Ask Duke Anything: Politics, Belinda Carlisle, Coming Out & Finding Love

It’s time for an Ask Duke Anything episode of Duke’s Download — and yes, my boyfriend Armie is guest-hosting from his apartment, which means I’m answering everything. 😅

You sent in questions via social media and email, and nothing was off limits — from serving your country and running for office to vinyl collecting, growing up in France, and what it was really like having a famous mom.

In this episode, I open up about:

• 🇺🇸 What “serving your country” actually means in 2026 (and why nuance matters)
• 🗳️ Whether I’ll ever run for office again
• 🏡 My Beverly Hills childhood home and memories of my grandmother Pamela Mason
• 🇫🇷 Growing up in France and why I chose California as home
• 🎶 My love of vinyl and bands that shaped me (New Order forever)
• 💻 My early political obsession (shoutout Kids for Kerry)
• 🌟 What it was like growing up with my mom, Belinda Carlisle
• 🏳️‍🌈 Coming out and family support
• ❤️ How Army and I reconnected — and why 2025 changed everything

This one is personal, reflective, and a little chaotic (in the best way). Thank you for the thoughtful questions — I loved this format.

If you enjoy this episode, subscribe, leave a review, and send in your next “Ask Duke Anything” question.

You can write to us at: Questions@DukesDownload.com

And follow us onInstagram: 

• @jamesdukemason
• @PrideHouseMedia

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:03

Welcome to Duke's Download, my new weekly podcast. I'm Duke Basin here. And each week I'll bring you candid, thought-provoking conversations with incredible guests from the worlds of politics and pop culture. Together we'll explore the stories, ideas, and moments that shape our lives and drive change. I'm so glad you're here. Now let's get started. Hey everybody, welcome to the Ask Duke Anything episode of my podcast, Duke's Download. Um, I am very honored to have my boyfriend Army as my co-host or the host, I guess, sort of guest host, because I'm the interviewee today. Last week I solicited questions from all of you guys on Facebook, on X, on Instagram, asking about basically uh any topic that's of interest to you. And remember, if you ever want to submit questions or comments or you know, whatever, feel free to reach out at questions at Dukesdownload.com. But um, yeah, we're here at Army's apartment. We're on location. He's got a very eclectic art collection, as you can see, but uh a little change of pace. And I thought since he was the host today that uh being in his space would be appropriate. So um, so yeah, thank you for joining us, Army. Thank you for having me. If you want to begin, you may, since I know you have the questions printed out.

SPEAKER_02 1:28

Yeah, let's get started. Um, so uh the first one is from E. Greg E, and it's uh what's the most useful thing we can do at this time in service for our country and fellow Americans?

SPEAKER_01 1:42

As those of you who have watched the podcast know, obviously I spent a lot of time thinking about this and writing about this and talking about this. Part of why I started this podcast is because even in a very on a very small level, I felt like it was important to have a platform where I could speak out and also have uh other voices, you know, people who I felt had something valuable to say, people in entertainment, people in politics, people in sports, you know, people just from across the board, because we are in a very challenging time, not just because of the president, but also just in general. I think in our culture and our in media, and we're just living in a very polarized, very everything's very black and white these days. And I think nuance is more important than ever, and having substantive conversations is more important than ever. So I think that's one way of doing that. You know, I'm not saying that everybody needs to start their own podcast, but I think whether it's on social media, you know, uh writing, also running for office, which I know uh, you know, many of you may know I ran for office twice in West Hollywood. I've served on nonprofit boards, I've been local government, I was appointed to a board in West Hollywood. I think there's a lot of ways to serve and to be involved. Um and it's not just politics. I mean, there's, like I said, nonprofits, you know, doing charity work. Even on, look, I'm not that big of a deal. You know, I'm I'm a pretty, in terms of my presence, I'm kind of a local person in LA. But I but I feel a sense of like I'm doing something bigger than myself. Even if it's just putting out an article or putting out a podcast video, I feel like even if it's just a couple people, maybe I'm helping to shape the narrative and shape the discussion and the public dialogue. And I think I think we all have that capacity. So so I would just say writing, speaking, debating, marching, getting involved in uh local organizations that needs need volunteers, need support. I think there's a lot of different ways to be involved.

SPEAKER_02 3:44

Yeah, it's a time that's very important for us to like raise our voice. Elizabeth Bonn asks, do you have any memories of your early years in California and your grandmother, Pamela? She was quite the lady.

SPEAKER_01 3:57

Yeah, well, first of all, Elizabeth, she's been a big fan and supporter of our families, so and doing a lot of amazing research about our family. So thank you for for all your uh your interest and support. Yeah, it's interesting. I told you a lot about my family home in uh in Beverly Hills. And there's there's as long as I'm gonna try to keep this as brief as possible, but there's a street in Beverly Hills called Pamela Drive, and the sign is actually still there. And the street was named after my grandmother, Pamela Mason, who's my dad's mother, who passed away about 30 years ago. But the house is still there, we don't own it anymore. Um, but we owned it for 50 years, and it was an original house that was built by Buster Keaton, who was a very famous silent film actor, and the house was built in the 20s, and my grandparents lived there from 1949 to 1999. And the crazy part is that even though I think we sold it when I was seven or eight years old, I remember it very, very well. And I've been back a couple times since we sold it. We walked from West Hollywood. Yeah, we walked all the way out there. We walked, we did that, was quite the day. I took an Uber back. He he drove back. Oh, no, no, no.

SPEAKER_02 5:06

I walked back. I walked back again.

SPEAKER_01 5:07

Yeah. But um, but no, this, yeah, you know, it's so crazy how even back then I had this sort of presence of mind and to take it all in. I remember the last time I walked through this house, and um Pamela, even though I don't remember her specifically, I it's weird. I don't remember her because she died when I was four, but I remember her passing. And I remember being at the house, I guess we flew in from France where we were living at the time, and I remember being four years old and having either my aunt Portland or someone in the house saying to me that we were there because Pamela had passed away. And uh, you know, but I but it's you know, it's weird how people and things that, you know, from an uh from an ear that you know, people that maybe passed away when you were young or whatever, for some reason their presence still and their their their impact on you is still so strong. And I think it's probably because of all the stories my parents have told. And but also like I remember vividly whenever we come into town from France or from England where we lived for most of my childhood. I remember coming into town, I remember going down the long driveway, and I remember everything about the house. I remember waking up. We wake, I would wake up at like four or five in the morning, jet lag, and I remember everyone else would be asleep, and I figured laugh and I took- You've heard part of this, but uh, remember coming downstairs, uh, coming down the long stairway, staircase. You guys should look up the house. It was pretty amazing. But I remember coming down the long stairway and the light would be on in the kitchen and there'd be a ceiling fan, and my Aunt Portland would be in the kitchen making baking the dog and cat food. Yeah. My my grand my grandmother had like, I don't think you know the exact number, but I think she literally had like nine cats and like five dogs and other pets too. But I remember even after she died, my Aunt Portland would open up the doors to like the patio and put these huge like vats of food out on the patio. I remember you'd I'm not joking, you would hear like a rumbling, you'd hear the floor shake. Yeah. And I swear around the corner you'd see like a massive stampede, like in one long, like like all together, like like in like a weave thing, like pugs, cats, Jack Russell's, French bulldogs, all like running out into the and they would all go out on the patio and just chow down. But but yeah, you know, I so I have really fond memories of that time. And uh, you know, I still, like I said, I've gone back to the house. I'm hoping to take you there one day. We're we're friends, my parents and I are friends with the people who own the house now. But I have very fond memories of my early days in in California. And uh I always I won't respond to this yet because this is what I think one of the other questions about why I came back. But I've always felt like California was home for me.

SPEAKER_02 7:58

Yeah. So we Sally couldn't walk inside the house when we went, but uh it was pretty cool.

SPEAKER_01 8:03

My dad was like, you should talk to the security guy and tell them that we know the owners and that we want to but I was like, uh I I thought about it. I'm like, I don't know if that would go down very well.

unknown 8:13

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 8:13

But I've been back and the people that own it now are we'll go one day. Yeah. It's it's a pretty epic. You should look it up. I can't wait.

SPEAKER_02 8:20

Yeah. Uh and then she also asked, uh what was it that made you want to return to California rather than remaining in France and Europe?

SPEAKER_01 8:28

It's weird. Again, you know, it's weird how from a young age you just have sometimes you just certain things stay with you, have an impact on you. Even though I lived most of my life in Europe from when I was two until I was 18, basically, we would come back here a lot. And it was just never even a question that I'd come back here. In fact, the day, I don't know why. It just was always like I felt at home here. And whenever I'd come back, whenever I'd left, I'd always be really sad. And uh, you know, at hindsight, I really appreciate that I had the upbringing in Europe and it gave me an international perspective that I now, especially these days, you know, given how closed-minded and like n uh nativist people are. I really think being raised with different cultures and different languages and different, you know, it it it made me a lot more open-minded and uh and I think evolved, I'd like to think anyway. But I just always knew. I always knew that this was home, maybe because I had a sense of loss because of my grandmother and my grandfather and my aunt, you know, I just knew that this was I felt like I was coming back in a way. I this wasn't conscious necessarily, but it just was something in like intuitive that I the story wasn't finished, and I was supposed to come back and sort of, you know, honor my uh my my family um and and continue the story, I guess. But uh the day I graduated high school in 2010, July 3rd, 2010, the next morning, I stayed up all night, I was 18, uh, went out and partied from graduation night with my friends. The next morning at 5 a.m., came home, changed, zipped up my suitcase, and got on a plane and came to LA. And I I arrived, checked into my hotel, my parents got me a hotel room for my for two weeks, my graduation present, changed in my Abercrombie and Fitz uh little twink outfit, went straight to Mickey's and all the gay bar. I had a friend I'd met online um who showed me around and I I I I just I like mapped it all out. I knew exactly what I was doing. Uh and I and you know, and so I'd been here almost 16 years. A little later, I'll t we'll talk about how we met, but we met almost around that same time. So we've known each other 16 years too. Long time. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 10:43

Thomas McFly, he's he asked, uh, I have the whole entire collection of everything your beautiful, stunning mom has ever released on CD. 12-inch vinyl, seven-inch vinyl, cassettes, laserdiscs, and picture disc. I love her so very, very much. Your mom is a soundtrack to my life. Do you collect any do you collect and play vinyl records yourself?

SPEAKER_01 11:06

I don't, only because I mean I have vinyl records. I have a lot of my mom's vinyl records, actually. And thank you, by the way. It's very sweet of you to say that about my mom. Uh but I love music. I mean, I love vinyl records just on an aesthetic level. Um I and I, you know, I have a bunch of them. Unfortunately, I don't I'm not s technically skilled enough to I'm yeah, all I I all I can manage is clicking a button uh these days or swiping left or right. Do you have so many in that trunk? Aren't there so many? Yeah, there's some yeah, yeah. One of my favorite activities that I haven't done in a while, but I used to love doing, not just not to play them, but just because they're cool and I'd love to go through them, is to go to this place, Amoeba music in uh Hollywood. Yeah, they're they're still around, right?

SPEAKER_02 11:49

Yeah, they're still around.

SPEAKER_01 11:50

But like I would love, like, of course, I love going and like seeing if my mom's music was in there just because you know, having that original vinyl is like a time machine. You know, it feels like you're getting to like you're touching something from you know from the past. And I've always had a weird fascination with not only like history, but also the 80s and like so I I think vinyl is super cool. And maybe one day I I think it's I think it's I have friends who and in fact I do have your TV stand.

SPEAKER_02 12:17

I do have a lot of I was just thinking, like, isn't that isn't that a record?

SPEAKER_01 12:21

I do have a yeah, I do actually have the TVs on it, so I don't use it. But I have a really cool original brown wooden uh like a how would you describe it? A record player, I think. Yeah, it's like it's it's huge.

SPEAKER_02 12:33

So you it looks like a TV stand, but it's a giant record button.

SPEAKER_01 12:37

Yeah, yeah, it's it's really cool. So yeah, I I love vinyl. Um unfortunately I don't I don't have the technical skill to use it, but it's pretty they're they're pretty awesome. One day. One day. One one skill at a time. Right now I'm just working on uh you know on uh the new iPhone operating system. Uh all right, Mc McCulano Seeley. Now my we were we were we were going over the questions, wondering how to pronounce your name. We were in Ireland, you know, I think it's a Gaelic or Irish name, so forgive me. Or forget, but you'd get you to get.

SPEAKER_02 13:08

I'm trying. Have you ever been to Ireland? If so, did you get to visit the Aaron Islands?

SPEAKER_01 13:15

I did not visit the islands, but I've been to Ireland a bunch of times, and it's a beautiful country. Um my mom actually toured there a lot back, still does, but she I remember as a kid we would go and we'd go to Dublin, and uh I remember I forgot the name of the hotel, but there was a beautiful hotel there. I think we spent Christmas there once or twice, and uh it's a gorgeous country. Is that where your grandfather my mom's side of the family go way back, but they were from Ireland, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 13:43

But didn't and on your diet side, didn't your grandfather live there? Or was it Switzerland?

SPEAKER_01 13:47

Maybe Sweden.

SPEAKER_02 13:48

Oh, he lived in Switzerland. Oh, Switzerland.

SPEAKER_01 13:50

But uh yeah, Ireland's gorgeous. And we s and also I remember one summer, wow, you're so crazy as you get older, you go. That was twenty, I think twenty-four years ago. We stayed at a house in the countryside in I think forgot what part, but anyway, part of Ireland in the c Irish countryside for the summer, and it was so beautiful. And uh so it's a beautiful country. We'll go one day. We were planning a Europe trip uh sometime soon, so we will go.

SPEAKER_02 14:19

I can't wait. Looper21 asks, your mom's band changed my life. Uh, what band has changed yours and why?

SPEAKER_01 14:27

You know, I have such weird eclectic taste in music. A lot of what I listen to these days is, and I talked about this in my David Archuletta podcast, is like house and EDM and techno, I guess techno, that sounds so I know the change of line. Yeah, well, yeah, John John Summit, who I also talked about in my last podcast. I'm I'm kind of obsessed with not just his music, but I love just his if any of you go on his YouTube channel. He's it's a he's a he has a great vibe and he's into fitness and health, and he's always has a smile on his face. It's just upbeat and positive energy. But I mean, I also like I mean I listen so I love a lot, I listen to a lot of dance and house music. I love 80s music, even like I'd say, of course, putting aside my mom and the go-go's, my favorite band, I would have to say. I mean, I love the Beach Boys, but that's from like way back. I don't but in terms of like the 80s music I'd say is my favorite, and of the 80s music, other than my mom and the go-go's, New Order is my favorite, and I think I played them to you. Remember, we saw them live at that uh what was that rock conf theycon? There was a festival the go-go's played at called Cruel World. Cruel World, yeah. And they performed. I've seen them I think I've seen them more than once. I think Erasure's great too. I just love like electronic music, and I love that like Blue Monday is one of the best songs ever, and it's one of the first songs that ever had like a you know, a drop. Like, and uh I just freaked out when we saw it live. And uh, but yeah, I have I have pretty eclectic taste in music. Uh New Order is one of those bands that there's like I have so many other songs, and there's like a song for every moment of my life that you know I can listen to, and uh it you know, it it sort of resonates with me.

SPEAKER_02 16:18

What was that uh other band you were talking about yesterday? The tampoon.

SPEAKER_01 16:24

That's a whole other story. We watched a movie last night called Dr. Alien. Speaking of the 80s, this is way off topic, but there's an 80s cult movie called Dr. Alien that I saw when I was 12. My mom actually had the DVD on it. That was pretty good. And I don't know where I thought to show our mean, but we was on Amazon Prime, and I'm like, let's watch. And there was a band in it called the in the movie called The Tampoons. That's way, way, way off topic. But yeah, uh, any of you haven't seen Dr. Alien, yeah. It's gonna blow your mind.

SPEAKER_02 16:54

It's fun. It's a wild ride. Yeah, it definitely is. Johnny Minogue says, Are you going to P Town this summer?

SPEAKER_01 17:00

You know, it's funny. I've never been to P Town. Uh have you? No. You've been to you haven't been to Fire Island yet. No, I haven't. I want to I've yeah, we should go one day. I've I mean I have a lot of friends that have been and who go every in fact, I have a few friends that go every summer, but I've never been. I just finally did Fire Island for the first time a few years ago for one night. But we my friends have a house in upstate New York, so I was there with them. And then I think it was in July or August, no, maybe yeah, July or August 2022. And they were like, you know, have you have you been to Fire Island? I was like, no, I've never been. And they were like, Well, we have to go.

SPEAKER_02 17:38

I've only heard stories, but I've never been.

SPEAKER_01 17:40

Yeah. We'll go one day. But yeah, P Town, I've heard is great. Fire Island was definitely an experience. I'm I mean, I spent I'm I I try I need to get to the East Coast more often. I'm more of a West Coast gay. Like I go, I've been to Palm Springs, obviously a bunch. I love it there. But uh I need to expand on my horizons a bit.

SPEAKER_02 17:58

I'm a Miami boy, so I'm the opposite. Um I came from the East. I love Miami. Miami's great. All right. Antney0925 says, uh, which one of your grandfather's screen roles is your favorite?

SPEAKER_01 18:12

It's tough. I mean, he made over my grandfather. My grandfather, for those of you who don't know, was an actor named James Mason. He was a British actor back in the 40s and 50s and 60s. He did he acted for about 50 years. And he made over 150 films, some of which are kind of obscure, but he made a f uh made a bunch of great movies. But of the great ones, Starsborn is pretty great. I've shown Army a few of them. Lilita, Starita's pretty great.

SPEAKER_02 18:40

And uh the the creepy one, the Salem's Lot's Lot was good.

SPEAKER_01 18:43

Yeah. I'd say Starsborn because uh even though it's a sad movie, it's not exactly an uplifting story. Uh you can't really beat him and the you know, the combination of him and Judy Garland was pretty epic. And it's based in Hollywood, it's like a classic Hollywood golden era. It shows LA at that time, which is pretty cool. And I just think his performance was uh he was nominated for an Oscar for that. And uh I I think it's tough to beat that movie. But there's Lolita, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea was pretty great. Oh, I love that. He played Captain Nemo. The iguanas kill me. Oh yeah. Well that was during the center of the earth. Oh, there you remind you.

SPEAKER_02 19:27

The center of the what is it? The Journey to the Center of the Earth was great because they had these uh iguanas where they edit them as like giant monsters.

SPEAKER_01 19:34

It was they put like, yeah, it was it was cute, it was funny. And uh, yeah, I mean there's so many others. North by Northwest, which I haven't seen, you haven't seen. That's one of the great movies, greatest movies ever, I think, ever made. But then uh the El Capitan, which is the Disney theater in LA, did a screening of 20,000 Leagues Out of the Sea and asked me to introduce it. And uh and that was really so you know, cool things come up where I get the opportunity to participate and honor his legacy, which is great. French Gay Riviera is the name of the account. Word is you used to live in the Côte d'Azur. It's almost sound so pretentious. It means it means the blue, like the blue coast in France, south of France. Okay. Hey, you speak Spanish, I don't. So you have a one you you have a one up on me on that front.

SPEAKER_02 20:22

I'd love to chat with you as a Canadian living here about your experiences.

SPEAKER_01 20:26

Oh, so this is someone a Canadian who lives in France, I guess. Yeah, you know, like I said, I love living in France in hindsight. I mean, at the time, you know, I think when you were a kid, you always want what you don't have, and even some extent was an adult. But, you know, at the time I felt kind of isolated because I was a kid, only child, living in the middle of the countryside with my mom and dad. Yeah, we lived, it was beautiful, I mean, beyond beautiful, but we lived in like the mountains about half an hour from Cannes. It sounds so cool. It was beautiful, and it was amazing. I mean, as an adult, I would love it. I mean, getting to eat, you know, good food and I mean the wine, the food, the I mean, there's so many things the culture, you know, I mean, there's so much to do, so many amazing aspects to living in in France. But as a kid, like all you want to do is like eat popcorn and go to the movies and you know, go to the mall. And that's and that didn't really exist there. I remember we go to like I'm focusing on the negative a lot, I don't mean to, but you know, we go to like there's an American restaurant in Monaco called Stars and Bars, and we go and like have one like twice a year, I'd have like a Pepsi and a burger, and that was like a big deal to me. But in hindsight, I mean I couldn't have asked for anything more. I mean, it was a beautiful place, and you know, the school I went to was great. I went to an international school, which helped me, I think, really helped really broaden my perspective on life and on the world. And, you know, my best friend still to this day from 30 years ago almost, or no, 27 years ago, is Italian. Uh I've I had a bunch of friends from all over the yeah, thirty-three different countries, I think we had in our school, different nationalities. So and and I've been back twice, I think, or three times since I left. It's been almost sixteen years, which is insane. But we we've talked about going one day. And a lot of my friends still live in Europe and London and France and from high school. So I've only ever been to Paris, so it's not exciting. Paris is gorgeous. Yeah. But south of France is an amazing, amazing place. We are lucky to have had that experience for sure.

SPEAKER_02 22:34

The Wongman, uh, he says when you were a kid attending school in France, were there any online spaces or networks you went to, such were part of, that got you connected to, or more involved in US politics?

SPEAKER_01 22:47

Um, I've definitely spent most of my free time when I was a kid sitting in my bedroom on my computer reading about politics and watching you know YouTube videos, reading books. I mean, I remember sitting, well, my mom I remember at 12 sitting in my mom's Pilates class in France, watching well, she was doing Pilates, reading David Marinus's biography of Bill Clinton, which was about this thick. But, you know, I remember just being, I've always, since I was like 12, being obsessed with politics. My dad worked in the Reagan administration. I remember spending time on my own when I was a kid digging through boxes we had in our attic or our cellar and like old boxes with like dust on them of my dad's old like White House stationery and like jelly bellies he had from the White House when Reagan was president from like they were 30 years old.

SPEAKER_02 23:36

I remember seeing that.

SPEAKER_01 23:37

Yeah, and they had like the presidential seal on them and so and then his signature. It was pretty cool. But in terms of online, I mean I remember I would just read Politico a lot and you know, Drudge Report, CNN, I mean, you know, uh the same stuff I do now. And I would go on YouTube and watch like all the debates, presidential debates over and over again. Uh I've I mean I think I memorized the uh pretty much every word of like the 2004 first debate in 2004 between Bush and Kerry. I I actually recorded on on videotape and would sit in like breakfast or dinner and watch like the So I remember like I ever read the way they hand shook hands and everything. Like I said, every you know, all that I just soaked it all in. But to your question, I remember at like 12 when John Kerry was running against George W. Bush being part of an online group called Kids for Carrie. And uh there were like chat, it was like at the chat room and like message board, like at the threads and everything. And I, you know, even back then I was engaged in talking to other people. And um, I mean, I think I started doing YouTube videos actually. They're they're gone now because I think I deleted them at some point, which I kind of wish I hadn't. But I was doing quote as I was doing YouTube videos at like 15 years old and posting about my opinion on different political issues. So the my my interest in like being in engaged politically online has been there for quite a while.

SPEAKER_02 25:03

Eric Yogi Barra says, as a child, did you know your mom was a big deal?

SPEAKER_01 25:09

You know, I when I when we were looking through these questions and I read that question, I was really I spent some time thinking about it because I the honest answer is like somewhere in between, because I don't remember thinking like, ooh, she's a big celebrity or anything like that. Like, in fact, one of the blessings of living in France was even though some people, I mean, people knew who she was, but you know, it wasn't like she was like, you know, there were no paparazzi. It's not like she was like a Michael Jackson or something where there's constant like media attention. You know, I think it was one of the blessings of my life is that I got a little bit of the the benefit or the you know the privilege of being in a family of people who have some privilege and some, well, you know, a lot of privilege, a lot of success and all that. And I've definitely been the beneficiary of that. But I also haven't had to deal with the scrutiny that a lot of people like Madonna's kids or Michael Jackson's kids, you know, I I got kind of the a lot of the benefits of it, but without all a lot of the negatives. And so I remember like as a kid, my mom and I would be, we'd go to McDonald's. She probably will hate me for saying this. But we go sit like the McDonald's parking lot and eat like in France and eat like burgers together. And she'd be, she's probably gonna get really pissed. I'm telling this story. But like, you know, she'd be no makeup, wearing like sweatpants and a t-shirt. And we just go grab McDonald's or go through the uh the car wash, and that's where I got my addiction to hairy bow from. We eat hairy bow in the car together. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 26:39

And yeah, but so in other words, like that's probably the appeal of moving over there.

SPEAKER_01 26:45

Yeah, I mean, I remember like it's funny actually. I remember in hindsight, like I'd be, we'd go, my mom would come to like PTA meetings sometimes, you know, where the teeth the parents come and the teacher if they go like talk to all the teachers. And in hindsight, actually I was like, I don't remember people talking about it, like her being a you know a celebrity or whatever, but in hindsight, I'm like, I actually I think I asked one of my friends from height from school, like, did like did people talk about it? Because at the time I maybe just wasn't aware or wasn't thinking about that. And he's like, Yeah, of course they did. But I just wasn't something that I ever really thought about. I do remember like we go on when I go on tour with her, and we that's why life was so weird. Like I'd spent half most of my life in like an you know, uh a inner a small school in like the middle of the French countryside, basically. And then we'd like fly to LA and I'd be on the tour bus, which by the way was one of the best memories of my life, tour try uh being on the tour bus with the go-go's and or like with my mom flying to New York. Get it out there? Not for that tour, but he but yeah, he'd be there a lot. And we would I mean I went, I had the I mean, I got I was so lucky. I mean, I got to go all over the world to Africa, to Asia, to Europe, to the one place I haven't been yet, which my mom says she's gonna take me to next year, is Australia, which hopefully we're gonna go together. But I've never been. But you know, so in other words, I was aware of the fact that there like there was an interest in her as a musician, and I and I thought that was really cool, but I never really thought about it in the context of like just being a celebrity or anything. I will say I'm really happy that in the last few years she's gotten to witness this sort of full circle moment because a lot of people don't. You know, a lot of musicians, especially rock musicians, die young or, you know, they they and the fact that she's able, she's now witnessed like people really appreciating her work, whether through Coachella or through the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame or through the documentary on uh Showtime, which the Go-Go's documentary, which is epic, which I or or recent shows that the music wasn't there a big one? Oh well, uh yeah, I mean, like Black Mirror, you know. In fact, that really changed a lot, uh, everything because before it Black Mirror is a big show on Netflix, and they used Heaven as a Place on Earth in one of the episodes. And without that, I mean, she's I think a lot of this still would have happened, but that really changed things because I remember overnight, literally, like people saying to me, like, you know, have you seen Black Mirror? I'm like, What's Black Mirror? And my mom had no idea. She didn't know when they used it in the episode, but all of a sudden, like the song blew up again, and it had like, I think it literally has like 800 million streams now, on almost a billion streams on Spotify. And, you know, she gets insane Spotify numbers. I've had 20, like 21-year-olds come up to me in the last 10 years. That that was the thing, is before in the 90s and the 2000s, like especially living in France, it wasn't like she had this huge amount of like public, you know, of you know, public interest in terms of like people wanting to get into her private life or whatever. But about 10 years ago, like I remember I had 22-year-olds coming up to me at like the Abbey or something, and going like, your mom is Belinda Carlisle. Like, I love circle in the sand and mad about you and all that. I'm like, how do you even how do you people even know what these songs are? Yeah. So I would say the last few years, I think her public persona has become a lot more um, a lot more uh visible, I guess is the right way of putting it. And I'm happy about that because she deserves it. You know, she and I'm happy that people finally appreciate. I I wrote an article about this, it's on my Substack, but very rare that somebody not only, you know, the lightning strikes once for someone as a lead singer of a big band, but then for it to strike twice and for her to become arguably even more successful globally as a solo artist is a pretty amazing achievement.

SPEAKER_00 31:00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 31:01

So I'm proud of her. I'm proud of you, mom. Should be. If you're watching this, which I know you are.

SPEAKER_02 31:06

Let's see. Uh House of Wax CJ, what's your coming out story? Did your mom and father approve, or did it take some adjustment?

SPEAKER_01 31:14

There there's a lot of great videos on YouTube. I'll I'll keep this short because I don't want to, yeah, I'm I tend to talk a lot. But there's a lot of great videos also on YouTube about of you know interviews that my mom and I did together talking about it. And in fact, there's a great video. It was the only interview my dad's ever done, or at least on camera, of my dad and my mom and I. He agreed to do it for P Flag, which is a gay, you know, parents, friends, and families, and gays organization. The only time he agreed to do it. We did a thing. My mom and I did a thing in Bakersfield. Oh, that's what it was. Uh, but then this was just for the P Flag national organization. But we did a video, the three of us, talking about the whole experience, which you guys, if you feel if you're interested, can watch. If it's the only time my dad ever has done an interview, which I was really meant a lot to me because he wanted to support the cause. But, you know, I considering it was 20 years ago this year, that uh which is unbelievable that I came out, 20 years this October, they were great. You know, I think about my only child, so I think, you know, it was a bit of a shock, which I in hindsight we laugh about it because there are a lot of s signs that you would think they would have picked up on, but at the time they were pretty shocked. But I think, you know, all things considered, they they were very supportive. And uh, I mean, I think it just took a little time for both of them to like, they were yeah, they they made it clear that they loved me, they supported me, and that like I d I I I'm lucky that I never really worried about being thrown out of the house or anything, which a lot of young LGBTQ plus kids have to deal with. So I was very lucky in that respect. My mom and dad always made it clear that they loved me unconditionally. Having said that, I think there was an adjustment period. Uh, but you know, in terms of just like they said, we love you, you know, but you know, this is something we need to process. Uh, especially my dad. It took him a little time. Uh, and he's talk, he talks about that in the interview we did together. But now, I mean, they couldn't be more fantastic on every level. And Army has spent a lot of time with them and they love him. He he well, I think you love them. I love him, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 33:21

I think you speak for yourself. I know they're they've been really great. Uh they've been great hosts too in Mexico City. And uh yeah, it's uh I can't wait for more adventures with them. They're coming in a few days. Yeah, a few days, so they'll be back. So going to the Elton John Oscar party. And every time they come to town, it's uh sorry to interrupt. Uh they it's just we have a blast. They're they're really cool people.

SPEAKER_01 33:42

Yeah, they love him. And we uh we uh yeah, they've been they're the they're the best parents I could ever ask for, you know, and they and not so not just on this, but yeah, and they also encourage me with my with his podcast, with my writing, and so they're they're as my as my dad would say, they're amaze balls. Yeah, uh huh. That's one of his his random favorite expressions, but anyway.

SPEAKER_02 34:07

It was uh it was a deep voice that threw them off when uh when you came out. They couldn't tell.

SPEAKER_01 34:13

That well, although yeah, yeah, I sh I thought maybe they'd know, but they didn't know, at least as far as at the time, they said they were genuinely shocked, which I was but in hindsight, there's lots of you guys should also go and watch. There's a great interview my mom did with Joan Rivers on YouTube where she talks about uh Joan asks her about me and says, Oh, you have a gay son, and my mom goes through all the all this telltale signs, like the fact that I was like when I was eight years old, I loved I love Lucy, and like Phantom of the like Andrew Lloyd Weber, Phantom of the Up, like all these things. My mom's like, Yeah, I probably I probably should have picked up on that a while ago. But uh anyway, no.

SPEAKER_02 34:54

Alright. Kyle H. Martin, your commitment to giving voice for others uh has been longstanding. Nothing about what you've done, uh, and do present itself itself present itself as self-serving. Uh what exactly drives your activism? Where is it rooted from?

SPEAKER_01 35:13

Well, thank you, by the way. It's very sweet. I think what it was I'd say you know, in a nutshell I from a young age, I got an interest in politics, and when I came out, it became like a personal thing. It wasn't just about you know ambition or wanting to like be, you know, a big pol politician. It was politics actually has a personal, really deeply personal stake in terms of my rights and my not just my rights, but the rights of my entire you know community. So in that sense, I think it became very personal for me. And then also, you know, just being in my community here in LA, West Hollywood, you know, again, I ran for office twice. You know, I care about the community on a very deep level. I see what's happening around me, and I want to, you know, do what I can to try to make the community better. And uh as a country too, you know, obviously. I just and I and I also think part of why I love podcasting and writing is because, you know, yes, you know, even I'm not like a Joe Rogan in terms of my reach as of yet. Um hopefully all of you can all of you can change that. Although I'm very grateful to all of you for those of you who've watched so far, of course. Um, but you know, I think what's so exciting about writing and podcasting and uh is you feel like, even on a small level, that you're influencing, you're making an impact on the world around you.

unknown 36:36

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 36:36

And that's such a like the fact that on a daily basis or weekly basis with a podcast, I know that by putting that out there, I'm part of something bigger than myself. Like I know that sounds kind of cliche, like, oh, you know, we're part of bigger, but I really feel it. It's totally it almost gives me a purpose in life, you know, a sense of purpose that that I'm even on a small level, I'm making an impact and changing, you know, the world or the community in a way that's you know, that I believe is right. And that's so that's why, you know, I have a lot of flaws, but if there's one thing that I've always been really lucky to have, it's a sense of purpose.

SPEAKER_00 37:15

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 37:15

And um, and so for me, I I wake up every morning and I have a very clear, passionate, you know, sense of like of what I'm meant to do, and uh, and a drive to to a passion to to do something uh you know that's important or that's that's uh making a positive impact. All right. Sorry about that. That's where that's let's bring this home, as they say. All right, okay.

SPEAKER_02 37:40

All right, so Alan P. Michael says, Where did you meet your lovely boyfriend? And uh you look like the perfect couple.

SPEAKER_01 37:48

Oh, thank you. Yeah, well, I mean, I'll let you talk. I've been talking a lot, so I'll let you if you want to talk for a second.

SPEAKER_02 37:54

Yeah, I feel like this one we have uh contradicting uh the ways we remember the story. But for me, um, I remember being at a party now it's 16 plus years ago. 2010. And uh I was in the pool, and all of a sudden I hear a rumbling of people saying, Oh, you know, you know who's coming over? It's James Duke Mason is coming over. And I remember thinking, Who's James Duke Mason?

SPEAKER_01 38:16

This was probably a week, by the way, or so a couple weeks into me being in LA. So I made my presence known very quickly.

SPEAKER_02 38:22

I mean before even before he got there, uh there was you know this uh air of noise, anticipation about James. And uh so it made it it was fun because I'm like, wow, this he's this person, people are talking about him, who is he? And when he gets there, uh he you know, he he did leave a lasting impression. Duke was someone that wasn't like everyone else. He spoke differently, he was into politics, he was uh new to California, similar to me. I was like pretty new around that time too. And so uh he he he we didn't really connect too much at the party. We spoke a little bit, but I remember him leaving an impression on me and a feeling actually that it's kind of hard to describe, but almost like there's potential of something there and what that something was, I didn't know at the time. But but uh yeah, it was uh it was a really nice, nice time. Well, how do you remember it?

SPEAKER_01 39:15

Well, I remember meeting you around the same time. I just remember one of our one of my really good friends at the time who I met soon after I arrived in LA was a guy named Ryan Jones, who I met him at Tiger Heat, which many of you may remember was a big uh club night in LA back then. Gay club night on Thursday nights. But anyway, long story. You can tell, I just go on and on. By the way, those of you, I should just say this, but those of you who there are a bunch of other questions we got, which you know we really wanted to get to, but we could go, I we could go on for four hours, you can tell. But so thank you for submitting them. In any case, so I remember meeting you. I was with Ryan and he was dating a friend of ours named Jason Ponte. And I remember walking, I think it was upstairs, it was like an up to upper level into uh into Jason's apartment. And I think you guys were playing video games. I just remember I remember seeing you. I remember the moment I saw first saw you. And uh I think so, or on the floor, maybe playing like Nintendo or something. But you know, and then over the years we would run into each other in different places, and we tried going on dates a few times, and I think we but neither of us I mean, I don't want to speak for you, but I don't think either of us could ever articulate why. But it was like we we you know, we were we found each other appealing, but we just something just didn't click. And I you know, I we just it wasn't like things were bad, it was just like we would go on a date and then we wouldn't see each other again for like two or three years. Yeah. It wasn't the right moment, I don't think I think in the end it was the unit because we last February 2025, we ran into each other on Valentine's Day at a gym bar in West Hollywood, and we reconnected and we went on a date, and then we actually made it official at Coachella, which is very cinematic, uh, and you know, uh last April. So we're coming up on a year. But yeah, I think we both had a sense that like even back five, six, ten, fifteen years ago. I thought there was something like that. I mean we knew that the story wasn't finished, but I think it was the universe saying, Oh God, or you know, saying this isn't the right moment yet, but stay in touch. Yeah, which we which which we did. And it's been an adventure. It's been a year. It has been it's been quite a year. It feels like it's been 50 years, but uh but yeah, Army's an amazing person, and I always tell people, I think, along with my parents, that he's probably the best person I've ever met. Like decent, kind, like decent, kind, honorable, you dignified, you know, all the all the great, you know, a lot of grace, a lot of a lot of good qualities.

SPEAKER_02 41:56

So really sweet. I try my hardest. There was one question that came in um a bunch.

SPEAKER_01 42:01

Uh this is gonna be our final question, unfortunately. I wish I could answer more, but uh, I think we're gonna try to keep this under an hour or so. Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 42:09

So uh Martin Meemerd, Kate Park, and Kevin Burke. Uh they want to know have you considered running for office again?

SPEAKER_01 42:17

Well, by the way, thank you, Kate Kate. Do I want to give a shout-out to Kate because Kate's uh she actually was a friend who worked also worked on or sit helped support my one of my campaigns for city council. I love you, love you, Kate. The truth is, I mean, I think the answer is yes. I'm pr I'm pretty sure it's yes. I just don't know when or what office. You know, I ran twice for city council in West Hollywood in 2015 and 2019. I did pretty well the second time. I unfortunately I came up short. But you know, I was 26, I would have been, I think by like 20 years, the youngest member of the city council. So considering I was 26, and you know, I think I I I was I came in, I think fifth out of 11 candidates in the top three won. So, you know, I was proud of what I and I of my campaign and I've stayed involved. So, you know, uh I worked for Rick Caruso when he ran for mayor of LA and I'm still consider him a very good friend. I am supporting Matt Mayhead, who's running for governor of California right now, and I'm also supporting Brian Goldsmith, who's running for state senate here in District 24. And I'm, you know, I'm I'm gonna support them. There's also a chance, you know, I might get involved officially in some way in in their campaigns or in Matt's campaign. I'm hoping to get more involved. But so in the if for now, I'm focusing on the podcast, I'm focusing on the writing, on you know, supporting Matt, and uh and Matt's an incredible candidate. For those of you who live in California, you should look him up. He's uh he's a I met him br recent recently, and I really believe in him. And I'm gonna focus for this year, I think, on doing everything I can to support him. In the future, who knows? I think I I'm a little undecided because I I had not undecided on whether to run for office again, but more on whether I want to focus on, you know, state or national politics. Uh I was a page in Congress when I was 14 or 16. So, you know, who knows? Maybe I'd love to go back to Washington one day in some capacity. Uh I remember as a page being like, you know, I want to be in the in Congress one day. So, you know, I I I could see obviously that's not an easy thing to achieve, but I could see that one day down the line. Also, West Hollywood, you know, I love what I love this city, and I feel very deeply invested in the community. And, you know, to be honest, running for office is not that much fun. There are elements of it that I love. You know, I love the politicking. But then there's a lot of like, especially in, I think people think small town politics is kind of is like, you know, compared to national politics, is kind of nice. And like, but small town politics can be pretty brutal. And there's a lot about running for office on a local level that's really tough. And so as much as I love the city and I'm very concerned about some of the some of the direction that you know, certain areas that we're going in in some ways, I also am I'm figuring out the best way that I can serve. That might mean running for office again locally, but but right now I'm focused on uh serving uh in other ways. So um, but yeah, politics is definitely, I would say, as we say, as very pretenti sound very pretentious, but it's as we used to say in uh France, mon malesant, my my way for my my reason for being. So so I would say uh down the line for sure, that's something that I'm looking at. Beautiful. So thank you all. I'm so grateful for all the questions. Again, I'm sorry, but we couldn't finish, or there were like at least uh three or four more that I really wanted to answer, but unfortunately we couldn't get to it. But I'm so grateful to all of you for the support. Thank you, Army. Thank you for having me for uh for being our host today. And um, I hope you all will join us next week and for all of our future web episodes. Please like, subscribe, comment, share. Uh again, email me at questions at Dukesdownload.com if you have any questions. We have some really cool, exciting guests coming up, uh, including one or two that I'm like really excited about that so uh we're working on right now. So keep supporting, keep coming, keep keep the faith, keep fighting, keep just we go. There's a lot of lot of stuff going on uh right now, both locally and around the country, that we need to be active and invested in. So thank you all for being a part of it. Thank you for joining me today on Duke's Download. This podcast is part of Pridehouse Media, hosted by me, Duke Mason, produced and edited by Josh Rosen's Wike. Original music composed by Nel Baliban. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts. And while you're there, leave us a rating and review. It really helps others to discover the show. I'd love to stay connected with you, so join the conversation by following me at James Duke Mason on Instagram and X, or by emailing me at questions at Dukesdownload.com.