QUEERNECKS

Remembering Emily Cobb Thomas + The Night I Quit Mushrooms | Queernecks

Beck and Dash open with a theory that Trixie Mattel is diddlin a country dumplin, then share updates and stories ranging from dog grooming costs and haircuts to an oddly bonding conversation about health “battle scars.” The episode’s “Noun of Appalachian Interest” honors Emily Cobb Thomas, a close friend of Beck’s and an anti-racist community leader in Scioto County, Ohio, who worked decades at the Community Action Organization, fought housing and employment discrimination, helped lead the NAACP, and supported local programs. Beck tells a story about a caravan to see Larry the Cable Guy where Emily got high and admired “the prettiest fucking tulips,” plus a bingo mishap and memories of Emily’s humor and impact. Beck then recounts a disastrous college mushroom trip that led to quitting shrooms. A sponsor segment riffs on “Local Honey” lore and its supposed benefits, before the hosts discuss ranch, “boomer,” politics, and plan next week’s “show and tell.” 00:00 Podcast Welcome

00:23 Trixie Kentucky Rumors

01:29 Birthday Tradition

02:09 Dog Grooming Costs

03:02 Haircuts and Hairdresser Tea

04:48 Work Lunch and Battle Scars

05:42 Wheel Anecdote Setup

07:36 Noun Emily Tribute

10:54 Emily Legacy and Community Work

13:40 College Firsts and Family Stories

15:36 Tulips and Bingo Memories

23:27 Storytelling and Quitting Shrooms

28:54 Chaos at Mom’s House

29:50 Barn Party Shroom Tea

31:02 Bad Trip Breakdown

32:49 Escape Ride Home

34:10 Dorm Panic Spiral

36:33 Never Again Shrooms

37:16 Psychedelics Aftermath

38:02 Four Leaf Clover Vision

38:40 Nose Talk and Siblings

40:16 Psychopath Eyes Theory

42:03 Family Sociopath Rant

42:42 Aging Cats Check In

43:35 Local Honey Sponsor Bit

46:20 Honey Nuggets and DQ

48:41 Boomer Meaning Debate

50:54 JK Rowling Amnesty Row

52:42 Hungary Voting Shock

54:51 Next Week Show and Tell

56:29 Wrap Up and Goodbye

#queer #appalachia #storytelling

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Beck and Dash recap a weekend visit with Beck’s mother-in-law and best friend that led to an ill-fated purchase of Taboo Uncensored, which was too explicit to play, so they switched to the original Taboo. They describe visiting a Michigan dispensary and then Beck vents about ongoing telehealth frustrations with a remote psychiatrist, including app issues, unhelpful messaging, medication side effects complicated by testosterone therapy, and gene test results showing the current medication in the “red” column. The hosts discuss teaching logistics and changing academic titles, then play “Eight Second Holler” and a screen-recorded online Pictionary-style game. A mock sponsor spot celebrates “scrounging” and they critique Marie Kondo’s decluttering ethos. Beck shares a “noun of Appalachian interest” on bluegrass music, plus podcast recommendations and closing plans.

00:00 Podcast Welcome

00:21 Taboo Game Disaster

02:19 Michigan Dispensary Trip

03:26 Telehealth Tech Nightmare

07:48 Gene Test Med Mixup

11:18 Higher Ed Setup Stress

13:09 New Games Introduced

17:07 Eight Second Holler

19:03 Hearing Aids And Masks

20:37 Smell Test Study

22:58 Walmart Bag And Feet

27:11 Bowling Alley Buffer Story

30:05 Lesbian Sheep And Coworkers

34:04 Switching To Pictionary

35:26 Drawing Game Setup

37:05 Medium Round Seahorse Fail

39:57 Hard Round Post Office

41:30 Screenshots and Profit Win

42:42 Final Round Buccaneer Reveal

44:39 Sponsor Scrounging Skit

46:58 Marie Kondo Backlash

52:25 Railroad Scrounging Stories

56:19 Union Corruption Talk

59:11 Bluegrass Noun Segment

01:00:59 Bluegrass Favorites and Fusions

01:07:28 Podcast Recs and Wheel Spin

01:09:37 Wrap Up and Plans

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Beck and Dash discuss the film Major League (1989), including its Cleveland setting, baseball culture and superstitions, misogyny and racism (including Chief Wahoo), key characters and scenes (Vaughn’s glasses, Serrano’s Jobu rituals, the owner’s sabotage, and the team’s turnaround), and basic baseball questions about teams, rivalries, season length, and the Yankees. Beck connects the movie to grief, PTSD, and earlier therapy experiences. A mock sponsor segment celebrates Appalachian bootleggers as mutual aid. The episode ends with an Appalachian “noun of interest,” the Grafton Monster, plus brief talk about broken apartment AC, podcast recommendations, and choosing “word game/trivia” for next week’s wheel segment.

Beck shows off stunning flower photos shot on a budget phone, Dash gets the "dramatics" of nature photography, and we get deep into why certain songs—from Big Butter Jesus to Keith Whitley—become emotionally tied to our childhoods in ways that have nothing to do with actually liking the music. Plus: Jennifer Garner's secret Appalachian connection, religion's weird rules against instruments, and our next movie assignment.

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00:00 Fuck You For Your Service, Tiny Goblin

00:25 Pain in the ass went to the vet

07:11 Photography Assignment: Dramatic Bitches

09:04 Beck's Flower Photography Showcase

23:01 Big Butter Jesus https://youtu.be/6Mf2u9VWAhM?si=SQASCna6g0YXnolm

28:06 Music & Childhood Memories

35:21 Politics & Voting

39:24 Religion & Musical Instruments

53:13 Movie Reviews & Dark Films

55:57 Next Week: Major League

Beck and Dash discuss how World Cup banter on TikTok sparked the meme phrase “America’s favorite sport is competition,” leading into a broader conversation about memes, early internet culture (4chan, Rickrolling, Rotten.com, eBaum’s World), and how Web 2.0 interactivity evolved into today’s app-driven, algorithmic internet, with Web 3.0 framed as decentralization via blockchain. They highlight Facebook groups as local “public history” repositories (Portsmouth, Ohio) versus gossip hubs (Nosy Asses of Toledo), share favorite TikTok creators, run a comedic sponsor spot on cut-off jean shorts, feature an “Appalachian noun” on Heiner’s bread, and assign a community photo challenge: “dramatic bitches” in nature.

00:00 Podcast Welcome

00:19 Mailbox Chaos

01:58 Fourth of July Gripes

02:49 Pharmacy Closed Panic

04:41 Shortages and Desalination

06:03 World Cup TikTok Jokes

08:42 Taco Bell Hacks

10:06 Where Memes Come From

15:19 Early Internet Shock Sites

16:55 Amazon and Web Evolution

18:54 Web 2.0 vs Web 3.0

22:36 Portsmouth History Facebook

28:05 Nosy Asses of Toledo

30:38 TikTok ABBA Australians

32:32 Data Privacy and Marketplace

35:16 Sinister Pawn Lima Tour

36:40 Kewpie Burgers And Mansions

38:14 Prison Romance And Furbies

39:09 Pikeville Kentucky Detour

41:09 Captain Ds And Downtown Finds

41:53 Nail Salon Rant

43:20 Sponsor Cutoff Jean Shorts

45:18 Comfort Clothes Talk

46:34 Fourth Of July And Pets

48:07 Smoke Detectors And Cooking

49:25 Noun Heiners Bread

53:02 Cousins Jobs And Driving Tests

56:17 Photo Assignment Dramatic Bitches

58:28 Wrap Up And Goodbye

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Youtube clips

Hacker and Lauren: https://youtu.be/awTnX-nGlUw?si=pR6jt6amc4puwvlr

Blind Date Fart https://youtu.be/QG7VHX64oaM?si=6nO-z6taNZelHYyE

McScuse me Carla https://youtu.be/IrSsjdzlUSw?si=1wdKgotZL6TrUlx7

Send us your favorite clips to react to on the show at [email protected]

In this episode:

• What if your parents were gay?
• The Stonewall riots, hidden family secrets, and domestic violence
• ADHD medications and heart health in rural communities
• Deep dives into YouTube culture and internet rabbit holes
• Why TikTok creators are going to theaters (Iron Lung, The Backrooms)
• Naming your pets weird things (Tiffany the Tarantula, Brisket the cat)
• Black Appalachia and Dr. Henry Louis Gates Jr.'s legacy
• Affrilachia, Frank X Walker, and reclaiming Appalachian narratives
• Family game night, Trivial Pursuit, and how queer history sneaks into your living room

00:00 Intro & Growing Up Queer in Appalachia

00:49 Family Stories & Domestic Violence

04:08 TV, Streaming & Pop Culture Critique

13:35 YouTube Culture & Creators

21:38 Personal Health & ADHD Medications

22:09 ADHD, Heart Health & Medical Reality

23:28 ‌

32:18 Pet Stories & Naming Animals

44:50 Appalachian Scholars & Black Appalachia

50:15 ‌

51:37 Social Media & Academic Research

01:00:19 Outro & Call to Action

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Beck and Dash explore why humor matters, what makes a comedian memorable, and how queerness and marginalization shape comedy. Dash argues that humor is inherently queer in the queer-theory sense: making fun of something means breaking it down, ruining it a little, and turning it into a ridiculous version of itself. Both hosts agree that comedians from marginalized backgrounds tend to be more creative because they've had to find new ways to survive and connect.

• Why pop culture working-class hobbies (NASCAR, MMA, monster trucks) get politicized
• Disability, deafness, and talking about impairment in an affirming way
• Smoking culture in Appalachia
• Rural policing and why you have to "sponsor" a sheriff's deputy
• "YouTube night" and queer media culture

Email [email protected], comment on Facebook, or find Queernecks on Threads. Listeners are invited to share their favorite comedians and funny YouTube clips for a future "YouTube night" segment.

Sign-off: Happy West Virginia Day — leave out some Mountain Dew and pepperoni rolls for Mothman.

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

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

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

Beck and Dash show up with mics on and zero prep — and somehow go from dead languages to Jehovah's Witnesses to the most redneck thing a giraffe has ever done.

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Season 2 of Queer Next is officially "fancy pants," and this episode swings wild: language-class disasters, unforgettable teachers, a Masters of the Universe review, drag culture, gender as a social construct, and a genuinely moving tribute to the Marshall University Memorial Fountain.

Chapters: (02:25) Language Class Disasters — Japanese, Latin & "I feel like chicken tonight" (07:33) Masters of the Universe & Jared Leto's Skeletor (14:32) Drag Culture, RuPaul & the Heterosexual Gaze (22:52) Gender as a Social Construct — "Canada Is Imaginary" (28:46) Jehovah's Witnesses & You Can Live Forever (42:36) Sponsor Break: The Topics.net Gossip Forum (36:43) Running From the Law: Potato Guns & Campus Cops (57:11) Karaoke Confessions (51:27) Noun of Appalachian Interest: The Marshall Memorial Fountain

Queer, Appalachian, and gloriously unhinged. Happy Pride. 🏳️‍🌈

SEASON TWO OF QUEERNECKS HAPPY PRIDE MONTH

Hosts Beck and Dash celebrate Pride Month, joke about “straight pride” backlash and a Tennessee “nuclear family month,” and talk about rising costs, engineered poverty, and how work and isolation affect relationships and having kids. They discuss small-town pride and share personal updates about reconnecting with friends. The main segment reviews the film Foxy Merkins, a dry, plot-light queer comedy about New York lesbian sex workers Margaret and Jo, focusing on its absurd vignettes, kink and class themes, Margaret’s butch gender presentation and objectification, and references to Midnight Cowboy and My Own Private Idaho. They critique inconsistent mockumentary framing, unresolved subplots, a misleading title/merkin thread, and an open-ended ending. The episode includes a mock sponsor ad for Small Town Pride Festival, an Appalachian “noun” explaining leather britches (dried green beans), and a brief note about a Diddy documentary.

00:00 Podcast Cold Open

00:09 Student Email Chaos

02:10 Pride Month Backlash

02:33 Nuclear Family Politics

05:23 Birthrates And Economy

07:53 OnlyFans Joke Pivot

08:55 Foxy Merkins Setup

11:33 Meet Margaret And Jo

17:25 Bathroom Office Absurdity

19:46 Mockumentary Structure Gripes

22:11 Class And Cultural Capital

25:29 Film Homages Explained

27:39 Cops Kink Hotel Scenes

32:02 Maid Twist And Fallout

33:05 Fake Shooting Twist

33:34 Jo’s Motives Exposed

33:57 Midnight Cowboy Parallel

34:55 Gay for Pay Dynamics

35:52 Popcorn Creeper Kink

37:56 Conference Motorboaters

39:51 Hanky Code Bits

41:49 Women Don’t Love Women

44:06 Brother and Mom Subplots

45:25 Class Tourism and Money

46:45 Home Birth Debate

50:00 Sunset Ending Complaints

54:02 Merkin Title Mystery

55:23 Butch Visibility and Sex Work

56:42 Sex Tape Blackmail Plot

58:42 Sponsor Small Town Pride

01:00:36 Pride Memories and Leagues

01:02:59 Leather Britches Explained

01:05:07 Chow Chow and Top Chef

01:06:28 Season Two Sign-Off

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