This transcript was automatically generated and might contain errors.

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

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

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

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

[0:34] Andrew McGuire: Okay, so we are at 74 songs remaining in the Glackett. Can you believe that? And by the end of this recording, we'll be at 72.

[0:45] Andrew McGuire: Incredible things are happening over here, and we are going to reach that special, special 72 landmark number with two gay guys that I love with my entire heart. I'm talking about Matt, and I'm talking about Ian. Hello?

[1:02] Matt Ligouri: Hi!

[1:03] Ian Allred: Hello!

[1:04] Matt Ligouri: Hey!

[1:04] Andrew McGuire: Wait, so 72 by the end of today?

[1:06] Ian Allred: 72 by the end, which is crazy!

[1:08] Andrew McGuire: And we need to get to 50 just in this round here.

[1:11] Matt Ligouri: Yes, we're reaching 50 by the end of the round.

[1:13] Ian Allred: Wow! Wow! Wow! Wow!

[1:18] Andrew McGuire: Things are really happening. Sometimes I get really emo, especially when I'm on an edible, that when I'm like 666 starting that, and then to this number.

[1:29] Ian Allred: Ooh, a lot of time and work has been put into this.

[1:32] Andrew McGuire: So, Aman and I were together this past week, and we got to be around a lot of listeners of the podcast.

[1:39] Andrew McGuire: And I got asked at least three times, what was your starting number? And I do not have that memorized.

[1:46] Matt Ligouri: But you got lucky with the 666. That's a good number.

[1:49] Andrew McGuire: Oh, it's clean. It's satanic. It's beautiful.

[1:52] Ian Allred: Yeah.

[1:53] Matt Ligouri: I struggle so hard to remember. And even saying it like three times, I still don't know what it is. I'm looking right now.

[1:59] Andrew McGuire: Like of the diary room?

[2:01] Matt Ligouri: Yeah. How many Big Brother players we started with?

[2:04] Ian Allred: I would be fascinated to know that if you can find out in the next few minutes.

[2:07] Matt Ligouri: Oh, I sure can. I sure can.

[2:09] Ian Allred: Because then I'm like, sometimes I think I mix in our numbers and Andrew's numbers, and I'm like, oh, we have 666.

[2:14] Matt Ligouri: No, I don't know.

[2:16] Ian Allred: No, it looks like there were in round one. Well, actually, no, because it gets confusing because we're pulling in the current players.

[2:26] Matt Ligouri: Oh, so it's constantly changing.

[2:29] Ian Allred: Yeah. So, right now I see the number 581, but that's not exactly right, but it's approximate.

[2:38] Matt Ligouri: Technically, someone on, what season is it now? 28?

[2:41] Ian Allred: Someone on Big Brother 28 gets a leg up because they got to skip the first few rounds.

[2:45] Matt Ligouri: They did not.

[2:46] Ian Allred: Oh, never mind.

[2:47] Matt Ligouri: It seems like they did.

[2:49] Ian Allred: You idiot!

[2:52] Matt Ligouri: No, we're having the people that are entering late have to face off against somebody who lost in round one, so it's a little bit more fair.

[3:02] Ian Allred: Oh, they're going to Redemption Island, of course.

[3:04] Matt Ligouri: Basically.

[3:05] Ian Allred: I gotcha, I gotcha.

[3:06] Andrew McGuire: So, you know, it's a reality game. You got to play games.

[3:09] Ian Allred: So, around the same numbers, give or take.

[3:12] Matt Ligouri: Yeah, and eventually we're going to get up to that 666 because, you know, the seasons keep on going.

[3:17] Ian Allred: BB29's around the corner, of course.

[3:19] Matt Ligouri: It's around the corner. Big Brother Canada is back this coming spring.

[3:23] Andrew McGuire: Wait, then how do you end if it's like constantly like contestants are being added?

[3:30] Ian Allred: Then how do you end the bracket?

[3:32] Andrew McGuire: When we're at the final 16, we probably won't just like actually add.

[3:35] Ian Allred: Yeah.

[3:36] Andrew McGuire: I don't know. Maybe we take like the winner of that season and say, all right, does the winner fit in anywhere here?

[3:41] Ian Allred: We'll figure it out.

[3:42] Andrew McGuire: I mean, the fun part of a silly podcast is that you make the rules and do whatever you want.

[3:48] Matt Ligouri: Are you finding just like from one bracket podcaster to another?

[3:53] Ian Allred: Are you finding because like I feel as though the way that I sometimes vote for a song is that like I would like to talk about this again.

[4:04] Matt Ligouri: I actually think there's more meat on the bones that like when you're voting for what are you voting for when you're voting for a Big Brother contestant?

[4:12] Ian Allred: Well, it can be a little bit more cut and dry.

[4:14] Matt Ligouri: I mean, Ian at least watches Survivor.

[4:16] Ian Allred: So like, you know, you know that like some some players are just very clearly better than others.

[4:21] Matt Ligouri: But there are times like we had a recent example of someone who is definitely not a better player than the person that we voted her through over.

[4:28] Ian Allred: But she is a legend. We love her.

[4:30] Matt Ligouri: We have so much more to talk about with her.

[4:32] Ian Allred: And we just wanted her to be in the next round.

[4:34] Matt Ligouri: And because we're allowed to vote however we want to vote.

[4:37] Ian Allred: We did that and people lived with it.

[4:40] Matt Ligouri: And wait, do you do the thing as well with like what I do with like the Instagram polls where you where you see how the votes actually reflect with like the listeners or your audience?

[4:54] Ian Allred: Yes. So we end up posting on our Patreon.

[4:57] Matt Ligouri: That's that's where we moved the polls after the first round was done.

[5:01] Ian Allred: And it's basically like the format of like, you can click as many options as you want.

[5:06] Matt Ligouri: Vote for the matchup if you disagree with it.

[5:08] Ian Allred: And then after a handful of episodes, we go back through and see which matchups were heavily disagreed with.

[5:13] Matt Ligouri: And obviously, there are some.

[5:15] Ian Allred: Yeah.

[5:16] Matt Ligouri: Interesting. I'm really glad it really makes one bracket or two before that this bracket thing.

[5:22] Ian Allred: It works beyond beyond the Glee.

[5:25] Matt Ligouri: Glee wasn't the rise and fall.

[5:27] Ian Allred: It really if you felt a ringing in your ears this week, it's because I was talking about you when someone said, Oh, did you guys come up with this idea yourself?

[5:34] Matt Ligouri: And I said, No, of course not.

[5:36] Ian Allred: It was all Andrew ringing was.

[5:38] Matt Ligouri: I was like, What the fuck is that?

[5:40] Ian Allred: And Ian, I should have been ringing.

[5:42] Matt Ligouri: You know, your ear should have been ringing.

[5:44] Ian Allred: I walked past Trey this week.

[5:46] Matt Ligouri: What?

[5:47] Ian Allred: He was there.

[5:49] Matt Ligouri: What the hell is this?

[5:51] Ian Allred: So we had a big convention for Rob as a podcast in Milwaukee.

[5:56] Matt Ligouri: That makes sense.

[5:57] Ian Allred: I have no idea where Trey lives.

[5:59] Matt Ligouri: You don't have to dox him, but he was there for about an hour, as far as I could tell.

[6:03] Ian Allred: And I did not see him talk to him.

[6:05] Matt Ligouri: But that's that would have been the plan.

[6:09] Ian Allred: If I did talk to him and said, Hey, I should have.

[6:11] Matt Ligouri: I actually would have been obsessed with that.

[6:12] Ian Allred: That would have been very exciting for me.

[6:14] Ian Allred: Sent you a picture.

[6:15] Matt Ligouri: Trey, Trey Plotnicky.

[6:17] Ian Allred: For any fans of Squid Game, the challenge.

[6:20] Matt Ligouri: Okay.

[6:22] Ian Allred: There were the two contestants on Squid Game, the challenge that were the mother and son, Leanne and Trey.

[6:28] Ian Allred: And they got like a huge edit and Trey makes it to like, I don't know, like final 12 or something.

[6:33] Ian Allred: He goes out on a glass bridge.

[6:34] Matt Ligouri: He makes it very, very far.

[6:36] Andrew McGuire: Trey gets screwed over by someone else and the floor drops from under him and he falls.

[6:39] Ian Allred: Oh, wow.

[6:40] Ian Allred: Trey and his mom were like Loki.

[6:42] Ian Allred: The main characters of that season got the biggest edit out of anyone.

[6:46] Ian Allred: Trey and I have known each other.

[6:48] Ian Allred: Seven years, eight years, something like that.

[6:51] Ian Allred: We've like worked together many, many times.

[6:53] Ian Allred: We used to be roommates.

[6:55] Matt Ligouri: Any fans of Recovering Gleek?

[6:57] Ian Allred: Fun Easter egg is that Trey guest stars on an episode by accident.

[7:01] Ian Allred: I was recording in the living room and he walked in, forgot I was podcasting.

[7:05] Ian Allred: And I said, while you're in here, you have any takes on Glee?

[7:08] Ian Allred: And he went on the microphone and said something.

[7:10] Ian Allred: But anyways, he and I have known each other for years.

[7:12] Ian Allred: And he got married last week and I was at his wedding.

[7:16] Matt Ligouri: And then Matt saw my story and was like, wait, how do you know Trey?

[7:20] Ian Allred: Because Trey is big in reality TV spheres now.

[7:23] Ian Allred: And he actually, I guess, like knows my husband more than me because they play blood on the clock tower together every so often.

[7:30] Ian Allred: So I think they talk to each other, but I've never once interacted with.

[7:34] Matt Ligouri: But at some point, the connective tissue is there.

[7:37] Ian Allred: He's a great guy. Highly recommend.

[7:40] Ian Allred: Next time you're at an RHAP convention, go up and say hi.

[7:44] Matt Ligouri: You can use my name.

[7:46] Ian Allred: RHAP?

[7:47] Matt Ligouri: R-H-A-P?

[7:48] Ian Allred: Broadcast, of course.

[7:49] Matt Ligouri: You can do both.

[7:50] Ian Allred: RHAP, R-H-A-P.

[7:51] Matt Ligouri: I love RHAP.

[7:52] Ian Allred: RHAP is fun.

[7:53] Andrew McGuire: Well, so again, the convention this past week was for RHAP.

[7:57] Andrew McGuire: And while I usually would say R-H-A-P, we were all saying RHAPCON.

[8:02] Matt Ligouri: RHAPCON.

[8:03] Ian Allred: RHAPCON.

[8:04] Andrew McGuire: Wow.

[8:05] Ian Allred: I remember when Squid Game aired and Trey and his mom were on RHAP and were interviewed by Rob.

[8:11] Andrew McGuire: I literally – and I was not the one being interviewed.

[8:14] Ian Allred: I was having an out-of-body experience.

[8:16] Andrew McGuire: I kept texting him being like, this is the craziest thing I've ever heard.

[8:20] Ian Allred: Like, this is a man I've only known on my television who I know, Matt, like you actually do know him.

[8:25] Ian Allred: But it's someone that I've been listening to for years and now he's like talking to a friend of mine on a podcast.

[8:31] Andrew McGuire: It was craziness.

[8:32] Ian Allred: It's a small world.

[8:33] Andrew McGuire: I mean –

[8:34] Matt Ligouri: Yeah.

[8:35] Andrew McGuire: And now we're talking to Andrew McGuire on a podcast.

[8:38] Ian Allred: Of course.

[8:39] Andrew McGuire: Oh, my gosh.

[8:40] Ian Allred: Bringing it back.

[8:41] Andrew McGuire: The great thing about literally having the two of you on, I feel like we all get how to navigate conversation because we all host our own individual thing.

[8:49] Ian Allred: You catch me doing it?

[8:50] Andrew McGuire: Is that what just happened?

[8:51] Ian Allred: No.

[8:52] Andrew McGuire: I feel like the way that you just navigated back, you were like, let's bring Andrew back into the conversation.

[8:58] Ian Allred: That's exactly right.

[9:00] Andrew McGuire: Because not everybody understands how to navigate a conversation like that, but we all get it.

[9:06] Ian Allred: And so I could just put my feet up.

[9:09] Andrew McGuire: Incredible.

[9:10] Ian Allred: Please do.

[9:11] Andrew McGuire: You know who I saw yesterday?

[9:13] Matt Ligouri: Who?

[9:14] Andrew McGuire: Who did you see, Andrew?

[9:16] Andrew McGuire: I was walking down the street and I walked – this is crazy.

[9:20] Andrew McGuire: And I just want to say this on the record.

[9:23] Andrew McGuire: I'm only saying this for future me that will listen to this episode in 30 years or whatever when I'm bored and I'm just like, let me just listen back to the golden years, whatever.

[9:31] Andrew McGuire: But walking down the street and someone recognized me, and that someone is named Kevin McHale.

[9:39] Matt Ligouri: Saw me.

[9:40] Ian Allred: I would have guessed that with my first overall guess.

[9:43] Matt Ligouri: You just didn't let me guess.

[9:45] Andrew McGuire: And I was just like, wait a minute.

[9:48] Andrew McGuire: I was with Elias, and it was like a really – I just like really felt – it was like a really good moment for me that I was like, you know what?

[9:56] Andrew McGuire: This person that I know damn well, because I didn't see him, he walked up to me.

[10:02] Andrew McGuire: Look, that could have happened with any random gay guy, but it was that gay.

[10:06] Ian Allred: Yeah, it could have happened with any gay guy.

[10:09] Andrew McGuire: But yeah, and then also saw Kate at the Gluseum.

[10:12] Ian Allred: Kate of Gluseum fame.

[10:14] Andrew McGuire: She was also at Rocky Horror last night, because I saw Kevin on the street.

[10:18] Andrew McGuire: And I was like, I'm going to see you in a few hours.

[10:22] Andrew McGuire: And then Stage Door introduced Kate to Kevin.

[10:26] Ian Allred: Kate was like, I have your Born This Way t-shirt, the four eyes t-shirt.

[10:31] Andrew McGuire: So I was like, this is perfect.

[10:33] Ian Allred: Pause you there.

[10:34] Ian Allred: So have we – I don't think we've talked about – has anyone talked about here?

[10:39] Ian Allred: There's a show on Bravo called Next Gen NYC.

[10:43] Ian Allred: And there's a gay guy on that show called – his name is – his name is Brooks Marks.

[10:48] Ian Allred: You might have seen this just by screenshots.

[10:51] Ian Allred: There was at least a full episode arc, if not two, where his whole thing there was that the group – it's a bunch of –

[10:57] Matt Ligouri: Nepo babies basically.

[10:59] Ian Allred: Mostly it's a bunch of kids that have parents on Bravo shows, whether it's Housewives or various other shows.

[11:05] Ian Allred: It's like the kids of them because now they're old enough to be on TV.

[11:09] Ian Allred: And his whole thing, they all went to a Rocky Horror viewing or show.

[11:13] Ian Allred: And he had no idea anything about Rocky Horror.

[11:16] Ian Allred: He's like a 22, three-year-old gay guy.

[11:19] Ian Allred: And the entire time he was just making jokes about how he only knows it from Glee.

[11:24] Matt Ligouri: And gay people everywhere were livid, livid with him.

[11:28] Ian Allred: They were like, that's all you know Rocky Horror from? Just Glee?

[11:32] Matt Ligouri: I think that's fine. Is that not fine?

[11:34] Ian Allred: Ian, you've been in Rocky Horror.

[11:36] Ian Allred: So how do you feel when people know Rocky Horror only through Glee?

[11:40] Ian Allred: I think you find it how you find it. That's how I feel.

[11:43] Ian Allred: Yeah. I don't really care.

[11:46] Ian Allred: I do love Rocky Horror deeply.

[11:48] Ian Allred: The reason that I was introduced to Rocky Horror was because of Glee.

[11:51] Ian Allred: That's how I really came to know it.

[11:54] Ian Allred: I did though, like I watched Rocky Horror Glee show and was like, oh, this is so intriguing.

[11:58] Ian Allred: And then went and sought out the actual thing.

[12:01] Ian Allred: But I also don't think that we need to be like shaming people in the public square for liking the Rocky Horror Glee show.

[12:10] Matt Ligouri: It was also like, like I was seeing too much of myself in him from his age of just like, you know, when you're like just dipping your toes.

[12:17] Ian Allred: I think 23. I'll double check.

[12:19] Ian Allred: But like when you're just like just dipping your toes into like gay culture and you're like, oh, I don't get it.

[12:25] Ian Allred: What's going on? Like, what do they do? Why is there?

[12:28] Ian Allred: And you're just like stupid, but like you're young.

[12:31] Ian Allred: And so people were like really giving him a hard time for that.

[12:34] Ian Allred: I also maybe this is a hot take and I'm being stupid.

[12:37] Ian Allred: He's 27.

[12:38] Ian Allred: I also feel like Glee is like not respected in a lot of queer spaces, specifically because it was mainstream popular when it was on TV.

[12:47] Ian Allred: And if Glee had been less of a mainstream success, if it was more cult classic, I think it would be more respected because I have noticed with so many queer friends my age and older that they like really look down on Glee and like lighten up and have some fun.

[13:06] Matt Ligouri: What is wrong with you?

[13:07] Ian Allred: And there's so many other pieces of gay media that I think Glee is the same quality as.

[13:12] Ian Allred: And yet those are held in such high regard and it is not.

[13:16] Ian Allred: And I wonder if it's the whole like, well, this was mainstream.

[13:19] Ian Allred: And so, like, I want to feel different and say that I don't like it.

[13:23] Andrew McGuire: I could literally talk about this forever.

[13:26] Ian Allred: I literally have so many thoughts.

[13:28] Andrew McGuire: Oh, my God.

[13:29] Ian Allred: Because, like, I've been to, like, Glee drag shows where I just feel as though the people that are performing are making jokes about liking the show that I'm like, oh, girl, I we're all here because we like it.

[13:39] Ian Allred: Why can't you just, like, commit to liking it?

[13:43] Ian Allred: What is going on?

[14:22] Andrew Maguire: That's the joke. The joke is like, we all hate Glee.

[14:26] Ian Allred: Yeah. You're making Glee jokes because people understand the reference there. You know what I mean? That it's like, there's something to be had. I don't know. But I don't know if anything I'm saying makes sense. No, I used to go... Okay. This was actually one of the things that inspired Lina and I to start our Glee Podcast way back in the day, is I would feel literally insane when I would see people online talk about Glee as if it was funny on accident. As if they were like, can you believe they were serious about this? And I'm so smart that I can laugh at it. And I'm like, no! That's the joke. You're laughing at the joke that the writers intended. What is going on? It drove me crazy to have people not recognize the genius satire and humor that is intentionally in the show and to think that they were somehow above it because they noticed that the show was silly.

Are there any other shows that come to mind in the same realm of like, it's stupid, but on purpose? I don't know if anything else immediately hits that mark for you. You want to hear the first thing that came to mind when I asked myself the question again? SpongeBob SquarePants.

[15:46] Matt Ligouri: Yeah. Oh, yeah. Oh, absolutely.

[15:49] Ian Allred: It's stupid on purpose, but no one's like, SpongeBob is so dumb. I think there's a lot of things that are dumb on purpose. But for whatever reason, Glee, because I think that it's very genre bendy, that it does go from a very serious Mercedes scene to a very silly Britney scene within two scenes. I don't know. It's like, where do we place this in our minds?

[16:18] Andrew Maguire: Yeah. Anyway. But I think that's what makes it so special.

[16:21] Ian Allred: Right. Exactly. That's why you have six years nearly of podcasting about it is because, yes, it is stupid on purpose, but then also, exactly, there is so much to talk about.

[16:37] Matt Ligouri: Right. Andrew, how dare you, by the way?

[16:40] Andrew Maguire: Why? What'd I do? What'd I do?

[16:42] Matt Ligouri: I was going to do that thing again, where I helped us move along to the next topic. How dare you eliminate Total Eclipse of the Heart?

[16:48] Andrew Maguire: Okay. So, wait.

[16:51] Ian Allred: Wait.

[16:53] Andrew Maguire: How long has it been? Oh, wait. I don't even remember Total Eclipse of the Heart. Who did that lose to?

[17:00] Matt Ligouri: Let's Have a Kiki. Turkey Lurkey.

[17:02] Andrew Maguire: Oh, that's the right decision. Sorry, Matt.

[17:04] Matt Ligouri: I get it, but I don't get it. I don't like it.

[17:07] Ian Allred: Yeah. Do the eulogy of Total Eclipse of the Heart. Is Let's Have a Kiki going to win the Glackett? That's kind of what it's giving.

[17:15] Andrew Maguire: People are talking about, I'm not going to teach your boyfriend how to dance with you. I really don't get it anymore.

[17:19] Matt Ligouri: You don't get it?

[17:22] Andrew Maguire: No, I don't. I get it because I get it that a lot of people here got it. A lot of people love it. I love that. What is your number one silly song, Matt? Because it sounds like this through line of you not liking the silly songs.

[17:33] Matt Ligouri: No, no. Well, so I think there's a little bit of like, now let's get serious happening in my head of like, we can still have some silly and let's look, I'm not upset that Let's Have a Kiki, you know, went through just as its own standalone song. But like Total Eclipse of the Heart is just like cinema from this silly television show that people don't take seriously. And it was tough. I mean, at least like that's a justifiable matchup. But I'm not going to teach your boyfriend how to dance. That one, so that just beat Halo Walking on Sunshine. I'm not happy with that decision. Again, I get it because I know how many people here love it.

[18:18] Ian Allred: But Halo Walking on Sunshine, like season one, like beautiful.

[18:22] Matt Ligouri: Yeah, that is the mashup that put mashups on the map for Glee, in my opinion.

[18:27] Ian Allred: Yeah, I agree. It's very strong. The thing that I really liked that was in our discussion around I'm not going to teach your boyfriend is that like there are no like scenes on the Glacket that like there's so much going on in I'm not going to teach your boyfriend that like and here lies the problem. Cut the PDA, it's not a YB, your business.

[18:50] Matt Ligouri: Your business.

[18:50] Ian Allred: Exactly. So in my ideal world, my Andrew Maguire, the most ideal version of him, would care less about the scenes around some of these songs.

[19:01] Andrew Maguire: Your ideal Andrew Maguire.

[19:04] Ian Allred: Yeah, I mean, I have like a 99% version of him. But the 1% of him that I wish was a little different, cares too much about the scenes.

[19:14] Matt Ligouri: Really? And this is where Matt and I disagree because I am always on the side of like, which I remember Patrick, I believe, brought this up last week. Maybe it was Patrick last week. Maybe it was Elijah the week before. I don't remember. But someone brought up that they were like, some people come on the Glacket, and I feel like they care way too much about the context of the song as opposed to just the song itself. I am so pro context. I'm so pro like, what does this mean in the larger story? What does this mean? How did I feel about what it was doing? What do we infer from this?

[19:42] Ian Allred: Yeah. Yes.

[19:43] Matt Ligouri: Yeah, yeah.

[19:44] Ian Allred: And I understand it. But I mean, the other example of that just happening recently is from the same episode. I knew this was coming because I was with you. I'm pretty sure the last time that it came up, Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow, Head Over Feet.

[19:57] Matt Ligouri: Yes, yeah.

[19:57] Ian Allred: And you were reluctant to send it through that time, just given the scenes around it. And so I knew it was kind of on its last legs. But it's just the most beautiful, beautiful, beautiful, beautiful duet. And I would have absolutely voted for it.

[20:11] Matt Ligouri: Yeah, I do think I may be on Matt's side with this one.

[20:15] Ian Allred: Hey, wait, I asked Allison the same prompt. But defend the Clayne flashbacks. Do you have a defense?

[20:23] Matt Ligouri: I don't care about them.

[20:24] Ian Allred: I don't care. I don't care about them. I care about the beautiful, beautiful duet between those two beautiful people. I am just like, um, um, ain't no way it's fabulous.

[20:33] Matt Ligouri: Of course.

[20:34] Ian Allred: Of course. I this actually I don't I don't need to get into that thought. Now pin what I was about to say. Ain't no way is one of many incredible iconic more solos and is not in my mind, like her best or most iconic. And also, as you mentioned, that episode's a dud regardless. That's a highlight of the episode, but the episode's a dud. I just feel like that number does not stand out in the grand pantheon of the show to me because there are five other songs that I think fill the same niche, but do it better.

[21:07] Matt Ligouri: Will You Still Love Me? Head Over Feet, I think, is one of one. And I think it's gorgeous and lovely. And I really like the few times they let season sixers shine. I'm a really big fan of those characters. I think that is probably the strongest of all of the season six movie numbers. It's a very beautiful mashup. Do I think the Clayne flashbacks are like giving it extra points? No. But do I think they're distracting points? Not really. I'm listening to it so much more often than I'm ever watching it. And that's obviously a different experience. But the Glackett to me, I mean, I think that especially we're really going to have to pick apart every single detail. And I just think it's worth considering that for anyone that is mostly listening.

I just think that the flashbacks, I'm just like, Glee, just like the flashbacks don't even feel tonally like the show, especially the amount of flashbacks. I understand in The Scientist, that's fine with me. You are specifically, as an audience member, supposed to be like, have your heart ripped out of your chest. Hey, let's flashback to early Britannia, early Clayne, early, you know, whatever. Finchel. Wemma.

[22:29] Ian Allred: But like, I just feel like with those flashbacks, I'm just like defending my vote. That like, it's so much, it's too much.

[22:38] Matt Ligouri: It's too many.

[22:40] Ian Allred: You get all of Clayne. I think there's almost no chance that Ain't No Way makes it out of the next round. I think I would have still, I will still keep pushing or would have still kept pushing for Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow? Head Over Feet to go past the next round. Not just past this round, but that's just me.

[23:00] Matt Ligouri: You're saying, when you look at like the top 666 Glee songs, where does Will You Love Me Tomorrow? Head Over Feet land for you?

[23:09] Ian Allred: Honestly, it could be. Once upon a time, I did list this out. It might have been in my top 25. If not, it's up there. It's for sure in my top 50. If you narrow it down to top 30, 25, whatever, it's somewhere up there. I think there's also an appeal to the fact that like, while so many of the other songs from, I guess, primarily seasons one through three, but also a little four and even more five, just like have so fully existed in my world. But like season six songs like that one, like the underrated songs throughout the season and moments throughout the season, I feel like only first fully found me when I rewatched the whole show a couple of years ago. And so now it's almost like I have fresh new Glee faves to take forward into the rest of my life.

[23:54] Matt Ligouri: And that's beautiful.

[23:55] Ian Allred: That is beautiful.

[23:57] Matt Ligouri: Wow. Do you have more grievances, Matt?

[24:02] Matt Ligouri: I just have a couple to say goodbye to. I'm sad for Teenage Dream season four. I will really miss her.

[24:07] Ian Allred: Him.

[24:10] Matt Ligouri: Him. Definitely him. Loser Like Me season five. Really, really sweet. But it's my man. You know, I was up against my man.

[24:18] Ian Allred: Fair enough.

[24:19] Matt Ligouri: Yeah. And don't rain on my parade. Season five. You guys were all way too happy to see her go.

[24:26] Ian Allred: That is kind of crazy.

[24:28] Matt Ligouri: I did kind of like prepare the funeral a little bit too early for that.

[24:32] Ian Allred: Yeah.

[24:32] Matt Ligouri: And of course, with criminal, of course, it's going to lose. But like, yeah, you're not you're not sad about that.

[24:37] Ian Allred: You should have been.

[24:38] Matt Ligouri: You're right. You're right. You're right. You're right. Ian, what do you have to say?

[24:43] Ian Allred: OK, I don't have like grievances, except I agree with Matt about will you still love me head over feet or whatever. I'm over it. I just want to defend my honor because a lot of people are have been.

[25:00] Matt Ligouri: Oh, you do a lot of shit about me.

[25:02] Ian Allred: Yes. I'm about two things. I'll address.

[25:03] Matt Ligouri: Oh, my gosh.

[25:04] Ian Allred: Yeah. Wait. Well, I'm Patrick manifested me on this episode. Patrick literally said, get in on next week and on the next episode. And also in the last episode, we were talking about how problem got to where it is. Us three, by the way. Buenos Aires, which is like I really for the life of me, I was like Ian didn't do that. But you had to have done that. Matt was pro problem. You were pro Buenos Aires.

[25:31] Matt Ligouri: Yeah.

[25:31] Ian Allred: And then I was I actually think it I don't remember if I was a swing vote or if Matt was a swing vote, actually.

[25:38] Matt Ligouri: Matt and I voted for problem.

[25:40] Ian Allred: Problem over Buenos Aires. I would not have been a swing vote there. It would have been problem all the way.

[25:45] Matt Ligouri: OK.

[25:45] Ian Allred: Then I was the swing vote.

[25:47] Matt Ligouri: Hey, so it is on you.

[25:49] Ian Allred: OK. Apology tour. What is your I guess I'll address problem first, because organically, that's the one that came up. I have listened to problem probably seven times since listening to that episode last week where y'all sat on it and Patrick was like, I can't believe I don't hear it. I like it. I like it. I think it's good. Throw me in jail. I like it. You know what it is? I see platinum blonde Quinn and I just the rest of it's done. I'm already happy and nothing else needs to happen. That's all you need. But I literally so I always what I have loved about that number is like the acrobatics, the cheerleading, the stunts, because I do think that having the show where three main characters are cheerleaders, they really did not go to that well enough. I'm like, why are we not having numbers every season of people doing crazy gymnastics?

[27:00] Matt Ligouri: Anyways, so I intentionally was listening to it and not watching it to be like, I need to rob myself of the beetle visuals, rob myself of that guy doing the like back walk over and just listen to the audio and hear what everyone is saying. And again, I say I like it. I think Heather Morris sounds good. Throw me in jail. What can I say? I think she sounds good.

[27:12] Matt Ligouri: I agree.

[27:15] Ian Allred: And I think it's largely because and Andrew, you know this. You've gone to karaoke with me. That's what I fucking sound like. You want someone to yell a song? I'm so sorry. In all right on all Heather Morris. You do not sound like her.

[27:31] Matt Ligouri: No, that's how I sing.

[27:34] Ian Allred: I literally, literally. I remember my freshman year of high school, which I've gotten better about it since obviously when I was 14, fucking 16, 17 years ago, my freshman year of high school, I was in choir and someone came up to me after the concert and said that it sounded like you and your background singers because I was not mic'd on stage being like, I just I'll send it. And Heather Morris was sending it. And I congratulate her. I say, good for you, Diva. You projected you are following in the footsteps of icons like Patti LuPone, like Ethel Merman. You said, no, Mike, no problem. They'll heal you in the back of the house.

[28:17] Matt Ligouri: Yeah, and I think she sounds great.

[28:18] Ian Allred: And I think she sounds great. And I will acknowledge that having it go from Quinn singing the first two lines to Britney singing the second two lines is a little jarring. They should have put Santana in the middle.

[28:34] Matt Ligouri: Because Quinn is like a bridge, please.

[28:36] Ian Allred: Yes, exactly. Because Quinn is like very soft. Britney is like full sending it. And Santana is writing that.

[29:15] Ian Allred: It is tricky to find out. So, you have your head voice and your chest voice. Your chest voice is like a yell, like a, ha! And then your head voice is a heady, like, ha! And your mix is somewhere in between. And a mix takes time to find. So, I think Naya, being a trained singer, knows how to access her mix. I think Heather at that time didn't really know how to access it. So, it was like, either I sing this in, like, the airiest, lightest, like, no-power-behind-it version possible, or I full-send yell into the microphone. And again, I say, I think it sounds good and I like it. She chose violence. She chose violence. And I also am always a sucker for, I love someone yelling a high note. I'm a sucker for it every time. It's always my favorite thing in the world. I'm sorry.

[30:06] Matt Ligouri: Wait, can you point to another time in Glee where they've yelled the high note?

[30:10] Ian Allred: Oh, I feel like Leah does that in, like, Halo, right?

[30:14] Matt Ligouri: Yeah!

[30:15] Ian Allred: Ooh! The Halo! At the end, yeah, she's sending that shit. Or, like, Amber at the end of Jump, when she does the final jump, she is sending that thing. I'm thinking specifically, and this is a meme. And I do think it's funny, but I also think it's good. There is a video of a production of Little Shop of Horrors from, like, the 80s. I don't think it's the original production. I think it's, like, randomly in Japan. But two of the street urchins are singing the song, and then the third is doing, like, ad-lib solos over it. And the two that are singing the song are literally going, subsequent to the events you have just witnessed. And the third one is going, have just witnessed California! And I'm not kidding.

It's funny. I also think it's good. And if I was in the audience, I would have cheered her on, because that's a diva eating down. And the other voice was eating down in Problem. I don't fucking care. You are all Philistines. It's also crumbs of the unholy trinity, and I take every single one of them.

[31:26] Matt Ligouri: And I think that we also haven't even acknowledged, Problem was never going to win in the competition that was just in. It was, of course, against Valerie.

[31:33] Ian Allred: Oh, yeah, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. Valerie should have won. I'm more defending it against Buenos Aires, literally, back in fucking 2024. When was that? A long time ago. Also, you mention on that episode, you, Andrew, specifically, are like, I like Heather Morris, and I like her voice, but this is not a good, like, this is maybe the worst she's ever sounded. I am not kidding.

[31:56] Matt Ligouri: Oh, I have, I actually have a worse, I have a worse one.

[32:00] Ian Allred: Oh, well, save that for just after this anecdote. The first time I ever watched, what episode is that, Homecoming? And saw that number, I texted my friend to comment on how far Heather Morris had come and how good she sounded in Problem.

[32:17] Matt Ligouri: Wait, look how far our little girl has come.

[32:25] Ian Allred: I was like, listen to her belting those high notes. She's going for it. No, I think that the worst, and we will, we're gonna, we're gonna glock it in just a minute. The worst one is, I want to dance with somebody. They set her up big time.

[32:42] Matt Ligouri: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[32:44] Ian Allred: Oh, she's fighting for her life in the studio, unfortunately. And I mean, Problem, they set her up by having her sing against Naya. However, anything that goes higher than, tell me, tell me, they give to Naya, and then they have Heather do alto harmony. And so I actually, once again, apparently I'm the fucking weirdo outsider that everyone's pointing and laughing at. I think it works.

[33:07] Matt Ligouri: So I'm the bad guy.

[33:08] Ian Allred: Yeah, yeah.

[33:09] Matt Ligouri: So I'm the, call me Billy Eilish, because I'm the bad guy.

[33:12] Ian Allred: I'm glad to hear that Valerie had an easier time in round four than it did in round three.

[33:16] Matt Ligouri: Oh, yeah.

[33:17] Ian Allred: I was there in round three.

[33:18] Matt Ligouri: Rumor has it.

[33:19] Ian Allred: Matt, you and I were there.

[33:21] Matt Ligouri: Yeah, that was weak.

[33:22] Ian Allred: We were there, and I didn't like what happened there. I was glad it got a second chance. And I honestly love when a song gets voted back, or, you know, in my case, a player gets voted back, and then they win their next matchup. It's like, see, they were supposed to be here.

[33:34] Matt Ligouri: I see, exactly.

[33:36] Ian Allred: Wind in your hair, you were there. You remember it all too well.

[33:39] Matt Ligouri: Yeah.

[33:40] Ian Allred: I will let us glack it, but I have one more thing that I have to speak. I'm so sorry.

[33:44] Matt Ligouri: As you brush the hair out of your face.

[33:45] Ian Allred: That was just a Patrick, and like kind of you and Allison, but mostly a Patrick thing.

[33:50] Matt Ligouri: Yeah.

[33:51] Ian Allred: This is the glandum at whole. All of the Gleeks listening. People cannot get over sending through Blame It On The Alcohol.

[34:01] Matt Ligouri: Oh, you do need to address this.

[34:03] Ian Allred: Everyone's mad. Every episode, someone's mad. And I say I'd do it fucking again. Here is my thing, and I commented on this on the Patreon. Just like I said about Ain't No Way, I love Like A Prayer so much. I adore that number. I could list like eight other songs that achieve that exact same thing and are more iconic to me. Blame It On The Alcohol is one of one. I don't know any other songs in Glee that feel like that number to me, and that is why I voted for it. I just like seeing everyone be drunk, and they all get a little feature in that number, and they're all having so much fun together, and it's such a different genre of song than they ever get to sing. It's one of one. Like A Prayer is amazing, but having an end of episode number where the whole Glee Club sings, and it's a big, brassy number, happens 15 episodes out of 22 per season. So yes, I voted for Blame It On The Alcohol.

[35:07] Matt Ligouri: I mean, I'm looking at that matchup right now, and I don't have that connection that you seem to have with it. Not to say that I don't like it, but I would have voted for it over Like A Prayer pretty easily.

[35:16] Ian Allred: Hell yeah.

[35:18] Matt Ligouri: And not to say I love Like A Prayer. I don't want people to think I don't. I love Like A Prayer. But just I feel like Blame It On The Alcohol has certain je ne sais quoi that none, that the 665 other songs do not. And Like A Prayer is in a group of 25 songs that all have the same identity to varying degrees of success.

[35:40] Ian Allred: I'm looking up what the Instagram Gleeks voted for in that competition. I need to scroll through a lot of polls to get to it.

[35:50] Matt Ligouri: Boo, boo, boo, boo, boo, boo, boo. Those crazy Instagram Gleeks.

[35:53] Ian Allred: This actually could really go either way with the Instagram Gleeks.

[35:55] Matt Ligouri: Oh, this is interesting.

[35:57] Ian Allred: I think I'll feel worse if they go with me.

[35:58] Matt Ligouri: 51% Blame It On The Alcohol.

[36:01] Ian Allred: Oh, but it's close. It's close. I'll accept it.

[36:04] Matt Ligouri: 537 votes for Blame It On The Alcohol. 514.

[36:08] Ian Allred: And what did Robert Ulrich vote for?

[36:11] Matt Ligouri: Did Robert Ulrich vote in this poll? I actually don't know, and I'm not looking through right now. But...

[36:17] Ian Allred: Text him and ask!

[36:18] Matt Ligouri: Text him! No, I know what he would vote for, actually. I know him better than he knows himself. He would vote for Like A Prayer. He would.

[36:26] Ian Allred: Oh my god. Oh my god.

[36:28] Matt Ligouri: Anyway.

[36:29] Ian Allred: Whatever.

[36:29] Matt Ligouri: What do we want to see today?

[36:32] Ian Allred: Well, Drumpy Drump is an impossibility at this point, so...

[36:35] Matt Ligouri: Well.

[36:35] Ian Allred: Whatever.

[36:36] Matt Ligouri: And someone's thrilled about that.

[36:37] Ian Allred: So I guess fuck my life. Fuck my stupid life.

[36:40] Matt Ligouri: Fuck my life, Dale.

[36:41] Ian Allred: I gotta say, I guess I just... I don't know what's left, and I'm happy with the surprise that we'll get anything today.

[36:46] Matt Ligouri: You're not gonna be mad and stolen out.

[36:49] Ian Allred: I want something fun and silly.

[36:50] Matt Ligouri: Well, I will get mad when you vote against me, but yeah.

[36:52] Ian Allred: I want something fun and silly. Let's do something that can combat turkey-lurkey time and its silliness.

[36:58] Matt Ligouri: Okay, this is like... I think this is fun and silly enough. Season two.

[37:02] Ian Allred: Okay, great.

[37:03] Matt Ligouri: I think what I don't want are the songs that shouldn't be here in the first place, and then it's just like, alright, time for you to go. I hate those.

[37:08] Ian Allred: Yeah, those are boring.

[37:09] Matt Ligouri: This is one that I don't think that I get, and maybe you can open up my eyes to it.

[37:16] Ian Allred: And education.

[37:18] Matt Ligouri: There are parts of this song that I like.

[37:20] Ian Allred: Where is she?

[37:22] Matt Ligouri: Where are they?

[37:24] Ian Allred: They them.

[37:25] Matt Ligouri: Oh, a non-binary song. Okay, I'm excited.

[37:28] Ian Allred: I would say non-binary.

[37:30] Matt Ligouri: The song is... you're gonna know what it is. You know what it is.

[37:34] Ian Allred: Oh, Thriller has a role. I do know that you don't get this song.

[37:37] Matt Ligouri: Okay, I'm excited.

[37:38] Ian Allred: It is Thriller. Yes, but what pronouns?

[37:40] Matt Ligouri: Thrill her? I hardly know her.

[37:43] Ian Allred: Thrill her.

[37:45] Matt Ligouri: What pronouns are you saying in this song?

[37:46] Ian Allred: Ooh, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[37:49] Matt Ligouri: Yeah, yeah, yeah. That's true because Thriller is like, so he him, and Hetzelroll is so she her.

[37:56] Ian Allred: I do think it's non-binary.

[37:58] Matt Ligouri: Okay, okay, good.

[37:59] Ian Allred: It's non-binary, T is valid, of course.

[38:03] Matt Ligouri: Okay, explain that to me.

[38:05] Ian Allred: Andrew, I just have a question. As your friend, as someone that's, you know, your friend, I'll just leave it at that. As someone who I value you, I hope you value me in your life. What the fuck is wrong with you? That you don't understand this song?

[38:18] Matt Ligouri: I remember...

[38:21] Ian Allred: What is wrong with you?

[38:22] Matt Ligouri: I think that it feels...

[38:24] Ian Allred: And now I have to apologize. Sorry, that felt harsh.

[38:27] Matt Ligouri: No, no, no, you're fine, you're fine.

[38:30] Ian Allred: It feels like DCOM derogatory to me.

[38:33] Matt Ligouri: No, no, no.

[38:35] Ian Allred: Really?

[38:37] Matt Ligouri: But do you understand where I'm coming from?

[38:39] Ian Allred: No, no.

[38:40] Matt Ligouri: No, because it's Thriller.

[38:42] Ian Allred: I, actually watching it, I was thinking this. Didn't they, wait, they performed Thriller in iCarly, didn't they?

[38:49] Matt Ligouri: Thriller...

[38:50] Ian Allred: We're talking about Glee!

[38:51] Matt Ligouri: This is what I'm saying.

[38:53] Ian Allred: But I'm saying it's a derogatory shit.

[38:55] Matt Ligouri: Thriller is a song that transcends all social barriers. Every person in the world enjoys Thriller. It is just a song that is the coolest song to ever exist.

[39:11] Ian Allred: Yes.

[39:11] Matt Ligouri: And every person of every race, of every creed, of every religion can throw ass to Thriller. And watching this episode, I mean, watching this video, I was like... People complain about this all the time, and I'm kind of irony about it. But it is true. If the Glee Club at any high school performed Thriller in these costumes at this caliber for the school, immediate popularity, immediate superstars, immediate forgiveness of all social sins they committed in the past.

[39:41] Ian Allred: Yeah.

[39:42] Matt Ligouri: I'm just thinking, like, 2026 context, and maybe this could have been the case back then, too. But like, record this from the audience and put it on your TikTok. These people are going to end up on every single everything forever. Like, this is going viral. They did crazy work here. And I podcast with one headphone in. I had to put both in because I needed to hear every single bit of this. We get the Kevin McHale, Naya Rivera vocals together. That doesn't happen often enough. And it happens here. Naya screaming that in the background. It's just such a fun arrangement. The choreography is so fun, though. We get fun costumes. We get the football fields, the drama, the dilemma of the football team combined with the Glee Club. And we're just coexisting and putting on a hell of a performance.

[40:34] Ian Allred: I think that, like...

[40:35] Matt Ligouri: And...

[40:36] Ian Allred: Go ahead.

[40:37] Matt Ligouri: What I was about to say is not important.

[40:40] Ian Allred: I will say it later. You go.

[40:42] Matt Ligouri: I just think that, like, it doesn't feel tonally like the show. Because they're appealing to, of course, the football players and then also, of course, the audience of the Super Bowl in the real world.

[40:53] Ian Allred: Right.

[40:54] Matt Ligouri: I just, like, it feels like a little bit too large. I don't know. I think maybe my problem is almost the same problem I have.

[41:03] Ian Allred: Gleecast version by Gleecast?

[41:05] Matt Ligouri: Problem Gleecast.

[41:06] Ian Allred: Yes, of course.

[41:07] Matt Ligouri: The problem with Problem.

[41:09] Ian Allred: I think that it's like the same thing with the choir in, like, Like a Prayer or certain other numbers. That it's like, I think this is a little bit too large.

[41:21] Ian Allred: I'm looking at me crazy. Do you think it's...

[41:27] Matt Ligouri: What are you saying?

[41:28] Ian Allred: I...

[41:29] Matt Ligouri: What about this number is, like, so larger than life?

[41:34] Ian Allred: Like, obviously, it's heightened, but not more than any other Glee number to me.

[41:38] Matt Ligouri: I'm thinking the makeup, the costumes. Girl, when I was in high school, they were not doing Kevin McHale's face like that. You cannot tell me.

[41:50] Ian Allred: No, no, no, no, no. I'm saying, I'm saying, yes, it is heightened, but whereas Like a Prayer, it's like, there's like 100 people on this stage. I think this is heightened, like 15%.

[42:03] Matt Ligouri: When I was in high school, we did a haunted house where, like, for a fundraiser where we all had to be zombies. And once again, to a high schooler, thriller is cool as shit and zombies are cool as shit. We showed up and we did makeup for two hours just so that we could look as cool as possible. And obviously, like, no, we didn't look like Kevin McHale in this number because we weren't professional. But like, we looked decent. And since Glee is already heightened, I don't like them just having these clothes and distressing them and then teasing their hair and putting zombie makeup on is not heinously unrealistic to me.

[42:39] Ian Allred: I'm being a hater.

[42:40] Matt Ligouri: Is it not just like an eargasm for you? Because that's like the first and foremost.

[42:43] Ian Allred: No, because I remember, I remember specifically, and I guess it was the summer of 2011 when I was like running every day that like, I remember this was, this was one of the songs that got me through.

[42:58] Matt Ligouri: Oh, I have many a run fast walk to this song.

[43:03] Ian Allred: Yeah, it's a really, I mean, come on.

[44:06] Ian Allred: Matt Ligouri.

[44:36] Matt Ligouri:

[45:06] Ian Allred: This song was also voted back in last round. It lost to Being Alive. And then this was voted back. So... it gets voted back. I mean, that should tell you enough that maybe you don't care.

[45:36] Ian Allred: Well, it's a zombie, of course.

[46:07] Ian Allred: Oh, and here we go. Actually, I don't know. What does that mean? Literally, what does that mean?

[46:11] Ian Allred: Oh, here we go. It's going through. Oh, here we go. We're going to fight. Oh, here we go. Who's to say? And who are they, anyway? I think we have established pronouns for this song in the past. And this is also... it's they them versus they them.

[46:54] Val Meyers: Oh. Because...

[47:01] Ian Allred: Oh, boy. Is this Kill You Makes You Stronger? No, it isn't. Because that's Rachel. Is this Paradise? It is Paradise by The Dashboard Light. Here we go.

[47:50] Ian Allred: No way! I love those kids. The way that it really... I never noticed... it really picks up. At the beginning, I was like, okay, Paradise. But once Rachel comes in, oh my... and then it just snowballs. It gets crazy. It does the same thing as Thriller to an extent of just really getting you to that point. And then eventually, you all climax together.

[48:25] Matt Ligouri: We all reach climax together. Actually, that is the common element in both songs is the group climax.

[48:30] Ian Allred: You're correct. I think what's crazy is that I remember seeing on the Glee Wiki on the trivia section that all 16 cast members did climax at the same time while doing this song.

[48:41] Matt Ligouri: Yes! I remember seeing that as well. They all reached that. Of course. How can you not? Didn't need to read the Glee Wiki to know that myself. But I'm glad you finally got there.

[48:52] Ian Allred: Honey, obviously, we're watching the same as before. Just watch the show, Tamar.

[49:01] Matt Ligouri: Oh! Yeah. I got to say, here's a weird way to put it. I didn't enjoy myself in the last three minutes because I was dreading what we're going to have to discuss.

[49:10] Ian Allred: Oh, okay. So I couldn't have fun. It's not that that's going to affect how I feel about Paradise because it's like I already know how I feel about Paradise. It's a very good feeling. I just feel that way about both of these songs. But as far as Paradise is concerned, I saw someone say – I want to say it was in maybe the group chat for our Gleek of the Week Patreon here. Someone was like, oh, I didn't know that we all cared about Paradise this much until maybe this podcast. And I feel like that was my journey as well at the beginning. Not that I didn't care about it, but just that I didn't know about it until we went back in for the rewatch. It wasn't one that really sat with me as a more casual Glee watcher when I was younger.

But then once you find it and once you really absorb it and I guess get to that moment that Andrew just got to today of like, oh, wow, this really builds. And you're like, wow, no, this is really damn good. And you just never let go of it. At least that's my experience.

[50:07] Matt Ligouri: Yeah. Stop right there. That shit is crazy. I got to know right now. I got to know right now. Crazy.

[50:17] Ian Allred: I feel genuinely so honored to be here when that song is pulled. For the both of you, number wise, ranking Glee songs, where do you think this song falls?

[50:32] Matt Ligouri: I don't know. I don't.

[50:33] Ian Allred: I do know.

[50:34] Matt Ligouri: Okay.

[50:35] Ian Allred: Okay. Go, Matt. You literally have a list.

[50:38] Matt Ligouri: I might give it away, though. I might give my vote away.

[50:41] Ian Allred: Oh. Do you care?

[50:43] Matt Ligouri: I don't care.

[50:44] Ian Allred: You don't care. I think it's number three.

[50:47] Matt Ligouri: Number three.

[50:48] Ian Allred: Yeah. Cough syrup. Number one. When I made this list.

[50:54] Matt Ligouri: Yeah. What's number two?

[50:56] Ian Allred: Mine.

[50:57] Matt Ligouri: Mine. Interesting.

[50:59] Ian Allred: Yeah. Yep. It's number three. Thriller has will roll. Sixteen.

[51:04] Matt Ligouri: Oh. Vote has been cast. Lock it in. Sorry, girl. Sorry. Total eclipse of the heart eliminated. Number 17.

[51:12] Ian Allred: Hey. Number 17. The spread eagle, of course.

[51:16] Matt Ligouri: The spread eagle. I don't know where it falls for me. It's certainly in the upper echelon. I don't, like, have a numeric. I have, like, this is my number one. And then after that, it's like, and I really like these ones. I don't have a, they're like my children. I love them all, of course.

[51:24] Ian Allred: Yeah. But this song is just, you know, it's such an iconic number. I had such a lovely time. And it is, every time I watch it, better than I remember it being.

[51:28] Matt Ligouri: Oh, yeah. I agree.

[51:30] Ian Allred: I agree. I agree. I agree. I agree. I agree. I agree. I agree. I agree.

[51:39] Matt Ligouri: Every time I watch it better than I remember it being.

[51:42] Ian Allred: And I remember.

[51:43] Matt Ligouri: Oh, yeah. I agree. Very good. And then I re-watch it, I'm like, so much is going on.

[51:46] Ian Allred: I feel like in a lot of...

[51:49] Matt Ligouri: The layers.

[51:50] Ian Allred: In a lot of group numbers. And I understand. It's a lot of people on stage and you're doing, like, six songs an episode. And a lot of group numbers, it's choreographed, where it's like, please watch these three people and ignore everyone else. Please, Rebecca, you don't look at them. This number, they, I feel like Zach Woodley was in his bag. He is choreographing to everyone's strengths and, like, everyone is getting a little spotlight fun choreographed moment, which I really love and I'm obsessed with. I just think this is, obviously, it's mainly Finchel, but what else is new? But I feel like this is such a good utilization of this entire club. Everyone feels like they are adding to the number instead of, like, just getting by.

[52:38] Matt Ligouri: Yeah. I love the gays. The gay part of this whole dark night when it's like just the homosexuals to the front of the stage. Please. Homosexuals to the front of the stage, please. Homosexuals to the front of the stage. Our gay quartet, please step forward.

[52:56] Ian Allred: The only, the only, I guess, issue that I have with this song, because there's not that many, is that if I tried to really recall every single person that's in it, I don't know. Because it feels like a song that you should be able to, to get every name of every person up on that stage. Probably could if I really thought hard about it. But there's like a little bit of something that I feel like I have for like a to serve with love. That's just the first example that came to mind of like, I could name everyone on that stage.

[53:25] Matt Ligouri: Yeah. Don't make me do it.

[53:26] Ian Allred: But this one, like, I feel like I'm missing, like, who are the extra characters that are in the background? Joe Hart, of course.

[53:30] Matt Ligouri: And that's understandable, because no one remembers him ever because he has no personality. But I want to I want to remember.

[53:37] Ian Allred: Yeah.

[53:38] Matt Ligouri: Yeah. Also, a lot of a lot of project talk this. This was on the clock. It was with Joe Hart and Rory Flanagan.

[53:47] Ian Allred: Really?

[53:48] Matt Ligouri: Hey. And they had a lot of project talk this past week, because there's a show currently on it's called Dancing with the Stars. The next pro. We're trying to find the next pro for Dancing with the Stars, if you couldn't get that by the title. And it's very Glee Project-esque. And so I was talking with someone about, like, are they going to do the same thing and have multiple winners and throw everybody on there? The next pro, like the pros on the show, the professionals.

[54:12] Ian Allred: Oh, like the Derek Huffs, the Julian Huffs, of course.

[54:15] Matt Ligouri: Yeah. Neither of those currently competing. But yeah. OK, so I chose the man.

[54:19] Ian Allred: You did a patriarchy. What else do we have to say?

[54:26] Matt Ligouri: I have a lot to say, but you have to tell me if it's been said before.

[54:30] Ian Allred: I'm very thrilled to be on when this number is pulled. Has someone ever said before by you actually before?

[54:37] Matt Ligouri: Oh, well, damn it.

[54:41] Ian Allred: Has anyone and I think they have. Has anyone talked about the cut baseball interlude that is in the meatloaf version of this song?

[54:48] Matt Ligouri: Someone has talked about this before. Yes.

[54:50] Ian Allred: I don't know if immediately I've listened to that. Yeah, the meatloaf version of the song is a fucking nuts. I encourage everyone to listen to also has someone talked about like what this song's about because I love that they chose it, but also it's a wild song for them to choose. It's about fucking and sucking.

[55:05] Matt Ligouri: It's about so what it's about is this guy being like, hey, girlfriend, please fuck me. And she's like, I won't unless you promise that you will love me forever. And he goes, OK, I promise. And they fuck. And in the end, the praying for the end of time is him being like, actually, now that I have post-nut clarity, I don't love you, but I'm not going to break my promise. So I am praying for time to end right now so I don't have to be with you anymore.

[55:34] Ian Allred: OK, it is literally the song is about post-nut clarity is what this song is about. One of the things that I love doing is like looking at a song and being like, OK, which of the three Ryan, Ian or Brad chose this song? I feel pretty confident about my pick for who chose this song.

[55:51] Matt Ligouri: Do you think Ian?

[55:53] Ian Allred: I think it's Brad.

[55:54] Matt Ligouri: Oh, I think he he he pulls out these like kind of like Bruce Springsteen.

[56:01] Ian Allred: Yes.

[56:02] Matt Ligouri: Like, I don't think that Ian and Ryan are immediately thinking about Paradise, but the Ashford Light. He's like, wait, no, we got to do this song about post-nut clarity at Nashville. It just like it makes me laugh them singing so triumphantly lyrics like if I got to spend another minute with you, I don't think I could really survive like I can't stand your ass and they're all like jumping and clapping. Makes me laugh.

[56:29] Ian Allred: I also love when Finn does that. God only knows what I could do right now. And Rachel like points at him being like, check out what my boyfriend can do.

[56:38] Matt Ligouri: I think that's what my fiance could do. That's like a top maybe five Glee moment, honestly, for me, like that point it does it. It's so cute. I love it.

[56:49] Ian Allred: Um, also, I wrote Rachel is acting because she is this is not a musical song, musical theater song, but it might as well be. She is giving us a story. And I love when all the boys are running off stage. Right. And Mike Chang is like Mike Chang. He's doing the Grinch walk.

[57:04] Matt Ligouri: Yeah, he's doing the Grinch walk and he's got his arm extended behind him. It's so good. I love this song. It rules. Yay.

[57:12] Matt Ligouri: Do we have anything else to say?

[57:18] Ian Allred: No, I love these both so much. And I'm sad that this is happening in the top hundred round and not the top. I don't know what's so 50.

[57:59] Ian Allred: If it mattered, I wouldn't have done this.

[58:29] Matt Ligouri: Thriller, heads will roll.

[58:59] ♪ Musical number: "Blackbird" — performed by Glee Cast ♪

[59:29] Ian Allred: Round one eliminated songs.

[59:59] Matt Ligouri: Blackbird.

[1:00:29] Ian Allred: Round two eliminated songs.

[1:00:39] Matt Ligouri: Eliminated songs.

[1:00:49] Ian Allred: Eliminated songs.

[1:01:09] Matt Ligouri: Eliminated songs.

[1:01:29] Ian Allred: Eliminated songs.

[1:01:49] Matt Ligouri: Eliminated songs.

[1:02:09] Ian Allred: Eliminated songs.

[1:02:29] Matt Ligouri: Eliminated songs.

[1:02:49] Ian Allred: Eliminated songs.

[1:03:09] Matt Ligouri: Eliminated songs.

[1:03:19] Ian Allred: Eliminated songs.

[1:03:39] Matt Ligouri: Eliminated songs.

[1:03:59] Ian Allred: Eliminated songs.

[1:04:19] Matt Ligouri: Eliminated songs.

[1:04:39] Ian Allred: Eliminated songs.

[1:04:49] Matt Ligouri: Eliminated songs.

[1:05:09] Ian Allred: Eliminated songs.

[1:05:19] Matt Ligouri: Eliminated songs.

[1:05:29] Ian Allred: Eliminated songs.

[1:05:49] Matt Ligouri: Eliminated songs.

[1:06:09] Ian Allred: Eliminated songs.

[1:06:19] Matt Ligouri: Eliminated songs.

[1:06:39] Ian Allred: Eliminated songs.

[1:06:49] Matt Ligouri: Eliminated songs.

[1:06:59] Ian Allred: Eliminated songs.

[1:07:09] Matt Ligouri: Eliminated songs.

[1:07:19] Ian Allred: Eliminated songs.

[1:07:39] Matt Ligouri: Eliminated songs.

[1:07:49] Ian Allred: Eliminated songs.

[1:07:59] Matt Ligouri: Eliminated songs.

[1:08:09] Ian Allred: Eliminated songs.

[1:08:19] Matt Ligouri: Eliminated songs.

[1:08:29] Ian Allred: Eliminated songs.

[1:08:39] Matt Ligouri: Eliminated songs.

[1:08:49] Ian Allred: Eliminated songs.

[1:08:59] Matt Ligouri: Eliminated songs.

[1:09:09] Ian Allred: Eliminated songs.

[1:09:19] Matt Ligouri: Eliminated songs.

[1:09:29] Ian Allred: Eliminated songs.

[1:09:39] Matt Ligouri: Eliminated songs.

[1:09:59] Ian Allred: Eliminated songs.

[1:10:19] Matt Ligouri: Eliminated songs.

[1:10:39] Ian Allred: Eliminated songs.

[1:10:59] Matt Ligouri: Eliminated songs.

[1:11:09] Ian Allred: Eliminated songs.

[1:11:19] Matt Ligouri: Eliminated songs.

[1:11:29] Ian Allred: Eliminated songs.

[1:11:51] Ian Allred: And then I realized it was another fanon. It was fully made up.

[1:11:55] Matt Ligouri: Wait!

[1:11:56] Ian Allred: They all look the same, these websites. It's crazy.

[1:11:59] Matt Ligouri: And these aren't even, like, the AI orbits of the world. It's just, uh...

[1:12:02] Ian Allred: I control F the entire series of Glee.

[1:12:05] Matt Ligouri: Did you find it?

[1:12:05] Ian Allred: Fran. The F-R-A-N never said in the entire show.

[1:12:11] Matt Ligouri: See? They don't say San Francisco.

[1:12:14] Ian Allred: They don't say France.

[1:12:16] Matt Ligouri: Sorry, Calloway. They do not say France.

[1:12:18] Ian Allred: They do not say France.

[1:12:20] Matt Ligouri: Wow! Wait, where did we get Franny from?

[1:12:23] Ian Allred: Someone decided, and the fandom agreed.

[1:12:26] Matt Ligouri: Just like someone was like, what if Sugar was Britannia's kid?

[1:12:29] Ian Allred: And everyone went, okay, that's canon now.

[1:12:32] Matt Ligouri: Well, that is. That's real.

[1:12:33] Ian Allred: Franny's such a random name for us all to get behind.

[1:12:36] Matt Ligouri: Well, of course, her name is Francine.

[1:12:40] Ian Allred: Francine Fabray.

[1:12:41] Matt Ligouri: Francine. Francine Fabray. I kind of love that.

[1:12:46] Ian Allred: One thing that I want to say about this number is I love...

[1:12:49] Matt Ligouri: Okay, the little cut to Quinn looking into Sue's office,

[1:12:54] Ian Allred: and it's Britannia talking to Sue.

[1:12:57] Matt Ligouri: And Britannia and Sue, they're doing the most acting.

[1:13:02] Ian Allred: They're all like, they do like a literal shrug, and Sue is doing a point, and it's like, girl...

[1:13:09] Matt Ligouri: You were doing the most.

[1:13:09] Ian Allred: Pre-act play happening in there.

[1:13:11] Matt Ligouri: Yeah. What could you possibly be talking about?

[1:13:16] Ian Allred: But what else do we need to say?

[1:13:19] Matt Ligouri: What I need to say is that I love that scene because it shows that this song has layers. You think that she's only singing about Finn, but then she looks at Sue and says, why don't you get out of my life and let me make a new start? And that is showing that she is being pulled apart is that she is being a cheerleader just because it's what she's always known. And she's like, if I could escape from the societal structure that I was raised in, if I could be free from this box and from everyone's expectations, I would make a new start, but you, Sue Sylvester, won't let me. And then we get to her watching Finchel. You keep me hanging on. Double meaning, Finn and Sue.

[1:13:51] Ian Allred: Also, there is one time when she's on the stage with all the Butch cheerleaders who are dressed as football players, and she walks forward and goes, you don't really love me. And I point that out because every other time she does sing me and that one time full May. Comes after April, comes before June. She says May. And I think that's funny.

[1:14:14] Matt Ligouri: What do you think the choice is?

[1:14:19] Ian Allred: She's trying to give it a little sauce, I genuinely think.

[1:14:21] Matt Ligouri: Here's something crazy about Quinn Fabray is that they cast Diana Agron, beautiful woman, also whitest woman on the face of the earth.

[1:14:27] Ian Allred: She came in singing like,

[1:14:32] Matt Ligouri: White, whitest, I thought you said whitest.

[1:14:35] Ian Allred: Oh no, whitest.

[1:14:37] Matt Ligouri: They took one look at her and they went, who does she remind me of? Diana Ross. Let's give her strictly Motown songs for season one.

[1:14:47] Ian Allred: It is a crazy choice.

[1:14:49] Matt Ligouri: It's a crazy choice.

[1:14:51] Ian Allred: No, I think that like, throughout the entire series, she gets—

[1:14:54] Matt Ligouri: She does keep revisiting this well of Motown, because then she sings Never Can Say Goodbye.

[1:15:01] Ian Allred: Oh, the only time—

[1:15:02] Matt Ligouri: Come See About Me.

[1:15:03] Ian Allred: It's not—

[1:15:05] Matt Ligouri: Problem, I'm kidding.

[1:15:06] Ian Allred: Is Madonna, Papa Don't Preach.

[1:15:09] Matt Ligouri: Papa Don't Preach.

[1:15:09] Ian Allred: Well, of course.

[1:15:10] Matt Ligouri: Yeah.

[1:15:11] Ian Allred: Done, season one across the entire show. Aretha Franklin, I Say a Little Prayer, Diana Ross. She also sings Man's, Man's, Man's World.

[1:15:18] Matt Ligouri: Man's, Man's, Man's—

[1:15:19] Ian Allred: Yeah, and that's—

[1:15:20] Matt Ligouri: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[1:15:23] Ian Allred: But I also, it is always funny to me, and like to a degree that it is camp and I like it, that Quinn is the head cheerleader. So you would assume she is the best one. And these girls are doing like flips and cartwheels, and she is step touching in the center. It is always so fucking funny to me. I love it.

[1:15:46] Matt Ligouri: Love her down, and everything I said about Problem, and why like visually I love Problem, because I love when they do cheerleading numbers, and why didn't they do that more? Applies to this. This is Problem's older sister.

[1:16:00] Ian Allred: This is Problem's older sister.

[1:16:02] Matt Ligouri: And Problem has never—

[1:16:03] Ian Allred: This is the Franny Fabray to Problem's Quinn Fabray.

[1:16:07] Matt Ligouri: To put it into terms that we all understand.

[1:16:09] Ian Allred: That we understand, of course. Quinn's in thriller heads will roll, right?

[1:16:14] Matt Ligouri: She is.

[1:16:14] Ian Allred: She has like an updo. So she's been in every number so far today. Because isn't there a scene of the Unholy Trinity like getting ready in zombie outfits, or am I making that up? Am I crossing my wires?

[1:16:25] Matt Ligouri: Do they have a conversation?

[1:16:27] Ian Allred: They have a conversation in the bathroom, and I love this line. And it's like the only time all three of them talk to each other. That they're like, okay, Quinn says, I'm conflicted. Santana says, I'm not. And then Brittany says, I'm Brittany. And I'm like, that's so good. Check the tapes. The only time all three of them have spoken at once.

[1:16:48] Matt Ligouri: Um, anything else that we need to say about this?

[1:16:52] Ian Allred: I am really not ready for her to go. I do— Unlike Matt, unsurprised she made it this far. I didn't think that was gonna be the craziest thing I've ever said. However—

[1:17:04] Matt Ligouri: What is your favorite Quolo, Matt?

[1:17:06] Ian Allred: Uh, this one?

[1:17:11] Matt Ligouri: Really? And you're still like, underwhelmed? So you just hate Quinn Fabray?

[1:17:13] Ian Allred: I did not say I'm underwhelmed. I'm surprised. I'm just surprised.

[1:17:16] Matt Ligouri: This is so interesting. Because if my memory serves, you said that one of the two people you watched Glee for was Diana Agron, and yet you want to axe her completely for the lack of this interview? I'm surprised!

[1:17:31] Ian Allred: Interesting.

[1:17:32] Matt Ligouri: Interesting. You know, you're gonna make me vote against this. Just because I'm under attack here.

[1:17:38] Ian Allred: Okay, let's see. Final song of the episode. What Quinn number are we—

[1:17:44] Matt Ligouri: Come on, Quinn versus Quinn violence.

[1:17:47] Ian Allred: Is it really?

[1:17:48] Matt Ligouri: It is Quinn versus Quinn violence.

[1:17:49] Ian Allred: Oh, so she's in everything today?

[1:17:51] Matt Ligouri: Everything?

[1:17:51] Ian Allred: Oops, all Quinn!

[1:17:52] Matt Ligouri: Oops, all Quinn!

[1:17:54] Ian Allred: I love it.

[1:17:56] Matt Ligouri: Oh my god.

[1:17:58] Ian Allred: Best day of my life! This is such a crazy competition, because boom!

[1:18:04] Matt Ligouri: Wow.

[1:18:04] Ian Allred: This is terrible! Draw a different one! Draw a different one!

[1:18:08] Matt Ligouri: This is it. Here we go.

[1:18:11] Ian Allred: Literally, what they accomplish in less than a minute.

[1:18:16] Matt Ligouri: Girl, but that mystery book's incredible.

[1:18:19] Ian Allred: Look, every minute on episode two is an important minute.

[1:18:24] Matt Ligouri: Yeah.

[1:18:26] Ian Allred: They don't have time to waste.

[1:18:27] Matt Ligouri: They're all important. Um, this is like, how high up there on like, songs that are, or performances, whatever, that are the most important to the beginning of this show? Because like, Don't Stop Believing, of course, you know, is there. It's an option. But then when you keep moving further into the series, and we introduce more characters that are going to be part of this Glee Club, and even with two of these characters that may not have been so, like, the writers being so aware that, you know, these backup performers here with Quinn, who of course is a character written to be on the show, are going to become such parts of the, big parts of the show. But like, so I don't know if I'm looking at it just completely like, in hindsight of like, look at how important it is because it's the three of them, or because they set us up in this world where we already know the Glee Club kids that we have, and it has a football player that is very much a part of the mix, but also cheerleaders are here, and they're a big part of any school's ecosystem, especially they go hand in hand with the football players, and here's three popular cheerleaders, and Quinn is obviously the big character here, and how can we mix them all together?

And they're interested in joining, oh, but they're being sent by Sue and yada, yada, yada, but just so much is happening right off the bat that is giving us stakes, giving us a fun performance, and this is going on for how many years since it premiered? 16, 17, what year are we on since the show? And people are still recreating this performance on a regular damn basis on social media. Crazy.

[1:20:00] Ian Allred: I think that there was an interview with Corey once that he said that, and I agree that a large part of the show's tone was set with this number, that the first episode, of course, is its own package, but there's something about this number that is timeless. I was watching it, and I'm like, there's so...

[1:20:27] Matt Ligouri: I don't even have the words for it. Ian, what are you thinking?

[1:20:30] Ian Allred: It's tough for us, because there's no Heather Morris vocals for us to critique.

[1:20:33] Matt Ligouri: Yeah, I know.

[1:20:34] Ian Allred: Tell me, tell me, baby!

[1:20:36] Matt Ligouri: Wait, that wasn't Heather Morris on the track?

[1:20:38] Ian Allred: It sounded just like her.

[1:20:39] Matt Ligouri: Oh, oh. It did sound just like her.

[1:20:42] Ian Allred: I agree with Corey Monteith. Obviously, the Glee Club and their interactions with each other is very tone-setting, but this number, I feel like, is setting the tone of the world at large, not just the Glee kids. Obviously, this is the three of them auditioning for Glee, and they're going to join the club, but this is gay guy DNA. This number is gay guy DNA. And there is, as far as I know, only one number in the entire show that Ryan Murphy himself choreographed and taught the choreography to, and it is this number.

[1:21:24] Matt Ligouri: Wait, what are you talking about?

[1:21:25] Ian Allred: Ryan Murphy, if I'm not mistaken, taught them this number. And he was like, okay, you're going to be doing your arms up, and we're going to have a shot from above you to get that. He had the whole image in his head. Am I crazy? Fact-check me on this. I would love to.

[1:21:40] Matt Ligouri: I don't know about this information.

[1:21:41] Ian Allred: I swear this is something I got from Showmance. Say a little prayer, Ryan Murphy choreography. Text Jenna Ushkowitz and ask her.

[1:21:52] Matt Ligouri: Let's text her.

[1:21:53] Ian Allred: Actually, let's text Heather Morris. Come on.

[1:21:56] Matt Ligouri: Oh, hey, do it.

[1:21:58] Ian Allred: On the scene. I feel as if I heard this on a podcast, and maybe I'm talking out of my ass. But anyways.

[1:22:04] Matt Ligouri: I'm not saying anything on a quick Google search.

[1:22:07] Ian Allred: There's so many things that Ryan Murphy just had. If I had the power that he had, I would be doing the same damn shit. You know what I mean?

[1:22:20] Matt Ligouri: And this is when—

[1:22:20] Ian Allred: The resources, everything, yeah. This is when he had such a clear vision of what he wanted the show to be. And this number, I feel like, really encapsulates the world of this show. This number is a walking contradiction in that this song is on a very shallow surface level. It's kind of like Jesus-y and religious, which is the whole joke, because Figgins told them they could only sing songs about Jesus and balloons. All these songs have balloon in the title.

[1:23:03] Matt Ligouri: Yes.

[1:23:04] Ian Allred: That it's about praying, but then also the song is really about something deeper. But then that the Cheerios are singing this song that is like a happy love song, and has religious prayer vocabulary in it. And the choreography is deeply sensual and sexy. And their faces, they're not smiling. They're not in love. Their faces are like, I'm here to kill a bitch. It is that dichotomy of— Because you know, this is back when Quinn runs a celibacy club and yada, yada, yada. I just feel like that is tone setting for the world of this show, the kind of contradictions that we are putting into all these characters and examining. And also the hierarchy.

[1:23:40] Matt Ligouri: What am I trying to say?

[1:23:41] Ian Allred: Also, I'm loving everything that you're saying.

[1:23:43] Matt Ligouri: Thank you. Sometimes I'm afraid that when I talk about stuff, I sound like someone who wants to seem really smart, but actually is a dumbass.

[1:24:08] Matt Ligouri: Yeah.

[1:24:08] Ian Allred: Wait, continue. These Nubile girls.

[1:24:10] Matt Ligouri: Yeah.

[1:24:11] Ian Allred: Disgusting. I just, it is setting up. It is such a genius presentation of who Quinn Fabray is at this point in the series, which is like, good girl, girl next door, does everything right. But it's actually like nasty and mean and a massive hypocrite. And that's what the song is. It's like one big hypocrisy. It is a love song and very good natured and innocent in its words. And it is like deeply nasty and sexy in its choreography. It's so fun. It's so lovely. The iconography of three mean girls iconic. Thank you, Billy Shakespeare for writing Macbeth and giving us the three witches.

[1:24:50] Ian Allred: No, I was literally caught doing that a few episodes ago when I said, Nubile Minds, and I had to look up Nubile. Girl, I was on that train with you because I was like, they've never heard Nubile before. Andrew used it right. And then they Googled it, and I Googled it at the same time. And I went, damn, we're both wrong. Damn, egg on our face.

[1:24:51] Matt Ligouri: Yeah.

[1:24:53] Ian Allred: The camera angles like you can tell this was so meticulously plotted. Also, there's an extended version on YouTube. Extended version. Check it out. It rules. I love this song.

[1:25:06] Matt Ligouri: I think that you understand this song better than I ever have. So thank you so much for opening up my eyes. Matt, do you have anything to add to I Say a Little Prayer?

[1:25:18] Matt Ligouri: No, nothing more than what I guess had before of just how important this song feels like it is, obviously, to the show. It's just as iconic as a Don't Stop Believin' is by almost. But I don't even know if Don't Stop Believin' is iconic for the. Well, it is for pretty much every facet of it, but mostly for the fact that the song was done on Glee, not necessarily the choreography or maybe your casual Glee fan knows they did it, but maybe doesn't remember everything about what they were wearing, the fact that maybe you remember they were on the stage, all that to say that for this song, you remember just about every single detail of it. So what I'm saying is this should be Don't Stop Believin'. No, I'm not saying that, but it does have a place within the show that is, to me, just as important.

[1:26:13] Ian Allred: Welcome back to Gleek of the Week! We're diving into some fantastic performances today, and I can't wait to discuss them with you all.

[1:26:43] Ian Allred: So, let's kick things off with our first song.

[1:27:03] Ian Allred: I think we should start with "I Say a Little Prayer." It's such a classic, and the way it was performed in Glee really brought a new life to it.

[1:27:23] Ian Allred: The harmonies are just incredible, and it really showcases the talent of the cast.

[1:27:43] Ian Allred: Plus, the emotional weight of the song fits perfectly with the storyline at that point in the series.

[1:28:03] Ian Allred: I love how they incorporated the different characters' perspectives into the performance.

[1:28:13] Ian Allred: It really makes you feel connected to what they're going through.

[1:28:23] Ian Allred: And let's not forget about the choreography! It adds so much energy to the performance.

[1:28:33] Ian Allred: What do you think, Matt?

[1:28:43] Matt Ligouri: I completely agree! The choreography really elevates the song.

[1:28:53] Matt Ligouri: It’s one of those performances that sticks with you long after you’ve seen it.

[1:29:03] Ian Allred: Absolutely! And the way they all come together at the end is just so powerful.

[1:29:13] Ian Allred: It’s a perfect example of how Glee can take a well-known song and make it feel fresh and new.

[1:29:23] Matt Ligouri: For sure! And speaking of fresh takes, how about we move on to "Paradise by the Dashboard Light"?

[1:29:33] Ian Allred: Yes! This one is such a fun performance.

[1:29:43] Ian Allred: The energy is off the charts, and it really captures the spirit of the original.

[1:29:53] Matt Ligouri: I love how they play with the dynamics of the song, especially with the back-and-forth between the characters.

[1:30:03] Ian Allred: It’s such a great duet, and the way they interpret it in the show is just brilliant.

[1:30:13] Ian Allred: Plus, the costumes and set design really add to the overall vibe.

[1:30:23] Matt Ligouri: Definitely! It feels like a full production, not just a performance.

[1:30:33] Ian Allred: And the callbacks to the original song are such a nice touch.

[1:30:53] Ian Allred: Moving on, we have "Thriller/Heads Will Roll."

[1:31:13] Matt Ligouri: This one is iconic! The mashup is so clever, and the visuals are stunning.

[1:31:23] Ian Allred: The choreography is on point, and it really captures the Halloween spirit.

[1:31:33] Matt Ligouri: Plus, the way they blend the two songs together is seamless.

[1:31:43] Ian Allred: It’s a perfect example of Glee’s ability to take different genres and make them work together.

[1:31:53] Matt Ligouri: And the costumes! They really went all out for this one.

[1:32:03] Ian Allred: Absolutely! It’s such a memorable performance.

[1:32:13] Matt Ligouri: Now, let’s talk about "You Keep Me Hangin' On."

[1:32:23] Ian Allred: This song is such a powerful moment in the series.

[1:32:33] Ian Allred: The emotion in the performance really resonates with the audience.

[1:32:43] Matt Ligouri: I love how it showcases the character's struggles and growth.

[1:32:53] Ian Allred: It’s a perfect blend of vulnerability and strength.

[1:33:03] Matt Ligouri: And the vocal performances are just outstanding.

[1:33:13] Ian Allred: I think this song really highlights what Glee does best.

[1:33:23] Matt Ligouri: For sure! It’s a great way to wrap up our discussion on these performances.

[1:33:43] Ian Allred: I’m excited to see where these songs land on the Glacket!

[1:34:11] Ian Allred: Thanks for joining us today, everyone!

[1:34:21] Ian Allred: We’ll be back next week with more Glee goodness.

[1:34:31] Ian Allred: Until then, keep gleeking out!

[1:34:51] Ian Allred: It’s Gleek, Gleek of the Week.