Mocktails Or Messy
Mocktails Or Messy
#50: Gregory Tells All: Cancer Survivor, HGTV Director, & How He Hired Ryan
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
Gregory Powell brings his sharp wit and design expertise to the podcast, sharing the remarkable journey that led him from New York's television industry back to his hometown of Pittsburgh. What began as a simple complaint about facial pain during a family visit in 2018 quickly escalated to a life-changing diagnosis: stage four adenoid cystic carcinoma, an incredibly rare cancer affecting his salivary gland.
Rather than surrendering to circumstance, Gregory approached his hospital stay with characteristic flair—ordering Japanese kimonos, using vintage silverware for hospital meals, and creating a "creative deck" specifying acceptable flower arrangements for visitors. This refusal to surrender his identity perfectly encapsulates Gregory's perspective on life's challenges: "When they're telling you 'we have to fix this right now,' you don't have time to think 'why me?' You just go into action mode."
After recovering just as COVID hit in early 2020, Gregory pivoted professionally into design production for HGTV, where his ability to solve problems under pressure made him invaluable on shows like "Trixie Motel." He describes the delicate balance of managing reality TV production schedules against construction timelines, often requiring creative solutions when materials don't arrive on time.
Throughout our conversation, Gregory offers candid insights into dating in what he calls "the Paris of Appalachia," describing Pittsburgh's social scene as a "yearbook" where everyone knows everyone's history. His perspective on relationships at this stage of life is refreshingly mature—maintaining separate homes even in committed relationships, valuing independence alongside connection.
From naming his chickens after fashion icons to having his dog Louis upgraded to first class while he remained in coach, Gregory's stories blend humor with authentic reflection on creating a meaningful life after facing mortality. His journey reminds us that maintaining our personal style and humor through life's greatest challenges isn't just about survival—it's about thriving on your own terms.
Mocktails Or Messy podcast
IG: @mocktailsormessy | TikTok: @mockmess
Watch | YouTube Mocktails Or Messy
Listen | Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.
Featured | #11 of Best Local Podcasts: FeedSpot
Meet Gregory Powell
Speaker 1Ryan no-called no-show and was like I lost my phone last night.
Speaker 2Yeah, we were peeing behind a dumpster and we got a public urination together.
Speaker 1I was like it's my 21st and the bartender's like you have been coming in here for like over a year.
Speaker 2Hi there, this is Mocktails Are Messy and you're with.
Speaker 3Ryan Frankowski.
Speaker 2And Kelly Msgorski. Sorry, we're like we've been thrown a curveball right now because we just had our guests show up and we're so excited.
Speaker 3I know we have the infamous, the famous, the world-renowned. Am I saying?
Speaker 2that right Renowned.
Speaker 3World-renowned Gregory Powell. Let's go, gregory. The world renowned, am I saying it right? Renowned? World renowned, gregory Powell. Let's go, gregory. Thank you for coming to the studio today.
Speaker 1Yeah, I'm really excited to be on Hot Ones.
Speaker 3Oh my, god, hot Ones. What's Hot Ones? Well, I'm the hot one I know you little slut, you always are with the fashion. Look at those. Can you put the shoe up to the cam? Show me that. My God, gregory, I don't know if you can see it. Those are fucking fresh. Kelly, thought you were towering over her. Now you know why he's got a two-inch heel on.
Speaker 2Oh well, he's still tall.
Speaker 3I know I love it. They're like spaceman shoes.
Speaker 2They're like shiny, like a bully, though Tin man shoes.
Speaker 3He is probably the most direct New Yorker Pittsburgher that I know. You do not make me feel warm and fuzzy in a good way. In a good way You're fucking real Cheers to that. And what the fuck are we drinking?
Speaker 2I don't know this is what you provide. Okay, we do have champagne.
Speaker 3Yes, yes, I don't know, this is what you provide. Okay, we do have champagne. Yes, yes, and, gregory, I'm so sorry that we brought you like some of the Ooh Corbelle. Yeah, have you ever had that before?
Speaker 1What are the tasting notes, Ryan?
Speaker 3It's a nice little. Well, actually Is it a?
Speaker 1champagne, or is it just a?
Speaker 3bottom barrel sparkling beverage. He would say bottom barrel, bottom of the barrel. But you preemptively decided to bring your own stuff to the studio. Yeah, I did.
Speaker 2Why did you bring your own?
Speaker 1stuff. I brought my own because I know Ryan.
Speaker 2And you didn't trust him.
Speaker 3I didn't trust him to actually do it.
Speaker 1For anybody else that appears on the show there was no writer submission. I didn't get asked about green M&Ms in my dressing room or anything else.
Speaker 2Right Shit. So you really didn't know that I literally just put that back in there.
Speaker 3I was like if.
Speaker 1I show up here and this bitch serves me White Claw and a can I'm going to lose it Well, thank God, you brought your own shit.
Speaker 2Hey, what did you bring the last?
Speaker 1time Ryan was at my house, he brought me a hostess gift of a six pack of Iron City beer of a six pack of Iron City beer.
Speaker 2Iron shitty, yeah, I'm so fucking stupid.
Speaker 3Why did I think that was a good idea To a Christmas party it?
Speaker 1was like here, babe, oh no, no, ryan, no.
Speaker 2So what did you bring for yourself then?
Speaker 1Oh I, brought myself a dirty martini, oh my.
Speaker 3God Whip it out, you are spicy Show me that dirty dick.
Speaker 2Yeah, whip it out honey.
Speaker 3I'm sorry, dirty martini. Wait, what did you just say? I mean, you know this little kitty cat. He's been all over New York and Pittsburgh. If you know what I mean, I know.
Speaker 2Well, we're going to watch you. Will you explain how you're making it?
Speaker 1I pre-made it.
Speaker 2So I made a batch cocktail at home okay uh, it's kettle, one with filthy, dirty olive juice.
Speaker 1Oh there, you love always as filthy wow, you're a menace.
Speaker 3I know it's okay, I brought a glass to share. Oh my god, you love a good fucking mix of double fisted I will say are you?
Speaker 2you know that I'm gonna drink?
Speaker 3no you know that you know better than that right yours is over, I that yours was over. I'm boring right. Yeah, yeah but you pulled up with me right.
Speaker 2He's off his rocker today, so we're good, we're all good. I'm a little caffeinated he.
Speaker 3last time I was at his Christmas, like last time was it your Christmas party the last time?
Speaker 1Yeah, but I saw you.
Speaker 3I love his.
Speaker 1like it was after Christmas, Like it was the Christmas which it was like the between Christmas and New Year's vibe.
Speaker 3Yeah.
Speaker 2That's a good vibe, yeah.
Speaker 3I know, I know he's got like the cutest fucking house up on the hill. It's got a good overview of the city of Pittsburgh oh wow, he's living that big life yeah.
Speaker 2Yeah.
Speaker 3Big boy, big problem.
Speaker 2I know I want the best of both worlds. I want like the farm and I want the house on the hill.
Speaker 1So I have that in Pittsburgh, because I also have chickens.
Speaker 2Wait.
Speaker 3Okay, he literally is your spirit animal Honey.
Speaker 2I just ordered 14 chickens.
Speaker 1Oh, amazing, from where Stromberger, myers, myers, hatchery?
Speaker 2I just heard that like there's a good alive rate where they show up and they're alive still.
Speaker 1So I'm excited. They come like a day old in the mail and they ship very well, it's weird.
Speaker 2Yeah, that's so weird. Yeah, maybe they don't need to like eat a lot on the first day.
Speaker 3They were meant to me.
Speaker 2Yes, I'm going to be like uh, how many do you have?
Speaker 1I had five, but we're down to three.
Speaker 2But they were all named Designers.
Speaker 1What are their names? So we had Thank you, well, fashion people. So we had Franca Sassani, anna Wintour, andre Leon Talley, grace Coddington Is that four or five. Grace Coddington.
Speaker 2Four, four. And then who was the last one?
Speaker 3Oscar de la Renta. I forget the last one.
Speaker 1But one of them died. One of them died and then I got a new one, and she became Heidi Plume.
Speaker 3That is so cute.
Speaker 2Heidi Plume like Klum right, so did any animals get them? No?
Speaker 1You have a nice cage dog, some of them got like one of them got Rynek, which is like this weird thing that happens, where they just kind of I don't know, I'm got ryanek which is like this weird thing that happens, where they just kind of I don't know, I'm not a veterinarian, yeah, I'm not into animal cruelty. Yeah, I, just they.
Speaker 2I believe they died of natural causes because everybody else was happy, I get it okay cheers, cheers to the martini drinkers dirty martini.
Speaker 3Okay, that's good yeah, yeah, because she had one at um cobra kai.
Speaker 2It was straight, it was just straight salt oh, it was like disgusting, and I've actually this is only the second dirty martini I've had oh, because that one ruined it.
Speaker 1That one ruined it for me um he is like a fast learner, so we'll get you in, thank you, is that like an?
Speaker 3insult. Are you trying to be like facetious? No, okay.
Speaker 2Because she is. I think he was being kind. Oh, I just didn't think, or maybe like he thought oh, what a dumb blonde.
Speaker 3Yeah, see, that's what.
Speaker 1I thought he was going with that I don't know. We're both blondes.
Speaker 3I know he's got the blonde going on. Are you going to grow it out, are you going to keep it, or what's going on with this bleach blonde I like?
Speaker 1it. I don't know Right now. It's a weird situation. I just have not been maintaining it, but everyone thinks I have balayage.
Speaker 2I like it. Oh, it does look like a balayage.
Speaker 1Yeah.
Speaker 3And.
Speaker 2I'm allowed to touch it, did you?
Speaker 1color it before, but the rest of it's my natural.
Speaker 2So how did you two meet?
Speaker 1Okay, so Ryan and I met.
Speaker 3Don't tell me the worst parts, right Tell all the parts, only the worst parts, okay cool. Try to be nice on this one, just put your head down.
Speaker 1So Ryan and I met in New York in I want to say, probably 2017. Okay, I was art directing a pilot for a show.
Speaker 3My Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. No oh no, that was another one.
Speaker 1It was a podcast attempting to be a TV show, so it's a little hard to home right now, but it was called Don't Be an Idiom and it was like an academic situation and we were filming at this big catholic school outside of new york and queens and the bronx or the bronx yeah riverdale I don't know. Yeah, you probably remember those parts because of your situation. So to get to the point is, we needed an art, pa and um and the guy was this production assistant.
Speaker 3Yes, a production assistant department, because you are a world.
Speaker 1I was the art director um, my buddy was the production designer. So we got Ryan's info from the producer and I looked at the number and I was like, oh, 412, girly. So then I talked to him on the phone and I like couldn't get over his accent. So I was like we have to hire the guy from Pittsburgh. He sounds so funny.
Gregory's Cancer Journey
Speaker 1So Ryan comes to set and lo and behold, we were also like, oh, he's a cute one so it was fun the first day yeah, but I heard of the first day we ride back in the shuttle to the city and he and I are on like 23rd Street and he's like, oh, I'm going to my friend Carson Chrisley's Christmas party tonight. Do you want to come? And I was like, ooh, I don't know. We got to be on set tomorrow at 5 am. I was like don't mess this up.
Speaker 2Have a good night.
Speaker 1But I'll see you tomorrow.
Speaker 2Oh, he messed it up, didn't he Brian?
Speaker 1no called, no showed what Until about halfway through the day and then showed up and was like I lost my phone last night.
Speaker 2No, he didn't.
Speaker 1Had somebody else's phone.
Speaker 3I kept the phone.
Speaker 1I don't know. You showed up claiming that you had lost your phone.
Speaker 1He may have and that was the reason why you missed it, because you couldn't remember the address and you couldn't book a car. But you came and then we tortured you for the rest of the day because it was a set that was like a school classroom with tons of books, and so there were six bookcases that needed to be unloaded at the end of the day and there was a way to get out with a ramp and there was a way to get out with having to go down a flight of steps with boxes of books. So we made Ryan do all the books down the steps to the truck.
Speaker 2So now we need to know the truth. Ryan, did you lose your phone, or was that an excuse because you were too drunk and hungover? I feel like.
Speaker 3I was too drunk and hungover phone. Or was that an excuse because you were?
Speaker 1too drunk and hung over. I was too drunk and hung over. Yeah, I think that that was pretty clear.
Speaker 3You could see through that yeah, but it also wouldn't surprise me because I feel like those drunken days why I'm sober right now yes because I would always break my phone I would always lose my phone I would. It just felt like it was like a never-ending battle so I'm constantly losing your wallet too, I know I know, I know. So I feel very fortunate. It's okay that he lost his wallet.
Speaker 1He doesn't have any money in it, that's true.
Speaker 3Yeah, that's true, you're so bitchy, but this is what I love about Gregory.
Speaker 1You told me, this was your roast.
Speaker 3I am actually looking for that. I want you to bring some roasting. I mean, I'm not like, like I'm supposed to it, but thank you for putting up with me and not fucking firing my ass. Yeah, you did, great did you did.
Speaker 1Were you at that point you're like, well, it's halfway through the day, we don't fucking need you well, that's where we were like let him show up, let's see how bad he is, and then let's see if we can torture him right, but because we could very quickly tell you were just hung over and messed up, not like actually having a problem you probably looked like shit I probably did.
Speaker 2You came in the same outfit as the day before oh my god, oh my god, are you fucking kidding me?
Speaker 3you probably smelled like shit I think you know what it was.
Speaker 1I probably passed out somewhere and yeah, I think you came straight from the party, oh, gosh fucking you really did used to be that way, though, and I forget.
Speaker 2I forget how bad it was, and this is why he's sober guys cheers congratulations congratulations.
Speaker 3Yes, oh my god but can I just say thank you, gregory, for not just writing me off. He still. I don't know if you ever hired me again, but he's still. We remain friends yeah, exactly well gregory, what brought you to pittsburgh?
Speaker 1oh, this is where it gets dark. Oh, so in 2018, I came back to pittsburgh and I was home for the weekend and so you're from here?
Speaker 2yeah, I grew up here, okay I went to kappa high school.
Speaker 1Shout out to kappa high school okay all the artists go there I, I thought so yeah. Yeah, but so yeah, I was home visiting my parents and I complained about having some pain in my face and my mom was like you've complained about this too long as like a strong, armed Pittsburgh woman would do. And she's like you're coming with me. We're going to my friend. He's a doctor. I have a Botox appointment. He's going to check you out.
Speaker 2Where was the pain?
Speaker 1it was in the left side of my face and my cheek and just like hurt yeah, it just hurt all the time. I thought I had tmj and so I went to the j.
Speaker 2I don't know what your jaw is like.
Speaker 1Your muscle here gets really like from like chewing bubble gum too much oh yeah, or sucking dick yeah, yeah, exactly, yeah, good old fashion sports, you know, taking one for the team over and over again, um. But so I went to a doctor with her and the guy was just like, oh my god, he's like there's something really, really wrong. I'm calling, I'm calling my professor from medical school. He's gonna see you immediately go right there. And then it just spiraled out and they were like you have cancer, you have stage four cancer, you have to do crazy surgery, like, and it just like my body took over my life with health care for like two and a half years and then the end of all of that was, fantastically, january 2020 and so oh, then covid starts, and yes, and then covid starts, so I was ready to like go travel the world and have like the best, like fuck off year ever, and so, oh, then covid starts, and yes, and then covid starts.
HGTV Design Producer Life
Speaker 1So I was ready to like go travel the world and have like the best, like fuck off year ever, and so got stuck in pittsburgh now, okay now but you never look back.
Speaker 3Was there a?
Speaker 2bump or anything like. What can we tell people to like look for?
Speaker 1because that's I don't know it's like a really, really rare cancer. It's called adenoid cystic carcinoma. It started in my salivary gland and it's like I don't know who. If anybody fax checks me, I don't really know all the details but at one point in time something in the research was like that it's like less than like, I think, a hundred thousand cases globally a year, so out of like eight billion people or whatever is on earth like so so you had to do like radiation and stuff. Surgery radiation and then a chemo pill.
Speaker 2What was that like for you going through all that?
Speaker 1I mean it was insane. I'm on the other side of it now in like a manageable care situation of like knowing my body and checkups with the doctors and stuff, but I mean it was pretty insane.
Speaker 2How did your body feel?
Speaker 1I mean, yeah, like they, I was in the hospital for two weeks they like. Yeah, rebuilt my face with sections of my leg, of my hamstring and stuff wow, but also I was such a little cunt, you can't even tell, though I I I sent submitted to all of my friends and family um a creative deck of acceptable flowers types of arrangements. I also spent time going to thrift stores and getting hotel silver to serve myself and the hospital food, and then ordered kimonos from Japan.
Speaker 3I love you.
Speaker 1So, even though I was laid off, I made the hospital as glamorous as I could.
Speaker 2That's totally fine.
Speaker 1No, that's amazing Knowing you're going in for two weeks, like that's kind of. What you gotta do is just be like I'm gonna make the best out of this and then one of my friends knew.
Speaker 2So you're laying there in the hospital bed with a kimono on.
Speaker 1Yes, 100% Fuck yes and like vintage silverware. Do you have any pictures of that? Um I can, I'll show you afterwards.
Speaker 2If you do and you're comfortable sharing, you should send it to us so we can post it like you know, we'll remind you okay I think that that should be a message.
Speaker 3Yes, so you put out yeah, I'm so sick of hospitals, so many people don't get to prepare for something like that.
Speaker 1so like I had like two months to prepare because there were so many doctors involved, so I just was like I have to make the most fun out of this.
Speaker 3Right, yeah, and you've always been optimistic, even though you can be a little sassy.
Speaker 1Yeah, you got to make fun and stuff and laugh through it. So sometimes it comes across as misery, but sometimes it's fun. You're a comedian.
Speaker 2That's super inspiring. You sound so positive, like on the other side of it were you like?
Speaker 3were you as positive during the process or were you a little bit like?
Speaker 1it's one of those situations and it's like until anybody else is in it, but it's like, really just like a it's go time mentality, because you can't really like sit around and be like woe was me or like why did this happen? This is so messed up. If only something else went a different way. When they're also like we like have to go right now to fix this. You don't really have a lot of time to think about stuff like that, so that was kind of empowering. That makes a lot of sense.
Speaker 3Thank God you guys did have like access to these type of doctors, surgeons hospitals, yeah, exactly. I mean, yes, you have a lot of offer in New York. But I mean, do you feel like having your family here and being with them?
Speaker 1Yeah, no, my family was super supportive and all that stuff, and then after all of that, I ended up starting to work in HGTV, so I've been a design producer of HGv for like um the past, I think six years now so how does that work?
Speaker 2is there like specific shows that you did do, or yeah, yeah, um, okay, can you tell us more about that?
Speaker 1yeah, so one of the best shows that I've ever done is tricksy motel. Season one in palm springs.
Speaker 2Okay, and so we. I need to watch that.
Speaker 1We did an eight-room motel. It's available on Max if you have a Max subscription. All different theme rooms designed by Danny Daisy and then starring Trixie Mattel and her then partner, david Silver. It's amazing. We turned a little motel into a pink palace. It was lots of celebrity guest stars like Orville Pack. Leslie Jordan RIP was on motel into a pink palace and it was like lots of celebrity guest stars like Orville Peck.
Speaker 2Leslie Jordan RIP was on Nicole Byer. It was so fun, that sounds so much fun, so you are doing a lot of like camera stuff, no, no.
Speaker 1I am a design producer, so I oversee the execution of the design.
Speaker 2Okay, so you're making sure everything looks good.
Speaker 1Making sure everything looks good. Also, scene work on an HGTV show, like stepping out a DIY and the process on those things. Reality TV plus construction is always really fun because deadlines don't match TV schedules. So when your vendor's like, oh sorry, the Zelaj tile that the designer picked out is still in morocco and we need it for on-camera work in two days, I'm the one that's like driving to 17 different home depots getting options and being like they have enough square footage of what we need right like matching it or figuring out a solution.
Speaker 3You're like actually making it all happen exactly. Wow. So that was the one thing I admired about greg. He does not.
Speaker 1He's cool under pressure yeah, he doesn't stress, or if you do, stress everything can be figured out, it just is like you really have to sit down yeah and anytime that there's like drama or something where it's like to me, I'm always like what's the point? And being like you drop the ball yeah, like that's something that could be discussed later of like, yeah, whether we want to keep you as part of the team or it's like you know what I mean. It's like those kind of things. But like in the moment, like why?
Speaker 3rip someone apart. Right, exactly, that makes sense, I mean yeah, like that time that we you know when I dropped the ball, you didn't make me feel shitty in the moment, but you definitely put me to work hard, and then you never hired me again. Well, would you? I think you did, I think you did it that I think I moved away and you were like yeah, this is an easy one for you.
Speaker 2Maybe you have a chance for redemption now that you're sober. I want to.
Speaker 3I really want to. I've been bugging, I've been in his ear a little bit, but he's been all all over the fucking place.
Speaker 1Now the table's in turn, because he brought me here.
Speaker 3Exactly, I love it. I love you're on my turf now. Because, he's used to being in charge. Now we're in charge, are we?
Speaker 2I don't know.
Speaker 3I mean I don't think this one could ever get charged on or be like. He's such an alpha. I don't know if anybody can like fucking, be like, right, right. What are you trying to ask? Me right, I feel like I don't think you would ever let somebody be in charge yeah, I.
Speaker 1I let people be in charge.
Speaker 3I work well with others I think he would I don't know the last one he talked to me about on one of these jobs. He was like this is really fucking annoying, I'm done he literally quit.
Speaker 1I did quit one job because the designer refused to call me Gregory.
Speaker 2Oh well, that's not okay.
Speaker 1Yeah, I identified myself. Yeah, two months of pre-production, remotely just being like hi, I'm Gregory, what the hell did they want to call you. And she kept being like oh, your name's so hard for me, Can I just call you greg and I?
Speaker 1was like gosh it's really not that hard and then kept being like none of the construction crews are going to be able to call you that, like blah, blah, blah, and yeah, it just got to the point two weeks into production. After that I was like I'm good, I don't want to be in this situation anymore, so I left literally, I would have done the same thing like yeah yeah, that's bullshit, yeah no, no, it wasn't.
Speaker 1It wasn't really good. They weren't a great person. And I think their show's canceled now. So, I won't say the name of their show but he's never going to do that.
Dating in the Pittsburgh Yearbook
Speaker 3He's always he's. He's keeping his reputations intact, and you know yeah burning bridges here, not in the city of bridges, oh my God, not in the city of bridges, pittsburgh, people don't realize that Pittsburgh. So tell us how you feel about being in Pittsburgh, because when we connected, reconnected, I was like, thank God, I have my LA boy, my New York boy, Like he gives me that sense of creativity. So like, how do you feel with a different shift in living in this?
Speaker 1you know, I mean Pittsburgh's weird it is weird.
Speaker 2Let's explain this to people that don't live here how can we describe it, gregory?
Speaker 1I don't know. It's the Paris of Appalachia, I guess is the easiest way to put it.
Speaker 2Holy crap, did you just come up with that on your own that is a saying
Speaker 1that people say.
Speaker 2Oh, I never heard it.
Speaker 1So, really Paris? Yeah, the Paris of Appalachia. That's hilarious.
Speaker 3I guess it is like the little gold Appalachia, but Paris. No, come on, it's not Paris of.
Speaker 2Appalachia.
Speaker 1Of Appalachia, yes. Paris of the world, no.
Speaker 3Well, I'm just confused, because I would maybe describe it as more of like. It might be like a little more New.
Speaker 1York of Appalachia. Yeah, we're the highest culture point of Appalachia, yeah.
Speaker 3But Paris is a little bit more romantic and European.
Speaker 2You're not helping.
Speaker 1You're not helping, okay, we have gray skies and rain all the time Bridges out the wazoo.
Speaker 2What more do you want from a place Right?
Speaker 1Hey, I do think that the food is. We put french fries on salad.
Speaker 2Okay, yeah, and I don't actually Okay, speaking of that, I don't really like that, I don't.
Speaker 1But You're awful and no one will ever love you.
Speaker 3This is the real Gregory Powell. Please stand up.
Speaker 2But hey, the food here is good the food here is good, I know, but for sure, for sure. So do you like Permanis?
Speaker 3Yes, Okay, yeah, permanis is good, but not like Permanis, no, it's Permanis Get over yourself. It's definitely Permanis, they say in Florida Permanis.
Speaker 2Well, they can go.
Speaker 1Yeah, they're in Florida. Nothing good has ever come out of Florida.
Speaker 2Thank you Amen, amen, nothing has ever had good had come out of that place. There's more sunshine there. Yeah, Well, she kind of likes it. I don't know why I like the sunshine. I mean there are parts Miami.
Speaker 3Welcome to Miami. I just like the beach.
Speaker 1Yeah.
Speaker 2No.
Speaker 1Let her be Please.
Speaker 3We'll let you be baby.
Speaker 2Okay. So, gregory, what is your dating life looking like?
Speaker 3He's a little man.
Speaker 2Cause it's tough, Like in Pittsburgh, right or no?
Speaker 3the streets are tough yeah.
Speaker 2Yeah.
Speaker 3He asked me like a week ago or no, it was a month ago. You were like so are you dating anybody in Pittsburgh? I'm like laughing. I'm like how you feel too, yeah.
Speaker 2No comment yeah.
Speaker 1He's playing the best, no no, the apps are rough. The apps are rough, for sure. Scratch, grind, tinder, bumble.
Speaker 2Yeah, we do what we have to do to get by.
Speaker 3I mean, I feel like any Sniffies. I mean that's the new one.
Speaker 1But I think truth, truthfully, the apps are rough with everybody, right? I don't know, I just feel, like in other cities. Maybe it's just because you show up and everybody wants to, like you know, be on you, so to speak, because you're new, like they want to collect the new pokemon that's in town. But um it's a lot of the same faces.
Speaker 3Let's say it's not as large it's like a yearbook it's like a small community. It's a yearbook.
Speaker 1It's a yearbook, and you're in there, done that. The toughest thing for me in pittsburgh has always been a lack of anonymity. When you go out like living in a city like new york and la when you go out you can go out with your group of friends and everybody's like. But when you go out in pittsburgh with your group of friends and you end up going in the back of the bar and making out with someone, they're like oh my God, how do you know, Steven? Yeah, Can I just have a moment to enjoy something for a second? Right? They're like that's so-and-so's ex. They do this. This is their parents. I know their neighbor and they went to middle school with my cousin.
Speaker 3Yeah.
Speaker 1Oh God, oh god. I know you wouldn't think oh, pittsburgh's a small town, but it is I mean particularly the gay community.
Speaker 3We only have like three gay bars now here, I know, and you took me to one really good one, mary's, and this was the time that you were like, and I tried to not be because I think the sober me is more like cognizant of like hey, you're with your friends, you're not gonna just like disappear, like you used to drunk, and like just find it like a rando and make out the whole night and then go back to their place and then you're like your friends are like worried about you, like where the fuck did franco go?
Speaker 3so this particular person, uh-huh, was starting to come up to me, like you saw at that place, yeah, mary's, and they were being like kind of aggressive. But I wanted to hang out with my friends and I wanted to be like, but I was like you know what, I'll entertain it. And then little little be known. I try to like connect with them after because I was like, okay, we're gonna actually just have a great time like me, you, max, I think we were with two other people and then I try to hang out with this person, like a couple like you know, like what's going on, like you wanted to hang out, and then they just said hi, ryan, sorry, I've been crazy busy with work and stuff. It's great running into you at mary's. I'm not sure our paths will cross again, but right now I'm just not looking to build any new connections at this time. Wish you the best.
Speaker 1Ew lame.
Speaker 3I mean I was like okay, why did you? But that I think maybe the alcohol for them.
Speaker 1You know, I don't know, that's just weird behavior.
Speaker 2Well then he had another guy that threatened to blow his ass.
Speaker 1That sounds like somebody that flirted what was that about you? Sold that. That sounds like somebody that flirted with you that then got cagey because either a they have a boyfriend b, they weren't prepared to deliver on the check that they're writing yeah yeah that sounds like some, I don't want my boyfriend or this guy.
Speaker 3I went on three dates and now I decided we're dating definitely yeah, oh well, like I would totally respect it and like I respect it and like I think it was just like that's the kind of shit that's been happening in Pittsburgh.
Speaker 1Yeah, it's a very booed up kind of place.
Speaker 2This guy got mad because he wouldn't meet up with them and he threatened to beat him up if he ever sees him.
Speaker 1By not hooking up with them, weird right that's real weird and then. But that's definitely some ryan shit yeah, that's definitely a ryan story well.
Speaker 3And then the last one I'll say and I want to get your opinion on this, because he knows me, he knows the culture, we know each other so well, even though we have really not spent that much time together over the years. But I think in some way, like I do not understand, the last one was like a gen z okay, and they were like upset with me that I didn't like console them after the election oh, I remember that one, yeah they were just like.
Speaker 1Hey, sorry, I haven't been responsive how much were you hanging out with them before this?
Speaker 3like twice, three times maybe twice, three times.
Speaker 1It was no. What are the durations?
Speaker 3oh, it's just more like did you stay the night?
Speaker 1never did you stay the night, did you do activities that weren't hookups?
Speaker 3probably, I mean was I watch a movie.
Speaker 1Did you hold hands? Probably, oh yeah yeah, but consult me after the election, though, like what I mean just reaching out after the election with how awful it went to just be like, hey, how are you doing today if it was someone you were spending time with?
Speaker 3well, no, I don't think it was that serious. I think it was just I kind of said to people like I didn't really go into that dark place because I was still trying to just like pretend like nothing was happening. I blacked it out and so for me I was just like I guess I should have said how are you?
Speaker 1but they were really offended well, were they really political like? Were they campaigning before and, like you, knew that that was a part of their life. I didn't actually. Here's ryan, though that's like I. I had no idea like we flashed to a jump cut of the person's house and it's like every democratic sign in the windows and he's like there were no signs. I had no idea. How would I know?
Speaker 3He knows me so well, he does know you. You are so like, how like you are like this with all of your friends you are the air, you are very observant, or you're very like, fucking, like you will put it to them, like you'll be, like you, fucking idiot, like you, fucking bitch. Oh, I'm not calling people idiots, not like mean spirited, but like you're.
Pittsburgh Lifestyle and Home Base
Speaker 1that's what we love about gregory I just see the calls and I say them out loud to my, to my own, fuck going on my mouth sometimes some people are just more insightful.
Speaker 3Gregory's insightful yes yes, he's not a space cadet, like you know poppin adderall, oh my god. But I do think that nice thing about gregory is he brings a little bit of creativity to the berg and, you know, has all these really good events, these good parties, like for the golden globes party he got everybody together.
Speaker 1I do like entertaining, I like putting out a big entertainer yeah and it's a good spread. It's not like pizza from fucking pasquale's pizza all right, yeah, and I'm not someone that's like let's go to costco and just open a bunch of things right, oh my gosh, I mean at the very least at the very least replay right, yes, right, and make your own damn dip for the crudite, I know right, oh my God.
Speaker 3See, that's the thing. And then I'm always like, what can I bring? What can I bring to Gregory's event? And he's like, please don't bring anything, because you're going to fuck it up.
Speaker 1Not even that. I just one time a friend. You know who you are if you hear this and you know I love you, love you, but showed up with a catering order of Wendy's which I was mortified about. But in the end I put it out on a very nice tray, conveniently stacked, and there was not a single one left. It was like the perfect hit of the party.
Speaker 3It was good, I think I was there. I was there, but I did beautiful other things and then was like oh, let me put these paper-wrapped burgers on a plate in the middle of my table that that was still not a good call, because they were still like no, but they were so good they were by the end of the night you were like, oh yeah, I'll have a.
Speaker 1I'll have like a smash burger yeah, yeah so what is your messiest story to dateup?
Speaker 3drunken activity of debauchery? Like just the nastiest messy, like embarrassing story.
Speaker 1I mean, I don't really get that messy.
Speaker 3I mean, this is a funny this is.
Speaker 1I guess this is kind of the messiest, but this is cute. So when I was in college I lived in Philadelphia.
Speaker 2Temple. Okay, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1This is almost 20 years ago at this point so I can? I can say this without implicating anyone, but there was a bar I loved going to called tavern on kamak.
Speaker 1It still exists and I lived half a block away and I had a fake id and I used to go in there all the time and it was the night of my 21st birthday and I went in with some friends and we're sitting at the bar having cocktails and I was like it's my 21st and the bartender's like you have been coming in here for like over a year. What are you talking? About and I was like no, but now it's my real birthday. Oh shit, did he get pissed?
Speaker 3they were a little grumpy, but they were like okay, fine, fine, I know, I mean the fact that you said it. I would have been like oh, fuck shit, what.
Speaker 1Never mind, I'm actually 22.
Speaker 3This is my 22nd.
Speaker 2No, that's a good one, that's.
Speaker 3Gregory for you. He does not get too fucked.
Speaker 1A good Pittsburgh story, though, of being underage and being drunk and messy. So there used to be. You got arrested. No, I've never been arrested.
Speaker 1Thank god, knock on wood, we have um, so velveteers back in the day used to have like in larryville, right in larryville and this is like peak, like early 2000s we're probably talking like 2006 or 2007 and they had a stamp at the door that was like known and it said you are beautiful. And it was kind of like a big stamp. It was like three inches by two inches, and two friends and I stole it what? And like held it for ransom for like two weeks and it was like this is pre-social media, like being as big as it is now, like we only had Facebook was like this is pre-social media, like being as big as it is now, like we only had facebook, but and I don't even think you had the like what's on your mind section of facebook kind of thing so we were just like holding it ransom and like stamping it on random pliers around town and all kinds of stuff and then eventually went one night to 80s night and just like left it on the return.
Speaker 3Oh my gosh, that's funny, I know. I know, 80s night is a good night to go. Yeah, he's got all the good fucking fabrics. Like this guy. He's got the fucking costumes, he's got the like, you know the style. I always ask him to dress me but he's always like oh no, you couldn't, you couldn't pull this off oh my god.
Speaker 1I mean, how many red carpet events are you going to that you're asking me to help you with?
Speaker 3I would love for you to help me for this coming weekend. What's? This weekend it's the Oscars. Oh, you're going to the Oscars, I am, but it's going to be behind the scenes.
Speaker 1So then, you don't get to dress up. I don't. I don't have to dress up, I just I have to look somewhat cute. I think you have to wear all. Black is usually what people's assistants have to wear.
Speaker 3Well, I said that I'm going to wear a black suit. I'm going to wear a black suit. I'm not going to be like black shirt, t-shirt. Who are you going with? I don't know if I should say it on cam, oh.
Speaker 2We'll tell you after I don't know.
Speaker 3I mean I'll tell you, but it's kind of another like. So I think this is a problem. I have the characters here. Like we said, it's like a yearbook. You know, when you're trying to date, like, can you imagine you date? I mean, she dated like my best friend and now she's married to him from high school, you know.
Speaker 1It's tricky in the book. Yeah, that isn't that crazy.
Speaker 3Well, I guess it's tricky in the burg, like can you imagine meeting somebody like in the burg, um, but I guess the yearbook thing, I don't know. I think I feel like I get these, like you know, characters that are in out of town and like all this stuff, and then she's like you're a flight risk, but then I was like I need to really buckle down and do my own thing.
Speaker 3Uh-huh, right, yeah, because you know yourself like if somebody was, like you know, in another city, would you take off and leave and I'm ready to go any day if there's anyone out there that wants to pick me up and take me away. Please, please, please, please do but I'm just saying like, don't you like having your like home base here?
Speaker 1and no, I love having a house. Yes, I will always have my own place. Yes, I think particularly gay men should each have their own home, and I think that's also a function of just being the age that I am now.
Speaker 2If I meet someone like that is my contemporary you don't want someone moving in with you or you.
Speaker 1They just have to have their own home too I want them to have their own thing and I want them to also want to maintain it because, like at this point, I'm not meeting someone and being like oh my god, what are we gonna do for dishes? What kind of yeah like what kind of like pots? And pans do we need? Yeah, oh, my sofa like.
Speaker 3I'm like.
Speaker 1I've spent a lot of money and time thinking about all these things in my life.
Speaker 3I don't want to just be like, okay, fine, we can get rid of this that I like curated for myself and you don't want them to just move in and then you have to take care of them exactly, yeah none of that that makes sense, yeah, but do you notice a lot of people get like lonely and then they just are totally open-minded to like hey, like come live with me and like we'll make this little happy family I mean, I could do that, but I would still keep my place do you have like a dog or a cat?
Speaker 1I do have a dog. His name is louis.
Speaker 2He's a pavillon, he's fantastic or those ones with, like, the long hair on the ears.
Speaker 1Yes, those are cute he has like bat wings for ears yes, I love those.
Speaker 3He's so cute. You had louis at your parents house for a while, right yeah, he goes up to his grandparents for trips.
Messy Moments and Final Toast
Speaker 1Yeah, yeah, he also went cross country with me. He has several wings from different airlines. One time a flight attendant took him up to first and left me and coach.
Speaker 2And was just like, can I?
Speaker 1just show him to people in the cabin and I was like, yeah, fine, here's his leash. And they took him up and brought him back to me.
Speaker 2Oh my gosh, how cute, what a lucky little dog. So you have?
Speaker 3to ask us a question. I know you didn't come prepared, but I want you to like, ask us a messy, or even just like something that you were really just kind of trying to pull out of us, that you thought might be important. Oh, or maybe not, maybe it could be just really stupid.
Speaker 2I think we ask every guest.
Speaker 3Maybe it could be just really stupid I think we ask every guest yeah. And nobody ever has any questions for us?
Speaker 1Well, I guess we should prep you right. What's your messiest story of you two together?
Speaker 2Oh, when we got a public urination together.
Speaker 3Yeah, we peed behind a dumpster.
Speaker 2On each other. Yes, not next to each other. I peed on her and she peed on me. Yeah, we were peeing behind a dumpster and we got a public urination together and it was like, yeah, how close to a playground were you?
Speaker 3luckily we didn't get in trouble with that I mean that might be a problem on megan's like list or whatever.
Speaker 1But yeah, it definitely scarred us like we were like it sounds pretty rough for being 10 in the morning right it might have been 10 in the morning, I don't know.
Speaker 3I do think that. What did do think that? What did you think that last time we went out messy at Brillo Box, like whenever we were in like 2024. Was it 2024? Maybe that was like the last. So like not a lot of people here, because you haven't seen me messy in Pittsburgh, I didn't even think you were that messy. So you didn't think I was that messy.
Speaker 1No, but Ryan think you were that messy, so you didn't think I was that messy. No, but ryan has a tendency to get a little handsy, I do, he does.
Speaker 2Yeah, with women that he doesn't know.
Speaker 3Your friend, yeah, he, he did a small of the back hand placement. Yeah, she asked him to remove the hand. What did he do? And then he did it again on the back.
Speaker 1No, like like you were holding the tramp stamp area.
Speaker 2This woman did not have a tramp stamp, but she told you to stop, and then he did it again and he kept going hon, hon, it's not that serious.
Speaker 1I didn't mean it and like his natural reaction was to like pat her on that part of the back even more, yeah, so it just got cyclical.
Speaker 3That was weird, yeah oh my god, and I'll never forget that. So that's the kind of stuff I don't that's cringy?
Speaker 1yeah, it was a little cringe it was a little tough in the moment yeah, and you know what?
Speaker 3I think in some ways, like I probably always did that and like drunk, and then I just kind of probably didn't have like somebody that was he's like leaning away from your hands, like please don't touch me, oh my god, I'm a horrible person. Thank you for bringing that up that's and he's. Yeah, I am, I am I'm just like that person and so now that I'm like completely out of the you know booze that world in that world.
Speaker 3I do notice that, like I am so much better of like a hey, don't touch somebody unless they, like, are giving you the same thing. Well, gregory pal, I would like to lighten the mood with like a toast. Thank you so much for just being in my life and making it so much more fun in the bird.
Speaker 1Thank you for having me in yours by your neighborhood. Now, uh-huh, where's the mr ro Rogers train set, though? That's what I'm missing. The Mocktails or Messy's Express, ryan comes in, changes his shoes, puts on a sweater.
Speaker 3That's going to be episode 60.
Speaker 2Cheers to Gregory Powell Great to meet you guys, thanks for getting messy with us.
Speaker 1Now we're going to go after dark.
Speaker 3Gregory Powell, we're taking you out to the Brillo Box. You're going to get messy.
Speaker 2Clothes are coming off, watch out. Thank you for listening to. Mocktails Are Messy. This is Kelly Mazgorski.
Speaker 3And Ryan Frankofsky. Thank you, Gregory, for coming to the studio.
Speaker 1Thanks for listening to. Mocktails are Messy. This is Gregory Powell.
Speaker 3Woo yeah, Gregory Cheers.
Speaker 2Love ya. Are you Welsh? No, Okay, I had a boss that was like from Welsh. His last name was From.
Speaker 3Wales. Oh yeah, that's it. That is actually a good one. That's gonna be on the fucking. No, no, take it off. I love it Cute.
).png)
)-7.png)