaker 4: like of the year, and then we got the official
• 39:17
  Speaker 4: cast of who's going to be on there a few
• 39:19
  Speaker 4: months later, and then we started working on the costumes,
• 39:22
  Speaker 4: like preparing for the show, and then we filmed it,
• 39:24
  Speaker 4: and then we came back and we started preparing like
• 39:26
  Speaker 4: our videos and photos and then they aired it and
• 39:28
  Speaker 4: then afterwards we have to starty the performance. This is
• 39:30
  Speaker 4: like a whole long ass project. Okay that does not
• 39:32
  Speaker 4: sound nice, but you know, to fill the words for PRS,
• 39:37
  Speaker 4: you know. Protection. I'm very grateful with the experience, but yeah,
• 39:42
  Speaker 4: you know, like it's work. You know, everything was just
• 39:45
  Speaker 4: like so fast.
• 39:46
  Speaker 1: It's a machine.
• 39:47
  Speaker 4: Yeah, it's a machine.
• 39:48
  Speaker 1: It's a whole They tell you who's going to be
• 39:51
  Speaker 1: on the show beforehand. O.
• 39:52
  Speaker 4: Hell no, it's a whole surprise.
• 39:56
  Speaker 1: I was going to say, because then you can get
• 39:57
  Speaker 1: your reads ready.
• 39:58
  Speaker 4: Oh yeah, but I think, like, I mean, there's always
• 40:01
  Speaker 4: gonna be.
• 40:01
  Speaker 2: Like the moment read is such a good, Like it's
• 40:04
  Speaker 2: so good.
• 40:05
  Speaker 4: Yeah, because you never know who's going to be on there. Like, yeah,
• 40:08
  Speaker 4: you can read someone for their like clothes or their
• 40:11
  Speaker 4: makeup or like that's so generic. You can pluck any
• 40:14
  Speaker 4: name in for anybody, but like a specific moment or
• 40:17
  Speaker 4: a specific thing that they're known for. That's when it's
• 40:20
  Speaker 4: like bam, funny, it pokes you. Doesn't make sense, Like,
• 40:24
  Speaker 4: that's when it really gets you. For the read, Yeah,
• 40:26
  Speaker 4: for the moment read, yeah, very right to less up. Yeah,
• 40:31
  Speaker 4: but yeah, it was hot there.
• 40:32
  Speaker 1: Well, your film in the Philippines, Hot.
• 40:35
  Speaker 4: Hot, hot hot.
• 40:37
  Speaker 2: The humidity, Yeah, we had.
• 40:39
  Speaker 1: The air conditioning brought down really low today for you
• 40:43
  Speaker 1: because we know drag queens have to be on ice.
• 40:46
  Speaker 1: It have to be. We did a full HVAC review
• 40:52
  Speaker 1: before you heard the job.
• 40:54
  Speaker 2: But like Michael, Michael is a cold blooded creature. He
• 40:58
  Speaker 2: needs to be kept cool.
• 40:59
  Speaker 1: I know I'm the same way I if I if
• 41:01
  Speaker 1: I'm interviewing someone and it gets even a little bit hot,
• 41:05
  Speaker 1: it's over. It is done. Like if I start sweating,
• 41:09
  Speaker 1: I get in my head and I'm like, oh my god,
• 41:12
  Speaker 1: now I'm sweating. Okay now, and I'm in a suit
• 41:15
  Speaker 1: and the lights ahirt, We've got a lot of lights
• 41:17
  Speaker 1: on and it's really quickly.
• 41:21
  Speaker 2: Why do we have a lot of lights on? Michael
• 41:24
  Speaker 2: makeup this one? No, this one, especially though he he
• 41:30
  Speaker 2: he won't perform.
• 41:31
  Speaker 1: Unless there's I love good. It's got to have good lighting.
• 41:35
  Speaker 1: It's got to have that good that's soft filter, dazzling
• 41:38
  Speaker 1: over the lens. You impost you know who I'm talking.
• 41:42
  Speaker 2: To, lawyer or or what's going on?
• 41:47
  Speaker 1: Star?
• 41:48
  Speaker 4: What's going on?
• 41:48
  Speaker 1: Where's the ring light?
• 41:50
  Speaker 4: Let me ask you would y'all prefer a hot temperature
• 41:54
  Speaker 4: or cold temperature. I always get half and half from people.
• 41:58
  Speaker 4: They always like, I prefer hot, but I'm like, let
• 42:02
  Speaker 4: it be freezing. At least can throw a coat on. Yes,
• 42:05
  Speaker 4: if you're hot, what the we're gonna do, take up
• 42:07
  Speaker 4: your skin, your bones?
• 42:08
  Speaker 2: Like lately, lately, I prefer to be cold.
• 42:11
  Speaker 4: Okay, okay, okay, So you shifted.
• 42:14
  Speaker 2: I shifted because the heat is coming from inside the house.
• 42:17
  Speaker 1: I loved.
• 42:24
  Speaker 2: It's coming, you know, coming from inside. What about I.
• 42:31
  Speaker 1: Love a good like sweater overcoat, alphaba fierro moment with
• 42:37
  Speaker 1: the big card again. That's that's where I live. That's
• 42:40
  Speaker 1: what I love and like, I don't know. That's what
• 42:42
  Speaker 1: I love about New York is the winters in New
• 42:45
  Speaker 1: York can be great. Like the snow. You're walking around,
• 42:48
  Speaker 1: you're all bundled snow.
• 42:50
  Speaker 2: I'm very anti snow, and I am very anti grown
• 42:53
  Speaker 2: ass adult. It was just like, yay, it's gonna snow, right.
• 42:57
  Speaker 2: I don't have time. It's just I don't care. Come
• 43:00
  Speaker 2: for me if you want to, Guys, I can't with
• 43:05
  Speaker 2: the snow.
• 43:06
  Speaker 4: You know what, As a kid, I say the same
• 43:07
  Speaker 4: thing too now as an adults. Okay, the first date, beautiful,
• 43:10
  Speaker 4: second third day wreathing.
• 43:14
  Speaker 1: When wreathing, it's pretty.
• 43:19
  Speaker 2: First and is taking a ship on the snow's.
• 43:23
  Speaker 4: Dogs like walking around like, yeah.
• 43:25
  Speaker 1: You've been involved in some great organizations around sorry, just like.
• 43:29
  Speaker 4: What a great transition y'all hating the winter, so you've
• 43:33
  Speaker 4: been great.
• 43:35
  Speaker 1: So anyway, speaking of freezing cold.
• 43:38
  Speaker 4: Y'all want to hear funny stories. So I know this
• 43:40
  Speaker 4: about the Philippines, right, So when going back in the
• 43:43
  Speaker 4: winter in October November is, I was like trying to
• 43:47
  Speaker 4: find like places to stay at the house, like a
• 43:50
  Speaker 4: heater because I thought, you know, because I thought, like,
• 43:55
  Speaker 4: you know, winter warm. You know. No, No, I'm a
• 43:59
  Speaker 4: personally easily writing a lot of the places I was
• 44:02
  Speaker 4: looking at, okay, they only had like acy. I'm like
• 44:04
  Speaker 4: a mother efforts. Yeah, we're going to find a place
• 44:08
  Speaker 4: that has a heater for me during the winter. Place
• 44:11
  Speaker 4: after place after place after place. I was messaging, messaging hotel,
• 44:18
  Speaker 4: and then someone finally had the bravery and re Punny said, ma'am,
• 44:23
  Speaker 4: this is the Philippines. We don't have winter, right.
• 44:26
  Speaker 1: I was, you know, there's a Filipino restaurant right across
• 44:31
  Speaker 1: from my apartment. They have the craziest karaoke on Saturday nights,
• 44:38
  Speaker 1: all night long. I love it. It's so funny.
• 44:41
  Speaker 2: Do you sing?
• 44:42
  Speaker 1: No, Okay, I'm not gonna it's so funny.
• 44:45
  Speaker 4: It's in their bloody.
• 44:47
  Speaker 1: It's so great.
• 44:48
  Speaker 4: They love it, pageantry, karaoke, it's all in them. They
• 44:53
  Speaker 4: love that they do. And here what do we love?
• 44:56
  Speaker 4: Drag honey or no?
• 45:01
  Speaker 1: Yeah? How long have you been doing track?
• 45:03
  Speaker 4: Since two thousand and nine? I would say you no,
• 45:06
  Speaker 4: two thousand and eight, But then for fun, I would
• 45:08
  Speaker 4: say two thousand and four or five ish.
• 45:12
  Speaker 2: When you were doing it for fun, what were you
• 45:14
  Speaker 2: doing for real?
• 45:15
  Speaker 4: I would say, like, because people were like playing sports
• 45:18
  Speaker 4: or Barbie, or playing with makeup or figuring out like
• 45:20
  Speaker 4: dating and whatnot. Like I didn't really have any of
• 45:22
  Speaker 4: those things that apply to me. So for me, it
• 45:26
  Speaker 4: was drack, it was makeup, it was wigs, it was costumes,
• 45:30
  Speaker 4: it was sowing. I'm going to look great back then,
• 45:32
  Speaker 4: But it was like a way of expressing myself like
• 45:35
  Speaker 4: some people turn into like painting, collecting stamps.
• 45:37
  Speaker 1: Or pating yourself.
• 45:39
  Speaker 4: Yeah, I was using myself as a canvas as an expression.
• 45:42
  Speaker 1: Yeah.
• 45:42
  Speaker 4: Yeah, looking back, at it now. It was always almost
• 45:46
  Speaker 4: like a way of healing myself and finding myself and
• 45:49
  Speaker 4: like solving any trauma that I had as a kid.
• 45:52
  Speaker 4: But it really propelled me into ways of finding confidence,
• 45:55
  Speaker 4: accepting myself as who I am, and learning about other
• 45:58
  Speaker 4: people that are different from me to because yes I'm different,
• 46:02
  Speaker 4: but so are other people, and let's all learn about
• 46:05
  Speaker 4: each other and respect each other for who they are
• 46:07
  Speaker 4: and we can all share this beautiful earth together.
• 46:10
  Speaker 1: Was there anyone sort of like guiding you as you
• 46:11
  Speaker 1: were figuring out drag or like, I know that like
• 46:14
  Speaker 1: drag motherhood is a big part of the drag community,
• 46:17
  Speaker 1: especially in the US, But was did you have a
• 46:20
  Speaker 1: community around you as you were sort of figuring that
• 46:22
  Speaker 1: out or was it really on your own.
• 46:24
  Speaker 4: I wish there was a community, I'm gonna be honest,
• 46:26
  Speaker 4: I wish there was a community. But back in the day,
• 46:29
  Speaker 4: they were like no YouTube videos, no tiktoks help you
• 46:34
  Speaker 4: with makeup or a reference point for costumes, like well,
• 46:38
  Speaker 4: I'm gonna put out the obvious, and nobody was really
• 46:40
  Speaker 4: Asian doing drag in your city at a time, so
• 46:43
  Speaker 4: all my reference points were for doing makeup where whoever
• 46:46
  Speaker 4: was like sitting next to me, the way I did
• 46:48
  Speaker 4: my makeup did not match my face or like my complexion,
• 46:52
  Speaker 4: my eyes and whatnot.
• 46:53
  Speaker 2: Like.
• 46:54
  Speaker 4: It wasn't until years later I found out they were
• 46:58
  Speaker 4: doing and shaping their faces with them make up and
• 47:00
  Speaker 4: conjuring highlighting the makeup and stuff for their face and
• 47:03
  Speaker 4: their complexion.
• 47:04
  Speaker 1: And you can't just copy paste it on.
• 47:08
  Speaker 4: Right. And it wasn't until Manola lous On from Season
• 47:10
  Speaker 4: three and other Asian drag artist she put up a
• 47:13
  Speaker 4: makeup video and I was like, oh, that's how I
• 47:17
  Speaker 4: was supposed to do it, for my cheekbones, my lips,
• 47:19
  Speaker 4: my eyes. That all makes sense from then on.
• 47:21
  Speaker 2: And did you feel that shifting yourself once you sort
• 47:24
  Speaker 2: of learned from her, Like, did you feel like, oh, okay,
• 47:27
  Speaker 2: because you had obviously been loving it this whole time,
• 47:30
  Speaker 2: but just maybe not necessarily feeling like you were doing
• 47:33
  Speaker 2: it right right?
• 47:36
  Speaker 4: Yeah? Why why every time I say you're.
• 47:39
  Speaker 2: Because it's Melissa? Why nobody it's fine?
• 47:48
  Speaker 4: What? Nobody correct it?
• 47:49
  Speaker 2: Mine? It's mine? We just did we just did. It's Melissa.
• 47:53
  Speaker 2: No Melissa.
• 47:56
  Speaker 4: So instead of corrected me, he just breaks out laughing. Okay, melessa,
• 48:01
  Speaker 4: I am so I am so sorry. I'm so sorry, Melissa.
• 48:07
  Speaker 4: What was the question? Again?
• 48:10
  Speaker 2: Now I can't remember what.
• 48:11
  Speaker 4: Was the question, Michael, what was the question?
• 48:17
  Speaker 2: I think I was asking you if after found this
• 48:22
  Speaker 2: other person who was doing it, because you had always
• 48:24
  Speaker 2: loved makeup, but maybe you were feeling like it wasn't
• 48:28
  Speaker 2: Actually you weren't doing it in a way that you
• 48:31
  Speaker 2: felt highlighted your face until you saw somebody else with
• 48:34
  Speaker 2: similar features who also did its right.
• 48:37
  Speaker 4: That's where the saying representation matters get help so much when.
• 48:40
  Speaker 2: You see yourself like you know me for a quick
• 48:44
  Speaker 2: a second, but like I remember growing up feeling very
• 48:47
  Speaker 2: much like I had to have hair as straight as possible,
• 48:52
  Speaker 2: and I would spend hours blow drying my hair and
• 48:55
  Speaker 2: getting relaxers because I didn't see anybody with hair like mine.
• 48:59
  Speaker 2: And then finally one day I was just like fuck
• 49:01
  Speaker 2: this and I did it. But like people who are
• 49:04
  Speaker 2: coming up behind me have no idea what it was
• 49:07
  Speaker 2: like when they didn't know how to do their hair right.
• 49:09
  Speaker 2: So when I hear you say, you know, when you
• 49:12
  Speaker 2: were coming up, there were no like YouTube tutorials for you,
• 49:16
  Speaker 2: so you were out there sort of like blindly bumping
• 49:18
  Speaker 2: into things trying to figure it out. But the people
• 49:21
  Speaker 2: who are coming now they have you to look for
• 49:24
  Speaker 2: as an example, right, and other ones like you yeah, yeah, yeah, No,
• 49:29
  Speaker 2: it's true though, but you are leading the way and
• 49:34
  Speaker 2: it makes it so that anyone who wants to do
• 49:38
  Speaker 2: what you do who looks similarly to you, that could
• 49:42
  Speaker 2: be like, oh, mother is here, right and like looking
• 49:44
  Speaker 2: at you and knowing that it makes all the difference.
• 49:47
  Speaker 2: That's when you say representation matters.
• 49:48
  Speaker 5: Ah, yeah, you know, because like a lot of people
• 49:53
  Speaker 5: wouldn't know how to take care of their natural hair because,
• 49:56
  Speaker 5: like you mentioned, like string their hair, they wouldn't know
• 49:59
  Speaker 5: all the products came to take care of their hair
• 50:03
  Speaker 5: that are currently in their natural forms.
• 50:05
  Speaker 4: Same thing with like makeup or complexion or finding the
• 50:08
  Speaker 4: actual correct shade for yourself. Yeah, So, like representation really
• 50:11
  Speaker 4: matters because if you don't see yourself, how are you
• 50:13
  Speaker 4: gonna feel about not being accepted in the world because
• 50:19
  Speaker 4: you're not on you know, the billboards on TV and
• 50:21
  Speaker 4: whatnot and are having like a reference point, you know,
• 50:24
  Speaker 4: and having that as like an example also allows other
• 50:28
  Speaker 4: people to know that there are different ways too to
• 50:32
  Speaker 4: do the things that you want to do to express yourself.
• 50:35
  Speaker 4: There's not one way to do things.
• 50:36
  Speaker 2: And the standard beauty is different for everybody, right, Like,
• 50:39
  Speaker 2: I know, there's no reason that those of us who
• 50:42
  Speaker 2: are people of color should ascribe to the standard of
• 50:45
  Speaker 2: beauty that is for white people. It's not the same
• 50:48
  Speaker 2: and that's okay, And it's just you just need to
• 50:51
  Speaker 2: sort of find what is your niche right, right, and
• 50:54
  Speaker 2: if there is a niche, blow one out, like you
• 50:56
  Speaker 2: make one for yourself, right.
• 50:57
  Speaker 4: And I always feel like it's shifting too. I mean,
• 50:59
  Speaker 4: we're all just things thrown together, different shapes of eyes,
• 51:04
  Speaker 4: and then if you're lucky enough, someone will find you attractive.
• 51:07
  Speaker 4: We're just a bunch of things thrown together. And I
• 51:09
  Speaker 4: feel like there's beauty in however you look. However you look,
• 51:15
  Speaker 4: someone's gonna find you attractive.
• 51:16
  Speaker 2: And there's nothing like having Sorry no, I'm but like
• 51:23
  Speaker 2: finding your there's like confidence in yourself that'll do it.
• 51:27
  Speaker 2: Every time.
• 51:27
  Speaker 1: I was just going to say, every time I go
• 51:30
  Speaker 1: shopping with Melissa, we are stopped multiple times by people
• 51:35
  Speaker 1: telling her how beautiful her hair is. Because everyone stops
• 51:39
  Speaker 1: her on the street in the store. It is, I mean,
• 51:44
  Speaker 1: it really is incredible. It's getting to be exhausting. I
• 51:50
  Speaker 1: love it as the bald friend. I'm really mad. Such
• 51:56
  Speaker 1: a nice.
• 51:58
  Speaker 4: I know, but it is beautiful, you know, like if
• 52:01
  Speaker 4: you wear it with pride, with confidence.
• 52:03
  Speaker 1: And it's it is not only is it beautiful, but
• 52:05
  Speaker 1: it's the way she wears it, like she styles it,
• 52:08
  Speaker 1: but also like moves with confidence in the world. And
• 52:12
  Speaker 1: I do think that that is a huge part of it.
• 52:14
  Speaker 2: And it takes it takes time, right, you don't. I
• 52:17
  Speaker 2: mean I think you don't always sort of come out
• 52:19
  Speaker 2: of the womb that way, right, And I think there's
• 52:21
  Speaker 2: a lot of people who were just like normal, be
• 52:24
  Speaker 2: like who you're supposed to be, but you figure that
• 52:27
  Speaker 2: out for your.
• 52:27
  Speaker 1: Is there a type of person who stops you about
• 52:29
  Speaker 1: your hair? It's like I think from what I've seen,
• 52:33
  Speaker 1: it's usually women who are thinking about going gray. Yeah,
• 52:37
  Speaker 1: that is like what I always always say.
• 52:40
  Speaker 2: They always say I could never, And I used to
• 52:42
  Speaker 2: once upon a time. I used to be like, of
• 52:44
  Speaker 2: course you can. But now I feel like, oh, then
• 52:47
  Speaker 2: don't because it because because not get lost, but like
• 52:57
  Speaker 2: because you get there when you get there, right, Anything
• 53:02
  Speaker 2: that I can say to anybody to make them do it.
• 53:06
  Speaker 2: And I feel like I never say no, you can't,
• 53:09
  Speaker 2: but I always say, well, you know you will when
• 53:12
  Speaker 2: you're ready, when you're ready, and then and maybe and
• 53:16
  Speaker 2: maybe you're never ready, and that's that's okay, And that's
• 53:19
  Speaker 2: okay too, right, Like I mean, I think you owe
• 53:23
  Speaker 2: it to yourself to be your authentic self and if
• 53:26
  Speaker 2: you can do it, then go for you. And if
• 53:28
  Speaker 2: you can't, that's okay too.
• 53:29
  Speaker 4: Yeah. You live the life that you want to at
• 53:32
  Speaker 4: the time you want to, and it's your journey, you know.
• 53:34
  Speaker 2: And I'll say this sort of selfishly. You can't bring
• 53:36
  Speaker 2: everybody with you.
• 53:37
  Speaker 1: Not everybody.
• 53:38
  Speaker 2: Not everybody wants to be here.
• 53:39
  Speaker 1: With you, you know what I mean. She's about to
• 53:44
  Speaker 1: tell me to get lost, yea said, I'm just saying,
• 53:48
  Speaker 1: not everybody.
• 53:49
  Speaker 2: Not everybody is in the same place.
• 53:52
  Speaker 1: It's true.
• 53:52
  Speaker 4: I've learned that to you, like you are doing this
• 53:55
  Speaker 4: much amount and they're just there for the ride, or
• 53:58
  Speaker 4: just like they're do you want to be in a
• 54:02
  Speaker 4: better place in your life, you gotta work for it,
• 54:05
  Speaker 4: you do. You have to work for it.
• 54:07
  Speaker 1: As we're moving into the new year, I've seen a
• 54:09
  Speaker 1: lot of people talking about, you know, what they're bringing
• 54:12
  Speaker 1: with them into the New Year or what they're leaving behind.
• 54:14
  Speaker 1: And I've seen people talk about I'm not going to
• 54:17
  Speaker 1: call the friends who don't call me. No, I'm not
• 54:20
  Speaker 1: going to text time ago, And it is such great
• 54:24
  Speaker 1: advice because they either figure it out and they start
• 54:27
  Speaker 1: calling or they don't, and you're fine, Baby, you were
• 54:32
  Speaker 1: doing them as service.
• 54:34
  Speaker 4: Baby, you always aren't you yourself? And I always say this,
• 54:37
  Speaker 4: I am never lonely. I am never lonely because I
• 54:40
  Speaker 4: have myself and the friends or people that you don't
• 54:45
  Speaker 4: call it on text like or that you don't hear from,
• 54:48
  Speaker 4: they're not meant to be in your life. There's maybe
• 54:51
  Speaker 4: something that's like bringing y'all together. Maybe it's the partying,
• 54:54
  Speaker 4: the I don't know.
• 54:56
  Speaker 1: The strong drinks at pieces.
• 54:58
  Speaker 4: I was gonna say since but but you know what
• 55:01
  Speaker 4: I'm saying, like things that y'all do that bring y'all together.
• 55:06
  Speaker 4: But besides that, what's there do y'all share common believes?
• 55:11
  Speaker 4: Do y'all want to move forward in life? Do y'all
• 55:13
  Speaker 4: want to make the world a better place? What do
• 55:15
  Speaker 4: y'all want to do in life together? Besides doing all
• 55:19
  Speaker 4: those other stuff?
• 55:20
  Speaker 2: Or like are you trauma bonding? Like what's going on?
• 55:22
  Speaker 2: Like why is this person in your life? And sometimes,
• 55:24
  Speaker 2: I mean, this is such a cliche, but like sometimes
• 55:27
  Speaker 2: people are just in your life for a season, right,
• 55:29
  Speaker 2: and that's okay, And that's okay. Like your best friend
• 55:32
  Speaker 2: from the sixth grade does not have to be your
• 55:35
  Speaker 2: best friend today exactly.
• 55:37
  Speaker 1: And that doesn't mean that what you had with them
• 55:39
  Speaker 1: when they were in your life is any less valuable.
• 55:42
  Speaker 1: If anything, you're like honoring it by moving on and
• 55:44
  Speaker 1: being like, I'm not going to dilute the value of
• 55:47
  Speaker 1: what that once was for that season of my life
• 55:50
  Speaker 1: by dragging it into this new season and making it
• 55:52
  Speaker 1: this shitty experience.
• 55:54
  Speaker 2: Right right, like or like a chore, like a drudgery?
• 55:56
  Speaker 1: Who needs that?
• 55:57
  Speaker 2: Like there isn't there are enough things that we have
• 56:01
  Speaker 2: to do in this life that the people that you
• 56:04
  Speaker 2: choose to spend time with that should be a joy,
• 56:07
  Speaker 2: you know what I mean? It should be a joy
• 56:09
  Speaker 2: like that, I gotta pay bills, I got to be
• 56:11
  Speaker 2: on the subway. The people that I surround myself with
• 56:14
  Speaker 2: by choice, it needs to give me something. It needs
• 56:18
  Speaker 2: to be yes, absolutely, And time is short. Time is short.
• 56:22
  Speaker 4: Maybe, like you have to make sure that people you
• 56:25
  Speaker 4: allowing your life, are actually bringing in something that is
• 56:29
  Speaker 4: just not there for like, okay, you know tick tic
• 56:31
  Speaker 4: tic wasting your time. No, they're there to enjoy the
• 56:34
  Speaker 4: rye with you.
• 56:35
  Speaker 2: Yeah. I used to always tell my stepdaughter when she
• 56:37
  Speaker 2: was growing up. I'm like, you know what you deserve
• 56:40
  Speaker 2: to be choosy about who you allow your right right,
• 56:45
  Speaker 2: who you allow to be your friends, who you allowed
• 56:47
  Speaker 2: to be sexual partners, like you need to you get
• 56:49
  Speaker 2: to pick and the minute somebody makes you feel like
• 56:52
  Speaker 2: shit about yourself or tries to get you to do
• 56:55
  Speaker 2: something that is again sort of like your inner moral compass.
• 57:01
  Speaker 4: Yeah, because this is your life, you should always do
• 57:04
  Speaker 4: things that make you happy.
• 57:05
  Speaker 2: Where is the joy?
• 57:07
  Speaker 4: You should always do things that make you happy and
• 57:10
  Speaker 4: things that you only want to do because imagine like
• 57:13
  Speaker 4: I don't want to hear I'm like, and I have
• 57:14
  Speaker 4: to say through here, How torturous would that be for me?
• 57:18
  Speaker 4: But I want to be here. I want to do
• 57:20
  Speaker 4: this and this makes me happy to be with y'all.
• 57:23
  Speaker 4: So that's why I'm doing it. And if I'm doing
• 57:26
  Speaker 4: it and being tortures and don't want to be here,
• 57:28
  Speaker 4: oh my god, can you imagine this whole experience.
• 57:30
  Speaker 2: Let me ask it would be off.
• 57:33
  Speaker 4: It would be off. I'll be like rolling my eyes
• 57:36
  Speaker 4: and it wouldn't flow, and it was caught.
• 57:40
  Speaker 2: Yeah. Absolutely. Do you imagine that there would ever be
• 57:45
  Speaker 2: a moment for you where Dragon no longer gives you
• 57:49
  Speaker 2: what it was giving? And if that's true, do you
• 57:51
  Speaker 2: think that it'll just be like cut and dry, I'm done,
• 57:54
  Speaker 2: or do you think that it'll look a different way.
• 57:57
  Speaker 4: I love these questions because Michael's asking, like I was
• 58:00
  Speaker 4: like having a fun that's not that You're like, so,
• 58:04
  Speaker 4: so let's figure out together and then you send me
• 58:09
  Speaker 4: an invoice from my thirty sessions. The question was do
• 58:14
  Speaker 4: I think I've utilized rack to its most potential end
• 58:17
  Speaker 4: for you?
• 58:18
  Speaker 1: For me, like we're talking about leaving friends behind and
• 58:20
  Speaker 1: bringing friends with you. Is DRAG that friend you leave
• 58:23
  Speaker 1: and take with you? What is that like for Like,
• 58:25
  Speaker 1: do you feel like there might be a day where
• 58:27
  Speaker 1: you're like, maybe this is the friend that I leave
• 58:29
  Speaker 1: behind or it becomes or revolves into something different.
• 58:32
  Speaker 4: For me, I feel like a lot of folks when
• 58:34
  Speaker 4: they did Drag in the beginning is for PTSD, it's
• 58:37
  Speaker 4: for trauma, it's for solving from yes, it's it's healing.
• 58:42
  Speaker 4: It's like solving all those issues that you didn't understand,
• 58:46
  Speaker 4: or like a way to vocalize how you're feeling without
• 58:49
  Speaker 4: being too rude for using the wrong worst. You're doing
• 58:52
  Speaker 4: it through performance like and the looks and whatnot. So
• 58:55
  Speaker 4: I think that's a lot where it comes from. And
• 58:58
  Speaker 4: I think that after years, maybe almost like two decades, now,
• 59:02
  Speaker 4: I feel like I've done that a while ago. For me.
• 59:07
  Speaker 4: Right now, I feel like I don't want to say,
• 59:11
  Speaker 4: like you know, like you know, I don't want to
• 59:13
  Speaker 4: get in dragged, like there's like money involves. I feel
• 59:15
  Speaker 4: like I'm doing that now, but like I'm still loving
• 59:17
  Speaker 4: drag and I feel like it's more special for me now.
• 59:22
  Speaker 4: It's more special for me now because I don't do
• 59:25
  Speaker 4: it for PTSD or heal. I do it for me,
• 59:30
  Speaker 4: but also makes it extra special. Does that make sense? Yeah,
• 59:36
  Speaker 4: I'm doing it not because of what I happened for
• 59:39
  Speaker 4: as a kid. Now I'm doing it as like a
• 59:41
  Speaker 4: two point oh version as an adult, as an adult
• 59:44
  Speaker 4: two point o version, and whenever this is over, I
• 59:48
  Speaker 4: don't know what three point version, you know.
• 59:50
  Speaker 1: And it's nice you get to like sort of like
• 59:52
  Speaker 1: you get to me, drag where it is for you,
• 59:54
  Speaker 1: right and like it and going through it. And it
• 59:57
  Speaker 1: can it can be two things.
• 59:59
  Speaker 4: Right.
• 59:59
  Speaker 1: It can be the thing that helps you get through
• 1:00:01
  Speaker 1: that traumatic experience like discovering your gender expression or do
• 1:00:05
  Speaker 1: you like surviving that you know, queer lived experience that
• 1:00:08
  Speaker 1: wasn't positive. But it can also be a business. It
• 1:00:12
  Speaker 1: can be something that you turn into a career exactly so.
• 1:00:16
  Speaker 4: And I think really anything is possible. I mean, like
• 1:00:18
  Speaker 4: we have to you know, just on social media, like
• 1:00:20
  Speaker 4: I don't know, like selling, like I don't know souper
• 1:00:23
  Speaker 4: arts on like soup.
• 1:00:26
  Speaker 1: I just started following a lady who makes broth and oh.
• 1:00:31
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I love it. I'm like, I'm this guy who
• 1:00:33
  Speaker 2: makes toffee. Yeah.
• 1:00:34
  Speaker 1: I was like, I'm sad. I am watching every single
• 1:00:37
  Speaker 1: broth video. Yeah, like I've got I've got things soaking
• 1:00:40
  Speaker 1: ready to make broth later it's gonna happen.
• 1:00:44
  Speaker 4: Ye the broth example.
• 1:00:45
  Speaker 2: Yeah, are you using chicken feet?
• 1:00:47
  Speaker 1: I'm using chicken feet and I'm clipping them nails.
• 1:00:50
  Speaker 4: Yeah, you got a clip clip and nails.
• 1:00:53
  Speaker 1: And my broth girl, last, come at me in the comments. Okay,
• 1:00:56
  Speaker 1: sorry I interrupted you.
• 1:00:58
  Speaker 4: Oh yeah, but anything it's like possible. You can make
• 1:01:00
  Speaker 4: anything up a business if there's a demand for it.
• 1:01:03
  Speaker 4: There's a service. Get your money, honey, get.
• 1:01:06
  Speaker 1: Your money at Pieces on Friends every Friday.
• 1:01:09
  Speaker 4: Every Friday, every preda what I say this every week
• 1:01:12
  Speaker 4: as a joke because I need a job. I'm not
• 1:01:18
  Speaker 4: your pickup.
• 1:01:19
  Speaker 2: I want to I need a j LB.
• 1:01:23
  Speaker 4: You all got bills, ye, bills?
• 1:01:25
  Speaker 1: So anything else you want to plug pieces Friday?
• 1:01:28
  Speaker 2: Okay, Melissa.
• 1:01:31
  Speaker 4: So what's your closet like my closet, Like I'm out
• 1:01:34
  Speaker 4: of the closet.
• 1:01:35
  Speaker 1: I don't know, Melis, this is the most selfish question.
• 1:01:39
  Speaker 4: Closet my drag closet were like what do you mean?
• 1:01:43
  Speaker 2: Like there's so many, like like how many closets?
• 1:01:45
  Speaker 4: There's so many like I guess like references for that term.
• 1:01:48
  Speaker 4: So which is funny?
• 1:01:49
  Speaker 1: What what how do you store your clothing? Melissa means
• 1:01:53
  Speaker 1: a quite.
• 1:01:53
  Speaker 4: Like your closets not kidding best like custom like Ika,
• 1:02:00
  Speaker 4: Like I'm not kidding, Like you can pick like the
• 1:02:02
  Speaker 4: sizes you want, the shelves that you want.
• 1:02:04
  Speaker 2: To like with the drawers, yes, yes, the billion closet.
• 1:02:09
  Speaker 4: Wow oh yeah yeah yah yeah they're cheap and look
• 1:02:13
  Speaker 4: into it because I was like, yeah, home deeper. I
• 1:02:15
  Speaker 4: was like, how much is the customized one? They were like,
• 1:02:17
  Speaker 4: that's like six thousand dollars for that little like yeah,
• 1:02:20
  Speaker 4: six eight. I was like, you can know, and I
• 1:02:23
  Speaker 4: can't pack it less than two thousand dollars. Get all done,
• 1:02:27
  Speaker 4: oh beautiful, easy shop done. Yeah, but that's what I
• 1:02:32
  Speaker 4: used for my closet. Was that your question?
• 1:02:37
  Speaker 2: Yes, I Kia sponsored by Ikea.
• 1:02:41
  Speaker 1: Yes, no more, thank you for joining us, thank you
• 1:02:45
  Speaker 1: for the show.
• 1:02:47
  Speaker 4: Anything huh definly by five, have a great time.
• 1:02:51
  Speaker 1: We do that. Yeah, yeah, anything you want to plug,
• 1:02:54
  Speaker 1: anything you want to promote, follow you socials at this
• 1:02:57
  Speaker 1: handle that she's about to read off.
• 1:02:59
  Speaker 4: Yes, there's a lot of different ones because some got
• 1:03:03
  Speaker 4: taken a to like, but you look for the one
• 1:03:08
  Speaker 4: that's like a drag queen on the promo like handle.
• 1:03:10
  Speaker 1: Yeah, y u h. You ate these fake accounts too.
• 1:03:13
  Speaker 1: I've got real Michael foot private underscore, and they're messaging
• 1:03:18
  Speaker 1: people asking people for money as me. They do that,
• 1:03:22
  Speaker 1: I mean I do to it, nodding.
• 1:03:24
  Speaker 4: Behind it, you behind it?
• 1:03:25
  Speaker 1: Okay, Oh that's just my you know I message you
• 1:03:27
  Speaker 1: asked for money? It was me?
• 1:03:28
  Speaker 4: Yeah, yeah yeah and I'll ask you back to you.
• 1:03:31
  Speaker 1: You know, I'll see I'll see you have Friday on
• 1:03:33
  Speaker 1: at Pieces in the West Villge of New York City.
• 1:03:35
  Speaker 1: Eight o'clock. I'll see them.
• 1:03:37
  Speaker 4: Nine o'clock.
• 1:03:38
  Speaker 1: No, it's eight o'clock.
• 1:03:39
  Speaker 4: It's your show for viewingclock viewing. Okay, there's two times. Okay,
• 1:03:45
  Speaker 4: eight o'clock for viewing when there's drag race, nine o'clock
• 1:03:48
  Speaker 4: when there's no viewing. Yeah, two times. Oh that's why
• 1:03:51
  Speaker 4: you said eight o'clock.
• 1:03:52
  Speaker 1: It's only been eight years. So thank you for coming
• 1:03:54
  Speaker 1: on the show. I'm so glad you got to meet
• 1:03:58
  Speaker 1: the audience. They got to meet you.
• 1:03:59
  Speaker 2: And what's my name, Melissa?
• 1:04:02
  Speaker 4: What honey?
• 1:04:04
  Speaker 1: This has been Brayer. We'll be right back. You was
• 1:04:09
  Speaker 1: so great. I'm so glad she came me too. I
• 1:04:12
  Speaker 1: was worried she wouldn't be on time, but she was
• 1:04:14
  Speaker 1: right on time.
• 1:04:14
  Speaker 2: She was right on time.
• 1:04:15
  Speaker 1: Love it. She was ten minutes late to her own
• 1:04:17
  Speaker 1: show last week. But I mean I would say that
• 1:04:19
  Speaker 1: to her face. That's not a really well you did?
• 1:04:21
  Speaker 1: I did? I you did?
• 1:04:23
  Speaker 2: You were like, oh, we were so happy that you are.
• 1:04:25
  Speaker 1: I'm the type of friend not only do I forget
• 1:04:27
  Speaker 1: what I say, I spilled my water everywhere during our breath.
• 1:04:29
  Speaker 2: No, you're a mess. I can't take you.
• 1:04:32
  Speaker 1: I'm so glad she came though.
• 1:04:33
  Speaker 2: Yeah. No, it a good time. I really And this
• 1:04:36
  Speaker 2: is maybe your opportunity to say to me, Melissa, Melissa,
• 1:04:39
  Speaker 2: would you like to.
• 1:04:41
  Speaker 1: Come with me to name oh Pieces on Friday?
• 1:04:44
  Speaker 2: Friday?
• 1:04:44
  Speaker 1: Do you want to do it? She would do the
• 1:04:46
  Speaker 1: Michael Foot and Melissa Alburne meet and greet at the
• 1:04:48
  Speaker 1: Johoahamasaki show at Pieces on Friday night at eight. Okay,
• 1:04:51
  Speaker 1: let's do it.
• 1:04:52
  Speaker 2: Okay, I'm committing.
• 1:04:53
  Speaker 1: It's going to be like two people. No, no, no,
• 1:04:56
  Speaker 1: that's you know what. That's great.
• 1:04:57
  Speaker 2: No, no, no, no, that's all right. But I am to
• 1:05:00
  Speaker 2: being out after nine pm.
• 1:05:03
  Speaker 1: Diva, you're not supposed to go up houst nine pm.
• 1:05:06
  Speaker 1: You're gonna be a little long in the truth, miss Curly.
• 1:05:09
  Speaker 2: Someone watch occasion.
• 1:05:10
  Speaker 1: Someone walked up to me at Pieces and said, do
• 1:05:13
  Speaker 1: the police horses mean anything to you?
• 1:05:16
  Speaker 2: Police horses?
• 1:05:17
  Speaker 1: Because I make these videos, I always say something about
• 1:05:19
  Speaker 1: police horses, like as a joke. Yeah, that was his
• 1:05:22
  Speaker 1: opener of like, hey, I recognize you're from the Internet.
• 1:05:24
  Speaker 1: I thought that was so clever. I loved it.
• 1:05:27
  Speaker 2: People you know, and people will pick up on like
• 1:05:29
  Speaker 2: one particular thing I love.
• 1:05:30
  Speaker 1: It ayah, and sometimes it's something I forget I said. Anyway,
• 1:05:36
  Speaker 1: thank you for watching Brief Recess. I will see you
• 1:05:38
  Speaker 1: in court. This has been an Exactly Right production recorded
• 1:05:44
  Speaker 1: at iHeart Studios, hosted by Me, Michael Foot and.
• 1:05:47
  Speaker 2: Me Melissa Malbrant. Our producer is CJ. Ferroni.
• 1:05:50
  Speaker 1: This episode was edited by Nicholas Galucci.
• 1:05:52
  Speaker 2: Our associate producer is Christina Chamberlain and our guest booker
• 1:05:55
  Speaker 2: is Patria Cottner.
• 1:05:57
  Speaker 1: Our theme song was composed by Tom bride Vogel with
• 1:05:59
  Speaker 1: artwork from Charlotte Delarue MNSA Lilac with photography by Brad Obono.
• 1:06:03
  Speaker 2: Brief Recess is executive produced by Karen Kilgareff, Georgia hart
• 1:06:07
  Speaker 2: Stark and Danielle Kramer.
• 1:06:08
  Speaker 1: You can find me on Instagram at Department of Redundancy
• 1:06:11
  Speaker 1: Department or on TikTok at Michael Foot.
• 1:06:13
  Speaker 2: And I'm on both Instagram and TikTok as Melissa Malbranch got.
• 1:06:17
  Speaker 1: Legal questions, reach out at Brief Recess at Exactlyrightmedia dot Com.
• 1:06:21
  Speaker 1: Listen to Brief Recess on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts
• 1:06:25
  Speaker 1: or wherever you get your podcasts, and of course we're
• 1:06:28
  Speaker 1: a podcasts with video. Search for Brief Recess on YouTube