Walk-Ins Welcome with Bridget Phetasy

Sarah Tollemache, stand-up comic and podcast host, joins Bridget for a hilarious conversation about anything and everything, including what they miss about live stand up, defending their right to be hyperbolic, worrying about being caught in the background of a viral video that would get them cancelled, and their shared fascination of black market arms dealing and money laundering. They discuss their ability to create for themselves rather than the gatekeepers, why corporations that stand up to woke public pressure tend to be European, the stereotypes of traveling, why Bridget should go into PR to advised celebrities who are being cancelled, and swap restaurant industry horror stories. Check out Sarah’s podcast Vadge here. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.phetasy.com/subscribeSupport the show

Kmele Foster is a partner at Free Think, a media company that tells stories about the people and ideas that are changing the world, he’s also a co-host of The Fifth Column podcast. He and Bridget discuss the weirdness of signs like “Black People Welcome Here,” and how they give him a Get Out sort of feeling, what he would teach kids about media literacy right now, why he prefers lukewarm takes over hot takes, and the worrying trend that violence has become a clear attribute of our politics recently, that it isn’t going away, and isn’t only coming from one side. They cover using ridicule as an effective weapon, how easy it is to become what you hate, encouraging people to be brave, and wonder happens in a society when people don’t trust each other and are being trained to hate each other. Check out The Fifth Column podcast here. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.phetasy.com/subscribeSupport the show

Ryan Long, comedian and filmmaker, connects with Bridget from New York and they discuss his move from Canada five months before the pandemic hit, why NYC is a sadboy town, the challenges of being a self-starter and your own boss, the outrage economy, why good editors are so hard to find, and why Canada is dead to him. In the middle of their conversation Bridget receives breaking news of the lockdown at the Capitol on January 6th but that doesn’t derail the conversation. They delve into how Hollywood woke culture feels like a last ditch attempt  to maintain their status as gatekeepers, why Millennials are really just young Boomers in disguise, the difference between British comedy, American comedy, and Australian comedy, and how finding a way to turn something you might get mad about into something funny is a means of undermining your anger. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.phetasy.com/subscribeSupport the show

Adrienne Iapalucci is a stand-up comic, podcast host, and Bridget’s “spirit human.” She and Bridget discuss how their dysfunctional childhoods are probably what led them to stand-up in the first place and what keeps them grinding long after most normal people would quit. They talk addiction, the stand-up scene in NYC vs LA, their shared belief that things will always get worse, and why they both default to dark comedy the darker things get. Adrienne tells stories about working for a collections agency, Bridget shares how she learned the lesson you should never read someone else’s journal the hard way. They discuss how comedy has changed in today’s political climate and wonder if it’s better to achieve massive success with the wealth that comes with it only to watch it all slip away, or to live a moderately successful life being able to do what you love, but never “making it.” Stream or buy Adrienne’s latest album Baby Skeletons. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.phetasy.com/subscribeSupport the show

W. Keith Campbell is a nationally recognized expert on narcissism, society and generational change. He and Bridget discuss social media and narcissism, whether everyone with a big platform is inherently a narcissist, why Keith thinks Kylie Jenner is a genius, how technology always leads to status inversions where the wisdom of age gets crushed by youth’s expertise in tech, and why narcissism is essentially America’s brand. They also cover the evolution of individuals identifying themselves as “brands,” how geek culture and the great fantasy migration relates to self-esteem, the inevitability of the tribalism and polarization of social media, manufactured authenticity, the elite wars, and the first word that came into his head when he met Joe Rogan. Be sure to check out Keith’s latest book The New Science of Narcissism. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.phetasy.com/subscribeSupport the show

Harleen Kaur is a former NASA space engineer and current CEO and founder of Ground News, the world’s first news comparison platform. Ground News aggregates news stories from around the world, shows you how they are being covered by different media outlets, and helps you identify the media bias on the different coverage. Harleen founded the company to solve a problem she herself had, when it came to identifying media bias and putting news stories within a larger global perspective. She and Bridget discuss how revenue models are ruining journalism, the advantages of traveling and living in several different countries, the perspective working on a probe to Pluto can give you on the achievements of humankind, and how challenging yourself with information that competes with your world view teaches intellectual resilience.  This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.phetasy.com/subscribeSupport the show

Johann Hari (Chasing the Scream, Lost Connections) sits down with Bridget to discuss the rise in depression, anxiety and addiction in society, particularly during Covid, and what that means about their underlying causes. Through extensive traveling and research for his books, Johann has explored the idea that the roots of all three are not just biological, but also psychological and social, and that we need a more complex approach to treatment in order to address all three aspects of these ailments. In a deep and wide-ranging conversation, they discuss loneliness, tribalism, how Portugal solved its heroin crisis, how Cambodians treat depression, the rising wealth disparity in our society, how junk values have taken over our lives, homelessness, competitive victimhood, and why social media is to having a social life what porn is to having sex. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.phetasy.com/subscribeSupport the show

Desi-Rae is a sociopolitical commentator, crypto enthusiast, and artist who started her talk show Just Thinking Out Loud, after she realized she felt conflicted about honestly speaking her mind. Originally from Jamaica, she offers her perspective on US politics, how you used to be able to disagree with someone and still be friends with them, why she hates identity politics, and how people were always assuming what she thought because she’s black. She and Bridget discuss whether being racist or sexist is the worst vice a person can have, the cost of cutting family members out of your life, how victimhood requires constantly looking for oppressors, why we should ask people to learn about the parts of themselves they don’t like, and how everyone in America is rich compared to the rest of the world. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.phetasy.com/subscribeSupport the show

Tori Perrotti, aka “Target Tori,” talks with Bridget about her experience going viral, cyber-bullying, cancel culture, and the amazing positive support she received that inspired her to found the Pause. Be Kind platform. They discuss what they’ve each learned in the service industry, being an only child vs. the oldest of five, trade stories about being bullied in high school and how those experiences shaped them, and notice why it’s so hard to think of others in any given situation. Tori shares her desire to take what happened to her and use the opportunity to create something bigger, to spread a positive message, and to do something that would make her feel more fulfilled and contribute to society. It’s a refreshing and uplifting conversation in the midst of these darkly cynical times. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.phetasy.com/subscribeSupport the show

Cydnee Black uploaded her first makeup tutorial to YouTube in 2013, at that time, she was one of the few African Americans doing makeup tutorials. She now has over 1 million subscribers and is considered an “influencer” even though she despises that term. She has since transitioned into researching moments in history that interest her and creating informational videos about topics such as the Clarence Thomas/Anita Hill hearings, JFK’s affairs, and the life of Coco Chanel, while still doing makeup applications. She talks to Bridget being a black girl with blue eyes, how she was bullied for “speaking white,” and how she and her sister were the only black kids at their school. They cover why you should never idolize anyone on the internet, why women hate their bodies so much, keeping themselves small to make others feel more comfortable, BLM, cancel culture, psychics, colorism, and being your own brand. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.phetasy.com/subscribeSupport the show