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[0:00] Andrew: We've got a mission to find the best song that's ever been on Glee.

[0:09] Andrew: There's no rhyme or reason to it, so don't get mad at me.

[0:18] Andrew: Glacket by Glacket, we'll rank everyone to see which song will move closer to spot number one.

[0:26] Andrew: Gleek of the Week, Gleek, Gleek, Gleek of the Week. It's Gleek, Gleek of the Week.

[0:35] Andrew: Hello? Can anyone hear me? I need to Glacket. I need someone. Is anyone out there that can help me with a Glee song bracket? I desperately need help with this. I need to find the best song on Glee. Can anyone hear me? Hello? Who is that?

[1:01] Ian Allred: Hello, I'm just a humble Gleek who is just wandering through the cyberspace.

[1:07] Andrew: Oh, thank God. I'm Andrew. What is your name?

[1:12] Ian Allred: My name is Ian. Wait, from TV's Recovering Gleek?

[1:13] Ian Allred: Colon, a Glee podcast.

[1:18] Andrew: Well, oh my God. This is Gleek of the Week, a Glee podcast.

[1:24] Ian Allred: Colon, a Glee podcast. So sorry. This is cosmic.

[1:27] Ian Allred: This is kismet. It's written in the stars.

[1:32] Andrew: Kismet and cosmic. Oh my God. I'm so glad. Do you mind helping me Glacket for upwards of sometimes three and a half hours?

[1:37] Ian Allred: Absolutely not. But Andrew of Gleek of the Week podcast, I just realized a problem.

[1:42] Andrew: No, what? Is it an audio issue?

[1:45] Ian Allred: No, it's not an audio issue. I'm continuing with the bit.

[1:47] Andrew: Okay, great.

[1:49] Ian Allred: If we are trying to decide what songs will go through on a Glacket, what if we disagree? That would be a tie.

[1:55] Andrew: I was thinking the same thing. If there was only one other person in this ethereal space with us, who?

[2:07] Ian Allred: What was that?

[2:08] Andrew: Hello?

[2:11] Ian Allred: Hello?

[2:16] Andrew: Oh my, it's someone with a really stinky mood coming into the conversation.

[2:23] Ian Allred: Who is that?

[2:23] Zach Faust: It's someone who's unwilling to yes and.

[2:26] Ian Allred: A stinky mood. I can smell your mediocrity wafting through this camera space.

[2:33] Andrew: Wait, who are you?

[2:36] Zach Faust: I'm not saying my name. You should know who I am.

[2:39] Ian Allred: Oh, perfect. I remember that line from the hit Fox show Glee. You must be Zach Faust, who is Sue Sylvester on TikTok.

[2:48] Zach Faust: Sure. Yes, and.

[2:51] Ian Allred: Yes, and. Okay, perfect.

[2:54] Zach Faust: No, you don't, Oprah.

[2:58] Ian Allred: I love them hashbrown potatoes.

[3:01] Zach Faust: No, you don't, Oprah.

[3:02] Ian Allred: That's genuinely my favorite joke in any TV show ever is that line.

[3:07] Ian Allred: You know what I was thinking? I really want to pull New York State of Mind today, just so I can reference. It's the first episode when Jenna sings New York State of Mind, and it's just a re and she's like, is this a real song?

[3:24] Ian Allred: I was telling my mom the other day about when everyone we're talking about the TV show 30 Rock when Jenna tells Jack that she's 29 years old, and he starts quizzing her like, what year were you born? What's this? What's that? And then he asks what movie she lost her virginity to. And then he says, movie theater or drive-in. And she goes, what's a drive-in?

[3:47] Zach Faust: It's perfect. Should we do a bracket for the best 30 Rock joke?

[3:51] Ian Allred: The winner is No, you don't, Oprah.

[3:53] Zach Faust: No, you don't, Oprah. Wait, my album. My album is dropping is dropping.

[3:59] Ian Allred: That's good. My single is dropping is not only about a single dropping, it's about a woman learning how to fly.

[4:06] Zach Faust: Exactly. Thank you. Yes, you have it correct.

[4:10] Ian Allred: I have to be honest. I didn't watch 30 Rock.

[4:13] Zach Faust: You have to.

[4:15] Ian Allred: I watched the first couple of episodes and they're really funny. I just never got back into it.

[4:21] Zach Faust: I watched it all throughout the pandemic for the first time. And it was consistently like a lunch, as I was eating lunch, that would be my entertainment as I was chowing down. It's a good lunch program.

[4:32] Ian Allred: I'm not a big re-watcher of television. I kind of have the mentality of like, once I've seen it, I've seen it. I re-watched Glee because it's my livelihood to talk about it.

[4:45] Zach Faust: You have to.

[4:45] Ian Allred: And then 30 Rock is like the one other exception because every episode is so dense with jokes that no matter how many times I've seen the episode, I'll re-watch it and be like, I've never caught that joke before.

[4:57] Zach Faust: And there's new references that your stupid nubile brain, when you last watched it, didn't get. So it's great.

[5:07] Ian Allred: Okay. I will watch.

[5:10] Zach Faust: Oh, perfect. Do you want to just leave now and just do that?

[5:12] Ian Allred: Yeah. Come back in about five days when you've streamed the entire series.

[5:18] Zach Faust: I already did that with friends. I am not going to five days stream 30 Rock.

[5:26] Ian Allred: I can only talk about that off the record. But catch the HBO Max television show, Fast Friends, premiering in December, and you might see somebody.

[5:37] Zach Faust: You might see someone from this ethereal space.

[5:41] Andrew: Okay. So putting a button at the end of the 30 Rock conversation, going into Glacket conversation. Ian, it's been a shorter span of time since your last appearance.

[5:56] Andrew: Do you have any Glacket grievances?

[5:59] Ian Allred: I only have one. For the most part, I agree with everything that's been said, except for the fact that every week someone feels the need to talk smack on one of my previous decisions on this Glacket.

[6:11] Andrew: Which ones have been coming up?

[6:12] Ian Allred: Every week someone brings up either L-O-V-E over Fleetwood Mac.

[6:20] Ian Allred: Or the very popular one is to serve with love over mine.

[6:26] Andrew: Oh, yeah. That's both you ticking both boxes.

[6:30] Ian Allred: That's both me. And hey, what can I say?

[6:36] Ian Allred: I would agree. I agree with those choices.

[6:39] Andrew: You agree with to serve with love and love going through?

[6:44] Ian Allred: I do.

[6:45] Andrew: Thank you. Oh, perfect.

[6:47] Ian Allred: The only thing that I don't think I agree with is the very last episode with Iman and Allison.

[6:55] Ian Allred: I agree with you, Andrew. Got to get you into my life over you can't stop the beat for me personally.

[7:00] Ian Allred: I do have to say Iman talking about like, well, they've got the beat. And now they're saying like, no matter what, you can't stop the beat. I was like, okay. Respect where respect is due. That's a very good point.

[7:16] Ian Allred: But got to get you into my life is the best clean duet on the show.

[7:20] Ian Allred: I love that number.

[7:22] Andrew: Oh, yeah.

[7:22] Zach Faust: And I also agreed that that's not like an episode I think of often.

[7:27] Zach Faust: But that number is a massive highlight.

[7:30] Ian Allred: It's very fun. Zach, your thoughts?

[7:33] Zach Faust: I like that. I like the music of the Beatles, even though here's the thing, the way that I kind of feel about the Beatles, and maybe it's a hot take.

[7:38] Zach Faust: I'm not a huge Beatles fan.

[7:41] Zach Faust: When I listen to covers of Beatles, though, I'm like, oh, you actually have some good music.

[7:44] Zach Faust: It may just be like, I don't like your voices all that much.

[7:46] Zach Faust: Maybe they're just not akin to my ears the way that I like other musicians singing your stuff.

[7:53] Zach Faust: Similar to like Elvis Presley.

[7:55] Zach Faust: It's like, there are other covers of your song that I really enjoy comparatively to when you are singing them.

[8:02] Zach Faust: Got to get you into my life is a good one.

[8:05] Zach Faust: I just feel like it's a completely rushed episode.

[8:07] Zach Faust: Because when marching band happens during four minutes, or it happens during thriller, it's super exciting.

[8:14] Zach Faust: And then when it happens during got to get you into my life, contextually of playing has been broken up for an entire season.

[8:21] Zach Faust: It's kind of like, okay, it's kind of like black and white when they bring the choir out at the very end of the number.

[8:27] Ian Allred: Right.

[8:27] Zach Faust: And you're like, doesn't feel earned.

[8:29] Ian Allred: Right. It's just like the curtain goes up. There's a choir and you're like, ah, ah, so much is happening already.

[8:35] Zach Faust: Because you've already shoved 12 numbers in the episode prior to.

[8:38] Zach Faust: And there's like, okay, it would be interesting to see like the percentage of plot versus song in like Michael versus the Madonna episode.

[8:46] Zach Faust: But like, specifically at the end of the Madonna episode, it really lends itself that it's like Mercedes sings the lyric, let the choir sing and there's the choir.

[8:58] Ian Allred: But it's like, okay, that gimmick doesn't work when you're doing black or white.

[9:04] Ian Allred: Like you already did the gimmick of paying homage to the music video.

[9:07] Zach Faust: One gimmick, please.

[9:08] Ian Allred: Right.

[9:10] Ian Allred: I do have black and I do have black and opinions.

[9:13] Ian Allred: I did write some down as I was looking through them all.

[9:16] Zach Faust: Okay.

[9:17] Ian Allred: From especially like, from last episode, someone had mentioned that what it feels like for a girl.

[9:23] Ian Allred: I love that song.

[9:24] Ian Allred: I think it's a fantastic number.

[9:25] Zach Faust: Explain it to me.

[9:27] Ian Allred: Oh, was that you that were like, I'm not I'm not a fan of this one?

[9:31] Zach Faust: I don't think I get it.

[9:32] Ian Allred: I think that it's good.

[9:34] Ian Allred: I just I don't get the spectacle.

[9:36] Zach Faust: It's good.

[9:36] Ian Allred: There is no spectacle.

[9:38] Ian Allred: And I think that's what I really like.

[9:39] Zach Faust: And what it's calm down.

[9:41] Ian Allred: What beat that out?

[9:43] Zach Faust: Oh, great question.

[9:45] Ian Allred: Luckily, we have a black it.

[9:48] Ian Allred: Let's see.

[9:49] Ian Allred: I also like it's not right, but it's okay.

[9:50] Zach Faust: That was so from your episode.

[9:54] Ian Allred: Yeah, that was me.

[9:55] Zach Faust: Oh, was that a setup?

[10:02] Ian Allred: Pretty consistent.

[10:02] Ian Allred: I literally couldn't remember what one.

[10:04] Ian Allred: I just remembered that I voted against.

[10:06] Ian Allred: It's not right what it's like to be a girl.

[10:08] Zach Faust: I mean, it's not that's like it's not right, but it's okay.

[10:11] Ian Allred: You know, I heard I keep hearing people being like, it's satire.

[10:14] Zach Faust: I know it's no satire is completely different.

[10:17] Ian Allred: This was this was stream ability.

[10:19] Ian Allred: This was selling the songs.

[10:21] Ian Allred: You have Darren Criss, who is, you know, outside of Gwyneth Paltrow and the original songs like are the heavy hitters when it came to the, you know, to song streams and sales.

[10:34] Ian Allred: So, like, it's just Darren Criss on a big number.

[10:37] Ian Allred: Great.

[10:37] Ian Allred: Like, love that, you know, but not my favorite of the Blades are.

[10:43] Zach Faust: It's not my favorite.

[10:45] Ian Allred: Could it not be both?

[10:47] Zach Faust: Is there not a world where, like, obviously, yes, they put Darren Criss in that song because they wanted to sell it.

[10:51] Zach Faust: But also they were like, if we're going to put this song in the episode, let's make it camp.

[10:57] Ian Allred: Like, to me, it's both of those things.

[11:00] Zach Faust: Sure.

[11:00] Ian Allred: I don't see the camp of it all other than the lead up to the song.

[11:04] Ian Allred: That's the only place I was like, OK, this is a this is a clip all standing behind him accusatorily.

[11:11] Zach Faust: You know what would have been like really maybe to me is with because Kurt is the one that like actually like fully presents.

[11:17] Zach Faust: It's not right, but it's okay.

[11:20] Zach Faust: He's like, it's I know it's not right, but it's okay.

[11:26] Zach Faust: And then like Blaine repeats it and he's like, it's not right, but it's okay.

[11:29] Zach Faust: And if it went back to Kurt and he's like, God damn it.

[11:32] Ian Allred: I'm like, oh, I know.

[11:34] Zach Faust: I just stepped in it.

[11:36] Ian Allred: God, I would have loved that.

[11:38] Zach Faust: Yeah, it's I just maybe it's because I don't believe that I don't believe the storyline.

[11:44] Zach Faust: It just kind of comes out of nowhere.

[11:45] Ian Allred: So the camp of it all just kind of gets lost on me where I the lead up to the song, other than the scene is like, OK, yeah, I do.

[11:54] Ian Allred: Like the claim, you're not right, but it's okay, it's okay.

[12:00] Zach Faust: I do like the claim had like a little bit of a little bit of a drama.

[12:03] Zach Faust: I feel like some of the things as the series goes on where like the episodes feel stale, that it's like, OK, everyone's like just continuously dating each other.

[12:13] Ian Allred: But it's like, OK, boring.

[12:14] Ian Allred: I will say that, like the fact that the episode, the drama gets wrapped up by episode end is like a little safe.

[12:21] Ian Allred: I think that if it was like a two or three episode drawn out, I would have been a little bit more tuned in to see what happens.

[12:29] Zach Faust: But yeah.

[12:30] Ian Allred: Well, and I think at that time specifically, that was when the Ryan Murphy was so tuned into like social media and letting the audience kind of pivot how he like they wanted the show to go.

[12:43] Ian Allred: I think they were terrified to do anything with specifically the cleaner Britannia characters, because, I mean, you know, they were death threats constantly.

[12:53] Zach Faust: Sure.

[12:54] Ian Allred: I mean, Brian Murphy himself.

[12:56] Zach Faust: Yeah, right.

[12:58] Ian Allred: So I, you know, either either way, it's not my favorite of playing solos.

[13:04] Ian Allred: I like what it feels like for a girl.

[13:06] Ian Allred: It is what it is.

[13:07] Zach Faust: Shocked that Ice Ice Ice Ice Baby won over It's My Life.

[13:12] Ian Allred: I like It's My Life, frankly.

[13:19] Ian Allred: I think it didn't get the dude that it deserved on that episode.

[13:23] Ian Allred: But I was a little excited that Ice Ice Ice Baby won.

[13:27] Zach Faust: I like that.

[13:28] Ian Allred: It's endearing to me.

[13:28] Ian Allred: I think it's a number that people overlook because it's will wrapping and people are just like, oh, will wrapping is bad and cringe and awful.

[13:34] Ian Allred: And it's like, no, if you watch that number, it's really fun.

[13:41] Ian Allred: It's really endearing.

[13:42] Ian Allred: Everyone's having a great time.

[13:44] Zach Faust: They're leaning into how corny that song is.

[13:46] Zach Faust: It's a blast.

[13:49] Ian Allred: Sure, and I have nothing to say against that other than my personal choice of It's My Life.

[13:56] Zach Faust: I like better.

[13:58] Ian Allred: And I won't disagree with you that the corniness of the song is endearing.

[14:03] Zach Faust: I think it's very fun.

[14:05] Ian Allred: I just I love that everybody's on their feet.

[14:07] Zach Faust: You know, I love it.

[14:08] Ian Allred: And Jonathan Graff is there.

[14:10] Zach Faust: Yeah, it's good.

[14:13] Ian Allred: What other ones for you, Ian?

[14:16] Ian Allred: I mean, Zach.

[14:16] Ian Allred: Fuck.

[14:17] Ian Allred: What the fuck?

[14:18] Ian Allred: We're the same.

[14:19] Zach Faust: Whoa, that was scary.

[14:21] Ian Allred: Actually, one person changing their words.

[14:23] Zach Faust: Yeah, we're versatile.

[14:27] Ian Allred: The other ones, Fighter over Arthur's Theme.

[14:30] Ian Allred: Again, it's more of just a personal preference.

[14:31] Ian Allred: I like Arthur's Theme better.

[14:33] Ian Allred: Express Yourself not going through Over Here Comes the Sun.

[14:35] Ian Allred: Shocked.

[14:36] Ian Allred: Express Yourself did was, you know, the Glatrens did vote it back in.

[14:41] Ian Allred: Also, side note, there is a vote happening during this recording.

[14:47] Ian Allred: Well, either way, I don't think it showcases... Not "The Boy Next Door" showcased so much more of Kurt. And so, I think plot-wise, I was confused by it. Other than it's a nice stasis song for the character. Be like, here's my emotion. But it's, again, it's also... I don't know. It's a boring song to me for that guy, for that character. It's a kind of a boring song, comparatively, "Just the Way You Are." Beautiful number, great episode, ties together a really nice plot line. The cast dancing around. Like, it's a great... It's cutesy. It's a cute, great number. And Finn... That's the first number where I went, oh, Finn sat... Like, Corey's voice is really starting to get up there. Like, it's starting to become stronger, more confident.

I think that's the highest in the show, outside of the falsetto that he sings in "Saturday Night Live." I think, yeah, and "Stayin' Alive." I think that's the highest he sings in the show, is in "Just the Way You Are." And he sounds great. It's a beautiful placement. And I will say, "Just the Way You Are" is good graces. I will continue singing that by saying that it came at a point where it was like, the difference between a season two pop song, big radio pop song, like, that was played everywhere, "Just the Way You Are." And I felt like it was utilized in a way that was like, oh, we're not just doing this song because it's a hit right now. We're ingraining it into the story. Whereas when you get to, I don't know, the only thing that's coming to mind is like, "What Did the Fox Say?"

Which is an easy one to, you know, shoot down. Or even "Forget You." "Forget You" comes out of nowhere. They're just like, can we do that new song? I mean, I understand Puck's like, can we do that new, like, Cee Lo Green number, "Forget You?" And then he's like, no, we're doing Journey. I get that then she's like, no, we should do the Cee Lo Green number. And I will be singing almost all of it. Right. "Happy" is the same way, where "Happy" was constantly played on the radio. She's like, we're moving forward. We're not going backwards. Right? Well, I have my palms like I want to sing. Yeah, just like I want to sing this song instead. So the writers just like changed the song. What a bizarre hill to die on, Gwyneth.

Right. But if you're like, it's, you know, it's one of those, like, we're doing it because it's here. And it's now comparatively to like, how is this serving the story, which is where I think "Just the Way You Are" comes in really nicely. So those are my glackens. I will say, I'm happy that "Being Alive" is going forward. I think that it's like, I feel like "Being Alive" going forward on the glacket kind of encapsulates the beauty of the glacket that it's like, oh, okay, it really isn't all me. You know, it's I'm glad that y'all have that respectfully, that you have this, this, this great colo going through and we can we'll see how far it goes. You know, sure, sure, sure, sure. This is no gripe to he said he Kurt sounds great.

I like the song there should the episode because it's what Swan song where he does it. I like the episode. It's like it's like a good thing. It's just not as it's not my favorite. But again, these are just personal opinions. I'm not saying that anything are wrong. Oh, well, you know, I separate Ian, Ian, Ian. Yeah, there's a pretty clear through line here. Yeah. And it's Ian. Do we have any other opinions before moving forward in this episode? That it's a fun idea. And I'm glad you came up with it. And here we are, almost four years deep into this project.

[20:03] Zach Faust: No, you don't, Oprah.

[20:10] Ian Allred: No, you don't, Oprah. It's, it's why I had to explain to someone the premise of this podcast recently. And they're like, Oh, so like, where are you in the black? And I'm like, Oh, we're in round two. And they're like, how? And I'm like, No, you don't get it. Round one took over two years to complete. Like I this is it's gonna take a minute to get to those later rounds.

[20:35] Ian Allred: What are we manifesting today?

[20:37] Zach Faust: I'm manifesting. There's a lot of talk about it last week. And I said, I'm gonna test the stars. I want specifically Drumpf versus Drumpf on this episode right now.

[20:51] Ian Allred: Without saying where you would stand, do you know?

[20:54] Zach Faust: I know where I think I would vote, but I'm allowing myself to be moved by watching them both again. And maybe it'll sway me in the opposite direction.

[21:03] Ian Allred: Because it will happen in this episode.

[21:05] Zach Faust: It will happen. I'm manifesting.

[21:07] Ian Allred: Yeah. Drumpfy Drumpf and that's end of manifestation list.

[21:11] Zach Faust: I mean, I always want controversy, which is why literally, everyone always hates everything I vote for on this book.

[21:20] Ian Allred: Well, you find it. Yeah.

[21:22] Zach Faust: But I just I like doing heavy hitter songs that it's like, Oh, there's a really good case for both of them. I think that's the most interesting conversation to have.

[21:30] Ian Allred: I will say that last week's episode was a fantastic representation of exactly what you're saying. Because I felt like I don't know if I said it in the episode, but I realised maybe like while editing that all three of the people in last week's episode, all like, all three of us had one competition that we had the loser, we all voted. Like I lost got to get you into my life. Amon lost. Gosh, Alison lost girl on fire, I think, or like it was like, everybody lost something, which I thought was kind of fun.

[22:06] Zach Faust: Yeah, yeah. Um, Zach, what do you what do you want tonight?

[22:11] Zach Faust: Um, I also I love Drumpy Drump. I am also I'm hopeful to have because the last episode I was on had some songs that I enjoyed, but they weren't like the heavy hitter songs for me where I'm like,

[22:24] Ian Allred: Zach, like, I'm gonna stop you right now. You had in your episode, "Me Against the Music," you had "Roses Turn," you had "Run the World Girls," like sure.

[22:38] Zach Faust: None of my favourite songs.

[22:45] Ian Allred: Okay. I'm putting it out there. None of my favourites. Miss a lead over here.

[22:52] Zach Faust: Oh, and also "One Less Bell to Answer, Our House is Not a Home." Oh my gosh. A great song.

[23:05] Ian Allred: Didn't I also have "Flash Fans"? That was in the episode with Patrick. Are you telling me "One Less Bell to Answer, Our House is Not a Home" is not one of your favourite Glee numbers?

[23:10] Zach Faust: It is not. It's a great song. You could just take or leave Kristen Chenoweth on that song.

[23:14] Ian Allred: Zach, that's why I'm so scared to clap it with you.

[23:18] Zach Faust: So scary. I like her on other songs. I like her on other numbers.

[23:22] Ian Allred: That's insane.

[23:26] Zach Faust: Which is fine.

[23:30] Ian Allred: What is your go to Kristen Glee song?

[23:35] Zach Faust: For Kristen, it's either "Dreams" or "Maybe This Time."

[23:40] Ian Allred: "Maybe This Time, I Will Stand By You." I think that's her best number on the show.

[23:45] Zach Faust: Yeah. But "Dreams," she sounds wonderful. It's calming. The harmony they do on the, I don't know how in the world. And then he goes down, how in the world. It's beautiful. It's incredible.

[23:50] Ian Allred: It's so great. Great song. Great, great, great song. But I'm saying I want some of the favourites of like, what if we get "Valerie" versus "I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How to Dance with You." Like those are also universal favourites. But those are also my favourites.

[24:06] Zach Faust: I'm going to throw up onto it.

[24:08] Ian Allred: Yeah.

[24:10] Zach Faust: But that's what I want. I want, because I know I was like, oh, I want to like, I want to argue on a fight. But like, truly, those are some of my favourite numbers. And I'm like, I also want to hear how other people like, you know, because I know where I, I don't know where I would stand on either of those songs. I can make a case for either. So I'd be intrigued to hear where everybody would feel on specifically those two songs together. Because I know where I stand on the drop the drop. But "Valerie" season two versus "I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How to Dance" the best solos of each of those characters.

[24:39] Ian Allred: It's anybody's game.

[24:40] Zach Faust: I don't know. It's anybody's game. So that's what I'm hopeful for.

[24:43] Ian Allred: Okay, all right. Perfect.

[24:45] Ian Allred: And, and, and you're gonna pull out fucking Ben or something.

[24:50] Zach Faust: I'm not that no, Ben was also in your last episode, which another one of my favourites.

[24:57] Ian Allred: But I think like lost to what a Ben lose to, like, I think like roses turned or like, it was like, I think it was run the world.

[25:09] Zach Faust: No, I think run the world died as well in your last episode.

[25:10] Ian Allred: Oh, did it really?

[25:14] Zach Faust: Yeah, she stopped running. I have

[25:16] Ian Allred: Don't run the world anymore.

[25:20] Zach Faust: Right. Right. Um, okay, so I have a, this might actually be the latest song in the series that we have yet to pull in the glacket. And round two.

[25:29] Ian Allred: What does that mean?

[25:30] Zach Faust: So like,

[25:32] Ian Allred: Because you pulled, I live

[25:34] Zach Faust: Explain yourself.

[25:35] Ian Allred: And that's the last

[25:37] Zach Faust: No, like yet to pull in round two. So now this is the new this is the new, you know,

[25:46] Ian Allred: Yes. So of the songs that were left over, this is at the tail end.

[25:52] Zach Faust: I don't stop. But don't stop believing season.

[25:56] Ian Allred: Oh, is this popular?

[25:56] Zach Faust: It's not.

[25:57] Ian Allred: This is "Listen to Your Heart."

[25:59] Zach Faust: She's too hot.

[26:02] Ian Allred: Yeah.

[26:05] Zach Faust: She is way too hot.

[26:08] Ian Allred: It's the eyebrows, it's the eyebrows that are after me though.

[26:11] Zach Faust: Like she's got eyebrows done.

[26:17] Ian Allred: I know there's something in the wake of your smile.

[26:21] Zach Faust: I get a notion from the look in your eyes.

[26:26] Ian Allred: Yeah, you built love, but that love falls apart.

[26:30] Zach Faust: Your little piece of heaven turns to dark.

[26:38] Ian Allred: Listen to your heart when he's calling for you.

[26:40] Zach Faust: Listen to your heart.

[26:43] Ian Allred: There's nothing else you can do.

[26:47] Zach Faust: I don't know where you're going.

[26:49] Ian Allred: And I don't know why.

[26:51] Zach Faust: But listen to your heart before you tell him goodbye.

[27:06] Ian Allred: Listen to your heart when he's calling for you.

[27:11] Zach Faust: Listen to your heart.

[27:13] Ian Allred: Listen to your heart.

[27:14] Zach Faust: There's nothing else you can do.

[27:17] Ian Allred: I don't know where you're going.

[27:20] Zach Faust: And I don't know why.

[27:22] Ian Allred: But listen to your heart.

[27:24] Zach Faust: Listen to your heart.

[27:25] Ian Allred: Before, oh, listen to your heart.

[27:34] Zach Faust: Listen to your heart.

[27:35] Ian Allred: Take a listen to it, oh.

[27:39] Zach Faust: I don't know where you're going.

[27:42] Ian Allred: And I don't know why.

[27:45] Zach Faust: But listen to your heart before you tell him goodbye.

[27:59] Ian Allred: So that was "Listen to Your Heart," Gleecast version by Gleecast.

[28:04] Zach Faust: We don't know what song will be against this quite yet.

[28:07] Ian Allred: But I would like to open up the discourse if anybody has any words to say about that performance.

[28:12] Zach Faust: Thank you so much.

[28:13] Ian Allred: I was really confused as to what was going to happen next. But that was really clear. Just to give context of where we're going.

[28:18] Zach Faust: Thank you so much.

[28:20] Ian Allred: Yeah.

[28:22] Zach Faust: Um, watching that number, I always forget about, like, obviously, if I think about, like, what does Jesse St. James sing on this show, I eventually will arrive at "Listen to Your Heart" in my brain. But it is never front of mind. And I was thinking about it this time. And I think a big part of the reason is they both sound incredible.

[28:45] Ian Allred: Lea Michele and Jonathan Groff always blend really well.

[28:47] Zach Faust: They're always, like, singing their faces off.

[28:49] Ian Allred: But part of what makes a Jesse St. James, and specifically a Jesse and Rachel duet, so memorable, is they're always high stakes.

[28:57] Zach Faust: They're always high drama.

[29:00] Ian Allred: And they have reached a point in their relationship by season six where they have too healthy of a relationship for, like, the main appeal of this relationship to me, which is the overdramaticness of it.

[29:11] Zach Faust: I want, like, she's ready to start crying. He is ready to start yelling. They're ready to kiss each other. Like, the stuff that we get in "Total Eclipse of the Heart" in season one, or even like "Rolling in the Deep" in season two, I love for them as people that they're at a healthy place. But entertainment-wise, it's just not as interesting to me.

[29:34] Zach Faust: I was gonna say, yeah, a similar sentiment, but you constantly have the better vocabulary. Because I feel like it shares a lot of the DNA of "Rolling in the Deep" specifically. But in a way, it's like, ooh, but like, what's missing here? And it's like, there's like drama in "Rolling in the Deep." And it's like, yeah, are they gonna like, kiss each other? Are they gonna like, fight? Like, here, I'm just like, okay, that's just like Jay Groff and Lea Michele just kind of gal pal-ing around. And also, I feel like there's something about the way that Jonathan Groff looks in this episode that I'm like, that's not even Jesse St. James. That's his character from looking that it's like, oh, it's just, he's just showing up on the Glee set. Like, it's like kind of like a crossover episode. You know? Yeah, where's his scarf? Where's his deep V?

[30:23] Ian Allred: Right, that okay, that's perfect. Yeah, because like, it's like not even like a Jesse St. James fit that we all know and love. No, no. Um, Zach, do you have any thoughts on this performance?

[30:35] Zach Faust: I think they sound great. It's not, it's not a song I'm constantly pulling. But especially not with the two of them. I agree, though, I think the overdramaticness that those two share is always my favorite part of that relationship. And I think when it comes to season six specifically, about those two, because they haven't seen each other since what season three, at least canonically on the screen, they haven't seen each other since nationals. And so you have these two characters coming together, and they're singing and blah, blah, blah. And that's great. And they look happy and they're fun. And I like it's, I'm always confused about the relationship by this point. I'm like, are they friends?

Are they enemies? They're best friends off the screen, you can see that they love hanging out with each other. But like, I don't know, if I was dropping into a random episode, and this was the episode, I'm like, who is this person? And they're just singing together. Like, there's, you can't tell if they're best friends, you can't tell if they are sexually into each other. Like, it's kind of direction-wise, just a confusing relationship at this point. And I know that going forward, you know, they're going to be together, which is fine. It's great. I wish that it would have been one of those like, I wish it would have been like a "Suddenly Seymour." I wish we would have seen Jesse earlier into that season.

[31:57] Ian Allred: Oh, yeah, if we were going to get these two characters, and especially if there's a dramaticness with all of their songs. At this point, it would have been nicer to have been like, okay, but there's actually like, Hello, like, Hello is a dramatic song, but they play it with such low, like, you know, it's such an intimate number for the two of them. And I know there's that cutscene of "Hello 12, Goodbye 13" that they do in the bedroom. And yes, it's fun and cute, but you also recognize that they have a connection with each other that's completely out of the bounds of this show choir, you know, tenacity. And I wish that if we were going to see Jesse in season six, we would have gotten those versions of like, Hey, we are actually, you know, like, I haven't seen you in a while.

But like, why don't we try to build this relationship together? Or if that was what they were trying to say, and this was like, Oh, we still got it. And here's that spark. It's kind of muddled. So I almost feel like it's the song choice as well that I know that people really love this. I'm so sorry to the folks in that camp that are listening to this entire conversation of three men that are really tearing it down. But I think that the song choice is just like, I think at this point in the show, the budget for the songs went out the fucking windows. They were doing the scraps.

[33:26] Zach Faust: Also, like you mentioned "Suddenly Seymour" in the season six premiere. Why can't I think of like, apart from like, the trolley song? What other show tunes do they do in season six that I feel like, because I feel like a St. Berry duet, like this could have been like a really like overdramatic show tune that I don't even think of one in particular, but like something I just didn't feel like it was the song that it was supposed to be, right?

[33:53] Ian Allred: It sounds like that they initially had another song in mind, the rights got pulled, so they had to choose a completely different one. While Lea was in the recording studio.

[34:02] Zach Faust: See, I feel the opposite. It's the name of the song is so on the nose for what's going through that I feel like sure. Okay, so this is a plot line where Rachel really has to listen to her heart. Should we just do "Listen to Your Heart"? It feels like they thought about it for one second. Yeah, sure. Let's do that song, I guess.

[34:23] Ian Allred: And they were like, but we were supposed to do a really great show tune duet between Jesse and Rachel. And then they're just like, just complete it. Just really, we got to write "American Horror Story."

[34:35] Zach Faust: Originally, it was those "Canaan Days" from "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" to show that she is truly going.

[34:44] Ian Allred: Right. "Canaan" is the years of Glee Club. And he's, he is the number where they're like, here's the tango that they come in and do.

[34:50] Zach Faust: Yes, I was literally gonna say, the Donny Osmond video. He's the tango wife.

[35:01] Ian Allred: Okay, this is going completely over my head. I'm glad that you guys have this.

[35:05] Zach Faust: Well, you can research it. It's a treat.

[35:09] Ian Allred: If you were creating the carousel, what would the, would there be a carousel edition related to this? Do the tango and just have his head on that lady's body.

[35:20] Zach Faust: And Lea Michele's head, Simeon, I think it's Simeon.

[35:25] Ian Allred: Yeah, it's so just look up, look up Donny Osmond's "Canaan Days."

[35:30] Zach Faust: Uh huh. Donny Osmond is not in the song. Don't be tricked. Donny Osmond's not in that song.

[35:35] Ian Allred: But there is a dance break. Just take a segment out of the dance break.

[35:39] Zach Faust: Okay. All right.

[35:40] Ian Allred: And here's, and Robert Tordy is the pharaoh in that. And he was Zach and Cody's dad. And Maria Friedman, who just directed "Merrily We Roll Along," is the narrator. It's crazy.

[35:54] Zach Faust: Wow. I really opened up Pandora's box by referencing show tunes. Wow.

[35:59] Ian Allred: There's a lot of, there's like a whole Potiphar's wife has like a whole orgy scene. I used to watch this at my grandmother's house every year when I was like three. It has a whole orgy scene. And all the women have bedazzled on nipples and they're all just rubbing up against each other. It's a bizarre film, but it's, it's like, when I think the show got me into theater, it's "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat," but specifically Donny Osmond's.

[36:25] Zach Faust: Wow.

[36:26] Ian Allred: Highly rec. Highly rec. But yeah, that was what they were supposed to do. And she was supposed to be like, Oh, I remember those good years of Glee Club.

[36:35] Zach Faust: Those Glee Club days.

[36:41] Ian Allred: Whatever that means. Okay.

[36:45] Zach Faust: You'll love it. You'll love it for the camp. I promise.

[36:48] Ian Allred: I really, there are, I learned so much through just this exercise of finding the best song on Glee that I'm like, Oh, and then I just like, keep that shit. And I'm like, that's actually part of my culture now. So thank you. You know, I am always not shocked because you're a highly intelligent individual, but I am so impressed whenever you just like, you remember so much and the pop culture references that you have that you can just pull away even when we weren't recording and you were like, do you remember this reference? I know what that reference is, the apples. And I'm like, that's how I was like, what a bizarre niche thing to understand. But I get it. So I'm always impressed when you can just be like, Oh, I remember this. And you know, it's I'm just continually impressed with your, they should have hired you on Glee for the continuity.

[37:36] Zach Faust: Oh, thank you. Yeah, I was in the running at a little 14-year-old Andrew. Yeah. And they're like, I think that maybe he's a child. So maybe this 15-year-old can do it.

[37:49] Ian Allred: Um, wait, but I want to Okay, Ian, you recently watched this episode because you did the exercise of talking about all the sectionals episodes, right?

[37:54] Zach Faust: Yeah. This song does feel like completely out of place as opposed to like a prom. Oh, you also watched all the school dances, where it's like, where both "Rolling in the Deep" and "Listen to Your Heart" are involved, where it feels like "Rolling in the Deep," it like comes in, Jesse comes in, actually stir shit up for the actual event happening in that episode. But Jesse comes in in this episode, and correct me if I'm wrong, isn't like at all like he doesn't even know that a sectional season happening.

[38:30] Ian Allred: Yeah, right. So this is my big complaint about we built this Glee Club. And I think I ranked it as my least favorite of any sectionals episode. Because literally sectionals is so incidental to the plot of the episode. The episode is about Rachel decides if she should go to N.Y.A.D. or she should go to Broadway. And also the Glee Club, I guess is competing in sectionals, like you could airlift out the like 15 minutes of the episode that are dedicated to sectionals, and it would change absolutely nothing in the plot, which is the Rachel plot. Yeah, crazy. And also, a completely unrelated note, you pointed out a few weeks ago, when you were talking about the school dances, that Tina in the sky with diamonds, that they're not actually filming in like the gymnasium set, that it's just like almost like a box or like, like, that they just like put curtains around the walls. I went back and I'm like, Is that true? Yeah, it's really wild. How did I never catch that? Crazy.

[39:35] Zach Faust: That's Alina Knatzer. She's the one who Oh, okay. And I credit where credit's due.

[39:39] Ian Allred: Yeah, they really they said we don't have the budget for songs and they won't even let us back in the school. I think that is however, why I kind of like I that song is more memorable is because the where it is is completely different, like feels very different. It's more memorable because I'm like, that's not the gym. But like, when I was in high school, like my first high school, we had two gyms. So why? Well, I went to an I went to a Catholic school that was built during times of segregation. And so the gym, there's the big gym that got all the money and the small gym that was also the theater.

[40:24] Zach Faust: Oh, okay. Yeah. So like they like they threw the like the auditorium in there like there was there was nothing in that gym. And so like the the space that they had the stage on also had like, you had to get like all the folding chairs, anybody that was coming for an event, like they had to bring their chair and said it was really and the other gym was like, this is where we put all the big stuff. This is where we put you know, but we also didn't have any of our dances in the gyms either. We always rented like a hotel or something.

[40:49] Ian Allred: Right, right. Yeah. So same. Yeah. Um, "Listen to Your Heart." Are we? I guess the basic of that conversation not feeling too good about it, right?

[41:02] Zach Faust: Not feeling too good. I do have one final thought, which is I mad respect to Rachel Berry. I always think this is hilarious, which is anytime that Jesse St. James walks into the room while she's singing. Not only does she not stop singing, but she's like, Oh, awesome. Now I can just show off my voice even more by just jumping up a third and doing top harmonies. And that's and I have to respect it.

[41:25] Ian Allred: Thank you so much for bringing that because there's a moment in this song specifically where both Jesse and Rachel before doing the the like, big note don't know musical terms at all the key the key change. You know the one. Um, they put their they put both their hands on their like legs and like arch their back and they're like, get ready y'all. Yeah. It's really great. Um, yeah. That's, that's the extent of my notes for "Listen to Your Heart." So I guess we'll see what it's against. Cool. Yeah. All right. Super cool.

[42:11] Zach Faust: Oh, okay. All right. I hope that's a good one. If it's another season six, Rachel, Jesse duet. Well, there, there isn't another. Yeah, that's the only one. It's a cut scene. It's when we invented them doing "Canaan Days" is what's gonna pop up. There's a lot here to talk about with this one. You already know what the hell this is.

[42:31] Ian Allred: Oh, is it "Get It Right"?

[42:37] Zach Faust: Yeah, "Get It Right." "Get It Tight." Yes. When you're good is good enough. What have I done? I wish away from this ship going just trying to hurt everyone else.

[43:09] Ian Allred: Now I feel the weight of the world is on my shoulders. What can you do when you're good? Isn't good enough. And all that you touched. My best intentions keep making a mess of things.

[43:23] Zach Faust: I just want to fix it somehow. But how many times will it take?

[43:34] Ian Allred: Oh, how many times will it take for me to get it?

[43:40] Zach Faust: Right.

[43:45] Ian Allred: To get it right.

[43:50] Zach Faust: My God, they're doing original song.

[43:52] Ian Allred: I can't go back and do this. I just have to stay and face my mistakes. But if I get stronger and wiser, I'll get through this. What can

[44:21] Andrew: Welcome back to Gleek of the Week! Today, we have two chatty lil' Gleeks joining us, Ian Allred and Zach Faust.

[44:51] Ian Allred: Thanks for having us!

[45:21] Zach Faust: Yeah, it's great to be here!

[45:51] Andrew: So, Ian, I heard you recently saw Kevin McHale in "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee." How was that experience?

[46:21] Ian Allred: It was amazing! Kevin was fantastic, and the whole production was just so much fun.

[46:31] Zach Faust: I love that show! It's such a great mix of humor and heart.

[46:41] Andrew: Absolutely! And speaking of heart, let's dive into some Glee discussions.

[46:51] Ian Allred: Yes! I’ve been thinking about St. Berry and how they would hypothetically sing a song from "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat."

[47:01] Zach Faust: Oh, that would be iconic! I can totally see them performing "Any Dream Will Do."

[47:11] Andrew: Right? And it makes me wonder what Rachel's dads do for a living.

[47:21] Ian Allred: I know! It's such a mystery.

[47:31] Zach Faust: I feel like they must be in the arts or something creative.

[47:41] Andrew: That would make sense, given Rachel's talent.

[47:51] Ian Allred: Totally!

[48:01] Andrew: So, let's get into the songs for today.

[48:11] Zach Faust: Yes! What do we have on the list?

[48:21] Andrew: We have "Bills, Bills, Bills," "Defying Gravity," "Get It Right," "Landslide," "Listen to Your Heart," and "What Doesn't Kill You (Stronger)."

[48:31] Ian Allred: That's a solid lineup!

[48:41] Zach Faust: I can't wait to discuss them all!

[48:51] Andrew: Alright, let's kick things off with "Bills, Bills, Bills."

[49:01] Ian Allred: Yes! This performance is so fun and energetic.

[49:11] Zach Faust: I love the choreography too!

[49:21] Andrew: It really captures the spirit of the song.

[49:31] Ian Allred: And the costumes are just fabulous!

[49:41] Zach Faust: Agreed!

[49:51] Andrew: So, what do we think about the vocal performances?

[50:01] Ian Allred: They really nailed it!

[50:11] Zach Faust: Absolutely!

[50:21] Andrew: Alright, moving on to "Defying Gravity."

[50:31] Ian Allred: This is such a powerful number!

[50:41] Zach Faust: I get chills every time I hear it.

[50:51] Andrew: It's definitely a standout moment in the series.

[51:01] Ian Allred: And the way they staged it was just perfect.

[51:11] Zach Faust: Yes!

[51:21] Andrew: Next up is "Get It Right."

[51:31] Ian Allred: This song really showcases Rachel's growth.

[51:41] Zach Faust: I love the emotional depth in this performance.

[51:51] Andrew: It's such a relatable song.

[52:01] Ian Allred: For sure!

[52:11] Andrew: Now, let's talk about "Landslide."

[52:21] Zach Faust: This is one of my favorites!

[52:31] Ian Allred: It's so beautiful and haunting.

[52:41] Andrew: The harmonies are just stunning.

[52:51] Zach Faust: I agree!

[53:01] Andrew: Moving on to "Listen to Your Heart."

[53:11] Ian Allred: This performance is so heartfelt.

[53:21] Zach Faust: I love the chemistry between the characters.

[53:31] Andrew: It's definitely a memorable moment.

[53:41] Ian Allred: And finally, we have "What Doesn't Kill You (Stronger)."

[53:51] Zach Faust: This is such an empowering anthem!

[54:01] Andrew: It really captures the spirit of resilience.

[54:11] Ian Allred: Absolutely!

[54:21] Zach Faust: I love how they incorporated it into the storyline.

[54:31] Andrew: It's a perfect way to wrap up our song discussions.

[54:41] Ian Allred: I had so much fun!

[54:51] Zach Faust: Same here!

[55:01] Andrew: Thanks for joining me today, Ian and Zach.

[55:11] Ian Allred: Thank you for having us!

[55:21] Zach Faust: It was a blast!

[55:31] Andrew: And to our listeners, make sure to tune in next time for more Glee discussions!

[55:41] Ian Allred: Bye!

[55:51] Zach Faust: Bye!

[56:01] Andrew: See you next week!

[56:11] Ian Allred: Bye!

[56:21] Zach Faust: Bye!

[56:31] Andrew: Thanks for listening!

[56:41] Ian Allred: Bye!

[56:51] Zach Faust: Bye!

[57:01] Andrew: Until next time!

[57:11] Ian Allred: Bye!

[57:21] Zach Faust: Bye!

[57:31] Andrew: Take care!

[57:41] Ian Allred: Bye!

[57:51] Zach Faust: Bye!

[58:01] Andrew: See you later!

[58:11] Ian Allred: Bye!

[58:21] Zach Faust: Bye!

[58:31] Andrew: And that's a wrap!

[58:41] Ian Allred: Bye!

[58:51] Zach Faust: Bye!

[59:01] Andrew: Thanks for joining us!

[59:09] Zach Faust: My thought process with Marlee just as a character, much love to Melissa Benoist, genuinely. I think Melissa Benoist is crazy talented. Marlee, to me, never quite hits as a character because she is not flawed enough. She is a girl who like her big flaw is that she is unsure of herself, which in a friend in real life, a great friend, like a friend who's like a nice person and very caring and just like is a little shy and anxious, sure. But on a TV show as heightened as Glee, where everyone is a cartoon character, she fades into the background. She even makes a comment about that.

[59:47] Ian Allred: Yeah, that she's like, I can't think of anything to make fun of you for.

[59:50] Zach Faust: Yeah, right. And it just it makes her less compelling. And I just I don't dislike her, but I'm just not very interested in her. And I think her songs reflect that. Like Rachel is so overdramatic. And so her songs can be overdramatic. And I forgive it. And I can kind of look past their shortcomings because she's just like overdramatic and selfish and makes everything about herself. And then also she can have her like flop my headband and only child and we can laugh at her before we cheer with her with this song.

[1:00:21] Ian Allred: A great point. Yeah. Where it's like, yeah, but I'm watching I'm watching OutKast at home and I'm like, you guys, you guys all know that that's stupid, right?

[1:00:27] Zach Faust: Yeah, this is this is a dumb.

[1:00:34] Ian Allred: Well aware this song is not very good.

[1:00:36] Zach Faust: We do, I'm sure.

[1:00:39] Ian Allred: Yeah.

[1:00:39] Zach Faust: Well, it didn't have Max Martin and that's why.

[1:00:42] Ian Allred: Wait, Max. I mean, it's fair to assume that Max Martin is not included in the OutKast writing, but is that?

[1:00:49] Zach Faust: No, he's not.

[1:00:50] Ian Allred: Okay. All right. I mean, I would assume so.

[1:00:52] Zach Faust: Yeah. Wait, I'm curious now. Sacred Text, Glee Wiki.

[1:00:56] Ian Allred: No, I'm curious, like who did write OutKast?

[1:00:59] Zach Faust: I think it's I think it's the Anders. I think because they also did Roots Before Branches, which, you know, was an unused song at one point.

[1:01:08] Ian Allred: I'm not seeing on Glee Wiki, like because on Get It Right's page, they had a clear area where they were like it was written by these people. But it doesn't have that for OutKast and doesn't even have in the trivia section either.

[1:01:19] Zach Faust: So maybe that nobody wanted to put their name on it.

[1:01:22] Ian Allred: It was unclaimed. It was slipped under Ryan's door.

[1:01:29] Zach Faust: Oh, my God. Maya Rudolph as Dionne Warwick singing a duet with Lea Michele. Do you remember this? When she it's like she's doing the the oh, my God, it's so good. And she sings a song with Lea Michele, but it's like just the woman that's like not facing camera.

[1:01:45] Ian Allred: And they're like, that's Lea Michele.

[1:01:47] Zach Faust: Um, and that was a beautiful song, surprisingly written by no one. Um, and that's that's OutKast. Uh, do we have anything else to say about Get It Right?

[1:02:00] Ian Allred: We really we really got analytical there.

[1:02:03] Zach Faust: That was a little scary. I just want to say one, the standing ovation. I know these these crowds are always jumping to their feet, but that was ridiculous.

[1:02:12] Ian Allred: Ridiculous.

[1:02:13] Zach Faust: And two, just the lyric in the bridge. So I throw up my fist, throw a punch in the air and come to the decision that life's not fair. That visual of Rachel just being like, oh, life isn't fair.

[1:02:26] Ian Allred: Do a little end of Breakfast Club moment.

[1:02:28] Zach Faust: Yes.

[1:02:29] Ian Allred: Yeah, I like that. I think that she actually did that while she was writing in her bed, weeping.

[1:02:33] Zach Faust: Yeah, she's like, I gotta jot that down. The lawyers came in and they were like, honey.

[1:02:39] Ian Allred: Um, do we want to?

[1:02:42] Zach Faust: So the thing that we do is we do this three times, but we'll vote on you.

[1:02:47] Ian Allred: Yeah.

[1:02:48] Zach Faust: To provide context, of course. Uh, do we like Listen to Your Heart or Get It Right better?

[1:02:53] Ian Allred: Get it right.

[1:02:55] Zach Faust: Get it right. I you know what? I went into this competition being like, neither song's really doing much for me. Y'all really convinced me.

[1:03:04] Ian Allred: Get it right.

[1:03:04] Zach Faust: Yeah, fist in the air, fist in the air.

[1:03:07] Ian Allred: And sometimes life is fair.

[1:03:10] Zach Faust: Yeah, life is fair.

[1:03:13] Ian Allred: Get it right.

[1:03:13] Zach Faust: Listen to us.

[1:03:14] Ian Allred: Listen to us.

[1:03:17] Zach Faust: Get it tight.

[1:03:18] Ian Allred: Exactly.

[1:03:19] Zach Faust: Um, okay.

[1:03:20] Ian Allred: So we'll do another competition.

[1:03:22] Zach Faust: Yeah, that's all I have time for today. Sorry.

[1:03:24] Ian Allred: No, no, no.

[1:03:25] Zach Faust: Come on.

[1:03:25] Ian Allred: Come on, come on, come on.

[1:03:28] Zach Faust: This is a good one. It's another competition song.

[1:03:30] Ian Allred: Come on.

[1:03:31] Zach Faust: Oh, my.

[1:03:32] Ian Allred: Uh, wait, that's three for three of competition episode songs.

[1:03:36] Zach Faust: Oh, that is crazy.

[1:03:38] Ian Allred: Um, go us.

[1:03:41] Zach Faust: Let's make it six for six.

[1:03:43] Ian Allred: I'll try to make it happen. Because you know what else is a competition?

[1:03:47] Zach Faust: Drop.

[1:03:47] Ian Allred: But only one of them.

[1:03:48] Zach Faust: True.

[1:03:49] Ian Allred: Yeah. I mean, the second one's also a competition. She's auditioning for the part against all the other girls.

[1:03:54] Zach Faust: Is this Here's to Us?

[1:03:56] Ian Allred: It's not Here's to Us.

[1:03:58] Zach Faust: The Nicki Minaj song.

[1:04:01] Ian Allred: No, this is this is regionals season three. This is on my way. Am I correct?

[1:04:06] Zach Faust: Yeah.

[1:04:08] Ian Allred: You did.

[1:04:09] Zach Faust: I'm so sorry.

[1:04:10] Ian Allred: And there's one left.

[1:04:11] Zach Faust: Is it fly?

[1:04:13] Ian Allred: Is that I believe I can fly?

[1:04:14] Zach Faust: I literally I've been tuning out his voice.

[1:04:23] Ian Allred: I was trying to figure out if that was Damien McGinty's profile and I was not listening. I'm sorry.

[1:04:27] Zach Faust: That is Damien McGinty's profile.

[1:04:32] Ian Allred: Okay, good.

[1:04:33] Zach Faust: What else do they sing?

[1:04:35] Ian Allred: I believe I can fly.

[1:04:39] Zach Faust: Here's to Us.

[1:04:40] Ian Allred: And What Doesn't Kill You.

[1:04:42] Zach Faust: And What Doesn't Kill You.

[1:04:43] Ian Allred: It's What Doesn't Kill You.

[1:04:44] Zach Faust: Oh, good.

[1:04:47] Ian Allred: Turn it up.

[1:04:47] Zach Faust: This is the one I would have wanted from that episode.

[1:05:34] ♪ Musical number: "What Doesn't Kill You (Stronger)" — performed by Glee Cast ♪

[1:07:00] Zach Faust: Hell yeah.

[1:07:04] Ian Allred: Deserves standing ovation.

[1:07:06] Zach Faust: Hell yeah.

[1:07:07] Ian Allred: That was great.

[1:07:08] Zach Faust: Yeah. Now here's my only qualm, and I have no qualms with this song. This is my qualm about just the episode in general, and my qualm about the song choices in this episode. I think with the content of the first 10 minutes of this episode, this song is wildly toned deaf in a way that isn't satirical, it's just kind of offensive.

[1:07:35] Ian Allred: Well, the Warblers also have like-

[1:07:37] Zach Faust: Also do, they do stand, which I-

[1:07:40] Ian Allred: They do stand, yeah.

[1:07:42] Zach Faust: Which again, when they pointed the wheelchair by the end of the episode, you're just kind of, it's just, these are just-

[1:07:48] Ian Allred: Oh, I never even thought about that, yeah.

[1:07:51] Zach Faust: They're just such strange songs to put in-

[1:07:55] Ian Allred: Stand, you're gonna run again, yeah.

[1:07:57] Zach Faust: Yeah. But also I think that there's like, I mean, as much as we can, we can have a conversation where it's like, well, Glee did something bad, you know? Where it's like, oh, come on, it's like-

[1:08:06] Ian Allred: No, no, no, here's the thing. There's the bad, which is Will framing Finn for drugs to get him to do the Glee Club. That's funny.

[1:08:17] Zach Faust: Them, you know, Kurowski, you know, and then them singing What Does It Kill You makes you stronger.

[1:08:24] Ian Allred: Yeah, I'm not saying that's, I'm just like, the fact that it's like, they do this, this is just their bag of just like, of course, they're going to sing What Does It Kill You makes you stronger in this specific episode.

[1:08:39] Zach Faust: But I'm like, that's kind of the appeal for me a little bit, which sounds so fucked up. But like, it's like, okay, it's not entirely good, not entirely bad. It's the really beautiful gray.

[1:08:53] Ian Allred: It's like them doing Shooting Star and then singing Say at the very end, being like, say what you need to say.

[1:09:00] Zach Faust: Right, yeah. That's why we're still talking about it 10 years later.

[1:09:04] Ian Allred: Yeah, yeah, yeah. The show, if the show was, never did anything that was like, out of pocket and questionable, there are so many shows that I absolutely love that I talk about 1% the amount that I talk about Glee.

[1:09:18] Zach Faust: Yeah, sure.

[1:09:20] Ian Allred: Like, they're not doing that. They're not making stupid moves like this show is.

[1:09:24] Zach Faust: Right.

[1:09:25] Ian Allred: But I think that they're but and you know, and I'm maybe just kind of beating a dead horse at this point of the there's a there's the camp of camp.

[1:09:33] Zach Faust: Oh, no, no, I 100% agree with what you're saying. Like, this wasn't like, oh, it's, it's funny and satirical because it's over the top. Like, they really thought they were doing something with this song choice.

[1:09:41] Ian Allred: It's not what they were like, hey, guys, we're tackling this issue in this episode. And there's this is a hit Kelly Clarkson song right now. And they're like, right, of course, we gotta do that.

[1:09:57] Zach Faust: Yeah, right. Comparatively to like, you know, cough syrup makes a lot of sense for what the song was doing and the episode itself. And it's kind of, you're kind of like, questionable because they're singing over this thing. But it's such an impactful song and number, which very similarly brought me to like the Bohemian Rhapsody, Quinn having a baby. You know, they work so well.

[1:10:21] Ian Allred: And then this one.

[1:10:22] Zach Faust: Anyway, that's my only qualm. This is a great, great song. They sound incredible on it.

[1:10:27] Ian Allred: No, no, I just really love it. And it's like, I think this is like the trouble tune song that open the schools. We got to talk about this song particular because it's like overshadowed. So much that like, I feel like when people talk about the trouble tones, obviously, like Ian, you are on this zoom call right now, with your zoom background being trouble tune singing.

[1:10:48] Zach Faust: Rumor has it someone like you for good reason.

[1:10:50] Ian Allred: That's the one that the people are talking about. But like, we got to give this song its flowers. They sound so good.

[1:10:55] Zach Faust: And the thing that I particularly love about this song is that they feature Heather Morris vocally and like the other like we have like Heather Morris a little bit and like Candyman. But like, there's something about Candyman. For some reason, never really itched that scratch for me.

[1:11:14] Ian Allred: For what doesn't kill you, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. When Heather Morris walks to the front of the stage and does that, like she doesn't even have that much percent of the song. But she does so much with it.

[1:11:26] Zach Faust: And I just it feels like a full piece of, you know, those three voices. I just really am obsessed with this song.

[1:11:35] Ian Allred: I think this.

[1:11:35] Zach Faust: No, no, you go.

[1:11:37] Ian Allred: I've talked a lot.

[1:11:40] Zach Faust: I mean, I don't have anything substantial to say. I was going to say, I agree with everything that's been said. An incredible number. They rock.

[1:11:46] Ian Allred: Also, I am obsessed with these five divas who said, I don't want to be in the Glee Club. I really don't want to sing with the boys. I'm not really interested. But I will come and I'll ride on the bus with all of you to sing exactly one number per competition. And then I'm leaving.

[1:12:05] Zach Faust: And they also were like, and I will not be attending rehearsals either. I'm just here for the competition. That's it.

[1:12:11] Ian Allred: And they're like, oh, Nationals is in Chicago. We love Deep Dish. We're going. We are there.

[1:12:22] Zach Faust: Also, wait, so sorry, Zach. Continue the conversation about these divas. There is a scene in MASHOFF where Shelby and Will do You and I, You and I, and there are two divas there that it's like, OK, that's not enough for a Glee Club.

[1:12:35] Ian Allred: If I know one thing about this from this show is that you need 12.

[1:12:44] Zach Faust: There are 12 girls on stage.

[1:12:47] Ian Allred: I mean, I didn't count them, but it would be fair to say that that was 12.

[1:12:52] Zach Faust: That was 12.

[1:12:54] Ian Allred: But they play around with the numbers so much that it presents more questions.

[1:12:58] Zach Faust: I would rather see all 12 Trouble Tones members. Why are there only two for that scene? It's just they play around so much that it bothers me.

[1:13:06] Ian Allred: I feel like Santana goes to Cheerios practice and she's like, OK, so today we're going to have a fight on this stage, I guess, if anyone wants to come.

[1:13:22] Zach Faust: And two of them are like, yeah, we'll tag along. And then she's like, hey, it's the next competition. We're just going like a city over if anyone wants to come.

[1:13:28] Ian Allred: And only five of them are game.

[1:13:30] Zach Faust: And they're like, OK, for this next one, we're going to Chicago. Is anyone interested? And some of them raise their hands. It's just like case by case.

[1:13:36] Ian Allred: I do love that.

[1:13:36] Zach Faust: She's pitching it to the Cheerios and a few of them are joining.

[1:13:39] Ian Allred: Yes, I love that. Canonically, one of them is one of the skanks, the Mack.

[1:13:44] Zach Faust: The Mack!

[1:13:45] Ian Allred: In particular.

[1:13:45] Zach Faust: Yeah, I don't know if you've never caught this, Ian.

[1:13:48] Ian Allred: I've never caught that.

[1:13:55] Zach Faust: I know Quinn was never part of the Troubled Tones, but that's a Quinn find.

[1:14:00] Ian Allred: Yeah, her name kind of has a double meaning. Zach, okay, you want to say something really, really, really bad?

[1:14:06] Zach Faust: So badly, I am bursting at the seams. No, no, I'm just enjoying sitting and chatting and hearing everybody's opinions. I was just going to go back to the Candyman of it all, where the reason it never really hits for me is because it just sounds like the original Candyman. I'm just like, I can just, you know, they sound great. And I think it's a real great showcase for the trio. But what I really love about like "Rumor Has It" or "Survivor," "I Will Survive" is that even if Heather Morris is very, like very, not singing at all, she's still showcased because the number at least in "Rumor Has It" is still so heavily featured about her.

[1:14:50] Ian Allred: Right, exactly. And then "Survivor," "I Will Survive." Ian's pointing to, yeah, that will not translate in an audio form. He's pointing to Heather Morris. I think everyone's on board with me.

[1:15:03] Zach Faust: You all got that, right?

[1:15:05] Ian Allred: Yeah, they do. They can feel. And then "Survivor," "I Will Survive" is one of those like, they utilize Sugar in the best possible way to use Sugar.

[1:15:15] Zach Faust: Oh, it's perfect. Yes. Why? That is why. And that's why the Troubletones just work as an entire unit. I don't you know, I, I, I think I even thought about this, not thought about this. But I remember even having this conversation when we did "ABC" and I was like, No, the New Directions did it. And they deserve to win, even though "Survivor" is a great number. But I do think the Troubletones just as a unit know exactly how to use each of their rotate, like each of their main members, even if Santana and Mercedes are the typical lead vocalists.

[1:15:51] Ian Allred: I do think they're like, this is how we know how to use Sugar. This is how we know how to use Britney, even if they aren't the main focus. And I think "What Doesn't Kill You (Stronger)" is a really great like, this is how we can utilize the entirety of the club, because that is what New Directions does really well. Even if Rachel is typically singing the lead solo, and Finn is typically on lead vocals for the men, they do know how to utilize their club, pretty like in such a large fashion.

[1:16:18] Zach Faust: And I think that's what the Troubletones needed. And I think that's why them breaking off and going, No, you are part of an ensemble, but we do need to know how to utilize you guys because you are just as strong as all these other members. That's why the club blends so well together is these two clubs that a new one of them knew they needed to focus them more. One of them knew that they needed to use, knew how to be in a group together. So then that's why they went nationals.

[1:16:46] Ian Allred: So, Zach, was it you in a previous episode that brought up like, Glee kind of shot itself in the foot by making the rule that they needed 12 members?

[1:16:54] Zach Faust: Pardon me? I feel like, was it someone else, where it was like, that like, that was a fatal flaw that it was like, Oh, no, you need 12 members in here.

[1:17:06] Ian Allred: It's not necessarily a flaw, though. It's that. I mean, it's a rule. It's Yeah, in at least at that time, in Midwestern show choirs, that was the rule was that you had to have a specific number of choir members. I don't know if that's like, you know, shooting yourself in the foot as a whole. But like, that was a rule. There are a lot of rules, actually, that Glee doesn't cover, that I think are, are, would disqualify a lot of the choirs and a lot of the competitions.

[1:17:40] Zach Faust: Yeah, but they love that one single rule. And at some point, she's like, that's the rule that anybody can seem to remember.

[1:17:46] Ian Allred: Yeah, you can't even do it. I think it's the last season where she talks about it.

[1:17:50] Zach Faust: Yeah, it's in the best episode ever, the Hurt Locker, the one that you refuse to respect.

[1:18:00] Ian Allred: Oh, we're getting back to fighting again. We don't need we literally do not need to talk about this on this podcast.

[1:18:04] Zach Faust: There's a whole episode of my podcast.

[1:18:09] Ian Allred: Yeah. Do we have anything else to say about damn near perfect song? What doesn't kill you makes you stronger?

[1:18:16] Zach Faust: No, it's a banger.

[1:18:24] Ian Allred: No, it's a banger. I love her so much. They didn't utilize Mac though.

[1:18:28] Zach Faust: They did not know how to use like the Mac. But you know what? I'm ready. I'm ready to I'm ready to get hurt. I'm ready for this next song to hurt all of us. I think that this is this is a kind of crazy competition.

[1:18:41] Ian Allred: Is it another competition song?

[1:18:47] Zach Faust: No, I was gonna say that it's from another competition episode, but it's not. It feels like "Misery," which is from original song. But it's Warblers, it's Warblers.

[1:18:58] Ian Allred: This is "Bills, Bills, Bills."

[1:19:15] ♪ Musical number: "Bills, Bills, Bills" — performed by the Warblers ♪

[1:21:29] Zach Faust: That felt like long. It was. Right? It was definitely longer than I remember it being.

[1:21:36] Ian Allred: Okay, so that was two minutes and 30 seconds and I feel like I like it a lot but it just felt like I think Sue Sylvester's Shuffle is a longer episode.

[1:21:41] Zach Faust: Not too much longer. That would make sense.

[1:21:48] Ian Allred: But I think it's like around like 50, 55. No, their longest episode I think was Born This Way.

[1:21:54] Zach Faust: Born This Way. Well, yeah, but Born This Way is like over an hour because they plus the whole thing. But it is possible that Sue Sylvester got a few extra minutes because the Super Bowl of it all.

[1:22:04] Ian Allred: Hey, I'm gonna tell everybody in just a moment. I don't remember it being, but.

[1:22:10] Zach Faust: Hey, guess what? None of us know just yet. Please let me find it. Can anybody start a discourse?

[1:22:17] Ian Allred: Okay, I can start a discourse, which is that number rocks. Sorry, everyone. That number is awesome. It's so good. It's so fun. It is such a unique take on that song, which is something I love that Glee does when Glee takes a song. Like you were saying earlier, Zach, about "Candyman," that it's like cool. I'll literally just stream the Xtina version. It sounds the same. Like this is such a unique, no other version of "Bills, Bills, Bills" sounds like this. And I love it.

[1:22:46] Zach Faust: I also love this era of the Warblers when they let Kurt just be a bit of a fish out of water in the numbers. Like he doesn't quite have, part of my fringe, the swagger that the rest of the Warblers have. He just does not have like the suaveness and the coolness that they all have.

[1:23:07] Ian Allred: He's always like a little dorky. He's always like a little too sincere with what he's doing. And it makes him very much endearing. And it also highlights the point of like, well, this is where he needs to be right now. This is not his home. The New Directions is his home. And I think that like that comes, the point that you're making, it comes to a head in like "Sexy," which I really appreciate that. It's like that heat when they're doing like "Animal" together.

[1:23:35] Zach Faust: And it's like, oh, this character really is not synced up at all with these guys.

[1:23:40] Ian Allred: Um, legal note, legal note, legal note. 49 minutes. A little bit longer.

[1:23:47] Zach Faust: There you go. That's a good six minutes.

[1:23:51] Ian Allred: The Barry's dads just came in and said, legal note.

[1:23:55] Zach Faust: They sound just like me.

[1:24:03] Ian Allred: Yeah, I rewatched this episode not too long ago. And I remember like thinking, it's like, this episode is going on just a little bit longer than what I recall a Glee episode to be. Not a bad thing. But yeah, I, the only thing about this song in particular, again, it cut it's similar to the like the Rachel Berry and the Jesse St. James at the end of season six of it all, because they played this after the Super Bowl, you know, it's like, like 36 million people tuned into this episode in particular.

[1:24:27] Zach Faust: So they absolutely had to go with their like, the jocks versus the Glee Club. And Brittany and Sue are their main like, they're just being funny and weird. And you have the biggest number of all time "Thriller" in the episode. Cool. Then you drop this club in randomly, and you don't know who they are. If you were just one off, and you're like, why are they singing? Why are these white kids singing? "Bills, Bills, Bills" and then you don't focus on them for the rest of the episode. Until you see Kurt and Blaine back at the football.

[1:25:00] Ian Allred: And I think they maybe have a scene at the Lima Bean if I'm not mistaken.

[1:25:06] Zach Faust: They do have a scene at Lima Bean where like Blaine gives them the idea that it's like, oh, you guys can all the girls can play football too. And then there's the Kurt Blaine likes football. I like scarves, which I thought was a great line.

[1:25:24] Ian Allred: Yeah, that was my main. That's like, it's a detriment for me, the placement of this song in the episode, it really does come out of complete nowhere. And when you're watching it, yeah, it really feels like where, especially because so many new people are watching it for the first time. I'm just like putting my exactly my head like, what are they thinking? I was like, who the heck are these guys? Did I change the channel?

[1:26:00] Zach Faust: But isn't that the point to be a contrarian? They're trying this episode is an advertisement. This is like what the Tony Awards are where you're like, we're gonna do a number that shows absolutely everything that this show has to offer in five minutes to get tourists to come pay like to put butts in seats.

[1:26:10] Ian Allred: They are trying to in 49 minutes say this is everything the show has to offer. And yeah, this number comes out of nowhere. But the highest selling song was "Teenage Dream." So like we got to get a banger Warbler number in there.

[1:26:20] Zach Faust: No, I get that. And I haven't I'm not I'm agreeing with everything that you're saying. My point is that we are not introduced to Blaine and Kurt through anybody else that it's like, okay, these are just completely random characters that after this is when we have the Lima Bean scene that it's like, oh, okay, so these characters know each other.

[1:26:45] Ian Allred: And that's how you make an entrance.

[1:26:49] Zach Faust: And that's how you make an entrance. You ever heard of starting a story in media res baby?

[1:26:56] Ian Allred: I don't know. I think we're just the screen. I think I think that it I'm not saying like swapping the scenes would have worked better because I don't think that's true of like having the Lima Bean scene. First, we're really, we're really grasping at straws here. But I just think that they're like, they're, they could have been like, in just a little bit earlier, just do something. I just want to see this character do something before they sing an entire song for two minutes and 30 seconds.

[1:27:23] Ian Allred: Before I get an answer.

[1:27:24] Zach Faust: Who are you?

[1:27:27] Ian Allred: No, I see what you're saying. I don't necessarily need to agree with me. It's okay. I see your point. I think in my opinion, it is. This is how the questions that are arising with the audience are more intriguing than confusing. It's not like who is this character? It's like, who is this character?

[1:27:40] Zach Faust: Sure.

[1:27:45] Ian Allred: Oh, I'm interested in who this handsome man who sings very well is. And now we're immediately going into a scene that's now going to explain that to me.

[1:27:49] Zach Faust: Yeah, no, I get that. And that's sure. That's true.

[1:27:54] Ian Allred: Yeah, because I'm in my head. I'm like, I need to hold the audience hand the entire way through. Come with me. I promise you like my Glee like I do. Where we're going is really, really safe. And you're really gonna enjoy it. And you're gonna know everything as we walk through this. All that to be said, do love this number so much.

[1:28:12] Zach Faust: Love this number. It's great.

[1:28:20] Ian Allred: Yeah, it's again, it's it's also one of those. It's one of those like, I, this is not a I want to sound like it's because he does a really good job on this number. It's just one of those like, similar to Diane Agron, who listens to who looks at these kids and goes, you should have these numbers. Because I had a run specifically only sings numbers from what

[1:28:42] Ian Allred: Do that to Darren. But like, I mean, there's a more egregious participant of the Gleek Club, and that character's name is Arthur Abrams. Yeah.

[1:28:52] Zach Faust: And Will Schuster. And I get that 100%. That's my only like, and so there are a couple times when he like, raps, or like, there are like, he's just kind of stumbling over a couple of these words, and you're like, okay, that's my only gripe about this number. I'm like, you're just you're, you're not enunciating as well as or you're stepping over or we're just go, you know, the phrasing isn't there. Only, again, my only qualm about this song is other than that, other than the it comes out of nowhere. And yeah, I was gonna say there was that was the second qualm if I'm not mistaken. Yeah. Okay. All right. Um, I would like to you have no proof about that, that this I've been recording this conversation.

Um, well, other than that, you have no proof. I do want to I want to bring up that last time that this was seen on the Glackett. Um, I made a social clip of our discussion about it, where we were talking about the beginning, where you can almost sounds like a broadcast news, like an alert, like, yes, we had a conversation about like, whether or not that was his actual voice, if someone can actually replicate that sound. Um, John Hall, the person, the warbler that, you know, was the person seen doing that commented, and I quote, I can confirm it was not me. Ha ha ha. However, I did most of the warblers background vocals and spent two years doing background vocals for the main cast singing. The beatbox character I played was decided in the first episode when Zach Woodley asked, Can anyone beatbox?

Who wants to do that? Of course, I volunteered, and it provided a bunch of years of work on Glee moral of the story. Say you can, even if you can't. He really had that comment. I'm like, really glad that he Yeah, that's a long comment. I love that. Come on, John Hall. There's there's someone on Tick Tock right now, who has it's kind of like an Axl Rod, like, like very, very, very high voice. And they're singing the Sympathy Spider, I think is the is the like, kind of, but he's like, the way he'll just do all these songs, but just in like a like a high pitch. And I'm like, that guy could do that. That guy could do that. Yeah, we should get him. We're fully like not even doing bills, bills, bills anymore.

It's truly just like this is an alert public access. Yeah. Torn Glee cast version Glee cast about this competition. I am torn as well, because I think they're both very incredible numbers. I do personally think I know which way I'm leaning. But it certainly is not like an easy pick. It's not one of those ones where I'm like, oh, this one, obviously, and the other one, like, you know, I'll pay respects, but it's it's time. I think both of these are worthy inclusion in round three. Do you want to throw that first vote? I could throw the first one. Ultimately, I'll throw the first stone. Ultimately, mine comes down to both of these are amazing numbers. Which one do I think was more unique? Bills, bills, bills. I'm voting bills, bills, bills.

[1:32:13] Andrew McGuire: Okay. Love that when this happens. I'm doing the same. I'm not doing the same thing. I'm doing what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. Personally, I understand that bills, bills, bills does something a little bit more interesting. Depending on this is real, true, like dependent on the day I can see myself voting for bills, bills, bills, or what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. In this moment, I was vibing so much more harder with, with stronger. And I just think like, when Naya does that thing where she like has audio medium, she has like her two hands over her chest. And she while she's hitting the note, it's just you know, she's gonna slay. So I, I cannot I can't turn my back on that. And I think that the placement thing tell me to fuck off. Seriously, if you hate me for this, anybody listening, fuck off. But I get that bothers me. The placement thing does.

[1:33:09] Ian Allred: That's taken away points. I stand by that's how you make an audience interested in a new character is you give them a huge entrance like that and have them ask questions and then answer them immediately after. I want you to rewatch this episode again, because it I mean, that's fair. I haven't seen it in a while did take me out. And I was watching it literally with my friend who's maybe watched like a handful. He's like, I wanted to I want to watch an episode of Glee. And I was like, Oh, let's watch the Super Bowl episode. He's a straight man. And this one has sports, you'll like it, you'll get it, right. It took place in January where a high school football canonically should not be happening. But yeah, no, it also posed a question for him. So I'm like, oof. Fair point. Fair point.

[1:33:59] Zach Faust: Zach, it's up to you. The glockenspiel is in your hands. I I would like to bring back Vogue.

[1:34:09] Andrew McGuire: Oh, no, that's not what's happening.

[1:34:15] Zach Faust: Cut the whole audio. No, here's the thing. Both sides have completely valid arguments. Bills, Bills, Bills is such a stronger arrangement. It does something completely different. What kills you makes you stronger. Contextually in the show, I think is a better, like it tells a better story. So like, truly, I agree with Ian that I think both of these could go into the next round. And when I think of like, I don't like it. Here's the thing. Neither of those numbers are the best numbers of those respective groups. And I think they both rank in like where they are. I think they both rank they're pretty equal. They are pretty truly equal with each other in like where I would think they rank amongst all of the other songs.

Like maybe there are like four Trouble Tones numbers and four Warblers numbers that are better than these numbers. And all that to be said, I'm truly basing that because you know, I also have my gripes with the songs. I think that Bills, Bills, Bills comes completely strange out of nowhere. I think that what kills you what doesn't kill you kill what doesn't kill you. What kills you makes you stronger. Yeah, it kills you. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger is maybe not the most fantastic of song choices for this world. At that you're drawing this out. And it's like, it's good content. But I know I'm sorry. No, no, no. Really, this is coming from a, like purely like personal standpoint and what I'm pulling for most like if it's coming on my shuffle, I'm not skipping it. And it's gonna be Bills, Bills, Bills.

[1:36:03] Ian Allred: Oh, my. You really played with us. That's where that was going. Yeah, that's wild.

[1:36:11] Andrew McGuire: It is Bills, Bills, Bills. Again. That's tragic. I stand with you. I agree with you. But that is tragic.

[1:36:18] Ian Allred: I know. I think ultimately more Gleeks will agree. I think that they're more Gleeks will be happier with this decision. I don't know. I truly don't know. Because I think that what kills you? What? Fuck that one. Stronger. You want to just? Yeah. Stronger Gleecast version by Gleecast. A song that doesn't already exist. Yeah. Right. The Kelly Clarkson one. Yeah. I think that number is such a beautiful showcase of that of that group of those characters. I just when I'm when I'm when I hear I'm in. I'm ready. I'm ready to go.

[1:36:57] Zach Faust: And people have been bringing up that Warbler numbers have not been faring that well in the Glackett. And so this is a W for y'all. Hey, take it. Don't say that the Glackett doesn't love the Warblers when we have the tapes of this conversation. I will always stand by the Warblers. I will. I have to. Every single one? Season two. Season two. You don't like super gay Warbler? Where are we supposed to sleep? I assume that you'll sleep inside one another. It's so good.

[1:37:32] Ian Allred: Oh, excuse me. We all have girlfriends. We all have girlfriends. I love him. I love him. We all have girlfriends. Okay, so we're gonna do one final competition. And we're gonna start with Oh, holy cow. I know this works. We're gonna do one. It's a bonus round. Okay. Okay.

[1:37:53] Andrew McGuire: This is from an episode that I made the specific choice to watch. After seeing 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. I watched this episode specifically after seeing it because I was like, I'm in an arty mood. This is not an arty feature.

[1:38:13] Zach Faust: Oh, but it's already episode. It's an arty app. You're gonna know exactly what the heck this is.

[1:38:20] Ian Allred: Is it Dream On? It's topical too. I was gonna say, is it Dream On or is it Wheels?

[1:38:25] Andrew McGuire: It's Wheels. Gravity. Wheels. Here we go. Yo, this is thrilling.

[1:38:31] ♪ Musical number: "Defying Gravity" — performed by Chris Colfer and Lea Michele ♪

[1:40:37] Ian Allred: Mercedes' face. Mercedes' dead eye smile.

[1:40:45] Zach Faust: Second time I've watched that performance in the past 24 hours. That's really, really wild. Anyway, Zach, do you want to start the discourse? You have a lot to say.

[1:40:54] Zach Faust: I have a lot to say just about this number just in general. And it starts at the, you know how the writers take, and they've been doing this all six seasons, they take things about the cast and they throw them into the episodes. And this is a really great example of where they should have continued to do where they take something that an actor went through that was like, you know, where they didn't win, and they make them win. And so, you know, this is a great showcase for Chris Colfrey was like, yeah, I, you know, wanted to sing a girl's song in choir, and they wouldn't let me. And this is a really great showcase of the, they wouldn't let me but I overcame, and I am who I am because of something like this.

And it doesn't matter who I am, or what I am. I am this. And instead of where in season six, they're like, he doesn't like, you know, these are the things he doesn't like. And here's a character that's mean, that's just going to say mean things to him. And it's about the actor, but it's going to be through the character, you know, who are you talking about? Specifically? It's the Santana rant in season six.

[1:42:00] Ian Allred: Oh, okay. Okay. Okay. Got it.

[1:42:03] Zach Faust: Yeah, where they just dog on Kurt. But it's really just like, these are the writers just kind of dogging on Chris Colfer. And so see, this is one of those episodes where I'm like, I wish that they just would have taken those stories and make them to where they are to be like, Oh, you know, how can we showcase really how special you are, instead of continually beating you down, first off. So that's where the second, the camera work in this is fantastic. And it really is from a place of where they fake you out at the very beginning, you don't think it's going to go where it's going to go where they like go behind someone's head, and then they just keep going. And it's still showing one character.

And then they I remember where I was. Yeah. And they flip it again, where they're like, we're going behind someone's head. We reveal that Rachel's actually like, so smart to fake you out in the very beginning. Like it's such a great encapsulation. And again, this is where Glee does like when when when Glee does it correctly, there's nothing on television like that.

[1:43:01] Ian Allred: Yeah, I and that that camera work is so good. But the best part is Trumpet Girl standing there. She's just like that emoji of the girl just standing.

[1:43:14] Zach Faust: She's wait, I'm not even clocking Trumpet Girl. Who's Trumpet Girl?

[1:43:18] Ian Allred: There's there's a guy there's a guy on the base. And he's just going like, Ah, yeah, he's like Bob. And then there's Trumpet Girl just blank face.

[1:43:28] Zach Faust: She's not using the trumpet.

[1:43:29] Zach Faust: Not yet. Not at that point. No, because I mean, the horns come in, the horns do come in eventually.

[1:43:35] Ian Allred: Right, but it's just Trumpet Girl waiting for her time to come in.

[1:43:41] Andrew: I gotta finish this after this. Yeah.

[1:43:43] Ian Allred: And I know that Chris Colfer was nominated for, I think he's nominated for Laryngitis, the Rose's Turn episode, but this is also a fantastic episode that he could have nominated himself for, for the Emmys.

[1:43:57] Zach Faust: Oh, hello. As someone that has watched the piece for your consideration in the last 24 hours, it's a strong, I was on the verge of tears.

[1:44:07] Ian Allred: I think it's also a stronger episode for him than Laryngitis.

[1:44:11] Andrew: That's interesting. I don't know if I would, I think that they're just, they're both strong in their own. I don't, I'm not pitting those two beautiful girls against each other. I think they're all strong. I think we all can be strong.

[1:44:21] Ian Allred: We can, I think they can both be good episodes. I don't really actually like the premise of putting, especially glee related things against each other. So yeah, I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry.

[1:44:33] Zach Faust: That was, that was, why would you make me do that?

[1:44:36] Ian Allred: All right. This number and me, I have like, I have very strong feelings about this number.

[1:44:44] Ian Allred: And I always have literally since I first saw it in 2009. This number really frustrates me because I appreciate everything you said, Zach. And I love Kurt. And I love the concept of like, he wants to sing a girl's song and they're like, you can't do that because you're a boy. And it's like, okay, but if I actually can sing it and I sound just as good as a girl would, then like, what's the holdup? But my problem is he does not sound just as good as an Elphaba would sound on this song.

[1:45:17] Ian Allred: And it is not because he is a boy. It is because he is singing a song that is meant to be belted completely in his head voice. And it literally drives me crazy.

[1:45:33] Zach Faust: Okay.

[1:45:34] Ian Allred: I think that's why I like, I think that's why I like the pop rendition.

[1:45:38] Zach Faust: The what rendition?

[1:45:40] Ian Allred: The pop rendition.

[1:45:41] Zach Faust: Oh, the pop like the orchestrations and stuff.

[1:45:43] Ian Allred: I get, I understand what you're saying. That's why I like it as the Idina Menzel pop rendition than the musical theater version.

[1:45:51] Ian Allred: Yes, but like, I have so much to respond to, but Ian, you have the floor.

[1:45:54] Andrew: Yeah, I'm sorry. Wait, Andrew, what do you have to respond to?

[1:45:58] Ian Allred: No, because I feel like, well, because if you've heard me talk about any version of Defying Gravity on this damn podcast, I have the same regurgitated bit that I feel like almost like a gaslit by everybody. And it's crazy to hear you say that you enjoy the pop rendition, Zach, because I'm like, do you? Do you? I mean, you're giving me a face. Do you?

[1:46:19] Zach Faust: I didn't. I didn't think that was a surprising thing, but.

[1:46:22] Ian Allred: Oh, no. Also, I also didn't, I didn't know Wicked before this show. Like I had never seen it. I didn't listen to it. That's probably pulling a lot of weight here.

[1:46:31] Zach Faust: That's pulling a lot of weight.

[1:46:32] Ian Allred: This is my first introduction to Defying Gravity.

[1:46:34] Zach Faust: Yeah, it's pulling a lot of weight here.

[1:46:35] Ian Allred: But I still like Wicked. And I think Defying Gravity is a phenomenal act one closer as it stands. But I think that for the use of this episode and this character and this style of singing, I think the pop version works a little bit better.

[1:46:50] Andrew: Okay.

[1:46:51] Ian Allred: Anyway, I'm backing out of this one now because Ian.

[1:46:54] Zach Faust: No, no, no, no. Let's duke it out.

[1:46:57] Ian Allred: Because I went into this episode as like, what? Closet, gay boy, 14 years old. And I'm like, of course I know Wicked. Like Wicked, it means so damn much to me. And when they set the stage at the beginning of the episode that they're like, we're going to do Defying Gravity. I'm like, fuck yes. I love this song so much. And the reason that I liked it was, and again, you guys have heard this rant. You've heard me talk about this song before so many times. The reason I like Defying Gravity is because of the dramatics of it all. I love and look to the western sky and they don't. And I'm like, when they get to it, I'm like, okay, what the fuck is this song? This is not the Defying Gravity I know and love. I literally, it's insulting to me.

[1:47:49] Ian Allred: I am so sorry. And then they have the audacity to do it twice.

[1:47:55] Zach Faust: No, I fully agree. I don't like this number literally at all. Sorry, whatever happens next is going to win unless it's garbage. Because if you are trying to make this point that Kurt should be able to sing a girl's song, there are so many female songs in musical theatre that he would sound gorgeous on. And this is not one of them. This song is famous for being this huge, dramatic, act one closer. She's flying in the air. She's squelching.

[1:48:30] Ian Allred: It's flying, yes.

[1:48:30] Zach Faust: It's like nutso. And I understand there's a precedent. Idina Menzel has a pop cover of the song. Whatever. There are also a million other musical theatre songs that already have this vibe that you could have just chosen one of those instead of taking this absolute power ballad and taking all of the oomph out of it. And it annoys me that they feed us this narrative that Kurt would have won if he did not purposely throw the last note. Because I'm like, no, no, no. He would not have. I have ears. Rachel out-sang that. I'm sorry. It just fits her voice better.

[1:49:07] Ian Allred: There's even a bit... Do you know the Obsessed videos that Playbill.com used to do with Seth Rudetsky? Seth Rudetsky is a pianist. He also is a composer and a writer, whatever. But they would have a different Broadway actor come in for every video. And Seth and them would just kind of gab and chat and tell jokes. And they would do little bits together. And for one of them—this is pre-Glee that they made this video—Olly Mosey of Kimberly Akimbo and also Wicked fame comes in to talk about the difference between chest and head voice and why that's an important distinction. And just because you can hit the note doesn't mean you're singing the note correctly for the style of music. And literally the example she gives is she sings the entirety of Defying Gravity in head voice to show how it completely ruins the song. And then Glee pulls the same stunt and is like, see, he should have won! No, he shouldn't have! It drives me crazy. I hate it so much.

[1:50:15] Andrew: I just want to put a disclaimer out. Zach, you have your hand raised. I want to honor that. However, I just want to respond quickly. I don't want anybody to think that I'm advocating for what is set as a low stakes—not low stakes, but like a diva-off. Their first diva-off—I wasn't thinking that they were going to do this elaborate with an elaborate set and costume. That's not what I had in mind.

[1:50:43] Zach Faust: You knew it was going to be a no-fly show.

[1:50:45] Andrew: I knew it was going to be a no-fly show with the Humbleberry diva-off. Hello. But it was just like, this was so low scale for me. That it was like, you didn't do anything, anything special with this. And it's fucking defying gravity.

[1:51:05] Zach Faust: Here's my thing. I remember there was an advertisement for Wicked in something. I don't remember what magazine this was. I just remember it was like, defying gravity. Like, here's Wicked. I think it was when Wicked was coming through the music hall when I was a kid. And they were advertising this. But anyway, I remember it being like, so good. It's Rachel Berry's ringtone.

[1:51:33] Ian Allred: That was just like a legal note.

[1:51:35] Zach Faust: That is from the episode.

[1:51:36] Ian Allred: Yeah.

[1:51:37] Zach Faust: Yeah.

[1:51:38] Ian Allred: But here's my thing. I don't know if—I'm sure that this wasn't the case. To me, this was the moment to put like, maybe this time. Because both of these characters are coming at it from a place of like, loserdom. And I think somewhere that's green would have been a bit like a great like, Kristen Chenoweth number to do in Roads Not Taken.

[1:52:03] Ian Allred: Oh.

[1:52:04] Zach Faust: I understand why. And I understand maybe this time. I understand like, cabarets are really great. But outside of just that song itself, cabaret, comparatively to like, and even West Side Story, comparatively to Grease. Grease is a great example for this show. Cabaret doesn't really hold any sort of like, narrative weight for the character. It's just a way to get Rachel Berry out of the glee club and go, here's some forced drama. Comparatively to Grease is like, parallel to what's happening with the characters.

[1:52:32] Ian Allred: I think somewhere that's green maybe would have been a little bit easier of a transition to get Rachel kind of out, you know, to showcase.

[1:52:41] Zach Faust: Well, you know, maybe not as forced drama comparatively. Because I also think that Grease should have been doing cabaret with Kurt and Rachel as Sally and the MC. Like, that would have been so much fun. And Kurt then would have been like, I wanted to be Sally Bowles. And, you know, like, whatever. Cool. But I think maybe this time maybe would have been the better option of a song for the two of them. Because he's like, I didn't get Sally Bowles. Or I want the lead solo. Or X, Y, Z, what have you.

[1:53:04] Ian Allred: I agree. And especially because I think one of my favorite glee jokes of all time is that like, Sandy and Sue co-conspiring to bring down the glee club from the inside. And so they're like, they set, they're like, okay, let's do cabaret. And let's make it so like, you need to audition with a Celine Dion song. And it's like, Rachel's not the only person falling for that. Kurt's also doing the same thing.

[1:53:36] Zach Faust: Kurt is falling the same way.

[1:53:38] Ian Allred: Kurt is also a Celine Dion fan. So is Tina, as we discover later on, you know?

[1:53:51] Andrew: I mean, that's Tina as Rachel.

[1:53:55] Zach Faust: I do buy that Tina at this era is so nervous that she would not audition for cabaret.

[1:54:01] Ian Allred: Right.

[1:54:02] Zach Faust: Right, right, right.

[1:54:03] Ian Allred: But I'm just saying there are other characters within the glee club that also would, as we see in Rocky Horror, in West Side Story, in glee in Greece, where they all are there.

[1:54:13] Zach Faust: Well, I think that they do that there. I think that a season three Santana would go for cabaret.

[1:54:21] Ian Allred: But I don't think that like, there's so many characters that I would be like, oh, they would go for cabaret, but they just weren't ready in episode five. I'm like, I really do think that like, Kurt and Rachel would be maybe that the two for me.

[1:54:36] Zach Faust: Yeah.

[1:54:36] Ian Allred: I mean, even then, though, Preggers is when cabaret happens.

[1:54:42] Zach Faust: Oh my god, you're right.

[1:54:43] Ian Allred: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[1:54:44] Zach Faust: Kurt is not out to anyone, except Mercedes at that point.

[1:54:50] Ian Allred: So I do see that he's like, I literally can't audition for this because it'll make me look gay. Of course, the show never like gives us that. But that is something that I can fill in the blank in my head.

[1:55:02] Zach Faust: Sure.

[1:55:02] Ian Allred: Also, I agree with what you're saying and that maybe this time is a better song for Kurt to sing. A hundred percent. And that that would be a compelling storyline that it's like they both wanted to be Sally Bowles. And then he's like, well, I could have played it just as well, if not better, given the chance.

[1:55:19] Zach Faust: But I don't want to give up that Kirsten Chenoweth performance.

[1:55:24] Ian Allred: And also, I hear what you're saying that Rachel is not Sally Bowles, but she's not supposed to be April as Sally Bowles. Like Sally Bowles is how they entice Rachel out of the club.

[1:55:37] Zach Faust: But that song is April's life and her singing about her own life story.

[1:55:43] Ian Allred: Right, right. I'm just talking in the hypothetical sense where like, you know, she also could be Audrey, where she's down and out and wants to get out of a life that she doesn't have. She's searching for something else. I mean, Rachel is similar in that regard, where she's reaching for a life that she wants but doesn't have. And she doesn't know where she can find a placement. Somewhere that's green has a naivete and an innocence to it that is not April Rhodes.

[1:56:09] Zach Faust: Maybe this time has a bite and a like cynicism that I think is very much her.

[1:56:15] Ian Allred: But that's where I like Audrey and why I like her is older than I do younger, because there's such a there's an element of time that's played, especially when Seymour is older to be like, these characters are kind of running out of and why the choice for Seymour to make the pact with the plant is because he doesn't feel like he it's it feels rushed. And he's like, I, I don't feel like I have the time anymore. You know, I don't have the time to make up I have to do this now.

[1:56:40] Zach Faust: And that's where I think somewhere that screen would have made a lot of sense for her as well. But again, these are hypothetical senses where we're never going to get the rendition. But it's interesting to talk about. But the thing that's coming up for me about somewhere that's green, I feel like you might disagree. Like, I feel like somewhere that's green is so it's like more contextual. Whereas maybe this time, and particularly this version of Defying Gravity is like, so like, you can use it, put it in. And then it's like, you don't like have the question of like, okay, wait, like, you're you have a black eye? Like, it's just like, it feels like, yeah, it's like, why are we referencing? Like, if you don't know it, then you really are not.

[1:57:25] Ian Allred: It feels like an in joke.

[1:57:27] Zach Faust: But Glee already did somewhere that's green. Like they did it with as a you know, with or no, they didn't. They did suddenly Seymour. I'm so sorry. I'm yeah, I'm bugging this up. I don't know. I think with somewhere that's green. It's very much like, I mean, you don't have to have the context of this is a person that just wants something better for themselves, even if they don't feel like they can have it. I mean, maybe this time, the reason I don't like it in the show of cabaret is because it like, it's too adult of a song. It's it's speaking on this thing that Sally has no idea about. That's her whole character. She is the child. She is somebody that my hair is also to I mean, it's it's a song that was placed in the movie. And it was so popular that they decided to add it to the stage show. But the original 60s version of the show did not have maybe this time because we don't need maybe this time we don't have to.

[1:58:16] Zach Faust: You can hear it. We don't have to get this much introspection on Sally that she really doesn't understand. I think it makes more of a sense of a character study for Schulz and Schneider. There's a whole dramaturgical thing that doesn't matter in the context of this. I'm just saying somewhere that's green, I think would have made sense contextually as an April Rhodes piece, as well as maybe this time. That's all I'm saying. I agree with you on all these fronts. I'm just saying, I think, in my hypothetical world of Glee, that's probably the song I would have given to these two characters. Also, I also think it's funny that the high school is doing cabaret, even though it's not, you know, out of bounds for this show to kind of do. But I think Little Shop makes a little bit more sense as a high school show and then veering wildly differently in Rocky Horror. But that's neither here nor there.

[1:59:07] Ian Allred: I agree Little Shop makes more sense. But I think that as far as Rachel being like my star making turn, being like, oh, Liza Minnelli, one of my idols, won an Oscar for this role, makes more sense to me than like, Audrey and Little Shop. As much as I love Little Shop, it's literally my top three musicals of all time. As far as who Rachel Berry is, I think if I'm Sandy Ryerson and Sue Sylvester, I'm throwing Sally Bowles her way.

[1:59:32] Zach Faust: Oh, yeah, yeah. 100%. I also completely agree with that choice of, oh, these two characters are trying to lure her out. What's the one role that's going to do it? Totally get it.

[1:59:44] Ian Allred: That's a Celine Dion song at that. Hello.

[1:59:47] Zach Faust: Yes, I completely understand that. Just as a whole, and if they were thinking out more of the season and like, which songs are going to go where, but also I think that they were very much like we want defying gravity in the show. How do we do this?

[2:00:01] Ian Allred: I'm thinking the same thing.

[2:00:04] Zach Faust: And that was the best option. And they were like, well, we can't. He truly can't do like he doesn't have the, but we do have this other version that we know. And that is a hit.

[2:00:15] Ian Allred: Yeah, and it almost feels a little bit wasted.

[2:00:19] Zach Faust: Here. Exactly.

[2:00:21] Ian Allred: Oh, agree.

[2:00:22] Zach Faust: And then why couldn't they go in the fifth one in season five? Why couldn't they go? We were hit heavy hitters now. Like we're all going to do this.

[2:00:32] Ian Allred: We're doing a fly show.

[2:00:33] Zach Faust: We're doing the fly show.

[2:00:34] Ian Allred: We're rigging them up in the choir.

[2:00:36] Zach Faust: Yeah.

[2:00:37] Ian Allred: They're getting on the cherry picker, baby.

[2:00:39] Zach Faust: Uh huh. Right.

[2:00:41] Ian Allred: And then Sue Sylvester comes out in a red track suit and is like, all right, we I couldn't do this. Look at her. She's wicked. Get her!

[2:00:50] Zach Faust: In an homage to Idina Menzel's unfortunate coming out of the red track suit.

[2:00:58] Ian Allred: Um, maybe maybe maybe Jane, Sue Sylvester comes out dressed as Shelby Corcoran. I don't know.

[2:01:04] Zach Faust: Maybe. I don't know. Is that hitting? I don't know if she has an as iconic as a wardrobe as Sue does. But do we have we really talk about mom tops?

[2:01:15] Ian Allred: Come on. Mom tops.

[2:01:17] Zach Faust: Mom tops and the flare jeans. Come on.

[2:01:20] Ian Allred: Right. Uh, do we have anything else to say about Defying Gravity? We really hit it all.

[2:01:26] Zach Faust: Well, we did one thing in particular a lot.

[2:01:29] Ian Allred: But then we just kind of went all over the map.

[2:01:32] Zach Faust: Yeah.

[2:01:33] Ian Allred: You were like maybe three hours and it's been over two, y'all.

[2:01:37] Zach Faust: It's I mean, we're getting there, but we only have one time left.

[2:01:40] Ian Allred: But here's the thing. It's flying by. These conversations are alive. I didn't even mention it at the top of this episode. But like, this is an episode that I knew was going to happen. And I've been putting it off for that exact reason that I'm like, I literally said to you, like months ago, we were chatting. And I mentioned that I was like, I think it'd be fun to be on an episode with Zach. But I know for both on the same episode, it will be the longest episode ever.

[2:02:07] Zach Faust: Well, I don't think it is. Yeah. Now that we're seeing, I don't think we're going to.

[2:02:11] Ian Allred: No, I don't think I don't think we're reaching that marker. But I mean, unless the last song gets us over like 70 minutes of content.

[2:02:20] Zach Faust: I mean, you still have to talk about Spelling Bee because you gotta talk about Spelling Bee, babe.

[2:02:23] Ian Allred: Oh, that's right. I mean, OK, this was from Wheels. Do you want to talk about Spelling Bee? For the listeners at home, it's my favorite. It's my favorite show of all time. I have done 18 productions of Spelling Bee. And I really wanted to go and see this. But unfortunately, my schedule, I just didn't have the time to.

[2:02:40] Zach Faust: Who have you portrayed?

[2:02:47] Ian Allred: Seven times I have portrayed William Barfay. And once I was Leaf Coneybear. And then other productions, I've either directed it, choreographed it, costumed it. William Barfay, for those playing at home, is who Kevin McHale portrayed in the Lincoln Center production of 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, which I saw last night. I loved it. I did canonically see it when I was like in fifth grade or sixth grade or something.

[2:03:10] Zach Faust: The original?

[2:03:17] Ian Allred: I think I probably did see it with like Jesse Tyler Ferguson, right? But I don't recall anything from it. I remember that day specifically, I realized that like I had like an essay, some sort of project due, like the next day in school. So I was not able to focus on what the production at hand. And I remember like crying to my mom being like, I don't know what I'm going to do. My life is over. So that's kind of pulling a lot of weight of that day, as opposed to yesterday, where I had a damn good time. I really freaking loved it. I tried, like I started listening to the original soundtrack a week or two back. And I was like, oh, I gotta turn this off. I need it in context first. And I'm glad that I did make that because I really think that that was the right choice.

But out of context, I don't think that I would have really respected it. And I'm not just saying this because Certified Gleek seven days a week, but Kevin McHale was the clear like spotlight performer of this production.

[2:04:29] Zach Faust: So tuned in the choices. I mean, you know, this character is so much better than I do, Zach. But just like the nasally, the nasality of this character. He was so committed. And so like singing, talking, just the way that he was just moving around this. It was just like, I knew who this character was. Very, very fun. And obviously, Magic Foot is like, was what it wasn't like the song. I liked the song. The girl who the parents weren't there. And I love you. I love you song, most beautiful songs in all musical theater. It really got me good.

[2:05:10] Ian Allred: It does. It does. Yeah. But Matt, but I'm not I'm not turning that off. I'm like, I don't want to cry. I can't turn off for the same reason that I can't listen to like anagram from like Kimberly Kimbo. That song gets me fucking weeping. I don't know about y'all. Um, so it's like kind of like cut from the same cloth. Magic Foot. I see myself streaming. And I'm remiss that there's no Kevin McHale officially released version. But if you have a if it decides to tutorial, if it decides to transfer, I mean, we'll probably get one. He's like, tweeting. He's tweeting like every other week, like, I want to move to New York. I want to move to New York. I want to move to New York. And it's like, okay, we know what your end game here is. And like Tony incoming for real. So fun.

[2:05:59] Zach Faust: Well, the original role was won the Tony. Yeah, and he's it's Jacob Kowalski in the Fantastic Beasts movie.

[2:06:08] Ian Allred: Yes, Jacob Kowalski. I don't remember that guy's name.

[2:06:13] Zach Faust: Yes, he is. Also, if you ever watched the Goldbergs, he is Murray is Murray Goldberg's brother. Who is Jesse Tyler Ferguson in the original? I'm not that smart. Yeah. Oh, he's the Noah Galvin. Yeah. Oh, that's Noah Galvin. He was very fun. And I remember I completely forgot that he Noah Galvin was like, kind of the character from theater camp. And I was like, Oh, yeah. How was Beanie Feldstein as as Logan?

[2:06:48] Ian Allred: Okay. So Beanie Feldstein and Kevin were like the two spotlights for me for completely different reasons. Good. Like Beanie Feldstein was like, so tuned in and she like, technically, this is me like I know you guys are so much more theater nerds than than I am. So like, forgive me, as I talk about this, we will but like, okay. Um, technically, it was like, oh, she knows exactly what she's doing. And she obviously put in so much like work into this character. And she like, made all the correct choices. And it was like, technically, you got it, girl, you did the character. Well, the character that I wasn't familiar with before. Yeah, before yesterday. Whereas like, Kevin just felt like a little bit more natural in the world. Good. Oh, you're making these choices, and they don't feel like choices.

[2:07:39] Zach Faust: Well, that's what's funny, because I feel like that's who both of those characters kind of are. Like, Logan is the little girl who like, over calculate every single thing she has to do, because she's Rachel Berry. Yeah, that she is like, she has to, you know, she's got big goals, and she's gonna achieve them. So she has to do everything exactly right and live up to all the expectations that are put on her. I did clock that early on, I was like, Oh, honestly, is very like, the Gleequel as in the prequel, like, it's very feels a lot like Glee. There's a lot of character parallels between them and Glee. I feel like the humor is very similar to the humor on Glee. I think liking that show really opened up the door for when Glee premiered me being like, this shows right up my alley. Yeah, I think it was like a really good matching between Zach, I think this is also one of your favorite movies, Election.

[2:08:40] Zach Faust: Yeah.

[2:08:44] Ian Allred: Rachel Berry stand in another Rachel Berry. Rachel Berry could run.

[2:08:50] Zach Faust: Yeah, the Glee pilot truly is just a rewritten rewritten of Election, like Matthew Morrison's character is Matthew Broderick's character. It's like they're, you know, does does a pretty reckless and relatively immoral things to forward his agenda with the students.

[2:09:05] Ian Allred: And I think that the I, it's been a minute since I've seen Election, I'm overdue for a rewatch, but the main student guy looks so much like Corey and so much like, it's like, Okay, yeah, yeah, it's great. Yeah, well, when when Glee premiered in 2009, you know, Spelling Bee, Spelling Bee had been licensed, probably about a year because it ran on broad, no, it probably ran, I mean, it was just hitting the regional scene, if not going on tour, because Spelling Bee lasted for about four years on Broadway, it opened in 2005. And when you would see reviews for either regional productions, or you would see reviews for the tour, there were so many this is Glee just in a musical theatre sense, like they compared a lot of it to Glee being like, if you really like Glee, you'd like this, it's quirky characters all sitting on high rises.

And they've all got very distinct personalities. And the way that this show uses music is to actually just kind of like, it stands out and it goes, these are what the characters are feeling on the inside, which, you know, is musical theatre, in a sense, anyway, other than like, the opening number, which is the plot song. Yeah. And so it's absolutely correct to like, bring a Glee cast member into that world, because it just is.

[2:10:22] Zach Faust: Yeah, that makes sense. That's like, we know the audience will, me, will show up to see this Glee guy in a show. In a show that's similar to Glee. Exactly. I think that I think Spelling Bee and Ann Juliet are probably the like, if I was going to cast Glee cast members in these shows, and I texted this to you, Andrew, those would be the two shows I'd be like, easy, could easy, you know, and imagine if Glee had done Spelling Bee, I mean, already easily would have been Magic Floyd, you know, like, that's, there's no getting around the world that they have painted. And I think Tina probably, I mean, not probably, she would have been I Speak Six Languages, you know.

[2:11:01] Ian Allred: Jane Lynch, however... Do you feel like she's Olive Ostrovsky?

[2:11:05] Zach Faust: She is Olive Ostrovsky, do you think, but I can't think of anybody else out of that cast, race aside, that is closer to Marcy Park, other than maybe Rachel, but Rachel then is-

[2:11:17] Ian Allred: Marcy Park, recent transfer.

[2:11:21] Zach Faust: Rachel is closer to Logan.

[2:11:25] Ian Allred: Yeah, I keep on thinking, I don't, I agree. I don't think that there's like an easy match. I think that Kurt's coming to mind for some reason.

[2:11:33] Zach Faust: Yeah, maybe. Maybe. I always, I always was like, Mercedes, for me, would have been the Olive Joyce.

[2:11:41] Ian Allred: Oh, I like that. Yeah. I can see that.

[2:11:46] Zach Faust: But also, if Tina is neglected, she also would have been the Olive Joyce, too.

[2:11:51] Ian Allred: And Sam probably would have been the Comfort Counselor.

[2:11:54] Zach Faust: Oh, yeah. Yes. Which, why am I forgetting his name?

[2:11:59] Ian Allred: You were saying that they changed the story a little bit for that character?

[2:12:04] Zach Faust: I did?

[2:12:05] Ian Allred: Maybe, somebody did. They were like, I like the changes to the script.

[2:12:08] Zach Faust: I didn't know anything about this. This is the only story that I know.

[2:12:11] Ian Allred: What was different, Andrew? What was different about the show you had never seen?

[2:12:15] Zach Faust: The story, other than it's a recent criminal that is on probation and has to do community service at the Snowy Peak.

[2:12:25] Ian Allred: Wasn't part of the lore. There was a moment, I don't think so. I didn't catch that.

[2:12:30] Zach Faust: There was a moment when Terran Killam, Terran Killam-

[2:12:34] Ian Allred: Is he Patch?

[2:12:35] Zach Faust: Yeah.

[2:12:37] Ian Allred: He, there was, okay, so he comes, I'm so sorry, y'all, that we're talking about-

[2:12:40] Zach Faust: It's okay.

[2:12:41] Ian Allred: A show that maybe, I'm talking to, I'm talking to Al.

[2:12:46] Zach Faust: We're teaching the audience about this show.

[2:12:47] Ian Allred: We're teaching them a lot about musical theater. If you like Glee, you will like this show.

[2:12:53] Zach Faust: You will. No, so Terran Killam, I don't, like, there's so many moments with him that I was like, is this a Terran Killam edition?

[2:13:33] Ian Allred: But Counselor came forward and was like, hey guys, we're gonna do, speaking to the audience, we're gonna do some exercises, which I guess is not part of the actual show. He gets everybody in the audience last night up on their feet. Wait, question. So was Taron Killam having feedback issues or was it in the world of the show?

[2:13:55] Zach Faust: Okay, so this is them fully off-roading, trying to kill time.

[2:14:00] Ian Allred: Yeah, and so I think it's actually McKinley Abraham from Glee Project Season 1's husband who plays him. He was in Parade. Alex, gosh, but he comes forward and he's just like, he gets everybody out of their chairs and does some exercises. And I thought that was just, it was so fun. And for a second, I was like, is this in every show? And I was like, surely it can't be because they're trying to kill time. I don't know. I thought it was like, all these actors were like, so great, is what I'm trying to say.

[2:14:33] Zach Faust: He does, Mitch does get the audience on their feet at one point in the show when he's telling everybody to get up for the Pledge of Allegiance.

[2:14:42] Ian Allred: Yeah, no, that was, that was not it. Oh, maybe we did do the Pledge of Allegiance, but we also stretched?

[2:14:46] Zach Faust: That's fine. Yeah, that must have just been an improv moment. One of the shows I directed was right after the Fergie incident at the National Anthem. So instead of doing the Pledge of Allegiance, Mitch just did the Fergie National Anthem. Perfect. Had everybody standing and then for two minutes just went on this tangent of like, oh, sky.

[2:15:08] Ian Allred: I will say there was like a lot of, just by proxy of being in DC, I would assume there were a lot of political jokes, which at the beginning I was like, okay, but then I just like, I was just like, oh, we get it. We're in DC. We're in the nation's capital. But that's my only, that's my, that was my only like, qualm with it, that it's like, I want to kind of forget about all that while I'm here. But no, I really loved it. And yeah. Welcome to Spelling Bee.

[2:15:37] Zach Faust: That's lovely to hear. Stunt casting is something that is like, can be such a problem. So I do love to hear whenever like a celebrity is cast in a role and it's like, no, it's actually because they were a perfect fit for the role and were so talented. Like just to hear that all of them, specifically our Glee man, Kevin McHale, were so good in that show. It's lovely to hear.

[2:16:05] Ian Allred: Go Kevin! And it's first stage credit, if I'm not mistaken.

[2:16:13] Zach Faust: That's crazy.

[2:16:20] Ian Allred: Yep.

[2:16:20] Zach Faust: Yeah, he had some lines in Glee Live. It was a script.

[2:16:24] Ian Allred: You know, he was one of the few characters, me being the, I don't know, a little like stat nerd with this kind of stuff. He's one of the few characters that had like multiple songs in the same tour. Like he had multiple artolos. I'm like, okay.

[2:16:37] Zach Faust: Well, if I remember correctly, if I was, you know, from their podcast, they were saying that so many of them like lobbied for Artie to get more. Because I think that they were lobbying for safety dance and never going back again. And I think Friday at one point.

[2:16:53] Ian Allred: Friday was part of the set list at one point, but I think it was a reception issue that it wasn't being like received it because they did like a stripped down version of it like acoustic. Do you recall this at all?

[2:17:05] Zach Faust: Yeah. And they just like cut it from future dates.

[2:17:12] Ian Allred: That makes sense. I don't want to hear that song stripped down. It's not very good.

[2:17:15] Zach Faust: I'd be like stripping down Loser like me. It'd just be a disaster.

[2:17:20] Ian Allred: Not too much. I love her. Any final things to say about Spelling Bee, Defying Gravity? Or even potentially opening up to Wicked Discourse?

[2:17:34] Zach Faust: Oh my gosh. No, just I have my tickets. I'm very excited. I can't wait. She's the Ariana Grande SNL. She did a great job. She's gonna be a great Glenda, I'm sure.

[2:17:44] Ian Allred: Oh my god, my best friend's house. It's a constant dream. I'm not kidding. The dressing room this weekend at the show I'm working on. Every like 15 seconds would go someone would go. Just kidding, Matt. You know, we love you. Someone would just be quoting that song all the time.

[2:18:11] Zach Faust: With Best Friend's House, I know so much of the discourses on Espresso. Best Friend's House, there's a drain in the living room.

[2:18:19] Ian Allred: There's a drain in the living room.

[2:18:23] Zach Faust: Oh my god, it was full of teeth.

[2:18:28] Ian Allred: It's really great. Do we want, okay, we're just gonna do one final song.

[2:18:33] Zach Faust: Okay, sounds good.

[2:18:37] Ian Allred: Best Friend's House from SNL.

[2:18:42] Zach Faust: It is Best Friend's House from SNL.

[2:18:47] Ian Allred: I know how I'm voting. Defying Gravity.

[2:18:50] Zach Faust: Defying Gravity.

[2:18:56] Ian Allred: I know that we're all having fun. I'm not. Don't put that in my mouth.

[2:19:05] Zach Faust: Okay, we're not. No, you don't.

[2:19:09] Ian Allred: Okay, this is... Is this a grilled cheeses moment?

[2:19:13] Zach Faust: I just don't want to hold your hand.

[2:19:18] Ian Allred: Oh, it is not. I want to hold your hand.

[2:19:21] Zach Faust: So we're looking at audio medium. It's Burt in the tire shop looking, but however, it has nothing to do with Burt.

[2:19:27] Ian Allred: Oh, girls want to have fun. You know that was dead in round one.

[2:19:30] Zach Faust: Does anybody have a stab in the dark?

[2:19:30] Ian Allred: It is my favorite song from the hit Fox show Glee. It is Landslide.

[2:19:37] Zach Faust: Oh yeah, Burt is... That was a red herring.

[2:19:41] Ian Allred: It's going to be Defying Gravity for me, y'all.

[2:19:44] Zach Faust: Stop.

[2:20:10] Ian Allred: Oh, mirror in the sky, what is love? Can the child within my heart rise above?

[2:20:24] Zach Faust: Can I sail through the changing ocean of tides? Can I handle the seasons of my life?

[2:20:41] Ian Allred: Oh, well, I've been afraid of changing because I've built my life around you.

[2:21:01] Zach Faust: But time makes you bolder. Children get older and I'm getting older too.

[2:21:16] Ian Allred: Well, I'm getting older too. So take this love and take it down.

[2:21:27] Zach Faust: And if you climb a mountain and you turn around, and if you see my reflection in the snow-covered hills where the landslide brought me down,

[2:21:40] Ian Allred: and if you see my reflection in the snow-covered hills, well, maybe, well, maybe, maybe, the landslide will bring you down.

[2:22:14] Zach Faust: Okay, yeah, I...

[2:22:18] Ian Allred: I've said goodbye.

[2:22:21] Zach Faust: Stop it. Wait, Ian, are you crying? It's okay.

[2:22:24] Ian Allred: I'm not crying, but I am emotionally moved.

[2:22:28] Zach Faust: Do you want to speak about that emotional movement?

[2:22:31] Ian Allred: Um, sure. One, I do appreciate the joke, Zach, because when this started, I was like, literally, what? Like, this is so unfair. These two songs up against each other.

[2:22:45] Zach Faust: As in, this one is just so OP compared to Defying Gravity is what that meant.

[2:22:51] Ian Allred: This performance, everything about it is incredible. Like, obviously, Gwyneth Paltrow, Academy Award winner, is on this show again. We gotta give her a song. But opposed to the ones we talked about earlier, like Happy and Forget You, where it was like, she's singing a song because she's singing a song!

[2:23:08] Zach Faust: Look how crazy this girl is!

[2:23:11] Ian Allred: I know! Oh, can you believe? This one is so well thought out. Um, the concept of Santana has all of these feelings, and she is going through all of these changes, and she is, like, finding things out about herself that she frankly does not want to be true, and she needs to express it, but she doesn't quite have the words, and more than that, she is far too afraid to express it. And so she needs Holly to express it for her.

[2:23:47] Zach Faust: They check the box of, Gwyneth Paltrow gets a song, we're good there. But story-wise and character-wise, it makes so much sense. And it is frankly more powerful to me than if Santana were to just sing this in front of the club, to have it be Santana sitting next to Holly. Holly is just singing the song, looking beautiful, and Santana is showing on her face every emotion that is being sung by Holly, and she's like, I just can't physically bring myself to say these words, but this is how I feel. And then the moments when she does join in and do the harmonies become that much more powerful.

[2:24:28] Ian Allred: I think it is such an incredible number. Just, like, it sounds gorgeous. It's the chick's version of the song, which is like a fun twist on the original version, Gwyneth Paltrow singing, but then story-wise, character-wise, it's so beautiful, and like, of all songs, it is such a perfect pick for a moment in Santana's life when everything in her entire life is crumbling around her. She climbed a mountain and the landslide has brought her down. Everything she has built in her life is now tumbling around her. She doesn't know where she stands. She's afraid of changing, but everything is changing around her. This song has all of that to a T. I just think it's phenomenal. It's one of the best performances in the entirety of the show.

[2:25:13] Zach Faust: It's great. I mean, I don't want to repeat word for word everything that you've said, because that is quite literally a lot of what I had prepared. But yeah, no, it's, it, I feel like I continue to, like, convince myself that it's okay that this isn't a Santolo. And it's, because as much as I want to have Naya Rivera on the track as opposed to Gwyneth Paltrow, because this is a character I care so much more about, I think it, to your point, and, like, it makes so much more sense that this woman is just, is, she's guiding the way for these two young women as they're discovering themselves. And I just, God, I just love it so much.

[2:26:10] Ian Allred: And I think that is such an inspired choice. And I've, similarly to, like, my opinions about Defying Gravity, I know that I've brought up, I guess, only once before, when the last time we saw Landslide. But I just recall when, like, E! reported that they were going to, like, delve more deeper into, like, Brittany and Santana's relationship romantically. And I was just like, I'm ready to hee hee and ha ha, because these are two characters that I am watching this space. Like, I remember specifically that, like, I guess I was a little bit late to the game. Silly Love Songs was such a, like, a character standout to me for Santana and Naya specifically, that it's like, oh my gosh, she is, she's running circles around everybody else.

And so I'm like, when I heard that they were going to be doing, like, they were going to be, like, delving into this relationship, and they're going to give more time to it, I'm like, this is going to be just so funny. And it's just, like, I'm so glad that it wasn't that route.

[2:27:33] Zach Faust: I can't even think of, like, a comparison of, like, when they did start a relationship on this show that was, like, treated, like, humor. Like, Brittany and Sam, I guess, comes to mind. But, like, I just thought it was, like, it was so important. It was exactly what I needed. I don't know about you, Ann, but, like, this is exactly what I needed to watch when I was, like, freshman year in high school. And I was just like, oh God, this is, I'm so glad I have this for the rest of my life now. You know what I mean? That it's, like, this is so special.

[2:27:50] Ian Allred: I mean, to the same points that you guys have also said of why it's a great number, I, you know, I agree it has this impeccable ability to bring in a character wants bringing an actor wants and knock it out of the park that you can't help but love them.

[2:28:20] Zach Faust: Kristen Chenoweth, Idina Menzel, Jonathan Groff, Michael Malley, Dot Marie Jones, Gwyneth Paltrow, like they have this ability to give you these characters in one-off episodes to be like we've got the guest star, but they like the guest stars so perfectly and the guest stars know exactly what to do.

[2:28:50] Ian Allred: Neil Patrick Harris, where you're just like, I can't help but love you. And so I think if Holly Holiday wasn't as well received as she was in her first episode, her singing this wouldn't do it for me.

[2:29:12] Zach Faust: Even just another character that is kind of like we got the special guest star of the week to do this number wouldn't have done it for me. But it's the fact that Holly Holiday, I mean, it's not the only reason that the song works, but the fact that Gwyneth Paltrow is as beloved in this world, and was so well received in the first episode and she comes back to do this episode to be like, to help these characters.

[2:29:32] Ian Allred: Because again, if it's just a one, you know, if it wasn't as well received, like, I'm not saying Idina Menzel's character wasn't, but like, even if it was Idina Menzel being like, I'm coming to help your characters. I don't think it would have hit the same. Holly Holiday works so well that when you ask her back to be like, we're helping the characters, we're helping these, you know, these people grow. She's the absolute correct person to have done that.

[2:30:11] Zach Faust: The other thing that sells the song for me, and I know you guys said this, I'm just going to reiterate it, Naya Rivera sells this song, regardless of like, how hokey this potentially could have been to be like, oh, to your point, Ian, she's, you know, she's going through all these changes, she doesn't know how to express herself.

[2:30:32] Ian Allred: We got the celebrity guest star of the week to do the song. She is, it is almost like she can't, it's one of those like, you know, your friend, it's like somebody's running a race and you're running against them in this race and the person in front of you like hurts their knee.

[2:30:51] Zach Faust: And instead of continuing down the finish line, you go back and you help this other individual on a completely different team to go forward. It is almost like she is singing as if she can't keep going forward, but she can't not because Holly Holiday is like, no, I got you. It's okay.

[2:31:08] Ian Allred: Like, she's looking forward. Even Heather Morris every once in a while will look over and she can't keep, you know, she's not as, not necessarily emotionally involved, but she is not as like, you know, she's like, this is a Glee Club assignment, but also, this is my friend singing, and Santana can't not look at Brittany.

[2:31:45] Zach Faust: It is the thing that she, to guard.

[2:31:47] Ian Allred: Oh, sorry. No, but like the Heather part of it is like, as much as I'm like, not, okay, so we have Miss Goop Queen, Academy Award winner, doing the solo. And yet, Naya Rivera, what, at her big age of 24, is eating up Goopy?

[2:32:06] Zach Faust: Yum. Yum.

[2:32:07] Ian Allred: Crazy.

[2:32:08] Zach Faust: Not Goopy. She's probably 26 around this time.

[2:32:11] Ian Allred: Okay, but still, like, she's, she—

[2:32:13] Zach Faust: No, maybe 25. Yeah.

[2:32:14] Ian Allred: Like, she, like, it's, all that to say, it's like, established actress Gwyneth Paltrow is, is like, you know, mid, middle, and she is like, and yet, she's been eaten up. And then also to your point, the Heather thing is like, I think that Heather's playing it, she's obviously like, not as emotionally receptive.

[2:32:39] Zach Faust: She's not tuned into what's happening.

[2:32:40] Ian Allred: But also, she's like, Brittany's just, like, she's so confused. She understands that something big is happening. And she is so, like, like, at odds right now, that I think it is a really great acting choice from Heather as well.

[2:32:59] Zach Faust: If I'm not mistaken, she's still with Artie.

[2:33:02] Ian Allred: She is. And like, at the end of the episode, she's like, I'm not gonna break up with Artie. Yeah.

[2:33:06] Zach Faust: And I think that's what, it's all three of these characters singing the same song, just doing completely different things. That's like, that makes it what it is. Like, you have Brittany, who is like, this is a glee club assignment. And, you know, my friend wanted me to sing this and, and I love her so much. And I can see how much she's hurting. But, you know, it's, she's not as invested.

[2:33:30] Ian Allred: Holly Holiday is like, I know exactly where my place is in these two. And I think that's what's so smart about Gwyneth Paltrow. She's not playing anything other than I am servicing the story of these characters.

[2:33:40] Zach Faust: Right.

[2:33:41] Ian Allred: And I am holding them together by this guitar. And then there's Naya Rivera, who is like, I am crumbling at every possible turn.

[2:33:48] Zach Faust: I am hardly keeping it together. Yeah.

[2:33:51] Ian Allred: The only way I can communicate to my best friend, because I cannot talk to her, because Brittany even is like, you don't ever want to talk, is through song. And again, I think that then speaks to the show as a whole, is when it does something right, there is nothing else like it.

[2:34:09] Zach Faust: It uses and functions music so differently, and specifically to how we can hear. It's the same, like them singing a song in the glee club, same way that we would make like playlists, you know, or, or mixtapes, or, oh my god, this TikTok reminded, like, is, reminds me of you, you know, but that's how they use their song in this show, at least when it does it so well.

[2:34:34] Ian Allred: And I think that's so evocative of, again, why we're talking about it. We remember all of this stuff. We remember why we still sing these songs. And you guys remember exactly where you were when this song played and why you needed that song in the moment and why you still need that song 15 years later. You know, I think that's what the brilliance of this show is. But again, it's sold baseline, because Naya Rivera is selling it because she is the audience at that point.

[2:35:00] Zach Faust: Yeah.

[2:35:01] Ian Allred: Ian, you've been quiet. What are you thinking?

[2:35:05] Zach Faust: I agree with both of you. Literally, what I've been thinking of is one of those beautiful emotional performances on the show that is immediately followed by one of the best jokes, which is Sam running over to Artie and going, isn't it cool that our girlfriends are such good friends?

[2:35:19] Ian Allred: I wish we were that close.

[2:35:22] Zach Faust: Yeah.

[2:35:53] Ian Allred: You know, the storyline is ramping up to beating the odds comparatively to this character of Santana Lopez and where my feelings were, and where I needed this, and when this came out, and I felt similar. It's also what I think is so smart about the characters of Kurt and Santana.

[2:36:08] Zach Faust: They're completely different. There are different ways of writing similar stories. You have Kurt, who isn't afraid of who he is. I mean, to a degree can be, but he isn't afraid of who he is. He is always kind of out there. He is somebody that is pushing forward to be like, I need and I want and I deserve, comparatively to Santana, who's like, I am completely afraid of everything that I am.

[2:36:33] Ian Allred: But masks it so well.

[2:36:36] Zach Faust: But masks it in this character.

[2:36:38] Ian Allred: Well, not that well, as shown in this performance.

[2:36:41] Zach Faust: Right, but she's so much like, I beat down and I will do these things. And I am this person and I am confident, but really, she isn't comparatively to Kurt, who, you know, wants these things and is afraid of not being able to get these things because of the world comparatively to Santana's, I don't know if I can do this because of myself.

[2:37:02] Ian Allred: It's very interesting. They're very interesting characters. And that's why I think they, why Santana is the best, not the best part of season two, but character wise, she is probably the best character of season two. Kurt, regardless of how I feel about him as a character as a whole, I think was the most necessary character of the first season.

[2:37:21] Zach Faust: Yeah.

[2:37:23] Ian Allred: And I think that's where season three kind of loses me. They don't have the most necessary character of the third season. They all kind of become these, you know, characters that jumps, they get jumbled, but there's no necessary like backbone character, where the audience can go, like breathe a little bit because this is the most relatable story for what Glee is, which, you know, for better or for worse, it is a hugely influential show about gay people and about gay characters, or at least has influenced me.

[2:37:52] Zach Faust: Yeah.

[2:37:53] Ian Allred: I'm not saying they had to do a three-peat, but I am saying, you know, there is an importance to where and how big they are in the mainstream of the first two seasons, and where it kind of falters off in the third and the last couple of them.

[2:38:07] Zach Faust: Yeah. And I don't want to veer too much into this conversation, but I do want to say that I do find it interesting that like the overall consensus is like, oh, I stopped watching after three. And like, after three is when it gets bad. It's like, I'm clocking immediately, and I brought this up in the last episode, I'm clocking immediately in Purple Piano Project, just like, just the smallest little difference in quality between season two and season three premiere.

[2:38:35] Ian Allred: Will say, to your point about like the backbone of these like character journeys of like Kurt and Santana specifically in the first two, that it's like, yeah, you're just not finding that as much in the later seasons. But yeah.

[2:38:49] Zach Faust: I mean, I know, I think, I think I talked about this in like the first episode we ever did together, I clocked the downfall of Glee in the second episode. Not the downfall of Glee, but like the where the show shifts for me is the pilot is perfect. And the second episode, while great, is, you know, not as perfect.

[2:39:07] Ian Allred: But I think that's like, also kind of part of the fun is that like, people have different moments that, you know, it's like, oh, yes, I'm still watching this. But I mean, I was one of the like, two people, me and Lena were of the two. Yeah, me too. Yeah.

[2:39:23] Zach Faust: Watching. Okay, so there were three of us. But I don't really care. We were watching all the way up to the until April of 2015. Oh, yeah. And I just felt so alone with my thoughts. But bringing it back to to Landslide, I just, if we're gonna have a little bit of a fun conversation about this, this performance, the behind the scenes video of Stevie Nicks and Fox during this performance, I do have to wonder that it's like, did Stevie Nicks know that they were gonna be doing the chicks version? Hey, right. Like, I think that that's always like, really interesting to know that like, oh, Stevie Nicks is watching this. And she's like, Oh, you guys aren't even doing my performance of my version. But that's fine. It's still her song. Um, and then also the beautiful, hilarious quote of Stevie Nicks.

[2:40:12] Ian Allred: Stevie Nicks saying, behind the scenes, she was like, on my last day on this earth, I will remember my day on Glee. That it's like, I'm holding you to that. She still does. I asked her yesterday. She said I do. Somebody, somebody interviewed her on the deathbed.

[2:40:32] Zach Faust: I need to I really do need to know, like, it. I mean, there was like, clips of her like, shaking hands with the and like, hugging the cast and everything. And like, you know, seemed like a really special thing. But I think what specifically about this was so special. Yeah.

[2:40:46] Ian Allred: You know, I went to see their concert in 2018. I could have asked. I'm so sorry. I didn't. I thought you're talking about the Glee cast. I was like, you didn't know that reunion tour. This is how I find out. Um, yeah. And then also, toot my own little horn for a second. I had a pretty, pretty viral video attached to this performance.

[2:41:11] Zach Faust: Yes.

[2:41:41] Ian Allred: What was this? I feel like I would have.

[2:42:11] Zach Faust: Her response at the court into Landslide. And you know what? We're throwing it back in the carousel. So it was very, it was a special day. Yeah. So that's hilarious. Oh, I like that. You just keep calling her Goopy. That's Goopy. I love her. I do love her. She's really silly.

[2:42:37] Zach Faust: So that's one of my oh my gosh yeah that's me I'm literally obsessed with Gwyneth Paltrow because she's like the most celebrity ever as in like she just like is so unapologetically a celebrity to the point that I have to admire it because at least she's not fake. One of my favorite quotes from hers is I don't remember the exact wording but she basically is like I can't play a lower class person in a movie and she says because no part of me can relate to making less than $30,000 a year which is like I just simply I can't comprehend what that would be like so I can't play that. She's so funny she like I think at one point she told people she was like people should be taking two hour baths a day and everyone was like when when when I have I have three hours to talk about the show you were on but I do not have two hours to be in the damn bath.

[2:43:44] Zach Faust: Um yeah also what I also love is when especially when I'm like listening to Jen and Kevin's podcast they all talk about how great and lovely and wonderful and nice she is yeah I'm like that I believe it no that's what I'm obsessed with is she doesn't seem like a mean or vindictive person she just literally is operating on a different plane than everyone else like she just doesn't understand that the rest of society doesn't have hundreds of millions of dollars at their disposal and just like a team who's doing every everyday chore for them she's like well of course during your four hours of sitting around use two of them to take a bath right she is her character on The Politician if you've ever watched that show it wasn't great but she is her character on that just very like what do you mean what are you talking about I think it's let me let me Ian I'm definitely gonna take that she's the most celebrity celebrity that I'm obsessed with her literally I mean maybe this is mean she named her kid apple like it doesn't get more celebrity than that and she's a nepo baby she has like everything she has literally never for a second in her life and once again I don't think she's a mean or vindictive person I also don't know her but she has never for one second of her life lived a normal person's experience she has always had this like weird she lives on a different planet than everyone else that's why when she wrote my headband we just we didn't get it like her Goop headband we just didn't understand like she didn't have the life experience but then when she wrote Get It Right we were like we get it this quote about parenting from Gwyneth Paltrow I would rather die than let my kid eat a cup of soup she knows that's funny though that's she does yeah yeah oh that's great I love her I I don't care what anybody says and to bring it back down to we're really going on a roller coaster with Landslide landslides bringing on this entire conversation um emo emo moment emotional stamp at the end of this conversation she posted um a clip of Landslide when Naya passed and I just like I it just her and like Ricky Martin and like Gloria Estefan I just thought it was just like y'all you worked with this this was a co-worker over a decade ago and I just the but the words that she used that they all used about her were just like you you saw the vision you saw the like entire like uh runway that she was on her way down and I don't know yeah so you know with with Naya's hair behind you you kind of look like you have a pony.

[2:46:37] Ian Allred: I got the Cheerios high pony no that's another thing like Glee was just so lightning in a bottle for so many reasons like cultural phenomenon you know it tackled really important issues it also had like moments of questionable taste all of that stuff but beyond that whatever was going on on that set none of us who weren't there will ever know the specifics of what was going on but like the people on there the people on that set formed such deep bonds that even like they speak so highly of Gwyneth Paltrow who was only on it for like what four or five episodes and Ricky Martin like is still you know Naya Rivera still meant so much to him and he was on exactly one episode there was just something I don't know the word for it but there was something very cosmic is so stupid but it's the only way I was gonna say cosmic in do you think what my thought for the word was you know what I think it's smart there's something cosmic about what was happening on that set and I'm being serious.

[2:47:51] Zach Faust: No yeah it's crazy the impact of the show had on everything yeah I think that's one of the huge reasons why you can't like I'm not saying you couldn't try and reboot the show or do something but like I think there's a complete reason why right now at least there is no like you know there's no need for it there's there's no complete reason you can't think of a really good idea for why the show needs to exist right now I think Ian Brennan or Brad Falchuk said it at one point Mr. Goop yeah Mr. Goop why Mr. Goop said there's no real reason like if I can't really think of a good reason why the show should be a thing anymore I and I at the you know what Mr. Goop I respect you you have my respect for that yeah I you know when the show was coming out in 2009 no other than uh Cop Rock there had never been another musical television series but I love the Cop Rock oh my gosh we'll get it we'll get into it now this will be part of my culture this will be part of the fabric of my life and then there was High School Musical that made it big what the fuck is High School Musical right but then there wasn't a television series about me about anything but the thing that sold it was education was the thing that it's arts and education which is continually on the chopping block for any sort of legislation whenever they're like where can we find the money for these things I mean I talked about it earlier about the gymnasium and one of them being the underfunded like you know the auditorium comparatively to like so many other schools had huge gyms ours was you know the tiny stage with the pullout you know you had to get your own chairs and arts and education was on the chopping block and when Glee premiered you know you had a 300 percent rise in after-school programs that specifically catered to um singing and choir and theater people were interested in doing things that like the arts and they say that you know if you're in the arts you are better educated you are more likely to vote in a specific way because you are more knowledgeable about certain things um and when Glee premiered like again we also didn't have mainstream LGBTQ characters outside of Will and Grace or The L Word or you know The L Word wasn't even that was HBO but Will and Grace took a lot of sexuality was like it's funny that these characters are gay right.

[2:50:28] Ian Allred: We didn't have any teenagers that were gay hey this is Willow Rosenberg from Buffy the Vampire Slayer erasure sure mainstream gay character my favorite is a character I didn't know that existed no but I agree that it did it did like Glee really upped the ante but like there were other iconic queer popular teen characters on teen shows prior but I do think that Glee really brought it like 10 steps ahead of where in the mainstream Buffy the Vampire Slayer was a huge show it was massive I'm not I'm not saying that that's incorrect I'm just saying in the mainstream of everybody who's watching something like this and and people knew because I don't know Buffy very well yeah because it premiered before you were born like I'm telling you Buffy was a huge deal so did Fens so did Seinfeld no Zach I'm telling you I'm not disagreeing with you that's that's totally fine hey guys but no I agree I agree what's going on I just walked back into this conversation they had each other by the throat oh my god Ian was just telling me some negative that he ripped a lock out of Zach's head not it no it was everything I the whole tracksuit the wig like I it's all gone I had to put on my other wig to discover what happened in here not even Jane Lynch anymore like Jane he snatched Jane completely out of the whole conversation do you want to put a stamp at the end of that gaze.

[2:52:07] Zach Faust: Um gaze as well no I I do gaze as well is a great title of episode thank you but I do agree that whatever queer representation was on TV at the time Glee advanced it at such an accelerated rate like just pre Glee and post Glee it skyrocketed I mean also Modern Family they did premiere at the same time but like it was massive but even in Modern Family there was a whole I mean there were articles about how you know there was like Cam and Mitchell while they are you know a gay relationship they are specifically Cam as a stereotypically gay character and they didn't they they only had their first kiss because there was backlash I saw a tweet today that I didn't even consider before they were talking about Cam and Mitch that it was like they're not even playing by this femme masc they're both two queens which I really respected you know there wasn't like the clear like who's the man I'm like I can't even tell you um it like that's I thought that was really special but I think in the relation to like Modern Family to Glee is like Modern Family the gay representation is a um a future that you could potentially like see yourself in which I think is valid and important whereas Glee is like living the moment talking about things that teenagers are yeah could potentially and very well be going through um which I think is also as valid and important.

[2:54:00] Ian Allred: What's also crazy is that Glee premiered before gay marriage was legalized that's something that I like have to continually think about gay marriage wasn't legalized before gay marriage was yeah I know I know that's what's crazy like it had already gone through the whole airing it had gone off the air and that like I just I I don't know again you're going to a Catholic school and this like you know in in Missouri and you have a show like this and I know uh Ian you feel the same way you know you were in Utah I was an Arizona baby but also a very red state right but you're just kind of like this exists yeah and then like this you know it's specifically because the show takes place in Ohio like wow and in 2009 you know you're not not privy to to these kinds of characters or or you know that give that kind of world but it's just like yeah but it's like television it's like yeah there would be like the clearly gay I remember like thinking as like a child and be like oh that's the gay character but like they're not saying that they're gay they're doing gay things like I'm thinking like the characters like fucking like Fitties and Verb for whatever reason like when they're getting the band back together Johnny or whatever the heck is yeah yeah that it's like oh this is a gay character we're not seeing but I think that that that show is a little bit that's not a good example because I think that that show is like a little bit more liberal and uh progressive than I'm thinking other shows but I'm thinking Johnny and Ed Edd n Eddy is that his name yeah that's a good one that's a good one I'm like this is oh I see that I see the representation Jimmy yeah Johnny was Johnny wasn't there was another there was a character named Johnny on it and Eddie maybe but I was thinking of Jimmy yeah you're thinking of Jimmy um anyway we are nearing a new Johnny's one with plank sorry continue yes yes um we're nearing a potential new record but we're not gonna do it yeah we can you said that at the beginning of this episode um we do need to vote I was about to say we haven't even voted and it's anyone's game it's anyone's game I'm voting first you're gonna get I'm going with Defying Gravity do you actually mean that I mean if we're just gonna throw votes to the wind to be like where you're like you're talking to Ian right now Ian doesn't no uh no I'm very big you vote your conscience do you actually mean a vote for Defying Gravity if it was only you in this room and they were not here and it was just up to you which song was going forward and if there weren't millions of Gleeks listening which there are billions some weeks what would you vote for well now you've done it I know now you're thinking about the billions of Gleeks I just regret going first because I my heart said Defying Gravity but now my my thought goes no I need to go Landslide I mean if your heart genuinely says Defying Gravity then you have to do it you have to listen to your heart as um Jesse and Rachel has we learned from song number one 13 years ago um you're you're I will I will go with Landslide I feel like we bullied as I sit here and think yeah that's okay spineless spineless look everyone I'm gonna stand on my fucking business and I'm gonna say I'm voting for Defying Gravity and you can't take that away from me and then I voted too.

[2:57:25] Andrew: And I ruined the entire podcast. No, obviously, I'm doing "Landslide." It's not even a competition.

[2:57:31] Zach: Yeah, did you even think about that, Zach? Did you even think about, like, what if Ian wanted to ruin the Glackett today?

[2:57:38] Ian: I wanted to just piss off everyone.

[2:57:40] Zach: I wanted to do it first, but apparently, yeah. Apparently, I wasn't able to get through it, so I'm doing, I'm ruining the Glackett, and if Ian decided to join ranks, as I have been with him the whole time, I would appreciate that. But apparently, this is the hill that I get to die on, and Ian's leaving me.

[2:57:57] Ian: Yeah, the snow-covered hill. The snow-covered hill, to be exact.

[2:58:04] Andrew: The race, Zach is down. Ian's not coming back.

[2:58:07] Ian: Yeah, sorry, I'm not helping you. That analogy was not about me winning.

[2:58:13] Zach: No, Andrew's sprinting in front of you, so you don't win at all.

[2:58:16] Andrew: I ran economically. It was part of my lord.

[2:58:19] Zach: You got second, and you didn't stand a chance.

[2:58:22] Ian: And I'm a bad person, dang. I'm gonna vote for "Landslide" as well. I did say it's my favorite song on this hit Fox show, and I do mean it, and I really want the best for it. I know that it's not gonna win the entire thing. I really do.

[2:58:39] Zach: You never know!

[2:58:40] Ian: It won't.

[2:58:40] Zach: What if they...

[2:58:42] Ian: I'm confident. I'm like, I've already made my bed with that. I want it to go far. I do think it has the potential to get extremely far.

[2:58:53] Andrew: I'm curious, as we were having a conversation about it, I'm like, what more can I even say about this song? Because I know I'm gonna be talking about this song.

[2:59:03] Ian: Now, on round eight, I want to hear a completely new take about this song from you.

[2:59:09] Zach: I fucking hate it!

[2:59:11] Ian: This time, you know what? It was won too many times. That's it! I should have gone home round one!

[2:59:17] Andrew: Okay, to recap this episode, I listened...

[2:59:20] Ian: After three hours!

[2:59:24] Andrew: Three hours. I listened to my heart, and I pressed the mute button. It's like, that's enough.

[2:59:34] Ian: I think we... this is too easy. It's not even funny. It's like, oh, we got it right?

[2:59:40] Zach: Do we have a better one?

[2:59:41] Ian: We got it right.

[2:59:42] Andrew: We got it right this time.

[2:59:43] Ian: No, I think that one is so good. It's perfect.

[2:59:46] Zach: Okay.

[2:59:49] Ian: Ooh, this is sad.

[2:59:52] Zach: What kills you, makes you dead.

[2:59:54] Ian: What kills you, makes you go to hell!

[3:00:02] Zach: I was hoping! Yay!

[3:00:05] Ian: Which is so sad, because like, oh god, that's sad.

[3:00:06] Zach: No, that one's really good.

[3:00:07] Ian: We don't stand on it.

[3:00:09] Zach: "Bills, Bills, Bills."

[3:00:13] Ian: We'll pay your automobiles to get to round three.

[3:00:17] Zach: Bill, okay. There's, I feel like there's something in the... there's three bills, and you're going to round three? Is there something? There's something there, surely?

[3:00:23] Ian: Yes, yes, yes, "Bills, Bills, Bills."

[3:00:25] Zach: Yes. Round three.

[3:00:27] Ian: I get, I understand where you're coming from. I'm really trying to make it work in my head.

[3:00:31] Zach: Right, right, right. You see the tools on the ground.

[3:00:35] Ian: Three, round three.

[3:00:36] Zach: Exactly.

[3:00:37] Ian: Round three for three bills.

[3:00:39] Zach: For three bills, yeah. Yeah.

[3:00:41] Ian: The problem is they never actually sing "Bills, Bills, Bills" in the song, because I was trying to make that work.

[3:00:46] Zach: It's like, can you pay my bills, automobiles?

[3:00:51] Ian: Yeah.

[3:00:52] Zach: Telephone bills?

[3:00:54] Ian: Yeah.

[3:00:55] Zach: Um.

[3:00:56] Ian: Can you pay my bills, can you pay my telephone bills?

[3:00:59] Zach: Round three bills.

[3:01:01] Ian: And we will bring you down!

[3:01:05] Zach: "Defying Gravity."

[3:01:08] Ian: Which is, I'm so happy that's out. I'm so sorry, but like...

[3:01:11] Zach: What did that beat in round one? Because I feel the same way.

[3:01:14] Ian: "Defying Gravity" beat "Just Can't Get Enough" claim duet from season four.

[3:01:20] Zach: That's a great song! I would have voted "Just Can't Get Enough" by Duran Duran.

[3:01:24] Ian: No, that's not Duran Duran.

[3:01:26] Zach: No, Depeche Mode.

[3:01:26] Ian: It's Depeche Mode.

[3:01:27] Zach: I just can't get enough.

[3:01:30] Ian: I agree. I think I might have voted for "Just Can't Get Enough." I like that song better, but I don't remember it as much, which I mean...

[3:01:40] Zach: It's season six.

[3:01:40] Ian: No, it's at the wedding? No, that should have won. That should have won.

[3:01:45] Zach: Oh, it is! It's in "I Do." I was thinking of...

[3:01:47] Ian: Yeah. "Somebody Loves You."

[3:01:49] Zach: Is that another song at the house party? Yeah.

[3:01:50] Ian: Somebody makes a silly yodel-ay.

[3:01:54] Zach: Well, I mean, if we had "Just Can't Get Enough" right now tonight against "Landslide," hello, it wouldn't have made a difference, okay?

[3:02:04] Ian: True. It was set up to fail.

[3:02:07] Zach: In a landslide, we vote, we voted in a landslide.

[3:02:12] Ian: Exactly.

[3:02:14] Zach: And it brought down "Defying Gravity."

[3:02:15] Ian: Not quite because one of us voted against it.

[3:02:17] Zach: What did you say, Ian?

[3:02:19] Ian: I said not quite because one of us voted against it.

[3:02:22] Zach: Was that an actual vote? I don't, I actually don't know what actually happened there.

[3:02:26] Ian: Then that's okay.

[3:02:27] Zach: You'll never know.

[3:02:28] Ian: I wish we recorded this.

[3:02:34] Andrew: Okay, so this was fun. Thanks so much for helping me Gleck it with my project.

[3:02:40] Ian: Thanks so much. Where can the Glisteners find you?

[3:02:46] Ian: I co-host a podcast called "Recovering Gleek" with former many-time guest on this podcast, Lena Knatzer. You can find us anywhere you get podcasts. We talked about every episode of Glee and now we're doing little themed episodes. At the time of release of this episode, our next episode will be about the non-Christmas holiday episodes of Glee, the non-Christmas holiday specials. So that's like "Rocky Horror Glee Show," "Silly Love Songs," "Heart," "Thanksgiving." So we're gonna be chatting about all those. It's gonna be coming out the day before Halloween. So be sure to tune in and then you can follow us on Instagram at recoveringgleek_podcast. If you want to just follow me, I'm at IJALLRED95 on Instagram. So it's great content. You can do that too.

[3:03:36] Zach: It's like I think Instagram, you know, when like Instagram like knows like who you want to see and like they always like bring that when they're always like the first in your stories.

[3:03:45] Ian: Yeah, you're always like the top for me because I'm like, oh, I gotta see this.

[3:03:49] Zach: The top for me because I'm like, oh, I gotta see what's going on. You know, same because you always post memes and they always make me laugh, but they're always like things that you made yourself.

[3:04:00] Ian: Also, I have to tell you while we're all here. I posted a poll on my Instagram story about what I should be for Halloween. And literally, my post, I was like, all I need is for Andrew to vote that it's a good idea. And then I'm going to do it because it was I don't even remember this.

[3:04:22] Zach: You voted.

[3:04:23] Ian: Yes, babe. I asked my followers if I should go as the monster Liza Su from "The Substance" for Halloween and buy a blue dress that didn't fit and then cut out a picture of Demi Moore and wear it as a mask. And I just knew that a lot of people in my life have not seen "The Substance," but I knew that you had. And so I was like, if Andrew says it's a good idea, I know that he's seen "The Substance" and I'm going to do it. And then you said yes, and I bought the dress that night.

[3:04:50] Zach: Perfect.

[3:04:52] Ian: Perfect. It's almost like I'm voting yes, almost because of like New York bubble. And it's like, I wouldn't I don't know if I would like, you know, recommend it if you were.

[3:05:02] Zach: But that's where that's the thing is, I think I'm going trick or treating with my nephew, maybe. And I was like, none of those people are going to know what the heck I am. But he's also three. So he's going to be in bed early.

[3:05:10] Ian: He hasn't watched "The Substance."

[3:05:12] Zach: He hasn't seen "The Substance." But after maybe I go to a gay bar, maybe I go to a club and they I will walk in and they'll say the monstro Alizazoo has arrived and they'll roll out the red carpet.

[3:05:28] Ian: I have so many questions, but I almost like want to have them solved when I see the finished product.

[3:05:32] Zach: I don't have an answer for that. I have a hope and a prayer right now.

[3:05:40] Ian: You have concepts.

[3:05:40] Zach: And a blue dress that's in the mail.

[3:05:43] Ian: I have concepts of a plan.

[3:05:44] Zach: What is this character? I've never seen "The Substance."

[3:05:46] Ian: I invited you both to go see it with me. And then you both said, no, thank you.

[3:05:50] Zach: But it was also like in the moment. I was like, I'm going to see this now.

[3:05:52] Ian: I historically was out of town. And you knew that when you invited me.

[3:05:58] Zach: Was the invitation not still well received?

[3:06:01] Ian: It was well received. And I said, if you were going literally any other day, I would go. But I am not in New York City today.

[3:06:07] Zach: What was your excuse?

[3:06:09] Ian: And also, where can people find you?

[3:06:12] Zach: I don't watch horror movies and specifically like body horror. And so someone had told me that it was like a body horror kind of movie. And I don't...

[3:06:21] Ian: It's a hard watch.

[3:06:23] Zach: I watched a lot of it with my hand covering the screen. I've seen it twice now. And I literally at one point was sideways in my seat in the fetal position. But like when I saw it the first time, because I went to go see it by myself, because you both weren't available.

[3:06:39] Ian: We blew you off.

[3:06:40] Zach: Right. And it was funny because while I was like watching it by myself, I was like doing the same thing where I was like, I couldn't look at the screen. So I was like, turn to the side. And across the aisle was a girl that was face to the side, just looking right back at me.

[3:06:57] Ian: The natural way of watching this movie.

[3:07:00] Zach: Yeah, I just I can't do horror movies. And I really can't do body horror.

[3:07:04] Ian: Oh, this is not the movie for you.

[3:07:05] Zach: Can't do it.

[3:07:06] Ian: Yeah, not the movie for you.

[3:07:07] Zach: Sucks because it's a banger.

[3:07:09] Ian: I actually have conflicting thoughts, but we can talk about it later.

[3:07:14] Zach: Oh, that's another podcast.

[3:07:15] Ian: That's another podcast.

[3:07:16] Zach: I've already debated my roommate about it.

[3:07:19] Ian: Zach?

[3:07:19] Zach: Interesting.

[3:07:21] Ian: Where can y'all find me?

[3:07:23] Zach: Here's the thing. You can find me on TikTok under TikTok Sue Sylvester. Problem is, is I really don't post all that much anymore. The archive is crazy.

[3:07:29] Ian: Right.

[3:07:31] Zach: As much as I would love to, I think me going to see "Funny Girl" as Sue Sylvester was like the peak of where I could go with this character. So ever since then, I've just kind of been like, what else can I do? Like the election has given me some fun content. But at the end of the day, I'm like, I don't know if this is it.

[3:07:49] Ian: I don't know this. This is the drive for me.

[3:07:51] Zach: So as much as I love it, it's just kind of one of those things. I'm like, I'm so infrequent about posting. So if you follow me, it's fun.

[3:07:58] Ian: No, but I do like it's perennial content.

[3:08:01] Zach: Yeah.

[3:08:02] Ian: Yes.

[3:08:02] Zach: Thank you. Comparatively to Instagram, you just find me, Zach underscore Faust. And I do a lot of other things that aren't just related to Sue Sylvester or Glee. Much to the chagrin of my own self, because that's really all I should be doing.

[3:08:21] Ian: Yeah.

[3:08:23] Zach: Somebody else talk now!

[3:08:25] Ian: I'm like, I think you lost me at the end. I'm not sure whether to agree or be like, no.

[3:08:31] Zach: No, no, no. I was like, okay.

[3:08:33] Ian: Yeah.

[3:08:34] Zach: All right, Zach.

[3:08:34] Ian: All right.

[3:08:35] Zach: No, you're a multifaceted artist outside of also being a very good Jane Lynch impersonator. And you should be exercising all of your creative muscles.

[3:08:43] Ian: So you doing other stuff is just your calling in life.

[3:08:47] Zach: Yeah. I mean, the Jane Lynch stuff was because I got bored during the pandemic. It was not supposed to be a four-year journey. And yet here I am at 54 Below impersonating fucking Jane Lynch.

[3:08:58] Ian: You know, Ian, we really missed you in this last one. It was just me and Alex. And here's the thing. We had so much fun together that like, I don't think I would have traded it. But you were definitely missed.

[3:09:08] Ian: I was genuinely devastated. I heard about it. I'm not kidding. Two days after I signed the contract to leave the city for six weeks. And I was like, if I had heard about this two days earlier, things might have gone differently. But oh, well.

[3:09:24] Zach: Really? You think so?

[3:09:25] Ian: I don't know. But I would have definitely considered it. But here we are.

[3:09:31] Zach: A one night of just free drinks.

[3:09:33] Ian: But it was like the grand finale.

[3:09:36] Zach: They'll have another one in a year.

[3:09:37] Ian: Come on, come on.

[3:09:39] Zach: They'll probably do it again.

[3:09:41] Ian: Plug, plug, plug.

[3:09:42] Zach: Oh, I don't know if they will.

[3:09:45] Ian: This is me just speculating.

[3:09:46] Zach: A speculative plug.

[3:09:48] Ian: A speculative plug.

[3:09:50] Zach: When we all do the Glee boot.

[3:09:51] Ian: When we all do the Glee boot.

[3:09:53] Zach: That's what I want to plug. The Glee boot.

[3:09:57] Andrew: All right. So I think I mentioned last week that there was an episode of "And That's What You Really Miss" featuring myself that was supposed to come out on October 20th.

[3:10:09] Ian: Yeah.

[3:10:10] Andrew: We are recording this on October 20th. That episode is not on streaming services. So I'm thinking maybe it will be October 21st. And that's also fine.

[3:10:22] Zach: I think, is checking.

[3:10:24] Andrew: So it's not.

[3:10:25] Zach: I am.

[3:10:25] Andrew: But it's Mike's mic. That's the most recent episode.

[3:10:28] Zach: Right.

[3:10:29] Andrew: And that's okay. But it's a really fun episode. And go listen to me on that podcast. And also, I mentioned earlier, which I realize after, I'm probably going to cut out. I mentioned that next week is going to be with people from the crew of Glee. I named them. I'm cutting them out. You will have to find out when you listen to the episode next week. In addition, there's a few other confirmed folks from the production of Glee coming on to clock it. And so you're looking.

[3:11:07] Zach: Yeah.

[3:11:07] Andrew: So you're cutting that Gwyneth Paltrow is coming next week.

[3:11:10] Zach: Stop.

[3:11:11] Andrew: Oh, crap. You can cut that, too.

[3:11:13] Zach: Just cut that, too.

[3:11:14] Andrew: No.

[3:11:14] Zach: Oh, my God.

[3:11:15] Andrew: No.

[3:11:15] Zach: Because you're cutting that they're doing "Defying Gravity" on the podcast.

[3:11:20] Andrew: Hey, stop.

[3:11:21] Zach: We couldn't talk.

[3:11:22] Andrew: I'm not sure how I'm going to piece this all together. I need to add the episode. OK, go to Patreon.com slash Gleek the Week pod to find out who those people are. I mean, you already know it's Gwyneth Paltrow, though.

[3:11:36] Ian: And for monthly live stream episodes and bonus content.

[3:11:39] Andrew: OK, we're not we're really this is the second longest episode of all time. So it was the longest with Connor and Claudia like a few months ago.

[3:11:48] Zach: Yeah.

[3:11:48] Andrew: So and how long was that?

[3:11:51] Zach: Three hours.

[3:11:51] Andrew: Thirty. You don't want this.

[3:11:53] Zach: You ever see the movie?

[3:11:54] Andrew: This should have been over by now.

[3:11:56] Zach: That's that's the vibe.

[3:11:58] Andrew: That was me after Glee season three.

[3:11:59] Zach: Don't be ridiculous, Andrea. Everybody wants this.

[3:12:02] Andrew: Yeah.

[3:12:03] Ian: OK.

[3:12:05] Andrew: Um, OK. Bye.

[3:12:08] Ian: It's Gleek.

[3:12:09] Andrew: Gleek of the Week.