“Given Americans’ relationship to Black men and the sordid, vile nature with which it treats us systematically, and given the vile nature that this country has had with the LGBTQ community, the culture of religion— I cross on the intersection of three or four. I’m as political as it gets. My very existence on paper would say that all of these organizations are, by and large, not designed for me to succeed.”
– Tituss Burgess, episode 186 on Talk Easy with Sam Fragoso
Emmy-nominated actor/singer Tituss Burgess (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt) joins us this week! We start with a recent afternoon in his gazebo (4:16), where he reminded himself that the pandemic is a marathon, not a sprint (7:50). In that same memory he also reflects on why his art is especially of value in 2020 (12:10); his mere existence on screen a political act (16:23). Later, we unpack his run on 30 Rock, and the spiritual experience that followed (20:50). In the aftermath of finding purpose, he’s had to reconcile his relationship with his mother (35:27) and the dark personal storm that is now, finally, passing over (45:28).
Show-notes:
- Watch all 4 seasons of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt on Netflix.
- Follow Tituss on Instagram and Twitter.
- Stream Tituss’s music on Spotify.
- Listen to Tituss’ wonderful episode, from 2016, on Death, Sex, & Money.
- From the end of our talk: The Storming is Passing Over.
Illustrations by: Krishna Shenoi.
Music by: Dylan Peck
Subscribe on: Apple Music, Spotify, Stitcher.