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1:09

Hello, my friend, and welcome to Catch Up

1:11

with Louise McSharry. I am Louise McSharry, and

1:13

this is the podcast that aims to keep

1:15

you caught up in everything, from

1:17

news to the world of entertainment, and

1:19

just people who are doing and saying

1:22

interesting things. And today's episode

1:24

is the entertainment episode. And I have to

1:26

say, I really, really, really enjoyed this chat

1:28

this morning. So I hope you really enjoy

1:30

it too. James O'Hagan

1:32

is back and he is always just

1:34

an absolute pleasure. Kind of

1:37

when I was sending him the list of stories for today, I was like, oh,

1:40

they're a bit kind of fluffy, actually. There isn't

1:42

a whole lot of meat to get

1:44

into. And then when we started talking, we were like,

1:46

okay, wow, actually there's loads of Meaty

1:48

stuff to talk about. So I Hope you really enjoy

1:50

it. But Before we get into that, I Just wanted

1:52

to, first of all, thank those of you who have

1:54

joined the Patreon. Since I Started doing the three episodes

1:56

a week, lots more of you have signed up and

1:58

I really appreciate that because... I

2:01

just genuinely feel like such a vote of confidence.

2:03

I'm like you really value bad the and I'm

2:05

doing and yeah I love you. I don't to

2:07

be like a broken record but I never want

2:10

you to think that it doesn't It's an. Or

2:12

that it goes unnoticed because I do very

2:15

much appreciate on and secondly, I wanted to

2:17

remind you that I have a live show

2:19

coming up my for ran. If that's right,

2:21

I'm going to be in the latter lands

2:23

am on May Ninth. I'm very much looking

2:26

forward to it. It's a Thursday. Nice on

2:28

My friends and I were just discussing that

2:30

Thursday is almost. Like. Technically

2:32

yeah, you've got work on Friday if you

2:34

work on Monday to Friday and I appreciate

2:37

that on everybody does. But like you know

2:39

than acting Us Attorney Cilic, you've really only

2:41

got to get through the day aren't You

2:43

haven't wasted weekend day and you know, being

2:45

tired or hung over whenever you're flavor is

2:48

am on. Think it's a great day to

2:50

get the crew together and go into something

2:52

fallen. Maybe something different? Maybe come and see

2:54

my like. So am I Think it can

2:56

be really good at myself. Ah, a couple

2:59

of the crew from Catch Up are gonna

3:01

be doing a little thin. At were center

3:03

that the marlins I think it's gonna be really

3:05

fun and then also there will be a conversation with

3:07

someone who I know you guys are gonna absolutely love.

3:09

I'll tell you more by.as things developer but for now

3:12

and that is the information that I can give

3:14

to you and add the link if you want

3:16

to get tickets is in the blurb. I would

3:18

love to see the good. Time please give

3:20

me to temps as. Otherwise is

3:22

not a lock on our with me I'm

3:24

working away I find em. Er

3:27

din new podcast format early in the week is

3:29

very very busy for me and then I have

3:31

a bit more time toward the end of the

3:33

week which is nice and I'm going to Manchester

3:35

actually at the end of this week and my

3:37

sister is getting married and add there's a designer

3:40

his of she like science only have a soft

3:42

in Manchester and London. sort of go over there

3:44

and are trying on some dresses and can be

3:46

interesting that you know family dynamics be very is

3:48

that see how it all goes by? I'm looking

3:50

forward to it and and then other than I

3:53

don't have huge pot. Enemy

3:56

Nice. Know been to Manchester.

3:58

Before actually. If. You. Rak

4:00

your recommendation Please feel free to send it's

4:02

makers. were going to need to have dinner

4:04

on Friday and my least favorite tang when

4:07

you're somewhere else is when you end up

4:09

wandering round like without any recommendation and you

4:11

look at a million restaurants and then you

4:13

end up in one that I really don't

4:16

want. That happens with. I spoke from worth

4:18

of the have recommendations. I would appreciate us

4:20

in terms of my recommendations. I have started

4:22

watching Big Moves and Nickel A Coffin Sees

4:25

show. Started it with Lady A Whack. Who

4:27

am I really really like she was in.

4:29

It's a sense. Of her ex and I came to

4:31

love her. And she's a great

4:33

great officer. I it's a really good

4:36

so I'm really enjoying it. Very funny but am

4:38

like a lot of channel for German as they

4:40

the bit of meat to it as I am

4:42

on their yeah I think you'll really enjoy it.

4:44

Only six episodes are very handy of that. There

4:46

were twenty five minutes long and they're all available

4:49

if you want to watch them online on. So

4:51

far.com The moment So.

4:53

There you go. Without further ado let's get

4:55

into the Entertainment News this week. Okay well

4:58

there are so far people in my house

5:00

as you may hear wailing and screaming and

5:02

the the difference but they will be gone

5:04

soon. So I thought we would begin. James

5:06

Earl Haig and his citizens target rape. They've

5:08

weeks and celebrity stories and at the World

5:10

of Entertainment on that are you were saying

5:13

when we were planning this that you had

5:15

watched quite on Saturday Nickelodeon documentary that we

5:17

spoke that on the podcast last week i

5:19

where did you watch it I didn't realize

5:21

that it was available. But. Well

5:23

first of a, with the end of August, you'll actually be

5:25

here wailing and screaming up so. Access

5:28

at a good times I like and project

5:31

I'd agree. yeah so it's all it's all

5:33

discovery plus the and which aids and you

5:35

which is available for for everyone to tax

5:37

of the I decided by just seen so

5:40

much about it as an unlike heard people

5:42

talk medlar that really wanted and I I

5:44

got a real memory of period of time

5:46

the kind of I was having a little

5:48

bit old for years years. Drake and Josh

5:51

right hardly spoke my brother was in that

5:53

kind. of thing so i kind of possibly consume this

5:55

yeah we've been on the korea low for the likes

5:57

of you know plus he explains the ball as be

5:59

viewed with So I decided

6:01

to go in and watch it. Discovery

6:04

Plus, you pay your $4.99 and

6:06

it is like, that's the only show of

6:08

worth on us. Literally. If you

6:10

want to see what fits for Carnation Street made for her

6:12

Christmas dinner in 2009, you

6:15

can check that out. Or

6:18

like what the cake man thinks of it. I

6:20

don't know, socially issues. You know, everybody's like that.

6:22

But yeah, it was a really intense four episode.

6:24

Talk to me, talk to me about it already.

6:27

I would say like, you

6:29

know, I don't know. Like

6:31

when I was going into watching it, I kind of was

6:34

going in with sort of an edge of

6:36

nostalgia. But then as you get into the issues, you

6:38

really see, I feel like

6:40

it's very intense. And it stayed with me

6:42

for a couple of days afterwards. Kind of

6:44

thinking about, particularly I feel like these are

6:47

individuals that I could relate to from being aware of them

6:49

just in the general world. And then kind of having seen

6:51

them at the time and knowing kind of like what was

6:53

going on behind the scenes. It just adds this, like

6:55

it really just adds this real menace

6:58

behind it. I think one of the things like

7:00

it sort of like, it's

7:02

being obviously very much advertised as like

7:04

this kind of Dansh Nleider piece. But

7:06

I'd say even more than that, it's

7:08

probably just about how children

7:10

are regarded within a media industry and

7:12

how safety precautions are left out because

7:14

people don't feel empowered to speak up

7:16

for their own safety. And that's what

7:18

really came through because a lot of

7:20

the worst stuff that was

7:22

talked with it wasn't really related to

7:25

Dansh Nleider. But as

7:27

I was saying to you this morning,

7:29

it's actually another episode of that

7:31

show coming on the 7th

7:33

of April where I think they're gonna be bringing

7:35

together some of the people to sort of speak

7:37

to the reaction that's come. And

7:39

then also there's a few other people who

7:41

I think perhaps prompted by or finally feeling

7:43

safe as a result of kind of the

7:45

response that was received now kind of looking

7:47

to speak out about their own experiences. And

7:50

it'll be interesting to see, I suppose, because

7:54

I suppose the stuff that really has

7:56

captured people's attention is the stuff around

7:58

the sexual assault. particularly relating

8:00

to Drake Bell, that storyline didn't really

8:03

have anything to do with Dan

8:05

Schneider other than Dan Schneider created the

8:07

toxic environment where someone that

8:10

could have happened. So I suppose it

8:12

is that kind of, you know, it's

8:14

like you're looking at it in a

8:16

different direction. And interesting enough

8:18

that the individual who, and this is

8:21

something that I think probably needs a

8:23

bit more attention, is that the individual

8:25

who sexually assaulted Drake had

8:29

a number of very high profile

8:31

celebrities write letters of endorsed and

8:34

formed, including James Marsden. And

8:37

subsequent to getting out of prison, I went on

8:39

to work in Disney shows. So Disney children's, so

8:41

it is a bit like, guys, this is gross.

8:43

Can you let us know that you fixed this

8:45

now? Yeah, and it's bigger than

8:48

Nickelodeon and it's bigger than one person.

8:50

It's a culture, it seems like. So

8:53

yeah, maybe for the next

8:55

culture episode, actually, I might

8:57

watch that full series and

8:59

cover it here or cover it on the

9:02

Patreon because it sounds

9:04

like it's ongoing, as you say, there's new stuff

9:06

to come. And thank God, because like this stuff

9:08

has to come out. Like it's, you

9:11

know, I can only imagine the damage that it's done

9:13

and is doing long term for people. So.

9:16

Absolutely. Yeah. And I mean, looking back from

9:18

like the advantage point that even just some

9:20

of the more kind of lighter content, they

9:23

ended up like how the likes of Ariana

9:25

Grande and the different female stars

9:27

were kind of the positions they were putting

9:29

in the incredibly like overtly sexual position they

9:31

were putting as children. It is gross.

9:34

Yeah, like just gross. Yeah. Like really,

9:36

really, really uncomfortable watching. Okay. Well, good.

9:38

And good to hear from someone who's watched, he's

9:40

watched everything that's available. And now there was another

9:42

story that came up over the weekend, which is

9:45

much less serious. And that

9:47

we thought we would flag, which

9:49

is this ridiculous conversation about Easter

9:51

and Trans Day of visibility. I

9:54

did. This is just my favorite sort of

9:56

story because it is like, complete

9:59

right. wing gristers totally

10:01

exposing themselves as being completely

10:03

idiotic. So yes, as many

10:05

people will know from being

10:07

on social media over the

10:09

weekend, Trans Day of Visibility

10:12

happened on Saturday the 31st of April. It happened

10:14

the Thursday the 31st of March. It happened the

10:16

31st of March every year and has done since

10:19

2009. This year as dictated by

10:22

lunar arrangements, whatever they are, Jesus'

10:26

resurrection day also happened on

10:28

the 31st of

10:30

March and the the right

10:32

wing cooks in America were

10:34

not having us. Miss Caitlin

10:36

Jenner decided that she was

10:39

having enough of it, released it, I was

10:41

just going to say released a tweet, I

10:43

don't know if you release a tweet. But

10:45

anyway, I am absolutely disgusted that Joe Biden

10:47

has declared the most holy of holy days

10:49

as a self-proclaimed devote

10:52

Catholic as Transgender Day of

10:54

Visibility. Today is the

10:56

only day we should be declaring us the

10:58

day that he is risen. That was

11:00

a very ropey sentence here, Caitlin. But

11:02

there is also another individual tweeted, we

11:04

call on Joe Biden's failing campaign on

11:07

White House to issue an apology to

11:09

the millions of Catholics and Christians across

11:11

America who believe tomorrow is one for

11:13

celebration only of the

11:15

resurrection of Jesus Christ. These

11:18

people, these people. Like,

11:21

doesn't it, do they not pink for a second? Like,

11:23

do they not? Do they not for even a moment

11:25

go, well, you know, maybe if

11:27

Trans Day of Visibility is on the

11:29

same day every year and Easter changes

11:31

every year, it's not Trans

11:34

Day of Visibility's problem that occurs

11:36

on this one day. I have done

11:39

the research. And so next

11:41

year, Easter falls on Sunday,

11:43

the April 20th, which means

11:46

that the individuals who were clutching

11:48

their pearls this year at Trans

11:50

Day of Visibility will be really

11:52

getting their mickens into twists. Because

11:54

not only is Sunday, April 20th,

11:56

pizza delivery driver Appreciation Day, National

11:58

Lookalike Day, National Record Store Day

12:00

and National Cheddar Fries Day. It is

12:03

of course 420. 420!

12:08

Oh my god of course! That is

12:10

so funny. Oh they will be

12:12

horrified. They will be horrified. And

12:14

you know if any person was to

12:16

look like someone who would enjoy a

12:18

420, I think Jesus on the Cross

12:20

as depicted with his like you know

12:23

thickening locks and shaggy bob

12:25

is absolutely just what a person knew

12:27

you would put right in there watching

12:29

Pizza Express with Seth Rogen. But yeah

12:31

so these people I just they tell

12:33

themselves that every single opportunity that this

12:35

is nothing to do with the actual

12:38

celebration of religion. It is entirely about

12:40

kind of finding a rod to beat

12:42

marginalized communities with. That is all they

12:44

care about. They've all obviously anyone who took

12:46

part in this has reveals that they don't

12:48

really pay any sort of attention to the

12:51

gods calendar or whatever because they would

12:53

realize that you know Easter happens at

12:56

different times every year. Trans J visibility

12:58

happens on the same day every year.

13:00

What's wild to me is the journey

13:02

of Caitlyn Jenner. Like I mean it's

13:04

not that wild I suppose but like

13:07

you know Caitlyn Jenner has always been

13:09

a conservative kind of Republican. But

13:12

transitioning and then becoming kind of a

13:14

trans icon for a little while and

13:17

like claiming that she wanted to like

13:19

raise you know awareness of transition

13:21

and stuff to now this. Like

13:24

the cognitive dissonance

13:26

that must be necessary to kind of live

13:29

as a trans woman and still be getting

13:31

into these kinds of arguments is wild to

13:33

me. It

13:35

really is like you know I think that's

13:37

obviously they've brought with them a huge amount

13:39

of like I'm assuming kind of internalized

13:43

transphobia, internalized kind of like dislike

13:45

for their own identity. I think

13:47

that they obviously feel more comfortable

13:49

within the sort of you know

13:51

right wing sphere that the public

13:53

can see because that's where they've

13:55

existed. And also as someone who

13:57

has pretty much you know for

13:59

decades. now really just strove to be

14:01

in the spotlight. You know,

14:03

she has found a niche

14:06

for herself where, you know, these

14:08

people really want her to

14:10

be there in order to kind

14:12

of use as a point at her and go with

14:14

these trons and she says, Yeah, exactly.

14:16

It's like it's like during the marriage equality

14:18

referendum where you had a number of gay

14:21

men speaking it against, against gay marriage. And

14:23

they were very useful to that cause at

14:25

that time because it gave them sort of

14:27

somebody, but they, it undoubtedly,

14:29

you know, would have been completely like abandoned

14:31

had there been anything come up that they

14:34

actually needed from this group. So it is,

14:36

you know, a bad

14:38

Caitlyn Jenner has done as a trans

14:40

icon, probably one of the most notable

14:42

and well known trans people on the face to

14:44

planet on one hand, but also

14:47

just seems like a complete twat.

14:50

Yes, I think that's a

14:52

good way of putting it. And okay, let's move

14:54

on to the other entertainment stories of the week.

14:56

I think the main one is Beyonce released Cowboy

14:58

Carter at her country

15:02

album, although even calling it a country

15:04

album feels too narrow for me. Like it does

15:06

so much more than that, in my opinion. And

15:09

it's been interesting to see the responses. Yeah,

15:12

it has. And I think that

15:14

this has been burbling along since

15:16

Texas Holden came out. Like there's

15:18

been this kind of tension that

15:20

seems to have existed between, I

15:22

suppose, people questioning Beyonce's legitimacy

15:24

to enter this country space,

15:26

people kind of, you know, bemoaning

15:29

the fact that we're not going to be getting

15:31

a telephone 2.0 gaga kind

15:34

of style of popping. But yeah,

15:36

so Cowboy Carter came out

15:38

on Friday. It has gone on to be the 2020.

15:41

It has broke the single day

15:43

streaming record on Spotify for 2024. It has

15:46

also broken Several

15:49

other streaming and sales numbers for a

15:51

record. It was probably one of the

15:53

most highly anticipated albums that has been

15:55

released in an incredibly long time. It

15:58

may be on the the first. Black

16:00

Woman to of top of the Hot

16:02

Country Songs and Hot or in Be

16:04

a Pop Songs. Since this a Gun

16:07

in Nineteen Fifty eighth featured a number

16:09

of late you know I do a

16:11

sonic country artists in like a rather

16:13

unique way. They had Willie Nelson, Dolly

16:16

Parton I think the both has designed

16:18

by recently anticipating kind of like standards

16:20

like you know we're gonna get like

16:22

Add Us All Vienna stood islands in

16:25

the stream if you will with no.

16:27

Instead it was just Willie during a

16:29

little intro. For Texas, hold em

16:31

and dollies kind of giving her

16:33

kind permission to be on say

16:35

to reimagine at Don't Need That

16:37

responses. I mean. I

16:39

say not to be on say stand in

16:41

the room for my thoughts less that of

16:44

us that yeah I mean how could I

16:46

am. I like I would

16:48

be lying if I said I love

16:50

and at a birthday party at two

16:52

am on Friday night like fully lecturing

16:54

to a young man says. That young

16:56

men men my is now they are younger than

16:58

me. A young man. See why? They needed

17:01

to respect as albums. And yeah,

17:03

like I think it's been really

17:05

interesting because I think what's happening

17:07

is. An and it's an

17:09

interesting I've had some people in my Dnc

17:11

then and that I have hockey like. Really

17:14

take a deep breath In: In

17:16

in. Taking. In what they

17:19

have to say I think and mirror

17:21

is the thing happening where there are

17:23

beyond say oh gee farm right people

17:26

who love destiny, child and people

17:28

he loved yeah these early music which

17:30

was very professional, very much playing music

17:32

game who now are like white House

17:35

you just keep doing nothing like who

17:37

doesn't don't understand why we're not

17:39

getting telephone party or why she's not

17:41

filmmaking those kinds of songs you know

17:44

an athlete, massive radio hits, am arms,

17:47

and legs for me at beyond a career journey

17:49

from what i've seen is she got to a

17:52

point where she knew that everyone was listening as

17:54

she's one of the most powerful people in music

17:56

not as women in music people in music if

17:58

not the most powerful person music actually to

18:00

be honest like it was more powerful than

18:03

her and she got to the

18:05

point where she had freedom like artistic freedom and

18:07

she is an artist she's not just a pop

18:09

singer who and people say oh she's got loads

18:11

of writers on her songs but that's because she

18:14

credits everybody who has contributed any little bit to

18:16

her songs but like you know she

18:18

is an artist and she earned herself artistic freedom

18:20

she got to the point where financially she could

18:22

be artistically free and in terms of her power

18:24

and her influence she could be artistically free so

18:26

Beyonce now can do whatever she wants and she's

18:29

been doing that on her last it started with

18:33

I think it started with formation the song I

18:35

think that was her like making a decree that

18:38

like Beyonce is not playing games anymore Beyonce is

18:40

going to do Beyonce and

18:42

Beyonce is very much going to

18:44

make music for black people and like you

18:46

know that doesn't mean by the way that

18:48

white people can't enjoy it or appreciate it

18:50

and it doesn't mean she's excluding white people

18:52

but it does mean that she's not kind

18:54

of you know she would have had

18:56

to be very careful in the early days of her

18:59

career because of the culture of music and the culture

19:01

of the country that she lived in and you know

19:03

and she would have had to be careful

19:05

not to not to stray too far into

19:07

blackness and I think formation was very much

19:09

saying you know that's not what I'm doing

19:11

anymore lemonade was obviously an absolutely mind-blowing

19:14

album that covered so many different

19:16

genres and then you

19:19

know since then Renee Sans was

19:21

very much about you know sending out

19:23

a message of reclamation for house music

19:25

and respecting you know the queer black

19:27

community that originated house music and you

19:29

know if you read some of the

19:31

history of country music country

19:33

music is an art form and a genre

19:36

of music that was started by black people

19:38

in America and was very much appropriated

19:40

by white people and you know and

19:42

then became a genre which was essentially

19:44

owned by white people and when Beyonce

19:46

performed with the Dixie Chicks at the

19:48

Country Music Awards she did the song

19:50

Daddy Lessons and the atmosphere

19:53

was Not pleasant. No,

19:55

there was an attitude that she did not

19:57

belong there. And the. Forget

20:00

about it and beyond say that here for

20:02

a tutor South When talking about this new

20:05

album and the soft as she was made

20:07

to feel very unwelcome and so she felt

20:09

like it was time for her to remind

20:11

people that actually it was black people and

20:13

particularly in about American people who had started.

20:15

This owners music and maybe it was time

20:17

to take it back. So I mean. It

20:21

it doesn't less along introduction. but for

20:23

me and I think there are people

20:25

who don't know this context ons you

20:27

don't understand and may be why she's

20:29

using to do what she's doing, for

20:31

whom, this doesn't make sense and for

20:33

those people feel like it's not for

20:35

you and that's fine. It is especially

20:37

for you because she's not pondering to

20:39

anyone anymore. She's doing what she wants.

20:42

She's making the artistic statement says she

20:44

wants to make and she doesn't really

20:46

care if you don't get it. I

20:48

think that's number one and number two

20:50

is she's also. Asking and and it

20:52

comes to run her music all the time

20:54

She thinking about her legacy on what impact

20:56

she how on the world's she's the she's

20:59

written songs about this over and over and

21:01

over again and was you soothing to do

21:03

as not only remind people and empower black

21:06

people and remind people that you know African

21:08

American people were at the root of so

21:10

much important music. She's also she's into platform

21:12

people. So for example, on doughty lessons and

21:15

the banjo things I buy woman called me

21:17

on and Giddens who actually lives. In

21:19

Islands I'm on Sassy Mars you nice guys

21:21

who lives in our that. She's as a

21:23

and African American banjo player on she

21:25

has been trying to cut of raise

21:28

awareness of of African American banjo playing

21:30

for a long long time and she

21:32

gave an interview. I think with by five years

21:34

ago. Where it to Rolling

21:36

Stones were she sighs say they that kind

21:38

of what's it gonna take the think for

21:40

people to realize that like Oxley, this originated

21:42

as an African American art form and she

21:44

said you know it's gonna be something like

21:46

beyond say you know, having a block. Bonds

21:48

and later on. On her song

21:50

and we know. Five years later

21:53

the first single that comes out

21:55

from this album is.e Lessons with

21:57

Round Again Spying On It You

21:59

know? a Black Country artist called

22:01

Tanner Arjell who has a song called Buckle

22:04

Bunny which is brilliant, so good. And

22:06

there's a lyric in it that says

22:08

looking like Beyonce with a lasso because

22:10

she does kind of look like Beyonce

22:12

and she's a country artist and who

22:14

is singing a verse on Beyonce's cover

22:16

of Blackbird? It's Tanner Arjell. So now

22:18

she's got that platform. Blackbird by the

22:20

way is a song that was written

22:22

by Paul McCartney about the Black women

22:25

of Memphis who were fighting in the

22:27

civil rights movement. So like nothing on

22:29

this album is accidental or kind of

22:31

thought of. She is choosing to use

22:33

her platform to platform other artists, you

22:35

know, particularly African American artists who need it.

22:37

She is choosing to use her platform to raise

22:39

the awareness of African Americans achievements

22:41

and she is also choosing to use her

22:43

platform to make the art that she wants

22:45

to make. She's thinking about her lasting impact

22:48

and no that doesn't mean telephone

22:50

part two and no

22:52

that doesn't mean that necessarily everybody's going to

22:54

get it but everybody doesn't have to get

22:57

it and I think that that's where

22:59

I stand with this. Yeah

23:02

I mean I think you used your reclamation

23:04

earlier when you were kind of talking. I

23:06

do think that that kind of since Lemonade

23:08

I think that absolutely has kind of been

23:11

reclaiming her narrative, reclaiming her artistry then has

23:13

been moving on to like reclaiming or kind

23:15

of like making people more because I do

23:17

remember during the like when I felt

23:20

I felt very empowered on

23:23

behalf of when Renee's answer was released because

23:25

I was like this is amazing. It is

23:27

like really spotlighting a community who have been

23:29

sort of written out of this sort of

23:31

this sort of space and giving them their power

23:34

back and it's the same again with this out

23:36

with Cowboy Carter where it's kind of as you

23:38

said it's sort of spotlighting the place of of

23:40

Black people within this tradition and sort of like

23:42

reclaiming that space. So I do think like I've

23:44

listened to the album and I've enjoyed it. I

23:46

as I said I'm not a Beyonce sort of

23:48

like Megastan but I certainly have enjoyed all of

23:50

the content that she has released and

23:53

yeah I mean I think that this is going to

23:56

people who talk about whether this will win album up

23:58

here at the the VMAs or the image. or

24:00

whatever one it is, the Grammys, whatever. I

24:02

think it absolutely could do. I think that

24:04

it is interesting,

24:07

it's different. It also is not

24:09

what you'd necessarily expect from Beyonce

24:11

circa 2000, but also very much

24:13

what you'd expect from Beyonce circa

24:15

2024. Absolutely.

24:18

And it's a very long album. I know

24:20

some of the criticisms have been, you

24:23

know, some of that, Azealia Banks did a big

24:25

rant, and Azealia Banks is

24:28

an interesting character. I think she's incredibly

24:30

musically talented. She's often wrong, she's sometimes

24:32

right. No one reads a person

24:35

like her. But one of the criticisms

24:37

that she kind of went viral with her opinions on it,

24:39

one of the criticisms was that the album is too long.

24:41

And I think there could be an argument for that, but

24:43

I also think that Beyonce just doesn't care. And

24:46

there are, and you know, a friend, I was having

24:48

a conversation with a friend one over the weekend, and

24:50

I was like, there's so many good songs on the

24:52

album that I love. Like there might be one or

24:54

two, I'm not finished. I haven't finished

24:57

establishing my relationship with the album, so it's too

24:59

soon for me to say. But like, you know,

25:01

there's so much good stuff on there that I

25:03

think almost the length of it makes people forget

25:05

that there's so much good stuff on there. I

25:09

know one of the other big things that

25:12

Azealia Banks said was that in Beyonce's

25:15

version of Jolene, like, you know, it's

25:17

all about another woman wanting her man.

25:19

And she was like, nobody

25:21

wants Jay-Z's Jussie Krusty Ass or whatever,

25:23

something along those lines. And I'm like, that is

25:26

hilarious to me because Jay-Z is a billionaire. Like

25:28

Donald Trump has women who want him. Do you

25:30

know what I mean? Like first of all, he's

25:32

just on a money link. Even just from a

25:34

money perspective, but also he's an

25:36

incredibly accomplished, very cool man. Yes,

25:38

there's some question marks around various

25:41

things, but like, trust

25:43

me, there are women who want him.

25:45

And also, can a singer not sing

25:47

about something that isn't maybe her? Like

25:49

you wouldn't know. Like maybe it's not

25:52

even Jay-Z she's talking about. But anyway,

25:54

sorry, this is two details. On

25:57

the like beyond thing though, you know, we all.

26:00

Oftentimes we'll come back to a complaint

26:02

about movies being too long at three

26:04

hours. But the difference between an incredibly

26:06

long album and an incredibly long film

26:08

is that you can get up

26:10

and press pause on your Spotify and walk away from it

26:12

and come back to it. You don't have to listen to

26:14

it all the way through. You can find the niche bits

26:16

of it that you really love. I know that this album

26:19

is, and I would say the last couple

26:21

of Beyonce albums have been created to be

26:23

listened to as like a sort of a

26:25

sonic story. But you don't

26:28

have to. You are not obligated to do that

26:30

every time you sit down. So I do. I

26:32

think the argument about the length, I do get

26:34

it. But I also kind of

26:36

like, you know, no one's forcing you to sit down and

26:38

listen to it. Yeah, I will say I keep changing my

26:40

mind about what I mean. I don't I

26:42

don't think I'm going to have a favorite song. But the

26:44

song that I'm listening to on repeat at the moment is

26:47

Levi's Jeans, which is the song with Post Malone, which is

26:49

not what I would have expected. But I keep coming back

26:51

to it. It's like stuck in my head for days. And

26:54

I and I and there was two different ones over the

26:56

course of the weekend. So, like, you know, it's that kind

26:58

of album, I think, that you'll come back to and you'll

27:00

listen to a certain song on repeat for a while and

27:02

then you'll come back to it again. But like, again, it's

27:04

not going to be for everybody. And that's OK. Yeah,

27:07

absolutely. It doesn't need to be. I

27:10

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28:45

Okay we'll pause on that and move on

28:48

to I loved this story that came out a

28:50

couple of weeks ago about Mary Margulies. She

28:53

was always funny. She

28:55

absolutely is. And to be fair you know

28:57

she could be speaking about Beyonce albums and

28:59

this too maybe in some ways. We could

29:01

all take it. So yeah Mary Margulies gave

29:03

an interview a couple of weeks ago where

29:05

she said I worry about Harry Potter fans

29:07

because they should be over that by now.

29:09

It was 25 years ago and it's for

29:11

children. I think it's for children. Then

29:13

she added that she gets asked to do cameos all

29:15

the time where people are saying they're having a Beyonce

29:18

themed wedding and she just was like Harry Potter themed

29:20

wedding. It was like what a frightful kind

29:23

of idea. I'm not just

29:25

being pernickety it's just you said a Beyonce themed

29:28

wedding and I find that very amazing. I

29:30

was like in my mind I said Harry

29:32

Potter but clearly I've been influenced. Beyonce on

29:34

the main. Well look I mean you know

29:36

if you want to have a Beyonce themed

29:38

wedding go for it. But have a Harry

29:40

Potter themed and I think gosh what's their

29:42

first set of fun going to be. I

29:44

can't even think about it. And I mean

29:46

I think this struck a chord with a

29:48

lot of people. A lot of people felt

29:50

very judged by it. She then doubled down

29:52

bias by saying it's a wonderful set of

29:54

films. But if your balls have dropped then

29:56

it's time to forget about it. You know

29:58

go on to other things. It was 25 years ago, grow

30:00

up. And more recently this week at the Dream at

30:04

Khan,

30:07

Jessie Cave, who played Lavender Brain in three

30:09

of the films, said, it's such

30:11

a shame that that happened. And she said,

30:14

you know, it is. She's a bit funny like

30:16

that. And I didn't think she'd mean for us

30:18

to take it like that. I hope I really

30:20

don't like that she said that. But I do

30:22

like that she said it. I love that she

30:24

said it. I think

30:26

I don't want to like, I don't

30:29

I don't want to yuck

30:32

anyone's yums. But Harry Potter is something that

30:34

as adults we need to get over. Very

30:36

much something that needs to be, you

30:39

know, finish with it. You don't need like

30:41

a Gryffindor robe as a person over 35.

30:45

I mean, that would be my position personally.

30:47

But like, again, you do you guys like

30:49

do what you want. But I think that

30:51

the thing to consider with this is that

30:53

this actor who said that, you know, she

30:56

doesn't like that. Mary Margaries said it isn't.

30:59

So her name is Jessie Cave. She played

31:01

Lavender Brain. I have read all the Harry

31:03

Potter books and seen all the films. I

31:06

wouldn't be super into them now, obviously,

31:08

for obvious reasons. But at the time

31:10

that they were coming out, I was

31:12

definitely into them. And, you

31:14

know, I don't remember this character. And

31:16

I had to Google like who

31:18

she was. And, you

31:21

know, she wasn't like one of the main characters. And

31:24

the fact that this actor was at this

31:26

conference, which obviously is a conference for

31:28

these kinds of people, I feel

31:31

like, you know, is an important

31:33

piece of context, because if

31:35

you are an actor from Harry Potter who,

31:37

you know, maybe isn't acting so much anymore,

31:39

I'm going to look up for IMDB now.

31:42

But you have a career based on having

31:45

been in these films, then you

31:47

very much rely on, you know,

31:50

people still being into Harry Potter

31:52

long into their adulthood. Do you

31:54

know what I mean? Yes, no, completely. And I

31:56

thought about this when I when I thought

31:58

about it. Fairness, she is

32:00

still acting, so no disrespect.

32:03

But still, if part of your career

32:05

relies on it, then it's still valid.

32:07

Yeah, but this is no doubt a

32:09

reliable paycheck. And indeed, you know, Miriam

32:11

also, you know, she obviously is getting

32:13

that cameo coin as well,

32:16

and Fairplacer. But I do think that I

32:18

have like a more, not to go to

32:20

like controversial corner, but like I do have

32:22

a more kind of, I think

32:25

that people on a progressive side of the

32:27

room need to let Harry

32:29

Potter go. I think

32:32

that it is beyond the point

32:34

where art and artists cannot be

32:36

separated. I have several gay friends

32:38

who had Harry Potter themed elements

32:40

to their wedding. And now they

32:42

look back at those queer

32:45

people, they look back at those photographs, and they're like,

32:47

I can't enjoy this anymore, which I do think is

32:49

a real danger about bringing any kind of pop culture

32:51

element into sort of, you know, a big event in

32:53

your life is like, well, what happens if this? Yeah,

32:55

like, I have Miss Piggy

32:58

tattooed on my arm. And I was like, I'm just

33:01

pretty sure she's not gonna get counseled. But like, and

33:04

I don't think this is, but I actually have

33:06

Dolly Parton on my other arm. And I don't

33:08

think she's gonna get counseled either. Like, I have

33:10

such faith in her. But you really do have

33:12

to consider these things. You just don't know. You

33:15

do. I feel like you're I feel like

33:17

with Miss Piggy and Dolly Parton, you're pretty

33:19

safe. I feel like they're my icons. My

33:22

icons in my whole life. Anyway, yeah,

33:24

look, if you're mad at us for any of the

33:26

things we've just said, sorry, they're just that's just my

33:28

opinion. Okay, now this I have feelings about

33:30

this. And I'm very interested. I feel like I'm saying

33:37

loads of things that are gonna piss people off today.

33:39

And oh, well, and when you tell me this list

33:42

of stories, I was like, Oh, this

33:44

is one for the extreme. Okay, the

33:51

center. Okay, well, let's let's get into

33:53

it. Because Lizzo posted something

33:56

on her Instagram. And

33:58

it's been framed in the media. of her

34:00

quitting music. I

34:03

didn't tell the people. Yeah. So,

34:06

and you know, framed because

34:08

she does finish off her post with

34:10

I quit. So, you know, there is

34:12

kind of a, I suppose I think.

34:14

So she, obviously Lizzo

34:17

has been having difficulties over the

34:19

last year, August of last year,

34:21

a number of dancers on her

34:23

tour, a future of sexual harassment,

34:25

creating a hostile work environment, and

34:28

fat phobia, racial and religious

34:31

harassment and across the sort of

34:33

duration of tours that went on between 2021 and 2023. Lizzo

34:36

is, of course, also has been

34:39

subject to mammoth abuse

34:41

on social media because she

34:43

is a fat black

34:45

woman who chooses to operate in a

34:48

way that is empowering and trying to

34:50

create a world where people that look

34:52

like her and are like her can

34:55

be sort of celebrated. So on her

34:57

Instagram last week, she had a

34:59

post up that said, I'm getting tired of putting

35:01

up with being dragged by everyone in my life

35:03

and on the internet. All I want is to

35:05

make music and keep people happy and help the

35:07

world to be a little better than I found

35:09

it. But I'm starting to feel like the world

35:11

doesn't want to be in it. I'm constantly up

35:13

against lies being told about me for credit and

35:15

views, being the butt of the joke every single

35:17

time because of how I looked. My character being

35:19

picked apart by people who don't

35:22

know me and disrespecting my name. I didn't sign

35:24

up for this shit, I quit. Now,

35:28

a number of weeks earlier on the 17th of

35:30

March, she had announced that new music was

35:32

in the pipeline. She was getting ready for a

35:34

big reemergence, not clear what had happened in

35:36

the sort of two weeks between that and then.

35:39

But I also think that if you're living

35:41

under the sort of pressure that Lizzo was clearly

35:43

living under with all that is going on,

35:45

I, you know, haven't seen any updates on where

35:47

we are regarding the sort of the sexual harassment,

35:49

hostile work environment case. So I don't know

35:51

what's happening there, but I

35:53

certainly know that Lizzo has been living under

35:55

a very intense and unpleasant microscope for a

35:57

very long time and I would not be surprised. if

36:00

it is all just getting to the point where

36:02

she's like, I cannot be bothered with this. Yeah,

36:04

I mean, look, here's where, in my opinion, opinion,

36:10

she undoubtedly has been at the receiving end

36:12

of a lot of shit. Like, you know,

36:15

even if we put the legal case to

36:17

one side, like she has been at the

36:19

receiving end to a lot of shit. And

36:21

I definitely think that that would get to

36:24

you in a big, big way. However,

36:27

it is also kind of part of

36:29

it. And

36:31

at this stage of the game, you know

36:34

what the story is. And

36:36

I just personally feel like there are other

36:38

ways to deal

36:41

with that and manage that than, you know,

36:43

coming on Instagram and kind of putting out

36:45

a rant, but then continuing

36:47

to post like promo stuff for your

36:49

clothing brand over the following days. Cause

36:51

she, you know, she has just

36:54

13 hours ago, she posted, you know,

36:56

a several photos for Yissi. And

36:59

she posted a reel before that. So

37:01

like, and I look, I understand that

37:04

people have contractual obligations and all the

37:06

rest, but like it just doesn't sit

37:08

right with me. It feels a bit

37:10

like a tantrum. And I'm

37:13

not saying that the abuse that she has to put

37:15

up with is okay. I don't think that it is.

37:18

I think it's completely ridiculous that you can't just

37:20

be a person in the world these

37:22

days, you know, and you know, for her, the crime,

37:24

you know, let's say aside

37:27

from that legal case, the crime

37:29

is essentially being unapologetically, you know,

37:31

black and fat. And that

37:33

shouldn't be something which brings kind of, you

37:35

know, the kind of vitriol to your door that it

37:37

has done for her and that it does for women

37:39

all the time. And, but

37:42

I still just think like, come on,

37:44

like, you know, it's

37:47

just sit right with me. I kind of feel like

37:49

just be a bit more professional or something or like,

37:51

you know, it

37:54

feels like tantrum-y and

37:56

like look at me and like feel sorry

37:59

for me kind of vibe. Yeah,

38:01

and I definitely felt like something that I think I

38:03

would imagine was typed out and

38:07

sent within the space of maybe

38:09

45 seconds to be

38:12

just like something had

38:14

instantly happened. And

38:18

if we had some more mindful practice, you

38:20

might have got some space in between the

38:22

writing and the sending to decide that maybe

38:24

this is something I need to write, but

38:26

not something that I need to post because

38:28

we all have notes apps filled with notes.

38:30

Like toxic content that we need

38:33

to get down somewhere, but not necessarily said. And you

38:35

are right, it does come off as kind

38:37

of tantrum-y. I wasn't actually, like I hadn't

38:39

brought into the fact that she would be

38:42

posting other kind of branded content or on

38:44

other kinds and posting content for advertising

38:46

or promotional stuff for her clothing brand. And

38:48

that does make it feel a little bit,

38:51

not necessarily insincere, but certainly very tantrum-y.

38:53

And I do think that Lizzo, while

38:56

she has been undoubtedly kind of like

38:58

subject to an enormous amount of very

39:00

negative attention, she also has been like

39:02

living in that kind of sweet spot

39:04

of like huge adulation from like the

39:07

internet. So she was like

39:09

the internet's favorite person for

39:12

several years. And I think that,

39:14

you know, perhaps with the

39:17

revelations around the like

39:20

the hostile work environment in that

39:22

particular case, suddenly the kind of

39:24

like reliable source of positivity and

39:27

kind of like reassurance that came was no longer

39:29

there. So it was kind of... Well, there's others.

39:31

I think for a while, as is

39:34

the way with this kind of fame, she

39:36

was untouchable. She was, you know, perfect. Everybody

39:38

loved her. Obviously, there were still phophobic and

39:40

racist people who didn't, but like, I think

39:43

the vast majority of people were really impressed

39:45

by her. Her music is amazing. But

39:48

then she did like branded content for Weight

39:50

Watchers. And, you know, people were really not

39:52

happy about that. And the way that she

39:54

managed that actually wasn't great. That was when

39:56

things started to turn for me. I was like, what

39:58

are you doing? And I think she... just

40:00

tends to kind of have a bit of

40:02

a, oh, everybody's against me kind of thing,

40:04

rather than sometimes actually listening to what people

40:06

are saying, you know? But then again, I

40:08

mean, what the fuck? What do I know?

40:11

Like, I know I've no idea. I don't know what's going on in her life. I

40:13

don't know what the story is. But I just

40:15

think I quit is so vague as

40:17

well. Like, what does that mean? And I also

40:19

kind of think if you were quitting, like if

40:22

you were leaving the music business, if that was

40:24

actually what was happening. And

40:26

are you staying in the clothing

40:28

business? Because, you know, that's not

40:30

going to make things any easier. But also, if

40:33

you were leaving any business, you know,

40:35

as a very famous person for this

40:37

reason, surely you would do it in

40:40

a more considered way and, you know,

40:42

really explain and make people realize that

40:44

the culture is actually just so toxic

40:47

that you can't possibly remain in it,

40:49

rather than like a throwaway Instagram

40:51

post. I don't know. I just, I'm not, I

40:53

just don't really buy it. Like, that's me. Yeah,

40:57

listen, I think it comes off

40:59

as being sort of a person having a tantrum. And

41:01

I think it hasn't been handled. I think that I

41:03

would imagine that behind the scenes, there are like a

41:06

thousand pure and calm people who are in a

41:08

blind panic. In a blind panic.

41:10

Like, hey, do we spin this one out? So

41:14

we'll see. Maybe we'll get new music. Maybe we

41:16

won't. Maybe she'll be

41:18

the spokesperson for something and get cancelled. And anyone

41:20

with a lizard tattoo will be like, well, fuck.

41:24

I mean, look, at the end of the day, we are

41:26

all just human beings. I'm like,

41:28

I think it's always important to kind of remember that

41:30

in the context of any conversation about people is

41:33

that everybody, you know,

41:35

we're all human beings and maybe she regrets it, but it's

41:37

still there. That's the thing for me. I kind of thought

41:39

she'd delete it. But, you know,

41:41

we're all just human beings doing our best. And even

41:43

if you are super famous and super rich, you're probably

41:45

going to have a moment every once in a while

41:47

where you go, absolutely. Fuck that. So

41:50

I'm totally up for forgiving her, but I just

41:52

don't think it was the best move. OK,

41:54

let's move on. Billie Eilish is in trouble. I

41:58

mean, listen, are we good? are

42:00

we going to then get in trouble with

42:02

the Swifts as well? So alongside everyone else

42:04

this week. I hope not because

42:07

I'm not happy Taylor Swift but

42:09

Billie Eilish is in trouble for

42:11

some points she made about music

42:14

releasing specifically vinyl releases in the

42:16

music industry. Yeah

42:20

so speaking

42:23

to Billboard about

42:26

the idea of like sustainability in

42:28

the music industry her

42:30

own sort of

42:32

like ideas and ideals when it

42:35

comes to environmentalism and like building

42:37

a more sustainable and more sort

42:39

of equal and sort of

42:41

equally accessible kind of industry for everyone. She

42:44

said the biggest artist in the world making

42:46

fucking 40 different vinyl packages sort of different

42:48

unique things just to get you up there

42:50

buying more it's so wasteful and it's irritating

42:52

to me that while we're still at a

42:54

point where you can care that much about

42:56

your numbers and you can care that much

42:58

about making money and as your favorite artist

43:00

doing that shit. And she spoke about her

43:03

own merch in this article to say that

43:05

is all ethically sourced and made with good

43:07

materials and very sustainable and that she's reduced

43:09

the number of drops that she's had and

43:11

trying to make things more universally accessible. Like

43:13

I read the article with Billboard it's a

43:15

bit dull but it's basically all about kind

43:18

of the need for you know more sustainability

43:20

of music and how the music industry is

43:22

and making good on the need to be

43:24

sort of more universally better

43:26

for the planet. Now Swifties

43:28

have taken that particular quote

43:30

the the biggest artist in

43:33

the world making 40 different vinyl

43:35

packages and have assumed that that

43:37

is directed at Miss Taylor Swift

43:39

who enjoys very complicated easter

43:42

eggs likes to have about a million

43:44

different versions of everything you know and

43:46

you know there's arguments being made that

43:48

it is for the artistry of us

43:50

because she likes to have like complete

43:52

things or you know there could just

43:54

be that she wants to you know

43:56

get as many sales as possible. So

43:58

she so Billie has been being attacked

44:00

on X by Swifties who are

44:03

fuming that they would suggest that

44:05

Taylor Swift is anything less than

44:08

absolutely perfect and they have been

44:10

dragging Miss Billie Eilish about Taylor's

44:12

superior sales compared to her own

44:15

album sales and

44:17

have basically been pointing

44:20

out that she's doing all these things as well. So

44:22

Billie then released a statement where she said, okay,

44:24

it would be awesome if some people would stop

44:26

putting words in my mouth and actually read what

44:28

I said in that Billboard College article which

44:30

is focused on reference to make professional

44:33

life more ecologically sustainable. I wasn't seeing

44:35

anyone out, these are industry-wide systemic issues

44:37

and I agree, that's what the article

44:39

said, that Swifties are not having it.

44:42

They feel targeted, they feel tainted and

44:44

they feel justified in coming for Miss

44:46

Billie Eilish. And I think that's amazing.

44:48

Sound culture is sick. It is. Miriam

44:51

Margulis needs to have a word with them,

44:53

that's all I'm saying. I agree. It's

44:55

completely not like, yes, Taylor

44:57

does this but so does

45:00

Ariana. There are

45:02

loads of massive artists who do this. She wasn't

45:04

talking about anyone specifically and she actually, I think

45:06

in that statement, she

45:08

actually said, I've done it. She

45:10

wasn't suggesting that she was perfect. She's

45:13

changed things to try and be better is what she's

45:15

saying. And it's true.

45:18

At the end of the day, if an artist

45:20

is bringing out 12 different versions of their album

45:22

with bonus tracks on them that you can only

45:24

listen to on the album and never on Spotify,

45:26

that's about money. Let's be real. It's about

45:28

money and it's about sales and it's

45:30

about charting. It's not about artistic endeavour. Come

45:33

on, nobody believes that. This

45:38

pain of stance coming for anyone

45:40

who says anything even vaguely against

45:42

their person is like, I just

45:44

find it infuriating. No, I

45:47

find it extremely difficult because it just makes it

45:49

so hard to enjoy anything authentically because you feel

45:51

like there's kind of like an agreed sort of

45:53

notion of this is how you have to feel

45:56

about one thing. And if you don't, then you're

45:58

kind of opening up for a time. And

46:00

you see the way they push people over the

46:02

edge for even like, you know, Billie

46:05

Eilish obviously is like an

46:07

enormous international superstar

46:09

and has like a team can take

46:11

care of her and seems like she's

46:14

fairly unbothered by all of this. But

46:16

like, there are times when these groups

46:18

will turn their gaze on like specific

46:20

individuals. Yeah, it happened to

46:23

an Irish journalist when she, it

46:25

wasn't even a bad review, but it was like a

46:28

lukewarm review of something to do with Lady Gaga. And

46:30

like people were coming for her

46:32

in the most vicious and

46:35

ableist and you know, just

46:38

point blank offensive ways. And

46:41

like it's crazy. It's really crazy.

46:43

Yeah. No, these are like,

46:45

I don't know, these parasocial relationships, but that's

46:47

right where the people have developed with these

46:49

enormous stars. Like there is something that needs

46:52

to be explored in that because it's very,

46:54

very unhealthy. And I don't know if it's

46:56

part of like belonging to the wider group

46:58

or whether it's like you feel you've got

47:00

a direct link to the individual at the

47:02

center of it or what it is. And

47:04

like, it's so close. You hear, you know,

47:07

like you often hear about kind of,

47:10

you know, these sort of celebrities that have

47:12

stalkers that are their information, they're ducked online.

47:14

And it's kind of like, it's something that

47:16

can so quickly flip into danger. And if

47:18

the person is the center of it, like

47:21

the reality is that like with Taylor Swift, I

47:24

don't know, I could be proved wrong here. But

47:26

every time I have seen this sort of a

47:28

narrative exist, we were just talking about Lizzo. I

47:31

think it's a great example of where someone lives

47:33

in that kind of tidal wave

47:35

of success. There is always a

47:37

breaking point. And there is always

47:39

a massive crash down. And you're

47:42

just waiting for that to what becomes really

47:44

uneasy to watch because you're thinking, you

47:46

know, when is this going to like, when

47:49

is this going to start? I mean, when's

47:51

the bubble gonna burst? Yeah. But

47:54

with Taylor Swift as well, like you get there so

47:56

willing to protect her from and I think that perhaps

47:58

because there was an environmental aspect to this. and

48:00

there was all of that concern issue

48:02

around Taylor Swift's private jet use. Like

48:04

there is this notion of her being

48:06

someone who perhaps isn't as focused on

48:08

that sort of environmental side of it.

48:10

But Billy finished it off by saying

48:13

the climate crisis is now and it's

48:15

about us being part of the problem

48:17

or trying to do better. Sheesh! And

48:19

I love that you finished it with a sheesh. She's right. She's

48:22

generous. Okay, let's finish with this

48:25

story about Lucy Sprogan and Simon

48:27

Cowell because this warmed the cockles

48:29

of my millennial heart. I

48:34

don't understand. I mean I do. I saw

48:36

it all. Yes, it's very unexpected. This is

48:38

not the story that you were expecting. So

48:41

X Factor star Lucy Sprogan says Simon Cowell

48:43

will walk her day in the aisle. So

48:46

for people who don't remember, let's

48:48

just contextualise Lucy Sprogan. Lucy Sprogan,

48:51

yeah, 2012 she was a

48:55

singer with a guitar. She wrote her own song

48:58

last night and that was why she was notable

49:00

that she came on with an

49:02

original song that wasn't awful and they actually

49:04

loved. Yes, no exactly.

49:06

And people would remember she was kind

49:08

of hotly tipped going into that particular

49:10

season that she was going to do

49:12

incredibly well. She was clearly kind of,

49:14

you know, she was kind of a

49:16

very new direction for the X Factor

49:18

and that she was performing her music

49:21

midway through that season though

49:23

she had to step away. Years later in

49:26

her autobiography which

49:28

was released last year or her

49:30

memoir, Processing, Finding My Way Through

49:32

and Part of her 7000 she

49:34

reveals that during the production of X Factor

49:37

she had been raped by a hotel porter and

49:39

that she had had to withdraw from the competition

49:42

for those reasons. Simon Cowell

49:44

obviously heard about this, released a statement

49:46

to Simon saying what has happened to

49:48

Lucy was horrific and heartbreaking. Since then

49:50

they've connected and they work together and

49:52

Simon is supporting her. I think it's

49:54

really beautiful that Simon Cowell and Ryland

49:56

have been like the two sort of

49:58

individuals that have like wrote in

50:00

to really help Lucy at the

50:02

time and now. And Lucy

50:04

now has become fast friends with Simon and

50:07

this is a very bizarre, I want more

50:09

context is one morning Simon was about to get

50:11

in the sea and I said, will

50:13

you give me away? And he replied, yeah, he

50:16

went off for a swim and came back and

50:18

said, I'd absolutely love to, it would be an

50:20

honour. I'm like, were they swimming together? Did you

50:22

text him as he was? Oh,

50:26

I kind of presumed. Yeah, that's actually

50:28

I kind of presumed they were together. But

50:30

who knows? Because she says that and she

50:32

feels like Simon Cowell and his wife, Lauren

50:34

Silverman are like her surrogate parents. She says,

50:36

I authentically love the guy I love Lauren.

50:38

I love their son, Erica, Lauren's other son,

50:40

Adam, we're all great friends. I care about

50:43

them. They care about me and Simon really

50:45

cares about my life, my wellness and my

50:47

music. Simon and Lauren feel like surrogate

50:49

parents. They're always looking out for me. So

50:52

like they obviously, you know,

50:55

really are close. It's

50:58

a lovely story. It is so unexpected

51:00

though, because Simon Cowell is not someone

51:02

who you kind of would

51:05

assume has the capacity

51:07

to love. No,

51:12

but you wouldn't you wouldn't think of

51:14

him as being this like, you know,

51:16

kind of father figure, you know, long

51:18

term person. No, because

51:20

Simon and or what's it called? Sharon

51:23

and Louis were such little bitches about

51:25

him on and so

51:28

this is surprising. And I for one love it.

51:30

I have always felt like he had a heart. Yeah,

51:34

like he never he always like he was doing

51:36

he was doing it for TV where he got

51:38

the notion with like, Louis Walsh, that he's like

51:40

much more out for himself where Simon was kind

51:42

of. But no, I enjoy it. I like the

51:44

fact that Simon was about to get in the

51:46

seat. People have been telling him to do that

51:48

for years. And he didn't

51:50

listen. It's true. It's

51:52

true. Okay, James, I gotta let

51:55

you go. There was only one more thing we were going to

51:57

talk about. But literally, the story is just that the traders

51:59

has been signed up. on to continue until

52:01

2030, which is great news if you like the traders

52:03

and I do. BBC got

52:05

onto Airbnb, booked Arjoff Castle for the next

52:07

10 years and they are watching.

52:11

Well, thank you so, so much. That's a

52:13

good, beefy entertainment shot and I really enjoyed

52:15

it. James, where can people find you? They

52:19

can come over and have a look at whatever

52:21

it is I love to do on my Instagram

52:23

at JamesO underscore Hagen or come and listen to

52:25

me and Pawlderk Guilf McArthy on Queeriosity Radio. We

52:27

have great, we have a great fun. It's on

52:29

12 o'clock Saturdays on Dublin City FM or you

52:31

can get us anywhere you want on

52:34

your favorite podcasting app immediately after that. And we

52:36

have great queer guests talk about queer culture and

52:38

all sorts of fun things that are going on.

52:40

It's very good. I highly recommend this. Okay,

52:42

James, thank you so much. Have a good day. I'm.

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