I'll Be There For You

Brandon Prosek is a Renaissance man. Comedian, host, playwright, writer of a graphic novel about pirates, connoisseur of bad movies. This, however, is about a good movie, and how the 2017 romantic comedy The Big Sick got him through a rough time in his personal life. May it give you some comfort while we all deal with, well, a Big Sick. Take care of yourselves & each other out there. IBTFY loves you.Topics include: Pirate content, the box-office bomb Cutthroat Island, Brandon's favorite good and bad movies, writing about mental health, the importance of representation, humor cutting through the tension, stanning Madeline Kahn and more.You can find Brandon's work here:https://www.facebook.com/EntertainmentBuffet/https://www.facebook.com/flintlockedcomic/Support Chicago COVID-19 Mutual Aid efforts here:https://transformativespaces.org/2020/03/15/chicago-covid-19-hardship-and-help-page/?fbclid=IwAR2w53pudNQ7-hvMR3MFVbiTi0IMSzsE1-3mpjyrJcWThRCTCRi8HTA7BZAhttps://www.gofundme.com/f/chicago-artists-relief-fund?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=m_pd+share-sheet&fbclid=IwAR3YN-EopKDc4lyIPMIJigF7kHefnpNcS5v8o_T_V-PmeNBemZO1rulc218You can find I'll Be There For You on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify or wherever you like to listen to podcasts. We release new episodes every other Sunday to help you beat those Sunday scaries. Please tell your friends, subscribe, give us those sweet reviews! If you have questions, feedback or want to be a guest, you can reach us on most social platforms at @IBTFYPod or [email protected]. We're booking guests for Season 2, so get at us! Thanks for listening, loves.

Do you remember your first post-college/"adulthood" living situation? What were you listening to or watching to get you through that time? In this episode, writer and academic Molly Horan (Refinery29, Mashable, Buzzfeed) shares her experiences moving to New York and coping with the isolation of moving to the city through Mad Men.Topics include: Unlikable protagonists, trying to meet people after college, fighting loneliness, idealized depictions of New York, the impact of RENT on impressionable young minds, prestige TV, "having it all" as depicted in 30 Rock and The Witcher, how to find a parkour class in New York, how TV impacts our recreational activities and more.Read Molly's work here:https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/author/molly-horanhttps://mashable.com/author/molly-horan/You can find I'll Be There For You on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify or wherever you like to listen to podcasts. We release new episodes every other Sunday to help you beat those Sunday scaries. Please tell your friends, subscribe, give us those sweet reviews! If you have questions, feedback or want to be a guest, you can reach us on most social platforms at @IBTFYPod or [email protected]. We're booking guests for Season 2, so get at us! Thanks for listening, loves.

Content Note: This episode contains references to the death of a parent and eating disorders.Season 2 of IBTFY is here! Excited to be back with more stories from funny, talented people and the pop culture that got them through rough times. For our first episode of this new season, actor/comedian/musician/multihyphenate James Bradford ("The Chris Gethard Show," the upcoming "Mare of Easttown") recounts his time as an Ear With Feet, or a devout fan of singer-songwriter Tori Amos, & how her music helped him through times of big transitions and a difficult loss.Topics include: The inspiration for James's memorable memoir title, the episode of Murder, She Wrote where they took a swing at Friends, what the Amos-Bradford wedding would look like, Beyoncé and the Communal Music Video Moment, Tori Amos meet and greets, fan communities in the '90s and playing Dashboard Confessional for leather daddies. Look for James's upcoming projects, including his new memoir "If You Can't Make 'Em Laugh, Make 'Em Cum" and album "Syrup," as well as his appearance in HBO's "The Mare of Easttown" starring Kate Winslet, all out later in 2020. You can find James online at @jamesebradford on Twitter, @jamesbradfordmusic on Instagram and http://jamesbradford.net/ The episode of Murder, She Wrote in question is Season 12, Episode 16, "Murder Among Friends." You can find I'll Be There For You on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify or wherever you like to listen to podcasts. We release new episodes every other Sunday to help you beat those Sunday scaries. Please tell your friends, subscribe, give us those sweet reviews! If you have questions, feedback or want to be a guest, you can reach us on most social platforms at @IBTFYPod or [email protected]. We're booking guests for Season 2, so get at us! Thanks for listening, loves.

Content Note: This episode deals heavily with matters of loss, grieving and addiction. We've made it to our Season Finale! Thanks to everyone who stuck with the first season of IBTFY and helped build this little community. Our final Season 1 guest is LeeAnn Yops, storyteller, comedian and 90210 fan site curator. LeeAnn came to IBTFY to share her love of Luke Perry, right down to "dating" a mini-Luke doll and appearing on the Steve Harvey Show, the 90210 fan community and her experiences dealing with the loss of a favorite cultural icon and a loss much closer to home in rapid succession. Visit LeeAnn's 90210 site here: https://www.bh9021whoa.com/ Check out Appetite here: https://www.facebook.com/AppetiteRnRS/ You can find I'll Be There For You on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify or wherever you like to listen to podcasts. We release new episodes every other Sunday to help you beat those Sunday scaries. Please tell your friends, subscribe, give us those sweet reviews! If you have questions, feedback or want to be a guest, you can reach us on most social platforms at @IBTFYPod or [email protected]. We're booking guests for Season 2, so get at us! Thanks for listening, loves.

IBTFY was honored to be a part of Podslam 2019, Arcade Audio's annual podcast marathon for Connor's Cure. We were especially honored to have one of our favorite funny Chicagoans, Jeremy Owens of You're Being Ridiculous, at iO with us to talk about the Bravo'verse and coping. And yes, there were two Bravoverse episodes in a row. It's fine. Donations are still open for Podslam's 2019 Fundraiser for Connor's Cure! Help us fight childhood cancer! http://jimmyv.convio.net/site/TR?team_id=3180&fr_id=1521&pg=team Check out Heauxs here: https://heauxsmag.com/ Check out You're Being Ridiculous here: http://yourebeingridiculous.com/ You can find I'll Be There For You on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify or wherever you like to listen to podcasts. We release new episodes every other Sunday to help you beat those Sunday scaries. Please tell your friends, subscribe, give us those sweet reviews! If you have questions, feedback or want to be a guest, you can reach us on most social platforms at @IBTFYPod or [email protected]. Thanks for listening, Podslammers.

We're back! Comedian, writer and Internet legend John Sundholm discusses navigating family life, mental health, coming out & his fandom of Madonna through the ages & many reinventions, and the joys of coping and escapism with the Real Housewives of New York. Topics include: Your first Madonna experiences, the Blonde Ambition tour, what's the best Madonna song and why is it "Hung Up," AIDS activism, family relationships & dysfunctions, mental health everything, the inherent queerness of reality TV, Disaster Bisexual Sonja Morgan, rating the dog funerals on RHONY & more. You can find John's touching, hilarious writing here: https://medium.com/@johnthecraptist and here: https://yourgayunclejohn.com/ You can find I'll Be There For You on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify or wherever you like to listen to podcasts. We release new episodes every other Sunday to help you beat those Sunday scaries. Please tell your friends, subscribe, give us those sweet reviews! If you have questions, feedback or want to be a guest, you can reach us on most social platforms at @IBTFYPod or [email protected]. Thanks for listening, gay icons.

(Heads up: Apologies in advance for some echoey/muffled bits on this one, it was our first recording with a new setup and we were still working out the bugs. We did our best to remediate and Archy was such a wonderful guest that we think you'll enjoy it anyway.) Archy Jamjun is a hilarious and caring storyteller, curator and teacher, who helps run OUTSpoken, Chicago's LGBT storytelling night, the first Tuesday of every month at Sidetrack. Here he shares the inspiration behind his one-man show, A Boy and a Diva, and the divas who have inspired him throughout his life. Also, a discussion of the World Figure Skating Championships that goes completely off the rails. Topics include: Cool relatives that help you figure yourself out, Surya Bonaly, the Evgenia Medvedeva comeback, protecting Serena Williams at all costs, Whitney Houston, divas of hip-hop, Tyra Banks as cultural touchstone, the eternal coming-out process and more. Check out OUTSpoken here: https://www.facebook.com/events/1331510856952670/ Read Serena's Vogue interview here: https://www.vogue.com/article/serena-williams-vogue-cover-interview-february-2018 IBTFY is participating in PodSlam: A Podcast Marathon for Connor's Cure at the iO Theatre in Chicago on September 21st: https://www.facebook.com/PodSlamLive/ You can find I'll Be There For You on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify or wherever you like to listen to podcasts. We release new episodes every other Sunday to help you beat those Sunday scaries. Please tell your friends, subscribe, give us those sweet reviews! If you have questions, feedback or want to be a guest, you can reach us on most social platforms at @IBTFYPod or [email protected]. Thanks for listening, cool teens.

Hey, teens! This episode is a lot about you and how to relate to what you're going through! Journalist and fiction writer Rosamund Lannin has written for /Film, Vice, Lifehacker and more, and today she comes on to the podcast to talk about two works that helped her get through stretches of her teenage years: Craig Thompson's graphic novel "Blankets" and Sam Cooke's iconic album, Night Beat. Topics include: the realities and grind of day jobs, shitty boyfriends, your first romance and first heartbreak, comics and graphic novels, relating to the news in a healthy manner, why you and everyone should go to therapy (and therapy should be free and available to everyone), the particular melancholy of summer, adults and how we don't always know everything & more. You can follow Rosamund Lannin and her writing at @Rosamund on Twitter. Her latest published speculative fiction work is here: https://smallbeerpress.com/lcrw/2019/02/25/lady-churchills-rosebud-wristlet-no-39/ Information on how to find a low-cost therapist can be found here: https://www.healthline.com/health/therapy-for-every-budget#apps IBTFY is participating in PodSlam: A Podcast Marathon for Connor's Cure at the iO Theatre in Chicago on September 21st: https://www.facebook.com/PodSlamLive/ You can find I'll Be There For You on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify or wherever you like to listen to podcasts. We release new episodes every other Sunday to help you beat those Sunday scaries. Please tell your friends, subscribe, give us those sweet reviews! If you have questions, feedback or want to be a guest, you can reach us on most social platforms at @IBTFYPod or [email protected]. Thanks for listening, cool teens.

It's IBTFY's first CROSSOVER epsiode! We're celebrating the new season of one of our other favorite local podcasts, Beyond Queer Stories, with a special crossover episode! BQS co-producers and hosts Dawn Brown and Ashabi Owagboriaye discuss channeling emotions through anime, growing into your queer identity alongside the old & new versions of Queer Eye & lots of other stuff. Topics include: The "Can Antoni Cook?" debate, the importance of queer storytelling (and everyone's favorite episodes of BQS), queer representation on Sailor Moon, a particularly upsetting Cowboy Bebop plotline, the legacy of the Real World & more. Listen to Seasons 1 & 2 of Beyond Queer Stories here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/beyond-queer-stories/id1448206019 Check out Ashabi's modeling here: https://www.instagram.com/ashabi.owa/?hl=en You can find I'll Be There For You on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify or wherever you like to listen to podcasts. We release new episodes every other Sunday to help you beat those Sunday scaries. Please tell your friends, subscribe, give us those sweet reviews! If you have questions, feedback or want to be a guest, you can reach us on most social platforms at @IBTFYPod or [email protected]. Thanks for listening, cuties.

Proving this show contains multitudes and occasionally our guests delve into ~~cUlTuRe~~, the hilarious and generous writer, producer and comedian Patrick Gill shares stories of building a better relationship with your body from ballerina Maria Tallchief and falling in love with the world of Pedro Almodóvar. Topics include: Raccoons vs. opossums, our relationships with our bodies, the importance of The Firebird, Surya Bonaly (again), grand movie palaces, the loneliness and observance of gay childhood, where to start on your Pedro Almodóvar journey, the best shea butter in Chicago and more. Patrick can be found on Instagram at @patrickfishpart, or you can go see his Second City Show (@bummerfunny), We Have Questions, with the next date here: https://www.facebook.com/events/650667565344881/ Visit Sesame the Opossum's Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/itsmesesame/?hl=en Donate to the Chicago Community Bond Fund here: https://chicagobond.org/ Support the wonderful work of Itunuoluwa Ebijimi and Petty Butter here: https://www.itunuoluwaebijimi.com/about You can find I'll Be There For You on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify or wherever you like to listen to podcasts. We release new episodes every other Sunday to help you beat those Sunday scaries. Please tell your friends, subscribe, give us those sweet reviews! If you have questions, feedback or want to be a guest, you can reach us on most social platforms at @IBTFYPod or [email protected]. Thanks for listening, you tiny Joan Didions.

You have so many relationships in this life, only one of two will last, and one of those is with the band you loved the most in your teen years. Artist Amy Trummer takes us on a journey through her love of the brothers Hanson, the Hanson fan community and a little something called Back to the Island. Topics include: The differences between each Hanson brother, Prince, Back to the Island pop culture gatekeeping, Hanson Monopoly, the "All That" revival, making friends through fandom and more. You can find Amy's art here: http://www.amytrummer.com/ You can donate to/volunteer at One Tail at a Time here: https://www.onetail.org/ You ca support Curt's Cafe here: https://curtscafe.org/ You can find I'll Be There For You on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify or wherever you like to listen to podcasts. We release new episodes every other Sunday to help you beat those Sunday scaries. Please tell your friends, subscribe, give us those sweet reviews! If you have questions, feedback or want to be a guest, you can reach us on most social platforms at @IBTFYPod or [email protected]. Thanks for listening, you one-hit wonders.

We did a little something different this episode! It's Pride in Chicago, so we asked some friends to share stories of LGBTQ+ media that meant a lot to them for a Pride mini-sode. What transpired was beautiful stories about Glee, Schitt's Creek, Petal, Queer Eye (old and new) and more. Also, your host has some feelings about the Indigo Girls double live album. If you like this show, #BeThereFor queer and trans people with your time and resources: Brave Space Alliance - https://www.bravespacealliance.org/ Audre Lorde Project - https://alp.org/ Queer Detainee Empowerment Project - http://www.qdep.org/ Rainbow Railroad - https://www.rainbowrailroad.com/ You can find I'll Be There For You on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify or wherever you like to listen to podcasts. We release new episodes every other Sunday to help you beat those Sunday scaries. Please tell your friends, subscribe, give us those sweet reviews! If you have questions, feedback or want to be a guest, you can reach us on most social platforms at @IBTFYPod or [email protected]. Thanks for listening, queerly beloved.

Doggos, puppers, woofers, good boys. Today's episode is all about Very Online Dogs. Chicago writer and producer Tori Szekeres shares how dogs on social media were a source of comfort and joy during a family health scare and other tough times, and why her own dog reminds her of Norm MacDonald as Burt Reynolds. Topics include: The American healthcare system and why it sucks, Midwesternisms, the Chicago storytelling scene, the Dog Feelings Twitter Account, Verminstagram and much more. Support the Live Like Roo Foundation here: https://www.livelikeroo.org/ Check out Serving the Sentence in Chicago: https://www.facebook.com/servingthesentencechicago/ And visit some of the Very Online Dogs discussed in this episode: https://www.instagram.com/aprilapplebottom/ https://www.instagram.com/sometimescarl/ https://www.instagram.com/primodogcontent/ https://www.instagram.com/weratedogs/ https://www.instagram.com/pumpkintheraccoon/?hl=en **WE WANT YOU: IBTFY is currently taking messages for our first all-crowdsourced PRIDE episode! Find out how to leave a message and share the LGBTQ+ media that had an impact on you here: https://www.speakpipe.com/IBTFYPod You can find I'll Be There For You on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify or wherever you like to listen to podcasts. We release new episodes every other Sunday to help you beat those Sunday scaries. Please tell your friends, subscribe, give us those sweet reviews! If you have questions, feedback or want to be a guest, you can reach us on most social platforms at @IBTFYPod or [email protected]. Thanks for listening, you good boys and girls.**

CONTENT NOTE: This episode includes brief references to sexual trauma. If you wish to avoid this subject matter, discussion begins around 16:00 and ends around 18:30. Pour the coffee and turn up the Carole King, it's time for our Gilmore Girls episode! Chicago comedian and storyteller Jaclyn Barker recounts returning to the comfort of Stars Hollow after the 2016 election, and how the revival impacted her. Topics include: Dames, Amy Sherman-Palladino, the comfort of Stars Hollow, mother-daughter dynamics, post-election fallout, why Emily Gilmore deserves the world, Paris Geller's righteous anger, fanservice vs. wish fulfillment, the Gilmore Guys podcast, link-sharing as love language and more Some great further reading on the revival, courtesy of Jaclyn: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/gilmore-girls-netflix-revival-offered-us-marines-in-iraq-war-ecapism/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/arts-and-entertainment/wp/2016/11/28/what-the-gilmore-guys-thought-of-the-gilmore-girls-revival/?utm_term=.4983bf0172c1&noredirect=on https://news.avclub.com/the-gilmore-guys-finally-meet-the-gilmore-girls-1798254598 http://time.com/4578044/gilmore-guys-podcast-gilmore-girls/ You can follow Jaclyn on Twitter at @KangarooJaclyn. WE WANT YOU: IBTFY is currently taking messages for our first all-crowdsourced PRIDE episode! Find out how to leave a message and share the LGBTQ+ media that had an impact on you here: https://www.speakpipe.com/IBTFYPod You can find I'll Be There For You on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify or wherever you like to listen to podcasts. We release new episodes every other Sunday to help you beat those Sunday scaries. Please tell your friends, subscribe, give us those sweet reviews! If you have questions, feedback or want to be a guest, you can reach us on most social platforms at @IBTFYPod or [email protected]. Thanks for listening, you fabulous dames.

We wanna cut to the feeling! Ines Bellina is a writer, storyteller and bon vivant who writes about food, books and other things that are good for the AV Club, the Takeout & other good good places on the Internet. On this episode, Ines talks about a summer of falling in love, soundtracked to Almighty Feelings Queen Carly Rae Jepsen. Topics include: Dating in your thirties, unsolicited advice, hearing "Warm Blood" for the first time, the Pitchfork Music Festival, the "Run Away With Me" sax intro, being pro-crush, the Lisa Frank stage of a relationship, Lindsay's true feelings about libertarians and much more. If you like swoonworthy pictures of food & equally swoonworthy writing about it, you can follow Ines on Instagram at @saltadomag; or subscribe to her Tinyletter here: https://tinyletter.com/CrankyHappInes WE WANT YOU: IBTFY is currently taking messages for our first all-crowdsourced PRIDE episode! Find out how to leave a message and share the LGBTQ+ media that had an impact on you here: https://www.speakpipe.com/IBTFYPod You can find I'll Be There For You on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify or wherever you like to listen to podcasts. We release new episodes every other Sunday to help you beat those Sunday scaries. Please tell your friends, subscribe, give us those sweet reviews! If you have questions, feedback or want to be a guest, you can reach us on most social platforms at @IBTFYPod or [email protected]. Thanks for listening, you army of lovers.