Episode 13

full
Published on:

25th Aug 2025

Incense and Rubber

Welcome back to Queernecks, where glitter meets grit on the front porch. This week, Dash and Beck swap stories about house shoes, high-tech cat litter boxes, small-town characters, and the ways humor keeps Appalachian queer folks surviving and thriving. From food memories to mixtape nostalgia, from local legends to the grit of everyday life, this episode brings the laughter, the camp, and the real talk.

We’re building queer community one holler story at a time—and we want y’all in on it. Got thoughts, local legends of your own, or nouns of Appalachian interest? Drop us a line at mailbag@queernecks.com.


✨ Stay in the loop and get extra gossip by joining our newsletter: queernecks on Substack.

Transcript
Speaker:

Welcome to Queer Next, the podcast that

puts the Yee Hall in y'all means hall.

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I'm your host, Beck, and I'm your host.

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Dash.

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Welcome to today's episode.

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, dash_2_08-21-2025_122247:

I washed, I'm wearing some

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freshly laundered house shoes.

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Do y'all call 'em house shoes?

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beck_2_08-21-2025_132247: 'em

slippers, but yeah, house shoes.

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dash_2_08-21-2025_122247: I never

heard slippers until I went up.

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I don't remember when the first time it

was, but I just remember the first time I

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heard it going like that is thought that

they were two different items, right?

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Like

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beck_2_08-21-2025_132247:

We didn't have slippers.

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We had, we had socks.

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That's what socks were for.

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dash_2_08-21-2025_122247: my, uh,

grandmother, my grandparents would,

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they would occasionally be trying

to, I think, signal to us that they

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were richer than my parents were.

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and so they would, they would buy

us random things or take us shopping

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and buy us a really random thing.

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And so one year they got,

they got us all house shoes.

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I just remember being like, wow, this is

fancy shoes for the inside of the house.

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But now I, it's because I have a

texture thing and I can't stand when

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my bare feet walk on something that

is dirty and I don't sweep enough.

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beck_2_08-21-2025_132247: I hear that.

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dash_2_08-21-2025_122247: It's

a cat litter problem my God.

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I did something that made

my little white trash heart.

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clutches pearls, though.

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I bought one of those litter robots.

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Have you seen those?

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beck_2_08-21-2025_132247: Fancy,

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dash_2_08-21-2025_122247:

Yeah, I got it from Costco.

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It was like a $900 thing with it came with

a bunch of, you can get one for a lot less

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than that if you only get the machine.

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But it came with like some steps

for Oscar's old arthritic ass and

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a year's worth of bin liners for

the litter and a mat that catches

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it when they jump out of it.

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yeah, I've been living the life since

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beck_2_08-21-2025_132247:

have they been using it?

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dash_2_08-21-2025_122247: Yeah, they will,

they didn't love it at first of course,

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'cause they were like, what in the hell?

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So I let 'em keep, they had, for all

of them, it took four or five huge

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ass litter boxes at any given time

and they smelled and it just was like

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all, I had to clean 'em all the time.

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and they tracked litter everywhere.

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So I got this thing and like

slowly diminished the number of

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regular litter boxes they had

over a period of several weeks.

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beck_2_08-21-2025_132247:

Well, that's awesome.

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dash_2_08-21-2025_122247: if I leave,

um, dirty laundry or something on

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the floor, they will pee in that.

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don't know which one of 'em it

is, I don't, I just think that

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that's, I don't know what that

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beck_2_08-21-2025_132247:

They just don't like clutter.

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dash_2_08-21-2025_122247: Yeah, they're

like, you need to clean this shit up.

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Disgusting bastard.

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It's customer appreciation

day at my gas station.

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So I was just over there

and they gave me a free hot

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beck_2_08-21-2025_132247: Nice.

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Free food always tastes

better than food you pay for.

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dash_2_08-21-2025_122247: Uh,

I don't remember last time

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I ate a hot dog on purpose.

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Like, I thought to myself

like, I would like a hot dog

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beck_2_08-21-2025_132247: Yeah.

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dash_2_08-21-2025_122247: But me that one.

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I said, hell

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beck_2_08-21-2025_132247: I haven't had

one since I've been allowed to say no

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to food, I don't like hot dogs at all.

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Funnily enough, I don't like

phallic shaped food, and it's not

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because they're phallic shaped.

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It just worked out that way.

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I don't like link sausage.

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I don't like bananas.

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I don't like eggplant.

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I don't like cucumbers.

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I don't like pickles.

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dash_2_08-21-2025_122247: my God, does it

hurt being so incorrect about something?

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All of that stuff is incredible.

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beck_2_08-21-2025_132247: It's the texture

for most of it that I can't handle.

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dash_2_08-21-2025_122247: Texture's a

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beck_2_08-21-2025_132247: Yeah.

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dash_2_08-21-2025_122247: I remember.

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So talking about like just food texture.

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we didn't hardly eat much fresh,

vegetables and stuff growing up.

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It was all canned.

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I really thought for the longest time that

I hated all kinds of vegetables because

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I'd only hand the canned version so for

instance, the canned version of asparagus

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is, nobody should put that in their mouth.

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It, I mean, for one it, it, canned

asparagus has this odd like taste,

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but the texture, if you ever had that

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beck_2_08-21-2025_132247: I've

never had asparagus in my life.

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dash_2_08-21-2025_122247: well,

fresh asparagus is, is pretty elite.

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I love it.

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But, um, it took a long time for me

to even about trying it because I

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really thought that all asparagus was

like, can asparagus and it's mush.

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so, it still is kind of shaped

it's asparagus shaped when it comes

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out of the can, but when you touch

it, it just liquefies it is awful.

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beck_2_08-21-2025_132247: The

only vegetables mom gave us

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were potatoes and corn and the

occasional carrot and a pot roast.

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yeah, mom had like five recipes that she

made on a rotation, rotating basis, and

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the rest of the time we ate fast food.

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dash_2_08-21-2025_122247:

Does she ever like bake stuff?

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Does she make cakes and

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beck_2_08-21-2025_132247: Not

all the time, sometimes for

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your birthday or whatever.

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Um, they could, they could whip

together that she was big on fudge.

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She made fudge for us.

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I, she learned, my wife

learned how to make it.

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and I try to get her to make

it for me and she won't.

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but it's, she knows how to do it.

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So there's at least that she

learned how to make my mom's fudge

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and my mom's mashed potatoes.

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dash_2_08-21-2025_122247: Fuck fudge.

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Like fudge is, um, amazing, but I,

there's a kind of, a quality to fudge

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in Appalachia in particular to me.

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' cause I've just tried many different

kinds since moving away and I'm like,

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yeah, there's like objectively sugar

and, and peanut butter and chocolate and,

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and whatever you're gonna put in here

and melt together, it's gonna be great.

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But there is, about the

kind that they made.

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Jellico Mountain in particular, there

was a gas station in there that would

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sell somebody's homemade version.

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And I have never tasted

anything like it since then.

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And in a way, I am kind of

like, I don't want fudge.

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It's not gonna

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beck_2_08-21-2025_132247: Mom

made the, the recipe on the

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back of the Hershey cocoa.

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it was for, for a long time.

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It was on the back of the

Hershey cocoa container.

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it's really good.

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dash_2_08-21-2025_122247: uh, my mom tried

to make some once my mom was not a, uh.

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A desserts person.

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She didn't, she will make us cakes

for our birthdays, but she just

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didn't put the energy into like,

you gotta cook a whole ass meal.

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You gotta, you have to go to work, you

have to do, you have to be a mom and a,

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a, a person who has at least one, if not

two or more jobs, they come home and, and

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put something on the table for dinner.

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I don't think it's weird at all to not

want to do des dessert on top of all

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beck_2_08-21-2025_132247: Right.

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dash_2_08-21-2025_122247: she would

claim that it was because she didn't

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like it, don't think that's true.

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likes it.

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But one time she did, she did

make an attempt at what I think

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was peanut butter fudge, and I

don't know what she did to it.

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I don't know what happened to

it while I was in that oven.

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But I have this distinct

memory of, you know, the, those

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really thick butter knives.

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Well, she broke one in half to

cut down the center of this fudge.

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beck_2_08-21-2025_132247:

Now that's, that's a talent.

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dash_2_08-21-2025_122247: And I remember

like in a, you know, to her credit,

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she thought it was hysterical too.

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But I just remember that was maybe

the, my earliest memory of my dad

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laughing so hard that he like turned

red and his, he was crying and stuff.

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My dad loves to

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beck_2_08-21-2025_132247: Yeah.

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, dash_2_08-21-2025_122247: Once we'd

learned that and we became, when you're

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a kid, you begin to like, get a sense of

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beck_2_08-21-2025_132247: Mm-hmm.

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dash_2_08-21-2025_122247: It, it

just became our mission to make him

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laugh until no sound could come out.

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That's how hard he laughs.

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beck_2_08-21-2025_132247: That

was my goal with mom because I

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learned that you weren't in trouble

once if you were funny and she'd

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stop being sad if you were funny.

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So I got real funny.

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dash_2_08-21-2025_122247: a lot of kids

learn that humor is a self-defense.

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beck_2_08-21-2025_132247: Yeah.

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It loosens a lot of situations

that are otherwise very tense.

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dash_2_08-21-2025_122247: I'm looking

at, need to take off the things we've

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already hit on the wheel, what have you.

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They go fast.

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It's gonna be time to put some more on.

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beck_2_08-21-2025_132247: Can you

believe this is our 13th episode

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dash_2_08-21-2025_122247:

No, we're getting so good.

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One of these days I'll get like

a place to actually record where

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there's good sound quality.

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beck_2_08-21-2025_132247: and one day

I'll get our website all put together.

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I'm working on it though.

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dash_2_08-21-2025_122247: I just

don't think, I mean, like we're, we're

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working, we're having a good time.

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I don't think there's any reason

to just freak out and rush about

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beck_2_08-21-2025_132247: Right.

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We got an email address this week,

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dash_2_08-21-2025_122247: Hell yeah.

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Tell the listeners

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beck_2_08-21-2025_132247: so if you

would like to reach out to us via email,

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please do so at mailbag@queernecks.com.

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M-A-I-L-B-A g@queernecks.com

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dash_2_08-21-2025_122247: Yeah.

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We don't know why you'd wanna talk to us,

but if you did say you wanna offer us big

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bunches of money to make entertainment,

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beck_2_08-21-2025_132247:

at your local bowling alley.

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dash_2_08-21-2025_122247: what?

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Have, what Have you

been watching anything?

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What have you been doing

lately for entertainment?

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beck_2_08-21-2025_132247: Um, the

last week and a half I've been

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solely working on my syllabi and

trying to get that stuff together.

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so I've been watching a lot of YouTube.

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there's a show on Netflix

called Son of a Critch.

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Um, nobody has heard of

it when I mention it.

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It's from Canadian tv.

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It Broad.

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It's on Canadian Broadcasting Channel.

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it's really cute.

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There's a fourth season that I

can't find anywhere that just aired.

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but the first three

seasons are on Netflix.

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It's really cute.

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dash_2_08-21-2025_122247:

Malcolm McDowell is in this.

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beck_2_08-21-2025_132247:

Yeah, he's the grandpa.

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dash_2_08-21-2025_122247: Cool.

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beck_2_08-21-2025_132247: Yeah.

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It takes place in, uh, Newfoundland

He's a kid and he's in a ca, a Catholic,

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uh, middle school elementary school,

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dash_2_08-21-2025_122247: it's on the cw.

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beck_2_08-21-2025_132247:

Um, it's on Netflix.

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If you have Netflix.

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dash_2_08-21-2025_122247: I just

recently have started going like, what

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do I want to meaningfully spend money

on, like subbing to Patreons and stuff?

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Like who, what artists do I wanna support?

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' especially with the amount of time I

spend consuming podcasts or YouTube or

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something, and, and also just getting

started doing this, now I'm noticing that.

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there's, there's all these ways

you can support artists with your

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dollars I just subbed to one, person.

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and it's like $1 a month.

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she has so many, I think, subscribers

that that's all she needs.

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And so she's not trying

to, squeeze anybody.

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And I was like, I can do $1 a month for

the amount of stuff that I get from you.

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' cause I had been watching her shit.

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It's Fundie.

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Fridays on, YouTube and she does

watch parties and her Discord,

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I was like, that's a fuckton

of work and I'm benefiting from

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at least a good portion of it.

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So I'll give you, I can give you

a dollar a month, but at the same

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time, I'm getting rid of things like

Netflix and Paramount, Paramount.

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I'm so mad at

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beck_2_08-21-2025_132247: Yeah, I

got rid of everything for the summer.

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'cause there's no, nothing new

on TV during the summer anyway.

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There's no new content, so you're

really just paying to, to place

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hold until the new stuff comes out.

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Um, so I,

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dash_2_08-21-2025_122247: true.

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beck_2_08-21-2025_132247: 'em

every summer and then as there's

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things I wanna watch, I re-up them.

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dash_2_08-21-2025_122247: Yeah.

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I restarted Netflix so that

I could watch Wednesday.

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beck_2_08-21-2025_132247: Yeah.

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dash_2_08-21-2025_122247: And I just,

I rarely ever actually open Netflix.

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First thing I do when I open

the Roku is go to YouTube.

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beck_2_08-21-2025_132247:

that's what I do on my tv.

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I watch, I have several

YouTubers that I follow and I

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watch all the late night stuff.

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Like I watch Jimmy Kimmel every morning.

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I don't watch him live, but I

watch the monologue every morning.

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dash_2_08-21-2025_122247: Really bizarrely

specific fake news going around lately.

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I saw, uh, I got a Google alert

that the IRS is gonna give us all a

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$1,500 stimulus package or stimulus

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beck_2_08-21-2025_132247: I

got something like that too.

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dash_2_08-21-2025_122247:

That is absolutely

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beck_2_08-21-2025_132247: Right?

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dash_2_08-21-2025_122247: So

I was like, what the fuck?

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There's a funny, uh, weird Al

Yankovic, you know how he and um,

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will Forte, they just did a cover

of Chappell Roan, pink Pony Club.

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beck_2_08-21-2025_132247:

No, I haven't heard it.

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dash_2_08-21-2025_122247:

It's really cute.

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and it's live.

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And they were just, um, I don't know

what the rest of the show was, but

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they were kind of joking because

he doesn't do straight covers.

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He always does parodies.

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and they just, they did a straight cover

of it because they're like, this song

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is, there's nothing to improve on here.

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But he posted, I don't know if it was

X or Threads, uh, in a screenshot of

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Google saying, something about, you

know, Chappell Roan And, and it's

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a picture of him doing that song

and he is like, are you sure about

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this Google, Google's getting worse.

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beck_2_08-21-2025_132247: I was using chat

GPT the other day, um, and I was working

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on creating, um, a co a state, like

I'll, I'll write something and tell it to

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rewrite it nicely or more professional.

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and that, like, I would get the,

some, tips out of that sometimes.

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And it was just making things up

whole cloth that weren't even part

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of the notes that I was giving it.

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And I was like, just typing

no and hitting enter.

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dash_2_08-21-2025_122247: don't remember

the last thing I tried to use it for, but

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I also just, and, and also like once it

starts on something, you can't get it to

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beck_2_08-21-2025_132247: Right.

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dash_2_08-21-2025_122247: and

you can't type either because

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it's working on something.

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And so I just had to sit there

while it did something that

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was not at all what I wanted.

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Yeah.

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I, I think it's getting

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beck_2_08-21-2025_132247: Are you,

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dash_2_08-21-2025_122247:

it's getting dumber.

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beck_2_08-21-2025_132247:

you polite to AI.

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dash_2_08-21-2025_122247: Well, I don't

talk to it that often, I guess mean to it.

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beck_2_08-21-2025_132247: Do

you say thank you to Alexa?

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dash_2_08-21-2025_122247: I don't have an

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beck_2_08-21-2025_132247: Ah, you should.

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It's good for the weather and it tells

you when your Amazon packages arrive.

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dash_2_08-21-2025_122247: I

don't have any smart home things.

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There's, I have a router, and it is

compatible with a lot of stuff like that,

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but I don't, like what's it gonna do in

this a hundred year old goblin house?

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in here is smart, so I

just never have bothered.

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beck_2_08-21-2025_132247: I do

think the plugins are neat because

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you can be like, turn on the living

room lamp and it just comes on,

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dash_2_08-21-2025_122247:

Yeah, that's really Star Trek.

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That,

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beck_2_08-21-2025_132247: the technology

I always wanted from TV in the eighties

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was the hand link that Al used on Quantum

Leap, the, the guy that was his coach.

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Did you ever see that show

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dash_2_08-21-2025_122247: Yeah,

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beck_2_08-21-2025_132247: al his

friend that was in the future?

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dash_2_08-21-2025_122247: yeah,

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beck_2_08-21-2025_132247: had a,

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dash_2_08-21-2025_122247: the guide.

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beck_2_08-21-2025_132247: he had

a little thing that he would hold

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a little hand link and he'd get

information from it and he'd read it.

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It was way before cell

phones or anything like that.

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So it was cool that he had this thing,

like this instant computer in his hand

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they were bulky and they were colorful and

they made all kinds of interesting noises.

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And I've always wanted one,

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dash_2_08-21-2025_122247:

Do you ever have an iMac?

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beck_2_08-21-2025_132247: hell no.

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dash_2_08-21-2025_122247:

You remember those

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beck_2_08-21-2025_132247: school,

I think there were a few, um,

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my, my parents never would've,

sprung for a Mac computer, never.

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dash_2_08-21-2025_122247: A

lot of people don't know like

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how many eras Apple has had.

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so Macintosh was just like the

first PC and it had like that, you

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know, amazing green, font on it

and you could play organ trail.

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But the iMac was that one that, this

is where Apple was first trying on.

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They were trying to do aesthetic.

330

:

They were trying to be like, we

have style, this is how we're

331

:

gonna distinguish ourselves.

332

:

And they were bright colors

and bulbous and weird looking.

333

:

They were self-contained machines too.

334

:

and I just remember like

thinking, where's this going?

335

:

I would get wish books of guitars

and computers and just sit and dream

336

:

about owning something one day.

337

:

And now you kind of have to

try to not have a computer.

338

:

beck_2_08-21-2025_132247: Right.

339

:

They're in everything.

340

:

My insurance company sent me all new

testing supplies today and it came

341

:

with a new monitor, um, and new test

strips and it's all super fancy.

342

:

and it's connected to the internet.

343

:

Why does my blood glucose monitor

need to be connected to the internet?

344

:

dash_2_08-21-2025_122247:

This, this litter robot I

345

:

bought it talks to me all day.

346

:

It'll send me a text message.

347

:

Felix took a shit.

348

:

It weighs them.

349

:

beck_2_08-21-2025_132247: that's funny.

350

:

dash_2_08-21-2025_122247: Yeah.

351

:

I'm like, okay.

352

:

It'll tell me when

brisket's playing in it.

353

:

beck_2_08-21-2025_132247: So it's

a narc is what you're saying.

354

:

dash_2_08-21-2025_122247: It's a narc.

355

:

Yeah, some you can get, uh, I was kind

of tempted to get the cat cameras that

356

:

you can watch your cats with all day,

but then I knew that I would just be

357

:

sad and then that they would be sad.

358

:

beck_2_08-21-2025_132247: My

two littles will out of nowhere.

359

:

if they forget your home and they're

on the couch they will just throw

360

:

their little heads back outta nowhere

and howl the saddest little howl that

361

:

you have ever heard in your life.

362

:

And we talked about getting those cameras,

but I, I, if I saw that happening, I'd be

363

:

like, I gotta leave right now and go home.

364

:

dash_2_08-21-2025_122247: to,

365

:

beck_2_08-21-2025_132247: I couldn't

know it was happening and not go.

366

:

dash_2_08-21-2025_122247: when

you buy a house, they try to

367

:

sell you all kinds of shit.

368

:

There's these like parasite vendors that

come at you like ADT, and they're like,

369

:

we'll give you these cameras for free.

370

:

And it's like, I don't want any of that

shit, they'll come at you and they're

371

:

like, it's a selling point to have the

ADT sign in your yard because, because it

372

:

says, don't try to break into my house.

373

:

do you know where I live?

374

:

Nobody's gonna try to break into this

house they're all related to each other.

375

:

They all know each other.

376

:

if anybody saw you do it, everybody else

would know you'd done it in an hour.

377

:

You're not gonna get

away with anything here.

378

:

Be kind of gauche to be like,

don't break into my house.

379

:

There's nothing but garbage in here.

380

:

Maybe we ought to spin this

381

:

beck_2_08-21-2025_132247: Let's do it.

382

:

dash_2_08-21-2025_122247: see

if we can get ourselves, whoop.

383

:

All right.

384

:

So we landed on local legends.

385

:

beck_2_08-21-2025_132247: Local legends,

386

:

dash_2_08-21-2025_122247: I was thinking

more like legendary people, here's one.

387

:

There's one person Uh,

this is from Richmond.

388

:

So when I lived in Richmond, a

guy there, I think he's still

389

:

alive, they call Big World.

390

:

he called himself Big World, actually.

391

:

so it world, but nobody's

pronounces the D So Big

392

:

beck_2_08-21-2025_132247: big world.

393

:

dash_2_08-21-2025_122247: and

394

:

beck_2_08-21-2025_132247:

It's like big worm.

395

:

dash_2_08-21-2025_122247: Yeah.

396

:

so Whirl is a, a guy.

397

:

I never have known how old he

is, but he's smaller now, but

398

:

he was always a real large guy.

399

:

he was just kind of, I think, uh,

neurodivergent and, his favorite thing

400

:

in the world was to be outside and just.

401

:

Talking to people and he would ride

a bicycle around and just go from

402

:

place to place and talk to everybody.

403

:

He was a black guy, so was interesting

watching him go between, because the

404

:

places he would go, you would think, like,

I wonder if that's a safe place for him.

405

:

it could be that that was,

that's a, an assumption that's

406

:

not fair to make of anybody.

407

:

And it could also be that like

everybody just loved world.

408

:

but he called himself big world because

he was outside and he went around to

409

:

everybody so much that he started to sell

sign space on his bicycle for advertising.

410

:

So local businesses would give

whirl $5 a month or whatever to

411

:

ride his bicycle around with a

sign for the, with their business

412

:

sticking off the back of his bike.

413

:

beck_2_08-21-2025_132247: That's awesome.

414

:

dash_2_08-21-2025_122247: he got,

as he got older, he couldn't ride

415

:

his bike as much, but he got a

tricycle and would ride that around.

416

:

And then he got a little less

capable, of paddling that around.

417

:

and he would stop and praise on

the, on the corners and stuff too.

418

:

Like you, sometimes you'd stop at

the, at the, the red light and world

419

:

would be on the corner praising,

it's like, okay, Getty World.

420

:

And he would, it would be very

animated and then he would be

421

:

fine after that and just go on.

422

:

So nobody, nobody bothered him.

423

:

You just knew that sometimes

the world would stop and praise

424

:

and you couldn't talk to him.

425

:

but he wasn't, he would be struggling to

get along on his pedal powered things.

426

:

And somebody gave him a lawnmower,

they took the blades off of it and gave

427

:

him a lawnmower to drive around and

he got a big cart on the back of it.

428

:

And then it was just signs all

galore and everybody wanted world to.

429

:

Promote their business, but there

was a law against riding a mo, a

430

:

lawnmower on the road so there was

like a petition, like the whole town

431

:

petitioned I don't know if it was,

change the law or make an exception to

432

:

be able to still ride his mower around

and make his money and visit everybody.

433

:

beck_2_08-21-2025_132247: That's awesome.

434

:

dash_2_08-21-2025_122247: at the, the

bowling alley I worked at, we had a

435

:

little like newspaper there and it was,

we would do like, there was a game of

436

:

where's Whirl and it was like Photoshop

a picture of him into something.

437

:

He caught us one night, man, me and my

roommates, we were playing strip poker,

438

:

and we decided to go outside for a smoke.

439

:

He rolled up on us and we were

just like, oh God, what do we do?

440

:

But he stopped.

441

:

He saw it.

442

:

He noticed, he goes,

ah, shit, y'alls naked.

443

:

It's like, yes, you better go.

444

:

I guess he's probably the most legendary

person, uh, from, from Richmond.

445

:

beck_2_08-21-2025_132247: The

only person I can think of is

446

:

a guy that was named Rodney.

447

:

Um, he happened to be a black man as well.

448

:

he was developmentally delayed.

449

:

Uh, and he would walk around.

450

:

I remember him from

the time I was 6, 7, 8.

451

:

He would always be around the

parks and the bowling alley.

452

:

'cause I was bowling alley a lot.

453

:

And he wanted everybody's autograph

and he would make balloon animals.

454

:

dash_2_08-21-2025_122247: Hell

455

:

beck_2_08-21-2025_132247: Yeah.

456

:

But everybody knew Rodney and

you'd see him all over town.

457

:

there were people that came to Bingo

that were, that were legendary.

458

:

Like the lady that, um, got arrested

by the FBI in the middle of a game.

459

:

One day she worked at a bank and she

had embezzled from the bank and they

460

:

waited on her to be in a public place

and they came in and pulled her ass

461

:

out of bingo and took her to jail.

462

:

Everybody was like, holy cow.

463

:

dash_2_08-21-2025_122247: Was she playing

464

:

beck_2_08-21-2025_132247: Yes.

465

:

Oh, I don't know.

466

:

She was playing bingo.

467

:

I don't know where she got the money.

468

:

She was a big tip player too.

469

:

Um, some of those people would get their

check and come spend eight, $900 a night.

470

:

It was wild.

471

:

That's doing all that is why

I don't really gamble anymore.

472

:

I'll go to bingo once in a while knowing

that I'm gonna lose my money and it's

473

:

this pleasant surprise when I win.

474

:

But the house always wins and I

got, my mom was a gambler, my dad

475

:

was a gambler and I am just not.

476

:

dash_2_08-21-2025_122247: I, I've

never really, gambling wasn't a thing.

477

:

In Jellico, like it wasn't legal

and people played poker, but I

478

:

didn't, I didn't know anybody

that was like sitting there losing

479

:

their shirt on high stakes poker.

480

:

I don't think that the, the dopamine

hit from winning at, at something

481

:

like gambling would've been the same

to me as it was like something like

482

:

beck_2_08-21-2025_132247: Right.

483

:

dash_2_08-21-2025_122247: or alcohol.

484

:

you always know that one's gonna hit.

485

:

And I just, the gambling just

didn't, I didn't understand

486

:

it, it didn't do it for me.

487

:

beck_2_08-21-2025_132247: Gambling

was such a part of my mom's life that

488

:

my dad tracked down the first slot

machine she ever played and bought

489

:

it, and it sat beside the door of my

bedroom in the hallway for 20 years.

490

:

I don't know what happened to it.

491

:

When my dad died, it disappeared.

492

:

dash_2_08-21-2025_122247: Your, your mom

was kind of a local legend, like she had

493

:

beck_2_08-21-2025_132247:

I'll give you that.

494

:

I'll give you that.

495

:

Yeah.

496

:

dash_2_08-21-2025_122247:

Like the porn shop, the bingo,

497

:

beck_2_08-21-2025_132247: Anywhere you

wanted to chain smoke, my mom was there

498

:

and they would man that, that's why I

basically have to have a fan in almost

499

:

every room I'm in and I have to have a

window cracked in a car because I, for

500

:

so long they, they would chain smoke.

501

:

Like they would go between a

cart and a day between them.

502

:

yeah.

503

:

And they wouldn't roll down the windows

that's, like I said, that's why to

504

:

this day I can't sleep without a fan.

505

:

That's why I have to have a fan

in nearly every room I'm in.

506

:

I always have to have air moving.

507

:

I can't, the stagnant

air, I just can't breathe.

508

:

I come from a long line of smokers.

509

:

All three of my parents smoke.

510

:

dash_2_08-21-2025_122247: On

my mom's side, they all did.

511

:

Um, nobody on my dad's side did I think

that there is a, well, it's, it's not

512

:

just me that thinks this, this is a pretty

well, well documented and researched,

513

:

correlation between smoking and poverty.

514

:

the way that certain vices are

classed all I, maybe all vices

515

:

are classed, I don't know.

516

:

but smoking in particular is

a poor person, affectation.

517

:

And I think some people, and I

also would, would probably say

518

:

that it's to do with, you can, you

can sit down and take a breath.

519

:

There's so few rests to be taken in the

life of someone who is in the mines or, or

520

:

a service industry or something like that.

521

:

Like you, I think we talked about

this before, like you start smoking

522

:

because you can take a break if you

523

:

beck_2_08-21-2025_132247: Right.

524

:

dash_2_08-21-2025_122247:

And also it's a stimulant.

525

:

And it was a readily

available one for a long time.

526

:

Cigarettes were cheap as

527

:

beck_2_08-21-2025_132247: Yeah.

528

:

And they would sell to anybody.

529

:

I started smoking when I was 16

and I had no problem getting them.

530

:

That was the nineties before all the,

the laws changed and everything because

531

:

now you have to be 21 to buy cigarettes.

532

:

I.

533

:

dash_2_08-21-2025_122247: I know.

534

:

I saw that.

535

:

yeah, I, I was buying cigarettes when I

was 15 or 16 supposed to, you were, had to

536

:

be 18, but nobody, not many people cared.

537

:

they knew we were in high school

because it was, we would stop at this.

538

:

It was, uh, the quick shop, quick stop.

539

:

One of those across the street from

my high school, literally across

540

:

the street from my high school.

541

:

And we would all just go in there

and smoke before school and buy.

542

:

We'd buy her cigarettes from there.

543

:

She knew we were high

544

:

beck_2_08-21-2025_132247: Yeah, if a

place can be legendary as a legendary

545

:

local, the Briar patch was the name of

the gas station where I usually got my

546

:

cigarettes, and that place is legendary.

547

:

They sell everything

that you can think of.

548

:

You can get a giant bag of dog

food, like a 60 pound bag of dog

549

:

food just as easily as you can.

550

:

Buy a crockpot just as easily as you can.

551

:

Buy a sympathy card just

as easily as you can.

552

:

Buy a gas station chicken

with frog legs on the side.

553

:

they sell milk, they sell beer,

they sell, statues of, bald

554

:

eagles flying through the air.

555

:

They sell statues of, Native Americans.

556

:

they're one of those, uh, gas

stations that sell the little

557

:

crack pipes on the counter.

558

:

The little roses?

559

:

dash_2_08-21-2025_122247: With a

560

:

beck_2_08-21-2025_132247: Yeah.

561

:

Like you name it, and you can

get it at the Briar patch.

562

:

I worked there one summer and it was wild.

563

:

They never close for

any reason whatsoever.

564

:

they have live bait.

565

:

They have a live, live bait

refrigerator sitting there.

566

:

yeah, literally anything.

567

:

They have racing fuel,

568

:

dash_2_08-21-2025_122247:

what's racing fuel?

569

:

beck_2_08-21-2025_132247: um, a

higher octane fuel that you can put

570

:

in a car to, to optimize the engine.

571

:

dash_2_08-21-2025_122247: It's go faster

572

:

beck_2_08-21-2025_132247: Yeah.

573

:

But you can also buy kerosene there

for heaters and stuff like that.

574

:

but yeah, they have

racing fuel right there.

575

:

dash_2_08-21-2025_122247: I think

it was pretty easy for, high school

576

:

athletes to become local legends.

577

:

it is like small town celebrity, don't

know, is this true at a, for a lot of

578

:

places, but the, the kind of like sad

decline of the high school football

579

:

star, like the person who becomes that,

that level of celebrity over something

580

:

like high school athletics and kind

of throws away the rest of their life.

581

:

beck_2_08-21-2025_132247: I know

there were some guys like that.

582

:

Um, I can think of one guy

specifically named Josh.

583

:

Um, he was like six foot four

when we were in the seventh grade.

584

:

He was huge bean pole and he was

good at basketball and that kind of

585

:

thing, and he was really popular.

586

:

I knew he was the only person I knew

from kindergarten through 12th grade

587

:

because we both changed schools and went

to the same school in the sixth grade.

588

:

Like he followed me there like

three weeks after I moved.

589

:

It was weird.

590

:

But then he spent the rest of his life

working as a, he, he first was a, a writer

591

:

for the local newspaper, a sports writer.

592

:

Then I ran into and ran into

him, and he was a waiter at a,

593

:

like a roadhouse type restaurant.

594

:

and then in his obituary it said that

he was an adjunct at Shawnee State.

595

:

So I don't, I think he was an EMT.

596

:

He might have been doing stuff with that.

597

:

I don't know.

598

:

dash_2_08-21-2025_122247: Hmm.

599

:

So he did stuff

600

:

beck_2_08-21-2025_132247: he, but he,

he definitely peaked in high school.

601

:

dash_2_08-21-2025_122247: well,

I think we have to be careful,

602

:

like how we're measuring success,

603

:

beck_2_08-21-2025_132247: Totally true.

604

:

True.

605

:

dash_2_08-21-2025_122247:

I have a, I have a bias.

606

:

I know that staying behind

would've been not successful.

607

:

It wouldn't have felt successful to me.

608

:

But for some people then that

is, that is what they out to do.

609

:

but I think it's a more like a level

of, of how they see themselves.

610

:

does someone, is it, is it more

difficult to continue to grow, to

611

:

see yourself as an evolving person?

612

:

If you receive that amount of

adoration and praise and stuff at

613

:

such a silly point in a person's

614

:

beck_2_08-21-2025_132247: Yeah.

615

:

dash_2_08-21-2025_122247:

school is fucking

616

:

beck_2_08-21-2025_132247: Yeah.

617

:

dash_2_08-21-2025_122247: and I just

always wondered what it would be like,

618

:

what it's, what it would be like to have

to try to become an adult, which it has

619

:

a lot of sad and lonely and difficult

parts after having been someone who was

620

:

damn near and worshiped in in high school.

621

:

beck_2_08-21-2025_132247: there's

a lot of drinking that goes on.

622

:

dash_2_08-21-2025_122247: you know,

well, a lot of the guys that were in

623

:

that position from my school are dead

624

:

beck_2_08-21-2025_132247: Yeah.

625

:

dash_2_08-21-2025_122247:

from stuff like that.

626

:

But our generation too, like the, our

generation was really specific because

627

:

we got hit by the opioid epidemic.

628

:

And I'm, I'm continually struck by

being other places than Appalachia

629

:

and also just meeting younger people

that they really don't know what

630

:

that, what that means, what the opioid

epidemic did and what it was, and

631

:

how its effects are still so felt.

632

:

you know, we talk about how we,

we lost a generation to hiv aids.

633

:

Appalachia lost a generation to

634

:

beck_2_08-21-2025_132247: They sure did.

635

:

I lost my brother and uh, three

first cousins to the opioid epidemic

636

:

so many people that I knew from

high school and my area was so bad.

637

:

The intervention made an episode about

the opioid epidemic, about my hometown.

638

:

dash_2_08-21-2025_122247: Yeah.

639

:

And, and the region you're

from in particular is, is

640

:

often considered the ground

641

:

beck_2_08-21-2025_132247: Yeah.

642

:

dash_2_08-21-2025_122247:

for that epidemic.

643

:

And listeners, if you don't

know that epidemic was

644

:

engineered, it was class warfare.

645

:

I don't care if you think I

sound like Alex Jones right now.

646

:

It's documented.

647

:

You can look it up.

648

:

it was done to us to make a buck and

the Sacklers need to burn in hell

649

:

beck_2_08-21-2025_132247: Amen.

650

:

dash_2_08-21-2025_122247: poverty is

is a where these kinds of things root.

651

:

They can be engineered, they can be

incidental, they can be overflow, they

652

:

can be the next wave or evolution of

some other evil or some other thing.

653

:

but this one was ours.

654

:

This was, was the one that

defined our generation.

655

:

and I think still, still does.

656

:

I mean, I know plenty of people

who are still dealing with,

657

:

beck_2_08-21-2025_132247: Yep.

658

:

dash_2_08-21-2025_122247:

with repercussions of

659

:

beck_2_08-21-2025_132247: Yep.

660

:

dash_2_08-21-2025_122247: you know, in

the nineties too with AIDS was, it's

661

:

not like AIDS wasn't there anymore.

662

:

Between that and opioids,

they're just all gone.

663

:

Gone.

664

:

Or sick.

665

:

Or sick.

666

:

And, and, their lives have been

marked or defined by this thing.

667

:

beck_2_08-21-2025_132247: I've

lost a lot of people to drugs

668

:

and alcohol and depression.

669

:

Well,

670

:

dash_2_08-21-2025_122247: Yeah.

671

:

beck_2_08-21-2025_132247: I lost

my dad to lung cancer from smoking.

672

:

I lost my aunt to COPD from smoking.

673

:

Um, I had another aunt die kidney

failure from her uncontrolled diabetes.

674

:

dash_2_08-21-2025_122247: the kinds of

things that happens on a systemic level to

675

:

Appalachia or to poor black neighborhoods

not a long list of places where we would

676

:

allow that shit to happen to other people.

677

:

Where it would just, to middle

class people to nice white people.

678

:

They would, they would ring

every alarm bell they could

679

:

find, but it's not affecting the

kind of people that care about.

680

:

So why do

681

:

beck_2_08-21-2025_132247: Right,

682

:

dash_2_08-21-2025_122247: and sort of

back to this like local legend type

683

:

of thing, and I, I'm telling everybody

this every time I get the opportunity,

684

:

places like that, like Appalachia,

like those poor black neighborhoods,

685

:

they will do the shit themselves.

686

:

Like if, if they need, if somebody needs

help, they will do that shit themselves.

687

:

They will find help.

688

:

The mutual aid going on in Appalachia

right now, the, um, socioeconomic

689

:

development, Self-directed, by people in

the region to try to do something because

690

:

nobody else is going to, nobody external

to the region is gonna give a fuck.

691

:

beck_2_08-21-2025_132247: I ain't that it,

692

:

dash_2_08-21-2025_122247: Did you

ever do something legendary and then

693

:

like want to tell everybody about it?

694

:

beck_2_08-21-2025_132247:

It's, it's kind of dark.

695

:

Um, but the coolest thing

I have ever done, um.

696

:

Stay with me here.

697

:

One of my many jobs, over the years

is that I worked at the rape crisis

698

:

center in Toledo, and one of the first

cases I had was pretty appalling.

699

:

long story short, it, it happened in

front of the woman's grandson and, I

700

:

only worked there for a short period of

time, but I remained close to the woman.

701

:

Um, I was there when she had

her exam at the hospital.

702

:

I went through the whole process with her.

703

:

I held her hand, and I, I

stayed on as a volunteer.

704

:

And when the guy went to trial, um, and

they, it was time to read the victim

705

:

impact statement, I read her, I, I

helped her write it and I read the victim

706

:

impact statement for her and I got to

call that guy an asshole to his face

707

:

before the judge.

708

:

It's on the record forever that

I called that man an asshole.

709

:

Um, and then he got

sentenced to five years.

710

:

So, I think that was pretty legendary.

711

:

dash_2_08-21-2025_122247: yeah,

712

:

beck_2_08-21-2025_132247: It's one

of the coolest things I've, I've

713

:

gotten to do, um, through my work

in women's studies and feminism.

714

:

dash_2_08-21-2025_122247: that's,

that's pretty fucking epic.

715

:

I don't think I've, I don't

think I've done many cool things.

716

:

I have.

717

:

Survived a lot of things

that should have killed me.

718

:

beck_2_08-21-2025_132247:

Amen to that too.

719

:

dash_2_08-21-2025_122247: There's,

I have a whole lot of stories that,

720

:

should have been my last thing that

could have been on my, my gravestone.

721

:

beck_2_08-21-2025_132247: CII haven't

spent a lot of time inebriated in my life.

722

:

but I have greivously injured

myself on more than one occasion.

723

:

like I said, my n my leg

nearly fell off one time.

724

:

my arm was almost ripped off by a boat.

725

:

my cat, I, I got bitten by a

cat and my hand turned black and

726

:

started swelling up like crazy.

727

:

I've been in some, some serious accidents.

728

:

I, I've wrecked several cars.

729

:

but thank goodness I've

always been okay so far.

730

:

dash_2_08-21-2025_122247: My, my papa,

has done, survived some crazy shit,

731

:

and he's kind of a, legend to me.

732

:

beck_2_08-21-2025_132247: I.

733

:

dash_2_08-21-2025_122247: so he, I think

he was in his, in his eighties, late

734

:

seventies, early eighties, and was driving

a tractor and it rolled down the hill.

735

:

It rolled over on him and he was fine.

736

:

he fractured a rib and that was it.

737

:

When he was 90, he was driving an

old a Chevy S 10 without a seatbelt

738

:

and got t-boned and was fine.

739

:

beck_2_08-21-2025_132247: Oh wow.

740

:

dash_2_08-21-2025_122247:

he was, he was like made of

741

:

something, some different stuff.

742

:

beck_2_08-21-2025_132247: A wild

story that happened to my Pappa.

743

:

It was before I was born, and I heard

it through the grapevine, of course.

744

:

he was a truck driver and one time he was

trucking along and he fell asleep at the

745

:

wheel and there was a truck broke down

on the side of the road and his, his semi

746

:

hit the truck and ran over the guy that

was under the hood and the guy was dead.

747

:

And so they did some research and

it turns out he had had a heart

748

:

attack and died under the hood.

749

:

And if they hadn't been able to

prove that, my grandpa would've

750

:

gone to prison for a very long time.

751

:

dash_2_08-21-2025_122247: Yeah.

752

:

beck_2_08-21-2025_132247: Yeah.

753

:

But the guy had had a heart

attack and pa and died under the

754

:

hood on the side of the road.

755

:

And that's when my papa hit him.

756

:

dash_2_08-21-2025_122247: Dang.

757

:

My, so my dad drove trains for,

the railroad as a brakeman because

758

:

everybody starts at the bottom,

and it's all seniority based.

759

:

eventually though, everybody

works up to go into engineer

760

:

school at Norfolk Southern.

761

:

Anyway, I don't know if all railroads are

like this, after that you drive trains.

762

:

So he did that for probably 15 years.

763

:

People will, I know a, a person who is,

is, uh, in the mental state where they

764

:

want to take their own life, is not making

decisions, in a, in an organized way.

765

:

folks choose trains to take their own

lives I think maybe not understanding

766

:

that there's a person inside and

so he has to go, on kind of trial

767

:

every time someone does that.

768

:

so he sees this, right?

769

:

Because it's, there's windows , but

then he has to go and be deposed and

770

:

make sure that like, though they're the

person, they put themselves in front of

771

:

the train, he still, like if he make,

if he had made a single mistake or

772

:

something like that, he would be liable.

773

:

and the number of times that, like, I, I

don't know how he did the job he did for

774

:

as long as he did once would be enough for

775

:

beck_2_08-21-2025_132247: Yeah.

776

:

dash_2_08-21-2025_122247: that.

777

:

And people do it a lot.

778

:

beck_2_08-21-2025_132247: Wow.

779

:

dash_2_08-21-2025_122247: I

780

:

beck_2_08-21-2025_132247: You

don't hear about that very often.

781

:

dash_2_08-21-2025_122247: know.

782

:

No, the railroad's actually

pretty good at keeping secrets.

783

:

beck_2_08-21-2025_132247: Yeah,

784

:

dash_2_08-21-2025_122247: Well,

I maybe it is a good time to

785

:

hear from this week's sponsor.

786

:

beck_2_08-21-2025_132247: do it.

787

:

dash_2_08-21-2025_122247: I'm really

excited, really excited about this one.

788

:

this week's sponsor is 1989 Geo Metro.

789

:

beck_2_08-21-2025_132247:

I owned one of those.

790

:

dash_2_08-21-2025_122247: I do.

791

:

Now y'all, some folks out here will

flex with their shiny new trucks,

792

:

their lifted Jeeps, their cars that

start with keys, but you don't need

793

:

none of that when you got the rubber

band powered Dollar Store Gremlin of

794

:

Appalachia, the 1989 Geo Metro, car for

which the Ford Pinto is aspirational.

795

:

Three cylinders count

'em like the dollar bill.

796

:

Your queer as a fourth cylinder would

simply be too much, and that's only

797

:

reserved for blush and the number

of carabiners on a wallet chain.

798

:

Four speed transmission means you'll

get to savor every gear shift like the

799

:

last cigarette before drag bingo starts.

800

:

need for any theft protection.

801

:

If anybody wanted it,

they'd have already got it.

802

:

The key's been broken off in the

ignition since 93, and the door

803

:

locks may have never worked.

804

:

Now the dash.

805

:

this beauty tops out at 85 miles an

hour, but if you dare take it over 55.

806

:

Oh honey, she shakes harder

than a Pentecostal in church.

807

:

she's not driving.

808

:

She's reviving.

809

:

This Metro's interactive dash and column

panel keep you and your passengers

810

:

engaged, chasing buttons around the

floor as they fly off in every direction.

811

:

Push one for the wipers and the low beams

button launches a bid towards the window.

812

:

Metro likes to keep you on your toes.

813

:

the 1989 Geo Metro is the

perfect car for Appalachia.

814

:

A place where the question is never

whether it's the newest or the nicest,

815

:

but only can it take me and my chosen

family somewhere else for a while.

816

:

If the answer is yes, then it's as nice

as a Bentley and fast as a Maserati.

817

:

Plus, you can get one for the

cost of gas to get it home.

818

:

week's episode is sponsored by 1989, geo

Metro, keeping you humble and creative.

819

:

beck_2_08-21-2025_132247:

Very cool though.

820

:

I would like to point out I did

have an alarm system on my metro.

821

:

yes.

822

:

Because I had really nice stereo.

823

:

We put a pioneer stereo in it,

so we put a car alarm on it.

824

:

It would just go off for hours at school.

825

:

I'd get called into the office

and I'd know what it was for.

826

:

dash_2_08-21-2025_122247: Uh,

mine had a tape deck in it.

827

:

beck_2_08-21-2025_132247: Yeah, no,

that was one thing that I had, uh, I,

828

:

my dad always kept me in a good radio.

829

:

I had satellite radio like

the first year it came out.

830

:

dash_2_08-21-2025_122247: Dang.

831

:

Oh, that's

832

:

beck_2_08-21-2025_132247: Yeah.

833

:

dash_2_08-21-2025_122247: your mom and

your, your dad and stepdad were big

834

:

believers in, having the, the cinemas

835

:

beck_2_08-21-2025_132247: Yeah.

836

:

Yeah.

837

:

Not so much the insurance, but yeah.

838

:

Like the satellite radio

and the, the bingo and the,

839

:

dash_2_08-21-2025_122247:

we, we would make mixtapes

840

:

beck_2_08-21-2025_132247: mm-hmm.

841

:

dash_2_08-21-2025_122247: like I

was talking about last week, and

842

:

then also off of, you remember M 2,

843

:

beck_2_08-21-2025_132247: No.

844

:

dash_2_08-21-2025_122247:

so not M-T-V-M-T-V two.

845

:

beck_2_08-21-2025_132247: No.

846

:

dash_2_08-21-2025_122247: MTV became

just reality TV and stuff like

847

:

that, they moved the music videos

to a separate channel called M

848

:

beck_2_08-21-2025_132247: Huh.

849

:

dash_2_08-21-2025_122247: It wasn't

part of, I think, traditional cable.

850

:

We got it because of the, the

satellite dish that my dad took

851

:

the restraining bolt off of.

852

:

And they played all, they, it

wasn't just what was on the radio,

853

:

they played like indie stuff.

854

:

This is the first time

I heard Ani DiFranco.

855

:

This was the first time I heard,

Suzanne Vega and Slater Kenny

856

:

Veruca Salt, like all of these

things that really became important.

857

:

music influences for me.

858

:

They were on M two, but my dad had

hooked up this system, this monitor with

859

:

JBLs so we could listen to, you know,

movies and stuff and surround sound.

860

:

and me and my brother figured out a way to

wire it to the TV so that we could record

861

:

music it I think it was, I don't even

remember how we did it, but yeah, we were

862

:

making our own, mixtapes off of M two.

863

:

And so I was.

864

:

Thumping those in the, in the metro.

865

:

beck_2_08-21-2025_132247: I remember I

had, um, I specifically remember listening

866

:

to the Weezer Blue album, back then.

867

:

dash_2_08-21-2025_122247:

I listened to that one

868

:

beck_2_08-21-2025_132247: Yeah, I

know every word to that whole cd.

869

:

It's, it's perfect from start to finish.

870

:

dash_2_08-21-2025_122247: Yeah.

871

:

Yeah.

872

:

The, from the very first, like that,

like acoustic guitar of my name is

873

:

beck_2_08-21-2025_132247: Yep.

874

:

Which I had a very best

friend named Jonas.

875

:

dash_2_08-21-2025_122247: yeah.

876

:

beck_2_08-21-2025_132247: it was funny.

877

:

dash_2_08-21-2025_122247: Did you

see any of the music videos for that?

878

:

beck_2_08-21-2025_132247: Uh, yeah.

879

:

The Buddy Holly one was really popular.

880

:

Um, and the, the, the undone

sweater song was also popular.

881

:

dash_2_08-21-2025_122247: Yeah.

882

:

Say it ain't

883

:

beck_2_08-21-2025_132247: Yeah.

884

:

dash_2_08-21-2025_122247: I took that

CD to college with me and my, I remember

885

:

feeling really lonely and I was, um, in

my dorm room on the top bunk, staring at

886

:

the ceiling, listening to Only In Dreams.

887

:

And you know how that song, like, it takes

its time, it really, pares itself down

888

:

to hardly anything for a while there it's

just the bass guitar and that, the cymbal,

889

:

the high hat and it slowly builds back up.

890

:

And that's like a formative memory

for me of going away to college was

891

:

just kind of, I had my eyes closed

and I was just listening really hard.

892

:

I had it turned up really loud and I was

trying to, trying to find some bridge

893

:

between like who and what and where I had

been just a week ago and where I was gonna

894

:

be, you know, now, whatever that meant.

895

:

It's funny how music can do that.

896

:

beck_2_08-21-2025_132247: The, the

don't go chasing waterfalls takes

897

:

me back to my very first dorm room.

898

:

from the, I I did a summer program

between my junior and senior year of

899

:

college where we stayed on campus for

six weeks and lived in the dorms, had

900

:

a roommate and all that kind of stuff.

901

:

And that was that summer

that that song came out.

902

:

And I remember people listening

to it spec I specifically,

903

:

that song takes me back there.

904

:

my senior year of high school, my

mom let me go to a, a concert in

905

:

Toledo, which is, is no big deal now

because I live in Toledo, but Toledo

906

:

is 250 miles from where I grew up.

907

:

It was a pretty good drive.

908

:

dash_2_08-21-2025_122247: a big city.

909

:

beck_2_08-21-2025_132247: Yeah.

910

:

but we were allowed to go and it was

the off, no, it was, um, Bush, no doubt.

911

:

And the Googo dolls.

912

:

dash_2_08-21-2025_122247: Oh, hell

913

:

beck_2_08-21-2025_132247: Yeah.

914

:

dash_2_08-21-2025_122247: a great

915

:

beck_2_08-21-2025_132247: Yeah.

916

:

It was, it was fantastic.

917

:

dash_2_08-21-2025_122247: I loved Bush.

918

:

That first album, um, what was it called?

919

:

Come Down?

920

:

beck_2_08-21-2025_132247:

Uh, was it glycerine?

921

:

dash_2_08-21-2025_122247: uh, no,

those are the names of the songs.

922

:

What was the first?

923

:

beck_2_08-21-2025_132247: I had it.

924

:

Pearl Jam versus is one of my favorite.

925

:

Also Perfect.

926

:

From,

927

:

dash_2_08-21-2025_122247: Stone.

928

:

It was called.

929

:

Yeah.

930

:

Uh, which I had no idea was a measurement

system because I didn't know anything

931

:

about Britain and their stone things.

932

:

but yeah, I, that album and, um,

offspring, I, I really, I enjoyed

933

:

them, but I was never as huge into

them as, as I was like Weezer, um,

934

:

silver chair, uh, Columbia House

has probably got a hit out on,

935

:

beck_2_08-21-2025_132247:

I had so many accounts.

936

:

I would just put a variation

spelling of my name and order.

937

:

12 more

938

:

dash_2_08-21-2025_122247:

of CDs from those

939

:

beck_2_08-21-2025_132247: of them, like

I had the Gregorian chant cd and yeah.

940

:

dash_2_08-21-2025_122247:

that was kind of funny.

941

:

Like that, that period in the

nineties when everybody was

942

:

really into that Gregorian

943

:

beck_2_08-21-2025_132247: Yeah.

944

:

dash_2_08-21-2025_122247: I had Inya, but

I also, this is where I got Tori Amos.

945

:

Did you ever listen to her?

946

:

beck_2_08-21-2025_132247: No, no.

947

:

I was never a big fan.

948

:

dash_2_08-21-2025_122247: she was

fucking everything to me for the longest

949

:

beck_2_08-21-2025_132247: I have an

ex-girlfriend that was like that, so,

950

:

dash_2_08-21-2025_122247: who is

this bitch who says things like this?

951

:

there was Columbia House

and there was another one.

952

:

beck_2_08-21-2025_132247: B-E-G-B-M-G.

953

:

dash_2_08-21-2025_122247: BMG.

954

:

Yeah, it, these were, um, music agency

outlets and I was just, what were they?

955

:

Like what, how were they, they had

to know that they were never gonna

956

:

beck_2_08-21-2025_132247: They were

the subscription ones because then they

957

:

could sell you a regular price CD at 2195

that you could go to Walmart and buy for

958

:

1295 or whatever, and you had to do one,

like you had to order so many in a year

959

:

dash_2_08-21-2025_122247: You

know, in Corbin there was.

960

:

I know now to be a head shop.

961

:

I didn't know at the time that

that was the name of it that

962

:

my parents would take me to.

963

:

And it's 'cause they had music in there.

964

:

It was kind of like a special

media, what's it called in malls.

965

:

There's a, a store that sells like,

incense and blacklight posters

966

:

beck_2_08-21-2025_132247: Spencer?

967

:

dash_2_08-21-2025_122247: Spencer's.

968

:

Yeah.

969

:

It was kind of like that, but it,

it was even a little more hardcore

970

:

because it was independent.

971

:

And so I got books on like witchcraft

and stuff there, and a lot of posters

972

:

and music magazines and things.

973

:

And I would come home

with all kinds of incense.

974

:

I don't know why they

let me do it, I guess.

975

:

Well, I mean maybe they just knew

that it was actually kind of harmless.

976

:

I think my parents were not,

they didn't overreact about shit

977

:

beck_2_08-21-2025_132247: Yeah.

978

:

dash_2_08-21-2025_122247: they were

never, you're gonna go to hell.

979

:

Satan's in there.

980

:

beck_2_08-21-2025_132247: Though,

I gotta say when I walk into a head

981

:

shop these days, especially one that

has a back room with like dildos and

982

:

stuff in it, like, it smells like my

childhood, like incense and, and rubber.

983

:

It's, it's the smell of my childhood.

984

:

dash_2_08-21-2025_122247: We, what will

we name our LLC in sense and rubber

985

:

listeners?

986

:

What should our LLC be named?

987

:

beck_2_08-21-2025_132247:

That's funny right there.

988

:

dash_2_08-21-2025_122247: help this out.

989

:

Well, uh, if you brought one with

you, if you have it handy, would you

990

:

like to give us a noun of Appalachian

991

:

beck_2_08-21-2025_132247: I would,

I picked a good one for this week.

992

:

Um,

993

:

dash_2_08-21-2025_122247: Yay.

994

:

beck_2_08-21-2025_132247: the

Appalachian interest, the, the

995

:

nouns are people, places, and things

that are of Appalachian interest.

996

:

And this week I went for Don Knotts.

997

:

When you, when you think of

American comedy legends, you

998

:

can't skip over Don Knotts.

999

:

The man that could just get

a laugh by looking nervous.

:

00:39:40,934 --> 00:39:44,864

Born Jesse Donald Knotts in:

in Morgantown, West Virginia.

:

00:39:45,104 --> 00:39:48,104

He was proof that small town

Appalachia could produce some big time.

:

00:39:48,104 --> 00:39:48,554

Funny.

:

00:39:48,554 --> 00:39:50,684

Don wasn't your typical

Hollywood leading man.

:

00:39:50,684 --> 00:39:53,774

He didn't swagger, he didn't flex,

and he definitely wasn't the guy

:

00:39:53,774 --> 00:39:55,274

saving the day with the six shooter.

:

00:39:55,274 --> 00:39:58,844

No, his weapon of choice was an

expression, wide-eyed twitchy, and always

:

00:39:58,844 --> 00:40:00,824

about two seconds from a total breakdown.

:

00:40:00,884 --> 00:40:03,524

And somehow that made him the

most lovable guy in the room.

:

00:40:03,524 --> 00:40:07,004

Of course he's best remembered as

Barney Fife on the Andy Griffith Show.

:

00:40:07,184 --> 00:40:11,474

The overconfident underqualified deputy

who kept Mayberry safe with exactly one

:

00:40:11,474 --> 00:40:15,404

bullet, which for public safety, Andy

wisely, made him keep in his shirt pocket.

:

00:40:15,404 --> 00:40:18,014

Barney was the kind of character

you rooted for even when you were

:

00:40:18,014 --> 00:40:21,074

waiting for him to mess something

up, which you always did gloriously.

:

00:40:21,074 --> 00:40:22,904

But Don Knotts wasn't a one role wonder.

:

00:40:22,904 --> 00:40:25,604

He made a career out of playing

the unlikely hero in comedies

:

00:40:25,604 --> 00:40:27,404

like My favorite, the ghost of Mr.

:

00:40:27,404 --> 00:40:29,174

Chicken or the Incredible Mr.

:

00:40:29,174 --> 00:40:32,744

Limpet where he literally turned into a

talking fish and somehow made it work.

:

00:40:32,744 --> 00:40:35,144

He had this rare gift for

making awkwardness, charming

:

00:40:35,144 --> 00:40:36,764

and fear, downright hilarious.

:

00:40:36,764 --> 00:40:38,594

And then there's the role that

lives in our nick at Night

:

00:40:38,594 --> 00:40:40,184

Hearts, the quirky Ralph Furley.

:

00:40:40,184 --> 00:40:43,154

Knotts carried that Appalachian

mix of humility and grit

:

00:40:43,154 --> 00:40:44,444

into everything that he did.

:

00:40:44,534 --> 00:40:46,304

He wasn't just playing small town.

:

00:40:46,304 --> 00:40:49,634

He was small town, and he took that

sensibility all the way to Hollywood

:

00:40:49,634 --> 00:40:51,614

winning five Emmys along the way.

:

00:40:51,614 --> 00:40:54,974

So here's to Don Knotts, the skinny kid

from Morgantown, who became America's

:

00:40:54,974 --> 00:40:58,094

favorite nervous wreck and proved that

you don't have to be the toughest guy

:

00:40:58,094 --> 00:41:00,134

in town to be the one everybody loves.

:

00:41:00,134 --> 00:41:01,748

-:

Yeah, Did you ever see that,

:

00:41:01,853 --> 00:41:03,488

uh, music video for peaches?

:

00:41:03,904 --> 00:41:04,654

Fuck the pain away.

:

00:41:05,579 --> 00:41:05,849

-:

:

00:41:05,849 --> 00:41:06,479

Can't say I did

:

00:41:06,773 --> 00:41:08,273

-:

know if that's what it's called.

:

00:41:08,516 --> 00:41:09,656

me, oh God.

:

00:41:09,656 --> 00:41:11,306

What's gonna happen when

I put this into Google?

:

00:41:12,566 --> 00:41:13,131

-:

Incense and rubber.

:

00:41:13,574 --> 00:41:14,499

-:

it doesn't know what to do.

:

00:41:14,499 --> 00:41:16,089

It's not even suggesting anything.

:

00:41:16,779 --> 00:41:17,709

That's the name of the song.

:

00:41:17,799 --> 00:41:18,489

Fuck The Pain Away.

:

00:41:18,489 --> 00:41:20,469

the, the music video is on YouTube.

:

00:41:20,469 --> 00:41:22,029

it's a really good song, first of all.

:

00:41:22,089 --> 00:41:25,539

Uh, and it, I love peaches in

general, but what they did for this

:

00:41:25,539 --> 00:41:30,519

music video was green screened,

photoshopped in a hot chick.

:

00:41:30,519 --> 00:41:31,959

dancing in.

:

00:41:31,959 --> 00:41:35,499

She's got kind of, kind of a

short skirt and, sort of dancing

:

00:41:35,499 --> 00:41:37,449

very provocatively around.

:

00:41:37,449 --> 00:41:41,439

Knotts in Andy Griffith, in

particular in the jail cell.

:

00:41:41,499 --> 00:41:45,351

And it's just like they, you know,

the Kuleshov effect where how

:

00:41:45,351 --> 00:41:47,961

you cut between someone's

expression and what they're looking

:

00:41:47,961 --> 00:41:49,431

at creates different meaning.

:

00:41:49,436 --> 00:41:50,481

and so they used that.

:

00:41:50,481 --> 00:41:54,141

They have him reacting in his like,

you know, bug-eyed, overreacting,

:

00:41:54,141 --> 00:41:57,141

dawn Knotts kind of way as Barney

Five to this woman dancing around.

:

00:41:57,141 --> 00:41:58,461

And I just, I don't know.

:

00:41:58,461 --> 00:41:59,781

It was really, really fun for me.

:

00:41:59,898 --> 00:42:01,878

When I saw that, I was like,

I bet he would find this

:

00:42:02,028 --> 00:42:02,388

-:

:

00:42:03,108 --> 00:42:05,088

-:

he would know why this was funny.

:

00:42:05,088 --> 00:42:06,708

-:

to have some sense of humor to have

:

00:42:06,708 --> 00:42:10,338

a show that had a supposed gay

character to even suggest such a

:

00:42:10,338 --> 00:42:13,278

thing with three with Three's Company,

how Jack was supposed to be gay.

:

00:42:13,278 --> 00:42:14,118

-:

:

00:42:14,178 --> 00:42:17,028

-:

you had to have some, some sensibility.

:

00:42:17,028 --> 00:42:19,518

-:

not watch a lot of Three's company.

:

00:42:19,518 --> 00:42:23,328

here, I'm sending this, uh, fuck the

pain away music video to the chat.

:

00:42:23,328 --> 00:42:26,058

by the time like Nick at night

had gotten up to the eighties,

:

00:42:26,058 --> 00:42:27,198

I wasn't watching it anymore.

:

00:42:27,198 --> 00:42:28,218

When I was watching Nick at night.

:

00:42:28,218 --> 00:42:29,628

It was the fifties, like the forties of

:

00:42:29,718 --> 00:42:30,078

-:

:

00:42:30,138 --> 00:42:31,938

-:

was Robin, Laura, Petri.

:

00:42:31,938 --> 00:42:33,588

It was, I love Lucy.

:

00:42:33,588 --> 00:42:37,341

did you ever watch, Petticoat

Junction and Green Acres

:

00:42:37,341 --> 00:42:40,491

-:

watch every Western that has ever been.

:

00:42:40,491 --> 00:42:42,111

That was before the year:

:

00:42:42,111 --> 00:42:45,321

I've seen basically every

Western, so anything that was

:

00:42:45,321 --> 00:42:47,271

Western related I try to avoid.

:

00:42:47,271 --> 00:42:48,291

-:

what is going on now?

:

00:42:48,291 --> 00:42:49,881

There's like a siren outside.

:

00:42:49,881 --> 00:42:51,196

-:

one of your cats meow earlier.

:

00:42:51,517 --> 00:42:52,957

-:

Yeah, that's Ziggy.

:

00:42:52,957 --> 00:42:54,967

she can't stand not being

the center of attention.

:

00:42:54,967 --> 00:42:57,097

-:

sleeping dogs passed out around me.

:

00:42:57,227 --> 00:42:57,857

-:

:

00:42:57,966 --> 00:42:59,046

-:

:

00:42:59,046 --> 00:43:00,906

My girls are getting so old though.

:

00:43:00,906 --> 00:43:03,546

Little dogs tend to live

longer than big dogs

:

00:43:06,436 --> 00:43:09,376

-:

guess, we should, uh, wrap up here,

:

00:43:09,376 --> 00:43:13,876

I, hope that if you, if you have

ideas about what we can name our LLC,

:

00:43:15,081 --> 00:43:16,781

-:

for the wheel of what have you.

:

00:43:16,908 --> 00:43:17,178

-:

:

00:43:17,178 --> 00:43:22,758

Remember to give us those, You can message

us, you can uh, add us on, threads.

:

00:43:22,758 --> 00:43:26,748

You can add us on Facebook at

Queer you can, A lot of people are

:

00:43:26,748 --> 00:43:31,128

commenting on the Spotify now, like

just commenting on the episode on

:

00:43:31,128 --> 00:43:32,658

Spotify, which is, I really love.

:

00:43:32,658 --> 00:43:33,318

That's pretty cool.

:

00:43:33,318 --> 00:43:34,578

It's easy to keep track of.

:

00:43:34,744 --> 00:43:34,904

-:

:

00:43:35,264 --> 00:43:36,734

-:

tell us your local legends.

:

00:43:36,764 --> 00:43:38,444

Tell us if you're a local legend.

:

00:43:38,639 --> 00:43:40,169

-:

noun of Appalachian interest you

:

00:43:40,204 --> 00:43:41,164

would like to see highlighted.

:

00:43:41,331 --> 00:43:41,571

-:

:

00:43:41,571 --> 00:43:44,181

What's, what's good from,

from your neck of Appalachia.

:

00:43:44,181 --> 00:43:47,601

We know it's a big wide world out

there yeah, we'll love to put more

:

00:43:47,601 --> 00:43:49,251

of, more of y'all in the show.

:

00:43:49,251 --> 00:43:52,761

I can't think of anything else to

say, so I guess we'll just let you go.

:

00:43:52,761 --> 00:43:53,751

-:

Don't rush off now.

:

00:43:53,751 --> 00:43:54,651

-:

Don't rush off now.

:

00:43:54,651 --> 00:43:55,461

Say hi to your mom and them

:

00:43:55,491 --> 00:43:55,711

-:

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About the Podcast

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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