WEBVTT 1 00:00:15.599 --> 00:00:18.160 Coming to you from the dining room table at East 2 00:00:18.199 --> 00:00:23.000 Barbary Lane. Welcome to another special episode of Full Circle 3 00:00:23.399 --> 00:00:28.120 the podcast. I am your host, Charles Tyson Junior, and 4 00:00:28.320 --> 00:00:32.920 I am so excited to be sitting with our guest today. 5 00:00:33.560 --> 00:00:41.640 Isaac Grahova, is a delightful author and medical professional and 6 00:00:41.920 --> 00:00:47.079 multi hyphen it and fierce eva and he is here 7 00:00:47.159 --> 00:00:51.719 today to talk about his new book, which is Six 8 00:00:51.799 --> 00:00:56.479 and a Half Days in the City, and we're going 9 00:00:56.560 --> 00:00:59.799 to get into it. So, Isaac Grahova, thank you for 10 00:01:00.079 --> 00:01:02.000 joining us at the Full Circle Table. 11 00:01:02.840 --> 00:01:04.200 Yeah, thank you so much for having me. 12 00:01:05.079 --> 00:01:06.680 So how are you today? 13 00:01:08.040 --> 00:01:11.519 I'm doing good so far. I actually just basically had 14 00:01:11.799 --> 00:01:13.439 was in a car accident, so I'm a little sore 15 00:01:13.480 --> 00:01:16.640 from that. Oh No, other than that, I'm recovering pretty well. 16 00:01:17.439 --> 00:01:20.760 Well, that's no good speedy recovery. Yeah, you get one 17 00:01:20.760 --> 00:01:22.280 of those bodies you need to take. 18 00:01:22.079 --> 00:01:23.599 Care absolutely. 19 00:01:25.920 --> 00:01:26.159 Well. 20 00:01:26.280 --> 00:01:28.480 Then I'm extra glad that you're here with us today. 21 00:01:29.439 --> 00:01:34.239 So your book is called Six and a Half Days 22 00:01:34.400 --> 00:01:37.599 in the City, the city, of course being New York. 23 00:01:39.280 --> 00:01:41.920 Let's just jump off with it. Why don't you tell 24 00:01:42.000 --> 00:01:43.879 us what the book is about. 25 00:01:44.760 --> 00:01:48.239 Yeah, So the elevator pitch. I've been trying to get 26 00:01:48.560 --> 00:01:51.519 right from the very beginning, and I think I've been 27 00:01:51.560 --> 00:01:53.519 able to kind of get it. With one of the 28 00:01:53.560 --> 00:01:57.959 reviews that I got actually on Amazon. I love that 29 00:01:58.000 --> 00:02:00.239 they kind of makes us excinct. It's basically a sorry 30 00:02:00.239 --> 00:02:03.560 about a young by man who's who discovers what he's 31 00:02:03.599 --> 00:02:07.359 looking for in life while he's on vacation. There's elements 32 00:02:07.359 --> 00:02:11.199 of found family, there's friendship, their mental health awareness and 33 00:02:11.759 --> 00:02:13.400 kind of the story of trying to take care of 34 00:02:13.439 --> 00:02:17.479 yourself and how we can lose track of that when 35 00:02:17.520 --> 00:02:21.319 our lives are so busy and hectic and chaotic, and 36 00:02:21.360 --> 00:02:23.759 how those who have who we have chosen to be 37 00:02:23.840 --> 00:02:28.719 our family can be kind of a grounding force in 38 00:02:28.759 --> 00:02:29.319 that journey. 39 00:02:30.199 --> 00:02:36.599 Okay, that's that sounds accurate. Now. I noticed that the 40 00:02:36.599 --> 00:02:43.400 main character, Cameron and Uh and you share the same profession, 41 00:02:43.599 --> 00:02:47.919 the medical profession. So is it safe to say that 42 00:02:47.960 --> 00:02:51.919 this is an atobiographical work or is that the only 43 00:02:52.680 --> 00:02:54.159 thing you SHARE's kind. 44 00:02:53.960 --> 00:02:58.080 Of the only thing that we share in common. The 45 00:02:58.240 --> 00:03:02.000 very skeleton barre Bones kind of was me, but then 46 00:03:02.039 --> 00:03:03.960 I kind of had to go and shape it out 47 00:03:04.039 --> 00:03:09.840 and buffet and make it somebody else. We do have 48 00:03:09.879 --> 00:03:13.039 the same professional career and everything. And I did that 49 00:03:13.120 --> 00:03:15.120 just because it's easy to write about, you know what 50 00:03:15.159 --> 00:03:18.759 I mean. It's very it's a very fast moving field 51 00:03:18.759 --> 00:03:21.120 and it's kind of a very attention grabbing. And I 52 00:03:21.159 --> 00:03:22.919 was told that the hook is really good, so I 53 00:03:22.960 --> 00:03:27.840 stuck with it and ran with it. So there's that 54 00:03:27.960 --> 00:03:32.560 aspect of it. In regards to like how he deals 55 00:03:32.599 --> 00:03:35.319 with his emotions and the relationship that he has with 56 00:03:35.360 --> 00:03:39.759 his family that's very different. Thankfully, I have a much 57 00:03:39.800 --> 00:03:44.599 better relationship with my parents than that. And yeah, I 58 00:03:44.599 --> 00:03:47.080 mean it was. It was fun to write just because 59 00:03:47.120 --> 00:03:50.439 it was what I knew, and it was I've always 60 00:03:50.439 --> 00:03:54.680 given characters of mine like different attributes my humor how 61 00:03:54.719 --> 00:03:59.680 a bad. Like my characters are filthy mouthed, and I, oh, 62 00:03:59.759 --> 00:04:03.639 I'm myself like curse like a sailor. Sometimes I try 63 00:04:03.639 --> 00:04:06.120 to clean it up, especially if the character is a 64 00:04:06.159 --> 00:04:09.080 little more shy or timid or like they just don't 65 00:04:09.479 --> 00:04:12.960 cuss right right right, But usually that even then, like 66 00:04:13.039 --> 00:04:15.639 those characters still have like a few slip ups just 67 00:04:15.680 --> 00:04:17.079 to kind of throw that still in there. 68 00:04:18.079 --> 00:04:22.920 Hey, I mean it there is I have not been 69 00:04:22.959 --> 00:04:28.279 able to find this quote this quote the source since 70 00:04:28.319 --> 00:04:30.879 I heard it years and years ago, but I always 71 00:04:30.920 --> 00:04:34.879 still use it. It was a French philosopher from like 72 00:04:34.920 --> 00:04:37.399 the fourteenth century or some shit like that who said 73 00:04:37.720 --> 00:04:42.839 cursing makes talking more fun. Yeah, you know, and and 74 00:04:42.839 --> 00:04:46.199 and Chris Rock even said, you know, you can say 75 00:04:46.439 --> 00:04:48.639 that you had a nice day, and that can mean anything. 76 00:04:48.680 --> 00:04:50.399 But if I say I had a great fucking day, 77 00:04:51.759 --> 00:04:55.240 that paints a picture. Damn it, you had a really 78 00:04:55.279 --> 00:05:02.519 good day exactly. So why, I mean, the real answer 79 00:05:02.560 --> 00:05:05.519 is why not? But why was it important to you 80 00:05:06.399 --> 00:05:13.360 that your main character be so open and expressive in 81 00:05:13.399 --> 00:05:14.639 his bisexuality. 82 00:05:15.759 --> 00:05:17.600 Yeah? I mean, this book was supposed to be a 83 00:05:17.600 --> 00:05:21.079 celebration of queer identity and queer expression, and I've always 84 00:05:21.120 --> 00:05:24.319 loved writing stories that way. Even in my last couple 85 00:05:24.360 --> 00:05:27.040 of little short stories that I wrote, there wasn't a 86 00:05:27.079 --> 00:05:29.959 whole lot of room for queer expression per se, but 87 00:05:30.000 --> 00:05:32.759 there were a lot of drag queens, right, And in 88 00:05:32.759 --> 00:05:34.959 those moments with the drag queens, and in those moments 89 00:05:34.959 --> 00:05:38.319 of having like safe spaces and queer identity and queer expression, 90 00:05:39.439 --> 00:05:42.399 there's a lot of like connection. There's it's just a 91 00:05:42.439 --> 00:05:46.800 fun time. They do like performances in the summertime through 92 00:05:46.839 --> 00:05:51.160 it for like like themed, so like they would do 93 00:05:51.240 --> 00:05:54.480 like a night of certain celebrities and like the moment 94 00:05:54.519 --> 00:05:56.720 that someone realizes they're in love with somebody, it's like 95 00:05:56.759 --> 00:05:59.759 the night of like Taylor Swift. And then the next 96 00:06:00.279 --> 00:06:02.279 it's like you know, New Year's even the ball drops, 97 00:06:02.319 --> 00:06:04.839 there's a drag queen performance going on, and you know, 98 00:06:04.920 --> 00:06:07.680 there's the fireworks and all this, and it's it's supposed 99 00:06:07.680 --> 00:06:09.040 to be like a really fun time and a lot 100 00:06:09.040 --> 00:06:12.959 of like expression through core identity and queer spaces. And 101 00:06:13.040 --> 00:06:15.720 so that's why I wanted to write this story this way. 102 00:06:16.279 --> 00:06:20.759 And even even when there's not necessarily queer expression or 103 00:06:20.800 --> 00:06:27.360 core identity being celebrated, there's still groundingness within connection between 104 00:06:29.680 --> 00:06:34.800 men that is positive and very affirming and comfortable that 105 00:06:34.879 --> 00:06:38.519 a lot of queer men don't have with straight people unfortunately. 106 00:06:39.519 --> 00:06:41.639 That I did want to showcase because a lot of 107 00:06:41.800 --> 00:06:44.519 you know, they're not all bad. There are some good 108 00:06:44.519 --> 00:06:50.959 men out there, one or two, one or two not enough. 109 00:06:51.160 --> 00:06:57.319 Right, I Mean, that was one aspect of the book 110 00:06:57.439 --> 00:07:02.920 that I definitely appreciated was it is not often at 111 00:07:02.959 --> 00:07:13.839 all that you see a positive representation of bisexuality where 112 00:07:14.079 --> 00:07:17.160 you know, the main like in this case, the main character, 113 00:07:17.800 --> 00:07:24.879 he has moments and relationships and encounters pretty equally almost 114 00:07:24.959 --> 00:07:29.600 with with men and women, because a lot of times, uh, 115 00:07:30.839 --> 00:07:33.720 the perception and this is something that I have battled 116 00:07:34.199 --> 00:07:39.279 my entire adult queer life, that perception of you know, 117 00:07:40.240 --> 00:07:47.680 by men are gay who sometimes you know and you know, 118 00:07:47.800 --> 00:07:51.800 everyone is not the same. And so you know, I 119 00:07:51.839 --> 00:07:57.800 love I love any by visibility, but especially when it's positive. 120 00:07:58.720 --> 00:08:02.759 So like, how how important is that to you that 121 00:08:02.759 --> 00:08:05.399 that idea of like, you know, by visibility. 122 00:08:06.600 --> 00:08:10.040 I think it's very important. I think I've said this 123 00:08:10.079 --> 00:08:11.560 now at least two or four times in the last 124 00:08:11.560 --> 00:08:14.279 few podcasts I've done. I did not read a character. 125 00:08:14.319 --> 00:08:18.279 I did not read a story with a bisexual man 126 00:08:18.439 --> 00:08:22.399 who was a person of color until about two to 127 00:08:22.399 --> 00:08:26.879 three years ago. So never in my adolescence, never in 128 00:08:26.959 --> 00:08:32.000 my college life, did I see myself represented that way 129 00:08:33.159 --> 00:08:38.120 in a piece of literature. And it's not really something 130 00:08:38.159 --> 00:08:42.360 I ever thought about, because it almost never really crossed 131 00:08:42.360 --> 00:08:46.799 my mind as a possibility because it wasn't there, Like 132 00:08:46.840 --> 00:08:49.399 I just I didn't think about it. I wasn't like, oh, like, 133 00:08:49.399 --> 00:08:51.519 where's the byman like you know, a queer person like 134 00:08:51.600 --> 00:08:54.960 you know, personal color representation. It just did not cross 135 00:08:55.000 --> 00:08:56.879 my mind. And then I started seeing it more and 136 00:08:56.919 --> 00:09:00.320 I was like, oh shit, right, like I can actually 137 00:09:00.440 --> 00:09:02.840 right like people that there are spaces, you know what 138 00:09:02.879 --> 00:09:05.960 I'm saying. And then so it was important for me 139 00:09:06.200 --> 00:09:12.000 to start writing in that way just because it's it 140 00:09:12.000 --> 00:09:15.679 can feel so isolating and lonely to feel like you're 141 00:09:15.720 --> 00:09:20.080 not out there as well, like people are not people. 142 00:09:20.080 --> 00:09:22.919 There are other people like you out there, and when 143 00:09:22.960 --> 00:09:25.279 you realize that is the case, it's easy for easier 144 00:09:25.320 --> 00:09:28.600 for you to us to build community and to feel 145 00:09:28.639 --> 00:09:32.559 like you belong, which is very true. 146 00:09:32.840 --> 00:09:37.279 Yeah, I mean, but you you you mentioned you made 147 00:09:37.279 --> 00:09:41.519 a good point about not only representation of by men, 148 00:09:41.559 --> 00:09:46.320 but by men of color, because usually when you see 149 00:09:46.320 --> 00:09:51.679 that representation, it's in the context of, you know, the 150 00:09:51.759 --> 00:09:54.360 discovery is made that he's by on the way out 151 00:09:54.399 --> 00:09:57.480 the door because he's leaving his wife for another man, 152 00:09:58.159 --> 00:10:01.919 or his wife discovered that he had been lying to 153 00:10:02.000 --> 00:10:07.240 her this whole time. And that's a trope that has 154 00:10:07.279 --> 00:10:10.600 always pissed me off. The by man as a liar, 155 00:10:10.679 --> 00:10:16.279 a cheater, a sneak, you know, so it was good 156 00:10:16.320 --> 00:10:19.960 to just you know, see someone just out in the 157 00:10:20.000 --> 00:10:26.639 world getting their like, living their single life, and the 158 00:10:28.320 --> 00:10:31.360 options are just a little more plentiful, especially in New York. 159 00:10:31.600 --> 00:10:37.879 Oh my god. Absolutely, yeah, so this book is also 160 00:10:38.519 --> 00:10:44.120 you're a self published author. Yes, so I imagine that has 161 00:10:44.159 --> 00:10:45.480 its own set of challenges. 162 00:10:46.240 --> 00:10:50.799 Absolutely. I think it's nice just because I'm in full control. 163 00:10:51.080 --> 00:10:54.600 I design. I didn't design it, but I have say 164 00:10:54.639 --> 00:10:57.399 over the cover design, I have say over when it 165 00:10:57.440 --> 00:11:00.919 gets released and how it's formatted. And oh, I have 166 00:11:01.080 --> 00:11:05.919 full creative expression, full rights to everything, the thing that 167 00:11:06.159 --> 00:11:08.720 sucks into the marketing. Like, I will say, that's probably 168 00:11:08.759 --> 00:11:12.320 the most the hardest thing to do. It's the most 169 00:11:12.360 --> 00:11:17.399 tiring thing to do trying to stay creative and relevant 170 00:11:17.519 --> 00:11:21.399 and not you know, have algorithms think you're just pushed 171 00:11:21.399 --> 00:11:24.960 in the same video over and over again, right right right. 172 00:11:25.639 --> 00:11:30.279 It's it's a little tricky. Fortunately I was able to 173 00:11:31.399 --> 00:11:34.440 I had a I have a steady income and steady job, 174 00:11:34.519 --> 00:11:36.840 so like I was able to you know, hire a 175 00:11:36.840 --> 00:11:40.120 publicist who originally reached out to you, I had the 176 00:11:40.200 --> 00:11:43.360 ability to actually hire people to help me edit and 177 00:11:43.480 --> 00:11:45.919 hire people to help me get the cover designed, et cetera. 178 00:11:47.320 --> 00:11:49.279 That was probably the biggest barrier that I had when 179 00:11:49.279 --> 00:11:51.320 I was younger, obviously, because I was in school and 180 00:11:51.480 --> 00:11:54.799 wasn't working and I was a little kid. And then 181 00:11:54.840 --> 00:11:58.600 the traditional publishing route just takes so long, and you know, 182 00:11:58.720 --> 00:12:02.320 you can try to try to query agents for years, 183 00:12:02.519 --> 00:12:04.639 and then even if you find an agent, there's just 184 00:12:04.679 --> 00:12:07.639 a that's just the first step of more waiting, right, 185 00:12:08.120 --> 00:12:10.279 because I have to pict your book to YEP, they 186 00:12:10.320 --> 00:12:12.759 have to pick pict your book to publishers, and then 187 00:12:13.279 --> 00:12:15.759 it goes on sub and even if the publisher wants 188 00:12:15.799 --> 00:12:17.600 to do your book, do you have somebody who wants 189 00:12:17.639 --> 00:12:21.480 to edit you, et cetera. So it's I'm like, I can't. 190 00:12:22.080 --> 00:12:24.480 I'm like, I don't want to wait that long. And 191 00:12:24.559 --> 00:12:30.080 I find myself in a very a nice little situation 192 00:12:30.240 --> 00:12:32.759 where I have enough free time to do stuff like 193 00:12:32.960 --> 00:12:37.759 right and be a little more expressive, because in the 194 00:12:37.799 --> 00:12:39.960 next in the coming year, I'll be applying to medical 195 00:12:39.960 --> 00:12:43.480 school in the next two starting and so that process 196 00:12:43.600 --> 00:12:48.120 is just going to speed by, and so I'm not 197 00:12:48.120 --> 00:12:49.919 going to have time to sit there and like query 198 00:12:49.960 --> 00:12:52.320 agents all my time off, like I'm going to be 199 00:12:52.399 --> 00:12:55.320 studying relaxing and like not trying to worry about making 200 00:12:55.360 --> 00:12:57.759 incomes some other way, you know what I mean. So 201 00:12:59.600 --> 00:13:04.279 it it was almost the perfect, the perfect time to 202 00:13:04.399 --> 00:13:05.639 get the book out there. And so I was like, 203 00:13:05.639 --> 00:13:09.360 fuck it, I might as well. I am twenty six 204 00:13:09.480 --> 00:13:11.799 and I'm still young, and I wanted to do this forever, 205 00:13:11.840 --> 00:13:14.840 and that's the perfect time. And this is a short 206 00:13:14.840 --> 00:13:16.720 book and it's not going to take that long to edit, 207 00:13:16.759 --> 00:13:21.559 and you know, it's space friendly. You know, it doesn't 208 00:13:21.600 --> 00:13:24.000 take up a whole lot of room, Printing costs isn't 209 00:13:24.080 --> 00:13:26.720 very high. So it was very ideal. 210 00:13:27.279 --> 00:13:30.399 Yeah, when I got the book in my hand, I 211 00:13:30.519 --> 00:13:35.639 was like, oh, we're gonna get through this bad boy. Yeah, 212 00:13:35.879 --> 00:13:38.320 like you could have had another half a day, seven 213 00:13:38.399 --> 00:13:44.320 days in the city now, But yeah, I can imagine 214 00:13:46.080 --> 00:13:49.519 doing anything yourself is going to be a pain in 215 00:13:49.559 --> 00:13:52.080 the ass. Like I know this as a fellow creative. 216 00:13:52.360 --> 00:13:55.320 But at the same time, I from when I've spoken 217 00:13:55.399 --> 00:13:59.559 to other authors, like you're bypassing the whole headache of 218 00:14:00.399 --> 00:14:05.320 is the book too queer? Yeah, exactly why does he 219 00:14:05.399 --> 00:14:08.279 have to do this? Why does he have to do 220 00:14:08.320 --> 00:14:16.080 this so many times? Because you know, people can be 221 00:14:17.080 --> 00:14:21.159 as progressive as they want can say they're as progressive 222 00:14:21.159 --> 00:14:25.399 as they want to, but when it comes down to 223 00:14:25.960 --> 00:14:30.960 actually like the nitty gritty of you know, queerness and byness, 224 00:14:31.360 --> 00:14:34.000 and you have a couple you depict a couple of 225 00:14:34.039 --> 00:14:38.000 scenes in this book that are like, yes, I'm not 226 00:14:38.000 --> 00:14:40.360 going to go as far as to say grap well no, 227 00:14:40.440 --> 00:14:44.559 it is kind of graphic actually, but not gratuitous, but 228 00:14:45.080 --> 00:14:46.399 real is where I was going. 229 00:14:46.720 --> 00:14:47.679 Yeah, and. 230 00:14:49.399 --> 00:14:52.200 You know, despite the fact that we have things like 231 00:14:52.879 --> 00:14:57.159 fifty shades of gray when it's heterosexuals, not to mention 232 00:14:57.279 --> 00:15:00.399 white haterosexuals, certain things, you know. 233 00:15:00.600 --> 00:15:03.919 Are more okay, Yeah, exactly. 234 00:15:05.600 --> 00:15:09.159 So how how has the book been received thus far? 235 00:15:10.679 --> 00:15:15.080 Pretty well? Some people were I was surprised that a 236 00:15:15.080 --> 00:15:17.399 little people. Some people were disappointed that it wasn't me 237 00:15:17.440 --> 00:15:19.639 as the main character. I was like, that'd be a 238 00:15:19.679 --> 00:15:24.440 little interesting. But I've been well received. People are saying 239 00:15:24.440 --> 00:15:27.399 that it's really good. They think it's very sweet and 240 00:15:27.480 --> 00:15:31.480 like the My biggest concern was that the sex in 241 00:15:31.559 --> 00:15:33.559 it was going to detract from the plot and like 242 00:15:34.480 --> 00:15:38.879 seemed like it was unnecessary and I was originally not 243 00:15:38.919 --> 00:15:41.960 going to have it in there at all. But my 244 00:15:42.080 --> 00:15:43.759 radio readers are like, no, like it's good and had 245 00:15:43.759 --> 00:15:48.519 the place and people are just like, hey, like it's 246 00:15:48.559 --> 00:15:50.480 pretty good. Like I'm really proud of you for finally 247 00:15:50.480 --> 00:15:52.399 getting something out there. You know, I've been writing sintime 248 00:15:52.399 --> 00:15:54.639 I was ten years old, you know, for them, so 249 00:15:54.720 --> 00:15:58.120 for them to have something that they can finally like 250 00:15:58.200 --> 00:16:00.279 hold and show people that, like, hey, I know this 251 00:16:00.320 --> 00:16:02.799 person who's been writing forever and they finally have a 252 00:16:02.840 --> 00:16:05.200 book out there and it's available you know, pretty much 253 00:16:05.200 --> 00:16:08.600 wherever you can find the book online. It's been really 254 00:16:08.759 --> 00:16:09.600 it's been really cool. 255 00:16:10.360 --> 00:16:17.600 I love that. Yeah, And and like it almost got 256 00:16:17.639 --> 00:16:20.279 to a point for me where I started to say, wow, 257 00:16:20.320 --> 00:16:21.679 there's a lot of sex in this book, but then 258 00:16:21.720 --> 00:16:26.879 I realized you got twice as much of a population, right, 259 00:16:28.720 --> 00:16:31.039 and not to mention this is why it's important though, 260 00:16:31.360 --> 00:16:38.320 because in the book, we're seeing Cameron, the main character, 261 00:16:39.799 --> 00:16:45.960 enjoy his sexual encounters just as much with the women 262 00:16:46.039 --> 00:16:49.759 that he encounters as with the men. And that is 263 00:16:49.799 --> 00:16:54.039 important to see. You know, he's not faking the funk, 264 00:16:54.120 --> 00:16:56.200 he's not trying to get through it. He's you know 265 00:16:56.240 --> 00:17:01.840 what I'm saying. Yeah, So that was definitely appreciate. MM hmm, absolutely, 266 00:17:02.440 --> 00:17:07.799 because you know, again it's there are so many Biirasure 267 00:17:07.960 --> 00:17:12.240 is real, and it has long been one of my 268 00:17:13.519 --> 00:17:19.839 personal campaigns fighting by erasure. So you know, if you can, 269 00:17:20.079 --> 00:17:24.720 if you can give any positive representation for the B 270 00:17:25.839 --> 00:17:28.119 in the L G B, T Q, et cetera, et cetera, 271 00:17:30.200 --> 00:17:32.240 I will always be happy. 272 00:17:32.680 --> 00:17:34.079 Yeah. 273 00:17:34.119 --> 00:17:38.480 So, okay, how much of you is in Cameron though? 274 00:17:38.559 --> 00:17:44.680 And vice versa, No, definitely not. 275 00:17:46.720 --> 00:17:50.119 I will definitely say the professional stuff like his critical 276 00:17:50.200 --> 00:17:55.519 recals the book was I used a lot of the 277 00:17:55.799 --> 00:17:57.519 navigation that I took on my own to kind of 278 00:17:57.559 --> 00:18:00.240 dip in and out of what's in the in the book. 279 00:18:00.599 --> 00:18:02.319 So like all the places they go to, like the 280 00:18:02.400 --> 00:18:05.079 Museum of the Moving Image, and like writing the subway, 281 00:18:05.119 --> 00:18:09.359 Coney Island, seeing movies together Broadway, we did all those things, 282 00:18:09.400 --> 00:18:12.680 me and my friends. However, how they advanced the plot 283 00:18:12.920 --> 00:18:15.400 is absolutely different, because like, I'm not here having an 284 00:18:15.400 --> 00:18:19.079 existential crisis on vacation. I'm having a really good time actually, 285 00:18:21.039 --> 00:18:28.480 and the sex scenes are fully made up. They might 286 00:18:28.799 --> 00:18:31.920 the bet that the friend gave Shamada, that was something 287 00:18:31.920 --> 00:18:34.720 that my friend actually told me as a little funny 288 00:18:34.799 --> 00:18:36.400 joke that she didn't think I was actually going to 289 00:18:36.440 --> 00:18:38.480 fall for but I did. I was like, I'll make 290 00:18:38.519 --> 00:18:41.319 my damn fifty dollars what you're talking about, bro? And 291 00:18:41.400 --> 00:18:43.920 so I was I was a good boy on the staycation, 292 00:18:45.359 --> 00:18:47.519 but like I still kind of wanted to incorporate that 293 00:18:47.559 --> 00:18:50.240 in some way to kind of introduce a potential conflict. 294 00:18:50.960 --> 00:18:53.440 And so it was very wired and weird and embellished 295 00:18:53.440 --> 00:18:56.079 for a narrative that pushes a story of self discovery 296 00:18:56.119 --> 00:19:00.319 and found family, et cetera. In the theater, It's Muto 297 00:19:00.400 --> 00:19:04.359 scene that was all also very embellished. That wasn't a 298 00:19:04.359 --> 00:19:06.880 part of a real life, but I wanted to include 299 00:19:06.920 --> 00:19:08.680 that just because it was the one chance that we 300 00:19:08.759 --> 00:19:15.000 could have to like fully embrace his his his ethnic arrative, 301 00:19:15.000 --> 00:19:15.400 et cetera. 302 00:19:16.279 --> 00:19:17.599 And I did love that too. 303 00:19:18.279 --> 00:19:22.440 Yeah, that's like my favorite scene, the whole thing where 304 00:19:22.440 --> 00:19:25.359 he's like kind of reflecting. That's very much real for myself. 305 00:19:25.400 --> 00:19:27.319 Like I I saw that in the faul in Our 306 00:19:27.359 --> 00:19:29.599 Stars and I when you're having like a pre funeral 307 00:19:29.640 --> 00:19:32.240 to Augustus's death, and I was like, that actually be 308 00:19:32.319 --> 00:19:34.960 kind of cool, and so I would like to have 309 00:19:35.000 --> 00:19:37.119 like a pre funeral if I'm dying from something chronic 310 00:19:37.160 --> 00:19:40.440 like cancer, and then just the way that he fully 311 00:19:40.480 --> 00:19:42.759 embraces those that he loves and the way that like 312 00:19:42.960 --> 00:19:46.160 he honors his loved ones and they're dead. That's very 313 00:19:46.200 --> 00:19:49.000 real and that's very personal, and that was really important 314 00:19:49.000 --> 00:19:51.480 for me to have in there, just because I know 315 00:19:51.559 --> 00:19:55.079 that death has really like affected my family and it 316 00:19:55.160 --> 00:19:57.319 is something that kind of just weighs on a lot 317 00:19:57.319 --> 00:20:00.119 of people that are still with us, Oh definitely, and 318 00:20:00.119 --> 00:20:01.960 I don't feel like a lot of them like it's 319 00:20:02.000 --> 00:20:03.640 part of a reason that like a lot of them 320 00:20:03.720 --> 00:20:05.839 haven't been able to like move on and fully healed 321 00:20:05.839 --> 00:20:09.400 because you know, somebody else's absence is still hanging over 322 00:20:09.440 --> 00:20:12.160 their heads. And so in a way, that was kind 323 00:20:12.160 --> 00:20:16.279 of my little outlet for that to kind of help 324 00:20:16.720 --> 00:20:20.039 people kind of like move through their grief in a 325 00:20:20.079 --> 00:20:20.759 positive way. 326 00:20:21.240 --> 00:20:27.440 Yeah, I love that, and I loved it because, well, 327 00:20:27.480 --> 00:20:33.359 for one thing, I really really enjoyed the strong friendship 328 00:20:33.480 --> 00:20:36.519 circle that Cameron had, and. 329 00:20:36.480 --> 00:20:42.720 I love how they were so supportive of his culture 330 00:20:44.400 --> 00:20:49.960 because his friends circle is made up of a bunch 331 00:20:50.000 --> 00:20:53.519 of different folks from different ethnicities, which I also enjoy 332 00:20:53.559 --> 00:20:56.480 because that's that mirror is my own, my own life, 333 00:20:57.440 --> 00:20:59.920 So that respect of each other's culture. 334 00:21:01.279 --> 00:21:01.480 Yeah. 335 00:21:02.160 --> 00:21:08.079 Is also it's also, like I'm sad to say, refreshingly 336 00:21:08.240 --> 00:21:10.960 unique because a lot of times people try to paint 337 00:21:11.000 --> 00:21:15.640 this whole like united color of Benetton's population, where like 338 00:21:15.759 --> 00:21:17.279 we have the white one and the black one and 339 00:21:17.319 --> 00:21:19.480 the Asian one, and you know, they're just there to 340 00:21:19.599 --> 00:21:23.839 say that they're there, but beyond that, we don't really 341 00:21:23.880 --> 00:21:29.880 get into what makes them them. So I definitely appreciated that. 342 00:21:31.200 --> 00:21:34.759 And uh and and going back to you know, his 343 00:21:34.960 --> 00:21:42.279 friends circle, that idea of found family is so important, 344 00:21:42.880 --> 00:21:48.759 especially among queer folks, especially especially among queer folks of color, 345 00:21:49.359 --> 00:21:55.799 because you know, sometimes your found family is all you 346 00:21:55.920 --> 00:21:58.160 got because we have so many people who you know, 347 00:21:58.279 --> 00:22:03.680 who's whose biological family have shunned them, kicked them out, whatever. 348 00:22:05.799 --> 00:22:10.559 So seeing this vibrant, this vibrant circle, both the friends 349 00:22:10.599 --> 00:22:13.599 that he's with and the friends that he communicates with 350 00:22:13.720 --> 00:22:17.640 back home, Uh, it just it gave me that nice 351 00:22:17.720 --> 00:22:21.519 warm feeling inside. Do you have Do you have that 352 00:22:21.519 --> 00:22:25.480 that that vibrant friend circle in real life? 353 00:22:25.960 --> 00:22:30.720 My closest friends are queer people and we've all found 354 00:22:30.759 --> 00:22:34.440 solace together. And thankfully I have a very supporting family 355 00:22:34.440 --> 00:22:37.079 and the family who embraces who I am and celebrates it. 356 00:22:38.279 --> 00:22:42.039 But a lot of my queer friends can't say that, right, 357 00:22:42.079 --> 00:22:44.079 And I always feel really bad when they talk about 358 00:22:44.119 --> 00:22:46.839 like all the issues they have with their mom or 359 00:22:46.880 --> 00:22:50.200 their dad, and how like their queer identity is a wedge, 360 00:22:50.240 --> 00:22:53.839 and how they're never really you know, fully accepted, like 361 00:22:53.880 --> 00:22:57.799 they tolerate them, but they they don't introduce them with 362 00:22:57.880 --> 00:23:01.240 the proper you know, pronouns. They don't them with you know, 363 00:23:01.279 --> 00:23:05.359 they they shy away and don't ever talk about their 364 00:23:05.359 --> 00:23:09.680 sexuality or how they express themselves. And I'm kind of like, damn, 365 00:23:10.400 --> 00:23:12.200 like I can't relate to that. And I'm like I'm glad, 366 00:23:12.240 --> 00:23:14.559 Like I'm so glad that I cannot relate to that, 367 00:23:15.200 --> 00:23:18.599 and they're glad. They're happy for me as well. I 368 00:23:18.599 --> 00:23:21.240 remember we were sitting in I think Daily City and 369 00:23:21.240 --> 00:23:23.640 they were talking about like the issues they have with 370 00:23:23.680 --> 00:23:26.599 their fathers, and I was like, damn, like I have 371 00:23:26.680 --> 00:23:28.839 a really good dad, Like you know, I can't. They're like, 372 00:23:28.880 --> 00:23:32.039 I'm glad, honey, like celebrate your father because he's a 373 00:23:32.039 --> 00:23:32.400 good man. 374 00:23:32.799 --> 00:23:34.119 Yeah, And so. 375 00:23:35.559 --> 00:23:40.279 It's very like grounding and like makes you realize kind 376 00:23:40.279 --> 00:23:44.440 of like what you have because it could very easily 377 00:23:44.640 --> 00:23:46.119 be taken away that. 378 00:23:46.319 --> 00:23:55.720 Right, Yeah, Like that's a conversation that is very in 379 00:23:55.799 --> 00:24:02.960 the now, especially since Duran Bernard won his Grammy and 380 00:24:03.039 --> 00:24:08.119 he's very openly queer, and his mother and father were 381 00:24:08.119 --> 00:24:11.559 on stage with him when he was accepting his Grammy, 382 00:24:11.640 --> 00:24:15.319 and like people were so like shocked and surprised that 383 00:24:15.400 --> 00:24:20.079 his father was there in supporting him. And it's like, 384 00:24:20.200 --> 00:24:23.960 you know, there are plenty of fathers who are supportive 385 00:24:24.039 --> 00:24:31.000 of their queer kids, believe it or not, you know, 386 00:24:31.079 --> 00:24:34.839 And that's an idea that we need to see more 387 00:24:34.920 --> 00:24:41.759 of that solid family of queer children, you know, because 388 00:24:43.680 --> 00:24:47.559 not to say that the opposite is not as true, 389 00:24:47.559 --> 00:24:52.680 because lord knows it is how many queer homeless youth 390 00:24:52.759 --> 00:24:56.000 are there out there, But you know, we need to 391 00:24:56.039 --> 00:25:01.440 see just as many positive examples as well. And another 392 00:25:01.480 --> 00:25:06.079 one of the characters in the book that I fell 393 00:25:06.119 --> 00:25:08.519 in love with, oh for me, fell in love with 394 00:25:08.559 --> 00:25:13.319 all over again is you know New York the like 395 00:25:13.559 --> 00:25:18.240 you made me miss New York so hot, and I'm like, 396 00:25:18.559 --> 00:25:22.279 I want to go there. I've never been there, like 397 00:25:22.559 --> 00:25:27.279 the the the Museum of the Moving Image. Okay, gotcha 398 00:25:27.440 --> 00:25:29.720 I'm like, I, why have I never been there? 399 00:25:30.319 --> 00:25:33.079 Yeah? A lot of people miss it. 400 00:25:33.319 --> 00:25:35.920 Okay, Yeah, there's a bunch there's a bunch of places 401 00:25:35.920 --> 00:25:38.759