Ruba Club

Q&A with Sex with Timaree by Teagan Kuruna

We have so many great podcasts participating in the 5th annual Philadelphia Podcast Festival, so we're highlighting some of them in this Q&A series. You can find the full schedule of live shows here, and purchase tickets for Sex with Timaree's live recording on July 21 at 9:30pm at Ruba Club here. Tickets also get you access to the Philly Podfest Afterparty at Ruba Club immediately following the live show.

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How did your show come about? My show's producer, Nathan Kuruna, who is also the creator/producer of the Philly Podcast Festival, approached me with the idea of turning my sexuality education work into audio form. I'd been writing about sex and giving presentations and trainings for years. I was like "what's a podcast?" To this day, I don't really know how all this works, but because I have a super knowledgeable, reliable producer who had a vision for a thing we could create, we are nearly at 300 episodes.

Are there episodes you consider your “greatest hits?” Which ones are good “entry” points for new listeners? Personally, I got a ton out of the Photo Pig episode- this man had never before spoken to anyone about his overwhelming desire to be degraded. It was the center of his life, something he risked his job for regularly and over which he had lost two marriages: because he was afraid to speak openly about this fetish. When we started the episode, he was planning on jerking off while he told me about his interests, but it very quickly become a deeply intimate conversation about his childhood, the meaning behind his behavior, his hopes and dreams for the future. He told me things he had never told another person and I was able to give him resources that he had been missing out on, like Fetlife and Kink Aware Professionals Network. We both got a lot out of that conversation.

Otherwise, I would just scan the list of episodes and see what appeals. We talk to academics, porn stars, artists, inventors, writers, and more. There's an episode for everyone.

What do you appreciate most about this medium? I don't have to wear any make up. I show up in my romper, soaked in sweat from the long bike ride to the studio and for one hour a week, get to be a voice and not worry about how i look while doing my job. That's convenient.

What do you most look forward to when doing live shows? How does the show change? We get to tap into visual senses, obviously. So in previous years we've had live pole dancers, drag, burlesque, etc. This year we're doing a BDSM demo. That's something that I could describe on air, of course, but it's not quite the same. Last year we had Flirt Vonnegut commentate on a burlesque performance like a baseball announcer and that was cute, so the people at home could still get something out of it.

Where can people find your podcast and hosts? SexWithTimaree.com- it's a clearinghouse of my sex education work, although I also write for Philly Weekly and do community organizing for the Philly burlesque scene- and you can check that out at Burlesqueadelphia.com

Q&A with we Got This with Mark and Hal by Teagan Kuruna

We have so many great podcasts participating in the 5th annual Philadelphia Podcast Festival, so we're highlighting some of them in this Q&A series. You can find the full schedule of live shows here, and purchase tickets for We Got This with Mark and Hal's live recording on July 21 at 8:00pm at Ruba Club here. There are also VIP tickets that include a meet and greet with Mark and Hal, and all tickets also get you entry to the live recording of Sex with Timaree at 9:30pm. 

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How did your show come about? How did you meet your co-hosts? When I (Hal) knew the Thrilling Adventure Hour was nearing the end of its run, I told Mark "We're doing a podcast together". I'd had an idea for a simple concept of two people taking subjective arguments and settling them objectively as a lark. I told our mutual friend Eric about it and he said "Oh, like whether you should put ketchup on a hot dog?" and we had our first episode. Mark and I met back in 2002 when we improvised together in front of three people in a small theater in L.A. We definitely knew one another over the years, but it wasn't until Thrilling Adventure Hour that we became super close.

Are there episodes you consider your “greatest hits?” Which ones are good “entry” points for new listeners? I like to think that our first episode ("Should you put Ketchup on a hot dog?") still holds up. Any episode with John Hodgman (our reigning guest-in-residence) is pretty great, especially his first episode with us. I also think that "Liquid vs Bar vs Foam soap" is a great example of our chemistry. Also, "Best Vintage Toy" with Janet Varney is great because she's such an A+ guest. Same with "Calling or Texting" with Paul F. Tompkins.

What do you appreciate most about this medium? How democratic it is. We can create a show, put it out there, and evolve it without any restrictions or interference from a higher authority. Anyone can. It may not be a level playing field, but it's an open playing field.

What do you most look forward to when doing live shows? How does the show change? Our live shows just have more energy. The live laughter is always great, but at any give moment half of the crowd is in vehement disagreement with our stance on something while the other half is in total agreement. It's the best kind of tension.

 What are you hoping to do in Philly other than record a live podcast? We both have family here (I'm a hometown boy, and Mark's father is from Philly) that we're hoping to see, and I'm planning on seeing my closest and oldest friends, visiting some of my old haunts, and eating at least one ACTUAL cheesesteak while I'm in town.

Where can people find your podcast and hosts? You can find us at wegotthispodcast.com (which will take you to Maximum Fun, our home for the last two years) and on iTunes or Stitcher or whatever podcasting app you use under "We Got This with Mark and Hal". The show is @wegotthistweets on twitter and this is our Facebook group - on of my favorite places to visit online. Mark is @markgags on twitter and I'm @hallublin.


We Got This with Mark and Hal joins Philly Podfest 2017 by Teagan Kuruna

Exciting news! We Got This with Mark and Hal will be performing live at Philly Podfest 2017. Mark Gagliardi and Hal Lublin will bring their debate to Ruba Club on Friday, July 21. VIP meet and greet (and signed Festival poster) starts at 7:00pm, and the show starts at 8:00pm. Get your tickets now!

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But wait, there's more! We Got This will be followed by Philadelphia's own Dr. Timaree Schmit recording her podcast, Sex with Timaree, at 9:30pm. Tickets are available and you are not going to want to miss this.

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At 11pm, Honeytree EvilEye is hosting the Philly PodFest After Party at Ruba Club!