A Question of Taste

In the midst of our President's treason, we gathered once again to bring levity and laughter to the shitstorm that is our nation. We're celebrating our first birthday as a podcast and do so in our normal way by talking about the things we love and hate. But first all the things we love, starting with Janelle Monae's outstanding performance at The Chicago Theatre. From there we get into a discussion about the LGBTQIA+ alphabet soup and what it all means and why we all can't just be Queer? Please note that two people couldn't be more unqualified to have this discussion, aside from the fact that we are indeed gay. Speaking of gay, we talk about 'Love, Simon' and the latest season of RuPaul's Drag Race. And we would both go straight for Cait Blanchett, who is smoking in Ocean's 8. We'd also go straight for Patricia Clarkson, who is giving a scenery-chewing performance in HBO's new miniseries, 'Sharp Objects.' Justin is caught up on 'The Great British Bake Off' and 'Our Wild Life' and saw the new 'Whitney' documentary over the weekend. Fortunately another year has passed where a) we're not in prison, b) it's not illegal to be gay, c) Anthony doesn't have diabetes.

We’re talking about some of the gayest things during this very gay edition of AQoT for Pride Month. First, we celebrated Ellen (not DeGeneres)'s birthday with a Brandi Carlile show, with the openers The Secret Sisters. Justin talks about seeing the Chicago pre-broadway premiere of The Cher Show and how it may not be the best investment for your pink pound when it comes to musicals. Then we saw Paula Cole, as we guessed we would several episodes ago. More importantly, we're talking about Ryan Murphy's 'Pose' and why, in the face of all that is not great about it, seeing a show like this on television is - in itself - great. Also gay and wonderful is the show 'Claws,' starring Niecy Nash and one of the best female ensembles on tv. Then we get to the tragedy that is 'Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom'. Fallen franchise, more like. This feels like such a repeat of some of the same themes and tropes we've been through before. Things to look out for on Netfix is the series Abstract, an insider's look into the creative process for people across many fields. And Tab Hunter Confidential. For music, we recommend getting into Lizzo's "Boys", and the new album by SOPHIE. The new Christina Aguilera may not be for the fair-weather fans, but if you liked "Stripped," then there may be some things here for you. Happy Pride!

In the conclusion to the previous episode, we're talking about new music. Anthony recommends checking out the new tchunes from Natalie Prass, possibly skipping the Lykke Li album, and Justin is loving the return of Neko Case and Lily Allen. Then we explore the bizarre feud between (once again) Azealia Banks and RuPaul over the clear rip off of 'Call Me Mother' from Banks' 'Big Big Beat.' Justin then dives into Parker Posey's wonderful performance in Lost in Space, and how much he loves Annihilation and recommends everyone see it. Then we go off the rails into Natalie Portman, Black Swan, Mila Kunis and eventually end up at Toni Collette in the new thriller Hereditary. And yet somehow make it back to Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, learn what Steak Diane is, and appreciate yet another great actress - Judy Greer. And what better way to end a podcast than to find out what our favorite Celine Dion songs are? (Spoiler - so many better ways to end a podcast episode).

Another two parter, dear listeners! This episode starts with us discussing the already over-sold trailer for Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga's "A Star is Born." But we're both very excited about the new Halloween trailer with the Activia queen - Jennifer Jason Leigh Jamie Lee Curtis. Justin has a new job and he's keeping his baby! We talk about the cancellation of Roseanne which was a shock to no one, the fallout of the Arrested Development snafu, the sad ending for The Americans (where do the wigs go!?). Once again, Luann is singing Happy Birthday out and about and Justin cannot get over the wackiness of miss Sonja Morgan eating raw. Then we discuss the show Our Wild Life and a special moment about a pig's false pregnancy - but the show (and baby shower) must go on!

Gang - this is Episode 20! Can you believe we made it? We didn't think either of us would have lived to see the day - and what a day, both Memorial Day and Kylie Minogue's 50th Birthday. GOLDEN indeed. Anthony reminds us of another anniversary on his calendar - Madonna's performance of "Ray of Light" on Oprah which has gifted us with some of the best gifs of the latter ever. Somehow we get back on the topic of Whitney's last years and how tragic they truly are, how our culture is nothing but assholish idol worship and idol destruction. Britney may be the only person to have come out of it alive - and she's thriving on Instagram. Justin dives into a new favorite program from TLC called 'Our Wild Life' - a madhouse of 80+ animals, some nutso Christians and a lead character that looks like Jocelyn Wildenstein. Speaking of animals - we just found out May is Lyme disease awareness month and we've got not one, but two rap songs to help you stay woke about Lyme. Courtesy of Becca at Lime is Lame blog and the Fairfax County Government. We then mosey into tv, and Justin wraps up Roseanne. It was fine. FIIIINE. Just fine. The Americans comes to an end this week and Anthony will be lost without Keri Russell, the wigs and the mail bot. Sue’s Reviews comes in with some takes on the Murphy Brown trailer and the second season of The Handmaid’s Tale, which is sadly feeling very in-the-now in our own society. YIKES. We reminisce about Winnie the Pooh, Zoobilee Zoo, Degrassi and then dish on some of the classic music from 1998, which you can listen to here on Spotify.

Dear listeners, This episode is like rapid-fire topic jumping. Think 'Hot Topics' from The View, but with better segueways. First we dive right in to RHONY's Countess Luann De Lesseps decision to sing 'Happy Birthday' so much this season already. And then the shocking revelation that Kim Zolciak (allegedly) is just now 40 years old. But those lips are under 5 years old. Our dear old friend Murphy Brown is returning to television and the teaser is amazing & gives us all the backstory we need. This week Prince Harry married Megan Markle and they are now the Duke and Duchess of Sussex but let's really talk about Oprah's hat! Then we go back to NYC for Cynthia Nixon, Fergie's adventure on the MTA and Hilary Duff's Instagram fight with her neighbor. We recount some of our fav looks from the Met Gala 2018 and posit a world where the new Madonna single with Mirwais will be great. Also - is anyone else having trouble keeping up with all the memes anymore? If you're meme fatigued, we're right there with you. Brown explains why Cardi B left Instagarm and Justin suspects foul play for Melania's extended hospital stay. We then talk Kacey Musgraves, Amber Mark, Fever Ray, and the book 'A Little Life', which Justin just hopes will never cast a member of the Queer Eye reboot when it inevitably becomes a film. In terms of TV, Justin gushes over Schitt's Creek and Superstore, and we try to define the word 'queer', which leads us into this new Whitney Houston documentary.

Welcome to part 2 of our return! We're rehashing the wonder of Marissa Tomei, Justin explains what an Avenger is to Anthony and why people care, and why Captain Marvel may have been kidnapped and stuck in Room when the finger was snapped. We saw the new Grace Jones documentary, Bloodlight and Bami, and it was a mess that was saved by fantastic performance footage from 10 years ago. Then we briefly discuss Renee Zellweger as Judy Garland, which Justin doesn't put much faith in. Who could top Judy Davis? Or is Judy Davis a top? Then it's on to TV, including the very confusing but no less delightful reboot of Trading Spaces. We've also seen some wonderful shows, including Nancy & Beth, Jessie Ware and Justin saw HAIM with Lizzo.

Folks - we're back! We've been away (from the podcast, not actually away doing anything interesting) and we have so much to catch up on. Anthony and Justin both celebrated their 35th birthdays and that's about it. The topics are coming fast and loose but we're covering Fleetwood Mac and Lindsey Buckhingham's falling out (I can't count which one we're one, tbh), how much energy Olivia de Havilland has to go to the appellate courts, Kylie Minogue's new album 'Golden' and our upcoming trip in the fall to see the pop princess live in London - finally. Hear about what else we'll take in, including Tina the Musical, but also teaching Anthony about castles and monarchy. That is if we don't contract Lyme disease this summer. It's going to be an epidemic guys. Speaking of Lyme, we have to talk about #ShaniaTwainCancelled, as well as Kanye's bombastic return to Twitter. And we're still reeling from the Beyonce performance at Coachella. Then we visit our fallen idol with a very important question: What is happening to Alanis Morissette’s hair? Then it's on to TV reboots, including Roseanne’s return, where the writing is bad, the faces unfamiliar and the trend it's reinforcing with now the return of Mad About You and Murphy Brown. But let's also talk about some fantastic television: this final season of The Americans is shaping up to be fantastic. And season two of The Handmaid’s Tale is terrifying, gory and wonderful. Part two of this episode is coming later this week where we dish on concerts, movies and more.

If you've been listening to the podcast for a while, you've heard some of Sue's Reviews. Today we have the pleasure of Justin's mom joining the podcast for a one-off episode where mother and son face off. You'll hear some of her favorite movies & music, things she doesn't care for one bit (of course) and also a delightful moment of shade at the end because my mom doesn't care about recording a podcast when she wants to bring up family drama. Live vicariously through Justin's awkwardness and enjoy!

Consider this part one of two, if you will, of the preparation of Justin's parents visiting Chicago. In this episode, Anthony and Justin talk about Trump's tweet-baiting Oprah, the iconic Whitney & Oprah interview, and of course some gym habits and check out the 12 Minute Athlete app that Justin mentions. We talk about some job changes, the gig economy & healthcare (as if we know anything), but then easily make the transition back to My Big Fat Fabulous Life and the other trash that Lifetime somehow still puts on the air. Anthony brings us up to speed on American Crime Story: Versace, and we discuss the death of Mark Salling and the bizarre post Matthew Morrison put on Instagram to mark the occasion (pun not intended). For music, we talk Kylie Minogue's new "Dancing" video, Brandi Carlile's darker new album, Anthony's 19th St. Vincent concert and back to tv, to talk about The Good Place, SyFy's Face Off, that abysmal Snatch Game on RuPaul's Drag Race and how trying to see real life voguing on the Southside of Chicago may kickstart our drug habit. Anthony leaves us with some questions for Sue and the interview with her will be the entire next episode!

As we posted on Twitter, we tried to watch this year's Grammy Awards but they were so boring and ill-conceived. This year, Pink finally stopped swirling around in silks, SZA won nothing (you bastards) and Patti Lupone is a loud, screamy singer - which Justin does not care for. Gaga came out to hock ‘Joanne’ once again, with an even more depressing version of an already sad song. Take that, Grandma! Once we both gave up, we watched “Lady Bird," a lovely little film with the glorious Laurie Metcalf. But Anthony's biggest problem - the anachronism of “Crash Into Me." But let's all remember Stevie Nicks' cover. SLAY. We're then treated to a special Snapchat-filter message from Ellen (Not Degeneres), which was very confusing. Then Justin dives into his experience with a new therapist and why he thinks it's time that Hannibal - er, Anthony - probably go and see one. An unexpected delivery from Imperfect Produce arrives! Not so much imperfect as it is either massively large or small. Perfect for vegan sex farms. Then we get into TV Reboots: WHY!? 'Will & Grace', 'Roseanne', 'Mad About You', 'Full House' and now…'Cagney & Lacey'!? Is nothing sacred? Justin recommends watching 'Grace & Frankie' and 'Great News', which may or may not be canceled. We hope not! Anthony talks about the HBO series 'High Maintenance' and his love of fashion and fashion documentaries. This is a real random episode to be sure.

It has been...several hot minutes. Actually, frigid minutes. But Justin Theroux's sweatpants bulge in 'The Leftovers' kept our Justin warm at night for the last 60 days. But we dig into 'The Leftovers' and why watching it during seasonal depression was not the best idea. And let's talk about the accents! In this episode, Anthony and JT catch up on everything from tv, including 'My Big Fat Fabulous Life' scandal, 'Real Housewives of Atlanta' and their Elephant-in-the-Room party, and the premiere of 'American Crime Story: Versace.' Anthony recommends getting up on 'The Good Place' and Justin is becoming an avid fan of 'Great News.' Then we talk about new music from Kylie Minogue! Do we love 'Dancing'? You'll have to listen. Also, we talk new music from LANCO, who we have a close connection to, in addition to Kelly Lee Owens, St. Vincent, Porches, First Aid Kit and more. We dive into New Year, New You gym capitalism. But we also touch upon Anthony's love of 8-15 mile walks during the weekend (each day of the weekend, mind you) and his fitness journey (LOLZ). You can listen to this pod's Spotify playlist here: http://bit.ly/aqot14spotify

Happy Thanksgiving, y'all! Today's very special episode is Justin and Anthony presenting to one another films that the other has never seen. For Justin, Anthony chose the classic 'Grease 2', starring Michelle Pfeiffer and Maxwell Caulfield. It has songs. It has dancing. It has nary a person of color at Rydell High. But now one more person understands the appeal of "Cool Rider." Also, how much money was spent on those costumes for "Girl of All Seasons"?! And Lorna Luft can't not belt a tune. And, retrospectively, did 'Dirty Dancing' really pick up the movie musical from 'Grease'? As for Anthony, Justin picked the Lily Tomlin and Bette Midler 1988 classic 'Big Business', which is double trouble x 2. What's wonderful about this film is that neither can pinpoint why Steve Winwood's "Higher Love" is used as the closing song in the film. We also wish we could have visited Manhattan when there were actual prostitutes still working in Times Square. Anthony shares his favorite Thanksgiving television and films, and we also wonder what's going to happen with the new Roseanne limited run. Justin is embarking upon his Mexico vacation and hopes to not see a shark.

Dear listener - this episode is a horse of a different color. While there is the usual frivolity and lunacy you've come to expect, Anthony and Justin go a bit deeper into body dysmorphia, projecting your shit onto other people, the toxicity of the internet and social media and how the cultural sarcasm may have led us to a more negative worldview in general. But don't worry - we also talk about wigs! Justin shares his tear-filled viewing of just the trailer to the Lizzie Velazquez documentary, which everyone (and every parent) should see. Anthony brings us up to speed on his traitorous watching of 'American Horror Story: Cult' and we discuss new promos for 'American Crime Story: Versace.' Should we be sexualizing murder? Then we talk about the problems with the Whitney Houston and George Michael documentaries, but how the Joan Didion documentary, while not that revealing, is better than the aforementioned. Anthony attended two local Chicago premieres of 'Call Me By Your Name' and 'The Shape of Water.' Real Housewives of Atlanta returns for season 10 (the tagline are AWFUL) with our favorites: Nene, Sheree, Kandi, Kenya, Cynthia and (unfavorite) Portia. Justin tries to explain a 50 Shades of Cynthia party and is mostly unsuccessful. We discuss also some of the obvious casting issues on Bravo, question the morality of Andy Cohen and why reality tv may be the true harbinger of doom for our society. FUN!

We're back and more random than ever. We catch up and play our favorite game, "Who is the whiter person?" Brown Anthony tells us about his next exercise endeavor - Barry's Bootcamp. Spoiler - we don't find out squat about Barry. Then Justin tells us about going to scuba diving school - shout out to Underwater Safaris in Chicago - and we wander into our own ignorance about how deafness actually works within the ear. From there we chat about great new music that's come out as of late (St. Vincent, Jessie Ware, Fever Ray) and then we talk about the highs and lows of recent concerts, including Katy Perry's Witness tour, Tori Amos' Native Invader tour, as well as Arcade Fire and LCD Soundsystem. Somehow we get onto talking about why people are compelled to sprint or run when they're drink in order to get home faster, and how the untimely death of Brittany Murphy in 2009 still leaves us with a lot of questions about toxic mold. Anthony also saw talks by Patti Smith and David Sedaris, who seem to tell us to enjoy life because it is very fleeting. Be sure to join our Facebook page and see the post on the weird Wiki death videos!

We've heard people asking, "When is the next podcast!?" Like people who just cannot wait for another Ryan Murphy show to be broadcast on FX. And like Mr. Murphy, we will oblige. Justin gives a quick update on what's been happening in the world, where he and Brown Anthony have been spending their time and why taking a break from anything is a good, healthy thing to do. (The world needs a little less talking, right? It's good to have quiet). We usually don't get serious on the pod, but I wanted to remind people to take advantage of therapy, medicine, et al. Be your own mental health advocate in the face of a world and government that is intentionally making you crazy. Here's a good article on What to Do If You Can't Afford Therapy. If you also need to talk to others about the Weinstein and other stuff, we would recommend reaching out to Rainn.org. Anyway, we'll be coming back with new episodes shortly about Tori Amos, St. Vincent, Katy Perry, Arcade Fire, Kelly Clarkson, Jessie Ware, Whitney documentary, George Michael documentary and WHY Brown Anthony is still watching AHS: Cult.

It's been too long, dear listeners! We're back and ready to tackle a whole bunch of things. In this episode, Justin talks about the Thompson Family fish fry, Anthony's attendance at a big gay wedding in Chicago and we both have hot takes on the new Netflix Lady Gaga documentary 'Gaga:Five Foot Two,' a meandering tale of Super Bowl aspirations, the "meaning" behind Joanne and chronic pain. And of course that segues us nicely into the Showtime Whitney Houston documentary 'Can I Be Me?' and Anthony tells us about a new important documentary for the LGBTQ (well, everyone should watch & learn something hunty) pioneer Marsha P. Johnson. Then it's a meandering journey through 'Fried Green Tomatoes' and 'Misery' (I was on a Kathy Bates kick, ok?), and why we've really, really, really given up on 'AHS: Cult'. TV had some big returns with 'Will and Grace' and our fav new show, 'Great News'. Justin, as an avid Star Trek fan, has fallen in love with the 'Star Trek Discovery' show on CBS and explains what the hell is going on to Anthony. And from space aliens to those that plague our own bodies, Justin gives a quick recap of RHOBH alum Yolanda Hadid's book 'Believe Me,' wherein we get a lot of information about her Lyme disease journey including colon parasite captures. We're treated to a very drunk concert review from Ellen (not Degeneres) about a Garth Brooks & Trisha Yearwood show, which leads us into this week's new music from the likes of Ibeyi, Shania, Kelela, Blue Hawaii. You can listen to our fav new music here:http://bit.ly/AQoT10music And of course, the coveted 1997 classic playlist: http://bit.ly/1997Faves Join the convo on Twitter Follow us on Facebook

We dive in this week with a quick recap of the Emmy Awards (HULU!) and the wins for Ann Dowd, 'Big Little Lies' and 'The Handmaid's Tale' and Julia Louis Dreyfus' reign. Then Anthony and Justin quit the cult. Literally. American Horror Story: Cult is unwatchable. With terrible writing, ham-fisted cultural references, and a woman afraid of porous thing lets her babysitter put it near her vagina. A highly unprofessional working relationship. We veer through Sarah Paulson's like of older women, Anthony's disgust at dating anyone older than 30 and some clarification on the differences (are there any?) between Billy Eichner and Ross Matthews. Briefly we touch down on two massive books that the people are devouring: Hillary Clinton's book ‘What Happened’ and Yolanda (Foster) Hadid's book 'Believe Me', which goes into her ordeal with Lyme, which Shania still doesn't pronounce or spell correctly. Then we get to the oddity that is Darren Aronofsky's 'Mother!' and our very disjointed feelings and discussion around something so uncomfortable. We much preferred 'The Net' and 'Jurassic Park', respectively. New music from Bjork, Nick Jonas, and Madonna's live release from the Rebel Heart Tour winds us through Gaga, Katy Perry and leads us to... Linnethia Monique "NeNe" Leakes and the season 10 trailer for The Real Housewives of Atlanta. Tweet Us Email Us

In this episode we focus more on tv, namely the premier of Ryan Murphy's (always half-baked) American Horror Story, specifically Cult, and all the thing that are wrong with it. And right off the bat - there's quit a lot! While Murphy's shows always ham-fist too many ideas into a single season, we've really upped the bar for Sarah Paulson's weepy white fragility as a Jill Stein lesbian, for which she deserves to be terrorized. As someone with both Coulrophobia and Trypophobia, Anthony talks through his fear of clones and porous things, but his addiction to feeling terrified in horror movies and what are his favorites. He also gives us his take on IT, the new cinematic version of the Stephen King classic with infamous Pennywise. Sprinkle in references to Judy Garland, William Shatner and Sister Act (once again), and you've got a clown-packed episode that touches down also on HBO's Room 104, TBS' Guest Room, What Happened to Monday and Iyanla Vanzant (formerly known as Rhonda Harris). Sue's Reviews returns for a hot take on the Netflix documentary The Keepers and nearly leaves us on a heavy note but we find that shitty musical versions of our beloved films always lift us back up. Listen to all the music mentioned in this episode here: http://spoti.fi/2y090eJ

This week we do things a little different - one long episode, split into two for your pleasure. This one is all about a little catch up with us: our difference of opinion and personality on autumn, mashed potatoes, vitamin D, yoga, spinning and the cult of Soul Cycle, Anthony meets SZA and Justin nearly vomits from a contortionist in Cirque du Soleil's Luiza. Then we talk hot takes on new music from Sam Smith, Kelly Clarkson, Beck, St. Vincent, Zayn, LCD Soundsystem, The National, Tove Lo, Jessie Ware, Nadine Coyle and Tori Amos. Best of all - you can hear all those tracks we discussed here: The continuation of this episode comes later in the week and focuses all on clowns: Anthony's take on the new film IT, our review of American Horror Story: Cult and the scariest of all - Iyanla Vanzant. You can hear all the music we talk about in this episode on Spotify: http://spoti.fi/2y090eJ Questions/comments? Email us or tweet us and be sure to join us on Facebook.