Ed Reggi and Scott Emanuel

00:05 My name is Scotty Manuel. I'm 37 years old today is September 25th 2005. I'm in St. Louis, Missouri and my relationship to the Storyteller is he's my partner of 6 + years.

00:22 My name is Ed Reggie. I'm 30 something and it is now the 25th of September 2005 and we are in front of the Historical Society of St. Louis, Missouri. And Scott is my partner.

00:39 Add why do you trip so much over your age? Like why did you say 30 something? Cuz I am 30 something. I believe that it's a good mystery only people, you know, I just his way. This is just never reveal my true age. You're in denial. No.

00:59 No, denial released at the age of 50 + 70 + when everybody hold you in the highest Regard in your you know, this great authority figure. You'll still say I'm 70 something 80 something probably that's hilarious. Maybe Betty Davis stood for Thursday. She died. So that's what I understand. You bring up Betty Davis because one of the things I wanted to talk to you about is obviously, you know, I don't to tell you that your profession is acting and you're an actor but you're an improv actor and what's been great is that you have explained to me numerous times about how you live in the moment you operate without a script and I'm really interested to hear a little bit more about how I think you wish more people would have that attitude about life life without a script life living in the moment. You know, I'm a social worker. I try to pay attention to that as I walked in my day, but like what are you what do you wish people would takes from Summer to some basic?

01:59 Roseanne Improv

02:01 Well, you know I think for me as you know, the whole thing about improv is not too much the performance side of it, which I think people think of Comedy right after the joke-telling. I really think in the essence, you know, what it comes down to it. It's about play, you know the idea of playing and quotes and I think that improv is really like any other game that people play, you know, it kids play hopscotch or Checkers or basketball get out there and just play a game now there are rules and games course, but but no one really script. So, you know, it's just the way it's going to happen, you know, just in the game of basketball or game of chess this you know, there is sure there's some things patterns you can see but I think that for me the thrust of being spontaneous

02:50 Is not so much about the it's not too much about what the end result is the funny the joke-telling under that day. It's about really the process of like like not knowing what to do like constantly be put in the situation of not a clue what's coming next and I think there's something powerful in Us in people. You know, what I'm in a classroom my students that for me to give them permission to sort of take a risk to take us to your like something obviously is very frightening the most people obviously he's you know, I think it's just really is what we're doing it. Anyway, you know, we're living Our Lives by improvising. There's no script but most part there are some people in life and that's

03:36 Just the way it is, but I think the most probably would not and I think if people could do more of just play and not worry about what's next then it really would be pretty.

03:52 Pretty pretty good. Does that mean does that mean a life without judging yourself? Because it's because I'm glad that you said rest because I thought of risk when you're talking about things and I think about those like we don't take a chance because if we make a mistake whatever will be judged you think that's generally people's reservations about not wanting to take chances and be without a script as it were in life. Well, I think I think that it's it's very complex. I think that the whole idea of what you're what you're saying. I understand it's like simplifying but I think when an oil boiler, but all comes down to the most produce thing. I think really we are our worst critics, you know ourselves. That's it. We get in the way the most front with ourselves and I think it's because we haven't given ourselves permission, you know this idea if you're familiar with the term. Yes, and we'll use it. It's like the rule of improvisation.

04:52 It's it's not just interpretation on stage at Rulo improvisation and dance and turn the routine on music jazz the idea that if someone's playing something on a piano you you agree with it you yes and it if your two actors and walks into room and says Dad, I'm so glad you're here. I've got food on the table. You don't say I'm not your dad. You're the dad the rest of the same and you agree. And so that's simple enough I could teach that to a lot of people but you know the problem I found in the 10 plus years doing it teaching improv. It's never really the other actor. It's never really the third after the second actor. It's the first the person themself that doesn't yes, and we don't yes and ourselves and that's pretty pretty amazing thing to me is that you know,

05:42 That you even would eat if you strip away all the complexity of other actors in the ceiling and I just give one actor to act by themselves. They don't yes and themselves. So I think it's a deep deep self critical thing that we somehow are we get a know when I'm not saying they're born with it. But we we surely get it. I see it as young as three years old four years old and you know, that's the other thing people think I killed kids get it kids little kids get it and their world is very black and white black and white and very self-critical. So do you think that going to the little kid peace do you think that you as a child may be operated from this mode but never really knew what to call it until you found improv because if it came naturally to you and you are attracted to this kind of Professionals in adults. I'm just wondering if you know, I don't think I have seen

06:42 Very systematic very computer re kind of technological age. You know that generation next thing he knows I think in some regard, I think I wasn't that way, you know, I was being raised the time when computers were sort of just starting to get you know into everything we do. So, I think I think opposite I think I was not a very spontaneous kid. Actually we have played quite bad by myself and with other, you know, I mean that element but I don't think really I was not very comfortable. It's like, you know, you know, really yes handing, you know, I think I still struggle with that as a person may not I'm not a meeting. You know, I think I still struggle as a person separating stage from the person they are you know, I think I don't yes and in real life and that's that's the challenge Tony. Think about you your your time as a child looking forward now to you as an adult, you're thirty-something adults. Did you did you did you think the

07:42 You would have a course that would lead you to being a teacher being a professional actor the life you've crafted now. Could you have predicted that as a child because you because you certainly have a bit of the computer logical stuff that was never turned on correct? You know, I don't think I would be the first to say I don't really know and I don't really plan much so, you know, you know, you know that I don't really think I I don't really I saw him just take it. You know me. I've been teaching for quite a while. I think it's more of a nice match to an artist, you know life, you know, I was nice to get that study thing, but I don't really Professor really think that

08:27 I think teaching is to store like a snapshot in time, you know psych what I'm doing right now, so I don't really I don't I didn't really even think of myself as an actor as a kid either.

08:37 Yeah, I don't really plan much, you know, so so then that regard no way you could have predicted in think I take I mean to me when I'm teaching and I think what I'm teaching I don't even think of teaching is teaching for me. So that's the reason why I'm not really comfortable with that concept mean it's sort of like cuz one teaching I'm also the student even with it. I don't care if it's like, you know adults or if it's like little kids, you know, it's still have given take that happens that that is so important an improv funny. I'm talking about, you know improv. Yes. And so yeah, I just think that that's what it's just that's way too evolved invite just like the scene I gave before like that. I'm so glad to hear one point. I woke up and I was the teacher who was like, I mean, you're always in my front of in front of me. So I die play the part of my life up play the part.

09:37 You know what? I really like is that you remind me of the type of people that I genuinely liked which is those people who don't plan to live so much. They are sort of Jacksonville trash. Like for example, I love that used to be a park ranger. It's one of my favorite, you know things to tell people that like you arrange a Reggie because that's amazing because of course I never would have protected, you know, I'm being in a relationship with a former park ranger, but we are what we are. However, I also think it's interesting that that you sort of have this really interesting. I kind of like think of you like a renaissance man, you know, the ability to do many things a chameleon and I think that complements and I guess it's really in sync with acting very very well. So do you see yourself as sort of a chameleon jack of all trades because I mean used to have a pretty big light career a torrent of those an aspiration, but you were you work more with animals and you know dog rescue in things like that much more than you did maybe with

10:37 People write but your life switch. So how do you view yourself? Well, I think you know, I just think I'm going to say artists but actors, I think we are usually breed of people. I think that other I look at my friends and I look at colleagues. I think that we will take on any part, you know, your is not uncommon to see near the actor not just the server serve in your food at your but, you know the actor working at copy center and actor being a corporate secretary. You think I think there's a necessity that we think you know, we think of actors are employed most of time which is true or are destroyed but I think that that there's that that's that's the easy way out. I think that the reason why that we want to play all these crazy interesting part time is it cuz we really don't want to like lock ourselves down. I mean, I never really wanted to lock myself down until like science. I'm at a very strong Science Background growing up, but I do want to be really a programmer.

11:37 Dr. Anything like that, so, you know, but I can play that and that's there's something so there's something almost there something almost like an intrinsically like naughty about that because you know, I don't really have to do all the work and be a doctor to be a computer program or an animal trainer or like, you know, a zoologist ring on it, but I could use my imagination and my ability the intelligence I know for that moment to be it and I think that's you know, I love all those moments all those jobs careers and I've had no name in carpet at that one of the biggest carpet manufacturers in the world. You know, I just stood in the room and I was it had a computer guy named carpet. That's it. Well Fresno Fresno, I always thought that was the most ridiculous temporary job that you had and it and it made me laugh so hard you do you remember any of the carpets that you named? Oh my God, it wasn't there a circus theme.

12:37 With that would you determine the theme or that was a crazy thing? They brought him the samples, you know samples apparently in carpet are like a family, you know does not you don't just name one Swatch. It's like comes in off the manufacturer the mill like a family. I like colors and schemes and some are more complicated than the less Berber all this to Inna. I mean here I am the person that you know, we have time job, but here I am they realized I had some artistic, you know kind of creativity. So they threw me in a room with a database a computer an old computer and I to check to make sure that the that I couldn't use names that were used like in the last 10 years. It's okay, but I have white cloud. I put it in there and then search and was taken already so I had to come up with like, you know, I just had to like come up with like like family of name. So we like, you know, I mean I might come up with like confetti Galaxy, you know, but then within the committee Galaxy

13:37 I had to come up with like spinner rings of Saturn, you know, Jupiter burrstone just made me hit it was incredibly weird because not only was I just like pulling things out of it was overwhelming but things were named already like it was unbelievable that things were taken and somebody has this in their house now because of you by guarantee you I mean I have only did it for a short time whatever for months by month was a temporary job. But but I was calling people up. I think you were my eyes. I think I started that instrument just met you at the time. But I mean, I think I would when I started to resorting to was just calling people out the same. What's your last name? Right and I would have more Lotto you write because my boyfriend Something About Me section to my mom Laverne, but I don't remember exactly what it was. Maybe it was my last name emanuella something but that's what I hear Larry. I used in the circus family could have freaks me out.

14:37 I I don't know what I I just think I used like a manual theme like your name and I just started calling him Laverne Emmanuel House Robert a man walking on air does not sit very well with me. Well, you know, yeah, it's alright, let's talk a little bit about let's talk a little bit about how we met and I've never seen this because I deem it very much a he said he said story which I don't wish I think some people, you know might not get but but you know, I like to think that divine intervention brought us together and you know what you're not as as spiritually squishy maybe as I am or something, but the fact is it 6-6 years ago or something in January Pope John Paul the time came through right St. Louis, correct? And my can't be friends had a party right now because they were good Catholics and they were going to all of his events, but they also want to have a little fun of

15:37 Talk with it. And so there was there was a part of that you came to and I really feel like we had met each other a couple times prior to that but it was really that night when we really talked and doubt, you know more than we had in the past. So tell me about that night. Well, I think this is also a sort of the reason why I think it's a little every time you've always re-enacted that stuff. I was think it's it almost does have I mean this team has been done in probably about 30 musicals like the theme of somebody like retelling the story and then the other person saying it didn't happen like that at all. Sure the first off to me. I think the whole idea is like, you know kind to me too much like of my performance job, you know, like I don't think of it in those terms but I do feel like like really that that evening you were more interested. It seemed to me and in this I have the dog and I had to see Goosey Loosey that I had.

16:37 That part of a rescue some rescue group I was working with and I had this dog be adopted and I think looking back at it. Like I really thought he was somebody that dog off my hand, you know, that was that was really the fact that this long to do this for someone else to get the dog and take care of it. Love the dog. It was like, you know that but it was like I had to come I mean I was at Port my life where I was like, I don't want like to have you know a stray dog in my house doing my yeah, I was inside a car but no pain but you know, I didn't want to do it anymore. It's not trying to do quicker play. I was trying to find a good person and that is like easier said than done. You know this like someone who's not like unstable door jobs aren't changing it or minutes of the dog is going to end up in some pound. So, you know meeting you there and you know, realizing all this and and you would just really, you know, you were sending out all the messages that you

17:37 And I'll send the time. I had a lot of foster dogs in my house because I was in college and I couldn't necessarily have a dog and a regular basis, but I was going to the point where I could so so yeah, I do think I engaged you about Lucy goosey, but I feel like you know that it didn't start of negates that there may have been any let alone in an ounce of like magic between has and that moment and you go back to the dog, which I think is hilarious because you know, I was equally interested in you and the dog is net and that's fair to assume that many a note of that had to know that you really wanted to just place a dog with me. You know what I mean? Is it going to storm here? And I guess I went to a person

18:34 It there was nothing. I mean it was that you want to play it out to some kind of, you know, I know when we can advance in a little bit because you know that the couple nights later when you came to my house and a little you know, little like How You Like Me Now outfit, you know, I could see that maybe you weren't there just to place a dog. That's all I'm saying. And you know, I'm fine to like agree to disagree on that one, but I think it's just I think it's interesting that we still look at the exact same event even pictures later slightly differently, but that's okay. So what is it about? What is it about if you if you had to describe our relationship to a complete stranger, I'm giving you full Reign to say whatever you want. How would you describe?

19:16 Are they ship to someone?

19:19 Just off the top of somebody says you're in a relationship with Scott. You know, what do you like? You know, how is tell me about tell me about your relationship or something? What would you say?

19:29 Wow ignores and I'm in front of you serious. I mean it's kind of you know, interesting. I mean, I don't you know, I mean you're in your career with your and you're in a very pro-gay queer stuff that shouldn't wear hats like you could wear that on you and you know, you're done. I caught my gay everyday, you know know you would think in the theatrical World which is completely, you know, fine, you know, but it's sort of them. You know, I may be the education World on I'll go one step further their education World academic world not so gay friendly, but not that it's not gay friendly. It just sort of not talked about so that's how you know, it's sort of like it's

20:24 Yeah, it's strange still you think it wouldn't be again in the theatrical Community, but it's not too it's it's just not put out there. So that that's why I offered the top of my head is sore seems you know, I'm not given an opportunity very often, but when I am given that no opportunity, you know, I really just speak to

20:45 That that we have such crazy. I think just lives of our you know our of our passions, you know, I'm saying of our jobs and I think sometimes often I describe a lot about you and me and relation to me about what we do, you know in our in our community activity Universe things that we do outside. So it's it's an external kind of, you know, a definition of who we are and I think that's probably fair not a private thing. I think that's sort of what I think of, you know a lot like what you do and then very very few things we do together in that regard, you know, where do different worlds, but but it is sort of a an external thing.

21:31 Well, and I think that based on what we do and I are I feel like we are interesting we placed on this planet to do to take how to make something better. And I think I'm sorry. I'm really glad that you are a teacher. I'm really glad that you challenged people stinking. I mean those things I feel like that's your kind of place in this world, you know undefined you can do it in any, you know any career path you want but I'm glad that that I think is consistent with who you are. I think why I always found interesting you being from Brooklyn me from st. Louis that we that we sort of enter, you know things thinking differently. We express ourselves differently and I think that that's actually been kind of a really interesting Revelation for me and I and I should thank you for that because in some capacity when we first started dating, I just remember thinking like, I don't know Brooklyn all the Gown actor like, you know so much you brought so much.

22:31 Energy to my life to our conversations what we did that sometimes I didn't know even how to roll with that energy. I don't know how to get into that group. So I think I think for me anyway, the first year was just kind of finding my footing and I think once I found my footing and really saw and appreciated what you were bringing to the relationship that I could get into the groove. I am sometimes though. You are like absent from school for about a month. I found out there sometimes and Nina will you know when we're talking about like I'll just blurt out like, you know Hancock, you know Constitution you'll be like who's that and that always still trips that not that exam what you know is amazes me about like by the differences that we have is that sometimes they'll be something like a term or something a concept that I took for granted that I that everyone knew you know that.

23:31 And then you'll sit there are you know, and and that's okay cuz you don't I mean it's like the whole thing about there's things you don't know you don't know until your first year and it always amazes me the Constitution is the best example, but I will tell you that I agree with that in anime be a factor is and who knows who I was at the top but I will have to say that scholastically I didn't enjoy myself and didn't care until I got to college and I can actually study something I cared about and apply myself and get great grades and all those things and I can't say that for anything before college. So who knows what I got when I didn't get but I must I got something I had a wonderful social calendar I would imagine that but I'm not sure I may I think I picked up skills. Yeah, sometimes more than acknowledge.

24:31 And I know it is not that there's no self-criticism either. I may I think that that's I think there's a contentment in my life that I can speak about those things come to believe that I don't always know, you know, but ask me who like, you know, J-Lo's engaged with a married to I got that one. So just depends. I mean, I think I have a very selective memory and that's unfortunate. Now, when you think now you said you kind of want you prefer a life that isn't planned out and I think that's great. And I also know it's just a really interesting to me because you know, this is for the two of us. This is our longest relationship, which I think is significant. I'm like the best so it's not planned out. So so, how do you do do you think Beyond like a year. In the context of relationship and tell me some of your own life to you? This is the this is the man who will not do no kind of reveal his true age. Do you think Beyond

25:32 2006/2007 like how far in advance do you think you know, I think I actually it's easier for me to look out really far out and then have some things that I would like one to do like not goals. But some maybe no markers or spots to hit, you know, kind of like, you know, we use Spike tape on the ground and theater, you know, I can mark something me know so I have like little marks but I definitely don't you know, I try not to I mean, I'm really gotten far better with it not to set myself up. So I think that's what happened. Why do you know I will have such and such done by so, you know, I think I've taken that that I've learned that from this this thing called improvisation this thing called being unscripted. So I'm sorry practicing that but I preach but I don't know. I think I I think I love them. I love

26:32 Just be in the moment. I just think that is so much in that will take me to The Next Step, you know, whatever that next step is. So.

26:39 Yeah, I don't really have much, you know, long-range kind of like for sure when I get out of that some in and stuff. I think that's kind of it. It's not good with them. Like the IRS 401K plans are good for that never good for like like those kind of things those things that we should all do, you know, but I mean, you know, it's not good for the mechanical thing that we have in this world calendars and PDA and all that stuff so we know it doesn't really work. Well when you're trying to like, you know, and even business-wise took like look at my own career and the advances I've made over the last four or five years has been you know phenomenal but but I still still even with all those said and done even though as I do more things to get more, you know, I still try to keep it low and keep it like right now in the moment. I don't really try to like you no worry about you know,

27:37 Tomorrow I never really did. You know that something I never did do I never growing up worried about like nothing I did I never was a child. I mean maybe cuz of my family was really secure middle class in Brooklyn, but I never really had like, you know any kind of like I'm going to eat tomorrow. If you like my older brother who like didn't like the open his mouth up for like I want to say like several days because he saw like an old Crest commercial or something where they had like a black inside and like people played plaque. Yes, like it was like a name. I think it was because the guy was like a superhero like didn't open his mouth like for 5 days when he saw that commercial. So it's like you have this fear that's example like this like, you know based on that like, you know, he didn't want to like you'd want cavities ever to grow in his mouth. You know, he was like really be then he became like a super nut when it comes to your teeth, you know, which is fine. We all have our own little idiosyncrasies enough, but like I don't I look back I don't have any

28:37 You know idiosyncrasies probably the exception of the gay thing, you know, like growing up as a child. You know, like what do you mean? Well like always thinking about like the sort of pink elephant or the white elephant, whatever you want to call it alcoholic thing up in the room, you know, like like, you know, I don't know there was maybe that was the only thing that only aspect of my childhood that was like questionable. Like I should be really interested in more in girls. So, you know each other's those little things you do in your head, you know, maybe or not but you know, like you just kind of you know, do you know if I if it's book drops, I'm definitely gay. You know, I'm not sure how many I wonder how many how many people you know, is that kind of figure out what to do them regarding sexual orientation. I wonder how many people play those games because yeah, I think I like the highway 40, you know, there's something like

29:37 Yeah, people try to get past it before it's a solid I learned that when I moved here, but if that was in Brooklyn New York, I would have used a lot but if I get passes before it stops blinking, I'm not gay so when you think about the early the early at the early gay and Reggie, what do you have early childhood memories of like sort of like moments when you thought you know, I mean, none of us really good positive messages to running about growing up gay. Hopefully, that's 15 but today but you know, what, do you remember early on like, you know, you're like, you know, like a somebody want to watch your film of growing up like a moment in time when there was like, you know a little gay Adventure. Yeah, something like that. I don't think you know, thankfully. I mean there was no issue of blurt it out or anything and anyway, so it was nothing like to feel that, you know, the gay people are being there was none of that. I didn't feel that way and that's true.

30:37 Family growing up in Brooklyn New York make it was not I didn't feel that way towards any cultural religion. You know, I felt totally, you know, I want to be a Buddhist, you know a person by the time I was 7 my family didn't like eat me out harikrishna would have been the first to give me Nigro but my mom, you know, I've been remix family of Italian and Jewish Catholic and you'll do everything podcast every all these mixture. So, you know, we were the only ones in the block and it has citic Jewish neighborhood, which is ultra Ultra Ultra Jewish neighborhood. We had a Christmas tree. We had a menorah and we had like a cuantas Kwanzaa got popular we had those two and it was very confusing to the the the the neighborhood didn't know how to approach it cuz we had a menorah candles in the in the windows here. They saw the Christmas tree through the window and I think

31:26 That was okay. That's so going up confused with my own orientation. Yeah, it fit in one computers better than 2/3 of Menorah because I think my my mom and my dad have their own like being like, you know again, I didn't think of them as liberal cuz it is wasn't used but I thought that's what it was. So for me.

31:52 Having these thoughts. I mean, I didn't really have any it didn't really have any gay Billy role models. It wasn't it wasn't worth. It wasn't they were hidden wasn't they were like locked up and turned away from me just didn't have any so if you know, I mean least the ones I didn't know them, you know, I did have her so I don't even think I knew what game was exactly throwing up and I mean, I just didn't and it was so funny. Is that when I think about the earliest game memory and who knows what that is, but I remember when I was like five or six and my sisters had a 8 by 10 picture of Mark Spitz the Olympic swimmer. I just remember it was like, you know, just as head and shoulders like full side and I did not know that my sister's got a lot of it and that picture is so did I and I kind of think like what was it as modeling Behavior after a sibling. So if they do, you know, if they threw a rock what I throw a rock know but in some capacity, I just wonder

32:46 I don't care that you know, I I really don't know. I I noticed that mean the definable moment. I mean, I think the only time I think as a as word became an issue where I really was I was joking or not joke, but really work maybe one, you know, obviously board your Culture Club came here and I think when that hit, culturally like, you know to the to my days enough whatever Junior High in and as I was getting older, I think that I really was fast I buy that British pop in the days when there was a whole bunch of them for a while there to serve gender-neutral kind of the whole thing. I think for my end, but I was really attracted more to to the idea behind all those British Pop Culture Club because it was sort of like you didn't know when you first bought, you know, the menu for the song Boy George the videos. I mean, you didn't know you did a double-take, you know, you would like boy-girl. You know what it was it what is that? It's a curiosity. I think I was I mean, I think

33:46 That wasn't the age was really fasting with theater and poor man ray so but it was but then I think that's when I probably first felt it, you know, maybe from a brother a friend, you know, it was like, you know, you know, you want a Boy George poster and I was like, they're like, well, I think I had it for like a day or so.

34:11 But you know, that's really funny because then I'd end in 82 83 84 whenever Boy George that I remember there was this guy in my high school who came up to me and he was you know, I think he was by definition when people redeem as possibly the gayest kid that ever lived and he was really outlandish. Really, I'm he brought out something to me that I think I should have embraced long ago, but it was what it was but he and I remember she had headphones and he and he said he'll put these on and he you show me the CD cassette at the time of where George I looked at the cover and I didn't know what to make of it. And in that moment and almost brought out anyting I was looking around to see who was looking at me. Listen to the CD. I'm a I was in all guys school at the time and really it was so interesting like those early does early memories that are the most amazing because you finally get someone who you may actually have so I could let you know, I have thought of myself maybe having something to come.

35:11 Boy George, to get deeper and learn about him or whatever but in that moment in time of this exact thing I was what I wanted and didn't want to do that same time as really crazy.

35:21 I hope things are better. Now. I love the gender bender. Don't get me wrong. I do I love ya and a good thing. So when you think about you know, who you about dogs, I guess within your like gay identity and you maybe you don't you don't I don't think you think about it as much as I do it. Just kind of like you think you are. I think about it 24/7 because to me I just think about all the times, you know, when we're encouraged not to think about it. I think I'm making up for lost time really tired. What do you think then you know as an actor and knowing that, you know, there are plenty of actors who you know won't play gay roles are plenty of gay actors who won't come out to know if her because they eat another they're worried about their curious about that. How do you view all that in the context of like now?

36:21 Everything from Broadway to mainstream movies the TV shows to now, you know Big H Channel logo and network you and would otherwise, how do you how do you think about all those things which are we actually just I think it's it's you know what to do. I don't know. I think it's it's hard to put words on that because it's sort of like, oh, I think it's been I'm a little worried. I guess I get here. I'll say this. I'm a little concerned that maybe some of this story approach of the gay characters and all that. But you're saying all this new I'm a little afraid part of me feels like that. It's a fad and that it's not like meaning that it's from a commercial was never a big fan of anything that's like commercial. So so I'm a little worried that this can become, you know, like actors that are straight playing game Parts like

37:21 It actually happened. I can look probably closely to maybe the disabled Community like there was a time when you know, it was It was kind of it was factually hip like in the 80s were people playing like disabled people that were not disabled. It would like Abel people playing disabled people and it was like again like okay, you know, so it's like you're all these actors that are like unemployed that are in wheelchairs have been a matter that Marlee matin thank God. She's set the sound for deaf people, but it's it's a little bit too late. So I'm a little worried about the whole industry that it's

37:56 It does self-created. It's creating itself for its own purposes. And it's not really authentic. You know, I mean, you know of this hole improv spontaneous thing to me is also organic and it has to be natural so we can't be forced. Well, what do you think about even like the what what about even the representation that's on you know, that that shows up in this game package and I mean, I mean because we can sit here as white males and say like that kind of sort of look like we're going to look at all that stuff. No different than we look at today The Brady Bunch The Donna Reed, you know, even to extend the Bill Cosby Show, you know, how we could come out today and say wow, you know, but we eat it wasn't a good message. Was it? Okay. Was it a safe message? Was it the right message? And so I'm a little Leary. I'm a little little a lot Leary actually on

38:55 You know seeing the show is that just show it stereotyping and whenever you stereotype, I don't care what it is. It's it's just bad news. It's really not going to help that that movement kiss cuz I can vacuum in all but I'm not so good at decorating and I couldn't you know, there's certain things. I never my kitchen is but if it doesn't involve a toaster, I'm not going to be so handy. So I think there is a perception and they're always has been a perception that you know, you know, I'm gay men when teamed up with you know, straight women can help them dress and I might have an opinion. I'm really I don't know that I'm the one that takes shot then you know, so I can I get bored of worries me to when you have an addition, you know that that I think I showed you that that audition notice right before the queer eye, you know was you know that the captain called choir does a waist size was a waste so yeah. Yeah, that's so crazy. What is that put someone like a Dom DeLuise for example. Gay, but but but

39:55 Find any character right you hang onto you know, you look at the Richard Simmons. You say wow. That's all I got. You know, I got to I got to work with it, you know and that regard. So when you started the idea of me bringing you here to this interview in this conversation and stuff like that. Like we get nervous over you think it was going to happen. You know what I really didn't get thank God. I'm so busy. I'm going to the moment. I walked in here. I mean probably the drive you were the only time I wasn't so I didn't give it much thought at all, which was kind of good cuz I really did was so busy is you have this last couple weeks so with projects so I mean was kind of nice not to really prep and do mice which is unlikely. Usually I go on the website some research everything under the Sun. So so it was kind of nice just to kind of not now and I wouldn't worry too much cuz I know you were you were doing the soap like, I mean if with someone else saying show up, I probably would be a little late in a little weary in our final time together.

40:55 Is there any question that you would like to pose for discussion as we end our story Court time?

41:03 You know, I don't know I think no I think.

41:09 I know I don't I don't believe anything that's hitting them. It's like nothing sticking out like a Target in his ordinary that mean

41:18 I'm pretty free-flowing right now. I know that we had a lot of you know of the place and we can thank you know 80d for that probably in a like a ball in the room sort of thing conversationally, but I I think that my continued to track into you is based in your consistency and the person that I known as barely can predict, but someone who I can at least in terms of character can expect a shot every day and I think that I have the I think the energy that you brought to this moment and trusting that we're going to do something that was something we could do as a couple or whatever it was. I think the energy energy and and and really no reservation. I really appreciate that because if the tables were turned I would have to say that I would probably ask you there.

42:18 Questions, you know break into your PDA and determine what the hell were you that is you're taking me too. And I think it's only it's my own challenge to figure out how to live in the moment more. And so I think it's interesting that today coming to storycorps by definition of how you chose to react to this moment time. You've modeled good behavior. Give me to say you could even break into my dance for however, I know where the cats their is it and I appreciate that, going back to your computer to call nature as a child. You know, I'm glad that that you kept some of that because because you're my kind of text support, you know, someone that's dependable someone who you know understands when I click that box. I was supposed to click on Four Mile Run Drive, right? And so anyway, so there are many reasons to appreciate you and I'm glad that you spend this time with me and me alone.

43:20 Thank you.