By Fausto Fernós on January 15, 2008 | Share & Save | Link | Print |
Sit tight. One of our most hated guest ever, Zine writer, enthusiast and FOF fan Dave Fried joins us today to follow up on the controversy surrounding his last appearance on the podcast.
In case you didn’t catch the show, Dave came to share his experiences about the queer scene, and as a bi-guy talk about how Marc and I are a little too hung up on obesity and body issues. The response was intense.
Why do gay men obsess about the body more than most people do? Is it because of sexually transmitted diseases? Is it because we were denied our adolescent sexuality to naturally blossom? Are we just freaks?
On today’s show we talk about fat and body issues, the 100th monkey theorem, punk rage in a modern world and cracking the DaVinci and Ikea codes.
People say that if you hold a mirror at select spots on a Da Vinci painting the secrets of the cosmos will be revealed to you! There is “science” behind it too. In other words, if you stare long enough at any painting you’ll see cocks and pussies. And I’m not talking about nobody’s barnyard.
Ever step into an IKEA store and wonder where they get those obscene sounding names from? FEMMEN VÅG? FAGERLAND? That’s hot mary. But seriously, how does one of the world’s richest companies comes up with the names of their product line? Check out David Bryne’s blog where he “decodes” the IKEA code. Why not call Fag-Errr-land a kitchen door?
If you give 100 monkeys 100 microphones, eventually they will give you the Feast of Fools : Gay Fun Show.
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Leslie Ann Levine says:
January 15, 2008 at 07:37I don’t hate Dave! I just like a spirited debate! XD However, I still disagree with what he says–I still feel that it is straight-up denial of accepted facts. I understand that there are other factors that contribute to ill health, but really. There is no such thing as being obese and healthy. Being obese puts a serious strain on the body, and the type of person who is obese usually displays the addictive type of personality that leads to other health problems. I’m into the classic punk movement, though, so I understand what he’s saying if he means it as a punk thing, flagrantly fighting the facts simply because it’s punk to deny.
Anyway, I’ve got to admit–getting my comment read on the show absolutely made my day. I think people on my bus must have thought I had some sort of mental problem–my eyes lit up and my mouth dropped open. Thanks guys! 
All in all, I liked this show much more than Dave’s last, mostly because it wasn’t so much about things he hates! It had a much more positive feel and cheered me up instead of bringing me down. The reason I said I was disappointed about the last show was simply because I had been looking forward to a good show about zines (which I love) and instead got a diatribe about the show. This time it seemed like everything was much more fun. I hate listening to people fight, so I’m glad things worked out better this time!
spicypisces says:
January 15, 2008 at 09:59Ok so I love the idea Fausto had on this show about the gym using pedal power from the machines to provide energy for the gym. That is a fabulous idea that will lead to gays saving the world in one more way!
Oh and about obesity….is a physical manifestation of being unhealthy. I do not think fatness should be defended, persecuted, or sympathized with but those people should be encouraged to live healthier lifestyles. I should know, I used to weigh 315 pounds in highschool and now am 220. Even that difference has made me feel more energetic and healthier both physically and mentally.
PureeTofu says:
January 15, 2008 at 10:12Okay must say this shows your true hosting power. Its great to have a guest that comes on and says to your face, I hate your view on _________. Honestly its this type of GOOD discussion that helps a show and provides a good NEW view on a topic.
Personally I don’t think Fausto or Marc focus too much on physical appearances, no more than the average homosexual. Heck, lets be honest, as a society we’re all focused on physical looks, and right now the media is pumping into our minds that the true sign of sexy is ripped biceps, wide shoulders, and 8-pack abs. I’m not going to say that a man with a set of abs won’t turn my head but I would never turn away somebody because of their weight.
However obesity is sweeping the nation, not to say that there aren’t plenty of problems across the map, but obesity is rising at a scary rate. http://archives.cnn.com/2002/HEALTH/diet.fitness/10/08/obesity.rise/index.html 30% of the USA is considered obese. However, you mention how we should be focused on other things like smoking (http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0762370.html) which has fallen over the years, along with drug use. I guess the big thing to note is that obesity is the new health focus, every decade as a society we pick a different focus and this is just this decades focus.
‘75-’85 - AIDS
‘85-’95 - Drugs
‘95-’05 - Smoking
‘05-??? - Weight
Also, as for the punk music, wow, that’s something…. not sure what, but something. Everybody’s got an audience and I’m glad you’re there for yours!
Maia says:
January 15, 2008 at 11:33I love the shows where you guys laugh a lot… I think my serotonin levels just jumped up a notch. I’m glad you had Dave back on! Keep stirrin’ the pot.
I just have to add another “crazy person on the street making hetero-normative hair comments” story…
Our best friends, who are a straight couple, were walking down the street holding hands here in Chicago. The guy had long hair at the time (he has beautiful hair). They passed this derelict crazy guy on the sidewalk, who sneered at them as they went past, and yelled after them: “LESBO-QUEENS!”
They were so surprised, they just started laughing… they couldn’t wait to tell us the story, because it made them honorary lesbo-queens for a day.
Jamiexpup says:
January 15, 2008 at 12:51Loved the show guys, made me laugh out loud, got me a few odd looks from the teachers, considering I had been banished to silent study for the afternoon, after an ummm lets say intresting morning. It’s just a bad idea to put a conservative old vicar in a classroom full of eighteen year olds and have him try and teach them about morals and sexual health. Any way, thank you for preventing me from going insane in the white box room they call isolation.
Oh and Fausto I agree with you about the body thing, about it being very important even though at my age now we are more free to act as we wish and have regular relationships with who we want.
Love you all.
James xxx
kennidi says:
January 15, 2008 at 13:37I enjoyed the show guys! Even though I never heard the first show with Dave, I did understand where he was coming from. I being from both sides of my family who fight obesity… I understand that sometimes we are born with the bodies we get. Sometimes we cant control being big or small. I fight with my weight constantly and being a transsexual on hormones it doesnt help me out! There are many men and women into people who are bigger than others. I feel that our country is obessed with the way we look, but I am on the other side of things. I have men tell me I am too fat for them, when I am a size 12-13 which is the same size as Marilyn Monroe, so In our society today being fat is anything below a size six. Maybe we need to just be healthy and concentrate on that! Some bigger people are healthy, why do we have to be so obsessed with that! I go to the gym but I’m not a size zero and never will be, my body wasn’t meant to be that small. So I feel that if you can love someone for who they are no matter what size then I think theres more power to u! SO MORE POWER TO GUYS like DAVE!
Hugs,
Kennidi
RcktMan says:
January 15, 2008 at 13:44I never said I hated Dave either. He made some valid points last time he was on, and also talked some trash, but I remember it being a very entertaining show with a great amount of debate. So I’m glad you brought him back.. he’s got a different point of view on things, and that’s totally refreshing. Not everyone is clean-cut and beautiful; not everyone is thin and trim; just like not everyone is straight; not everyone is white; and not everyone is male. Variety is the spice of life, and variety is why I love the Feast of Fools.
Kaleb says:
January 15, 2008 at 13:49DAMN IT! I don’t talk like that!
Great show as usual guys, Pups has continued the trend of being a great guest on the show.
About PureeTofu’s decade focus list, I think this decade seems to be more of a general mix of things. Smoking seems to be a big issue in Ontario right now, what with the province wide smoking ban, but there’s also marijuana being talked about (more people are fighting for it’s legalization).
Weight has always been a big focus in western culture considering the obsession with physical beauty. The main problem with the obsession is not about being fit and healthy, but about being hot and perfect. Yes, excess weight puts stress on a persons body, like Leslie said, but insane dieting and stressing over not being perfect can be just as bad. Being fit is obviously going to mean that you’re healthier, but being less than perfect isn’t going to hurt anyone. Comments like the one Matt made demonstrate just how bad the obsession with perfection can be. The fact that he compares “punk fucks” like Dave to fascists is laughable.
epilonious says:
January 16, 2008 at 14:12Probably the best thing I can find regarding the whole weight debate:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUTJQIBI1oA
Some great points:
-The Best way to make sure you stay thin is to pick two thin parents. Even better than that is to pick four thin grandparents.
- 90 to 95 percent of people who lost large amounts of weight gained it back within 3 years. Most of those gained it back within 1 year. 90 to 95 percent is pretty much everyone.
- Eating right and exercise are important, but if you aren’t losing tons of weight it is no excuse to put your life on hold.
- Don’t buy clothes that won’t fit you to motivate you into losing weight… and get rid of the clothes that don’t fit anymore. They are taking up space and pissing you off.
Mr. Bad Example says:
January 17, 2008 at 17:32I went to Kent State and the campus was chock full of guys like Dave. Nice and well-meaning, but uninformed with trendy, magical thinking… They always seemed to be the warm front that turns campus issues into a hurricane of tangential arguments… meh…
blackvag says:
January 18, 2008 at 15:24What angers me about this episode (and the last one Dave was on) is that there’s this poor attempt at having a healthy discourse about obesity/fat phobia/fat love. Yet none of the participants are fat, nor was a fat person extended an offer to participate in the discussion.
fat =/= obesity
-kisha (yes, Dave’s infamous fat partner)
Fausto Fernós says:
January 18, 2008 at 16:11Blackvag, to respond to your complaints- you’re assuming we’ve do not have our own personal struggles with weight issues, and second you WERE invited to participate on the conversation, your partner Dave declined to have you own. I asked if we could call you on the phone and that was not an option we given.
Just how overweight to you have to be (or have been) before we’re allowed by you to talk about these issues?
StevenvanL. says:
January 18, 2008 at 16:32I think the discussion about being overweight got a little bit muddled: Looks and Health are two mostly separate issues. Looks are extremely subjective and this is not something I think you can have a useful ‘discussion’ about: what one likes, another simply won’t. As for the health issue, I still didn’t see Dave’s point. He didn’t really contradict that being heavily overweight is unhealthy but mostly just said that other things affect health negatively. As PureeTofu says - in the US weight is a growing issue, while other factors are on the decline. Cardiovascular issues account for a lot of deaths and DO have a link with weight. Is someone slightly thinner always healthier than someone slightly overweight? No - cholesterol isn’t THAT linear. But all other factors being the same, being height/weight proportionate IS healthier. I would be interested what some actual overweight gay (wo)men have to say on the topic, though more in general about body image in the gay scene. The health part would only be interesting if discussed with someone who has facts and solid reasoning to back up his contrary viewpoint.
Tdotyup says:
January 19, 2008 at 15:50stop the hate in 2008, let’s not hate people for the size of their waist or other body part since next thing we know we don’t fit in the pair of 30 and then the 32 are getting tight and while the 34 are ok for a while next you know some part don’t fit anymore and you have to bump to 36 and spend a fortune at the tailor. Sounds like my story !
Some people do like guys that have a masculine well rounded physique. It’s not because the majority like ribbed twinks that we should all follow suit !
And Fausto that was such a terrible Canadian accent, I don’t think we Deemonize or Dheemonize anything up here
timr says:
January 19, 2008 at 19:47god, i don’t even know how to respond to your guest. that may be why i’ve taken so long to comment, i mean, i hate to be mean.
ok. i’ll just be a bitch, as i really want to be deep down. basically i dislike his pc attitude overall (see the favorite curse word thread for an example of that) and i dislike “bio” men with “bio” women claiming they are in a queer relationship - and now i’ll get bashed for not being lgbtxzy-positive, which, believe me, i am. my view is that if you have the specific rights you shouldn’t, in a decent world, claim the tag of those that don’t. sorry. you can be bi in an open straight relationship, but queer is ours, honey. we can’t get married to our partners; they can’t get green cards to come live with us in the states, etc. yours could. it’s that simple.
also, he criticized you two that last time in a way that was so wrong and i’m still not over that one - since i’m sure it was most likely based on you guys congratulating a dear friend on her hard-fought weight loss - like instead you should have said “you are thinner now but that has no effect on how we see you”. she would have loved that!
the show was great though. fausto’s subtle and catty humor shone through like a beacon of love for his listeners. i just have issues with people like pups who want to police language and appear to have no fucking sense of humor at all.
ciao belli.
shane says:
January 22, 2008 at 01:26I wish that you could have Dave on the show for more than just talk about fat. I don’t think that he really made any decent points, he just made argumentative coments to contradict what anyone had said. I’ve been fat most of my life, and it’s definately due to both genetics and lifestyle. I’m currently working on reversing many years of couch potato-ism so I don’t have to travel down the acquired diabetes turnpike like most of my relatives. The problem I have with the discussion is that it made no room for middle ground. There is a point where people are a little chubby and still healthy. We’re not all obese or twigs…
Born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Fausto Fernós created the Feast of Fools in 1998 as wacky artists variety show in Chicago, Illinois.
Along with his partner Marc Felion, he hosts the world's most downloaded talk show for gay people on the internet, Feast of Fools.
Fausto loves pomegranates, waterfalls and 70s retro funk music.
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Fausto Fernós | November 20, 2008
Thank you for the glowing review Randall! If you have a moment, please go to the iTunes music store and share your review there: www.tinyurl.com/feastoffools
miguelito | November 20, 2008
I don’t blame African-Americans; I blame the No campaign. They didn’t make a persuasive argument in their ads. They allowed the Yes...
15 comments on FOF #882 - Rev. Straight Talks About Prop. 8 - 11.18.08
brain-fork | November 19, 2008
Fantastic! Any chance we can get “Doing Time” in the Feast Blast?
Bobby In Oklahoma | November 19, 2008
Jann’s face in the iTunes podcast photo reminds me of Liev Schreiber…or is it just me?
DavidMcD | November 19, 2008
I am praying for all the world’s religions to stop pushing their beliefs down my throat. I agree with you Fausto, if all reverends were as...
15 comments on FOF #882 - Rev. Straight Talks About Prop. 8 - 11.18.08
Posting tweet...
Gay Fun Show
Fausto Fernós | November 20, 2008
Thank you for the glowing review Randall! If you have a moment, please go to the iTunes music store and share your review there: www.tinyurl.com/feastoffools
miguelito | November 20, 2008
I don’t blame African-Americans; I blame the No campaign. They didn’t make a persuasive argument in their ads. They allowed the Yes...
15 comments on FOF #882 - Rev. Straight Talks About Prop. 8 - 11.18.08
brain-fork | November 19, 2008
Fantastic! Any chance we can get “Doing Time” in the Feast Blast?
Bobby In Oklahoma | November 19, 2008
Jann’s face in the iTunes podcast photo reminds me of Liev Schreiber…or is it just me?
DavidMcD | November 19, 2008
I am praying for all the world’s religions to stop pushing their beliefs down my throat. I agree with you Fausto, if all reverends were as...
15 comments on FOF #882 - Rev. Straight Talks About Prop. 8 - 11.18.08
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Zara says:
January 15, 2008 at 03:51ooh, any cance of a report of the prevoius show? I hadn’t heard of this guy before, sounds like a really interesting show! Can’t wait to have a listen!