TRANSCRIPT

 

Louis Virtel [AD]

 

Ira Madison III And we’re back with an all new episode of Keep It. Me nombre, Ira Madison the third.

 

Louis Virtel Oh, God. And I’m Louis Virtel. English. Ira’s in Mexico City right now, which is so the movie specter of him.

 

Ira Madison III You know, I am running around for five hours.

 

Louis Virtel Right? And just casting Christoph Waltz as a villain just because he probably had 15 minutes to spare. And he said he’s got to growl at somebody may as well put him in this movie.

 

Ira Madison III Yeah. In Mexico City, it’s it’s giving queer.

 

Louis Virtel O the film, which, by the way, is one of those things like Carly Rae Jepsen’s emotions. Where is it? Just me and my friends who saw that movie. Like, does anybody else know what happened in that?

 

Ira Madison III I actually believe that they have it because every time I make that reference, people are like, oh, I still need to see that.

 

Louis Virtel And at this point, what is going to bring you to see that you’re also a movie you definitely have to see in a theater. It would not hold up at home. There’s too much static space. It’s too arty to not watch in the theater.

 

Ira Madison III Yeah, just listen to prints at home.

 

Louis Virtel Precisely.

 

Ira Madison III And do some cocaine and you’ll get the gist.

 

Louis Virtel Wait, was there Prince music in that movie?

 

Ira Madison III Remember, they do the lines of Coke and then musicology plays.

 

Louis Virtel Oh, my. Got the weirdest song to play. It’s a it’s a movie that takes place in the 50s. They play a come as you are in that movie too, that they were wilding, as we used to say.

 

Ira Madison III I don’t think I’ve ever heard you say wild.

 

Louis Virtel Eyes as they used to. Whoever they are, they used to say.

 

Ira Madison III They like us.

 

Louis Virtel Yeah, sure. Yes.

 

Ira Madison III But I also made a brief trip from Mexico City to Austin this past weekend for South by Southwest.

 

Louis Virtel Oh, where they still are eating dinner at picnic tables. That’s their whole thing in Austin.

 

Ira Madison III Yeah, breakfast tacos at picnic tables. And if you recall, our very first live episode of Keep It was at South by Southwest in 2018.

 

Louis Virtel Yes, I remember I ate Torchy’s every day I was there, I was I was the most touristy tourist who ever visited Austin. Yes.

 

Ira Madison III And Austin was pretty lovely this time around. And I was on a panel for Spotify House where podcast drive the conversation.

 

Louis Virtel Oh thank God, I was just thinking we have to give more power to podcasters. They know everything. They all have PhDs.

 

Ira Madison III To be fair, it seems sort of the antithesis of riot. Shut up and drive. Like podcast driving. The conversation is a lot of yapping in that car.

 

Louis Virtel Oh yeah. Yeah, oh yeah. Shutting up is exactly what’s not happening, right?

 

Ira Madison III I was on the panel with Sarah Foster, host of the world’s first podcast, where she, her sister Aaron Foster, create it. Nobody wants this.

 

Louis Virtel Oh, lovely. Showed that. I’ve seen all have I’ve actually.

 

Ira Madison III Yeah.

 

Louis Virtel I want to say a shout out to Jackie Towne, who beat up Neil deGrasse Tyson on Celebrity Jeopardy! That is so funny.

 

Ira Madison III He’s annoying.

 

Louis Virtel He’s like, if if an astrophysicist were an act on The Gong Show is what he is. Okay.

 

Ira Madison III Remember when he used to just scold us online all the time about science things?

 

Louis Virtel Right. And then he would get roasted right back. It was very mutual.

 

Ira Madison III And Chris Williamson, host of Modern Wisdom, a straight British man. He’s just nice to look at.

 

Louis Virtel And so who was there a winner in this conversation. Did did we solve anything?

 

Ira Madison III Yeah, it was me.

 

Louis Virtel And what and how did you take the reigns?

 

Ira Madison III There are a lot of keep it fans there, to be honest. So they were very loud and vocal.

 

Louis Virtel Oh, okay.

 

Ira Madison III Who else is going to go to a Saturday afternoon panel at noon in Austin? All right. To listen to three podcasters talk. But keep it fans.

 

Louis Virtel Well then thank you so much. Keep it fans. If they’re turning out in Boston, they’re going to turn out in Boston. Wow. I’m a rapper.

 

Ira Madison III Okay. Nicki Minaj over here.

 

Louis Virtel My key for today is actually rap oriented. You’ll be excited to hear.

 

Ira Madison III Is it? Yeah. Get ready. Okay, okay. Let me tell you something else about South by Southwest. I was watching most of the coverage on my phone, because I feel like being at the Spotify house was a way to keep me segregated from the celebrities. A South by Southwest, because I ran into none of them.

 

Louis Virtel And okay, so you watched it from afar? Sure.

 

Ira Madison III Yeah. And what I did see Jeremy O. Harris briefly, but she’s everywhere. And I did see online though the red carpet for A Simple Favor, too.

 

Louis Virtel Yes. Starring Miss Kendrick and Miss Lively. Maybe the liveliest Miss Lively has ever been.

 

Ira Madison III Wait, what is the name of Simple Favor to again? Is it a simple favor?

 

Louis Virtel It’s another simple favor.

 

Ira Madison III Oh, another simple favor. Stop asking me for favors. If my favorite thing about the red carpet was obviously reporters were doing there. So what’s going on, girl? About the whole Blake Lively situation.

 

Louis Virtel Right, right.

 

Ira Madison III And Anna Kendrick was like, I gotta go.

 

Louis Virtel To be honest, Anna Kendrick is an underrated, funny person.

 

Ira Madison III Yeah.

 

Louis Virtel I feel like people kind of underestimated her in this situation, but she’s always, like, kind of been on Twitter like, pipes. And just enough she’s never there to, like, dominate a conversation, likes a funny comment and then heads out on her way. And she handled that carpet really funny. I mean, like, she she’s put in this bizarre predicament where she has to respond to a situation that has nothing to do with her. She just happens to costar in this movie with Blake Lively, and I think she handled with aplomb. She’s a funny actress. And of course, that movie she directed was good, too.

 

Ira Madison III Yeah, I mean, we talked about this a bit the other week with the Blake Lively stuff and that insane Hollywood Reporter cover. Right.

 

Louis Virtel Pure eye. Correct.

 

Ira Madison III Yes, yes. And I talked about how Candace Owens, of all people, was leading the charge on discussing the Blake Lively Justin Baldoni situation literally, breathlessly every week for her followers. And then, like Taylor, Lorenz wrote a piece recently about how conservatives are sort of controlling the conversation on this, and they’re getting like, so many fucking views by talking about it. And then it’s novel that they’re talking about pop culture thing, so people flock to them. Because let me tell you something, Tommy Vitter and I were texting recently about Ben Shapiro. And do you know, Ben Shapiro has this, like, 30 minute YouTube review of wicked?

 

Louis Virtel No.

 

Ira Madison III And he actually has thoughts about musical, like he has another one on Lamars. And people in the comments are constantly like, you should really just switch the culture. He’s so heated about it. He has another TikTok. That was how the conversation started with Tommy, about where he wrote one about how Lin-Manuel cannot write a melody, apparently.

 

Louis Virtel Well that’s weird. I feel like that’s the one thing he really can write. A girl. He should have an Oscar for that Moana song. There’s no doubt about that. City of stars. Is that a better song than the Moana song? Think twice.

 

Ira Madison III But anyway, I had no idea that Ben Shapiro was a theater fag.

 

Louis Virtel You know what? He kind of has the the hair and hair line of somebody who releases reviews of musical theater things all day. So I kind of can see it that way. But then you listen to him speak, and it just doesn’t seem like it fits it.

 

Ira Madison III But you just didn’t know theater was the adjective that went before. Fag, right?

 

Louis Virtel Right. Could have been so many things. Now, speaking of real queens, can we talk about Miss Dylan Efron? Because the trailers finale was last week, and now, as you know, I was rooting for Danielle. And this is not just because I’m a big brother, Stan, but she unfortunately committed the cardinal sin of when she was eliminated at the beginning of the episode, throwing poor Brittany, who became a traitor the other day under the bus and said, oh, you betrayed me again! Which what could that mean? But we’re both traitors together, and you’re voting me out to save yourself. It was nice to see Brittany, like, work her ass off afterwards to try to win the show, but from that moment, you knew her game was cooked and then the other guys were going to win. And then, of course, the reason traitors is a horrible game. Dolores fucking makes it to the end. I am still not positive she knows what traitors is or knows she was on it.

 

Ira Madison III Dolores from Patterson. Don’t call my girl. No, I, I agree actually. Also, what the fuck was Eivor doing there?

 

Louis Virtel Another person where it’s just no skill brought him to the end. And I still have no sense of his personality whatsoever.

 

Ira Madison III None. And my main thing about Daniel was it’s sort of what annoyed me about Dan when he was on the show last season with Phaedra. It’s the Big Brother players. When they leave, they get nasty.

 

Louis Virtel Right?

 

Ira Madison III And they’re sort of like, I’m going to torpedo your chance of winning.

 

Louis Virtel It was much like the Dan thing. I don’t know that I expected it from her. But afterwards when Brittany said, we have actually known each other for only three hours or something and you think we’re best friends, then I became a little bit afraid of Daniel. Like she really was under the impression they were best friends.

 

Ira Madison III Well, what I really think was Britney’s downfall was obviously Danielle was like, you betrayed me again, right? But I don’t think and maybe we just didn’t see it on the show. But she didn’t really hit home the fact that I sent Danielle home and was the reason that she lost a fucking reindeer games in Big Brother, right? So yeah, you could have spun the betrayed her again as I’m the deciding vote to send her home again and she’s pissed off, right? Our whole thing was, I want to earn your trust. And she could have been like. That’s how she was manipulating me.

 

Louis Virtel Right? I saw an interview with Britney afterwards where she said something that made so much sense to me, and something they would never get into on the show because it breaks the fourth wall in a way. But she said, when you’re on this show, you’re thinking the entire time. What makes the best TV show? Who’s being cast as traitors, as in, who’s going to be the most watchable in that regard? And you realize, of course, they’re thinking that way because there are no clues. This is a show that gives these people no reason to suspect anybody, because the only job of being a traitor is telling people you’re not a traitor. That’s all you do on this show. I still am begging for a couple new roadblocks or interesting twist to be put into play that make the work of the traitors more interesting and complicated.

 

Ira Madison III A roadblock is a task that one partner must complete.

 

Louis Virtel I haven’t watched that show in years. Oh my God, the year when Colin and Christy were the. The Christian villains are so good. There really are great seasons of amazing Grace.

 

Ira Madison III I’ve been having such a fun time on the floor. And by the way, if people need to watch this week.

 

Louis Virtel Oh, are you going to be a featured something? Maybe. I actually watched the last episode last night. Episode five five. Oh my god, excuse me. There was a battle between two people going up about movie directors and I, and they treated it like this is going to be the battle of the century. This man who challenged this other person I, movie directors, did not know a single person could not identify Steven Spielberg or Martin Scorsese. I, I, as you know, before this was not a gun owner. And I shot the television screen.

 

Ira Madison III One last thing I want to say about traitors before we get into our episode, is what I really do enjoy about the show is that this is the new reality show where you can become, I guess, actually famous from it, like there was the real world and then, you know, there was Real Housewives, etc. but I feel like as these genres go on, it’s sort of harder to get out of the reality ghetto, so to speak. You know, like you’re sort of like Selling Sunset was huge. You know, the Chris Show was one of the most well known people going into this season. I believe even if you didn’t watch Selling Sunset, you sort of knew who Chrishell was, right? And traitors is still a show that I feel like can propel people to that because Dylan Ephron and Gaby Woody have become like the breakout stars.

 

Louis Virtel Yeah. Also, I mean, if you watch Gabby’s Instagram, I mean, the girl is very, very funny.

 

Ira Madison III She’s and she.

 

Louis Virtel Does have that kind of Jennifer Coolidge rasp, but honestly, it’s like straight up stand up. It’s to me, it’s good enough to be a stand up act. I called Dylan Efron a queen earlier. He really is that. He’s like a nice straight guy. It was nice to see a nice, straight guy who seemed a little bit gullible at first, Sort of piece it together as the show went on. He’s a deserving winner, though. By the way, could this show up the prize money? Because four people are splitting. What was it? The prize ended up being about $200,000. Like for that entire season, the winners all got 50 grand. I mean, I’m just saying, like the runners up on pop culture, jeopardy got more than that.

 

Ira Madison III Here’s two things that I want to change about the traders one, get rid of the money being involved in the competitions because I do know it all, but just have it be an overall prize pot at the end.

 

Louis Virtel Right? Yes.

 

Ira Madison III And my second thing that I would change about traders is I think that there’s too much of a wait time between us traders, to be honest. And so we should have just like survivor, we should have two editions of the Traders each year, but one should be the celebrity version of it in the spring. And then I think we need to bring back an actual civilian version of the traders, because the traitors UK. Oh my God, so fucking good. Season three is on Peacock right now. It’s just when you really cast good people who aren’t, you know, season reality show. People like they will deliver a good season.

 

Louis Virtel Oh, no. We were talking about season two of UK with Andrew Garfield when he was here. That is still the best season of the show again. Yeah, casting people who want to be there and I want to reiterate, understand the rules of the show and that they are on a show. Make the show better.

 

Ira Madison III Because half of the celebrities are giving. We’re just cast on this because it’s a thing to do right there. Agent told them to do it, and it’s how about we get people who’ve now watched three seasons of The Traders, they watch international seasons. They’re sort of figuring out how to game the show, how to play it. I want to see those people get on and become stars.

 

Louis Virtel No, and of course not to bring up even the Australians seasons where season one delivered at least four people were fabulous.

 

Ira Madison III So yeah. So anyway, get regular people and traders again.

 

Louis Virtel We have a lot going on in the show actually, and we covered some of it, but we need to get going. First of all, we have Asia Naomi King with us. Fabulous. Lovely to chat with.

 

Ira Madison III I am loving her new NBC show, Grosse Pointe Garden Society, even though it has no connection to the John Cusack film Grosse Pointe Blank, and it has no connection to the Darren Star WB series Grosse Pointe.

 

Louis Virtel Or Gardening, which we both do. I’m kidding.

 

Ira Madison III It has a lot to do with gardening.

 

Louis Virtel It’s mostly about that, never mind. But also this episode we’re going to get into. I guess somebody dropped an album finally called mayhem, the glorious Lady Gaga, who is also the host. And you see my second guest. Oh, the pods are up. Oh, God, they’re.

 

Ira Madison III All the way.

 

Louis Virtel The authorities will be asking you to put those down, sir.

 

Ira Madison III You came here starting a fight today. I see your Madonna shirt.

 

Louis Virtel Oh, right. They’re kind of like friends now, aren’t they? There’s like, rumors they’re working together because Lady Gaga, like, retweeted something about bedtime stories, which Madonna’s reissuing. So something might be up there, I will say.

 

Ira Madison III And I’m wearing my Chromatica shirt, one of the many that I own. I would gag, by the way, for Gaga and Madonna teaming up for a Bedtime Stories remix, because one of my favorite Gaga songs that sounds like a spiritual successor to the Bedtime Stories or like erotica era is Sex Dreams.

 

Louis Virtel Oh, sure. But also, if they literally did a remix of the song Bedtime Story, that to me feels like a Gaga fit. And of course, the original song is written by Bjork. And then elsewhere in the episode, we both saw Mickey 17, the new Bong Joon Ho movie starring Robert Pattinson, who, by the way, only does weird shit now. Like, if if he’s in it, the movie’s weird.

 

Ira Madison III Yeah. I love Robert Pattinson. We’ll get into this. And I realized by the way, that Robert Pattinson is our age.

 

Louis Virtel No, I know because he’s been famous for like 17 years or something.

 

Ira Madison III Yeah. So right when we are right back, this episode is going to be mayhem.

 

Louis Virtel [AD]

 

Ira Madison III After much anticipation, Lady Gaga’s seventh studio album, mayhem is finally here. It’s being hailed as a return to her pop roots. So Lewis and I are going to get into the highlights. Mrs.. If any, and whether LG seven was worth the wait.

 

Louis Virtel Okay. Broad review. Thumbs up. I am so relieved. This album is very engaging. I find her to be very cool on it. Like the lyrics are not. She’s not overly self-serious. A lot of it is very, you know, bonkers in the way that the word mayhem would suggest. But immediately the first song I listen to is the first thing that wasn’t a single that’s previously released. We had disease, and then we had Abracadabra, which are both, you know, memorable. Good. Abracadabra. I prefer, I think.

 

Ira Madison III Yeah.

 

Louis Virtel And then the third song is Garden of Eden, baby. It is a stomp song. Immediately we’re off and running with this album. I’m trying. It almost reminds me of maybe, like, The Veronicas or something from the 2000. It’s like real. Like maybe like even kind of like an Ashley Simpson’s single or something. It has that feeling of just not thinking too hard, going hard and pretty funny if you pay attention to the lyrics.

 

Ira Madison III Yeah, I would say that. First of all, I love Garden of Eden, killer and Blades of Grass are all three songs produced by SA Full Steam, and we’ll get into those other songs in a moment. But if I can say one thing about this album is that she seems relaxed, if any. Yeah, she seems like she knows exactly who she is. This comes with age as a pop star, right? I think that This sort of comfort that comes with being Lady Gaga. She’s done all the Tony Bennett shit she did Joanne. She did Chromatica, which is so much fun. And I fucking love Chromatica. But, you know, it felt almost like an obligation at times because she really wanted to wear that, you know? But the energy surrounding this album, the energy surrounding her doing a press blitz for it again, you know, dressing in fun outfits again, SNL, which was amazing, like the looser outfits that she wore during Abracadabra, for one, and the press conference she even did with the Little Monsters, right? She’s she’s having fun. And I think that you can sense this on the album, that she had a good ass time making it.

 

Louis Virtel And has confidence in the statement of the album. You know, because I think she knows that it’s both classically her and that you get that kind of robot monster stomp that you got from the Fame monster. And some have born this way. And you know, the classically fabulous vocals. And yet also you just talked about some of the songs in this album, their influences here that she hasn’t gone to before. And that, by the way, she is the only pop star that can pull off the fact that there is this song killer that sounds like both Nine Inch Nails David Bowie and George Michael. Who else is bringing those sounds together? And she doesn’t sound contrived doing it, you know what I mean? It doesn’t sound like like some producer stepped in and like, through these influences at her, you can tell this means something to her. Again, this is somebody who, once upon a time did a remix of Love Game with Marilyn Manson, literally. And so the fact that she would be bringing in the sound that I believe literally references fame by David Bowie. But to me immediately sounded like I’m Afraid of Americans by Nine Inch Nails and David Bowie. I mean, that sounds like nothing else on the radio right now. I love that she has the confidence to put something out that is both very her and also not beholden to any trend. You know, like, she’s like one of the few people that can kind of say, I’m doing this weird, fucked up thing that has nothing to do with what else you’re hearing on the hot 100 right now. And and thank God for it. She can follow outside an algorithm and we still go for it.

 

Ira Madison III I think that’s what I really enjoy about this album and what I enjoy about Killa, which is just a fucking masterclass in production. Like I said, it’s a sample stealing. Yeah, like never misses with his production for me and also the performance that she did and on SNL, it was giving Bowie, it was giving Preds. It was giving like a Tina Turner when she ripped off her purple suit. And then she’s wearing, you know, the short red sequined dress and just everything about her staring into the camera, grabbing the drumsticks and playing it. She is really that kind of performer that we have been missing, you know, and I think that she’s always been that obviously it’s harkening back to the fame where I feel like. On the Fame, her mission statement was commentary on pop music. You know, she launched her career with that live performance of paparazzi at the 2009 VMAs where she’s, you know, she’s being killed, and then she’s hung at the end of it. And I think she was commenting on pop music that, you know, it was a commentary on, like what the industry had done to people like Britney Spears, etc., you know, but this one feels like, but this is me now, and she’s still commenting on the industry, for example, perfect celebrity.

 

Louis Virtel Yeah, right. I mean, there’s no subtext there. It is that there’s the words. Yeah.

 

Ira Madison III Yes. You love to hate me. I’m your perfect celebrity. I love that she opens it up with a reference to my fave Chromatica plastic doll, which is sort of the same song is a continuation of that. My favorite fucking song on this album, which is also about the industry and what it’s like to be a woman in it is shadow of a man, baby.

 

Louis Virtel Love that song to.

 

Ira Madison III The shadow of a man is giving. MJ Quincy Jones production that is somewhere between Off the wall. It’s sort of bad. It’s the beat on it is so funky it’s giving white cookout music.

 

Louis Virtel Q is that the song? Also? There’s some song where she’s singing it and it reminds me literally of man in the mirror, like the kind that she. Yeah, yeah, yeah. That one. Yeah. Shout out to Sarah Garrett, who co-wrote that song.

 

Ira Madison III Yes. I keep going back between shadow of a man killer and especially this song, Zombie Boy.

 

Louis Virtel Zombie boy is fucking fabulous. I mean, again, the only songs I can say I don’t like and I feel like she did this Blade of Grass song because it kind of segues the rest of the album into Die with the smile which needed to be included on this album given how huge a hit it is. That said, it just feels a bit like a drippy ballad that doesn’t fit with the the monstrous ness of the rest of the album. You know, mayhem is a vibe and this song is not mayhem.

 

Ira Madison III Yeah, I like the beast a lot though.

 

Louis Virtel Like it? Yes yes yes. Oh my God. I saw somebody post a video where they listed all the tracks off mayhem in a row and used, like various clips to illustrate the feeling of these songs. And somebody for that song. The beast used a clip from the movie Cool World, like the blond animated character in that movie dancing, who is referencing Cool World. This is that Brad Pitt movie that was ripping off. Yeah, I.

 

Ira Madison III Was about to say, is that Brad Pitt? Right?

 

Louis Virtel Yeah. Ripping off Who Framed Roger rabbit? The internet is a strange place.

 

Ira Madison III Yeah.

 

Louis Virtel Be forewarned.

 

Ira Madison III I want to get into the messiness of the commentary surrounding How Bad Do You Want Me? Which is a great pop song, but let’s just get into the limited vocabulary that people have wanted to say when it comes to describing music. Because, yeah, how many people jumped immediately to. Well, I guess there’s a Taylor Swift song on this album, and I want to say the pop influences that Taylor Swift mined by working with Jack Antonoff, 1989 reputation, etc. she didn’t invent those.

 

Louis Virtel Right. Right. It’s good. She has a recognizable sound. Whatever. She didn’t come up with this music, you know, at the crossroads by the Delta. You know what I’m saying? She wasn’t there in the beginnings of popular music.

 

Ira Madison III It’s giving almost sort of like like the Debbie Gibson of it all. Like it’s giving. It’s like it’s giving Belinda Carlisle. It’s it’s these are actual 80s pop influences that she’s listening to, I promise you.

 

Louis Virtel Yeah. I mean, I will say this as somebody who is not a trained musician when and yet a huge fan of pop music. When you’re describing what something, how music makes you feel, you almost out of obligation, like there’s no there’s no other way around it. You can only compare it to other music you’ve heard. So in a way, I’m sympathetic, but these people trying to say, oh, it sounds a little bit like a Taylor Swift song. And that’s surprising, because I cannot think of one other Lady Gaga song that I would ever compare to Taylor Swift. There’s not songwriters in the same way. While I think that’s noteworthy, it’s not that she’s ripping off Taylor Swift.

 

Ira Madison III Of course, and she’s also smart because that’s the one that the white guys are loving.

 

Louis Virtel It also reminds me of why did you do that from the A Star Is Born soundtrack.

 

Ira Madison III She was in her alley bag art house.

 

Louis Virtel I think alley came back for this one. If anything, she was inspired by alley and not Taylor Swift. Yes. Oscar winner. Alley.

 

Ira Madison III Yeah. Another song I’m really loving, Vanish Into You, is just giving classic pop ballad to me. It gave me feelings in my chest. Maybe tear up a bit. It reminds me a lot of one of my favorite Gaga songs, So Happy I Could Die.

 

Louis Virtel I will say this though, you’ve now touched on something with me because that is one of my five favorite Lady Gaga songs. I love that song, and what I can say about that is that song. It’s not just her pounding you with vocals the entire time, like you’re kind of lost in the atmosphere of that music. If I had a criticism for this album, it’s that you’re never kind of just like absorbed in the music itself. It’s like pure her hitting you with the vocal the entire time. You’re like pumping a fist and that’s that. If there was a moment where you could pull back and just be in the music, I would have appreciated that a little bit more, because I feel like this album is a little bit just shoving hooks down your throat.

 

Ira Madison III Yeah, it’s it’s hook oriented. The vibe was so happy I could die, you know, like in the club with a bottle of red wine, you know, it’s.

 

Louis Virtel It’s in the club with, with ketamine to me is the vibe of that song.

 

Ira Madison III She’s setting the mood.

 

Louis Virtel Yeah.

 

Ira Madison III There’s there’s no time to set the mood on this album. By the time You get to the Beast and then Blade of Grass. It’s almost like she’s ready to set a mood, but you’re you’re exhausted. And I’m like, girl, I can’t listen to this right now.

 

Louis Virtel You know what surprised me, though? Watching her host SNL during the monologue. The person she was while delivering these jokes. I would I wouldn’t describe her as nervous or maybe jittery, but like, it wasn’t a Gaga I was familiar with. And I feel like it was this combination of excitement about this music. And also not sure how well she relates to people anymore. Like she was telling jokes about joke or two flopping or and she’s like, and I heard everybody thought it was awesome. And while that was pretty funny, it was also like, I don’t know that I even need her to comment on this. Like, she’s so much better than having to comment on like, one failure in her career. It was interesting to see her be not fully. I guess the word is confident. I don’t know, like like she would get laugh lines and then the rhythm of her getting the laugh was kind of off to. I don’t know if that means she was under rehearsed or what.

 

Ira Madison III Yeah, I feel like the one missing piece in the Gaga puzzle for her is acting still. You know, I feel like that’s still where she feels like she hasn’t done enough and hasn’t really mastered the form. And she wants to.

 

Louis Virtel Right, right. And she brought up acting during the monologue specifically like she says, I’m here to prove what a great actor I am. And again, she is the best actress nominated actor. I don’t think anybody’s denying that she’s talented in that regard. But you’re right, I it’s like, I think pop, she has totally mastered. No, she can kind of do what she want and remain in her bag, whereas acting, it’s more unpredictable for her.

 

Ira Madison III I appreciate that about Gaga, though, that she wants to keep striving to get better at it. You know, I think that she could have very easily gone the Beyonce route of that’s enough of that.

 

Louis Virtel All right then. But still playing Nala. Once every seven years. Whatever. You got three lines for me. And you’re awesome to me.

 

Ira Madison III My lions. Well, speaking of the Beyoncé of it all, Gaga is really dropping hints that Telefone two is coming.

 

Louis Virtel I think among songs, among pop songs, that is something we could use a sequel to just the sheer speed of it. Like, those girls are like three red bells deep on that song, like amped Up.

 

Ira Madison III And I appreciate it now just because of, I guess, the comfort and ease both of them have with their career. Now, when you think of what do you think of Gaga, how she is in this mayhem era, right? It sort of reminds you of how just relaxed and how much fun Beyoncé was having on the Renaissance Tour. Like, they’re both pop stars were just at the top of their game, but also have done so much that they’re really just sort of sure of who they are when they’re releasing music, but they’re still doing weird shit, having fun. I mean, you talk about Gaga doing weird shit on this. I mean, whatever you feel about Cowboy Carter, it was hard doing weird shit just because she wanted to do it. You know? Like that album was the opposite of an AI algorithm, you know? And I think that’s correct. These two have circled each other for so long in the industry, and their interactions at the Grammys were lovely to see. And I just sort of want to know, like what they’re linking up again in the studio sounds like, and, you know, a live performance of a new telephone or even just the original fucking telephone would be banger, because who else is performing live like Beyonce or Lady Gaga.

 

Louis Virtel Right? Also, you know what I would also applaud in this regard? The stupidity of a sequel to telephone, because the song is simply about having a telephone in the club and somebody won’t stop bothering you on the telephone. This is what pop songs used to be about. We used to celebrate with pop and just enjoy. And by the way, I’m not a hater of video phone either.

 

Ira Madison III Oh, I mean, the way that video phone almost sounds like it could be mixed into the cowboy card. A tour like that country opening.

 

Louis Virtel Yeah, right. And then also the dancing in the video when they both were, like, kind of undulating their stomachs at us for two seconds. Lady Gaga entertains Shakira. Notions. People forget this.

 

Ira Madison III Well, speaking of Shakira, you remember when the internet was claiming that secure was reheating Beyonce’s Nachos with the Renaissance tour?

 

Louis Virtel Oh, yes. And the fans. And, like, God, like the production design and stuff.

 

Ira Madison III Yes. And then the security got sick and went to the hospital.

 

Louis Virtel Smart move. Queen. Yeah.

 

Ira Madison III Gaga, of course, was asked by a guy. Who else? And in an interview with Entertainment Weekly about reheating her own nachos for Abracadabra. And first of all, we should not be saying these things to actors or celebrities or musicians, okay? Like, we need to keep these internet things on the internet.

 

Louis Virtel And also, I mean, there’s there’s a chronic problem online of people not understanding what belongs in a text chain with people you know, and what belongs in to the world. And this is specifically to the divide we’re talking about.

 

Ira Madison III But I’m going to get into the origin of the phrase reheating one’s own nachos, because the actual origin comes from Natalie Nunn from the Z series That is the France comes from a tweet where Natalie Don is sitting watching someone. Eat nachos and Natalie is just eyeing the plate a lot. And someone tweeted, Natalie Nunn really wanted her nachos in that moment.

 

Louis Virtel And that’s where it started this. Now we’re at a prison of the internet’s making. Yes.

 

Ira Madison III And that’s where it started. Wanting her nachos turned into reheating someone’s nachos. And so it basically means you are, you know, taking someone else’s recipe and making it your own, but you’re reheating it because you’re not you’re not cooking it from scratch. Right. And so Gaga’s response of this was, I know it can be used in both positive and negative ways, but I would say I invented them and I’m proud of them. She invented her own nachos.

 

Louis Virtel Okay, so I picture her standing like by like a group of testy dos proud farmers.

 

Ira Madison III Bam! She’s in real legacy.

 

Louis Virtel Right? It’s a case of damned if you do, damned if you don’t. If her music didn’t sound at all like her older stuff, people be like, what is this departure? What are you doing? And yet, you know, if there’s any comparison at all to what she’s done before, people will then necessarily say, well, this isn’t entirely brand new. So I would say she has sort of straddled the best and worst of both worlds there. And also, I just don’t really love nachos. I don’t need to bring them up that often.

 

Ira Madison III Excuse me.

 

Louis Virtel I just don’t love them. Honey, chips are good, period. The best condiment is salt.

 

Ira Madison III You know who’s actually been reheating some nachos lately? Oh, you know Meghan Markle?

 

Louis Virtel Oh, I haven’t watched that show yet. That seems to be upsetting. People care to say about her quickly.

 

Ira Madison III Because I’m mad.

 

Louis Virtel I feel like I’m missing the part of her career where we were supposed to be mad at her.

 

Ira Madison III Yeah.

 

Louis Virtel She thought living with the royal family kind of sucked. Guys, I assure you, it did.

 

Ira Madison III I think we’re supposed to be mad at her because of racism and misogyny. Of course, but.

 

Louis Virtel Right.

 

Ira Madison III I hate that the Daily Mail has made that their whole bit, because you should be able to make jokes about a very famous person deciding, I’m going to do a cooking show on Netflix, but you sort of can’t without people attacking you online and saying, well, Gwyneth Paltrow can do this, or, you know, etc., etc. and it’s like, I know that they can do it, but I want to make fun of her for having like a cooking show on Netflix. But I can’t do it because the Daily Mail decides to be racist every time she opens her mouth.

 

Louis Virtel I think you’re right. There’s no halfway point. You feel like you’re either endorsing things like the Daily Mail, which have harangued her almost to death at this point.

 

Ira Madison III Yeah, but like, I don’t I don’t need to watch her cook.

 

Louis Virtel No. Right. She doesn’t give me Commentariat. I don’t feel like she needs to sort of weigh in, and that’s part of what the show is about.

 

Ira Madison III And then the people defending it online are just it’s a nice, fun show. You know, I’m enjoying watching it and it’s like, you sound stupid.

 

Louis Virtel Stream mayhem. Go home.

 

Ira Madison III All right. When we’re back, we are joined by the delightful Aja Naomi King to discuss her new series, Grosse Pointe Garden Society.

 

Louis Virtel [AD]

 

Ira Madison III This week’s guest is one of my favorite faces to see on screen. You know her from How to Get Away with murder. Birth of a nation. Lessons in chemistry. And more. Now she’s starring as Katherine in Grosse Pointe Garden Society. NBC’s new suburban murder mystery series. Please welcome to Keep It, the Emmy nominated Aja Naomi King.

 

Aja Naomi King Hey, I’m just going to clap for myself.

 

Ira Madison III You sure?

 

Louis Virtel It was a very light clapping. It was real. It was like.

 

Aja Naomi King It was like I didn’t want to. You know, I’m an elegant clap.

 

Ira Madison III I want to start by asking. Did you expect years after. How to get away with murder. To be burying shit and dirt again.

 

Aja Naomi King And flashback like right, I know, right? What time jumps hahahahahahahaha. Changing colors like. Oh, no. Where are we? What’s going on? No, I did not think that my life was going to take me back in this direction. But what can I say? A girl loves danger. Yeah. You know, when I read this script, especially after doing, like, lessons in chemistry, which was just such a beautiful experience and such a powerful character, I got to play there. There was something kind of like lighthearted and fun that I was really attracted to about this project, and it just felt I just knew it was going to feel good, you know, and I was excited about the other actors that were going to be in it with me. And I was just really ready for, you know, it’s just mix it up again. But then, of course, the writers totally are showrunners Jenna Barnes and Bill Krebs. Like, totally like through all that out the window, in my opinion, because the the stuff I have done on this show, I have been almost even more challenge than I’ve been in the past, because I’ve never really had to do anything that leaned into comedy the way that this does. And so that was really terrifying for me. And then they were like, oh, we’re going to keep all the nuance going by also having these incredibly deep storylines with your character with, like, her marriage and how she mothers and like the guest stars we bring onto this show that kind of fill out the family life. Like, you’re going to be happy. You’re going to be very happy now.

 

Louis Virtel Okay. I feel like all network TV should do is produce shows like this. Like, put me in a suburb with some mystery is going. It’s just. It’s where I belong. It’s what I want to be thinking about. Now, when you get into a show like this. And I guess this maybe applies to How to Get Away With murder too. Do you watch other shows in the genre to get in the zone for this, or is it purely an acting space and you draw all your experience out of nowhere?

 

Aja Naomi King Oh, I’m drawing my experience like from the script, you know, like I’m just taking it all from the script and like, and living in this, like, heightened existence of this world. And I am with you. Network television should have more shows like this. And I am shocked realizing, like, we are the only show like this on network TV. Like there I’m like, there is nothing like this. And and I’m really it makes me really proud of it because there is that kind of like nostalgia to it, and it feels like comfort food to be able to see these stories and see these characters and, you know, it has this, these utterly absurd moments that are hilarious and then countered with this, like this contrast of these like dark, like terrifying, thrilling moments of these characters trying to figure out what to do with the body. And there’s something about it that’s like, oh, it’s so familiar in that way. And I’m shocked that, like, you know, it was like desperate to burn off for how long? Murder has been off for like five years. So it’s like, oh, like, where’s that thing been? And I well, I’m just happy that I get to be a part of bringing it back.

 

Ira Madison III God. You know, and even going back to how to get away with murder. I mean, what was that experience like joining that show and then it continuing for so long. And I feel like each season it was something different, something wild for the viewers. And just how do you feel, you know, since so much time has passed now since that show About everything that was going on just from season to season, episode to episode. Scene to scene, to be honest.

 

Aja Naomi King Yes. I mean, that show was such a wild ride. I’ll never forget getting the job. I remember being on the phone with my my team and them telling me like, not only am I being cast to play Mikayla Pratt, but then they shared that Viola Davis was going to lead the show and I was just like, oh, we’re a hit. Like, I was like, that’s. That was all we needed. That’s it. Like, Viola Davis is going to do this like boom, done. And God, we just had so much fun. And the show was so insane. And I remember Pete Nowak, who was the creator of the show Under the Shadow banner, talking about how, you know, with Shonda. Shonda was very like, don’t wait till the end of the season to give us some big, explosive storyline. Begin with that and figure out where you can go from there. And that’s what it was at the top of each season, just like blowing up our whole world. And now we’ve got to, like, figure out where to go from here. And I mean, we never knew what was going to happen even when one of us was supposed to be killed off the show, we didn’t know who it was going to be until we were shooting it, which honestly, like, that’s anxiety inducing. That’s uncomfortable. But it was such a great time and like the friendships that I was able to form with my cast mates then it was a really special time in my life and we’re we’re just all bonded forever because of that really beautiful experience where, like, no one knew who we were, you know? And and then we got to be on this show where everything about it was so lifted because of Viola Davis especially, and just being in her orbit like just made everything that much better. And the show was so fantastic because of what she was able to contribute to it. So it’s kind of it’s really fun for me to walk into this new space, this new show that that has stuff about it that does, like remind you of murder, Desperate Housewives and be like, okay, like I get to take part in creating the atmosphere here and then taking the lead and, and like, and that feels really good because I feel like I’ve got to see the greatest to do it. So. So now I’m excited to have my turn.

 

Louis Virtel I don’t know if you ever did speech team in high school, but Viola Davis reminds me of who you see approached the lectern like your opponent over it and you’re like, it’s over. Like she hasn’t even spoken yet.

 

Aja Naomi King Like, right. You’ve done, like, walk away now. It’s like, yeah, she’s coming. Like, this is the smoking gun.

 

Louis Virtel Yeah. Right before she even begins. Like the extemporaneous whatever she’s supposed to do, you know, it’s all in the eyes.

 

Aja Naomi King Right? Oh, my God. Yes. I mean, her presence to be in her presence. There’s an undeniable energy about her. You feel it. You know, you were in the presence of greatness. And that’s a wonderful thing to be able to say about a black woman in, in this day and age and, and what this industry has become like. I am so happy that that she has that. I mean, she’s always been worthy and deserved that, but that everyone else feels that way about her as well.

 

Louis Virtel You mentioned earlier the time jumps thing when you’re doing that on the show, because this applies to How to Get Away With murder and now this show are the things you have to keep in mind while performing various storylines that like maybe don’t seem obvious to the average viewer.

 

Aja Naomi King Yes, yes, I mean, I, I have to reread the scripts so many times now because there’s so many details about everything that will get jumbled up in my mind. And I’m like, wait, wait, wait, what are we in the future? Or are we in the past? What are we in the present like? Where? Where are we? And we have an amazing script supervisor on this show who can always tell you like, yes, this is five minutes after the murder happened. That’s where you are. It’s like, okay, great, now I know how to play this scene. And the crew here in Atlanta has been fantastic, by the way. I just have to, like, shout out the crew because the the working environment has been so wonderful here and has allowed it, allowed it all to be such a safe space to really explore and play and be creative and have fun with this.

 

Ira Madison III Yeah. And I want to even just bring up, you know, lessons in chemistry too. Now, you know, I mean, you are Emmy nominated for this series and it’s, it’s I really did enjoy it. You know, it’s one of those things that I found on Apple TV, which I feel like has the best hidden show.

 

Aja Naomi King That was such surprise.

 

Ira Madison III You know, whether it has to.

 

Louis Virtel Be, you never know what you’re going to get.

 

Ira Madison III There. You never know what you’re going to get there. And yet I’m always. I’m always recommending a show to a friend. And I always talk to them like, wait, it’s on Apple TV, but we’re not always talking about it. And getting press from these shows that are on Apple TV, you know, and I think that you were so great on that. And I just want to know, like, what was it like working with you’ve worked with, you know, these powerhouse actresses from Bio Davis and now you’ve worked with Brie Larson on this. What was it like? I guess forming a rapport with Brie.

 

Aja Naomi King I mean, she’s so lovely. Like, I have to say, I feel like I’ve been really lucky in this industry. Like, all of the women that I have come across have always been so just wonderful and supportive. And I just remember the first day with Brie because she was also a producer on this project, and she really leaned into me and was like, you own this as much as the rest of us. Like like we we have faith in you. We believe in you. So if something doesn’t feel right, If something feels off, like speak your mind like you. You have a say. You have a voice. It matters. We want to hear it. And that was so true. Like it wasn’t. It wasn’t just lip service. And and it was such a beautiful gift to give me because I was walking into that space feeling, you know, just new environment, new people, new Oscar winner. Like, just feeling, you know, just feeling a little intimidated and uncomfortable and unsure of, like, what is this experience going to be? And it was just so welcoming and breathes. Energy is very much like like there’s no above the line. Below the line. Like everyone here, this is the team. This is family. We’re all together. Like she was pulling out games for people to play because she wanted everyone to be comfortable all the time. And I was just like, oh, wow. Like, she’s such a great leader and knows how to, like, make people feel really comfortable on the set. And it just it just it’s like you don’t even realize how necessary these things are. Because you’re spending truly like 12 to 16 hours in these spaces with people, you’re spending more time on these sets than you are with your family. Like my child at home is like, where’s mommy? You know, honestly who he like says to me like, mommy, stop working. And I’m like, do you like food? Do you, do you, do you like this home?

 

Louis Virtel Like.

 

Aja Naomi King Mommy can’t do that. But but yeah, like, I like Brie was great. Brie was great for that. And I felt very empowered by her. And and it just it makes all the difference in the world to be able to, to step into that space and know that you, you can bring your full self to the part and and and. Yeah. And know that you belong.

 

Louis Virtel One last question, which is I believe you got a voicemail one time from Angela Bassett, but can you please explain this story? Because. Because if Angela Bassett calls me, that’s the last I have to throw away. Throw away the phone after. It’s the last thing that will happen on my phone.

 

Ira Madison III Serena, for God sakes.

 

Aja Naomi King Just try putting it in a shrine. Yeah. Forever. Yeah. So this is. This is crazy. This was like, I was. I was going to go to Yale Drama School, and my mother happened to know someone that knew Angela Bassett, and. And my mother didn’t tell me that, like, this was going to happen. I get a call one day from, you know, a blocked number because, you know, famous people, people, you know. And, and, and I listen to the voicemail message and it’s like, hi, this is Angela Bassett calling.

 

Louis Virtel And I’m like, oh my God.

 

Aja Naomi King Like Angela Bassett called me and I didn’t pick up the phone. Like what? And and she left me this message, basically explaining that she was going to call me back and to pick up the phone.

 

Louis Virtel And she’s like, you will pick up this time.

 

Aja Naomi King You will pick up this time. And I literally I was just like in my backyard, staring at the phone, like waiting for it to ring. Like, I will not miss this car. And and she did call back and we talked for probably like half an hour to an hour, which I mean, was such a generous gift that she gave me that day to just talk to me about, like, the craft of acting and going to school and the industry and, you know, just being an artist and having integrity and what all of that should mean to me, and how proud of myself I should be for getting into this school and just everything like that. And I it is to this day something that I hold so dear because I am sat with the feeling of, wow, you didn’t know me at all. You didn’t have to do this. I wasn’t expecting it. No one would have known. And yet you took the time to call a stranger and just be like, here’s a piece of advice, you know? And it just it made me feel worthy. It just made me feel so worthy. And and I feel like there is such a deep sisterhood in this industry where I feel like women, but really black women in particular, really take care of one another. And it’s so significant. And it is the thing that has driven me and it’s it is it has brought me into spaces and made me feel like I belong and I matter and and I’ve earned my spot amongst them. And there’s just such a love and a care there that is utterly beautiful. And and I hope everyone gets to feel like that because, like, I’m just like, no, I can make you feel good the way a black woman can make.

 

Ira Madison III You feel good. Yeah. That’s beautiful. And I also want to say you graduated 2010 Yale, All right. So I feel like I definitely saw part of your showcase. My friend Fisher in New York graduated 2011. He was in Lupita’s class. Yes. And my friends John Luke, like, so I like saw the 2010, 2011 year. Yeah. Oh my god. Wow.

 

Aja Naomi King Yes. So crazy. Small world I love that.

 

Ira Madison III I love it. Yeah.

 

Louis Virtel It’s that divine joy Randolph around that time too. She was the Yale drama.

 

Aja Naomi King Yes, yes she was. She was the year under Lupita.

 

Louis Virtel Oh okay.

 

Ira Madison III That is quite a list of black icons.

 

Aja Naomi King Or was it me? Divine. And then Lupita, it’s so hard to remember now.

 

Louis Virtel Oh, that’s a good question. Yeah. Divine’s like my age. Lupita’s a little bit. I guess you can go to school.

 

Aja Naomi King There at the same time. Like. But I think, I think when I was a third year, I think Lupita was a first year. Oh man. Now I can’t remember the order.

 

Louis Virtel This will be chronicled in another series, something.

 

Ira Madison III About my writing. I need that book. Actually, the book of, like all of you, your stories at Yale. I would read that. I know.

 

Aja Naomi King I know, but I have to say, like, even then, you know, like Divine’s voice. Oh, God. Like, I feel like. I feel like no one’s really heard her sing yet because. Oh, can she. Her voice is like, oh, my God. Because she she trained in opera, actually. And she has this powerhouse of a voice. She is such a talent. I mean, she’s a talented everything, but she I you’d be shocked to know what an incredible singer she is. So I hope there will be something on the horizon where she’ll get to show that off, because it’s insane. And when Lupita was there, like we all knew, like, because what she brought. I’ll never forget watching her and a performance of Uncle Vanya and talking to her afterwards because like, the she up for me, I read that play so many times. I worked on so many scenes and I never really got it. It never clicked for me. And then when I watched her do it, I was like, that’s what it’s supposed to be. That’s what it is. And it’s just people that that are able to just divine this deep understanding of, of what this characters are like, the way that she works, how she’s able to emotionally connect to, to, to the material on this level and, and just like, build that world around her. It’s it. She’s a magnificent talent. Like, I mean, they’re, they’re they’re both just utterly incredible and. Yeah. And I, I’m like really happy that I got to see them at school, you know, before the world got to know who they are.

 

Ira Madison III Okay. Well, now you’re going to have me thinking about Davon and like, a revival of Carolina Change for, like, the rest of my life now. Oh my God, please help make that happen.

 

Aja Naomi King Yes. Well, you know, divine. Did sister act on Broadway, actually.

 

Louis Virtel Really?

 

Ira Madison III Yes, yes. I did not see that. Oh my God, yes.

 

Aja Naomi King I don’t bring out all the old gems.

 

Louis Virtel Yeah. No, I mean, you’re telling me we put this one I only murders in the building and we still didn’t. Wasn’t everybody else singing anyway? I’m that other Yale broad. Meryl got to sing.

 

Aja Naomi King Wagner on on Only Murders. Divine did sing a little bit in that in the season with real because they were trying to trick her with something and she sang just a little bit of was it like A Chorus Line? You got to hear just a little taste of her voice, but it didn’t even begin to touch what she can do vocally.

 

Ira Madison III Another fact.

 

Aja Naomi King So I know, right? But also back to, you know, everyone watch gross point guards the same thing.

 

Ira Madison III Oh yeah. Right. Listen, I love How to get Away with murder. I love how to get away. Brother, I was I’m a og desperate Housewives stand. And I was watching. First of all, I was watching this before I knew you were coming on. I, like, was so excited that you were casting it. I think your people were like, why is IRA commenting on this? Like, does he like, love? The show is excited. I was like, I’m here for it. I’m a big fan of the show. So yeah, I will be watching everyone.

 

Aja Naomi King So good. It is so delicious. Like, I love this show. It is, it is, it is just giving everything, everything that we have been needing. It is truly escapist. And yeah, it’s like, just sit back, relax, sip on what you need to sip on and enjoy.

 

Ira Madison III The cast is great. Ben Rappaport, AnnaSophia Robb I mean military diaries. Oh yeah, my wife, Melissa Fumero is so funny. And you’re and you’re really, really great. So yeah, congrats.

 

Louis Virtel So great. Thank you so much for being here. What a pleasure.

 

Aja Naomi King Thank you I love chatting with you guys. This was wonderful. Thank you so much.

 

Ira Madison III Thank you. To Asia Naomi King Grosse Pointe Garden Society is now airing on NBC and streaming on Peacock. So all you traitor stans, pull it up. We’ll be right back with more. Keep it.

 

Louis Virtel Keep it is brought to you by Z biotics. Pre alcohol Z biotics. Pre Alcohol probiotic drink is the world’s first genetically engineered probiotic. It was invented by PhD scientists to tackle rough mornings after drinking. Here’s how it works. When you drink, alcohol gets converted into a toxic byproduct in the gut. It’s this byproduct, not dehydration, that’s to blame for your rough next day. Pre alcohol it produces an enzyme to break this byproduct down. Just remember to make pre alcohol your first drink of the night. Drink responsibly and you’ll feel your best tomorrow. Now let me let you in on a secret. IRA has told me that he uses this regularly and it has really helped out his life. Even though the drinking responsibly part. Who knows what’s going on there? This college basketball season? Don’t let anything sideline your celebrations. Grab pre alcohol before you go out and be ready to cheer on your team all day and all night long. Go to Z biotics.com slash. Keep it to learn more and get 15% off your first order. When you use keep it at checkout. Z biotics is backed with 100% moneyback guarantee. So if you’re unsatisfied for any reason, they’ll refund your money, no questions asked. Remember to head to Z biotics.com slash. Keep it and use the code. Keep it at checkout for 15% off.

 

Ira Madison III Just like Gaga. Another heavyweight made their big return on Friday. Five years after parasite’s historic Oscars win, Bong Joon Ho is back with Mickey 17, a dystopian space epic starring Robert Pattinson, Naomi Ackie, Mark Ruffalo, Steven Yeun and Toni Collette. This is Bond’s first film since parasite. So the question is, were you on the edge of Mickey 17?

 

Louis Virtel Oh my God. I took the Stevie Nicks song I was. I’m very confused for a second. There’s also, of course, the Hailee Steinfeld movie, super underrated Edge of 17. Really good movie. This movie did nothing for me. I was very shocked to not like it almost at all, even though I thought Robert Pattinson was absolutely fabulous, the character he plays. It’s sort of a familiar dystopian trope. He’s like a person who keeps being reanimated, like he’s entered this sort of pact system where they keep using his body for science and they throw that body away and then get a new one, and then a new one and a new one, a new one. And everybody keeps constantly asking him what it’s like to die. But the way he plays the character of Mickey 17, the 17th iteration of this person, kind of reminds me of Crispin Glover in Back to the future, like sort of stuttering and Self-effacing and like, kind of afraid everyone’s going to beat him up all the time, you know, like, that’s sort of the vibe. And I appreciated hearing that from him, because it doesn’t remind me of anything he’s ever done before. And I have liked some of his prestige. Dear projects like The Lighthouse, for example, where we learned that Willem Dafoe has fucking huge thighs, I could not believe it. That man was Vincent van Gogh. At one point.

 

Ira Madison III You didn’t know that he could barely fit in that Green Goblin costume, baby.

 

Louis Virtel Were you there at the fitting?

 

Ira Madison III Excuse me? He was filling that out. Okay, okay. Wild.

 

Louis Virtel Yeah, but otherwise. Otherwise. First of all, this movie reminds me almost exactly of Snowpiercer and Okja, so it felt very retread of to me and down to the creatures in this movie who had that kind of roly poly armadillo quality that Okja had, down to the political humor in this movie, which features Mark Ruffalo and Toni Collette as a sort of Trumpian couple who are, like cackling baddies, like who are like clinking glasses and running this very Orwellian society into the ground.

 

Ira Madison III Baddy space, if you will.

 

Louis Virtel If you will, and I won’t. It felt very like first thought comedy to me. I didn’t think it was a really proud showing for either Mark Ruffalo or Toni Collette. Honestly, when Toni Collette does silly in a movie, it is just not my thing. Like she has had some of the most brilliant performances ever. And yet I think of her in Knives Out. Why was she in Knives Out? Just like certain things don’t fit the vibe that Toni Collette brings to the screen, and this is one of them.

 

Ira Madison III You weren’t down with Mafia Mama again.

 

Louis Virtel I think I would have cast like ten other people in Mafia Mama before her.

 

Ira Madison III But now I get it.

 

Louis Virtel I think another problem I have with this movie is the characters are ultimately one dimensional. It’s like good guys, bad guys, you know, like Naomi Ackie is literally kicking ass as part of the good side. And I will say, this girl is an awesome actor, and I’m so sorry that Whitney Houston movie was fucking underrated. She was excellent in that movie.

 

Ira Madison III Oh, I love that movie. And I love her. And I will say that another problem with this film is honestly that it just wasn’t funny.

 

Louis Virtel The comedy is so pathetic. The comedy could not be worse.

 

Ira Madison III I went the date open when I was in Austin. I was like, I was really fucking excited to see this movie, you know? And I’m sitting there and there are just long stretches in the movie where I am not laughing. Yeah. And it feels almost like you’re on this shit because there’s just like, it’s it’s giving the silent to the lamb.

 

Louis Virtel Okay.

 

Ira Madison III You’re like, okay. Is there not a joke coming? I checked my phone so many times was like, when is this ending?

 

Louis Virtel It’s so weird. With this comes on the heels of parasite, where there’s a ton of humor in that movie. And also it’s like kind of sly humor sometimes, like sardonic and cynical as this movie is, but also, like, wittier, I don’t know, like the scene in parasite where they’re starting to infiltrate this rich household and they invent their little backstory before they walk inside, and they make up a little story about living at Illinois State University. And they, like, rehearse a little rhyme so they can get the act down. So funny. There’s no, like, insight like that. And I think a big difference between this movie and parasite is parasite felt like it was full of real people, whereas nobody in this movie feels like a real person to me.

 

Ira Madison III They really don’t. One of the people that feels real to me, I guess, is Steven Yeun.

 

Louis Virtel Kind of. But like, that’s still like a cackling villain character. I don’t know, I felt like, I mean, Steven Yeun has a second city past. It felt like he was something he could have done at Second City.

 

Ira Madison III The one character who sort of felt like a real person was Kai, who’s played by Ana Bartolomé. She is a person who’s sort of like a Okay. She’s in the same role as Naomi Ackie on the show. You know, she’s in security, etc. and she has a flirtation with Mickey and sort of when she discovers that they’re doubles. She sort of has the black belt, Naomi Ackie into sleeping with him. And this is after standing up to Mark Ruffalo and Toni Collette and being aghast at what they were doing. So she was a person who sort of felt like a three dimensional person, in the sense that she had a moral code that made her stand up to the fascists in the movie. But then she also succumbed to something gross by trying to blackmail this woman into being like, well, I’m going to start sleeping with your boyfriend now. You know, like if gays gave us shades of something and I just feel like there were no three dimensional characters in this film, there were no shades. I loathed Mark Ruffalo’s character in this. And it is. I get that this movie was supposed to come out last year and was pushed back so fucking much, but the minute I saw the fucking red hats in the film, I was like, what are we doing here?

 

Louis Virtel And also, it’s another case of Mark Ruffalo in this movie. If you’ve seen Tilda Swinton and Okja, it’s like, well, she did that way better too. Like, like there are certain things that feel lifted from earlier Bong Joon Ho movies that just are less effective here.

 

Ira Madison III And he’s so great.

 

Louis Virtel Oh, please, I loved him, and poor thing’s going back. You can count on me, please. I love Mark Ruffalo.

 

Ira Madison III Mark Ruffalo and Toni Collette are such amazing actors, and they really just were not giving it to me in this film at all.

 

Louis Virtel And it was supposed to have this sort of Boris and Natasha like, you know, like they’re obvious villains, but we love that, you know? But it just the comedy never landed even one time, and it needed to be funny in order for these scenes to be bearable and needed to be funny. Now, something I did like in the movie was the interactions between Mickey, 17, and Mickey, 18. Which brought me back to another extremely underrated thing over the past couple of years, and we had her here to promote it. Rachel Vice and Dead Ringers. Like this thing of it’s incredibly seamless. It really you really forget you are watching obvious CGI there clearly not to Robert Pattinson’s real life. To watch them interact was masterful. I mean, like, they really I don’t know how they do it. Much like Rachel Weisz was absolutely mesmerizing against herself and that mini series version of the old Jeremy Irons movie Dead Ringers.

 

Ira Madison III Honestly, the saving grace of this film is Robert Pattinson’s performance. I think that he is truly one of the best actors that we have right now, and I think that it’s unfortunate that this is kind of a career best performance for him in a movie that is just not great at all.

 

Louis Virtel It’s a meandering movie, it’s ponderous, and it sets up this very obvious dystopian society that’s supposed to tell us something about the world in which we live. And if you already haven’t come to those conclusions, I don’t know what planet you’re living on.

 

Ira Madison III Yeah. When you think about someone encountering a different version of themselves in a space movie that feels more human. I want people to check out moon starring Sam Rockwell.

 

Louis Virtel Oh my God, yes. That was like the movie that turned him into the Sam Rockwell of today. Yeah. By the way, Sam Rockwell and Leslie Bibb, a power couple I can’t get enough of.

 

Ira Madison III Yeah, I love Sam Rockwell. I love that movie. I see, like, another double movie. I like, like possession.

 

Louis Virtel Oh, certainly.

 

Ira Madison III Well, and I started thinking a lot about. Did you remember my friend Justin had been talking about this movie so much to me lately, and then all of a sudden it was just in my brain when I was watching Mickey 17. Do you remember the islands?

 

Louis Virtel No. What is that?

 

Ira Madison III Ian McGregor, Scarlett Johansson, Michael Bay movie like 2005 2006. They are on an island, and basically you find out that rich people have these clones of themselves that they harvest for organs.

 

Louis Virtel Yes.

 

Ira Madison III Yeah. It’s honestly one of Michael Bay’s most underrated films, which is it feels wild to say that about Michael Bay, but when he’s in his back, he’s in. It’s fucking bad. And I would urge people to check out the island because it is a gag.

 

Louis Virtel And also the original series, Bewitched, where Elizabeth Montgomery sometimes interacts with her identical cousin. Guys, I’m sorry I’m using every time. I love when, like, a blond actress on a show has has an evil twin or something, and she has dark hair. Baby, I’m tuning in.

 

Ira Madison III I said, here you go. As if I was not watching every nick at night. Bewitched. Summer block party. Marathon.

 

Louis Virtel Oh, please. And they were watch six. And I was like, it can be black and white, dark color. Take me to any era in a way.

 

Ira Madison III Yeah, it was just disappointing how much I did not enjoy this movie. And if anything, it’s just even more disappointing because Robert is so amazing in it. Naomi Ackie is great in it, and I want to see them together in a different movie. That’s better. Maybe something on only fans.

 

Louis Virtel Know if they could just give this whole legitimate acting thing. Oh yeah, get rid of that, make it 999 a month, that sort of thing.

 

Ira Madison III Listen, the most believable thing in that movie was Naomi Ackie being like, well, or can I just fuck both of you?

 

Louis Virtel She’s like, no, I get them both. Her reasoning why I get them both. Yeah.

 

Ira Madison III Smart girl. Yeah. We’ve talked about this phrase a lot in the episode, but damn, Bong Joon Ho was reheating his nachos in this movie.

 

Louis Virtel Now, this is a case of reheated nachos.

 

Ira Madison III It was literally Bong Joon Ho’s greatest hits.

 

Louis Virtel It’s Snowpiercer and Okja, an underwhelming hybrid of both. It’s like they put them in a blender. But then there was also too much water, so it doesn’t taste like anything.

 

Ira Madison III Oh, it tastes like one of those sources that Toni Collette was obsessed with. The sauce.

 

Louis Virtel Could she say sauce, mom? One motherfucking time. Bitch, are you the frugal gourmet? You need to stop anyway.

 

Ira Madison III It’s a bond, you know. For me.

 

Louis Virtel If you will. Yes. Yes. It didn’t pierce my snow. My snow remained on Pierce this time.

 

Ira Madison III All right, when we’re back. Keep it. And we’re back with our favorite segment of the episode. It is. Keep it. Louis. You promised me a wrap century. Keep it this week.

 

Louis Virtel Yes. And this song is now on, like the Billboard Hot 100, climbing kind of slowly because, you know, we live in this Billboard universe where things like Good Luck Babe are still in the top ten. You know, just like things just stick around and then stay there. So it takes sometimes a while for new songs to bubble up. Are you familiar with the song called fat, Juicy and Wet by Sexy Red and Bruno Mars?

 

Ira Madison III Um. Pussy so good make me throw up a set.

 

Louis Virtel Keep it to fat, juicy and wet.

 

Ira Madison III Oh, wow.

 

Louis Virtel First of all, let me just say sexy red innocence. Sexy red is a good time. A sexy red came to us with a song called Pound Town. You know you’re getting me sexy, right? The champagne’s flying. We’re all strippers. It’s a lot of fun. Bruno Mars. You know, he’s giving you Chips Ahoy commercial every time he gets on the stage. You know the bugles are playing. It’s always a cause. Back to school sale. You know, a little bit of, like, the backpacks on. I jump into place. I’m one foot eight, you know. That’s his whole vibe. I’m just going to go ahead and read the lyrics that you see in wet. I don’t even gangbang pussy so good. Make me throw up a set that good. Kitty, kitty. Good kitty kitty. Good kitty kitty. Are you Motley crew? Who says good kitty? Kitty. Make it my pad. Pretty pussy type of pussy girl. Put me in a nunnery. I cannot be listening to this. I was at the pre-game, watching him be vulgar. And by the way, everybody has the vulgar phase of their career, right? Everybody has the Madonna sex book. Everybody, you know, has to be nasty. At some point. Brian McKnight had that whole thing where he’s like, I want to be really gross in music because we’re all adults here. Yeah, but it also has to be convincing. I felt like tipper Gore listening to this song, just like rejecting every ounce of it, just not sexy in any way until sexy Red comes on. And then this is clearly her bag.

 

Ira Madison III Pussy like weed pussy like dope. Pussy like coke game put it up ya nose. Slob on my clit. Suck on my toes. Honestly, I was arguing with some. What about this dog? And there, when it first came out and their argument to was, I don’t need to hear Bruno Mars singing about all that.

 

Louis Virtel Right? Well, also, if you watch the video too, he sort of he’s giving you that same kind of shucks energy as he sings this. This is not all shucks, you need to be off fucking okay. And also, by the way, I think, I think crucially, the problem is he sings the same verse three times. So if you didn’t love it the first time, he’s like, re auditions the second time. And then he’s like, wait, wait, wait, don’t kick me out yet. The pussy is still warm. Hold on. He re hated that pussy by the end of the song, you know what I’m saying?

 

Ira Madison III Bruno Mars reheating pussy. Bruno Mars in the song is sort of giving the energy of I think we all remember that first time like you, or having sex with someone. And then there’s sort of like, but they’re like, they want you to be like verbal or like dirty or something, but you’ve never done it before. You just sort of like it just sort of like. Good kitty.

 

Louis Virtel Kitty, kitty kitty is such a hard word. It’s so hard. You better be Kitty Carlisle, game show panelist on to tell the truth, if you’re kidding.

 

Ira Madison III I do love the video though. I just love the randomness of Lady Gaga and Rosé popping over the set and dancing with them.

 

Louis Virtel Sure, again, Sexxy Red, you know exactly what you’re getting. She put it right there in her name. It’s right there. Sexy.

 

Ira Madison III Sexy. It makes me want a Gaga Sexxy Red song.

 

Louis Virtel Yeah. Has she ever been, like, really hard vulgar before? I’m sort of surprised that she hasn’t.

 

Ira Madison III Yeah. No, no, my Christmas tree is delicious.

 

Louis Virtel I honestly, I don’t hate that as an answer, because that is disgusting.

 

Ira Madison III Honestly, we appreciate the Christina Aguilera version of Do What You Want. It is a b level drag race lip sync. Sure, but.

 

Louis Virtel Which they haven’t done yet, by the way.

 

Ira Madison III Yeah, but I think we all just know that, unfortunately. Do what you want. Featuring Art Kelly was one of Gaga’s best songs.

 

Louis Virtel I was very heartened to hear her make a joke about our Kelly during her SNL monologue about, I think, the last time she had hosted or something. I was like, yeah.

 

Ira Madison III But picture this sexy red on a new version of Do What You Want.

 

Louis Virtel I would love to hear that. You know, I have a problem where I can’t stop playing that song. It’s like the movie speed. If I turn that off, I turn that song off, I’ll cease to be. IRA, what is your keep it this week?

 

Ira Madison III My keep it this week goes to a tweet from Meghan McCain.

 

Louis Virtel Who? Why? Why would you darken our stage with Meghan McCain?

 

Ira Madison III It’s actually about a couple tweets with Meghan McCain. First of all, I don’t know if you knew this, but Meghan McCain liked Trump’s address to the union. It wasn’t the state of the Union good. He just got up there and was just talking as he’s want to do. And she liked it. And I just first want to say, before I get into the tweets of it all, that man dog walked your father. Okay.

 

Louis Virtel Up, down, left, right and diagonal. That’s like all he did.

 

Ira Madison III He dog walked him straight up until John McCain was in the grave. And here you are begging for a Scooby Snack.

 

Louis Virtel The idea of begging for a squeeze. And Scooby was just given them. Usually he wasn’t left wanting like this.

 

Ira Madison III I just recall Meghan McCain when she used to block people for dragging her about things online. I was one of those people back in the day. This man, the shit that he talked about, your father. You have the gumption, the gall, the nerve to agree with him on anything. Like, what the fuck is wrong with you?

 

Louis Virtel The speech was also, I mean specifically hyper ridiculous that this is the same speech where he talked about transgender mice and what he meant was transgenic mice. He just made up an entire problem, which I know seems crazy. You’ve never heard Trump do anything like that before. But it was the it was a ludicrous speech.

 

Ira Madison III Actually. If you told me brain from pinky in the brain was trans, I believe you.

 

Louis Virtel Oh, I mean, the diabolical nature of him alone. You never know. Yeah. I mean, also being that interested in film noir, he was clearly an Orson Welles tribute to something trans is going on there.

 

Ira Madison III Yeah. Bram favorite movie is Dressed to Kill. But this collection of tweets I’m going to give you from Meghan McCain. First of all, she wrote in response to this whole bullshit about this volleyball player who was hurt during a volleyball game by a ball, and now she hates trans people like playing volleyball with her. She tweeted Democrats defending young women suffering from traumatic brain injuries as a result of trans athletes is why they will continue losing every election.

 

Louis Virtel Girl, you don’t know what’s going on.

 

Ira Madison III And then Andy Cohen responded to her finally, by the way, because Andy Cohen has been friends with Meghan McCain through all of her bullshit. And she’s been on Watch What Happens Live too many fucking times. He responded to her surprise you’re buying into the vilification of the trans community given the real problems happening in this country. Your previous allyship of the LGBTQ community, and the fact that this non-issue affects about four people in this country. And then she said, surprised you’re okay with violence against female athletes?

 

Louis Virtel That’s what he said, right? Believe what you want.

 

Ira Madison III And then she claimed that the players account was just one story among many. And you have Mysel always happy to talk private or publicly on either of our shows, because these conversations are reductive to hash out on social media. Nobody’s coming on your show, girl.

 

Louis Virtel Girl, you’re not Jack Paar. You’re not. You’re not Johnny Carson.

 

Ira Madison III How about a guest spot on Jack Paar. Little Shop of Horrors?

 

Louis Virtel Right, right.

 

Ira Madison III And that nonsense aside, here’s this other tweet of hers that really jumped out the window. Can’t decide if I should still watch White Lotus tonight, since one of the stars decided to tweet some nasty crap at me this week for liking Trump’s address to the nation. What do we think? Shut the fuck up.

 

Louis Virtel Also, are we talking about Carrie Coon? Yes, she and Tracy lots are not hyper Republicans. Can you believe it? What an idiot.

 

Ira Madison III Some nasty crap at me. Also. I’m sorry. When you do Cloudinary, the clown comes back to bite. And that is what happens when you take a very clear Republican. We saw it on The View. We see it on Twitter. We see it in her support of The Federalist. When you take her and you continue to put her on platforms that are places for LGBTQ people. Like bringing her to the clubhouse and watch what happens. Live constantly, and being happy for the scraps of allyship that she gives us. The cloud is always going to come back to bite, because they will rear their ugly head again and reveal that their trash.

 

Louis Virtel Also, how about how about in all the years we have known who this woman is when she was a view panelist? Whatever. She has not been smart one time. She is not an insightful person who is like needing this person to, like, contribute at all.

 

Ira Madison III Yeah, and it should have been obvious that she would eventually turn on trans people. But I don’t know why. People are shocked. And I say one last thing too, about people being shocked when the clown comes back to bite. My clown of the week is Columbia University.

 

Louis Virtel Oh, in your current state of New York, what do they do wrong? Joseph Pulitzer, a big fan of Columbia University.

 

Ira Madison III Well, I think we were all familiar with the protests that were happening on Columbia University’s campus. You know, there was the whole fervor about Palestine, about Gaza, about whether or not supporting Palestine is anti-Semitic. And obviously people like Trump and conservatives like, latch on to this because they’re like antisemitism. We get to do that, and no one’s mad about it. But let’s turn support of Palestine into anti-Semitism. Obviously, Columbia University was awful to its students, shitty to its students, basically letting people like one of their students be arrested by Ice this week. And that was Mahmoud Khalil. They did all of this shit and not supporting their own students because they were trying to, just like Meghan McCain, suck up to Donald Trump. Like, we’re in this whole era now where everyone has decided we’re going to do everything we can to get Donald Trump to like us. And then you know what happened? Donald Trump pulled federal funding from Columbia. Anyway, so the crime came back to bite. Idiots.

 

Louis Virtel Right? Yeah. There’s no such thing as appeasing him. It’s all about him. You know, you have to be such a suck up to him and, like, in his inner circle to be even remotely protected.

 

Ira Madison III Yeah. Anyway, I think more people should be talking about this, and I’m sure they’ll be talking about it on policy of America, etc., but I don’t know. I think everyone should be terrified about the fact that no matter people’s politics, marching up to somebody and arresting them and then deciding you want to revoke their green card just because they were protesting. That’s like the literal definition of fascism, you know? And there are people online who are going, well, maybe he’s pro Hamas, etc.. And I’m like, you know what? You know who doesn’t have their citizenship revoked? White people walking around with swastikas on them, doing the hail in the streets to intimidate people. Right. You know, so supporting Hitler, supporting Nazi ism Csam.

 

Louis Virtel Is less controversial than that, right?

 

Ira Madison III Right. Wearing your shitty Walmart sheets that haven’t been washed in three years as a hood when you want to be in a KKK rally. You also get your citizenship revoked for that. So I think it’s dumb. And, you know, I guess we support some terrorism in America, but it has to be white terrorism.

 

Louis Virtel Right? Yeah, that does sound like us. Ultimately, at this stage of the game. Correct.

 

Ira Madison III And Meghan McCain, you know, her ass tuned into The White Lotus on Sunday.

 

Louis Virtel She’s obsessed with being part of the conversation. She wouldn’t just turn off the conversation. Come on now. Also, Michelle Monaghan I’m rooting for her to be the best one on this season. And still I think she I think something’s coming with Michelle Monaghan.

 

Ira Madison III I am always rooting for Michelle Monaghan. Anyway, that’s our episode this week. Thank you to Asia Naomi Kang for joining us. We’ll be back next week with more. Keep it. Great for us. Don’t forget to follow Crooked Media on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok. You can also subscribe to keep it on YouTube for access to full episodes and other exclusive content. And if you’re as opinionated as we are, consider dropping us a review.

 

Louis Virtel Keep it as a Crooked Media production. Our producer is Bill McGrath, our associate producer is Kennedy Hill, and our executive producers are Ira Madison, the Third, Louis Virtel, and Kendra James.

 

Ira Madison III Our digital team is Delon Villanueva, Claudia Sheng, and Rachel Gaieski. This episode was recorded and mixed by Jerek Santino. Thank you to David Toles, Kyle Seglin and Charlotte Landes for production support every week.

 

Louis Virtel Our head of production is Matt DeGroot and Madeline Herringer is our head of programing. Our production staff is proudly unionized with the Writers Guild of America East.

 

Ira Madison III And as always, Keep It is filmed in front of a live studio audience.