Episode 371
with Phoebe Robinson, Thomas Page McBee, Lainey Morse, and Sammy Brue
Host Luke Burbank and Elena Passarello describe moments when they "paid their dues;" memoirist Thomas Page McBee shares what he learned about masculinity while training to become the first transgender man to box at Madison Square Garden; dope queen Phoebe Robinson reflects on managing debt and embracing "trash" culture; entrepreneur Lainey Morse reveals the origins of goat yoga; and Americana wunderkind Sammy Brue performs the song "Our Garden."
Phoebe Robinson
Writer & Comedian
Phoebe Robinson is one dope queen who’s here to make everything OK. A stand-up comedian, writer, and actress, she’s the co-creator and co-star of the hit podcast "2 Dope Queens," which was turned into four one-hour, critically-acclaimed HBO specials. She made her film debut in the Netflix movie "Ibiza" and has written for and acted in various TV shows. Following her New York Times best-selling debut You Can’t Touch My Hair and Other Things I Still Have to Explain, Robinson is back with her second book of essays, Everything’s Trash, But It’s OK. If Queen Phoebe says it, then we believe it! Website • Twitter
Thomas Page McBee
Writer
Thomas Page McBee is a groundbreaker, name taker, and dialogue maker. Already a Lambda award-winning memoirist, McBee has now transformed his own personal journal training to become the first trans man to ever box in Madison Square Garden into powerful commentary on gender stereotypes in Amateur: A True Story About What Makes a Man a Man. In the book, McBee examines the weight of male violence, the complexity of gender issues, and the limitations of conventional masculinity – all while also laying out a hopeful, different way forward. McBee is breaking ground on a new path for how to speak about gender and identity, and we’re right behind him. Website • Twitter
Lainey Morse
Goat Yoga Creator
What do you do when you’ve just been diagnosed with an incurable autoimmune disease, you are going through a divorce, and your job of ten years is winding down? Do you throw caution to the wind and start something the world has never known, or do you play it safe? Playing it safe was not an option for Lainey Morse. Instead, she drew inspiration from the happy distractions provided by six adorable goats and in 2016, Original Goat Yoga was born! Website • Twitter
Sammy Brue
Americana Singer
When it comes to singing and songwriting, Sammy Brue is a wondrous wunderkind. He wrote his first original song at the age of ten, busked at the Sundance Film Festival at eleven, and started opening for artists like Justin Townes Earle before he could even think about driving. Now seventeen, Brue is following up his trio of accomplished EPs with his full debut album “I am Nice,” which features his timeless talent when it comes to realism, storytelling, and composition. Called an “Americana prodigy” by Rolling Stone, age-wise Brue might be a teenager, but music-wise he embodies the wisdom, empathy and insight of a musical veteran. Listen • Twitter
