Fire Island’s Hidden History + Madonna’s Next Act

Pop icon debates, queer history deep dives, and insider cultural storytelling! This week Connie and Lina are joined by writer-producer Jess Rothschild.

First up, Madonna’s Confessions Two album. What do we know and what do we really want Madonna to deliver? Plus a deep dive on mother’s discography: Erotica, Bedtime Stories, Ray of Light, her stunning debut, and early classics like “Burnin’ Up” and “Borderline.”

Then Jess talks Finding Fire Island, her documentary podcast series now streaming: her first Cherry Grove trip in 2008, falling for The Pines a decade later, why nobody had made an accessible Fire Island history before, and the work of tracking down longtime residents for oral history. Lina closes it out with her own return to The Pines including anniversary events, a new residency, and how female energy is reshaping the island's culture. 

Write to us at Kiki@TheCuttingUp.com

And follow us on instagram:

@TheCuttingUp

@TheRealConnieGirl

@TheLinaBradford

@PrideHouseMedia

“The Cutting Up: A Kiki with Connie & Lina” is a Pride House Media production.

Producers: Josh Rosenzweig & Matthew Breen.

Graphic Design by Daryl Raymond.

Original Music by 808 BEACH (John “J-C” Carr & Bill Coleman), courtesy of Peace Bisquit. 

 Production Design by Darryl Dickens. 

Photography by Shane Reynolds.

Our very special thanks to Jason Kanner for all your support.

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:00

You're gonna get it, honey. Are you ready?

SPEAKER_01 0:03

It's time for the cutting up. A Kiki with Connie and Lena.

SPEAKER_02 0:08

This is your backstage pass to all the dish fish. And that's the truth, Ruth. Come on now. Get into it. Concon.

SPEAKER_01 0:20

Hi Lena. Welcome back. How are you? I feel like we were just here.

SPEAKER_02 0:25

No.

SPEAKER_01 0:27

I'm having deja vu. Could it be the fruit that no one knew is a Jew? Speaking of Jew, what we got going on today? Oh my gosh.

SPEAKER_02 0:40

We have writer, producer, extraordinaire. Uh Jess Rothschild.

SPEAKER_00 0:48

Mama Love! Hello. Hi, gorgeous. How are you? Good. I feel like you were just here. Feels like I was just here interviewing you for season two upon Fire Island. Where you and anybody can watch or listen to Lena in the episodes now.

SPEAKER_01 1:02

Mama. Oh, gorgeous. Always a good time with you.

SPEAKER_00 1:05

How are you? What's happening?

SPEAKER_01 1:06

Better now because we get to, first of all, you two get to meet. Yes. Is this the first time you guys are meeting? Yeah, yeah. That you two get to meet, and then I'm actually interviewing you this time. I'm ready.

SPEAKER_00 1:15

Actually, can I can I start with a question? Go ahead. See, see, see, see, I'm gonna be an interviewer. I want to take the temperature before we before we dive in. Hit me. Okay. In one week from today, well, this will already yard, but one week from where we sit right now, Madonna is about to release Confessions 2.

SPEAKER_01 1:30

This one. Gorgeous.

SPEAKER_00 1:32

I want to know on a scale of one to ten, how excited are each of you individually? And also, do you think she will land the plane in the way she needs to, entitling this Confessions 2? That's a big thing.

SPEAKER_01 1:51

You're so fierce, Jazz, honey. I love watching you talk, honey. I really do, honey. She's so intitulating, honey.

SPEAKER_00 1:58

I'm very, I'm very intense. I'm a little I'm a Leo.

SPEAKER_02 2:01

I'm an Leo when?

SPEAKER_00 2:04

July 31st. Um, July 27th. We are very wait, can I say something? We are very rare. A July Leo, very rare. Very rare, yes, it's true, yeah. And I actually think that our powers are strong. Oh, absolutely.

SPEAKER_02 2:16

But it's just we're we're not we're not in the Madonna August. Right, right, right, right, right. Like my mom and my grandmother, they're a little crazy. They are, but we we we we have I think we have a little bit more balance. Yes. Yeah, yeah. It isn't it it uh it's not kayak, more chaotic.

SPEAKER_01 2:38

Chaotic. Chaotic, chaotic. Chaotic. No, it's so true. You know, I'm an Aries, but I am very connected to Leo's or Libras. Leo's and me were just like, I mean, sent by air. I mean, come on. Yes, fire. So crazy. And I always think that you're right, it is the ones in your month. They're different than the ones in August. Oh, yeah. So what was the question again?

SPEAKER_00 3:01

Okay, how are each of you feeling on a scale of one? Are you excited? Do we care, care or not? We can boil it down. Yeah, care or not care. And do we have what is your belief in Madonna at this moment that the project will live up, the final project will live up to the great stakes of your title. You're putting expectations. Absolutely. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 3:26

That's a fierce uh bring up, honey.

SPEAKER_02 3:29

Um, okay. I am excited, and I hope it lands in the canon of her career of taking her her persona and her sexuality by the horns. I hope it lands that way. Yes. Um musically, I think do you like what we've heard so far? I do. I I I I like what we've heard what we've heard so far. It is within the confession sort of dance floor, Stuart Price produced everything again. Yeah, joy from the dance floor and creativity coming from the dance floor and going out to the world and feeding the world. Yeah. So I hope she continues that trajectory. I agree with that. Where it lands, I I I hope it lands well. Yeah. And it can land the way it usually lands for her. Is it's too much, it's too this, it's too that. And then after a couple of years, after sort of the hubbub and the and the explosion has sort of died down and the dust and the dust settles, then we can truly sort of see what what it um what it's truly done. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 5:08

Yeah, you're absolutely right. Like sex or or sometimes it took a people to take a minute to like art times.

SPEAKER_00 5:16

People were so turned off by Madame X, which was her last phalanga album. Was that the last one? Yeah. Where she was walking around with an iPad. Right, right, right, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. People were so turned off by that because musically it was not pop music. It was it was something different. Um, but now I think we can maybe like go and revisit it. Like, not it's it's like the opposite of like what a hot take would be. Just like giving it like the space to breathe, and like five years later, okay, is this quality music?

SPEAKER_01 5:43

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 5:44

Or like what is this? What do you think?

SPEAKER_01 5:45

Like, where do you so I I I I'm piggybacking on a lot of things that you said. I I listen, I want the contribution of everything that it is that she's done to be in the equation of where she is right now. And I think that people really need to be thoughtful of that. This woman has communic has contributed so much to so many things, not just music. I mean, it's just not many people can do all the things that it is that this woman's done because of her music and her person, you know? So I I want to see I I I also hope that let me say this first. I hope that she went into this process being thoughtful of that. And because, you know, she's she's had a uh a reputation of not listening to other people when she's collaborating with them and whatnot. And and she's seen how that sometimes landed for her. Yeah. But it seems that this time she was going and she went back to work with uh what's his name? Stuart Price. Thank you with Stuart Price. So that's a good thing, you know, and he knows the the recipe. Um, so and and also, too, I think she's also keeping herself um uh in touch with things that are going on out there. The site guys, right? But I also don't want her to do too much because she has to remember that she's her, she doesn't always need to bring in people, you know? I hate a Madonna collab. I don't like a collab for for her. You know what I mean? It's not necessary. We don't need it, you know, and you don't need a Sabrina Carpenter, no taking away or no shade. But there's really no points. It's kind of empty calories, you know what I mean? Do you? And I think that if she stays strong and true to that with the journey that she went on with this album, I don't see why it couldn't be.

SPEAKER_00 7:23

Yeah, yeah, yeah. My friend, my friends have a podcast called They've been doing it for over eight years. Oh, our friends, yeah. For over eight years. Yeah. Wait, oh no, this is this is that's Tony. This is this is something different. Okay. So they they've been doing it for over eight years. It's called All I Wanna Do Is Talk About Madonna. And every wait, no, sit down. Every episode, and we imagine, picture this. Oh my god. Every episode of your show is they go song by song, album by album. So like episode one is like Lucky Star. No album in order, no skips, no matter how shitty a track is that was on, you know, the worst track on mDNA, which is like dark ages. Yeah, yeah. For me personally, hello. Yeah, they will not skip anything. And and it's so great because it also is like where they were in their life. Right, absolutely. And like it really speaks to the idea of like not having a gut response to like the like the new song I feel so free, which I love, but people are so quick to like write 17-page essays about it where like you've heard it once, it came out an hour ago. Like, right, right. But anyway, just a shout-out for my friend. I think you'd get a kick at it. Oh, it's no, it's sound like a kick. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 8:37

I love it. They've been doing it for eight years. Okay, well, since we're still talking, we're talking about Madonna. Yeah. Favorite album before we move on.

SPEAKER_00 8:44

My favorite album is uh my two favorites are Erotica and Bedtime Stories, period. The end.

SPEAKER_02 8:52

Con. Um Ray of Light. Oh. And um, it's a toss-up between bedtime stories and erotica. And erotica. Yeah. Okay. But the the the first one with um um everybody. Everybody, like a version. Jelly Bean. Yeah. And um Burning Up is my burning up.

SPEAKER_00 9:18

Oh my god. I mean, that's a song that just doesn't quit. Yeah. When she does it at the celebration, should you go to the celebration tour? She plays it on the electric guitar. And that's a song that it's like, there never needs to be another song ever written. No. Like it's this and Blackbird, I think. And like we're done. Yeah. Like these are the two greatest songs ever written.

SPEAKER_01 9:37

That is my favorite song. Yeah. My favorite song. The rolling on the fucking uh uh road, honey. I'm like, oh you put that song on, you will watch me be a whore, honey. Sorry, that's my song.

SPEAKER_02 9:50

But but um for for me personally, borderline is that cherry on top of the cake.

SPEAKER_01 10:00

Yeah. Uh-huh. Yeah, mine's the first album.

SPEAKER_02 10:02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 10:03

Mine's the first album, hands down. Um, and then um it's it's be it's I'm just gonna throw it into one is Bedtime Stories and Erotica. Yeah. Like those three albums are like everything.

SPEAKER_00 10:14

And Erotica was pans.

SPEAKER_01 10:17

I know at the time. Yeah, it's crazy. It's some of her best work. You could have stopped after that.

SPEAKER_02 10:24

Because um, didn't it come out with the sex book? Yeah, it came out with the sex book. So the sex book It was her horror era. Yes. And I think the sex book hovered over everything. The kind of shouted.

SPEAKER_00 10:37

My mom's best friend, my mom always hated Madonna. Uh-huh. Um, but her best friend loved Madonna. And at the time, like when Erotica came out, I'm 10 years old when Erotica came out. So the year is 1992, and I'm in my mom's car, and she gives me the cassette tape. The first CD I ever got was bedtime stuff. Because two years later it was more, it was CDs were literally that that's how I can track the technology music is truly with this ephemera. Because I these were the first things I had in my hands.

SPEAKER_01 11:10

You would dissect fiercely. I love her to just go into her just as a Madonna. It's so major. Okay, enough Madonna. Even though we could go down, then it would be their podcast. All I want to do is talk about Madonna.

SPEAKER_02 11:22

We got to the point where we have to go to something else.

SPEAKER_01 11:26

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And discuss movie. I want to hear it. I want to hear it. It sounds like a kiki. It's okay. So I know this, but we have to get everybody on the screen. Yes. So when did you first have your um experience of Fire Island? And when you wanted to start your notorious legendary depiction of everything, history. The way you school these children in the history of.

SPEAKER_00 11:52

Have you watched it or listened to it? Girl. Hello! Okay, okay, I'm just talking. Girl. Okay, okay. Not only your sister, but hello.

SPEAKER_01 11:58

Your lady. Everything. Everything. You know that, sis. Like, I'm here for you always. But you, you, you, you, you turn, and even some things I'm like, oh shit, I didn't know that. Oh my god, I forgot about that. It's so intellectually thought out, and it's a love letter to the beautiful island that that is. So when you first came, and when you decided that, you know what, I want to give a love letter and really give you the journal of life about this island.

SPEAKER_00 12:25

So I first started going to Cherry Grove. Yeah. My first trip to Cherry Grove was in 2008. 2008, okay. With like, and we I would always go with friends. I mean, just being like a group of lesbian friends in living while living in New York, we would just go to Cherry Grove. I did not know from the Pines. The Pines to me was a mythical land. You would have thought, I did not under. And of course, these lesbians that I'm with don't give a shit. And these are and uh for some reason, like I much prefer the company of gay men. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But for someone the queen of the gay. For some reason, the lesbians in my life are like the most hand uh man-hating lesbians who have ever my best friend hates a man. It's crazy.

SPEAKER_02 13:06

And so like a balancing of energy.

SPEAKER_00 13:09

Right, right. Like you're a gay man enough for me. You're like, so so they were certainly not wanting to explore the way I was. And so, and also at that time, like the world, it wasn't no H2O limo. No, girl. The phone, like, we barely had an eye. I mean, I don't think the iPhone I think came out came out maybe in 2007. Anyway, which was like the quest trying to figure where the fuck the pines was. Forget it. And meanwhile, it's like a 20-minute walk. But I didn't know that. And so years of going to Cherry Grove, but like we didn't really, we weren't really doing it right. Like, you would never know like there was history there. You would never know that this was like truly a magical place. We were interpreting it more as like the Jersey Shore. Right. Like true, I'm sorry, with peace and love.

SPEAKER_01 13:55

No, absolutely. I get it. I get it. Hello.

SPEAKER_00 13:58

A beach.

unknown 13:59

A beach.

SPEAKER_00 14:00

And faggotry. Hello, we're good. Yeah. Yeah. And so cut to a friend of mine who truly showed me the way. He started working at a guest house in the Pines. And he was there all summer. This was like 2018, 2019. Okay. And I was, I had gone through, I want to say a breakup, but like we got divorced. Like it was as big as a breakup. I'm like, I'll downplay it a little. But anyway, life-changing moment for me. And and also my ex hated Fire Island. That was also a big part of my introduction. Well, I was always like dragging her there. Right. And she just wanted to be in the Hampton.

SPEAKER_01 14:41

See, that was your first clue.

SPEAKER_00 14:42

No, it's fine. No, no, no. So I would always sneak off and like go see Sandra Bernhard, go see Margaret Cho, all the people Dana Nardiccio brings out. Yeah. And so I would always like scurry off and do my thing, but she wanted nothing to do with it. And so finally, my friend was working at this guest house in the Pines. He's like, girl, come on out. And that was when I fell in love with that. Was when I also I was there for a few weeks. So and I had some time, yeah. I do think, I do think it's a hard place to visit. It's an easy place to live. It's a hard place to visit or do like quick drop-ins because you gotta get the laser the land. It's not really obvious what to do when you get there, at least in the pines. And along a guy who I interviewed for the season two, he he was there, he lived there for 50 years. He started going in the 70s and he just sold his house like last year.

SPEAKER_02 15:37

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 15:38

And he talks about that. How like it's not an easy place to like you, it's more about like the lifestyle and being there.

SPEAKER_01 15:45

Absolutely is.

SPEAKER_00 15:46

And so I really started to like, I really wanted to like read, I wanted to get all of like the history. Like I love New York City, nightlife history. Like my all of my creative work really is dedicated to gay pop iconography and like the history of it, especially like nightlife and all of that. And Fire Island, as you know, like ties right in with that. And I couldn't find a documentary. I couldn't find a book. Like that's true. The book, the there is a book.

SPEAKER_01 16:16

There's very few small things.

SPEAKER_00 16:18

Name a documentary about Fire Island.

SPEAKER_01 16:20

What's the one with the doll? The what? The one with the doll. The one that Dirty Baby. Dirty Baby. I don't even know what this is. Oh my god. What? But an odd, but you know, I've never heard of it. But about Fire Island. Wait, what is this? You need to see this. It's called Dirty Baby. It's a Fire Island movie.

SPEAKER_00 16:37

Oh.

SPEAKER_01 16:38

Yeah, yeah. And there's a doll that kind of goes through the whole movie. Like Chucky? No, like a big baby doll.

SPEAKER_00 16:44

Okay, we I text me that.

SPEAKER_01 16:47

Is this pornography? No, yeah, I promise you. It's not, it's not. It's not. It's not.

SPEAKER_00 16:50

Is this Boys in the Sand? No, it's not Boys in the Sand.

unknown 16:52

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 16:53

They get it. Okay. Which was absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 16:57

No, but you're absolutely right. Yeah. Fire Island Movies E, but no documentaries. Yeah. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 17:02

So there was a documentary called Where When Ocean Made. When Ocean Sky, yeah. That was made in 2000. Yeah. And actually Carson Cresley is in that. Uh-huh. But it's not findable. No, it's not. It's not on streaming. No. They, I think allegedly he didn't. I think allegedly, perhaps maybe people didn't sign releases or like there, there was some sort of thing where at one point you could buy it. Because P everyone on Fire Island has that sitting on their house. On their coffee table. But you can't buy it on eBay. No. You can't find it. Buy it on Amazon. So I saw it once on PBS.

SPEAKER_02 17:39

Yeah, that because you you're t you're talking about, and I'm like, but I've seen something on PBS. It's that. About about the history and how it started. And yeah. But it's very A, C, you know, F and W X Y. Yeah. That's it.

SPEAKER_00 17:57

Yeah. And so then so there's there is there later was a good documentary on Cherry Grove called Cherry Grove Stories by this filmmaker, Mike Fisher.

SPEAKER_03 18:08

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 18:08

And I was like, oh, I think. So my medium has always been audio, like podcasting. I'm not a filmmaker, but I was like, I feel like I could take a crack at this. Like I do know how to interview. I do know what I'm looking for. And I feel like I could filter this through the lens of my of blending like my pop culture and like bitchy attitude with extracting all these stories from people who have been there from the 50s, 60s, and that's where the real talent comes from, honey. Yeah. And so that's how it happens. Wow.

SPEAKER_02 18:46

And your eye and your expression. Yes, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 18:49

Because I mean, to watch this now going into season two, it's like you live there and grew up. The way that you go in. Like it the education is on another level. Like I said, I learned things and I, you know, I lived there for 10 years. You know what I mean? It is everything.

SPEAKER_00 19:05

The stories are unbelievable that I that I've been able to extract from people. My goal with it is the viewer or the listener shouldn't, you should not be bored for any single second. No, no, no. And I want to keep you locked in. You do.

SPEAKER_01 19:21

You keep you enthralled. You want to know.

SPEAKER_00 19:22

Yeah. Yeah. So yeah, that's that's no more. No more what? No, no, no. I don't want to know more. Oh, yeah. No, no more. No more. I thought you meant like curtains. No.

SPEAKER_01 19:34

And so just tell everybody where they can hear and when season two is coming out.

SPEAKER_00 19:38

Yeah, so season two is out now. It's it's eight episodes. It's airing. It's called Finding Fire Island. And you can find it on YouTube, all podcast platforms. I think the YouTube is really good. I got access to all this archival material. You have to. And it's pretty incredible.

SPEAKER_01 19:55

You know what's interesting? Like when we were talking about doing a podcast and whatnot or whatever, you know, people listening or whatever. I'm like, yeah, yeah, I get people, you know, they're driving, they, you know, and people really into podcasts. Like they live, this is their life. And I'm like, I'm a visual person. Like, I want to see, and I love the fact that now, because when it started, people weren't doing a visual of having it on YouTube. Yeah. And I'm like, okay, so now we're doing this. I'm like, yeah, you need to see all this. You got to, yes, to hear it, but you got to see it because we're very visual people.

SPEAKER_00 20:23

You're gonna die. So in the there, you're Lena's heavily featured in two episodes this season. And I I there's more bonus.

SPEAKER_02 20:30

I got a two-bottom and and their contribution.

SPEAKER_00 20:34

Yeah, oh my gosh. She was in season one, also. It's unbelievable. But you're gonna die because we do the videos like pretty much like as their like I was able to use footage of you your Memorial Day weekend. So it's literally it's as girl, I just got goosebumps. It's as current as that mixed in with your like heyday. Oh my god. So it's like seeing you there literally two weeks ago with the layover of like how you would hunt for music and yeah, it's good. Thank you. Thank you. How does that I wanna how does it feel? I know you've done, I know that you've done Oh, you got me, girl!

SPEAKER_03 21:15

You got me!

SPEAKER_00 21:16

Oh Lena, I know that you did the 70th anniversary event a few years ago, but now that you're doing more of like a residency coming out, you just did Juneteenth. How really does it feel for you? Is this just another gig?

SPEAKER_01 21:31

No, it's never just another gig at with Fire Island, you know that. Um, it's interesting because you know, you knew that I didn't have any plan on going back to that island. When I decided to go back for the 70th anniversary, it was because, you know, I was synonymous with so many of them. And I said, this is gonna be my love letter back to this island, since I had been gone at that point. Uh uh probably maybe 10 years at that point. Um, and when I did it, it was like, okay, yeah, this felt right. This was the beautiful send-off to everybody every summer having me in their equation, like Lena, you're still a part of our summer, blah, blah, blah. And I'm like, but I'm not there. But I guess, you know, I left a stank, if you will. You know, um, so it was beautiful. And then, you know, coming back a year later to do the doll invasion, I was like, okay, this actually feels a lot better this time around. And then when they came and asked me to come and, you know, do like, you know, a star residency, um, I said no. I wasn't, I I was like, I don't want to relive and I don't want to do what I did before. I need this to be what it was, and I don't, and now I'm okay with just coming in and doing a a spot when before I said no. I was cool with that. But then something happened, and I said it was new owners, it was just a whole different thing, and I was like, okay, you know what? I'm gonna go out there for just one gig, and that was last memorial day. And when I did and I saw that love and that line wrapped around the block, I was like, okay, if I come back and I do a special holiday, I'm good with this. I don't need to be there four nights a week, you know, for seven months. That part will never happen again. That was beautiful, and so we're also I'm a different person, the island's a different beast. This time has been beautiful. The love and also just it was like I never left, but and but it's like I also came back to a new one at the same time. You know, because you know, I've got my old school children, I got my new school children. It has been honestly the best of old and new. I couldn't have ever curated this.

SPEAKER_00 23:33

It's been amazing. I love to hear that. And and what's so important, I think, is really having more female energy in a place like the Pine. And they missed that, which is notorious for being relentlessly male.

SPEAKER_01 23:45

And hello. You know, I was the first woman out there to give them that. I mean, Susan was different. You know what I mean? God, I love you, Susan. You know what I mean? I have the two of you back to the house. I know.

SPEAKER_00 23:55

It's airing this weekend. Oh, I can't. I'm gonna send it to you. On Thursday, right?

SPEAKER_01 23:58

I'm gonna send it to me. Send it to me, sister. Yeah, I mean, come on. Goddess. I mean, but you know, but it was also the way that I was bringing the community together too. And people were like, Lena, we've missed this part of you here on this island. And that to me, I didn't realize how much I missed and I needed that as well. So it has been a beautiful nurturing on both ends. Everybody's getting served, lovely, and what they need and coddled. And revisited. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 24:22

Revisited and and building upon. Yes, thank you, sister. But but building upon the sort of energy and and need for your energy. Thank you, Mike. There. Both of your energy. Yeah, absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 24:37

I I think I am the rare, I think I'm the rare case where I truly feel completely enmeshed in both the pine and cherry growth communities. That's largely because of my work. And that I've been able to meet and form really true relationships with these people. And I love that.

SPEAKER_01 24:59

They trust you and they love you. You've literally become it is rare, like this was. But it's energy. It's energy. People don't know you from a pan, a can of paint, honey, but they feel your energy and they want to be a part of it and they want to contribute and they feel good about having a loose lip and telling you their tea. You know what I mean? It's amazing.

SPEAKER_00 25:17

It's been like the thrill like of my adult life. It's been like the thrill of my adult my life. Really?

SPEAKER_01 25:24

I agree. That's beautiful.

SPEAKER_00 25:25

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 25:25

And you continue to do that, mama.

SPEAKER_00 25:27

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 25:27

We love you. I love you. Jesse, thank you for coming by.

SPEAKER_02 25:30

But before you go, we gotta let you go fish and sugar. Okay.

SPEAKER_00 25:33

Oh, wait, and and where can we find your so it the doc it's a documentary series, so like episodic. Um, it's called Finding. If you just put Finding Fire Island, the internet will explode at you. Hello. And I'm I'm Jess X N Y C on Instagram. Okay. That you can find it. Hotty. Okay. There you go.

SPEAKER_02 25:53

And I'm super interested in in going and seeing your series on um Soul Cycle. Oh yeah, oh my god. Thank you, Khan. Because I read it and I was like, wait, Soul Cycle? There's a button.

SPEAKER_00 26:07

So after the after I didn't know I was gonna do another season of Finding Fire Island, and I always everyone would say, Oh, are you gonna do Provincetown next? Because I also do love people. Hit them all, honey. And I said, Yeah, attack them. And at the time, and I do, and I do love Provincetown, but I was like, oh, no, no, no. I know what I'm doing next. Because I've had this that Soul Cycle idea way before I ever had the Fire Island. Yeah, I I was the person at the brunch table because I was like deep in the cult of Soul Cycle. It is a cult. It is. It's a cult. It is. It is.

SPEAKER_01 26:37

I mean, well, it was when I was in the Lunoleman and Cultish.

unknown 26:44

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 26:45

It's, I mean, it's you should listen. I mean, no, I think we're getting into the glad you remember the higher island and the soul. If you're into the fitness industry in New York, I mean, I even if you're not, it's fascinating as fuck. Fuck. I interviewed all these like star instructors, like the people who helped like brick by brick build this thing. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 27:07

See, that's what I love about you is that when you go, you go in, honey.

SPEAKER_00 27:11

Well, otherwise, what's the point? Thank you. If you're not gonna be nutter. And if you're not getting the real and believe me, I've interviewed tons of fucking duds. I mean, with peace, you know, with peace and love. But then you just move, I keep moving on until I get absolutely not everyone can be a superstar.

SPEAKER_01 27:26

I but you are Blanche.

SPEAKER_00 27:28

Give her the fish.

SPEAKER_02 27:29

We love you together. Okay, so we are going to do Okay. Shake the Rice. What'd you get?

SPEAKER_00 27:37

Should I be that? Is that a lobster? Oh my god, this is a crazy question. Okay, hit us. Are you the villain? Are you the villain in someone else's story?

SPEAKER_01 27:46

God damn it.

SPEAKER_00 27:47

This is a sc a Scorpio.

SPEAKER_01 27:48

That is, yeah, that's a oh my god. This is an insane question. God, God, don't do it to me. Jess, go ahead.

SPEAKER_00 27:56

Are we all answering this? Yeah, we all have to. Yeah, we all have to. All right, you know what? I'll say this.

SPEAKER_01 28:01

I hate you so much right now. I really do. I can't. I'll say this.

SPEAKER_00 28:06

Like I like I mentioned earlier, like I was in a very long relationship, eight and a half years. We had dogs the whole thing. We were married.

SPEAKER_01 28:13

Hello.

SPEAKER_00 28:14

Um, I'm sure I was the villain. I mean, I didn't I didn't want that relationship to end. Right. And that person is now with the person who was our best friend. Oh. And I don't mind airing that out. And so, but I'm sure in their minds, I was the villain. Absolutely. And I think success is the best revenue. Bitch, what?

SPEAKER_01 28:31

Look at you.

SPEAKER_00 28:32

Yes, yes.

SPEAKER_01 28:33

That is fierce con. That was a good answer.

SPEAKER_02 28:38

I refuse to answer this question. You out there in podcast land no lie.

SPEAKER_01 28:50

I'm going to do the same.

SPEAKER_00 28:54

You know who you are, Blanche.

SPEAKER_02 28:58

Oh shoot.

SPEAKER_00 28:59

I mean, wait, wait. Can we just be clear? I'm the only one who answered that question.

SPEAKER_02 29:03

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 29:03

Yeah. Wow.

SPEAKER_02 29:05

Because the shade is that shade. Yeah, yeah. The shade is shade. Yeah, the shade is shade. And you know, we like to keep it key to put it on the side of the moon. Hello.

SPEAKER_01 29:13

How what a kiki that both of us. I know. Right? What are the chances? Oh well. Jess, we love you. You know you're welcome here. Always, always. We're so so great. And we will be watching Soul Cycle, and we will be tuning in for the episode this Thursday. And obviously the whole season.

SPEAKER_00 29:29

And you can go back, like it's all all the past episodes have all they've all we've created videos for the first season. So like you can binge.

SPEAKER_02 29:36

Thank you.

SPEAKER_00 29:37

You can binge it. We love you.

SPEAKER_02 29:39

A good binge watch.

SPEAKER_01 29:40

Thank you, Mama. You're my baby girl. You guys like, subscribe. We're here every Thursday, sending you blessings, love, and light, and always some brown tricky kisses. What you got, Con Con? I got some Soul Cycle Fire Islands.

SPEAKER_02 29:53

Um honeysuckle sugar dumpling kisses for you. Bitches and Tuesdays!

SPEAKER_01 30:04

Thank you. Oh, shoes, shoes, kick up the nose. Jess, I love you so much, my friend. Thank you so much. Our show is produced by Josh Rosenspan and Matthew Green. Our gorgeous graphics are by Daryl Raymond. Our theme music is You Need It. Produced and written and performed by 808 Beach, John J.C. Carr, and Bill Coleman. Courtesy of Peace Biscuit. Our perfect production designer is Daryl Dickens. This season's hair has been done by the heavenly hair goddess herself, Mariah. Our very special thanks to Jason Canner for all your wonderful support. The Cutting Up is a Pride House Media production.