You Don't Say: Conversations with The Loquacious Mr. Duane

The doctor’s orders are in, the book is getting a new title and you're getting a new prescription: Prep, Help, Hope. But wait, even with this treatment, will the young activists apply it? Tom, Blake, and Sam discuss this, and the true potential for a new radical movement. 

Tom’s old pal and former NYC Council member, Rosie Méndez, joins him to chat about their organizing work together and Rosie's opinion on term limits. Plus, they obviously gossip just a little bit.  

Did you miss us? Sorry, we’ve been busy trying to save the world. Speaking of, Tom brought back district Leader Layla Law-Gisiko to chat about her experience immigrating to the US and getting into politics, and their continual fight to stop the Chelsea NYCHA demolition.  

Blake, Tom, and occasionally Sam talk about the recent Rob Reiner, Bondi Beach, and Brown University tragedies, and how the hell anyone can be happy when the world is on fire.

Bruce Pachter, the chair of the NYPD commissioner’s LGBTQIA advisory committee, joins Blake and Tom — and even Sam! — to talk about the committee’s new survey ([email protected]) and the overall relationship between the queer community and the NYPD. 

He’s baaaaaaack. Former cohost Blake rejoins the pod for this week’s episode to give us an update on his life, the book’s life, and the potential lives that will be changed by said book. 

Tom’s cousin, screenwriter Alice O’Neil, joins Tom to gossip about their family’s politics, and to discuss her work on the TV show Billions , as well as her other various film/TV projects. 

Activist Michelle Lopez joins Tom to talk about her experience immigrating to the U.S. from Trinidad, and her public health work with both general AIDS activism and the new(ish) U=U (Undetectable = Untransmittable) campaign. 

Lobbyist Julia Donnaruma joins Tom on the pod to talk about her various experiences with lobbying, what it was like to work for Mayor Bloomberg, and finally, her nonprofit work with New Alternatives For Children — the very place she met the loquacious Mr. Duane.

District Leader Layla Law-Gisiko joins Tom to talk some more about the NYCHA Chelsea Demolition and the general privatizing of subsidized housing.

NYCHA, NYC’s public housing authority, is allowing private developers to demolish two Chelsea NYCHA campuses, displacing over 90 senior citizens in order to build luxury high-rises. Tom brings activists Roberta Gelb and Lydia Andre on the pod to talk about what you can do to stop the demolition. 

Lawyer Jim West joins Tom on the pod and the two reminisce about their good ol' days fighting the good fight, as West was one of the principal lawyers involved in the cases that eventually led to Braschi decision — the landmark ruling that allowed the surviving partner of a same-sex relationship to continue living in a rent controlled apartment belonging to the deceased partner.

Remember that ol’ book Tom and Blake were working on? It’s still happening, so Charles Sanchez comes on the pod to question Tom about some more gay & political book-related stuff. Knowing Tom, this will be super straightforward. 

Producer and engineer, Sam Small, joins Tom to talk about boycotts, adderall, and the one and only Zohran Mamdani 

Tom’s old pal, Representative Tony Simone, joins him on the pod to talk about deciding to run, having a crush on his fraternity brothers, and his two pending bills: the melt act and the non partisan pulpit act. 

Justice Andrea Masley joins Tom to talk about her career as a judge and two of the NYC Bare Association's current bills, Repeal the Cap and Do the Math. 

Tom’s dream guest is here! Former New York Times reporter, David Dunlap, joins the pod to talk about the beginnings of the “gay and lesbian beat,” and all the peaks and valleys of his 50 plus years working for the paper. 

Charles Sanchez, one of the newest additions to the YDS team, finally takes to the mic. We learn about his first dilly-dally, his career as a writer and musician and the first penis he ever truly loved. 

Former city council member Jimmy Van Bramer joins Tom, his former employer and gay mentor, to talk about his political career, his love life, and their mutual Irishness.

Tom’s former chief of staff, TAG treasurer, and occasional cellmate, Laura Morrison, joins the pod to talk about their mutual organizing history.

So you know how Tom is always saying he’s kind of “bisexual,” well today we get to meet his first girlfriend and lifelong bestie, the poet Katherine Eatmon.

Our pre-book series is coming to a close, so we’re reflecting and bidding farewell to Blake as he hunkers down and works on the duo's soon-to-be NYT's Best Seller. You also might be wondering: what's next for the Senator? Listen and find out!

Tom’s got the reigns and he wants (almost) all of YDS — Blake, Angel (Blake’s husband) and producer Sam — to answer his steaming questions about food, god, and colors.  

Tom was a capital O organizer back in his heyday, but can he organize his physical spaces, too? Blake isn’t so sure, and so a conversation ensues about how we arrange our lives and our priorities.

After Tom and Blake got into yet another fight about their (distracting) writing process, producer Sam Small hops on the mic to mediate and get to the bottom of their communication problems. 

Gay Devastation: Tom missed the Kylie Minogue concert because he had COVID, so, naturally, a conversation about all things healthcare and Luigi Mangione ensues. 

What was once the title of Blake’s radio show is now, unofficially, chapter one of the forthcoming memoir and the guiding question for this week’s episode. Words like “fairness” and “justice” were brought up, and incidentally so was “Cheney.”

Blake and Tom take their relationship to the next level on a work-cation in Culebra, Puerto Rico.

If Tom hadn’t gone into politics and Blake hadn’t been mean to his dad that one time, what would’ve happened? These hypotheticals, along with other major and minor decisions made when brought to a "fork in the road” are investigated — but not like scientifically. 

Blake's quest for more of Tom's stories continues. In an effort to remain on task, Blake asks Tom one question: if you could go back in time, what advice would you give to your younger self?

Tom interrogates Blake on his history ghostwriting for conservatives, Blake interrogates Tom about always being f***ing late. They make amends though, and continue their candid conversation about sex, love, and trauma. What does this all have to do with communication? I don't know ask your therapist, they're just two nice gays from New York. Actually, I do know — listen to find out!

Some things to know about our two hosts, Thomas K. Duane and his ghostwriter, Blake Newhem Valenzuela: they've both got trauma, they've had one or two crazy sexual escapes, and they're both "hot and hung." Listen to the very first episode of "You Don't Say" as they two dive headfirst into juicy conversations about sex, politics, and personal secrets. They definitely do not get mad at each other — ever!

You Don't Say features Blake Newhem Venezuela, a ghostwriter desperately trying to get into the head of Tom Duane, one of NYC's first openly gay and HIV-positive senators. But in order to get Mr. Duane's secrets, Blake must reveal his own — on air. Through a back-and-forth that’s as revealing as it is entertaining, “You Don’t Say” delves into the power of communication in all its forms. Not only do listeners get a behind the scenes look into the process of ghostwriting, they get to hear transparent and irreverent discussions that will change the way they think about the art of talking.