Full Transcript for Rob Anderson Takes the Stage

00:04:50.439 thing. Once some old white guy decided this was gonna be a thing, 61 00:04:50.560 --> 00:04:54.879 and now we all do that thing, and I think humor kind of breaks 62 00:04:54.879 --> 00:04:57.920 it up a little bit, makes people realize this is all just really kind 63 00:04:57.920 --> 00:05:01.439 of quite stupid. School money, all made up bullshit. Yeah, like, 64 00:05:01.560 --> 00:05:08.480 what is money? What is money really? So, throughout all of 65 00:05:08.519 --> 00:05:13.399 this, you eventually kind of worked your way up and worked into a career 66 00:05:13.439 --> 00:05:17.160 in marketing. I graduated in two thousand nine, which was a recession at 67 00:05:17.160 --> 00:05:21.240 that time, so jobs were hard to come by and my first job out 68 00:05:21.279 --> 00:05:29.319 of college was as a reporter for a construction journal, and that is as 69 00:05:29.480 --> 00:05:32.600 riveting as it sounds. It was. What are the lights? Uh? 70 00:05:32.920 --> 00:05:38.480 Did you like report on like there's new back hose at the new construction site? 71 00:05:38.519 --> 00:05:44.439 That's what you paid. Nineteen dollars a year and UH, full for 72 00:05:44.720 --> 00:05:49.000 salary, full time. And I sat at the desk and I called contractors 73 00:05:49.240 --> 00:05:57.160 and architects to see what jobs they had open forbidding for different subcontractors, and 74 00:05:57.160 --> 00:06:00.040 then I would let the subcontractors know that there were jobs happening. And I 75 00:06:00.600 --> 00:06:04.639 I had the state of Tennessee and Kentucky. I had like the south. 76 00:06:05.399 --> 00:06:11.439 Uh. It was because such a great time, I mean seeing if there 77 00:06:11.519 --> 00:06:15.279 was an orange Julius opening in Kentucky and calling people and let them know they 78 00:06:15.319 --> 00:06:18.199 were going to build one. Um, what a great time to be alive. 79 00:06:19.000 --> 00:06:24.120 But from there, UM, I luckily, my next job after that 80 00:06:24.199 --> 00:06:27.399 was for grinder. It was just when grinder was first starting out. So 81 00:06:27.600 --> 00:06:31.519 my job, my job was a lot of marketing and I got a lot 82 00:06:31.560 --> 00:06:35.000 of skills from that, and then I started working for Uber and then eventually 83 00:06:35.040 --> 00:06:42.519 the infatuation uh doing creative marketing campaigns to grab attention of these like new startups 84 00:06:42.519 --> 00:06:46.480 at the time, Um, and it used a lot of my creative skills 85 00:06:46.680 --> 00:06:51.680 with a lot of my like technical marketing knowledge that I had gotten over the 86 00:06:51.759 --> 00:06:56.800 years. I kind of wanted to understand the parallels between what you were doing 87 00:06:56.800 --> 00:07:00.879 for construction and and grinder and also if you had to like pit it queerness 88 00:07:00.959 --> 00:07:02.480 right, like do you feel like when you were doing the construction calls, 89 00:07:02.480 --> 00:07:06.079 did you have to put on like a hey rob kind of voice, you 90 00:07:06.120 --> 00:07:11.160 know, like got any new dirt to move or something? You know, 91 00:07:11.279 --> 00:07:14.240 I feel like Kentucky, you might even need an accent to really fit in. 92 00:07:14.560 --> 00:07:18.040 So I'm wondering what like that, being a queer person at grinder versus 93 00:07:18.439 --> 00:07:26.160 construction media was was like yeah, I definitely. Well, it was when 94 00:07:26.199 --> 00:07:30.720 I was first starting to come out and, like a lot of gay people, 95 00:07:30.759 --> 00:07:33.279 I came out as by initially, UM, because I didn't want to 96 00:07:33.279 --> 00:07:36.120 set all the women that I had hooked up with. I'm like no, 97 00:07:36.319 --> 00:07:39.639 I really did like you, you know, like like you know how just 98 00:07:39.720 --> 00:07:43.519 by and then eventually not. So in that weird like phase you still have 99 00:07:43.600 --> 00:07:49.399 a little bit of that trying to stay heterosexual in some ways. So I 100 00:07:49.439 --> 00:07:57.199 think that probably carried to the conversations with the Construction Journal Company. But I 101 00:07:57.319 --> 00:08:01.360 was so bad at the cold calls. Like cold calling somebody out of the 102 00:08:01.399 --> 00:08:05.879 blue when they're not expecting it and just trying to get information is hell. 103 00:08:07.560 --> 00:08:11.439 I'm an introvert in a lot of ways and it was hell. And so 104 00:08:11.480 --> 00:08:15.920 they eventually moved me to only doing it online and so I could just check 105 00:08:15.959 --> 00:08:18.959 websites and see and not have to call people. Oh my God, it 106 00:08:18.000 --> 00:08:22.480 was such relief. Um. But aside from that, working at grinder was, 107 00:08:22.879 --> 00:08:28.439 of course so much better to be able to just be gay. I 108 00:08:28.480 --> 00:08:33.840 actually wasn't as I was like Oh, wow, people are gay. I'm 109 00:08:33.879 --> 00:08:35.879 like wow, you know, like we're going there Um, because a lot 110 00:08:35.879 --> 00:08:39.120 of the people were Um. So that was like my first I would go 111 00:08:39.159 --> 00:08:43.000 out to West Hollywood and visit the offices and I'm like, well, this 112 00:08:43.080 --> 00:08:46.480 is crazy out here, this is people are really gay. It was exciting. 113 00:08:46.759 --> 00:08:50.039 I think that moment in my life, that period in my life, 114 00:08:50.960 --> 00:08:56.840 I was trying to find humor with being gay and finding the humor in it 115 00:08:56.320 --> 00:09:01.759 and looking back at how I've kind of progress and how my as I've matured, 116 00:09:01.879 --> 00:09:05.679 my humor has changed. I look at some of the things that I 117 00:09:05.720 --> 00:09:09.080 had written at that time. I was an Improv comedian, so there were 118 00:09:09.120 --> 00:09:15.159 some like sketches I would put up that were filmed and I look

at those 119 00:09:15.159 --> 00:09:18.039 now and I'm like, Oh, it's funny to see how my humor changed 120 00:09:18.159 --> 00:09:22.399 from me realizing like, Oh, this is what being gay is, but 121 00:09:22.559 --> 00:09:26.080 I was making myself too much of the butt of the joke. Uh. 122 00:09:26.120 --> 00:09:30.240 And now my humor doesn't rely on me being the butt of the joke. 123 00:09:30.320 --> 00:09:35.080 There's just humor that's within the community. Uh. So it is interesting how 124 00:09:35.120 --> 00:09:39.159 it's changed because my perspective of who I am as a gay man has changed 125 00:09:39.200 --> 00:09:41.559 to I mean, that's kind of awesome, right. That's the evolution, 126 00:09:41.799 --> 00:09:46.840 which is very scien ce right. That's actually a beautiful segue into gay science. 127 00:09:46.320 --> 00:09:50.960 Um, the evolution of ROB's comedy. And in ten years I'M gonna 128 00:09:50.960 --> 00:09:54.600 look back in the humor now and go what was I even doing? Then? 129 00:09:54.080 --> 00:09:58.759 Wow, that was really bad, you know, but that's that's progress, 130 00:09:58.799 --> 00:10:01.320 absolutely. I mean that's that's how works for everyone. Right. You're 131 00:10:01.320 --> 00:10:03.440 like, wow, that was thank God that I'm here, or thanks someone, 132 00:10:03.639 --> 00:10:07.399 thanks someone, that I'm here. Yeah, at this point, thanks 133 00:10:07.399 --> 00:10:13.960 someone. Um. So what inspired you to start your whole gay science? 134 00:10:15.360 --> 00:10:18.200 I guess we're going to call it a series. Yeah, it is a 135 00:10:18.240 --> 00:10:24.000 series. Uh, the preference that gay men have for iced coffee over hot 136 00:10:24.039 --> 00:10:33.440 coffee is so, UM, ubiquitous, it's so ingrained. I wanted to 137 00:10:33.480 --> 00:10:39.000 know why that was and I couldn't find any information on that, and so 138 00:10:39.039 --> 00:10:43.240 I decided to make my own information, which was through the form of fake 139 00:10:43.320 --> 00:10:48.000 science, in a video that was very matter of fact, um, but 140 00:10:48.600 --> 00:10:52.600 so silly. And so it's clearly so stupid and people really got to kick 141 00:10:52.600 --> 00:10:56.399 out of it and people really enjoyed it and they kept sending me more of 142 00:10:56.399 --> 00:11:01.879 our community stereotypes that we have our own community jokes, uh, as things 143 00:11:01.919 --> 00:11:05.600 to like poke fun act, because some of them are so silly, like 144 00:11:05.879 --> 00:11:09.000 not sitting in a chair properly, UM, coloring your hair when you're in 145 00:11:09.039 --> 00:11:15.639 a crisis. Um, literally there's just dozens and dozens of them, Um, 146 00:11:15.679 --> 00:11:18.720 and I've had fun making fun of each one of those through this fake 147 00:11:18.840 --> 00:11:24.200 science method. So what was what was the process like in the very early 148 00:11:24.279 --> 00:11:28.000 days of of Gay Science? What what was that process like? Did you 149 00:11:28.039 --> 00:11:30.799 like come up with a concept and then kind of scripted out, like how 150 00:11:30.799 --> 00:11:35.960 did that go? Yeah, I started with a list of, Um, 151 00:11:35.080 --> 00:11:41.080 all of the stereotypes that I know of that I wanted to explain, and 152 00:11:41.120 --> 00:11:46.000 then a lot of the Times I rely on my audiences. They're really awesome 153 00:11:46.080 --> 00:11:48.879 and they have really good ideas, and on Instagram I popped up up story 154 00:11:48.960 --> 00:11:52.279 that was like Hey, send me whatever stereotypes you want to explain, anything 155 00:11:52.279 --> 00:11:56.919 you want to explain through gay science, and so I added those to the 156 00:11:56.960 --> 00:12:01.320 list and then I kind of prioritized which ones I thought I had a good 157 00:12:01.360 --> 00:12:07.559 explanation for and then I put those into their own documents and I think about 158 00:12:07.559 --> 00:12:11.919 like, how can I get to that end result? What weird, stupid 159 00:12:11.960 --> 00:12:15.759 path can I bring people on? What what story can I tell, uh 160 00:12:15.919 --> 00:12:20.279 to to land at a thing that's positive? UH So. So a lot 161 00:12:20.320 --> 00:12:22.799 of these things start with something that's negative. Like maybe why are wire game 162 00:12:22.840 --> 00:12:26.720 and annoying? Why do we hate terrible music. Why or do we talk 163 00:12:26.840 --> 00:12:30.840 like that? Why do we run like that? All these things that we 164 00:12:30.879 --> 00:12:33.639 get picked made fun of all the time, and it ends in a place 165 00:12:33.679 --> 00:12:35.840 it's like because, you know, we're better, queer people are better. 166 00:12:37.480 --> 00:12:41.759 Um, we're elites, we have we've evolved and the rest of everyone else 167 00:12:41.759 --> 00:12:46.360 just hasn't caught up with it yet. So, Um, that's the kind 168 00:12:46.360 --> 00:12:50.639 of path that I wanted to take. And then in that is all the 169 00:12:50.720 --> 00:12:52.840 jokes. You just throw in a whole bunch of jokes. Uh, you 170 00:12:54.039 --> 00:12:58.200 do a bunch of voiceovers a few times over lay um images on top of 171 00:12:58.200 --> 00:13:01.639 it. I just have a lot of fun with it. They're the most 172 00:13:01.720 --> 00:13:05.600 fun thing that I've ever made. I have so much joy making them that 173 00:13:05.759 --> 00:13:09.480 sometimes it will be like a few weeks till one comes out because I think 174 00:13:09.519 --> 00:13:13.120 of more funny things to add into it. That just they make me laugh. 175 00:13:13.200 --> 00:13:16.919 So is the purpose of the content that you're creating? Do you feel 176 00:13:16.960 --> 00:13:22.480 like really, at its core it's the social commentary, or do you feel 177 00:13:22.519 --> 00:13:26.879 like comedy is really and laughing and making people laugh is at its core? 178

00:13:26.360 --> 00:13:31.799 All of them give some sort of should give you a little bit of joy. 179 00:13:33.000 --> 00:13:37.080 Um, should make you feel good. Uh. So I don't make 180 00:13:37.120 --> 00:13:41.559 anything that makes anyone feel bad, Um, which I think is a very 181 00:13:43.799 --> 00:13:46.559 unique thing. I think we have a lot of more we have more positivity 182 00:13:46.840 --> 00:13:50.720 in content these days, which is nice. You know, we're not those 183 00:13:50.120 --> 00:13:56.120 like the bitchy two thousand tens, like the nasty like you know, Um, 184 00:13:56.679 --> 00:13:58.519 we don't have that sort of attitude in our culture as much anymore, 185 00:13:58.519 --> 00:14:01.960 which is really great. Um, but I think that when it comes to 186 00:14:03.000 --> 00:14:09.159 talking about our community, there's a lot of things that like to talk negatively 187 00:14:09.240 --> 00:14:13.000 about it or make some people in our community feel weird for being the way 188 00:14:13.039 --> 00:14:16.879 they are, or that if a lot of people do a certain thing, 189 00:14:16.879 --> 00:14:20.000 if it's really popular in the gay community, then it you know, we're 190 00:14:20.000 --> 00:14:24.639 gonna WE'RE gonna talk down on that, we're gonna make people feel bad that 191 00:14:24.679 --> 00:14:26.759 they're in this in the masses, that like something that's popular, and I 192 00:14:26.799 --> 00:14:30.639 think what I like to do is make people feel good about being in our 193 00:14:30.679 --> 00:14:35.080 community, no matter what kind of place they have in it. So I 194 00:14:35.120 --> 00:14:39.559 think that's what all of my stuff has in its core. But, going 195 00:14:39.600 --> 00:14:41.919 off what you're saying, does it does it have a message? Does it 196 00:14:43.000 --> 00:14:45.799 not? Is it just to make people laugh. I think it just depends. 197 00:14:46.039 --> 00:14:48.039 It doesn't always have to have a message. Sometimes I just might think 198 00:14:48.080 --> 00:14:52.440 an idea is really stupid, like holding in your poop for a while just 199 00:14:52.480 --> 00:14:56.320 to like remind yourself of an x, you know, remind your stuff that 200 00:14:56.360 --> 00:14:58.519 you miss him. You know, that's the so stupid right, like what 201 00:14:58.639 --> 00:15:01.240 is that? What are you saying? Like what? But I'm like, 202 00:15:01.320 --> 00:15:03.840 I just want to do a video about the fact that you miss somebody, 203 00:15:03.840 --> 00:15:07.399 so just like holding your poop a little bit longer to like, you know, 204 00:15:07.480 --> 00:15:09.679 feel like they're in there. I mean that's I don't know, there's 205 00:15:09.679 --> 00:15:13.240 no social message. They're like that. I'm not really I'm not bringing anyone 206 00:15:13.240 --> 00:15:16.360 to the polls to vote for any sort of social cause there. Um. 207 00:15:16.440 --> 00:15:20.440 But and then other times, you know, I like to Um talk about 208 00:15:22.159 --> 00:15:28.879 the government's response to monkey box or gaze, the gaze over covid Um controversy. 209 00:15:28.120 --> 00:15:31.240 You know, there's some other things that have a little bit more to 210 00:15:31.320 --> 00:15:35.240 them. I mean, I'm sure there are people who can relate to holding 211 00:15:35.240 --> 00:15:39.360 in their Poop, just as Mitch longer, I would hope so. I 212 00:15:39.360 --> 00:15:43.320 mean this video is for them. There's definitely an audience for every single concept. 213 00:15:43.919 --> 00:15:48.240 Um. So, so when you first got started, did did the 214 00:15:48.240 --> 00:15:50.720 concept go viral right away? It wasn't one of those like you know, 215 00:15:50.759 --> 00:15:54.159 you hear that story, the stories from people, particularly who create content on 216 00:15:54.159 --> 00:15:56.759 Tiktok, where it's like I put a video up and I woke up in 217 00:15:56.799 --> 00:16:00.600 the morning and I was famous. Basically, Um, is. Is that 218 00:16:00.639 --> 00:16:03.879 how it was for you, or was it a little more of like a 219 00:16:03.919 --> 00:16:08.320 slow burn into like an inferno? You know, I think that it's more 220 00:16:08.360 --> 00:16:12.240 of a slow burn. I put a lot of effort into my videos. 221 00:16:12.720 --> 00:16:18.360 Um, not always, but most of them that do well. They take 222 00:16:18.399 --> 00:16:22.639 a lot of time and effort and planning. I'll create fake board games, 223 00:16:22.159 --> 00:16:26.960 uh, and all the individual pieces, I'll get them three d printed and 224 00:16:26.080 --> 00:16:32.679 I will make original boards, and so some of my concepts can take over 225 00:16:32.720 --> 00:16:37.440 a month to get together. I design everything myself. So, Um, 226 00:16:37.480 --> 00:16:41.279 a lot of those things have hit really hard because people are sometimes just impressed 227 00:16:41.279 --> 00:16:45.440 by the sheer amount of work that went into something so stupid, like just 228 00:16:45.519 --> 00:16:48.799 taking an idea that's so dumb and committing to it's so hard. Um, 229 00:16:48.840 --> 00:16:55.360 people just seem to enjoy those sorts of things. So over time. You 230 00:16:55.399 --> 00:16:57.559 know, those things build and people are like Hey, I like this guy, 231 00:16:57.679 --> 00:17:00.559 like he puts a lot of time and energy and effort into these dumb 232 00:17:00.600 --> 00:17:03.960 ideas. Um. So for me it feels like a slow burn. Even 233 00:17:03.960 --> 00:17:07.480 if someone individually looked at videos, they go. He just went viral really 234 00:17:07.559 --> 00:17:12.920 quickly. I think I was just working really hard. Um. But yeah, 235 00:17:12.960 --> 00:17:18.160 I'd say a slow bird. That's deserved, a deserved slow burn, 236 00:17:18.640 --> 00:17:30.240 a deserve slow bird. Since Starting Gay Science, Rob has partnered with the 237 00:17:30.279 -->

00:17:34.160 Academy Awards, made promotional content with pop star Kim Petris, penned a number 238 00:17:34.200 --> 00:17:40.680 one best selling children's book based on the infamous national anthem performance by singer Fergie, 239 00:17:41.000 --> 00:17:45.000 put out a song and music video and appeared on the discovery plus show. 240 00:17:45.160 --> 00:17:48.599 The book of Queer sounds overwhelming, to say the least, in terms 241 00:17:48.640 --> 00:17:53.279 of gay science. Right. What happens when that's not what you want to 242 00:17:53.400 --> 00:17:56.279 do anymore? I mean so many things have happened already. Right, I'm 243 00:17:56.319 --> 00:18:00.279 like, Oh my God, I am my success as success. Um, 244 00:18:00.880 --> 00:18:03.160 yeah, no, thank you. We should clap for you, but it'd 245 00:18:03.160 --> 00:18:10.839 be weird. Um, I have too many ideas and too many things that 246 00:18:10.960 --> 00:18:17.000 I want to do. where. Um, I will just have them all 247 00:18:17.039 --> 00:18:22.000 in different documents of like Um long form shows that I want to make, 248 00:18:22.880 --> 00:18:26.160 movies that I want to write, um start like scripts that I've started to 249 00:18:26.200 --> 00:18:30.720 write and collaborations. I'll see somebody online I'm like, Oh my God, 250 00:18:30.799 --> 00:18:34.319 I love this person. It would be so fun to do this and this 251 00:18:34.400 --> 00:18:38.039 with them, but I want to make sure that thing was the perfect match. 252 00:18:38.240 --> 00:18:41.759 And so I never approached them or d m them because I'm like in 253 00:18:41.799 --> 00:18:45.480 the back of my mind like that that'll come to me when it does and 254 00:18:45.480 --> 00:18:48.039 then I'll reach out to them. And so I actually have too many things 255 00:18:48.039 --> 00:18:52.880 that I want to do and it would be nice to have a less and 256 00:18:52.920 --> 00:18:56.720 be able to actually like focus on what that one next thing is Um, 257 00:18:56.839 --> 00:19:03.160 which I'm trying to do. That's like I'm trying to hone things in and 258 00:19:03.279 --> 00:19:07.680 find one thing and like really focus on it. Um. So, uh, 259 00:19:07.759 --> 00:19:11.720 yeah, I think when it comes to a series like gay science, 260 00:19:11.759 --> 00:19:15.440 I've really never gotten tired of it goes in waves. Or if I have 261 00:19:15.480 --> 00:19:18.559 a lot of good ideas, I'll have a bunch of in a month and 262 00:19:18.599 --> 00:19:22.079 then maybe like the next couple of months, like maybe I'll have one or 263 00:19:22.119 --> 00:19:25.680 two. I just kind of Lean into whatever is most enjoyable for me to 264 00:19:25.759 --> 00:19:27.759 make. Um. But there are sometimes where I think things run its course. 265 00:19:27.839 --> 00:19:32.759 Like I had a series called boyfriend twins, and it may eventually come 266 00:19:32.799 --> 00:19:36.880 back, but I did it for like maybe about nine months and I feel 267 00:19:36.920 --> 00:19:40.519 like there was like I went through a bunch of topics with them. I 268 00:19:40.559 --> 00:19:44.240 think we got to know who these two guys were. Um, they were 269 00:19:44.680 --> 00:19:48.759 a boyfriend twins that looked alike. I played both of them and they're dating 270 00:19:48.799 --> 00:19:51.759 each other. But the show wasn't about the fact that they looked alike. 271 00:19:52.039 --> 00:19:55.279 It was just about like a slice of life in a in a gay couple, 272 00:19:55.920 --> 00:19:59.200 Um, and people really liked it and I think I was like good 273 00:19:59.240 --> 00:20:02.079 on it. It's sort point who were like bring that back, like where 274 00:20:02.079 --> 00:20:03.720 did that go? Like we want more videos of them, and I think 275 00:20:03.759 --> 00:20:07.640 I did one and I just didn't enjoy it as much and I'm like, 276 00:20:07.680 --> 00:20:10.720 well, I'm not. I'm just gonna bring it back if I want to, 277 00:20:10.880 --> 00:20:12.880 if I have a good idea for it, um, but I just 278 00:20:12.920 --> 00:20:15.559 get bored too easily. I like to move on from things, but gay 279 00:20:15.599 --> 00:20:19.359 science is the one thing I haven't really gotten bored with. Recently, ROB 280 00:20:19.400 --> 00:20:23.279 announced he'll be kicking off his twenty city North American comedy tour, Heartthrob, 281 00:20:23.400 --> 00:20:26.880 live in black rock city, Nevada, on August thirty one, which will 282 00:20:26.880 --> 00:20:32.400 conclude in Los Angeles on December eleven. The show features original music, presentations 283 00:20:32.400 --> 00:20:36.160 and personal stories. He says he's kept far away from the Internet. You 284 00:20:36.160 --> 00:20:40.519 can purchase tickets at HEARTTHROB ANDERSON DOT com slash tour. You've kind of taken 285 00:20:40.519 --> 00:20:44.279 everything and now you're doing it live and on stage, which to me sounds 286 00:20:44.319 --> 00:20:47.880 more terrifying. Like it's better to put something on the Internet because if it's 287 00:20:47.920 --> 00:20:49.319 really doesn't hit, you can be like, I'm gonna del eat that. 288 00:20:49.759 --> 00:20:56.319 You can't delete real life embarrassment because it's just there. So was that terrifying 289 00:20:56.599 --> 00:21:02.440 taking the comedy you created for online to a live stage with real human beings 290 00:21:02.440 --> 00:21:07.880 in front of you? Yeah, there was definitely nerves involved. I don't 291 00:21:07.920 --> 00:21:12.000 know if I was terrified, though. I was an Improv performer in Chicago 292 00:21:12.119 --> 00:21:17.880 for seven or eight years for the second city and I owe and the stage 293 00:21:17.920 --> 00:21:22.119 is really comfortable for me. I really enjoy it, but I have not 294 00:21:22.279 --> 00:21:29.160 been on it since. So it was I was a little nervous because it 295 00:21:29.200 --> 00:21:34.000 had been about seven years,

six years Um, since I stepped on on 296 00:21:34.000 --> 00:21:37.640 a stage and it was stand out a lot of stand up that I was 297 00:21:37.680 --> 00:21:41.440 doing all new material. So I was like, I just didn't know how 298 00:21:41.440 --> 00:21:45.480 people were going to respond to it. Um. But it's a room full 299 00:21:45.519 --> 00:21:48.240 of people that already like me and enjoy me in these shows that I've had 300 00:21:48.359 --> 00:21:52.960 leading up to the tour. Uh. So the audiences were just fire and 301 00:21:53.039 --> 00:21:59.079 the material really landed, which was great. Uh. And I refined it 302 00:21:59.119 --> 00:22:02.240 even more. A bit of a perfectionist, so after that first show I 303 00:22:02.279 --> 00:22:04.519 was like, okay, like what worked, what didn't? How can I 304 00:22:04.559 --> 00:22:07.960 make that better? And I spent another month of like refining it, and 305 00:22:07.960 --> 00:22:11.799 then I did in front of a new audience in San Diego and I saw 306 00:22:11.839 --> 00:22:15.480 what they liked and didn't like, and then I refined it more. And 307 00:22:15.519 --> 00:22:18.359 so, like, over time, I just came up with what is, 308 00:22:18.480 --> 00:22:22.480 I'm really confident to say, is like an awesome, funny show and I'm 309 00:22:22.480 --> 00:22:25.720 excited to do it in the fall. Is it really fucking funny? It's 310 00:22:26.480 --> 00:22:30.319 it's really fucking funny. It's really gay. It's really really gay, and 311 00:22:30.359 --> 00:22:36.359 I've had some straight people in the audience, Um, and I I think 312 00:22:36.400 --> 00:22:41.160 they enjoy it too. There's there's a moment. There's a moment for the 313 00:22:41.200 --> 00:22:45.400 straight if they don't it's fine. Yeah, yeah, but it's really gay 314 00:22:45.599 --> 00:22:49.359 and it's all the things that I've been wanting to say, stories I've wanted 315 00:22:49.400 --> 00:22:52.559 to tell, jokes I've wanted to make that I can't really make on the 316 00:22:52.559 --> 00:22:57.440 Internet, Um, especially not places like Tiktok where it's like heavily moderated. 317 00:22:57.960 --> 00:23:04.160 Um. It's all of the more explicit things and more personal things that I 318 00:23:04.519 --> 00:23:08.799 think when you're on stage and you're in an environment where it's just you and 319 00:23:08.839 --> 00:23:12.960 the audience, it just feels more intimate. Uh. And that's the kind 320 00:23:12.960 --> 00:23:18.440 of show that I've put together. Can you give us like a little taste 321 00:23:18.480 --> 00:23:22.279 of what people should expect? It should be explicit. It's very gay. 322 00:23:22.400 --> 00:23:27.400 Yes, uh. It's the basis of it is storytelling, personal stories taken 323 00:23:27.440 --> 00:23:36.039 from my life that I've wanted to tell and intersplice in those are original songs. 324 00:23:37.359 --> 00:23:40.519 Some of those are songs that people have may have heard, original songs. 325 00:23:41.480 --> 00:23:47.079 Yes, I love this. Yes, Um, there are songs that 326 00:23:47.160 --> 00:23:51.839 I've released. Two songs out now, comedy pop songs. Those are in 327 00:23:51.880 --> 00:23:56.519 the show, as well as other songs that are just only really should exist 328 00:23:56.559 --> 00:24:03.079 within the confines of the show to give them context. Uh. And then 329 00:24:03.519 --> 00:24:11.119 original Um presentations. So it's a variety of sorts of stand up storytelling, 330 00:24:11.920 --> 00:24:17.279 Um presentations and music and a little bit of nudity. Wait, there's no 331 00:24:17.440 --> 00:24:18.799 wait. Okay, so this is fitting. I was getting excited for the 332 00:24:18.880 --> 00:24:22.279 nudity. Oh, there's a little bit. Okay, twenty one plus. 333 00:24:22.359 --> 00:24:26.000 You gotta be one. Well, the first question is, who's nude? 334 00:24:26.039 --> 00:24:29.799 Is it you? I'm assuming so, because it's called it's the heartthrob tour. 335 00:24:29.839 --> 00:24:33.400 Correct. Yes, but the audience? You're nude. The audience is 336 00:24:33.519 --> 00:24:36.920 nude. Oh, you don't know until you don't know, until you come 337 00:24:36.960 --> 00:24:40.400 in, and I'm like don't you love this? That's Super Fun. Everyone 338 00:24:40.440 --> 00:24:44.079 get naked. Did did you name your tour heartthrob? Did you are you 339 00:24:44.079 --> 00:24:45.759 a self described heartthrob, or did people say like you are heartthrob? That 340 00:24:45.759 --> 00:24:49.799 should be the name of the tour. Uh. My original instagram name was 341 00:24:49.880 --> 00:24:56.799 really boring. I think it was like Rob Anderson Eight, Rob Anderson Eight, 342 00:24:57.079 --> 00:25:00.960 and I was like I need a Pun. I need a pun in 343 00:25:00.000 --> 00:25:04.039 my name. Uh, and so a few years back I changed it and 344 00:25:04.160 --> 00:25:07.640 that's that's the one I decided to come up with. So No, nobody 345 00:25:07.680 --> 00:25:15.079 actually calls me a heartthrob itself. I call myself it, which is so 346 00:25:15.200 --> 00:25:19.319 cool, isn't it? What a cool thing to name yourself a compliment. 347 00:25:19.960 --> 00:25:22.759 Yes, so how many? I know you actually have a lot of your 348 00:25:22.799 --> 00:25:26.559 tours are several of them are already sold out. I think Portland has sold 349 00:25:26.599 --> 00:25:30.960 out and maybe Seattle sold out. Um, but you're going everywhere, from 350 00:25:30.000 --> 00:25:33.240 like Texas to Hawaii. I mean I think around the east coast a little 351 00:25:33.240 --> 00:25:37.599 bit dabling in like Philadelphia. So there are a lot of places for for 352 00:25:37.640 --> 00:25:41.839 people to see you. Where can they buy your tickets? They yes, 353 00:25:41.240 --> 00:25:47.440 I'm in twenty cities. I actually wanted to hit up every single city in 354 00:25:47.440 --> 00:25:51.640 the United States, in North America,

and my tour agent was like, 355 00:25:52.119 --> 00:25:55.880 you know, her name is Rachel, she's amazing. She was like this 356 00:25:55.960 --> 00:25:57.359 is your first tour, you know, like, why don't we just try 357 00:25:57.400 --> 00:26:02.279 to dial it in? But she got all the cities that I wanted and 358 00:26:02.359 --> 00:26:06.240 she got amazing clubs in them. Um, you can get tickets at Heartthrob 359 00:26:06.319 --> 00:26:11.400 Anderson Slash tour. HEARTTHROB ANDERSON DOT com slash tour. Uh and I'm in 360 00:26:11.599 --> 00:26:17.599 Texas and Florida and everywhere on the East Coast. I'm in Toronto and, 361 00:26:17.680 --> 00:26:21.160 yes, even in Honolulu. Will End my tour in Honolulu. So there's 362 00:26:21.160 --> 00:26:22.920 a lot of places to see me. Uh and it is selling out. 363 00:26:23.119 --> 00:26:26.359 So we so that. I think seven of the shows so far, Um, 364 00:26:26.480 --> 00:26:29.480 and I think they're all going to sell out. Is what I'm told. 365 00:26:29.599 --> 00:26:33.680 So that's very exciting. So if you do want to go see heartthrob 366 00:26:33.759 --> 00:26:34.880 live, you need to get tickets. I mean by the time this comes 367 00:26:34.880 --> 00:26:38.000 out, probably you're too late. It's it's over, but you're too late, 368 00:26:38.079 --> 00:26:41.480 but hopefully not. You might as well check and make sure that you're 369 00:26:41.519 --> 00:26:48.880 not too late. Rob is a vocal advocate when it comes to lgbt Q 370 00:26:49.000 --> 00:26:52.559 plus rights and issues, so I wanted to get his pulse check on some 371 00:26:52.640 --> 00:27:00.640 current issues the queer community is facing. What are your thoughts on some pertinent 372 00:27:00.680 --> 00:27:03.519 issues to the LGBTQ plus community that don't say gay bill, Um, even 373 00:27:03.599 --> 00:27:10.440 just the precariousness of Queer rights in our country? Um, specifically after the 374 00:27:10.599 --> 00:27:15.279 overturning of Rov Wade, the government's response to to monkey pok. So I'd 375 00:27:15.279 --> 00:27:18.480 love to know about kind of the the issues that are really important to you 376 00:27:18.599 --> 00:27:22.680 right now and and just why you feel like you should, I guess, 377 00:27:22.799 --> 00:27:29.000 use your platform for those those issues. Yeah, I um. It can 378 00:27:29.039 --> 00:27:37.599 be really depressing reading and seeing what's happening because, like a lot of things, 379 00:27:37.920 --> 00:27:41.480 uh, you think you have a little bit of progress. And I 380 00:27:41.480 --> 00:27:48.599 mean when we had gay marriage throughout all fifty states and two thousand fifteen you 381 00:27:48.640 --> 00:27:52.839 know, a lot of uh, mostly CIS UH gay men, felt like 382 00:27:53.799 --> 00:27:57.880 okay, fine, like we're finally all equal, but it is not the 383 00:27:57.920 --> 00:28:03.319 case. There's a lot of people under the LGBT Q plus umbrella that don't 384 00:28:03.319 --> 00:28:08.400 have that equality, that that are are more stigmatized, and I think that 385 00:28:08.640 --> 00:28:12.880 even now, seeing what's happening in Florida and how other states are seeing that 386 00:28:14.000 --> 00:28:18.400 don't say gay bill and making their own versions of it. Um, the 387 00:28:18.440 --> 00:28:23.319 fight really never ends and it can be exhausting and really frustrating seeing it. 388 00:28:23.759 --> 00:28:30.839 Um, but we have to notice that it's happening, realize we're gonna take 389 00:28:30.920 --> 00:28:36.240 some losses and things are gonna have to we're going to be pushed back, 390 00:28:36.759 --> 00:28:40.240 but we're not gonna stop talking about it, uh, and we're not gonna 391 00:28:40.279 --> 00:28:47.319 stop showing how absolutely ridiculous it is. Um. And, and I do 392 00:28:47.400 --> 00:28:52.160 that through comedy. Um, it's it's just my way of communicating, it's 393 00:28:52.240 --> 00:28:59.279 my way of like showing my thoughts. Um. But everyone does it in 394 00:28:59.319 --> 00:29:03.119 their own way and so, Um, yeah, I think that that's like 395 00:29:03.400 --> 00:29:07.920 just a it's a very important thing for me. Where can all of the 396 00:29:07.279 --> 00:29:11.039 people into the Rock and in a cave? No shame for cave dwellers, 397 00:29:11.079 --> 00:29:15.559 but where can they follow you on social media if they're not already? On 398 00:29:15.599 --> 00:29:23.440 instagram it's Heart Rob Anderson, and on Tiktok it's heart throbberts and on twitter 399 00:29:23.880 --> 00:29:29.319 it's a smart throb. Oh my gosh, the puns. I know. 400 00:29:29.759 --> 00:29:33.880 It's mainly because my name was taken in each one of these subsequent things, 401 00:29:33.519 --> 00:29:37.359 so I couldn't. I had to find new wage, a new way to 402 00:29:37.400 --> 00:29:41.720 call myself, a new thing. Uh. And then, Um, youtube 403 00:29:41.799 --> 00:29:45.319 is just my name. Well, thank you so so much for coming on 404 00:29:45.359 --> 00:29:49.160 the podcast and taking time away from my guests. You were probably like knee 405 00:29:49.160 --> 00:29:52.559 deep creating new content for tech talk. That's going to be out in like 406 00:29:52.559 --> 00:29:53.440 a month or so because it's taking a long time for you to make a 407 00:29:53.440 --> 00:29:59.079 new board game or something, but I really appreciate you taking the time to 408 00:29:59.160 --> 00:30:02.839 be on the podcas past and to talk to us about all of these things. 409 00:30:03.400 --> 00:30:06.039 Levi, thank you for having me. This was so much fun. 410 00:30:11.839 --> 00:30:14.960 Pride is a production of Straw hut media. If you like the show, 411 00:30:15.160 --> 00:30:18.160 leave us a rating and a review on Apple podcasts, spotify or wherever you 412 00:30:18.160 --> 00:30:22.839 listen to podcasts. Then follow us on Tiktok, instagram, facebook, twitter 413 00:30:22.000 --> 00:30:26.160 and snapchat at pride and tune in weekly for more. Be Sure to share 414 00:30:26.200 --> 00:30:30.160 this episode with your friends and subscribe for more stories from Amazing Queer people. 415 00:30:30.519 --> 00:30:33.359 If you'd like to connect with me, you can follow me everywhere, at 416 00:30:33.440 --> 00:30:37.839 Lea by chambers. Pride is produced by me Levy Chambers, Frank Driscoll, 417 00:30:38.119 --> 00:30:44.799 Maggie Bowls, Ryan Tillottson and Brandon Marlowe. Edited by Frank Driscoll and Daniel Ferrara.