Episode 55

full
Published on:

15th Jun 2026

Get Above Ye Raisin'

Weather, Yellowjackets, and Appalachian History: Tree Houses and the Underground Railroad

Hosts Beck and Dash chat about shifting weather and anxiety around a severe El Niño forecast, then Beck describes a brief health scare with their older dog Pita. They discuss TikTok videos of Europeans experiencing American chain restaurants, travel and food media influences like Anthony Bourdain, and cooking competition shows including Top Chef, Tournament of Champions, Bake Off, and Nailed It!. Beck and Dash share their “book report” homework, focusing on Yellowjackets—its crash-survival premise, dual timelines, genre mixing, diversity, and normalized queerness—plus concerns about production delays and unfinished series. Beck also recounts learning about Wonder Woman creator William Moulton Marston’s polyamorous life and Olive Byrne’s connection to Margaret Sanger, and revisits the horror story Wolfen. A sponsor segment nostalgically celebrates homemade rural tree houses. Beck’s “noun of Appalachian interest” explains the Underground Railroad’s complex, dangerous network and Appalachia’s borderland role, emphasizing freedom seekers’ agency.

This is the episode of the Uncivil Podcast we mentioned about the Combahee River Raid https://www.iheart.com/podcast/309-uncivil-28416157/episode/the-raid-28519919

Transcript
Beck:

Welcome to Queernecks, the podcast that puts the

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Yee Hall in y'all means hall.

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I'm your host, Beck,

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Dash: and I'm your host.

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Dash.

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Welcome to today's episode.

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Is it nice weather there?

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Beck: I don't know.

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I haven't been out in

daylight hours in a few days.

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It was nice last night, and

then the thunderstorms came.

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Seems to be nice out there.

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I don't know.

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I'm sitting in my perfectly

chilled 68-degree apartment

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Dash: Well, it's, it's chilly again here.

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Chilly to my, you know, Appalachian ass.

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It's like 65.

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Beck: Yehaw

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Dash: like c- I've had the windows open.

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Beck: Let's see what it is

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Dash: that I almost closed them

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Beck: Let's see.

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It is currently 81 degrees in Waterville

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Dash: Yehaw

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Beck: degrees Feels like 82

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Dash: Well, yeah, we had a

little heat wave where it got

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up into the 70s and low 80s, mm,

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Beck: Yeah, looks like it's gonna

be in the 70s for the next week.

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Today's in the 80s and

then 70s, 70s, 70s, 70s,

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Dash: Have you heard

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Beck: 70s, and so forth.

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Dash: Niño?

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Beck: Oh, no, what's that?

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Dash: Apparently we're having

worst El Niño in 200 years

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Beck: Does it come with

tomato and sour cream?

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Dash: I remember, this was the

late '90s, this was the first time

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I'd heard of El Niño and it was

apparently a, a fairly bad one then.

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It caused a lot of disruptions.

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but I was looking at…

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The things they use to predict that are,

sea predictive models for the jet stream

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and stuff like that, and so I was looking

at those, the temperature of the ocean is,

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like, projected to be 20 degrees warmer.

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That is catastrophic.

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Like,

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Beck: Yeah, it is

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Dash: water shortages, it's, it's

likely that this graph is a model

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that was a worst-case scenario, right?

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Like, it could be as high as

this, but still, Jesus Christ.

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Especially after the last several

years mi- fairly mild El Niños.

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Like, it was going down,

down, down, and this year…

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I, and I don't know what's causing

it to do that, like, what…

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Obviously, I'm not a climatologist.

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I don't know shit about shit,

but, so I, I don't know how to

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tell, like, where that came from.

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But then I was like, "Well, I better,

you know, my anxiety over here to Duck

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Duck Go and find out how that's gonna

kill us," and I was not disappointed

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Beck: I had another animal

scare last night, or yesterday.

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Got out of bed yesterday, and

Pita would not get out of bed.

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Normally, when it's time

to get up, she jumps down.

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There, I have a milk crate

at the end of my bed.

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It was covered in a rug.

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Super high-tech, but it

works as a step for her.

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And she usually just jumps down

on the, on the milk crate, and

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then jumps on the floor and we go.

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She would not, and I tried and I tried.

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So, Shanna came in and got her, and

carried her into the living room.

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She didn't wanna walk

on a leash yesterday.

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She didn't wanna eat.

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She didn't wanna do, like, anything.

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She kept, like, crying, 'cause we

had some errands to run yesterday.

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She let trucks go by

and didn't bark at them.

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Like, all of the signs that Pita

did not feel good yesterday.

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Dash: the Chihuahua death rattle.

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Beck: Yeah.

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Uh, but sh- l- last night she finally

ate something, and then she…

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I just fed the girls just

now, and she'd, she ate.

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She got out of bed this

morning, um, no problem.

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So, I don't know if it

was just a temporary…

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'Cause we went out, the night before,

the morning she woke up sick, we

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were out till 1:00 in the morning.

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Uh, we went to the drive-in

and watched a long movie.

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And so maybe she had too

much barking, or she was…

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I mean, she's getting to be an old lady.

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Maybe she had too much

excitement that night.

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Um, I don't know.

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But it really had me worried.

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Dash: Yeah,

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Beck: can't lose three dogs in six months.

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I just can't

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Dash: She just overdid it a little bit.

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She's

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Beck: Yehaw

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Dash: she's not a young woman.

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You can't take her out clubbing that late

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I, I know that you're, like,

intermittent on TikTok, but now my

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FYP has been taken over with Europeans

experiencing America 'cause we're

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Beck: Oh yeah

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Dash: Cup, and it's been a lot.

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Like, there's a lot going on.

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Like, there's some bickering because

apparently we're not doing a very good

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job of hosting the World Cup, and so

the, the people who are coming here…

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And, and I'm talking about, like, outside

of the fact that we literally keep

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detaining people for trying to come into

the country and either work at or compete

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in an event we hosted and invited them to.

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All of those complaints are legitimate.

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but, like, they're like,

they don't like our stadiums.

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They don't like the fact that

they can't walk places, like that,

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and it's like, "We warned you."

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But one of my favorite things is

people going around experiencing our

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restaurants for the first time, like

our chain restaurants, things that they

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don't have, it's so interesting because

they're just over the moon about…

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I saw this woman lose her mind

about Olive Garden earlier, and

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it was really fun and kinda…

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It was, like, totally sweet and wholesome.

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She was like, "I can have

all of this that I want?"

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And she was…

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it's so funny because yeah,

to us, like, that's mid, but

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she's from fucking England.

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It's like, compared to what they

eat over there, that's mean.

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Obviously, I don't know what, what

British cuisine is like, but you know,

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we're going off of stereotypes here.

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And some of the Americans in

her co- in her comments are

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like, " Ew, Olive Garden is so mid."

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And she was like, "To you maybe,

but I'm having the time of my life.

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Can't you just be happy for me?"

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And I'm like, I really vibe with that.

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Like, can we, can we just not be

snobs to people who enjoy right?

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They're going to all the diners.

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Somebody went to IHOP, and this guy

was just living for this half stack

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of pancakes he got with whipped cream

and strawberries on top and, you

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know it, it's really kind of sweet.

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Beck: I follow the opposite trend usually.

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I follow one guy's from Scotland

there's one guy from America that

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are traveling across mostly Asian

countries, and they try street food

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everywhere they go, and they talk to

the locals and that kind of thing.

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I find that, like, really,

really fascinating.

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And then there's this one

kid, his name is Dennis.

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He is Ukrainian by birth, speaks English

fluently as well as Ukrainian, and lives

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in China and goes to China public schools.

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So he is, like, eight years

old and trilingual, and

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Dash: Whoa

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Beck: But they let, the, the … He's

really cool because she sends him

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out grocery shopping by himself.

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He's literally between

eight and 10 years old.

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The, the account goes back a couple

of years, so some of the videos

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are of him a little bit younger.

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But he goes grocery shopping by

himself, he goes across town by himself.

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He does all kinds of things like that

by himself, stuff you could never do in

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America, and it, it's really interesting

to wa- I- But we're both culture nerds, so

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Dash: Yeah, exactly.

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I, love…

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I mean, travelogues are cool anyway,

but prefer it through the lens of food.

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I like people who are experiencing

cultures in all kinds of ways.

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A- Anthony Bourdain w- was really,

I really looked up to, to him,

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and I first experienced him

through his show, No Reservations.

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And the whole, like, conceit

of that show was, food is, is

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something really important.

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It cru- cuts across cultures.

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Food is, food is a place

where we can all meet.

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But also this idea that, like, you

don't have to wait around for someone

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to extend a specific invitation.

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Americans are not very good at traveling

abroad because expect, we have such

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inters- like, I don't know, specific

expectations of what, of how we should

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be treated and what it's gonna be like.

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And we are not cultured.

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We don't speak multiple

languages, you know?

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And so the whole idea behind

No Reservations was just show

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up and experience something.

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just go in with a, an open

heart and mind and, and just be

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happy to be impressed or, or,

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Beck: Yehaw

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Dash: disappointed.

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Who the fuck cares, you know?

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The point is to experience it, and

I, that was really a cool thing for

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me to have access to as a younger

person growing up where I did.

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Beck: I really liked The Frugal

Gourmet, and he talked a lot about

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traveling through Rome, and he

would show pictures in Italy and,

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you know, all over the place.

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His name was, I think, Ken Smith.

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Ken…

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Was it Ken?

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Jeff Smith.

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His name was Jeff Smith.

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There's a movie coming about him.

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He was disgraced because they found

out he was gay and he had a little

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twink boy and he fell from grace.

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He was a PBS star.

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He had a show called The Frugal

Gourmet, and he was very flamboyant.

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That was one of my first

entryways into food and culture

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Dash: people were still

shocked somehow when he came,

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Beck: Yehaw

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Watch food shows very

often, like Top Chef or

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Dash: I have occasionally,

I, I like The Bake Off.

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I like, I think it was Chopped

I was watching with Sabrina,

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'cause she likes that kinda thing.

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I do enjoy them whenever I, I sit

down with them, but it's not something

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that's a part of my regular rotation

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Beck: Top Chef just finished

their latest season last week.

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So I was cur- I, that was, we

watch, we watch it every season.

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Um, there was also the

Tournament of Champions on Food

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Network, which was really good.

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I think there's one that has been

recorded that I haven't seen.

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So basically, you know how there's,

like, a only a small pool of, of

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actors when it comes to those shows?

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Like, um, the same three judges show

up here, and they're cooks on the

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next show, and they're judges on this

show, and they're hosts on that show.

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And it's a very small

repertoire of, of people.

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But they go head-to-head, and it's a

blind taste test, and women have won

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every season, which I find fascinating

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Dash: now that you say that, I

guess the pool of people who are at

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that level of accomplished in the,

in cuisine or whatever and also

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good on camera is s- pretty small.

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Beck: Yeah.

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It's hosted by Guy Fieri

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Dash: Did you ever watch Nailed It!?

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Beck: Nope, haven't heard that one

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Dash: Is, it's not really

a cooking show, honestly.

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I mean, occasionally

something good happens.

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Occasionally somebody

makes something good.

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But the point of it is that these

people are not very good at It's

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usually, I think it's entirely baking.

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And it comes from that meme

from the mid-:

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somebody would attempt something.

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They're…

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Like, say like I decide I'm gonna

try to make a sculpture cake, and I

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don't know what I'm doing, and I'm

trying to make Elsa or whatever.

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Remember that, that picture

that I couldn't stop laughing

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at of the Elsa balloon?

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Beck: No, I don't remember

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Dash: oh, God, I've gotta show you.

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Maybe I didn't show it to you.

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But, like, somebody would attempt

something and then sit it next

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to the original, and it w- the,

it would say, "Nailed it," you

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know?

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Obviously they did not nail it

so it's, it's based on that.

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But so they would be people who were

like, "Yeah, I'm pretty decent at baking."

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And they would get them on and

get, set them challenges, give

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them enough time to do it, and

the results were fails normally.

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You know?

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Like, they just were not able to.

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But, like, they were trying, you know,

and it was just a normal person, and

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it was interesting to, to watch that.

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And also it was funny.

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And it was hosted by Nicole Byer, who

if you don't know her, you should.

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You would really enjoy her sense of humor.

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Beck: Sounds familiar.

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is

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Dash: like…

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Beck: she Black?

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Dash: Yeah, she goes way back

in the skit improv comedy

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Beck: That sounds familiar.

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Dash: Yeah.

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Beck: I think I know

who you're talking about

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Dash: she also has a podcast.

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Yeah, so she hosts it, and she's,

like, very funny, and there's

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this French chef guy who actually

does know how to bake cakes.

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He's very famous for them.

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I have laughed watching that show.

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But we're not making fun o- of

the people necessarily because

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of course they're not successful.

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We set them up to fail.

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The show is about setting them up

to fail and still kind of like, you

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know, they're all in it together.

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We're all here to fail collectively, and

I'm sitting on the couch here failing

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because I haven't even tried to do the

thing that you just failed at doing.

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So,

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Beck: Yehaw

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Dash: I'm not better than you.

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When I find this Elsa,

I'm gonna send it to you.

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But, I think…

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So I've watched a lot of that one.

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Probably that one and Bake Off is

the bake, is the ones I watched

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Beck: Yeah.

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Well, we watch Top Chef, we watch

the Tournament of Champions.

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Um, sometimes I'll watch Chopped, but

I've seen so many of them and it's such

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the same thing over and over and over.

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It gets on my nerves a little.

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I don't know.

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I like Top Chef because the

challenges change every time

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Oh, wow.

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Dash: I can't.

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Look at the fingers.

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Beck: Those are some ripped

abs she has there too

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That's terrible

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Dash: And like that person,

I'm just so impressed, right?

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That they did all of that work.

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They probably saw what was happening

fairly early on in the process, knew

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how it was gonna turn out, but they made

it, they finished it, they set it out

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where people could see it, and they took

pictures of it and put it on the internet

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That's, uh, you know, that's living life.

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That's using your free will

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Beck: And your talents

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Dash: Well we gave ourselves

homework ' cause we're insufferable.

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and I believe we, I believe it was

called Book Report, but we just

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decided that we would talk about

whatever we had watched or whatever.

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I d- I don't, we didn't really

say, like, whether it had

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to be recent, but, you know.

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What, what was that like?

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Did, what did you come up with?

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Beck: Well, I kind of struggled with

it because I am watching several

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different kinds of media this week.

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I, I went to the drive-in and saw

Declaration Day, which I do not

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recommend um, even though it's a

Spielberg … Disclosure Day, yeah.

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Even though it's a Spielberg

movie, it's really not great.

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Like, we, just kind of sat there

wondering, "Why is this so bad?"

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Like, what are we missing, you know?

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Dash: in that.

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Beck: Well, they give you no reason

to care about the characters,

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and they just tell a story, but

there's no connection to it, right?

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They … I d- I just didn't

think it was very good.

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Dash: Yeah.

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So Yellowjackets, you said

you're watching Yellowjackets.

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Did you finish

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season three?

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Is that…

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You said

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you were in the middle of season

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three

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Beck: Well, no, the middle of season two.

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We're in the middle of season two.

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Dash: Okay

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Beck: There's only three seasons, Yeah.

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So I know there's a lot

that I don't know yet.

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We're about halfway through, 'cause

there's three seasons and we're ab- I

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think we're on episode four or five.

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And things are starting to get weird

as shit, so I know it's gonna get…

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They show flashes of what's coming,

So I know things are gonna get really

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weird, so we'll see where that goes.

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And I know I'm totally late to this.

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I know everybody has already

been out in the wilderness.

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They already built a shrine.

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They already had a trauma response.

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They possibly have eaten somebody,

and I'm just now showing up

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saying, "Wait, what happened?"

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Right?

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Dash: Somebody's running

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Beck: got really…

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Yeah, they are.

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She's running for senator.

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Um, and she's, she's like the main

queer person in the, in the th- And

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that's another thing I love about it.

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There's so much queerness going on in it.

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Um, there seems to be kind of an equal

footing, at least for the '96 girls, uh,

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where it, there, you know, there's…

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Nobody even cares.

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There's, there's not a

lot of homophobia yet.

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I don't know if there will

be, but there doesn't seem to

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be a lot of homophobia yet.

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They treat it just like a regular…

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It, it bugs me when people introduce

gay characters just to have them

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stress about coming out or people

being mad that they're gay or whatever.

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Like that…

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trope is so overdone, You know?

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Just go on.

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We've already talked about coming out.

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What happens next, you know?

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Not everybody is traumatized.

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Like, just keep going.

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Dash: Of the li- a life for this person?

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Beck: Right, exactly.

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I am so many things.

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I am, I am so many different kinds

of person that I forget being queer

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is what people find interesting.

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It's like the eighth most interesting

thing about me, you know what I mean?

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Like, I just have so much else going on,

I just forget people care about that.

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But it's really good because they do kind

of forget to care about that in this show.

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There's lesbian make-out scenes,

there's a gay marriage and they have

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a kid and all that kind of stuff.

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Um, the, uh, if you've not watched

it, it's basically this group,

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this high school soccer team is

going to the national competition

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and their plane crashes on the

way into the Canadian wilderness.

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They have no idea where they are

but it's the Canadian wilderness,

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and they are there for 19 months.

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They tell you that, like, episode one.

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And so it's just time passing, and it

happens in:

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and they also show you what was

happening in 25 laters, 25 years later.

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Uh, so 2021, '22 is when the, the

second part of the show takes place.

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And it's just the parallel, the lives

of the young ones and the old ones.

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And it's got Juliette Lewis.

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It's got oh, what is her name?

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Dash: Christina Ricci

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Beck: Yeah, Christina Ricci.

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She plays a crazy-ass little lady.

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She gets crazier as the show goes on.

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Yeah

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Dash: does.

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I never know what she's gonna do next.

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I, I don't think I've

made it to season two yet.

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that's one of those

shows that I actually, I

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can't binge it it's so, saturated.

390

:

It's so, like, full of and, and

391

:

wackiness and stuff, and I'm somebody

that has to process things, I guess, when

392

:

they're, when it's jam-packed like that.

393

:

Beck: Right?

394

:

Dash: every time we turn

395

:

around and we do something wild, I be

like, "Wait a minute, wait a minute.

396

:

Okay, where does that go in my brain?"

397

:

Beck: Yeah.

398

:

Dash: But yeah, her, her

character is bug nuts.

399

:

Beck: Yeah.

400

:

Where are we allowed and,

celebrated to be so weird?

401

:

I appreciate how diverse

the characters are too

402

:

Like, there was just a wide variety, and

I can't imagine getting to an island with

403

:

all of them and having to make it work.

404

:

Because knowing what I know now,

as the only out queer person, I'd

405

:

not, I would not have done well.

406

:

I would have been the one they designated

to cry in the corner into my hoodie.

407

:

Um, I probably would've lost a

leg the first day or something.

408

:

Like, my luck is not great.

409

:

But I really like, in the show,

the, the diversity of characters.

410

:

It gives them, uh, a lot of different

things that can go on and change.

411

:

There's every kind of color.

412

:

There's every kind of race in there.

413

:

Um, everyone has different sexualities,

you know, different stories.

414

:

I think it's, I think it's really great

how diverse they let, they let people be.

415

:

Different moral compasses,

different ways of falling apart.

416

:

Dash: it's a mixed

417

:

genre show as well,

418

:

so kind of a mystery thriller procedural

because there's been a, a murder possibly.

419

:

This is in the present.

420

:

it's also kind of a horror thing because

they're stranded in the, in the woods

421

:

and, their perspectives on reality are

being challenged in different ways.

422

:

And I'm g- I'm not gonna give

away plot points, but like, you

423

:

know, it gives, it gives us an

424

:

opportunity to ask interesting

questions, like what happens when someone

425

:

is mentally unwell in a

426

:

survival situation like that?

427

:

This is something I liked

about The Walking Dead.

428

:

They did this occasionally.

429

:

Like I, I,

430

:

you know, I there were times,

there were seasons I loved

431

:

with Walking Dead, and then

432

:

a point where I could no longer

continue watching that stupid

433

:

ass show.

434

:

Beck: I've never seen an episode of it

435

:

Dash: w- and it's really, I don't

think for you, it would scare the

436

:

daylights out of you,

437

:

but,

438

:

Beck: Yehaw

439

:

Dash: what's really good about it

440

:

is a s- a

441

:

same thing Yellowjackets does, is use this

high pressure, really unusual situation

442

:

that none of us have ever been in

443

:

before, w- none of those people have

ever been in before, and most viewers

444

:

have never been in before, to ask

interesting questions about how people

445

:

react to things, how different people

446

:

with different shit

going on react to stuff.

447

:

Beck: There's a scene in the

first episode, so I don't feel

448

:

like I'm doing any spoilers

here 'cause it's first episode.

449

:

They crash the plane and Christina

Ricci's character as the young one

450

:

is looking for food or something.

451

:

I forget what she was looking for

but she comes ac ロ- across the

452

:

black box, you, know, the flight

recorder, and sh- it's blinking.

453

:

And so they could have found them

probably, but, she reaches into the thing

454

:

and pulls all the wires out and kills

it Now, I don't think that's a secret

455

:

that ever comes out because at least in

season two they're still talking to her.

456

:

You know what I mean?

457

:

Dash: And I love Melanie Lynskey,

458

:

Beck: That's who I was

trying to think of her name.

459

:

Yes.

460

:

Dash: Yeah.

461

:

Beck: great

462

:

Dash: so

463

:

lauren Ambrose also

464

:

shows up in season two.

465

:

I know, she was was kind of…

466

:

I would- I don't know if you'd call her a

queer icon in the '90s, but she was like

467

:

every lesbian I knew had

a crush on Lauren Ambrose

468

:

in the '90s.

469

:

Beck: Do you have red hair?

470

:

Dash: Yep

471

:

Beck: yeah, then she just came into

the the s- the episodes that we're in.

472

:

I like how they're handling all

the characters, and I love how

473

:

normal they make being queer

474

:

Dash: Yeah.

475

:

That's awesome.

476

:

Well, now I will, I will jump

back in and finish it then.

477

:

That way

478

:

we can talk about it.

479

:

Beck: Okay.

480

:

We're taking it a couple, 'cause

Shanna, Shanna works from 6:00 AM

481

:

until 3:00 PM most days, so she

has to leave for work at 5:00 AM.

482

:

So she goes to bed pretty early, so we can

only get, like, one or two episodes in.

483

:

She was off the last few days, so

we got a couple of extra episodes

484

:

in, but we work pretty slowly

through them, so you have time

485

:

Dash: S- I think somewhere out

there there's gonna, there was

486

:

either supposed to be or may still

be a fourth season, a final season.

487

:

Got, had some issues.

488

:

They had,

489

:

To shut down for COVID, and then when

490

:

people were allowed to start again,

they s- they couldn't because

491

:

Juliette Lewis is a Scientologist,

492

:

she wouldn't take the vaccine.

493

:

and then after they were only

contracted for five years, so now

494

:

they've gotta convince these people

to either sign a new contract or…

495

:

I know

496

:

more about the production than the

show just because I, I like to read

497

:

about stuff like

498

:

that.

499

:

Um, so I hope they get to

500

:

tell the rest of the story,

501

:

In

502

:

a way that they wanted to for, for,

503

:

you know, their sake and for the viewers

504

:

Beck: I'm just curious

how they're gonna end it,

505

:

Dash: Oh, well that's the worst.

506

:

If they don't get to do

it, then that would suck.

507

:

You know, something, the

same thing happened with…

508

:

Well, it happens a lot, right?

509

:

Shows, shows that have that are building

to something, that are doing a long

510

:

form storytelling, one of the hazards

of a television show that does that

511

:

is that it could get canceled before

they get to finish telling the story.

512

:

this this is what happened

to Firefly, which is,

513

:

a sore spot for a lot of nerds.

514

:

This is a Joss Whedon show from

515

:

2002, and it's, called a space

western because they're essentially

516

:

cowboys and it is essentially,

517

:

know the, the western genre, but in space.

518

:

it was not a good fit, and

it was a great show, right?

519

:

Fuck Joss Whedon and what he did to

the, to the people, especially the

520

:

women who worked on his shows.

521

:

But

522

:

Firefly's a

523

:

great show

524

:

Beck: Right?

525

:

Dash: Slayer is a great show.

526

:

But in

527

:

2002, people weren't interested in

528

:

stories like that

529

:

because were very, like,

angry, right, about 9/11.

530

:

All of television and film

rearranged itself in the year:

531

:

and so it just, it was really

bad timing for a show like that.

532

:

So it got canceled after one season.

533

:

So then they made a movie, they

released a movie afterwards to wrap

534

:

up the story, and it was okay

535

:

Beck: Not everybody

gets that chance though.

536

:

There's lots of shows that have wrapped,

and I have no idea what happened.

537

:

There was another show, I can't remember

the name of it, but that was another group

538

:

of girls that get stranded on an island.

539

:

Basically, they are sent away to this

camp for behavior modification, and

540

:

it's how they survive on this island.

541

:

Um, and then at the second season,

there's some boys introduced, um,

542

:

the boy's side of the, the thing.

543

:

Um, and then I was really interested.

544

:

Like, they had some really good stories

starting there, and then they cut the

545

:

show So I was very upset about that.

546

:

which is kind of why I strayed away from

Yellowjackets for So long because it kind

547

:

of made me angry that I had already seen

a show like that and it didn't finish.

548

:

So I kind of took it out on

Yellowjackets 'cause it's the

549

:

same genre, which is stupid, but

That's the way human brains work.

550

:

Like, like that Hot One show, I

had to physically tell myself, "You

551

:

don't have to like hot wings to

actually watch that show, Becky."

552

:

You know?

553

:

Like

554

:

Dash: That's so funny.

555

:

Hot Ones is cool too because it's like

556

:

h- the idea of it is

he's n- he's very good

557

:

at his job.

558

:

Beck: Yehaw

559

:

Dash: like wants to

560

:

ask really interesting

561

:

questions of

562

:

people who are probably tired of getting

the same old questions asked at, of them.

563

:

Well I had a couple of…

564

:

I had a, a hard time deciding as well,

which makes sense because the both of us

565

:

consume so much various forms of media.

566

:

Everybody does, right?

567

:

But like, in particular we both

like read and watch a lot of things.

568

:

have kids, right?

569

:

When we get to do, we get to

spend our time how we want to.

570

:

But there were two things that I've,

happened that were interesting to me

571

:

because they were kind of intertextual.

572

:

they like…

573

:

So one is like Wikipedia free fall

is something I do a lot of times

574

:

if I'm watching something or if I

think about something I'll be like,

575

:

"Oh, I, I wanna read about that."

576

:

I'll go to Wikipedia and read about it.

577

:

And so I was checking back in with

something I already knew about based on a

578

:

movie I had seen of someone I already knew

about that I was r- really interested in.

579

:

So the creator of Wonder Woman was

a guy named I forget his first name.

580

:

I think it was William Moulton

Marston, but he, everybody called

581

:

him Moulton Marston, who's a

professor of psychology I think.

582

:

And, ever noticed like things

about Wonder Woman that are

583

:

kind of like- S&M coded, right?

584

:

She has a whip.

585

:

The only way to disempower her

is to handcuff her, to put her

586

:

two, like wristbands together

and she can't move anymore.

587

:

so even, like, her outfit is

a kind of, like, S&M getup.

588

:

And we have to, like, take this

back to its original thing.

589

:

Well, he was, he was into S&M,

actually very early adopter

590

:

of the American S&M scene,

591

:

a more mainstream, like, not

the severe underground kind.

592

:

You know?

593

:

Like, by this time he was getting

into it, there were shops and

594

:

stuff where you could buy the gear.

595

:

So it was a more organized

596

:

underground scene.

597

:

So I, I knew about him, and I found

that really interesting, and then

598

:

they made a movie about him called,

Professor, I think, Marston and the

599

:

Wonder Women.

600

:

Google it just to make

sure that's what it's

601

:

called

602

:

Beck: That sounds familiar

603

:

Dash: Y- yeah, from 2017,

Marston & the Wonder Women.

604

:

it's, you know, it's,

it's not a great movie.

605

:

It's good.

606

:

I enjoyed it.

607

:

It's got…

608

:

You know, biopics are hard, the re- even

more interesting than his, like in, like

609

:

being into S&M and, like, Wonder Woman

coming out of that and being kind of a

610

:

representation of a woman, it was more

of a dom sub type thing, was that he was

611

:

polyamorous, and he had a wife that he

was legally married to, and then they

612

:

had a girlfriend who lived with them,

and she was the inspiration for Wonder

613

:

Woman, the o- the, like, their third,

actually, she started out as a student.

614

:

It was very…

615

:

Like, so both he and his wife

were professors of psychology, and

616

:

then this woman was their student.

617

:

She fell in love with the wife first,

and then like, they all talked about

618

:

it, and they all decided that they

were cool with becoming a throuple.

619

:

And so, like, this was in

'40, or the '30s and '40s.

620

:

And so, like, they were just

really living a secret queer life.

621

:

And then started to have children, right?

622

:

Like, the third woman, who wasn't

married to him, like, their…

623

:

They got very complex.

624

:

They had to move places because people

would find out or start to suspect

625

:

about them, and then they would get

run out and have to move somewhere new.

626

:

and so the movie is, like, does

interesting things with that.

627

:

But the movie also, One thing it

does is take the opportunity to

628

:

use mise-en-scène like a comic book

pane, like the panel of a page.

629

:

So there's so many beautiful visuals

of, especially of this woman who's

630

:

the inspiration for Wonder Woman,

and she's played by Bella Heathcote.

631

:

And the, t- M- M- Marston and his

wife are played by, Luke Evans,

632

:

who's doing Rocky Horror right now.

633

:

Have you seen the y- images

of him, like, in his getup?

634

:

He just, he looks fantastic.

635

:

Kind of ugly, but also fantastic,

which I think really works for Frank N.

636

:

Furter.

637

:

And Rebecca Hall, who's one

of my favorite actresses.

638

:

I love her.

639

:

She's gorgeous Anyway, so it's a,

it's a really kinda sweet movie

640

:

about these people who make an

unconventional relationship work.

641

:

After he died, he died kind

of young of lung cancer, they

642

:

stayed together, these two women.

643

:

Like, they just kept raising

their kids together and stayed,

644

:

together and never, neither one

of them married another person.

645

:

But the woman who was the

646

:

inspiration for Wonder- Wonder Woman,

647

:

Her name was Olive Byrne.

648

:

And so I was like, Well, I

don't know anything about her,"

649

:

'cause I had read about Marston and

his wife, And I was like, I don't know

650

:

anything about her."

651

:

And so I r- started reading about, her

and all of a sudden randomly there's this

652

:

line, that, let's see, "Byrne

was delivered into an Irish

653

:

American family by her aunt, Margaret

654

:

Sanger."

655

:

Beck: Well, Lord.

656

:

Like the Margaret Sanger?

657

:

Dash: Yeah.

658

:

Beck: Wow

659

:

Dash: Isn't that

660

:

crazy?

661

:

Beck: That's not notable or anything I

always tell my students, "If you've ever

662

:

had sex that was for non-reproductive

purposes, pour one out for old Margaret."

663

:

Dash: Yeah.

664

:

So like her mother was Ethel Byrne,

who was Margaret Sanger's sister.

665

:

I wonder if she was in the

movie and I didn't realize it.

666

:

That would've been cool

667

:

But another thing um, that I watched

was actually just last night.

668

:

I do a l- this version of

669

:

it's not watching movies, it's watching

about movies, if that makes sense.

670

:

I open up…

671

:

I have a, quite a few Plex libraries

672

:

of just various people,

673

:

Beck: What's a flex library?

674

:

Dash: Plex is a a remote server

setup situation where people

675

:

can load files of movies into

676

:

their server, and if they've

shared it with you, you can

677

:

stream that from wherever you are.

678

:

So my dad has one, my brother-in-law

has one, and Eric has one.

679

:

So between all of them, not only do I have

680

:

every movie ever made, I've

got some seriously deep cuts.

681

:

And yeah, a lot of that stuff

probably fell off the back of

682

:

a truck, but I didn't pick it

683

:

up off the back of a

truck, so I'm not doing

684

:

wrong.

685

:

It was

686

:

them.

687

:

Beck: Right

688

:

Dash: but Eric has

689

:

his organized into horror

movies and all other movies.

690

:

And so I'll open up the horror

movies library and set it to organize

691

:

randomly, which is really cool.

692

:

But I saw a movie called Wolfen.

693

:

Do you remember an author who was a

big deal in the '70s, '80s, and '90s

694

:

named Whitley Strieber?

695

:

Beck: Doesn't ring a bell, no

696

:

Dash: He, a dude.

697

:

He, he believes he was abducted

by aliens and so he's written

698

:

several installments of

699

:

an autobiography is kinda what

he calls it, but it's just the

700

:

stories of, of him being abducted

701

:

by aliens.

702

:

But he also writes fiction.

703

:

Although a lot of it is also about aliens.

704

:

But he…

705

:

The first book he ever wrote is called

706

:

The Wolfen.

707

:

I read it when I was, like, eight I was

way too young to be reading a horror.

708

:

by then I had already read

709

:

other horror.

710

:

I'd been reading Stephen King.

711

:

I was, like…

712

:

It was somewhere between eight and 10.

713

:

Beck: You were reading Stephen

King at eight years old?

714

:

Dash: Yeah, I know.

715

:

I learned to read on that stuff because

it was what we had in the house.

716

:

So once I knew how to read and stuff, I

would, I would take those and read them.

717

:

And they're not, like, incredibly

complex literature, but there was

718

:

plenty of stuff I didn't understand.

719

:

You know?

720

:

Like, I think back now to, like,

e- every so often, a scene I read

721

:

that I didn't understand at the time

will download in my brain, and I'll

722

:

remember, like, "Oh, that's what

was going on in this certain scene."

723

:

But yeah, I was reading

that stuff pretty young.

724

:

So this book was, like, really

simplistic compared to those.

725

:

I fully understood everything

that happened in it it was…

726

:

It's actually not a very good book.

727

:

But what is so interesting about

it is that it's still terrifying.

728

:

It scared the shit out

of me, and it's awful.

729

:

It's an objectively bad book.

730

:

It's poorly written.

731

:

It's, it's tropey and generic and…

732

:

But the idea is so scary I was, like,

kept awake by it at night because it's

733

:

about these, like, shape-shifting wolves.

734

:

Or not shape-shifting, they're,

they're just this, like, secret hidden

735

:

species of hybrid or something, like

intelligent wolf, that's been living

736

:

for centuries alongside us, but we

didn't know about it because they,

737

:

like, our, our society throws away.

738

:

they, you know, on the homeless people

or, you know, addicts or, you know,

739

:

whatever, and we never noticed them.

740

:

And that idea was compelling

to me, and I was like, "Maybe

741

:

they really are out there."

742

:

But movie also added this layer

743

:

of commentary about gentrification,

and it was so extra.

744

:

But it also, again, was legitimately

creepy, and they didn't even show the

745

:

monsters 'cause it was made in 1981.

746

:

are they gonna do?

747

:

You know, put a guy in a costume?

748

:

funny, not scary.

749

:

so I watched a movie, and I

was pleasantly surprised by,

750

:

they tried to do something with

751

:

it, and it was scary

752

:

Beck: Thought I was being brave watching

Unsolved Mysteries, and you were over

753

:

here watching shape-shifting werewolves.

754

:

Yeah, we are not the same.

755

:

Dash: Anyway, maybe it's a good

756

:

time to hear from this week's sponsor

757

:

Beck: Sounds good to me

758

:

Dash: All right.

759

:

This episode of Queernecks is brought

to you by the Homemade Tree House.

760

:

are honored today to be sponsored

by one of the fundamental formative

761

:

processes of foolhardy rural engineering.

762

:

Today, people of means have their

pick of luxury backyard cedar

763

:

pavilions built by contractor using

blueprints and pressure-treated wood.

764

:

But the tree houses of our youth were

absolute death traps constructed by

765

:

three neighborhood kids who found

a rusty hammer and a box of bent

766

:

roofing nails on a Saturday afternoon.

767

:

It was character-building to

waste a whole day building a death

768

:

trap from materials you might as

well have built a coffin out of.

769

:

Abandoning all reason, math, physics,

and parental supervision, you had

770

:

a water-logged piece of plywood for

the floor, a single green two-by-four

771

:

holding up the main weight, and three

mismatched plastic milk crates for stairs.

772

:

You nailed the whole thing directly

into a scraggly pine using hardware

773

:

never meant to hold human weight,

creating a civil engineering crisis

774

:

thirty feet above the gravel.

775

:

The actual completion of the

structure was never realized.

776

:

You ran out of nails by nightfall,

or you realized nobody had the upper

777

:

body strength to haul a discarded

car seat up into the branches.

778

:

The project just stopped, leaving

a half-finished platform of exposed

779

:

wood and jagged edges hanging over

the creek bed for the next six years.

780

:

though it was missing three walls and

a roof, that platform stayed central

781

:

to every single game you played.

782

:

It was a pirate ship, a spaceship, a

top-secret military bunker, conjured

783

:

from the oppressive boredom of summers

in the holler and held together by

784

:

frayed bungee cords and the grace of God.

785

:

from this vantage point,

your problems felt small, and

786

:

the world seemed less sharp.

787

:

Every time the wind blew, the whole

structure groaned in a way that

788

:

should have triggered an evacuation.

789

:

But you just sat up there anyway, sharing

a sleeve of stale saltines and planning

790

:

your eventual escape from the country.

791

:

For certain slightly different kids

trying to find an unsurveilled corner

792

:

of the world, this shaky wooden

deck was a sovereign queer nation.

793

:

It was the one place where you could

sit above the tree line, look out over

794

:

the ridges, and make up your own rules

for how life was supposed to work.

795

:

The Homemade Tree House, teaching country

kids how to trust a structure held

796

:

together by hope long before we had to do

the exact same thing with our adult lives.

797

:

now back to the unsanctioned,

ill-thought-out, dangerous, but

798

:

necessary project we call this

podcast, also built out of whatever

799

:

scrap we found lying around.

800

:

We legit would just nail

a stick into the crook

801

:

of a tree and call it a tree house.

802

:

Beck: I was always too

afraid to climb trees.

803

:

Afraid I was gonna fall

804

:

Dash: Oh, really?

805

:

Fallen's kind

806

:

Beck: Yeah.

807

:

Dash: it.

808

:

Beck: Yeah.

809

:

I was, I was, I don't know,

I was always a big kid And so

810

:

I always felt I was too big,

811

:

that if I hit the ground

it was gonna hurt too much.

812

:

So I just never did.

813

:

My brother was all into it.

814

:

it was just, I didn't like getting

dirty, except for softball, 'cause that's

815

:

where you're supposed to get dirty.

816

:

But other than

817

:

that I didn't like getting sweaty

818

:

I still like that

819

:

Dash: and you have to

820

:

s- I think y- you have to get used to that

821

:

young.

822

:

So like s- getting into

823

:

being an outdoor person

after a certain age

824

:

is probably different, 'cause

you gotta get over that like

825

:

discomfort, the f- the icky

826

:

feeling, you know?

827

:

But whereas if you were a kid,

you were always used to it

828

:

Beck: Yehaw

829

:

Dash: Yeah.

830

:

Something about pine trees

831

:

too.

832

:

You could climb those things forever

833

:

Did you bring a noun of

Appalachian interest?

834

:

Beck: I did.

835

:

Let me pull It up here.

836

:

Dash: Lord, stick with us, internet.

837

:

Beck: Please, please, if I, if I

cut out, just let me know, okay?

838

:

Dash: Okay

839

:

Beck: All right, today's noun

of Appalachian interest is

840

:

the Underground Railroad.

841

:

Now, I know what you may be

thinking, "Beck, that is not a noun.

842

:

That is a whole historical system."

843

:

And to that, I say, first of all,

don't grammar police me on my own

844

:

podcast, but second of all, yes it is.

845

:

It is a noun phrase, and

that absolutely counts.

846

:

I will take my points and a little

biscuit on the side wherever

847

:

I can get them, thank you.

848

:

something we should say out loud

before somebody pictures Harriet Tubman

849

:

in a little conductor hat yelling,

"All aboard," through the mountains.

850

:

The Underground Railroad was a, not a real

train, and it was not just a few people.

851

:

It was a, not a tidy little map

with dotted lines and snack stops.

852

:

It was a dangerous, secret, changing

network of people, homes, roads,

853

:

rivers, woods, churches, caves, wagons,

boats, courage, and lies told to

854

:

slave catchers with a straight face.

855

:

It was dangerous work.

856

:

And Appalachia matters in that story

because Appalachia sits in the borderland.

857

:

the mountains and river valleys

of this region were not just

858

:

pretty scenery for a calendar your

aunt buys at the dollar store.

859

:

They were passageways and hiding places.

860

:

Every road was the hard road, and

then there were places where a person

861

:

might find help, but also places where

a person could be easily betrayed.

862

:

The Ohio River was one of

the big dividing lines.

863

:

On one side was Kentucky, which was

a slave state, and on the other side,

864

:

Ohio and Indiana were free states.

865

:

Ohio was a free state by one vote, though.

866

:

That's something I learned when doing

my research for my master's thesis.

867

:

But free state did not mean safe.

868

:

Let's be real about that.

869

:

Crossing a river did not ma-

magically fix racism, poverty,

870

:

danger, the culture, or even the law.

871

:

The fugitive slave acts meant

that freedom seekers could still

872

:

be hunted and dragged back south.

873

:

so when we talk about the Underground

Railroad in Appalachia, we are talking

874

:

about people risking everything

because the world they lived in

875

:

was built to deny them liberty.

876

:

And the terrain itself could

be both a helper and a threat.

877

:

A mountain road could hide you,

but it could also wear you out.

878

:

A river could carry you towards

freedom, but it could also drown you,

879

:

and a holler could shelter you, but

only if the right person lived there.

880

:

Like we've learned here on

Queernecks, Appalachia is not

881

:

and was not just one thing.

882

:

It was never just one thing.

883

:

It held enslavers, abolitionists, free

Black communities, Quakers, poor white

884

:

families, bounty hunters, church folks,

wagon drivers That is one of the things

885

:

I want us to sit with, for a moment.

886

:

The Underground Railroad was not

only famous names like, Harriet

887

:

Tubman and Frederick Douglass.

888

:

It was also thousands and, of unnamed,

anonymous people who opened a door or

889

:

left food or even rode a boat or looked

the other way or said, "No, I haven't

890

:

seen anybody," while absolutely and

definitely having seen somebody and,

891

:

hear me say this, I do not wanna turn

this into one of those stories where

892

:

white people get centered as the heroes.

893

:

That happens a lot with the Underground

Railroad, but not on my watch.

894

:

Folks love to tell stories like

freedom was something handed down

895

:

by nice white abolitionists with

clean aprons and good intentions.

896

:

But the heart of the story is the

enslaved Black people choosing freedom

897

:

for themselves, choosing danger over

bondage, choosing the unknown over the

898

:

known horror, choosing to run, to walk,

to hide, to swim, to climb, to keep going.

899

:

And that's the story.

900

:

That, that the helpers mattered.

901

:

Uh, Lord, they mattered.

902

:

But freedom seekers were not just being

carried along, they were making impossible

903

:

choices in a world that punished them

for wanting to own their own bodies.

904

:

And that is why the Underground

Railroad belongs in Appalachian history.

905

:

Like everything else, it's complicated.

906

:

It's not because Appalachia

was perfect, because it wasn't.

907

:

Nor were the mountains innocent.

908

:

Not every cabin was a safe house, and

every river crossing ended in freedom.

909

:

No, It happened because this

region was part of the struggle.

910

:

The same ridges and rivers people now

talk about beauty were part of the escape,

911

:

the fear, the survival, the resistance.

912

:

So when you hear Underground

Railroad, Picture someone

913

:

cold, hungry, still moving.

914

:

A house where people inside know that

helping them could cost everything.

915

:

Picture Appalachia not as a

backdrop, but a place where history

916

:

ran through the woods, across the

water, and up the mountain roads.

917

:

And if you were taught that Appalachian

history is only coal mines, front porches,

918

:

and old time music, well, bless your

heart, somebody left a whole lot out.

919

:

Do yourself a favor and

research this f- further.

920

:

There are lots of stories to be told.

921

:

And remember sometimes that the most

Appalachian thing a person can do is look

922

:

at an unjust law, shut the door behind

somebody who needs shelter, and say, "I

923

:

don't know what you're talking about."

924

:

Dash: Wow.

925

:

Very informative one

926

:

Beck: Y- I learned a lot about the

Underground Railroad when I was doing

927

:

my my thesis research because it w-

w- Portsmouth was definitely on the

928

:

Ohio-Kentucky, you know, border there.

929

:

Like the, the guy that wrote

the 13th Amendment, the one

930

:

that abolished slavery,

right, grew up in Portsmouth.

931

:

He, he saw people being s- stolen into

the slave trade on the river where he

932

:

worked with his dad, which formed his

his politics for generations to come.

933

:

He became Lincoln's right-hand man.

934

:

He ran for mayor and lost, and

that's when he went to Washington and

935

:

became the influencer that he became.

936

:

We don't even have a, a road named

after that guy, which is insane to me.

937

:

Yeah.

938

:

But, like, the Scioto River goes all

the way up to Columbus, and then it

939

:

continues all the way up to Detroit.

940

:

So if you got to Portsmouth, like

a lot of people talk about going to

941

:

Cincinnati and going up to Detroit that

way, but if you were on the river, you

942

:

could go literally from South Shore,

Kentucky across the river there, go

943

:

to the creek at Scioto, and go all the

way up through Lucasville up through

944

:

Piketon, Waverly, to Chillicothe,

to Columbus, and you could run to

945

:

Detroit from there, and it was a clear,

straight line to freedom on the water.

946

:

But we don't talk about that at

all where I'm from, which is a Damn

947

:

shame

948

:

Dash: Well, There's a great

episode of the podcast Uncivil.

949

:

Have you heard that?

950

:

Beck: I haven't

951

:

Dash: Y- I fucking love that podcast.

952

:

I'm gonna send you a link to it.

953

:

You would…

954

:

You're gonna

955

:

love it.

956

:

It's,

957

:

Beck: Okay

958

:

Dash: It's this historian, he

was pro- professor at Clemson,

959

:

and he's talking about…

960

:

He selects under recognized, moments,

kinda like what we do with the Noun

961

:

of Appalachian Interest, right, but,

like, more serious, about the, the

962

:

time period around the Civil War.

963

:

but he did an episode on the Combahee

River raid where you know, Harriet

964

:

Tubman, It's so badass, and I'm not

gonna do it justice, but basically

965

:

she spent a, 24 going back and

forth bringing hordes of slaves from

966

:

this plantation that was across the

967

:

river.

968

:

was, she led an expedition of 150

969

:

of 'em, and the 2nd South

Carolina Infantry, these, f- like,

970

:

people had already been freed

971

:

by the Emancipation Proclamation and

972

:

joined the Union Army.

973

:

But, like, this raid is

974

:

so badass because they

just, like, she didn't stop,

975

:

and she got hundreds of them.

976

:

if it says how

977

:

many.

978

:

300 men just in one evening on June 1st,

979

:

1863, 300

980

:

Beck: I learned a lot about Harriet

Tubman when I read a couple of

981

:

months ago, um, Harriet Tubman Live

in Concert by Bob the Drag Queen.

982

:

Um, it's, it's, I mean, it's, it's

a wild story, but, you actually

983

:

learn a lot of actual Harriet

Tubman history when you read it.

984

:

I gave it four out of five stars.

985

:

I would recommend, you know.

986

:

That's a, that's a good one to, to read

987

:

Dash: I'm writing it down this time

because I didn't last time you said it

988

:

Beck: It sounds so funny.

989

:

Harriet Tubman Live in Concert.

990

:

Dash: very Bob.

991

:

Fucking love

992

:

Beck: Yeah.

993

:

Speaker 3: Hello, this is

editing dash cutting in here

994

:

with a technical announcement.

995

:

So we lost, um, the rest of this,

these recordings to internet demons.

996

:

So you're about to hear us, um,

spin the wheel and come up with our

997

:

assignment for next week, and then.

998

:

the episode's gonna transition

to our very first episode.

999

:

Not the whole thing, but bits of it.

:

00:44:23,759 --> 00:44:28,379

And I thought we could, uh,

celebrate one year by looking at

:

00:44:28,379 --> 00:44:29,639

whether we've improved or not.

:

00:44:29,639 --> 00:44:30,749

So you be the judge.

:

00:44:31,428 --> 00:44:35,428

Dash: All right, so we should spin the

wheel and find out what kind of the

:

00:44:35,428 --> 00:44:39,925

topic of what we're gonna talk about

next week . wow, this is a good one.

:

00:44:39,925 --> 00:44:40,805

I'm excited for this.

:

00:44:40,825 --> 00:44:41,955

We got joke thief.

:

00:44:43,031 --> 00:44:43,041

Beck: Ooh

:

00:44:43,393 --> 00:44:48,893

Dash: So a joke that makes you laugh or

a comedy set that you think about a lot.

:

00:44:48,893 --> 00:44:51,473

I'm always replaying some of

my favorite ones in my head.

:

00:44:51,767 --> 00:44:51,777

Beck: Yehaw

:

00:44:51,950 --> 00:44:55,910

Dash: just gonna maybe, like, think

of a few and jot them down throughout

:

00:44:55,910 --> 00:44:58,770

the week, and then try to tell them.

:

00:44:59,110 --> 00:45:01,710

It's kinda tricky telling

somebody else's joke, but, you

:

00:45:01,793 --> 00:45:01,803

Beck: Yehaw

:

00:45:02,390 --> 00:45:05,080

Dash: Can say what you think

is funny about it or whatever

:

00:45:05,631 --> 00:45:07,281

Beck: I've got like 10

different ideas already.

:

00:45:07,612 --> 00:45:08,352

Dash: Yeah, me too.

:

00:45:14,980 --> 00:45:16,960

I got kind of a redneck podcast set up.

:

00:45:17,290 --> 00:45:18,010

To be honest.

:

00:45:18,130 --> 00:45:21,040

I've got like some lamps

clipped to the side.

:

00:45:21,540 --> 00:45:25,770

Of the table, and I don't have a

stand for the mic, so it's just like

:

00:45:25,770 --> 00:45:27,930

sitting on the desk in front of me.

:

00:45:27,930 --> 00:45:31,530

Beck: I've got a table from mom's

house that I use as my everyday table.

:

00:45:31,530 --> 00:45:33,750

I keep all my shit on it

and I just spread out.

:

00:45:33,800 --> 00:45:34,970

I have my bookcase here.

:

00:45:35,300 --> 00:45:38,480

I have a whole lighting set up, but

we don't need to worry about that.

:

00:45:38,980 --> 00:45:39,460

Dash: Cool.

:

00:45:39,520 --> 00:45:39,640

Yeah.

:

00:45:39,640 --> 00:45:42,430

I don't have anything, like all my

books are in the floor behind me here.

:

00:45:42,610 --> 00:45:45,310

Beck: Most of my books are still

in storage 'cause we knew we were

:

00:45:45,310 --> 00:45:48,160

only gonna be here for a year, so

we really didn't unpack that much.

:

00:45:48,280 --> 00:45:51,460

Dash: Is that some sort of, because

I'm, no matter how long I'm gonna stay

:

00:45:51,460 --> 00:45:56,700

somewhere, I don't unpack, , I don't

know if that's some homeless fear

:

00:45:56,760 --> 00:46:01,770

that like this trauma of , I'm always

afraid that I'm gonna lose my house

:

00:46:01,820 --> 00:46:02,270

Beck: right.

:

00:46:02,360 --> 00:46:03,470

Dash: But I still live like that.

:

00:46:03,470 --> 00:46:03,890

I guess

:

00:46:03,890 --> 00:46:05,750

Beck: I worry about being able to feed us.

:

00:46:05,870 --> 00:46:06,770

That's my big worry.

:

00:46:07,160 --> 00:46:10,550

. And having things like we have

more underwear than God should give

:

00:46:11,050 --> 00:46:13,960

because you know, that's just stuff

you didn't have when we were kids.

:

00:46:14,560 --> 00:46:16,390

Dash: You know how many

pairs of shoes I've got?

:

00:46:16,690 --> 00:46:16,900

Beck: Yeah.

:

00:46:17,400 --> 00:46:19,590

Dash: Because we, when we were

kids, we'd grow out of them.

:

00:46:19,710 --> 00:46:23,850

Like I, I grew like a weed and we

got all our shoes at the yard sales.

:

00:46:23,970 --> 00:46:27,830

And , there's like one brief window

a time where whatever pair you have

:

00:46:27,830 --> 00:46:31,700

fits you right, and then that goes

by pretty fast or they wear out.

:

00:46:31,745 --> 00:46:33,785

So now I just like hoard shoes.

:

00:46:33,845 --> 00:46:35,255

Beck: My mom would take me shopping.

:

00:46:35,285 --> 00:46:38,105

Um, we'd go to Columbus 'cause

it was the closest big city.

:

00:46:38,155 --> 00:46:39,865

so we would go to the JC Penney outlet.

:

00:46:40,075 --> 00:46:43,945

And, on the way there, we would stop

at a video poker machine and mom

:

00:46:43,945 --> 00:46:45,325

would play for a couple of hours.

:

00:46:45,325 --> 00:46:46,705

And then we'd go to JC Penney.

:

00:46:46,705 --> 00:46:50,515

And then on the way back we'd stop at the

horse track and she would play the horses.

:

00:46:50,795 --> 00:46:53,015

Yeah, so gambling was a big part.

:

00:46:53,165 --> 00:46:56,435

There were many times we had no money

and my dad would send my mom to Bingo.

:

00:46:56,735 --> 00:46:56,795

Yeah.

:

00:46:56,795 --> 00:46:58,925

And she'd come home with a couple

hundred dollars, you know, it's

:

00:46:58,925 --> 00:46:59,105

Dash: an in

:

00:46:59,105 --> 00:46:59,585

Beck: investment.

:

00:47:00,215 --> 00:47:01,295

Yeah, it was.

:

00:47:01,655 --> 00:47:04,115

They played the lottery

like it was their 401k.

:

00:47:04,385 --> 00:47:06,215

Dash: I almost thought about

playing the lottery the other day.

:

00:47:06,215 --> 00:47:07,745

I've never had that

impulse once in my life.

:

00:47:07,985 --> 00:47:09,215

Beck: Big go pretty regularly.

:

00:47:09,305 --> 00:47:11,375

Um, that just started

a couple of months ago.

:

00:47:11,425 --> 00:47:12,955

it just makes me feel close to mom.

:

00:47:13,105 --> 00:47:13,525

Dash: Yeah.

:

00:47:13,735 --> 00:47:17,665

The further away I live, the more

I'm like noticing the things I miss.

:

00:47:17,665 --> 00:47:19,165

So they don't have pawn shops here.

:

00:47:19,505 --> 00:47:21,875

I've never lived anywhere that

doesn't have poverty before.

:

00:47:22,085 --> 00:47:26,585

And so I can't function here because

all of the things that we built to make

:

00:47:26,585 --> 00:47:28,025

up for the stuff that wasn't available.

:

00:47:28,025 --> 00:47:28,205

Right.

:

00:47:28,205 --> 00:47:30,635

Those micro economies,

nobody trades for shit.

:

00:47:30,635 --> 00:47:30,935

Here.

:

00:47:30,965 --> 00:47:33,125

If people need to get rid of

something, they try to sell it to you.

:

00:47:33,455 --> 00:47:33,605

Beck: Yeah, and

:

00:47:33,605 --> 00:47:36,365

Dash: it's like, okay, like

they will try to squeeze five

:

00:47:36,365 --> 00:47:37,505

bucks out of a piece of garbage.

:

00:47:37,580 --> 00:47:40,700

Beck: I just had to deal with a bunch of

redneck men selling all my dad's stuff.

:

00:47:41,180 --> 00:47:43,460

So that was, yeah, that was a lot of fun.

:

00:47:43,460 --> 00:47:47,330

Negotiating prices on shit

with them on like boats and tow

:

00:47:47,330 --> 00:47:49,250

trucks and all kinds of shit.

:

00:47:49,820 --> 00:47:50,900

Dash: But like I need shit.

:

00:47:51,110 --> 00:47:53,000

And I'm trying to ask folks,

like, where do you get your tools?

:

00:47:53,000 --> 00:47:55,700

You telling me just go to ACE Hardware

and pay full price for new shit?

:

00:47:56,000 --> 00:47:56,480

Beck: Right.

:

00:47:56,855 --> 00:48:00,845

Dash: I need a pawn shop that I can

walk into and get a $5 20-year-old

:

00:48:01,085 --> 00:48:04,895

black decker that I can abuse

until it flies apart in my hands.

:

00:48:05,225 --> 00:48:06,125

And they don't do that here.

:

00:48:06,625 --> 00:48:06,865

But

:

00:48:06,955 --> 00:48:08,845

Beck: are they, are they illegal

or they just don't have 'em?

:

00:48:08,845 --> 00:48:10,915

'cause they don't have that kind of issue.

:

00:48:11,415 --> 00:48:12,375

Dash: Nobody's hungry.

:

00:48:12,585 --> 00:48:14,055

Nobody worries about losing their house.

:

00:48:14,085 --> 00:48:14,865

It is bizarre.

:

00:48:15,375 --> 00:48:15,435

Wow.

:

00:48:15,435 --> 00:48:15,855

And thing.

:

00:48:15,855 --> 00:48:18,585

And it's not like stuff is

cheaper and it's not like anybody

:

00:48:18,585 --> 00:48:19,665

makes a shit load of money.

:

00:48:19,845 --> 00:48:20,805

You know what it is?

:

00:48:20,895 --> 00:48:26,385

Is they have, they have

socialized state backed healthcare

:

00:48:26,775 --> 00:48:27,555

Beck: safety nets,

:

00:48:27,735 --> 00:48:29,385

Dash: safety nets, right back home.

:

00:48:29,415 --> 00:48:32,415

Everybody goes broke on healthcare

until they die of whatever.

:

00:48:32,415 --> 00:48:34,185

The last thing they

couldn't afford was here.

:

00:48:34,185 --> 00:48:35,265

Man, I'm spoiled.

:

00:48:35,355 --> 00:48:38,895

It's just the shit you need

falls from the heavens here and.

:

00:48:39,345 --> 00:48:43,995

It's so, like, I arranged my,

my problem solving skills,

:

00:48:43,995 --> 00:48:45,585

they just don't apply here.

:

00:48:45,645 --> 00:48:49,785

So it's, it's weird to get used to, but

growing up, you know, like there was a

:

00:48:49,785 --> 00:48:53,775

Walmart in Kentucky, in Tennessee and

there still is not, there still ain't

:

00:48:53,775 --> 00:48:58,155

nothing where I grew up, but mom and dad,

you know, they both worked multiple jobs.

:

00:48:58,155 --> 00:49:03,315

And so, and then like once, once a month

we went grocery shopping for five people

:

00:49:03,815 --> 00:49:06,005

and three rapidly growing fucking.

:

00:49:06,505 --> 00:49:08,515

Corn pone, redneck children.

:

00:49:09,015 --> 00:49:12,885

I remember like the first of the month,

we'd get our food stamps and they'd load

:

00:49:12,885 --> 00:49:17,175

us all up into my dad's van, big Bertha,

which was this cargo van, and we would

:

00:49:17,175 --> 00:49:20,295

drive it up to Kentucky and spend hours.

:

00:49:20,475 --> 00:49:23,145

Each of us would get our own shopping

cart and fill it with everything.

:

00:49:23,145 --> 00:49:24,165

We each had a list.

:

00:49:24,165 --> 00:49:24,710

We had to get.

:

00:49:25,095 --> 00:49:26,925

I loads grocery shopping.

:

00:49:26,955 --> 00:49:27,975

To this day, I won't do it.

:

00:49:28,185 --> 00:49:28,815

Beck: I won't either.

:

00:49:29,415 --> 00:49:30,375

Dash: It sucks.

:

00:49:30,435 --> 00:49:30,855

And then you

:

00:49:30,855 --> 00:49:32,145

Beck: gotta do, I'll only do pickup.

:

00:49:32,325 --> 00:49:33,225

Dash: Yeah, you do.

:

00:49:33,225 --> 00:49:36,195

And then we get home and you gotta

fucking load it all in a trailer

:

00:49:36,195 --> 00:49:37,665

that the five of you barely fit in.

:

00:49:37,815 --> 00:49:38,115

Beck: Yeah.

:

00:49:38,235 --> 00:49:41,615

Dash: Much less the month

supply of shit you just bought.

:

00:49:41,915 --> 00:49:43,265

And then you gotta make it last a month.

:

00:49:43,265 --> 00:49:45,125

I mean, just our whole lives.

:

00:49:45,330 --> 00:49:49,740

Revolved around the logistics

of procuring food and resources.

:

00:49:49,740 --> 00:49:54,480

And now it's even, you would think that

I would feel good that it's easier now,

:

00:49:54,480 --> 00:49:55,740

but I don't know what to do with myself.

:

00:49:55,740 --> 00:49:56,580

I don't know how to function.

:

00:49:56,700 --> 00:49:57,930

Beck: Yeah, no, I get it.

:

00:49:58,050 --> 00:49:59,460

I wanna give all my money away.

:

00:49:59,520 --> 00:50:03,721

I like find myself donating to like

different causes and pet shelters and

:

00:50:04,380 --> 00:50:07,590

you know, I have like $10 to spare and

I'm like, who could I give this to?

:

00:50:07,710 --> 00:50:11,010

And I, I don't think people that

grew up with money have that

:

00:50:11,010 --> 00:50:13,710

same kind of, you know, urge.

:

00:50:14,210 --> 00:50:14,450

Dash: No.

:

00:50:14,450 --> 00:50:17,900

And like, you know, if you need to

downsize or something, like there's this,

:

00:50:17,900 --> 00:50:22,220

listserv that everybody at the university

uses, even retired people are on it.

:

00:50:22,220 --> 00:50:24,710

And if they need to get rid of

something, they'll send a message out

:

00:50:24,710 --> 00:50:27,530

and they'll be like, I'm selling this, or

whatever, and it'll be some horse shit.

:

00:50:27,620 --> 00:50:31,070

But it's still like, you, you can't,

if I need something, I'm, I'm, I'm not

:

00:50:31,070 --> 00:50:34,070

gonna sit around and wait until somebody

happens to send it through this listserv.

:

00:50:34,340 --> 00:50:34,430

Right?

:

00:50:34,430 --> 00:50:36,080

And so for them, that's a luxury.

:

00:50:36,080 --> 00:50:37,310

They're like, oh, interesting.

:

00:50:37,310 --> 00:50:38,390

I always wanted one of those.

:

00:50:38,390 --> 00:50:41,000

And for me, I'm like,

where do I get a $5 drill?

:

00:50:41,500 --> 00:50:42,640

They do have those here.

:

00:50:42,640 --> 00:50:43,840

They have garage sales here.

:

00:50:44,410 --> 00:50:46,930

They've been having 'em lately, so

I've picked up some stuff there.

:

00:50:47,080 --> 00:50:52,330

It's mostly the people that have 'em is

the old folks who are going into homes,

:

00:50:52,360 --> 00:50:54,310

so I've gotten all my furniture that way.

:

00:50:54,810 --> 00:50:56,010

What's today's topic, Becky?

:

00:50:56,160 --> 00:50:59,040

Beck: The first thing that popped into

my mind was the story that my grandpa

:

00:50:59,040 --> 00:51:00,690

told me about running moonshine.

:

00:51:00,750 --> 00:51:02,430

Dash: We'd going straight

to Pappy stories.

:

00:51:02,820 --> 00:51:02,880

Beck: Yeah.

:

00:51:02,880 --> 00:51:06,120

The first thing that popped into my mind,

because he brought him up, my grandfather,

:

00:51:06,300 --> 00:51:08,280

my papa, he was such a character.

:

00:51:08,340 --> 00:51:10,110

He was one of the kindest

men I have ever known.

:

00:51:10,110 --> 00:51:11,610

It was my adopted grandfather.

:

00:51:11,675 --> 00:51:15,155

He told me a story one time when he,

he was born in the twenties, so in the

:

00:51:15,155 --> 00:51:18,325

thirties he was, you know, around a

teenager, when there was prohibition

:

00:51:18,325 --> 00:51:22,165

and all that kind of stuff going on, and

they were making moonshine and one of

:

00:51:22,165 --> 00:51:26,305

the stills up on the hill and he said it

was, it was at night and he went running

:

00:51:26,305 --> 00:51:28,945

'cause he was trying to tell 'em all

that the revenues were coming right.

:

00:51:29,095 --> 00:51:32,695

So he ran and the cop finally caught

him and he said that he was in sitting

:

00:51:32,695 --> 00:51:34,315

in the cop car and he was just shaking.

:

00:51:34,435 --> 00:51:36,205

And the cop was like, what's

the matter with you boy?

:

00:51:36,205 --> 00:51:37,165

And he is like, I'm cold.

:

00:51:37,165 --> 00:51:39,115

And the cop was like,

it's the middle of July.

:

00:51:39,615 --> 00:51:40,875

Dash: Nothing to see here.

:

00:51:41,025 --> 00:51:42,495

Did you have bootleggers

where you grew up?

:

00:51:42,765 --> 00:51:43,305

Beck: Did I have what?

:

00:51:43,545 --> 00:51:44,265

Dash: Bootleggers.

:

00:51:44,355 --> 00:51:44,715

Beck: Oh yeah.

:

00:51:45,315 --> 00:51:46,305

Dash: Was it a dry county?

:

00:51:46,455 --> 00:51:49,215

Beck: No, but the township

that I was in was dry.

:

00:51:49,715 --> 00:51:53,495

You had to go across the river to get, you

had to go into Lucasville to get liquor.

:

00:51:53,615 --> 00:51:56,375

Dash: Did they have one of those

systems like you, you'd drive up

:

00:51:56,375 --> 00:51:57,875

and like flick your lights and

:

00:51:57,935 --> 00:52:01,085

Beck: I never bought ev All of

the moonshine that I have had has

:

00:52:01,085 --> 00:52:02,725

been given to me, without asking.

:

00:52:02,725 --> 00:52:03,745

'cause I'm not a big drinker.

:

00:52:03,745 --> 00:52:04,075

Right.

:

00:52:04,075 --> 00:52:04,345

Dash: Yeah.

:

00:52:04,525 --> 00:52:07,405

Beck: There was a lot of alcoholism in

my family, so I'm not a big drinker,

:

00:52:07,495 --> 00:52:11,185

but all of the moonshine that I have

been given has been basically against

:

00:52:11,185 --> 00:52:13,795

my will when I first moved to West.

:

00:52:13,795 --> 00:52:17,245

I think I gave you a, a pint of

the apple pie moonshine, didn't I?

:

00:52:17,455 --> 00:52:17,815

Dash: Yeah.

:

00:52:18,095 --> 00:52:19,325

Beck: Yeah, it was delicious.

:

00:52:19,535 --> 00:52:20,405

That was from one of my cousins.

:

00:52:20,465 --> 00:52:22,175

I still know people who

are making moonshine.

:

00:52:22,175 --> 00:52:23,225

That's, it's been going on.

:

00:52:23,405 --> 00:52:25,625

It's never been not

happening up that hill.

:

00:52:25,715 --> 00:52:27,575

Dash: My aunt makes it, well, she did.

:

00:52:27,575 --> 00:52:28,325

Last time I talked to her.

:

00:52:28,355 --> 00:52:30,395

We had bootleggers for like,

that's where you had to get beer.

:

00:52:30,895 --> 00:52:33,595

And so when we were in high school, we

would drive up to the bootleggers and

:

00:52:33,595 --> 00:52:37,945

like there was a whole complicated system

with ATVs going up the hill and stuff.

:

00:52:38,005 --> 00:52:39,775

Beck: Well, you could get

liquor and stuff in Portsmouth.

:

00:52:39,775 --> 00:52:42,715

The state liquor store was there so

you could get anything like that.

:

00:52:42,715 --> 00:52:46,785

You could get beer in Lucasville, on the

other side of the river, but on my, on the

:

00:52:46,785 --> 00:52:50,325

north, so there's the valley side of the

river and the northwest side of the river.

:

00:52:50,685 --> 00:52:53,385

I went to school on the valley

side of the river, but lived on

:

00:52:53,385 --> 00:52:54,705

the northwest side of the river.

:

00:52:54,885 --> 00:52:58,215

And over in Valley, you could get

beer and stuff like that, but over

:

00:52:58,215 --> 00:53:00,705

in Morgan Township, they It was dry.

:

00:53:00,825 --> 00:53:02,265

Dash: Yeah, it was dry for.

:

00:53:02,670 --> 00:53:03,690

All the counties around.

:

00:53:03,690 --> 00:53:05,730

So it was like the whole Tri-County area.

:

00:53:05,730 --> 00:53:09,720

And like you could go down to Tennessee,

people would go down to Geico to get

:

00:53:09,960 --> 00:53:11,820

beer, but you couldn't get liquor there.

:

00:53:11,820 --> 00:53:15,310

You couldn't get anything harder

than malt liquor down in, Jellico.

:

00:53:15,420 --> 00:53:18,840

Beck: Yeah, he was just moonshine

around me and a lot of those moonshiners

:

00:53:18,840 --> 00:53:20,820

moved into weed in the later years.

:

00:53:21,360 --> 00:53:22,800

There's a of weed up big run.

:

00:53:23,130 --> 00:53:24,990

Dash: The entrepreneurial spirit.

:

00:53:25,200 --> 00:53:25,620

Beck: Yeah.

:

00:53:25,950 --> 00:53:28,920

Well, there's not a, there's not a

stitch of flat land all the way up that

:

00:53:28,920 --> 00:53:31,890

holler, so they grow it on the side of

the hill and do all that kind of stuffed.

:

00:53:32,390 --> 00:53:36,650

Yeah, there, it's big run is seven miles

long and there's a lot that happens on it.

:

00:53:36,890 --> 00:53:39,200

If you go all the way

out, fa all the way out.

:

00:53:39,230 --> 00:53:39,860

big run.

:

00:53:39,920 --> 00:53:42,560

On the other side of it, there's

a family dollar out there because

:

00:53:42,620 --> 00:53:45,800

there are family dollars and dollar

generals everywhere out there.

:

00:53:46,300 --> 00:53:49,060

Dash: Like a family dollar or

just the Dollar Store family.

:

00:53:49,060 --> 00:53:50,920

I think they're all the

same company anyway.

:

00:53:51,490 --> 00:53:51,790

Beck: Holy

:

00:53:51,850 --> 00:53:55,540

Dash: and waffle House basically

holds Central Appalachia together.

:

00:53:55,690 --> 00:53:57,970

Beck: There's no Waffle House in

Soda County here, anywhere near

:

00:53:58,030 --> 00:53:59,230

Dash: there actually

wasn't where I grew up.

:

00:53:59,410 --> 00:54:01,540

Well, there wasn't restaurants,

there wasn't stores.

:

00:54:01,660 --> 00:54:01,960

I mean,

:

00:54:02,460 --> 00:54:06,270

Beck: just got a Taco Bell, like the

day we moved out, they opened their

:

00:54:06,270 --> 00:54:09,690

doors for business and before that

all we had was a Wendy's and that was

:

00:54:09,690 --> 00:54:11,820

still big, pretty fancy for Lucasville.

:

00:54:11,940 --> 00:54:13,230

Dash: There was a Kentucky Fried chicken.

:

00:54:13,460 --> 00:54:17,990

What was like your family's indulgent,

like not, I mean like the kind, we ate

:

00:54:18,230 --> 00:54:19,205

Beck: so much fast food.

:

00:54:19,490 --> 00:54:23,090

Dash: Like were y'all on fast food

omnivores or was there one in particular?

:

00:54:23,210 --> 00:54:27,290

Beck: So mom and my mom and dad both

worked a lot and Giovanni's Pizza,

:

00:54:27,290 --> 00:54:28,790

you've heard me talk about that a lot.

:

00:54:28,790 --> 00:54:29,270

Dash: Yeah, right.

:

00:54:29,320 --> 00:54:30,280

Beck: that was a big one.

:

00:54:30,280 --> 00:54:32,935

And then there was this place called

Jim Dandy, where you could get

:

00:54:32,975 --> 00:54:37,120

a big mo and a Coke for 99 cents

and we'd have 'em deliver like 20

:

00:54:37,120 --> 00:54:38,830

big mos and Cokes to our house.

:

00:54:39,260 --> 00:54:43,760

Mom, my mom grew up fairly poor and

her mom always bought, I don't know

:

00:54:43,760 --> 00:54:47,030

what the equivalent of generic was

back in the fifties and sixties.

:

00:54:47,240 --> 00:54:47,960

Dash: Store brand.

:

00:54:48,350 --> 00:54:48,680

Beck: Yeah.

:

00:54:48,680 --> 00:54:51,530

My mom refused to buy the store

brand of anything She bought

:

00:54:51,530 --> 00:54:54,410

name, brand, everything, even

when we couldn't afford it.

:

00:54:54,470 --> 00:54:58,100

Dash: Where I lived, there wasn't

fast food and, um, it was a, it was

:

00:54:58,190 --> 00:55:00,110

like a food desert in every way.

:

00:55:00,170 --> 00:55:00,710

There wasn't a.

:

00:55:01,230 --> 00:55:04,950

A grocery store or a fast food, but

we could drive into Kentucky and

:

00:55:04,950 --> 00:55:06,570

get something in my trailer park.

:

00:55:06,570 --> 00:55:09,660

There was a competition like you

were, you were high dollar if you

:

00:55:09,660 --> 00:55:12,630

could get off of help, like you

were king of the trailer park if you

:

00:55:12,630 --> 00:55:14,100

were not on assistance that month.

:

00:55:14,250 --> 00:55:14,370

Beck: Yeah.

:

00:55:14,370 --> 00:55:16,500

I felt pretty proud when I was

able to call the welfare office

:

00:55:16,500 --> 00:55:17,700

and tell 'em to turn mine off.

:

00:55:17,940 --> 00:55:18,240

Dash: Yeah.

:

00:55:18,240 --> 00:55:20,530

I don't know it's a little bit of

that bootstrap thing, but there's

:

00:55:20,530 --> 00:55:23,980

also just nothing wrong with feeling

like you've accomplished something.

:

00:55:23,980 --> 00:55:24,310

Beck: Yeah.

:

00:55:24,810 --> 00:55:27,180

I didn't until I got this

job being an adjunct.

:

00:55:27,180 --> 00:55:28,290

You have to be on welfare.

:

00:55:28,590 --> 00:55:28,650

Yeah.

:

00:55:28,650 --> 00:55:29,700

You have to be on Medicaid.

:

00:55:29,700 --> 00:55:31,830

I take 16 different medications, dude.

:

00:55:31,860 --> 00:55:31,950

Mm-hmm.

:

00:55:32,450 --> 00:55:36,560

My insulin alone is like 90

bucks, you know, and I, I just

:

00:55:36,560 --> 00:55:40,250

don't have that to shell out all

the time, times 16, you know?

:

00:55:40,340 --> 00:55:40,850

And.

:

00:55:41,030 --> 00:55:42,960

It's a lot, but yeah, I totally get it.

:

00:55:42,960 --> 00:55:45,660

Having insurance, and I was very

proud to, I don't think we were

:

00:55:45,660 --> 00:55:46,950

on welfare when I was a kid.

:

00:55:47,190 --> 00:55:49,680

We didn't have insurance, but

it wasn't required back then.

:

00:55:49,770 --> 00:55:52,140

I had insurance through

my biological father.

:

00:55:52,230 --> 00:55:53,160

He was an iron.

:

00:55:53,160 --> 00:55:53,220

Wow.

:

00:55:53,280 --> 00:55:54,510

He was a union iron worker.

:

00:55:54,690 --> 00:55:55,950

Dash: We didn't have a doctor.

:

00:55:56,100 --> 00:56:00,900

There was a place we would drive to down

the holler called Windham Sham, that it

:

00:56:00,900 --> 00:56:05,550

was a, I believe he was a physician's

assistant and he had somebody's pad.

:

00:56:05,640 --> 00:56:08,970

We never saw whoever's

name was on the pad.

:

00:56:09,550 --> 00:56:11,770

Whoever this doctor was,

but he was pretty good.

:

00:56:11,770 --> 00:56:15,070

Like he could, you know, if we were sick,

we could go down there and there was some

:

00:56:15,070 --> 00:56:18,280

people in there who could draw blood and

stuff, but like, you know, we didn't die.

:

00:56:18,580 --> 00:56:21,130

Beck: Lucasville was one of those small

towns that had a pharmacy that your

:

00:56:21,130 --> 00:56:24,490

papapa could go in and come out with

antibiotics, you know, for the dog.

:

00:56:24,610 --> 00:56:27,070

They would just say they were for the dog,

but you could get whatever you needed.

:

00:56:27,160 --> 00:56:28,870

Lucasville was one of those small towns.

:

00:56:29,200 --> 00:56:32,350

My grandma won the, the

countywide Christmas decorating

:

00:56:32,350 --> 00:56:33,400

contest a couple of times.

:

00:56:33,900 --> 00:56:36,690

When we were moving, when we were

going through all the stuff I found

:

00:56:36,690 --> 00:56:40,530

they copied, they did a xerox copy

of the check that she got one time.

:

00:56:40,530 --> 00:56:43,140

So I got to see that where she,

it was from the radio station,

:

00:56:43,380 --> 00:56:44,850

they sponsored the contest.

:

00:56:45,030 --> 00:56:45,720

It was cool.

:

00:56:46,220 --> 00:56:48,310

Dash: Well, we called

this show Queernecks.

:

00:56:48,620 --> 00:56:53,000

I mean, I, I just sort of said that

as a, I'm a fan of a Port Manto.

:

00:56:53,060 --> 00:56:54,890

It's just sort of part

of my brand of humor.

:

00:56:55,390 --> 00:56:56,290

but you know, I.

:

00:56:56,790 --> 00:56:58,830

Like people don't leave where

I'm from, but people don't leave.

:

00:56:59,040 --> 00:57:02,790

Geico, me and my, my siblings

and my cousins we're the first

:

00:57:02,790 --> 00:57:04,740

generation of people who left

:

00:57:04,740 --> 00:57:05,010

Beck: mine.

:

00:57:05,010 --> 00:57:07,080

You either get out young

or you stay there forever.

:

00:57:07,290 --> 00:57:07,590

There's

:

00:57:07,590 --> 00:57:08,010

Dash: nowhere in

:

00:57:08,010 --> 00:57:08,280

Beck: between.

:

00:57:08,285 --> 00:57:08,465

Yeah.

:

00:57:08,470 --> 00:57:08,820

Dash: Yeah.

:

00:57:08,850 --> 00:57:12,450

And so I never meet other people

like me in general, but if I

:

00:57:12,450 --> 00:57:15,630

do, on the rare occasion that I

do, they did not grow up queer.

:

00:57:16,130 --> 00:57:17,330

Where did people work?

:

00:57:17,420 --> 00:57:18,770

Like where was the big employer

:

00:57:19,100 --> 00:57:19,970

Beck: at the hospital?

:

00:57:19,970 --> 00:57:22,460

The prison, there isn't

a lot of factory works.

:

00:57:22,460 --> 00:57:26,000

There was a big shoelace factory,

but it's down to like 20 employees.

:

00:57:26,360 --> 00:57:29,150

Dash: That was like, that was

like industry, like y'all had

:

00:57:29,150 --> 00:57:29,300

Beck: stuff.

:

00:57:29,725 --> 00:57:30,005

Steel mill.

:

00:57:30,170 --> 00:57:30,890

Steel mills.

:

00:57:31,125 --> 00:57:31,545

Dash: Wow.

:

00:57:31,665 --> 00:57:34,515

Beck: There's still steel

mills, still steel mills there.

:

00:57:34,515 --> 00:57:38,625

Now we're, we're right on the cusp

of coal too, like an hour from us.

:

00:57:38,625 --> 00:57:41,595

There's coal miners everywhere, but

they, that's not something that has

:

00:57:41,595 --> 00:57:43,395

extended down into southern Ohio yet.

:

00:57:43,455 --> 00:57:45,855

I don't know if it's just not

there, but in West Virginia you

:

00:57:45,855 --> 00:57:48,405

can, there's, you know, you know,

there's all kinds of coal there.

:

00:57:48,495 --> 00:57:48,615

Dash: Yeah.

:

00:57:48,615 --> 00:57:51,170

That's the only work we,

that Geico had was the mine.

:

00:57:51,630 --> 00:57:52,050

Beck: Yeah,

:

00:57:52,260 --> 00:57:54,840

Dash: so that's what my dad

did for the longest time.

:

00:57:55,080 --> 00:57:56,730

Beck: A lot of truck

drivers, that kind of thing.

:

00:57:56,730 --> 00:58:00,450

Dash: My Uncle Steve became one

later, but that's only because my

:

00:58:00,450 --> 00:58:03,600

dad's parents were actually kind

of rich 'cause they owned the mine.

:

00:58:03,750 --> 00:58:05,490

'cause you had to have

money to be a truck driver.

:

00:58:05,730 --> 00:58:07,860

But yeah, dad worked in the

mine for a long time and

:

00:58:07,860 --> 00:58:08,760

then he just joined the Army.

:

00:58:09,060 --> 00:58:10,680

And then after he come out of the army.

:

00:58:11,180 --> 00:58:14,210

Was in the National Guard for a

while and then he went to work

:

00:58:14,210 --> 00:58:15,680

for the railroad as a brakeman.

:

00:58:15,830 --> 00:58:16,850

Beck: That's another big one.

:

00:58:16,850 --> 00:58:18,500

I know a lot of people

that work for the railroad.

:

00:58:18,660 --> 00:58:20,700

A lot of manual labor kind of stuff.

:

00:58:20,820 --> 00:58:21,210

Dash: Oh yeah.

:

00:58:21,210 --> 00:58:21,810

That's the only, yeah.

:

00:58:22,380 --> 00:58:25,170

Beck: And if you go down there now,

I mean, you can work at the hospital.

:

00:58:25,170 --> 00:58:27,810

You're lucky if you can get a

job at the university, but it's

:

00:58:27,810 --> 00:58:29,520

so small, you know what I mean?

:

00:58:29,520 --> 00:58:32,220

That they need adjuncts like

crazy because they're paying like

:

00:58:32,220 --> 00:58:34,650

$125 a week, a month per class.

:

00:58:34,740 --> 00:58:37,200

It's ridiculous how low

they pay their adjuncts.

:

00:58:37,200 --> 00:58:41,925

I was teaching three classes and making

like four 50 a month and that was it.

:

00:58:42,015 --> 00:58:43,725

Grading English and that kind of thing.

:

00:58:43,725 --> 00:58:45,105

Anyway, there's the hospital.

:

00:58:45,105 --> 00:58:46,365

There's a lot of fast food.

:

00:58:46,425 --> 00:58:48,795

There's more pizza places

than anything in there.

:

00:58:49,095 --> 00:58:51,225

Do you know who Jamie Oliver is that chef?

:

00:58:51,655 --> 00:58:52,855

he came into Huntington.

:

00:58:52,855 --> 00:58:53,215

Huntington.

:

00:58:53,290 --> 00:58:54,010

I remember Virginia.

:

00:58:54,530 --> 00:58:55,165

Dash: I remember that.

:

00:58:55,615 --> 00:58:56,005

Beck: Yeah.

:

00:58:56,275 --> 00:58:57,025

That, that's our.

:

00:58:57,525 --> 00:58:58,635

That's, you know what I mean?

:

00:58:58,635 --> 00:59:00,345

That's, that's the kind

of place that I'm from.

:

00:59:00,395 --> 00:59:01,595

Dash: Mine was one of the skinniest.

:

00:59:01,685 --> 00:59:02,765

Beck: Yeah, mine's one of the fattest.

:

00:59:02,765 --> 00:59:05,225

But there's more fast

food and there's, yeah.

:

00:59:05,255 --> 00:59:05,825

You know what I mean?

:

00:59:05,825 --> 00:59:06,575

That kind of thing.

:

00:59:06,695 --> 00:59:09,335

Dash: So like you didn't grow

up eating, I guess probably

:

00:59:09,335 --> 00:59:11,495

like hill people food then if

:

00:59:11,495 --> 00:59:11,586

Beck: you ate.

:

00:59:11,591 --> 00:59:12,785

I didn't eat a lot of vegetables.

:

00:59:12,785 --> 00:59:16,085

My sister and I have both lamented that we

never knew what a fresh peach tastes like,

:

00:59:16,235 --> 00:59:17,825

and now I'm almost too afraid to try it.

:

00:59:18,225 --> 00:59:21,255

Dash: Yeah, I mean, anything we couldn't

grow just came in a can because you

:

00:59:21,255 --> 00:59:24,285

buy groceries once a month, you can't,

you're not buying anything fresh.

:

00:59:24,495 --> 00:59:29,115

I thought asparagus was disgusting until

I realized that I had only ever eaten that

:

00:59:29,115 --> 00:59:34,005

can kind, that turns into mucus and so

I had fresh asparagus once as an adult.

:

00:59:34,005 --> 00:59:37,035

I was in my twenties and I was like,

this is ain't, this ain't the same shit.

:

00:59:37,320 --> 00:59:37,650

Beck: Yeah.

:

00:59:37,920 --> 00:59:38,040

Dash: What

:

00:59:38,040 --> 00:59:38,190

Beck: is this?

:

00:59:38,190 --> 00:59:42,270

I, well, I had, I had, I had Appalachian

grandmothers, so I got a lot of

:

00:59:42,270 --> 00:59:47,010

fresh bread and I got, you know, a

lot of roasts and fried chicken and

:

00:59:47,070 --> 00:59:49,140

biscuits and gravy and fried potatoes.

:

00:59:49,260 --> 00:59:50,520

Dash: Did you ever eat poke salad?

:

00:59:50,730 --> 00:59:53,880

Beck: My grandpa would, would fry up

anything that he caught in his traps.

:

00:59:54,220 --> 00:59:57,600

he kept an acre garden up on the

hill, on the land that I just sold.

:

00:59:57,750 --> 00:59:58,710

he'd have traps out.

:

00:59:58,710 --> 01:00:02,120

So you'd go to his house and he'd have, a

groundhog called fried up sitting there.

:

01:00:02,150 --> 01:00:02,990

Dash: Oh my God.

:

01:00:03,080 --> 01:00:03,500

Beck: Yeah.

:

01:00:03,620 --> 01:00:04,640

Things like I, I.

:

01:00:05,140 --> 01:00:07,600

I will not eat meat at a

random person's house ever.

:

01:00:07,940 --> 01:00:08,930

because of my grandfather.

:

01:00:08,930 --> 01:00:10,010

He tried to trick me into it.

:

01:00:10,010 --> 01:00:13,760

I almost thought I almost took a bite one

time and it was like gopher or something.

:

01:00:13,850 --> 01:00:14,300

It was ugh,

:

01:00:14,930 --> 01:00:16,070

Dash: no gopher's, good eating,

:

01:00:16,160 --> 01:00:16,820

Beck: no thank

:

01:00:16,820 --> 01:00:17,420

Dash: turtles.

:

01:00:17,920 --> 01:00:18,400

You, yeah,

:

01:00:18,580 --> 01:00:19,420

Beck: no, thank you.

:

01:00:19,600 --> 01:00:22,570

Dash: I mean, there wasn't, people

didn't really eat much meat, honestly.

:

01:00:22,570 --> 01:00:26,890

I mean, it, there was, they ate a lot of

pork fat, a lot of, but they, you're not

:

01:00:26,890 --> 01:00:29,950

gonna slaughter anything else because

it's either working or producing milk.

:

01:00:30,190 --> 01:00:30,580

Beck: Right.

:

01:00:31,080 --> 01:00:34,440

Dash: So it's like occasionally

somebody would slaughter a cow

:

01:00:34,440 --> 01:00:35,460

that got too old or something.

:

01:00:35,460 --> 01:00:37,770

We would have meat for fucking months.

:

01:00:37,950 --> 01:00:38,730

It was amazing.

:

01:00:38,790 --> 01:00:44,160

But we ate a lot of, a lot of this,

the like recipes where I'm from

:

01:00:44,160 --> 01:00:48,480

revolve around pig fat of some

kind, bacon grease and a green.

:

01:00:48,600 --> 01:00:49,860

Beck: My mom ate this concoction.

:

01:00:49,860 --> 01:00:53,580

She would put buttermilk in a cup and

a green onion, the whole thing, and

:

01:00:53,580 --> 01:00:56,790

pour bacon grease and put cornbread

in it and eat it with a spoon.

:

01:00:56,940 --> 01:00:57,120

Dash: Yep.

:

01:00:57,330 --> 01:00:58,320

My dad still does that.

:

01:00:58,605 --> 01:01:00,885

Beck: Yeah, it was like one of her

favorite things in the whole world.

:

01:01:00,885 --> 01:01:00,975

Did

:

01:01:00,975 --> 01:01:02,655

Dash: she put sugar in it or, or pepper?

:

01:01:02,805 --> 01:01:03,465

Beck: Uh, pepper.

:

01:01:03,645 --> 01:01:03,885

Dash: Yeah.

:

01:01:04,035 --> 01:01:05,355

My dad would put sugar in it.

:

01:01:05,655 --> 01:01:08,025

Beck: Have you ever had a bag

of peanuts poured into a Pepsi?

:

01:01:08,175 --> 01:01:08,625

Dash: No.

:

01:01:08,685 --> 01:01:11,535

Beck: Oh, that was a big one of my dad's

try it one of these days if you like.

:

01:01:11,535 --> 01:01:11,775

Sweet.

:

01:01:11,775 --> 01:01:13,245

Do you like sweet and salty together?

:

01:01:13,335 --> 01:01:14,565

Dash: Yeah, but I don't drink pop.

:

01:01:15,085 --> 01:01:17,215

Beck: Me neither, but it's a

nice treat once in a while.

:

01:01:17,275 --> 01:01:18,055

Dash: Next time if

:

01:01:18,055 --> 01:01:18,850

Beck: I, the result of it makes it

:

01:01:18,850 --> 01:01:19,170

Dash: really

:

01:01:19,170 --> 01:01:19,490

Beck: alright,

:

01:01:19,490 --> 01:01:22,675

Dash: next time I'm in the company

of both a bag of peanuts and a Pepsi.

:

01:01:22,825 --> 01:01:23,155

I'll try.

:

01:01:23,655 --> 01:01:24,675

Beck: It's really good.

:

01:01:24,675 --> 01:01:26,585

And I, because I quit

soda like 10 years ago.

:

01:01:27,235 --> 01:01:29,845

Unless I'm eating Chipotle and

then I have to have a Mountain Dew.

:

01:01:29,965 --> 01:01:30,445

That's the only

:

01:01:30,805 --> 01:01:33,625

Dash: sometimes all you, sometimes

all you can think about is getting

:

01:01:33,625 --> 01:01:37,315

a, getting a hold of a, of a Pepsi or

something and I don't know what it is.

:

01:01:37,315 --> 01:01:38,395

Like it seizes me.

:

01:01:38,395 --> 01:01:42,085

Yeah, because we did grow up on, but

my dad worked for Coke for a while.

:

01:01:42,175 --> 01:01:43,525

Actually, I forgot about that.

:

01:01:43,525 --> 01:01:46,675

There's a coke plant up in Corbin

and I still have the jacket he wore.

:

01:01:46,825 --> 01:01:48,505

Beck: We got a lot of stuff

that fell off those trucks.

:

01:01:48,505 --> 01:01:49,015

They drove.

:

01:01:49,075 --> 01:01:49,375

Dash: Yeah.

:

01:01:49,700 --> 01:01:49,990

Beck: Yeah.

:

01:01:50,490 --> 01:01:54,000

One time I asked him, they got a case

of panting shampoo I'll never forget,

:

01:01:54,600 --> 01:01:56,250

and I was like, where'd this come from?

:

01:01:56,250 --> 01:01:58,230

Mark said, it fell off the

back of the truck and I lit.

:

01:01:58,230 --> 01:01:59,665

I literally believed him that it fell

:

01:01:59,665 --> 01:01:59,785

Dash: off.

:

01:01:59,785 --> 01:02:00,420

You thought that's what it was?

:

01:02:00,420 --> 01:02:00,870

Beck: Yeah,

:

01:02:01,110 --> 01:02:01,465

Dash: I did.

:

01:02:01,590 --> 01:02:01,770

Yeah.

:

01:02:01,770 --> 01:02:05,070

The first time somebody told me

that, I was like, well, is it broken?

:

01:02:05,070 --> 01:02:05,790

Like does it work?

:

01:02:05,790 --> 01:02:06,420

Is it okay?

:

01:02:06,420 --> 01:02:09,030

That's the thing, like most

of our speech was euphemistic.

:

01:02:09,210 --> 01:02:09,570

Beck: Yeah.

:

01:02:09,770 --> 01:02:11,360

Dash: You just have to learn it as you go.

:

01:02:11,450 --> 01:02:11,780

Beck: Yeah.

:

01:02:12,050 --> 01:02:12,950

You say poke salad.

:

01:02:12,950 --> 01:02:14,030

A poke to me is a bag.

:

01:02:14,120 --> 01:02:14,360

Dash: Yeah.

:

01:02:14,360 --> 01:02:18,290

Po Well, you're from, so that's,

I don't like where I'm from.

:

01:02:18,290 --> 01:02:22,430

People didn't say that, but I know

other places in like further East,

:

01:02:22,640 --> 01:02:25,010

North Carolina, they say poke is a bag.

:

01:02:25,010 --> 01:02:27,110

But we, I didn't, I didn't

hear, I didn't hear that until,

:

01:02:27,110 --> 01:02:29,810

Beck: have you ever heard of Green

Bell peppers being called mangoes?

:

01:02:30,205 --> 01:02:30,265

Oh,

:

01:02:30,265 --> 01:02:30,355

Dash: that

:

01:02:31,015 --> 01:02:32,335

Beck: was big around, down there.

:

01:02:32,665 --> 01:02:32,725

Yeah.

:

01:02:32,725 --> 01:02:36,645

But basically anything that got pickled,

they would call mangoes and so Nice.

:

01:02:36,645 --> 01:02:39,495

You'd grow your bell peppers and you'd

pickle 'em for the, for the winter.

:

01:02:39,645 --> 01:02:42,825

But I, I didn't know what a mango

was until I was in high school.

:

01:02:42,840 --> 01:02:43,180

Dash: Oh man.

:

01:02:43,180 --> 01:02:44,895

People must have thought,

thought she was nuts.

:

01:02:45,395 --> 01:02:46,025

Beck: Yeah, I

:

01:02:46,149 --> 01:02:46,279

Speaker 2: learned.

:

01:02:46,279 --> 01:02:46,649

'cause I

:

01:02:46,788 --> 01:02:49,091

Beck: Didn't join girl Scouts

until I was in the seventh grade.

:

01:02:49,151 --> 01:02:52,031

I was in girl Scouts like my freshman

year and I think that's when we

:

01:02:52,031 --> 01:02:53,771

had the, the fruit tasting party.

:

01:02:53,831 --> 01:02:56,501

And so I tried to mango

and was totally blown away.

:

01:02:56,651 --> 01:02:56,951

Dash: Yeah.

:

01:02:57,586 --> 01:02:58,246

Beck: I was just taste

:

01:02:58,246 --> 01:02:59,656

Dash: nothing like a pickled pepper,

:

01:03:00,166 --> 01:03:01,141

Beck: nothing like nothing.

:

01:03:01,641 --> 01:03:05,031

But we, yeah, we ate a lot of fast food

and my sister and I both have battled

:

01:03:05,031 --> 01:03:06,591

our weight our whole lives, you know?

:

01:03:06,591 --> 01:03:06,681

Yeah.

:

01:03:07,041 --> 01:03:08,181

And I think that's part of it.

:

01:03:08,211 --> 01:03:10,551

But my mom, like you said,

they worked multiple jobs.

:

01:03:10,551 --> 01:03:14,481

And my mom, she just, she was, she,

she loved to take care of us and

:

01:03:14,481 --> 01:03:15,891

things like that, but she worked a lot.

:

01:03:16,251 --> 01:03:18,141

And so we would just

order pizza or mm-hmm.

:

01:03:18,381 --> 01:03:18,801

Whatever.

:

01:03:18,801 --> 01:03:19,671

It was just easier.

:

01:03:19,731 --> 01:03:21,471

I still make her chili to this day.

:

01:03:21,571 --> 01:03:22,536

Dash: I make my dad's chili.

:

01:03:23,011 --> 01:03:23,431

Beck: Yeah.

:

01:03:23,931 --> 01:03:24,051

Um,

:

01:03:24,051 --> 01:03:24,861

Dash: well, and, and you know, beginning

:

01:03:24,861 --> 01:03:25,671

Beck: was a big one.

:

01:03:25,761 --> 01:03:28,191

Dash: If, if there had been

restaurants, I'm sure people where

:

01:03:28,191 --> 01:03:29,871

I'm from would've done that too.

:

01:03:29,871 --> 01:03:29,931

Yeah.

:

01:03:29,991 --> 01:03:31,611

Because it would've been so much easier.

:

01:03:31,761 --> 01:03:35,681

You know, my mom had, I remember

eating, you know, she had a, a like,

:

01:03:36,151 --> 01:03:38,161

five to 10 recipes that she could just.

:

01:03:38,341 --> 01:03:43,351

Whip out like nothing, and we ate

those on a loop for my entire childhood

:

01:03:43,591 --> 01:03:45,181

Beck: as part of my A-D-H-D-I have.

:

01:03:45,871 --> 01:03:49,501

I didn't get diagnosed till I was 42,

but I've had clear signs my entire

:

01:03:49,501 --> 01:03:51,511

life, especially when I was little.

:

01:03:51,511 --> 01:03:55,861

I would go through phases where I would

only eat one thing for months at a time.

:

01:03:56,281 --> 01:03:58,981

When I was in doing my undergrad

for the second time, I got on

:

01:03:58,981 --> 01:04:01,981

a Wendy's chili, kicked and ate

it like every day for a year.

:

01:04:02,071 --> 01:04:03,991

Dash: I didn't know that was an A-D-H-A-D.

:

01:04:04,051 --> 01:04:05,341

Beck: Yeah, that's an ADHD thing.

:

01:04:05,461 --> 01:04:06,991

Dash: I got diagnosed this year.

:

01:04:07,491 --> 01:04:08,301

And I do that

:

01:04:08,961 --> 01:04:10,276

Beck: when I sauce.

:

01:04:10,376 --> 01:04:12,986

It's a bean and meat, it's like a paste.

:

01:04:12,986 --> 01:04:15,356

it's a hot dog sauce that, you

know, you put it on top of hot dogs.

:

01:04:15,356 --> 01:04:18,296

I don't like hot dogs, but I

like hot dog sauce on bread.

:

01:04:18,686 --> 01:04:23,246

And that was all I would eat was

this hot dog sauce on bread and like,

:

01:04:23,246 --> 01:04:24,806

they would buy it for me by the case.

:

01:04:24,896 --> 01:04:28,226

And when my dad was cleaning out my

grandparents' house the first time,

:

01:04:28,466 --> 01:04:31,346

he found a whole case of that still

in their closet from the eighties.

:

01:04:31,676 --> 01:04:34,406

Dash: I remember finding all

this, like the food from the

:

01:04:34,406 --> 01:04:37,846

company store, Because they never

officially outlawed company towns.

:

01:04:37,846 --> 01:04:40,696

And so Angelica was a company

town until my parents were born.

:

01:04:40,726 --> 01:04:44,306

And so you can still find company

credit, like the little, plug

:

01:04:44,306 --> 01:04:46,016

nickels and stuff around there.

:

01:04:46,016 --> 01:04:49,226

The food they had at the company store

was like government cheese, potted

:

01:04:49,226 --> 01:04:54,876

meat, gigantic sacks of evaporated

or dried rice and potatoes and stuff.

:

01:04:54,936 --> 01:04:58,146

And so you'd find it decades later

and it would still, like, I would

:

01:04:58,146 --> 01:04:59,586

almost be like, is this edible?

:

01:05:00,136 --> 01:05:01,306

This might still be good.

:

01:05:01,396 --> 01:05:04,876

This stuff is made not to expire

because it's basically military surplus.

:

01:05:04,936 --> 01:05:05,296

Beck: Right.

:

01:05:05,686 --> 01:05:08,486

I gotta say, government cheese

makes a killer grilled cheese.

:

01:05:08,516 --> 01:05:09,926

Dash: I still love that shit.

:

01:05:10,046 --> 01:05:10,346

Beck: Yeah.

:

01:05:10,346 --> 01:05:12,386

Dash: I can't, I will

tear up a ese sausage.

:

01:05:12,626 --> 01:05:12,926

Beck: Yeah.

:

01:05:13,426 --> 01:05:14,596

I can't do mystery meat.

:

01:05:14,596 --> 01:05:15,466

I don't like hot dogs.

:

01:05:15,466 --> 01:05:17,296

I don't like the, those little sausages.

:

01:05:17,296 --> 01:05:17,836

I don't like bo.

:

01:05:18,166 --> 01:05:18,616

I love it.

:

01:05:18,826 --> 01:05:19,726

I can't do that.

:

01:05:19,786 --> 01:05:20,176

Dash: Oh yeah.

:

01:05:20,176 --> 01:05:21,016

Beck: I don't like most lunch

:

01:05:21,016 --> 01:05:21,196

Dash: meats.

:

01:05:21,886 --> 01:05:22,426

Fried bologna.

:

01:05:22,426 --> 01:05:22,451

Fried bologna.

:

01:05:22,636 --> 01:05:23,371

Well, I love

:

01:05:23,371 --> 01:05:23,531

Beck: that.

:

01:05:23,626 --> 01:05:28,336

Dash: I was, the oldest too, so I

got cooking duties before the others.

:

01:05:28,336 --> 01:05:32,146

And so when you're like nine and you're

trying to figure out how to feed siblings,

:

01:05:32,331 --> 01:05:34,426

and I like couldn't do anything much.

:

01:05:34,486 --> 01:05:37,186

I could boil water and I

could make a grilled cheese.

:

01:05:37,186 --> 01:05:38,446

We just started trying to find.

:

01:05:38,656 --> 01:05:40,996

New things to stick in the

skillet or new things to boil.

:

01:05:41,056 --> 01:05:45,826

And so that's how I invented Ramen

abomination because we would take these,

:

01:05:45,916 --> 01:05:50,266

those just machen ramen packs and then

try to find shit in the fridge that was

:

01:05:50,266 --> 01:05:53,386

about to go bad, like celery or whatever,

and cut it up and throw it in there.

:

01:05:53,391 --> 01:05:55,216

I, I still made that

when I was in college.

:

01:05:55,216 --> 01:05:57,736

I just started putting, I put

peanut butter in there one time and

:

01:05:57,736 --> 01:05:59,026

it kind of tasted like pad Thai.

:

01:05:59,206 --> 01:05:59,416

Beck: Yeah.

:

01:05:59,656 --> 01:06:02,446

Chili with peanut butter sandwich is

one of my favorite things in this world.

:

01:06:02,506 --> 01:06:03,466

Dash: We didn't do that.

:

01:06:03,466 --> 01:06:05,416

I, I learned about that from you.

:

01:06:05,776 --> 01:06:06,046

Beck: Yeah.

:

01:06:06,046 --> 01:06:07,086

Have you tried it yet?

:

01:06:07,586 --> 01:06:10,486

Dash: No, I live alone

and don't cook anymore.

:

01:06:10,576 --> 01:06:14,266

My meals are, is a rotation of

cereal and peanut butter and jelly

:

01:06:14,266 --> 01:06:17,596

sandwiches because I don't know

how to exist as a singular unit.

:

01:06:17,716 --> 01:06:22,246

I don't know how to, if I don't have

people whose wellbeing is tied up

:

01:06:22,246 --> 01:06:25,516

with my own wellbeing, I just say

fuck it all and don't do anything.

:

01:06:25,871 --> 01:06:26,891

Beck: Yeah, Shannon's like that.

:

01:06:26,891 --> 01:06:30,346

Dash: And I think that I know people who

are from like middle class backgrounds

:

01:06:30,346 --> 01:06:32,656

and from the Midwest, and they're not

like that, they're not built that way.

:

01:06:32,696 --> 01:06:38,716

they're able to be independent in regards

to domestic things or just having desires.

:

01:06:38,716 --> 01:06:41,416

I don't have desires if I don't

have work to do or somebody to take

:

01:06:41,416 --> 01:06:43,126

care of or somebody to look after.

:

01:06:43,396 --> 01:06:44,896

I don't know what to do with myself.

:

01:06:45,166 --> 01:06:46,576

But that is some redneck trauma.

:

01:06:46,641 --> 01:06:47,911

Beck: Yeah, yeah.

:

01:06:47,911 --> 01:06:47,912

Yeah.

:

01:06:48,591 --> 01:06:51,741

I was, I was the youngest, so my

experience was a little different

:

01:06:51,801 --> 01:06:55,251

and my brother and I had some

problems and my mom separated us.

:

01:06:55,251 --> 01:06:59,181

So when we weren't in school for the

summers and stuff, after I turned like

:

01:06:59,181 --> 01:07:01,041

eight, I would go stay at my grandma's.

:

01:07:01,091 --> 01:07:03,571

she was a nanny for an MD and a PhD.

:

01:07:03,721 --> 01:07:06,331

They had three kids and they lived

like right behind where she lived.

:

01:07:06,381 --> 01:07:10,041

so I would go to grandma's and I would be

there from the time she would go to work

:

01:07:10,041 --> 01:07:13,431

before the girls got up and come back

home after the girls had been bathed.

:

01:07:13,456 --> 01:07:14,266

The night, right?

:

01:07:14,266 --> 01:07:14,326

Yeah.

:

01:07:14,326 --> 01:07:18,166

So she was gone all day, every day she

would get home in time to watch Jeopardy.

:

01:07:18,376 --> 01:07:23,716

So I would be there in her apartment

by myself for hours, upon hours and

:

01:07:23,716 --> 01:07:26,626

they would leave me money 'cause

I was too young to cook and I was

:

01:07:26,626 --> 01:07:30,216

able to order my own Giovanni's, my

own wow dos and things like that.

:

01:07:30,276 --> 01:07:32,166

Dash: That's a totally different

kind of self-sufficiency.

:

01:07:32,216 --> 01:07:35,601

Beck: I'm trying to, thinking back

on it, they were really letting, like

:

01:07:35,841 --> 01:07:38,541

what would've happened if one of those

delivery men would've figured out I

:

01:07:38,541 --> 01:07:39,951

was eight years old and by myself.

:

01:07:40,221 --> 01:07:41,001

You know what I mean?

:

01:07:41,106 --> 01:07:41,396

Yeah,

:

01:07:41,401 --> 01:07:41,691

Dash: yeah.

:

01:07:41,691 --> 01:07:46,101

I didn't know, I didn't know how to order

like food over the phone until college.

:

01:07:46,251 --> 01:07:46,491

Beck: Yeah.

:

01:07:46,491 --> 01:07:46,761

Oh no.

:

01:07:46,761 --> 01:07:47,781

I learned that one early.

:

01:07:47,901 --> 01:07:48,171

Dash: Yeah.

:

01:07:48,231 --> 01:07:50,631

Beck: And I was always the one that

got sent in to go pick it up too.

:

01:07:50,661 --> 01:07:51,711

'cause I was the youngest.

:

01:07:52,211 --> 01:07:54,551

Dash: What's something that you,

what's something you learned that

:

01:07:54,551 --> 01:07:57,431

you didn't know when you went

away to live with normal people?

:

01:07:57,931 --> 01:07:59,221

Beck: That Catholics existed.

:

01:07:59,221 --> 01:08:02,041

My first, my college roommate was

a Catholic, and all my friends were

:

01:08:02,041 --> 01:08:03,601

Catholics, and I was like, what the hell?

:

01:08:03,931 --> 01:08:05,521

I thought everybody was

either Baptist or There's

:

01:08:05,521 --> 01:08:07,051

Dash: different kinds of Christians.

:

01:08:07,171 --> 01:08:07,651

Beck: Yeah.

:

01:08:07,711 --> 01:08:09,061

So many little things.

:

01:08:09,421 --> 01:08:09,871

Dash: Yeah.

:

01:08:09,961 --> 01:08:14,101

I keep like every, I remember them

sometimes, like I never, I didn't see

:

01:08:14,101 --> 01:08:15,661

a crosswalk until I went to college.

:

01:08:15,721 --> 01:08:18,241

Beck: People have family photos

where people are not smoking in them

:

01:08:18,301 --> 01:08:21,301

Dash: or people don't s or you

don't let people smoke in the house.

:

01:08:21,301 --> 01:08:24,481

Midwesterners, they don't let you smoke

in their house because it's their house

:

01:08:24,481 --> 01:08:25,890

and they don't smoke and it's rude.

:

01:08:25,890 --> 01:08:26,401

And I'm like.

:

01:08:26,671 --> 01:08:28,171

Wow, this is totally different.

:

01:08:28,220 --> 01:08:29,571

you let company do whatever.

:

01:08:29,810 --> 01:08:30,171

Beck: Yeah.

:

01:08:30,350 --> 01:08:31,701

You feed 'em your last egg.

:

01:08:32,265 --> 01:08:33,350

Yeah, yeah.

:

01:08:33,356 --> 01:08:33,801

You do, you do.

:

01:08:34,461 --> 01:08:37,571

For family and stuff, I kind of like

it when people come over and smoke,

:

01:08:37,571 --> 01:08:40,600

because it makes me think of mom,

the cell is, the smell of cigarettes

:

01:08:40,651 --> 01:08:42,001

makes me think of my mom and dad.

:

01:08:42,181 --> 01:08:45,421

Dash: So my papa, my mom's dad

worked in the mines like his

:

01:08:45,421 --> 01:08:47,011

whole life and a company town.

:

01:08:47,220 --> 01:08:51,181

They give folks the leftover

materials from as they excavate the

:

01:08:51,181 --> 01:08:53,191

mines, like the beams and things.

:

01:08:53,241 --> 01:08:55,791

If you collect those, you can

build additions onto your house.

:

01:08:55,831 --> 01:08:57,091

he even put a bathroom in later.

:

01:08:57,091 --> 01:08:58,261

They had running water after a time.

:

01:08:58,261 --> 01:09:01,681

They still had a a well though,

but it was still like, and a lot

:

01:09:01,681 --> 01:09:03,151

of hillbilly houses are like this.

:

01:09:03,241 --> 01:09:06,511

There's a main room that's right in

the middle and the potbelly stove

:

01:09:06,511 --> 01:09:07,921

or whatever it is, will be in there.

:

01:09:07,921 --> 01:09:11,731

And that's where everybody sits, like all

the cousins, all the family or whatever.

:

01:09:11,731 --> 01:09:14,640

And then when it's time for bed, they

all go off to the separate parts that

:

01:09:14,640 --> 01:09:15,751

have been built out on the house.

:

01:09:15,770 --> 01:09:19,911

My earliest sense memories is sitting

around when I was a baby, kind of

:

01:09:19,911 --> 01:09:23,901

dozing off 'cause it was getting late,

listening to the grown people, you

:

01:09:23,901 --> 01:09:26,810

know, their voices kind of rumbling

and talking about shit I didn't

:

01:09:26,810 --> 01:09:30,291

understand and smoking cigarettes

and it was like being in the womb.

:

01:09:30,411 --> 01:09:30,501

Beck: Mm-hmm.

:

01:09:30,861 --> 01:09:32,451

Dash: That's like the

safest I've ever felt.

:

01:09:32,691 --> 01:09:35,091

Beck: That's how I feel about

going to bingo and walking

:

01:09:35,091 --> 01:09:36,376

outside and smelling, you know?

:

01:09:36,746 --> 01:09:41,515

it's such a visceral throwback for

me, the smell, because like on, on

:

01:09:41,756 --> 01:09:45,586

halftime at Bingo, you walk outside,

and everybody's out there smoking and

:

01:09:45,586 --> 01:09:50,116

you just walk into a cloud and the smell

of, of whiskey, the smell of whiskey.

:

01:09:50,116 --> 01:09:51,975

And that reminds me of my mom.

:

01:09:52,066 --> 01:09:54,781

It makes me almost throw up when I

smelled, I can't handle smelling alcohol.

:

01:09:55,006 --> 01:09:56,716

Dash: My family wasn't drinkers.

:

01:09:56,776 --> 01:09:57,826

I mean, there just wasn't.

:

01:09:58,026 --> 01:10:01,316

Like, you kind of had to choose, but

I mean, if you, if you were somebody

:

01:10:01,316 --> 01:10:05,006

who, who had the resources to, to get

alcohol, then you would do that or

:

01:10:05,006 --> 01:10:08,066

whatever, but it was really frowned

upon, like there was a, a big stigma

:

01:10:08,066 --> 01:10:09,716

associated with alcohol when I grew up.

:

01:10:09,836 --> 01:10:12,446

Beck: My mom would talk, shit

about her grandfather who was the

:

01:10:12,446 --> 01:10:13,646

town drunk 'cause she called him.

:

01:10:13,991 --> 01:10:15,011

And how they found him.

:

01:10:15,011 --> 01:10:16,841

And they had to what's

the word I'm looking for?

:

01:10:16,841 --> 01:10:18,701

Juice him, um, at the end.

:

01:10:18,701 --> 01:10:20,381

And she would talk all

kinds of shit about that.

:

01:10:20,381 --> 01:10:21,881

And that's exactly what happened to her.

:

01:10:22,361 --> 01:10:23,471

You know, and

:

01:10:23,531 --> 01:10:25,451

Dash: these things repeat themselves.

:

01:10:25,601 --> 01:10:25,811

Beck: Yeah.

:

01:10:25,811 --> 01:10:26,651

And vices.

:

01:10:26,861 --> 01:10:28,991

Vices are main killers in my family.

:

01:10:28,991 --> 01:10:32,711

I can't tell you how many people

have died from COPD and lung cancer.

:

01:10:32,891 --> 01:10:37,691

And, you know, my mom died straight up

from alcoholism, cirrhosis of the liver.

:

01:10:38,191 --> 01:10:41,581

My brother died of a drug

overdose, and he was a full-fledged

:

01:10:41,581 --> 01:10:42,841

alcoholic his whole life.

:

01:10:43,056 --> 01:10:45,216

he was an alcoholic by the

time he was a teenager.

:

01:10:45,246 --> 01:10:46,056

there was No,

:

01:10:46,386 --> 01:10:47,016

Dash: I was too,

:

01:10:47,556 --> 01:10:50,306

Beck: yeah, good for you

that you made it out.

:

01:10:50,306 --> 01:10:51,296

he did not make it out.

:

01:10:51,366 --> 01:10:57,011

Dash: I, don't know what sexy, gay

angel descended on me to, fix that or

:

01:10:57,171 --> 01:10:58,716

whatever, but I'm one of the lucky ones.

:

01:10:58,716 --> 01:11:01,386

I just woke up one day and it was gone.

:

01:11:01,646 --> 01:11:03,746

It didn't happen for my brother.

:

01:11:04,016 --> 01:11:08,216

I was telling somebody this the other day

about like how, you know, our, the people

:

01:11:08,216 --> 01:11:09,722

we go to high school with are, are dead.

:

01:11:09,722 --> 01:11:09,723

Wow.

:

01:11:10,223 --> 01:11:13,463

Of opioids, the war,

and doing redneck shit.

:

01:11:13,673 --> 01:11:15,773

My mom says they died

of, Hey guys, watch this.

:

01:11:15,952 --> 01:11:17,603

Just like you feel the time, right?

:

01:11:18,023 --> 01:11:18,113

Beck: Mm-hmm.

:

01:11:18,383 --> 01:11:19,613

Dash: There's, there's no work.

:

01:11:19,702 --> 01:11:22,943

It's not that there's nothing to do, it's

that there's nothing to aspire for, and

:

01:11:22,943 --> 01:11:25,643

so you just do increasingly dumber shit.

:

01:11:25,643 --> 01:11:29,633

I mean, I knew somebody who died

from falling off a bridge that they

:

01:11:29,633 --> 01:11:31,103

were only on because of a dare.

:

01:11:31,163 --> 01:11:31,553

Beck: Wow.

:

01:11:31,763 --> 01:11:32,452

Dash: I knew somebody,

:

01:11:32,783 --> 01:11:33,563

Beck: I have a cousin

that fell off a trellis.

:

01:11:34,063 --> 01:11:34,933

Dash: Yeah, that's what it was

:

01:11:34,933 --> 01:11:35,383

Beck: as a teenager.

:

01:11:35,483 --> 01:11:35,753

Dash: Yeah.

:

01:11:36,083 --> 01:11:37,433

Beck: They were bored out walking.

:

01:11:37,553 --> 01:11:38,333

Dash: Yeah, exactly.

:

01:11:38,833 --> 01:11:41,833

And sometimes it's just that

nobody is ever around or nobody

:

01:11:41,833 --> 01:11:43,483

thinks to say what the fuck?

:

01:11:43,633 --> 01:11:48,673

And, and I don't know where that learning

gets derailed, but it is systemic.

:

01:11:48,793 --> 01:11:49,543

It's hopelessness.

:

01:11:49,543 --> 01:11:51,702

I think it's lack of self-respect.

:

01:11:51,702 --> 01:11:52,813

Beck: It's the cycle of poverty, man.

:

01:11:52,933 --> 01:11:53,803

Dash: The cycle of poverty.

:

01:11:53,803 --> 01:11:54,073

Yeah.

:

01:11:54,193 --> 01:11:57,463

Beck: It's, you know, 'cause we grew

up and we see our parents struggling.

:

01:11:57,673 --> 01:11:59,383

My mom would have been.

:

01:11:59,648 --> 01:12:04,148

So happy if I had just married some

random truck driver, lived up a holler,

:

01:12:04,148 --> 01:12:06,403

had five kids, and had that life.

:

01:12:06,733 --> 01:12:06,793

Yeah.

:

01:12:06,793 --> 01:12:09,193

She would've been completely

proud of me and whatever.

:

01:12:09,373 --> 01:12:11,263

She didn't understand what I did.

:

01:12:11,263 --> 01:12:13,183

She didn't understand my going to school.

:

01:12:13,183 --> 01:12:14,923

She didn't understand my being gay.

:

01:12:15,253 --> 01:12:15,403

Mm-hmm.

:

01:12:15,823 --> 01:12:16,123

Right.

:

01:12:16,123 --> 01:12:19,263

I rose above my raising, you know,

and she didn't understand that.

:

01:12:19,353 --> 01:12:19,683

Dash: Did it?

:

01:12:19,833 --> 01:12:24,173

Did it sometimes feel like she was

a little, uncomfortable with that?

:

01:12:24,673 --> 01:12:25,003

Beck: Oh, yeah.

:

01:12:25,503 --> 01:12:25,773

Dash: Yeah.

:

01:12:25,773 --> 01:12:29,313

My mom at several points of my

professional career has given me the

:

01:12:29,313 --> 01:12:34,623

don't get bubby raisin talk, and it's

like I feel this profound insecurity

:

01:12:34,633 --> 01:12:37,123

or inferiority complex thing.

:

01:12:37,213 --> 01:12:40,603

Beck: My dad, when we got into a big

fight about white privilege one night.

:

01:12:41,138 --> 01:12:45,168

And, it was, I was still pretty new into

the whole field and I didn't have all

:

01:12:45,168 --> 01:12:49,458

the words that I have now that I could

have had a better conversation with him.

:

01:12:49,518 --> 01:12:52,308

But he, he got to screaming

and this was Mark.

:

01:12:52,338 --> 01:12:55,638

And he said to me, you know, for

somebody that's getting a PhD,

:

01:12:55,638 --> 01:12:57,077

you're not real smart, are you?

:

01:12:57,168 --> 01:13:00,408

That like, took the breath outta my

lungs, you know, because like your

:

01:13:00,408 --> 01:13:02,058

parents are supposed to be the ones.

:

01:13:02,408 --> 01:13:03,668

That are rooting for you.

:

01:13:03,673 --> 01:13:03,908

Exactly, exactly.

:

01:13:03,908 --> 01:13:08,228

My biological father, he called me

professor and, and sent me gifts

:

01:13:08,228 --> 01:13:11,108

and you know, just told me every

time I talked to him how proud

:

01:13:11,108 --> 01:13:13,088

he was of me, my mom and Mark.

:

01:13:13,327 --> 01:13:15,908

I think if I had quit with a master's

degree, it would've been fine.

:

01:13:16,408 --> 01:13:21,798

Dash: Weirdly things between

me and my, family in regards to

:

01:13:22,068 --> 01:13:25,818

a lot of things, particularly

politics got easier to navigate.

:

01:13:25,938 --> 01:13:28,908

The more I distanced myself from

them because of the transition,

:

01:13:29,088 --> 01:13:32,633

it was transitioning, that it was

like drawing a line in the sand.

:

01:13:33,158 --> 01:13:37,688

I was like, you either get to come with

me on this, or you get to never have

:

01:13:37,688 --> 01:13:39,488

any information about what I'm doing.

:

01:13:39,518 --> 01:13:42,488

I'm not gonna cut you out, but

I'm never gonna let you in again.

:

01:13:42,488 --> 01:13:42,577

Beck: Right.

:

01:13:42,638 --> 01:13:46,538

Dash: And each of them, even though

I didn't have to say that explicitly,

:

01:13:46,748 --> 01:13:50,528

they I believe understood me enough to

know that that was what was on the line.

:

01:13:50,618 --> 01:13:53,168

And you don't fucking,

my dad's a Republican.

:

01:13:53,438 --> 01:13:54,218

He was.

:

01:13:54,718 --> 01:13:57,358

Until recently, luckily

fucking hates Trump.

:

01:13:57,448 --> 01:14:01,528

Beck: My dad was, he was a Democrat

for all intents and purposes, but

:

01:14:01,528 --> 01:14:05,638

after he lost the bingo, he went back

to truck driving and he was around a

:

01:14:05,638 --> 01:14:10,228

lot of very uneducated redneck men,

and they talked him into not getting

:

01:14:10,228 --> 01:14:12,689

the COVID shot and things like that,

and he ended up dying of COVID.

:

01:14:13,318 --> 01:14:13,648

Dash: Yeah.

:

01:14:14,148 --> 01:14:18,998

It's so predatory this misinformation

this like the systemization of

:

01:14:19,118 --> 01:14:24,428

all oppressions, duh, is it's

predatory, but it's still hard.

:

01:14:24,428 --> 01:14:28,118

I think for people to see the

victims of that as human sometimes.

:

01:14:28,208 --> 01:14:28,808

And I get that.

:

01:14:28,808 --> 01:14:30,248

I struggle with it too sometimes.

:

01:14:30,248 --> 01:14:34,088

I'm like, I, if you say one more fucking

word, you are gonna learn how red I am.

:

01:14:34,088 --> 01:14:35,348

They cosplay, rednecks here.

:

01:14:35,848 --> 01:14:36,178

Beck: Yeah,

:

01:14:36,388 --> 01:14:36,868

Dash: it's weird.

:

01:14:36,868 --> 01:14:37,618

Beck: Well, everybody does.

:

01:14:37,618 --> 01:14:40,168

It's, it's, you know, it's a

trope, you know, missing teeth

:

01:14:40,168 --> 01:14:41,883

and talking like this and

:

01:14:41,938 --> 01:14:45,208

Dash: No, I mean, they literally, like,

these people think they're rednecks.

:

01:14:45,388 --> 01:14:45,808

Beck: Oh,

:

01:14:45,868 --> 01:14:48,778

Dash: they're, they think that they're

small town America, conservative

:

01:14:48,898 --> 01:14:50,518

hoorah, Trump, blah, blah, blah.

:

01:14:50,518 --> 01:14:51,327

They drive big trucks.

:

01:14:51,327 --> 01:14:54,028

They don't need, they dress up like

they're going to work, but they ain't.

:

01:14:54,088 --> 01:14:55,228

It's really weird.

:

01:14:55,228 --> 01:14:57,448

I don't know if you've seen

this in, I saw it a little bit.

:

01:14:57,673 --> 01:15:02,473

There when we were in Ohio too, people

fly the Confederate flag dressing up,

:

01:15:02,473 --> 01:15:04,093

like wearing cloud hoppers and shit.

:

01:15:04,093 --> 01:15:08,023

Kickers and Carhartt things, and it's

like, have you ever driven a tractor?

:

01:15:08,523 --> 01:15:12,603

I feel like somebody, it makes me feel

very, like my culture is not your costume.

:

01:15:13,033 --> 01:15:13,363

Beck: Right.

:

01:15:13,523 --> 01:15:17,603

and they're the ones that also are

procop because if, you know real

:

01:15:17,603 --> 01:15:20,213

rednecks, they're like, fuck the police.

:

01:15:20,333 --> 01:15:20,663

Dash: No.

:

01:15:20,663 --> 01:15:21,293

You know, if, uh,

:

01:15:21,293 --> 01:15:23,183

Beck: that's where NASCAR

came from, you know?

:

01:15:23,183 --> 01:15:23,273

Right.

:

01:15:23,513 --> 01:15:25,043

Dash: Literally running from the police.

:

01:15:25,133 --> 01:15:25,583

Yeah.

:

01:15:25,583 --> 01:15:28,763

they're just so like humping

the legs of any authority

:

01:15:28,763 --> 01:15:29,933

figure they can find looking.

:

01:15:30,503 --> 01:15:31,313

It's like you.

:

01:15:31,893 --> 01:15:34,983

Are missing the point about

what redneck is, right?

:

01:15:35,043 --> 01:15:40,053

Redneck is somebody that is

oppositionally defiant to anybody

:

01:15:40,053 --> 01:15:41,313

who tries to tell 'em what to do.

:

01:15:41,383 --> 01:15:44,563

Yeah, there's that overlap

between maybe rednecks are just

:

01:15:44,563 --> 01:15:45,403

forgetting who they are now.

:

01:15:45,403 --> 01:15:50,623

Maybe they're so defeated and so just

fucking kicked down that Trump sounds

:

01:15:50,773 --> 01:15:52,333

reasonable to them or something.

:

01:15:52,543 --> 01:15:54,583

I don't know what that is, and

I'm not gonna try to defend

:

01:15:54,583 --> 01:15:55,993

any redneck support of Trump.

:

01:15:56,213 --> 01:15:59,783

But the origin in the history

of redneck is a fucking union.

:

01:16:00,143 --> 01:16:05,573

The town I lived in fought the

wars, like the first wave of people

:

01:16:05,573 --> 01:16:07,383

in the wars were from Jellico.

:

01:16:07,883 --> 01:16:09,083

That was union organizing.

:

01:16:09,083 --> 01:16:11,452

And that's where red, that's

where the term redneck came from.

:

01:16:11,573 --> 01:16:11,633

Yeah.

:

01:16:11,663 --> 01:16:12,083

Right.

:

01:16:12,083 --> 01:16:15,803

They wore the bandanas around their neck

and, and it's like to, to be, to have

:

01:16:15,803 --> 01:16:19,883

that kind of history and not understand

what's so cool about that and rather

:

01:16:19,883 --> 01:16:22,613

be falling all over people and wearing

:

01:16:22,618 --> 01:16:23,188

Beck: back to blue.

:

01:16:23,648 --> 01:16:25,313

Dash: We back to blue or whatever.

:

01:16:25,373 --> 01:16:26,452

Beck: Police lives matter.

:

01:16:26,952 --> 01:16:28,303

Dash: You fucking love cops so much.

:

01:16:28,303 --> 01:16:30,253

Just go be one and shut

the fuck up about it.

:

01:16:30,253 --> 01:16:30,433

Beck: Right.

:

01:16:30,702 --> 01:16:31,363

Dash: Oh, they don't want you.

:

01:16:31,363 --> 01:16:31,993

Is that what this is?

:

01:16:32,493 --> 01:16:34,353

We're gonna get canceled

on our first episode,

:

01:16:34,773 --> 01:16:35,373

Beck: apparently.

:

01:16:36,033 --> 01:16:37,668

Dash: Well, who's this

episode sponsored by?

:

01:16:38,168 --> 01:16:39,608

Beck: Ancestry, apparently

:

01:16:39,608 --> 01:16:40,688

Dash: ancestry.com,

:

01:16:41,188 --> 01:16:42,763

the, the Kentucky Lotto.

:

01:16:42,973 --> 01:16:46,603

Beck: See going when we, you say you

would go from Tennessee up to Kentucky.

:

01:16:46,903 --> 01:16:48,913

We would go from Ohio down to Kentucky.

:

01:16:48,913 --> 01:16:50,323

Because cigarettes are cheaper.

:

01:16:50,443 --> 01:16:51,313

Dash: Yeah, they are.

:

01:16:51,313 --> 01:16:52,213

They still are.

:

01:16:52,903 --> 01:16:55,633

Beck: If you cross the bridge

from Portsmouth into Kentucky,

:

01:16:55,663 --> 01:16:58,753

either direction you turn, there's

five or six cigarette stores.

:

01:16:59,253 --> 01:16:59,973

You can go to,

:

01:17:00,213 --> 01:17:03,513

Dash: that was actually my first,

uh, my first hustle was selling

:

01:17:03,513 --> 01:17:05,013

cigarettes to kids on the playground.

:

01:17:05,463 --> 01:17:06,063

Beck: Oh, wow.

:

01:17:06,723 --> 01:17:07,743

Dash: A quarter a piece.

:

01:17:07,743 --> 01:17:09,393

We were on free lunch,

so we never had money.

:

01:17:09,393 --> 01:17:13,383

Almost all of Gelica was on free lunch,

but you could buy little ice creams for

:

01:17:13,383 --> 01:17:15,693

a quarter after lunch at the school.

:

01:17:15,993 --> 01:17:20,013

And so David and Vanessa wanted them,

and so I would steal cigarettes from mom.

:

01:17:20,043 --> 01:17:23,013

Normally, I felt kind of bad about it,

although I did know this one woman who

:

01:17:23,013 --> 01:17:25,952

kept a deep freeze chest freezer full of.

:

01:17:26,023 --> 01:17:31,452

Cartons of Marlboro Reds, and

so I would take those and sell

:

01:17:31,452 --> 01:17:32,713

cigarettes on the playground.

:

01:17:32,773 --> 01:17:34,183

That's kind of how I started smoking.

:

01:17:34,303 --> 01:17:35,593

I had to make them look cool.

:

01:17:35,663 --> 01:17:36,683

I'm a good salesman.

:

01:17:37,183 --> 01:17:38,443

Beck: I saw you smoking a cigarette.

:

01:17:38,443 --> 01:17:39,193

I thought you quit.

:

01:17:39,343 --> 01:17:41,473

Dash: I did quit and then

I moved to this hell hole.

:

01:17:41,593 --> 01:17:42,043

Beck: Gotcha.

:

01:17:42,433 --> 01:17:45,163

According to Facebook, it's been a

little over 10 years since I quit.

:

01:17:45,223 --> 01:17:46,873

Dash: I started some medication.

:

01:17:46,873 --> 01:17:47,413

I'm trying to.

:

01:17:47,803 --> 01:17:49,303

Take better care of myself.

:

01:17:49,303 --> 01:17:51,913

I've gotta be a better

friend to people and myself.

:

01:17:51,913 --> 01:17:55,933

I was more mentally ill than

normal the past few months and

:

01:17:55,933 --> 01:17:57,433

it got, it got kind of rough.

:

01:17:57,433 --> 01:18:01,513

So I called a doctor and started some

medicine, but the medicine I'm on is

:

01:18:01,513 --> 01:18:02,773

supposed to also help me quit smoking.

:

01:18:03,073 --> 01:18:04,393

So I've set a goal.

:

01:18:04,452 --> 01:18:05,473

I'm tapering off.

:

01:18:05,532 --> 01:18:06,073

We'll see.

:

01:18:06,573 --> 01:18:06,993

Shut up.

:

01:18:07,083 --> 01:18:07,743

Can you hear her?

:

01:18:08,103 --> 01:18:08,523

Beck: Yes.

:

01:18:09,213 --> 01:18:09,243

Dash: Okay.

:

01:18:09,248 --> 01:18:10,923

Yeah, she's featured on many.

:

01:18:11,103 --> 01:18:12,123

I don't know why she does this.

:

01:18:12,623 --> 01:18:13,673

Beck: She just wants to be a part of it.

:

01:18:13,883 --> 01:18:16,133

Dash: She's a, she's a, a diva.

:

01:18:16,163 --> 01:18:17,213

Beck: I miss having cats.

:

01:18:17,213 --> 01:18:18,113

Both of mine died.

:

01:18:18,413 --> 01:18:18,743

Dash: I know.

:

01:18:18,803 --> 01:18:21,023

This is episode sponsored by Ziggy.

:

01:18:21,638 --> 01:18:23,558

Oh, she just stuck her

shitty paw in my mouth.

:

01:18:23,618 --> 01:18:24,188

Beck: Yum.

:

01:18:24,278 --> 01:18:25,268

I've never met Ziggy.

:

01:18:25,568 --> 01:18:26,528

Hello kitten.

:

01:18:26,528 --> 01:18:27,907

Dash: She did almost kill me recently.

:

01:18:27,907 --> 01:18:31,028

She bit a hole through my

hand and it, I got sepsis.

:

01:18:31,298 --> 01:18:31,327

Beck: Oh

:

01:18:31,343 --> 01:18:31,543

Dash: wow.

:

01:18:31,543 --> 01:18:33,458

I had to have a fuck load of antibiotics.

:

01:18:33,608 --> 01:18:35,138

Beck: I had got bit by a cat one time.

:

01:18:35,138 --> 01:18:37,988

It was a wild kitten and

I had to go to the er.

:

01:18:37,988 --> 01:18:40,657

I didn't have insurance at the

time, and so they made me come

:

01:18:40,657 --> 01:18:41,678

back to the emergency room.

:

01:18:41,678 --> 01:18:44,138

I had to come back every day

for a week and I got an IV drip.

:

01:18:44,688 --> 01:18:46,098

My hand turned like black.

:

01:18:46,248 --> 01:18:47,238

It was disgusting.

:

01:18:47,268 --> 01:18:48,318

I'm prone to accidents.

:

01:18:48,318 --> 01:18:49,728

I've almost had my arm ripped off.

:

01:18:49,728 --> 01:18:52,248

I, my leg almost fell off

from going to the beach.

:

01:18:52,808 --> 01:18:53,198

I've had some

:

01:18:53,198 --> 01:18:54,458

Dash: wild Yeah, you, you've had it rough.

:

01:18:54,458 --> 01:18:57,157

Like I, that's another place

where I really got off light.

:

01:18:57,157 --> 01:19:01,327

Like all the redneck shit I

did, I have not been maimed

:

01:19:01,388 --> 01:19:03,818

or, or as ill as I should be.

:

01:19:03,823 --> 01:19:04,113

Beck: Yeah.

:

01:19:04,273 --> 01:19:06,848

I, I, I haven't been so

lucky I haven't been maimed.

:

01:19:07,348 --> 01:19:08,218

Dash: I think so.

:

01:19:08,258 --> 01:19:09,998

Well, should we wrap this yarn up?

:

01:19:10,208 --> 01:19:11,228

Beck: Sounds good to me, friend.

:

01:19:11,348 --> 01:19:13,388

Dash: We don't know what

topic's gonna be on next week.

:

01:19:13,388 --> 01:19:14,348

Let's, let's guess.

:

01:19:14,348 --> 01:19:16,688

Let's try to guess what we're gonna

talk about and then we'll be completely

:

01:19:16,688 --> 01:19:18,428

fucking wrong because both of us ramble.

:

01:19:18,548 --> 01:19:20,348

We're gonna talk about church.

:

01:19:20,498 --> 01:19:20,827

Yeah.

:

01:19:20,948 --> 01:19:21,758

Join us for church.

:

01:19:21,758 --> 01:19:21,938

Oh, that's

:

01:19:21,938 --> 01:19:22,628

Beck: a rich one.

:

01:19:22,898 --> 01:19:24,128

Dash: Join us for church.

:

01:19:24,157 --> 01:19:26,528

My stories about church will

probably surprise people.

:

01:19:26,618 --> 01:19:27,818

I mean, there's the usual.

:

01:19:28,148 --> 01:19:29,827

Beck: I come from a long

line of Pentecostals.

:

01:19:29,827 --> 01:19:31,738

Like cast it out, demons and

:

01:19:31,763 --> 01:19:32,223

Dash: Oh yeah.

:

01:19:32,723 --> 01:19:33,778

Beck: And that kind of thing.

:

01:19:33,778 --> 01:19:34,918

Dash: Did you ever speak in tongues?

:

01:19:35,068 --> 01:19:35,863

Beck: Yeah, me.

:

01:19:35,863 --> 01:19:37,528

I didn't, but my, I know I did.

:

01:19:37,738 --> 01:19:38,818

My grandmother did.

:

01:19:38,818 --> 01:19:42,088

So after my parents divorced, my

dad went out of town to work and

:

01:19:42,088 --> 01:19:45,208

whenever he would come back in town,

I would stay with him like all weekend

:

01:19:45,208 --> 01:19:46,468

and we'd stay at his mom's house.

:

01:19:46,503 --> 01:19:49,893

And I remember waking up at like five in

the morning 'cause she would be shouting

:

01:19:49,893 --> 01:19:51,993

her prayers in tongues in her bedroom.

:

01:19:52,323 --> 01:19:53,913

Dash: I mean, I did it on purpose.

:

01:19:53,913 --> 01:19:57,753

I knew, I mean it was kind of faking,

but also like it's the adrenaline.

:

01:19:57,753 --> 01:20:02,553

And so like, it's like I, I was

savvy to what was happening, but

:

01:20:02,553 --> 01:20:03,963

it was still kind of an experience.

:

01:20:03,963 --> 01:20:06,513

It wasn't a spiritual one, but

I was like, this is interesting.

:

01:20:06,538 --> 01:20:10,528

I just, I got a lot of data from it

'cause I was a little fucking weirdo

:

01:20:10,528 --> 01:20:11,907

who didn't know how to have friends.

:

01:20:11,907 --> 01:20:13,498

And so I just studied people all the time.

:

01:20:14,098 --> 01:20:17,298

Beck: I have a story I'll tell you

next week about how, my, my Pentecostal

:

01:20:17,298 --> 01:20:22,548

as ended up in the:

Methodist Church as Christmas play.

:

01:20:23,028 --> 01:20:23,268

That was

:

01:20:23,768 --> 01:20:24,488

Dash: excellent.

:

01:20:24,577 --> 01:20:27,338

Join us next week for

speaking in tongues the.

:

01:20:27,698 --> 01:20:31,638

Church, Christmas play and,

outhouses behind the church.

:

01:20:31,698 --> 01:20:32,268

Beck: Amen.

:

01:20:32,358 --> 01:20:35,718

Dash: All right, subscribe like

wherever you get your podcasts

:

01:20:35,718 --> 01:20:37,518

and we'll see you next time.

:

01:20:37,518 --> 01:20:38,418

Say hi to mom and them.

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QUEERNECKS
Queer Appalachian Stories & Culture.
Join the lively hosts of QUEERNECKS for a unique podcast experience exploring the intersection of Appalachian culture and the LGBTQ+ experience. Dive into engaging stories, humorous anecdotes, and thoughtful discussions on everything from Appalachian traditions and local life to current events, LGBTQ+ issues, and building an inclusive community. If you're looking for a podcast that blends authentic Appalachian voices with insightful queer perspectives, offering both laughter and meaningful connection, then welcome to the QUEERNECKS family. Subscribe now and be part of our growing community!
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