This week we decide to be randomly controversial, and who better to do it with than author and critic Lauren Oyler! First we courageously wade into the Taylor Swift waters without educating ourselves one bit, and then we turn our attention to the concept of "online backlash." Sure, it's okay when it happens to other people... but what about when it happens to US?! And finally, what is the deal with all these polycules we keep reading about in our nation's leading newspapers? Is polyamory a liberating lifestyle, a tech startup, or an MLM? Are Berlin-based gay guys the only people who have it all figured out?

Buy Lauren's book of essays NO JUDGMENT from your local bookstore, and read her Harper's cover story about the Goop cruise here: https://harpers.org/archive/2023/05/goop-cruise-gwyneth-paltrow-goop-at-sea/

Subscribe to our Patreon at patreon.com/straightiolab for bonus episodes twice a month and don't forget to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts!

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hope you're hungry because today's episode with public intellectual, Nymphowars host, and now writer/director/star of the new film Stress Positions, Theda Hammel, will give you plenty to chew on. We discuss the recently selected Chosen Twink of 2024, the trickiness of dignity in undignified spaces, and of course the relationship between shame and embarrassment. It's a big conversation because it's a small conversation, and if that doesn't make sense to you now, well, it will soon. Watch Stress Positions and actually support all Neon films because a risinig tide lifts all ships!

Subscribe to our Patreon at patreon.com/straightiolab for bonus episodes twice a month and don't forget to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts!

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Do NOT call HR because Sam's real-life boss Taylor Tomlinson, superstar host of After Midnight, is off the clock and ON the pod this week! Recorded mere blocks from the Oscars the morning of the big night, we chat about the lasting appeal of the Republican straight rom com, whether Jeff Probst feels isolated due to his immense talent, and the triumph of Kristen Stewart in the worlds of cinema and also culture. Plus: Does Zoey Deutch have what it takes? I guess we'll see.

Subscribe to our Patreon at patreon.com/straightiolab for bonus episodes twice a month and don't forget to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts!

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ring the Kathy Griffin alarm because the legend herself is on the podcast this week! We cover everything from catheters (both the medical device and Kathy's fan community), venture capital-funded gay vacation spots, and who is coming to Kathy's notorious dinner parties. Plus, we explore what happens when one person in a couple makes more money than the other. Let's just say that gender roles WILL jump out whether you want them to or not! Catch Kathy on her new tour "My Life On The PTSD List" (kathygriffin.net/tour) and don't forget to vote!

Subscribe to our Patreon at patreon.com/straightiolab for bonus episodes twice a month and don't forget to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts!

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The specter of sports and sport-like activities has haunted StraightioLab HQ for years. This week, we finally attempt a unified theory of which sports are gay and which sports are straight with the help of our dear friend and Tiny Desk superfan Jaboukie Young-White. Plus: How much are you allowed to lie in a trauma-based memoir? What would Jesus' job be if he were alive today? And finally, is it ethical to be 29 years old?

Subscribe to our Patreon at patreon.com/straightiolab for bonus episodes twice a month and don't forget to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts! 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today's guest is writer and host of the Good One podcast Jesse David Fox. What are his qualifications? Well, he literally wrote the book on comedy (called Comedy Book) so, yeah, I think he's going to know what the hell he's talking about! We ask both real and fake questions like "are we at the end of the comedy boom" and "rank every comedian ever." We get into rankings, the Adam Sandler universe, and George's recent state of being targeted by...something. Listen and learn a thing or two for once! Also, check out Comedy Book and Good One on Peacock on March 26th.

NYC: Come see our first Brooklyn StraightioLab Live of 2024 at the Bell House, featuring Alex English and Edy Modica! Tickets here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/straightiolab-tickets-818719501067

Subscribe to our Patreon at patreon.com/straightiolab for bonus episodes twice a month and don't forget to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts! 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ice skating around in a little outfit? You might be thinking "sounds pretty queer"... but you'd be dead wrong. The one and only Sam Jay joins us to chat about her recent passion for the violent Canadian pasttime known as hockey. Plus: We finally address the differences between lesbians and gay guys!

NYC: Come see our first Brooklyn StraightioLab Live of 2024 at the Bell House, featuring Alex English and Edy Modica! Tickets here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/straightiolab-tickets-818719501067

Subscribe to our Patreon at patreon.com/straightiolab for bonus episodes twice a month and don't forget to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts! 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Well it's that magical time of the year when we have our dear friend Max Wittert back on the podcast to create enough tension to give chronic pain to anyone who listens. We attack each other emotionally, spiritually, and financially but at what cost? Many shocking theories are explored like, are north and south poles actually different from each other? Is there value in being nice? And is angel hair pasta good? Plus, we examine the concept of love and which types of relationships are actually gay. The answer may surprise you! And if you live in Portland, Seattle, or LA, Max is bringing his solo show "I Can Steal Your Mother" to you and you must go!

LA: Come see George do an hour of standup comedy at the Elysian Theater on March 5 and March 6! Tickets at linktree.com/georgeciveris and we're doing a StraightioLab live show at UCB Franklin on March 14th. Tickets here: Linktree.com/straightiolab

Subscribe to our Patreon at patreon.com/straightiolab for bonus episodes twice a month and don't forget to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts! 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In one of our most intellectual episodes EVER (and that's saying a LOT), we welcome reformed Disney adult Esther Fallick to chat about museums with slides in them—as in slides that you slide down, much like in a playground. We're talking the Museum of Ice Cream, the Museum of Sex, the Museum of Broadway... basically any museum-like establishment that is proudly anti-art! Questions include: Would institutions like this exist if we had universal healthcare? Was Ronald Reagan the original Madame Web? What makes someone a "subject" and what makes someone an "object"? Are we good at identifying "cultural rot"? Well... kind of!

LA: Come see George do an hour of standup comedy at the Elysian Theater on March 5 and March 6! Tickets at linktree.com/georgeciveris

Subscribe to our Patreon at patreon.com/straightiolab for bonus episodes twice a month and don't forget to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts! 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome back to Part 2 of Earnestness Bonanza, our bi-annual call-in show where we check our world famous comedic sensibilities at the door and answer listener questions completely earnestly.

LA: Come see George do an hour of standup comedy at the Elysian Theater on March 5 and March 6! Tickets at linktree.com/georgeciveris

Subscribe to our Patreon at patreon.com/straightiolab for bonus episodes twice a month and don't forget to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts! 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's time to celebrate ROMANCE with another Earnestness Bonanza, our bi-annual call-in show where we check our world famous comedic sensibilities at the door and answer listener questions completely earnestly. Stay tuned for part 2 next week!

LA: Come see George do an hour of standup comedy at the Elysian Theater on March 5 and March 6! Tickets at linktree.com/georgeciveris

Subscribe to our Patreon at patreon.com/straightiolab for bonus episodes twice a month and don't forget to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts! 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.