Why Andrew Ahn remade the first gay film he ever saw
When Andrew Ahn’s family rented “The Wedding Banquet” in the early 1990s, they didn’t realize it was a queer film. They also had no idea that 30 years later, Andrew would write and direct his own version of the film.
For many years, Andrew felt his queer and Korean American identities were in conflict. But reconciling those parts of himself has helped Andrew become one of the freshest filmmakers working today – directing the Emmy-nominated “Fire Island” and several episodes of “Bridgerton.”
In this episode, Andrew talks about coming out to his family through his art, the song that still gets him to rush the dance floor at a gay club, and the music that guided his journey towards wholeness. Here are his songs.
Simon & Garfunkel, “Bridge Over Troubled Water”
Yeah Yeah Yeahs, “Maps”
Cascada, “Everytime We Touch”
Aimee Mann, “Ray”
Camille Saint-Saëns, “Symphony No. 3 (“Organ Symphony”)”
Frank Ocean, “Self Control”
Hikaru Utada, “Hanataba Wo Kimini”
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Trump fired him, but Preet Bharara is still defending the country he loves
Long before he became the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Preet Bharara was a first-generation Indian immigrant, listening to Bollywood music in his childhood home outside of Asbury Park, New Jersey. It’s no surprise that Bruce Springsteen became one of Preet’s heroes – though it was a surprise when ‘The Boss’ gave Preet a personal shoutout at a 2012 concert.
In this episode, Preet talks about his work fighting Wall Street corruption and organized crime, how his family’s American dream unfolded across decades, and his unashamed patriotism in an era when expressing love for America can feel complicated. Plus, Sophie (almost) gets the former prosecutor to sing along to one of their shared seven songs. Here are his songs.
Bruce Springsteen, “Thunder Road”
Kishore Kumar, Mahendra Kapoor, and Shailendra Singh, “Amar Akbar Anthony”
Queen, “Another One Bites the Dust”
U2, “I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For”
Daniel Rodriguez, “God Bless America”
Darius Rucker, “Wagon Wheel”
Zeshan B, “O Say, Can You See”
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How actress Pepi Sonuga keeps the faith, even when Hollywood says 'We don't need you'
Pepi Sonuga always knew she would become a performer. Even as a little girl in Lagos, Nigeria, watching “Barney” tapes that her flight attendant mother brought home, Pepi felt certain that someday, she’d be the one onscreen. That childhood conviction helped Pepi survive the culture shock of moving to Los Angeles at age 10, teen bullying, and years of grinding in an industry that tried to tell her, over and over, that she was replaceable.
With her star now on the rise – with roles in Tyler Perry’s “The Six Triple Eight” and Hulu’s “Pam & Tommy” – Pepi joins Sophie to reflect on her journey so far, the songs that defined her girlhood, and her ultimate dream: to lift up the country she came from and “the little girl just like me who deserves everything she dreams about, too.” Here are her songs.
"I Wanna Be a Rockstar" – Barney
"You Gotta Be" – Des’ree
"This Is What Makes Us Girls" – Lana Del Rey
"The Only Exception" – Paramore
"Dreamer" – Charli XCX
"Ready" – Tems
"Ojuelegba" – Wizkid
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Drag queen and activist Peppermint finds joy even when there’s ‘no tears left to cry’
Miss Peppermint wears a lot of hats (and wigs): drag queen, first openly trans woman on RuPaul’s Drag Race, Broadway actress, Traitors contestant – and through it all, vocal trans rights activist.
She’s also hilarious, fabulous, and unapologetically herself.
In this episode, Peppermint dishes on her early queer icons (think Prince and Amadeus), the danger and drama of the ’90s NYC nightclub scene – and why she’s always wanted to be anything but “basic and predictable.” Here are her songs.
Prince - 7
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Symphony No. 35 in D Major, K. 385 “Haffner”
Lenny Kravitz - Believe
Bush - Glycerine
Deborah Cox - Nobody's Supposed To Be Here
Stars On 54 - If You Could Read My Mind
Ariana Grande - no tears left to cry
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How music taught culture critic Sam Sanders to be grateful for his grief
As the host and creator of numerous hit culture podcasts, Sam Sanders is known for having a finger on the pulse of pop culture. But growing up strictly Pentecostal in Texas, non-religious music was forbidden – so Sam got resourceful, smuggling CDs into the house in his underwear and watching MTV in secret.
At 18 years old, just as he was getting ready to leave for Stanford, Sam’s life was turned upside down. Both of his parents suffered major health crises in the span of a few months, resulting in Sam becoming their caregiver. Years later, Sam would face another devastating double-whammy with the death of his mother followed a month later by a crushing breakup.
In this episode, Sam opens up about the music that carried him through – from Janet Jackson videos to soaring gospel tunes to revenge-fueled breakup anthems – and why today, he’s savoring the freedom he’s been chasing his whole life. Here are his songs.
Janet Jackson, “Love Will Never Do (Without You)”
Stevie Wonder, "Don't You Worry ‘Bout A Thing"
Richard Smallwood, "Total Praise"
John Mayer, “Stop This Train"
Labelle, "Isn't It a Shame"
Caroline Rose, “The Kiss”
Fleetwood Mac, “Silver Springs”
What songs tell your life story? Host Sophie Bearman asks this question of some of the world’s most fascinating people. Through seven songs, guests reveal the milestones—and the music—that have shaped their lives. New episodes every Tuesday.
USA