Boy Throb

hi david hi rosabelle how are you i'm good how are you i'm good look i know we're both a little bit stretched for time right now so i'm gonna cut straight to the chase today's episode looks into the american boy band and i'm just wondering growing up in new zealand did you ever have a boy band that you particularly gravitated towards backstreet boys five five i remember five i think five were from the uk maybe i think they were actually that's okay but then backstreet boys the nick carter had a little brother called aaron carter and he had songs as well i might be wrong but there was an american drama that was christian based and i feel like he played one of the christian sons oh okay which is a science fiction movie were you attracted to the music or were you like a little bit horny for the people yeah of course horny musically attracted physically attracted it's the whole package did you have any posters on your wall of course they did you know it's quite weird for like the music industry to target 10 year old girls yeah because they're not i mean they call them boy bands but they are they're not boys they're men right they're fully grown men yeah and then it must be so strange to for those men to go do a little gig and there's 10 year old girls being horny for them yeah that is weird actually i hadn't really thought about it like that but that is really it's really odd okay um thanks rosabelle you're welcome i'm david farrier in new zealand accidentally marooned in america and i want to figure out what makes this country tick now back in october of last year a new american boy band arrived on the scene called boy throb now whether you're deeply aware of boy throb or have never heard of them before i like to think this episode will have something for you because the idea of boy bands is just inherently kind of fascinating and because the members of boy throb have all been chasing fame for some time from auditioning on american idol to creating huge social media followings on their own for their singing and dancing and the story of boy throb is also a story close to my heart because while three members are americans their fourth member is in india and ever since the formation of the group they have been heavily campaigning to get darshan an o1 visa so he can join his bandmates in the united states of america to get an o1 visa you have to prove you are an alien of extraordinary ability that's the actual term which basically means you need to get famous enough for the u.s government to let you in so while boy throb want to get famous for all the usual reasons they also want to get famous to get darshan an american visa recently as part of this journey they played a role in the movie boy throb and they played a role in the movie boy throb and they played that first ever live show at an iconic music venue in new york city so of course i had to go so prepare to become a throbber and join the throb mob because this is the boy throb episode now i'm deeply aware that this is a very specific topic yeah but i think boy bands in general are kind of interesting yeah um and very american very american at one point i feel like other cultures i mean k-pop yeah it's a little adjacent to that and totally and i've like taken the popularity away yeah because we haven't had i guess that's part of the thing about boy throb that's kind of fascinating is it's a boy band and since it's a boy band it's a boy band and it's a i guess one direction in my mind was like the last big boy band boy band i guess yeah maybe i mean what what constitutes a boy band it's multiple males multiple boys singers harmonizing yes they have to have share different parts and then do crossovers and it's uh they're not playing instruments they're just singing that's a good point it's all vocal chords and dance moves almost like a extension of an acapella group kind of with tracks maybe sometimes a live band depending on what size yeah and i think some real legitimate bangers and i also feel like in a boy like because they all have their own skills i feel one of them is always going to rise to the top and maybe be more talented than the others so the justin timberlake's the harry styles although a fascinating thing has happened with timberlake where i don't know he was amazing for quite a while like i remember him being a good dancer and a great singer and charismatic yeah i feel since that dui he got where he was pulled over his current tour is a train wreck it's popping up on my feeds and he's just kind of lost the ability to be what he was sloppy the shows you're seeing yeah he's dancing but it's like if i was trying to dance it's really for some reason timberlake side dish has really gone south i mean he's also good at dancing getting older so he's getting older the expectations of how he can dance on stage this is true maybe need to be lowered but this is true i will say if it's as awful as you're saying it's maybe it's pretty tragic maybe someone should have flagged it to him they need to during rehearsals that they need to that's not the route to go as a side dish to this i just thought i'd mention because i was thinking growing up if i were i was into any boy bands boys to men were weird that's a boy band i weirdly was really into them like very solely and very uh i know for whatever reason they captured my attention other than that it was mostly christian boy bands like the newsboys and as a side dish is that a boy band they're playing instruments maybe it's not a boy band i mean you had in sync and backstreet boys and we had all the new zealand i just wasn't actively a fan of are you sure i'd admit it if i was okay as a side dish with the newsboys i'm not a fan of the newsboys i'd admit it if i was okay as a side dish with the newsboys i'm not a fan of the newsboys i'd admit it if i was okay as a side dish with the newsboys we did that christian chaos episode about how the newsboys were falling into disrepute because of their singer yeah just wanted to leave a note they are suing the shit out of everyone at the moment this is an article from ministry watch which is a christian website and if you remember in that episode christian chaos we talked about their manager wes campbell who we described as the devil he's like this very ginger nightmare looking man so this is from ministry watch wes campbell and the musicians of the christian chaos episode and we talked about the christian chaos episode Christian Band Newsboys have filed a federal lawsuit against World Vision, The Royce Report, who broke the story, and concert promoters for an orchestrated campaign to drive Campbell and Newsboys out of the Christian concert. So Newsboys have gone full batshit insane. They've gone nuclear. Anyway, they were probably the boys that I loved the most as a kid, and they have really fallen. There was LFO also, and New Kids on the Block, and 98 Degrees. I don't know 98 Degrees. Oh, 98 Degrees. It's very hot. Hot, hot, hot. It's great. I really like that name. That was Nick Lachey. Okay, I don't know who that is. I feel like this is a whole other world, probably, that I should delve into. Yeah, there were lots of boy bands. And then there were the girl bands, too. Totally. Can you say girl bands? Is it women bands? I think girl, yeah. I mean, I think of the first single I ever bought on tape as a kid was TLC Waterfalls. And I feel that was an iconic girl group, obviously, that went on to certain members, went on to do amazing things. Or should we call them women? Yeah. I guess it depends on the age, but I also feel totally fine calling and syncing a boy band. And that's the other thing. Boy, they're not men. You know, they're sort of boyish. Well, I think they were probably men at that time. I mean, they were technically men, but it's this thing of like they're innocent in a way. They're presentable to all ages. It's not like boy bands are never, they're not out having a lot of promiscuous, crazy times. They're tame, right? That's part of the deal. Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And that's so kids can hang the posters up on the wall. Remember those books you used to get, those teen magazines, and they'd have posters of all the latest people you could put on the wall? Uh, no, I had, I had Sports Illustrated. So it was. Oh, wow. I mean, instead it was, it was large man dunking or hitting a baseball. Wow. Um, another thing I was thinking about while thinking about boy bands, I know this technically doesn't count, but Michael Jackson, who was a big star. Well, he was in a boy band, Jackson 5. Oh my God. Okay. You're completely right. This is very valid. Michael Jackson watching the reaction. To him. We've talked a bit about this, but his, the fact the movie Michael has come out and people are flooding to it and loving it. It's really funny. We're not funny. Strange. Watching this generation basically forgive him. And the estate has done this. The daily did a really fascinating deep dive on this. And essentially Michael Jackson towards the end of his career was obviously not doing well. He was hooked on a bunch of drugs. The pedophilia, um, allegations were everywhere. He was dangling babies, um, off the roof. That was a particularly horrific thing to watch, but the estate, when Michael was alive, they. had a really hard time because he was just out being a maniac with him dead the estate has done this really amazing thing where they've rehabilitated his image because he isn't around to constantly be saying and doing crazy shit and it's worked yeah like there's a whole bunch of people out there that are kind of like maybe he wasn't a pedophile you know and that's a real thing now and that just blows my mind yeah i mean that's the uh age-old debate we're living through now of separating the art from the artist and at this point if him being gone changes your ability to appreciate because the doc is more about him as a musician and an artist it is i haven't watched i think it cuts off way before the allegations even start there was a whole other cut of the film where they wrote in the allegations and actually essentially shut those down within the film so allegations are made again against him and they reference those in the film but then they're about to release it and they found out that that uh that victim had given an interview previously and part of that deal was they weren't allowed to disparage like the network wasn't allowed to disparage that victim yeah and they built that into the film and then they went oh god we signed this contract ages ago we're not allowed to clap back against these allegations and so they basically redid the whole thing which is mad the backstory to that michael movie is crazy yeah yeah but i think he's different because you're not just separating the artist from the artist i think there's a bunch of people out there that have just don't think he did anything wrong again it's like they've erased that part of the story which is mad to me yeah the whole denying thing is another interesting aspect to all of it you can't get the neverland documentary that was on hbo you can't get it anymore it's dropped off the map like the estate has taken it offline it's fucking crazy all right well not uh yeah not an awful uh boy band story is boy throb this seems like a story crafted by you yeah it feels this is built for me yeah in a way yeah because when when did they come onto the scene this has to be like this has to be a newly thing fueled by the current politics so new um october is when they first popped up i can't remember if it was instagram or tiktok but what struck me is that these the whole setup is so riveting because you've got these three boys these three americans who are i think they're in their early sort of mid-20s late 20s they are all very talented on their own but they're also not the picture perfect kind of image that you expect so they're all a little bit i don't know it's hard they're just not as polished as you would expect and that's really fascinating they're not in sync they're not in sync they're not perfect but they're very very likable and they're like they're amazing with their own specific skills like one of them's a great dancer one of them's a great singer but then of course only one of them's a good singer just one okay no they're all good but a few of them have particular points where they're particularly better i think and what is their history like because with with in sync you had uh justin timberlake coming from the mickey mouse club everyone kind of had storied backgrounds and origin and origins yes and then i mean i think a lot of the i wouldn't say controversy but controversy of boy bands too was that it felt like a label just placing these people together and it and yeah manufacturing this friendship and i think that's something that you've hit on with boy bands that is unique to them is that they don't form organically they're not friends jamming or they don't have this love of music that bring them that brings them together it's someone going hey meet this person you should do something or or we auditioned all of these people and we're gonna pick these five to go together yeah we have these writers and these producers that are gonna make all the music yes there was a band o-town oh and that was part of the story of them kind of i i think the peak this i think they did it publicly on making the band on mtv they created o-town and it okay was this band that came out of that right and they were big they were big ish i mean yeah i found some history o-town were the first boy band created and launched by a reality tv show oh holy shit so this is pre-idol and all this stuff in 1999 abc produced a musical band called reality show called making the band so not not mtv um huh so it was with lou perlman who created backstreet boys and in sync okay they had a thousand people audition to be in the band which is a lot but probably by today's standards isn't that many so the series actually goes through the audition process and okay all of that um do you remember how old were you in 99 i was 11. so you were aware of this like being a thing i was aware yeah i don't think i don't know that i watched it um but i was aware of it there were apparently legal battles between lou perlman who was convicted of embezzling over 300 million dollars which 300 jesus christ okay i think eventually killed the band i feel like with so many like another thing common with boy bands is the drama yes because you've got these because you've got someone pulling the strings there's these people come in excited to be famous and they're like oh my god i'm gonna be famous but a lot of them are getting like fucked over from the beginning well i think you also have this thing where the drive for it is to be famous they it was not this this thing where they're trying to make music for the pure sake of expressing themselves they're doing no there's no message besides we are hot and we are famous and you have the egos of i mean front front people in any band have to have somewhat of an ego yeah dude think that you are good enough to go on stage and lead yeah to have that confidence right yes so when you put four to five of them together yeah there's gonna be uh everyone probably thinks that they are the lead completely and unless you have people that are comfortable settling because it naturally someone rises as yeah the favorite completely um someone is just has that extra x factor or a better voice or better talent or whatever yeah but you're right that's the other thing with boy band there's no specific focus all of them and they begin are meant to be same with the girl band like they're meant to be you pick which one you like yeah spice girls are the same you had your favorite spice girl that you liked um my god i remember how much my granddad who's very very british he's dead now but he fucking loved the spice girl so much i wonder why and he's just like no i don't think if you're insinuating that the grandpa was horny no he wasn't no he wasn't a pervert okay that's the thing he was so straight laced but something about the spice girls just bought this very she's got excited by like baby spice and shit and sposs and sposh posh sposh the men we didn't know about it's he got so excited and that's what it's about it's about becoming a fan of your favorite uh member so that does relate to boy throb because the one thing that we know about boy throb is that some of the members have auditioned on american idol so these are these are kids that have wanted to be successful for a long time they largely haven't been they haven't won idol you know they've been on there they got rejected and somehow these three guys have found each other and they're trying to make it yeah we don't know how they got brought together there's like a big theory like that's like one of the big things is like who is behind boy throb like what is this exactly yeah and then the other main element which is it depends what way you look at it like it's incredibly heartwarming and it's also sort of entertaining is this idea that there's another influencer in india there's a member there's a fourth member fourth member of a band that and i'm missing the origin no it's kind of wild and yeah and his whole thing which is clearly gimmicky right yeah i'm feeling a little skeptical like and he dashan has made his career from singing he has an incredibly high pitch beautiful voice and his whole thing on tiktok and he's a star in india he's got his own thing so he's already he's already established in india yeah okay and his whole thing is covering huge pop songs like i don't know rose or something he'll cover one of her songs but in the most high pitch voice sort of imaginable and he harmonizes with these three americans and so in all the boy throbs instagram and tiktoks dashan is just like on a green screen and kind of his and but following the journey of this band trying to get him an o1 for me because every three years i mean i just emailed you the other day can you please fill in a form to help me get my new o1 visa i do this every three years yeah i'm aware because you have to fill in all this fucking paperwork the third one but it's just watching this band try and you know so you're kind of rooting for them not just because you like them as people and you kind of want them to do well you want this guy to get a visa that's what i meant by it being just perfect political thing to be happening right now because that's also uh Oh, it's getting harder to do. Yeah. No, I mean, I'm looking at the list of things they're checking off on O-1s now that they never used to. You know, for instance, I now have to go back to New Zealand to apply for an O-1. I used to just have to leave the country, but I didn't have to go all the way back to New Zealand. Yeah. The social media checks, now with the green card Trump's added on that you can no longer apply for a green card within the United States. You've got to leave and go back to your country of origin. It's getting harder and harder for a non-American to come here. And so it wasn't this intense when they started this in October. But as this campaign's gone on, obviously, politically, it's gotten crazier and crazier, which has made it more and more riveting to watch. Yeah, more and more relevant. Yeah. But look, I went to see them in New York. I'm going to play this documentary for you. You who only knows about Boy Throb through me occasionally ranting to you about them. Yes. I'm deeply curious just to know what you make of them. Um, after experiencing what I experienced in New York City. It's about 5 p.m. and I'm in Washington Square Park. I'm here because Boy Throb have announced on social media they're doing a fan meetup a few days before their first ever live performance. I've been wandering around the park for about 10 minutes trying to spot where this thing is happening. It's a public park, so there are buskers. There are some protests going on as well. And then I see a throng of about 50 people. Some of them wearing the pink merch of Boy Throb. As I head towards them, I see a large cardboard cutout of Dashaun, the member of the band who can't be here because he's in India. Do you know what's going on up here? No idea. No idea. Do you know what's happening? You have no idea at all. You're just here. No idea. You came here for this today? Oh, absolutely not. No. You just stumbled into it. I stumbled into it. But my partner and I both love them. And so I'm about to call him and tell him. Can you explain what's happening here? These gentlemen here. They're a new boy band called Boy Throb. There's four members in the band. They've got a guy called Dashaun who's in India, and he's trying to get a U.S. visa. Are you going to the show tomorrow? Unfortunately, I did not get a ticket, and I also have to fly back to Dublin. But that's why I'm here. One thing that strikes me about the fans here is how invested they are, not just in the music of Boy Throb, but in the story of Boy Throb. This is an independent boy band called Boy Throb. They all met each other on the Internet, specifically through Instagram. Their first post was like, I got more information from Jonathan and Mel. Between them, they could only secure one ticket for the show in a few days' time. The tickets went that fast. So, right now, there's this new band, Boy Throb. They are hosting Throbchella. It's like their first big concert that they're doing. They are from California. There's actually four people in the band. It is Ethan, Zach, Dashaun, and Anthony. So, Dashaun is unfortunately in India. So, they're currently doing all of this actually to get him a visa to come here. Unfortunately, at the start of their career, a lot of people thought of it as like a satirical band when they're actually a real band trying to get popular. So, they're doing this in order to not only perform and be a band, but to show the government and get proof that this is a real band. He should really be allowed to come here on a performance visa. This is like the meet-up before the concert, which is on Tuesday at 7:00. Are you guys going tomorrow? I wish. I tried. I didn't get tickets. Tickets have gone. You've got a ticket. I got a ticket, but he didn't get one. Yeah, we signed up. It just wasn't in the cards. It didn't happen. But we're going to stage door, so we're going to try and change it. And it's nice, regardless, that one of you gets to go. That's good. Exactly. And he has work until 7:00, and the concert starts at 7:00. So, you know. Stay tuned for more Flightless Bird. We'll be right back after a word from our sponsors. Support for Flightless Bird comes from Zazzle. Now, I find it really hard to find gifts, or I did until I found Zazzle. I had a friend's birthday coming up. I know that they love, love, love where the wild things are. And I knew they needed a new pillow. I went to Zazzle. I got a "where the wild things are" pillow for my friend, also got them some phone cases. And good God, that birthday gift, gifts, I should say, went over so, so well. Zazzle is a custom marketplace where you can take basically any product, a mug, a tote bag, a card, a phone case, a pillow, and make it mean something. You're not buying a gift. You're making one. You can browse millions of designs or start from scratch and build something completely your own. Either way, you're the designer. I'm the designer. That's how it felt when I was putting together this "where the wild things are" present for my buddy. Now, everything is made on demand. There's no out of stock. You pick it. You customize it. Done. Over 30 million customers have trusted Zazzle with their most important gifts. Yours is next. They have some really good peanuts stuff on there. That's what I'm going to get for another friend very soon. So right now, save 25% on your first order at Zazzle.com. That's 25% savings on your first order at Zazzle.com. Go make something Z-mazing. Zazzle.com. Support for Flightless Bird comes from Shopify. Now, I don't know if you've ever started your own business, but it can be incredibly overwhelming and lonely thanks to all the hats you suddenly have to wear. Like setting up this podcast. We had to figure it all out from scratch pretty much. The way we scripted things, the setup, how we'd film things in the studio, our logo, all of those things, fonts even, it was super overwhelming and every day seemed to introduce a new decision that needed an answer. And finding the right tool that not only helps you out when you're doing something like this, but simplifies everything can be such a game changer. And for millions of businesses, that tool is Shopify. Shopify is the commerce platform behind millions of businesses all around the world and 10% of all e-commerce in the US. And when you use Shopify, you get the word out like you have a whole marketing team behind you. You can easily create email and social media campaigns wherever your customers are scrolling or strolling. Best yet, Shopify is your commerce expert with world-class expertise and everything from managing inventory to international shipping and processing returns and beyond. And if you get stuck, Shopify is always around to share advice with their award-winning 24/7 customer support. So start your business today with the industry's best business partner, Shopify, and start hearing. Sign up for your $1 per month trial. Today at Shopify.com/bird. That's Shopify.com/bird. Shopify.com/bird. If you want to learn more about the industry and make sure you're the right passenger, make sure your ride is your ride with pin verification from Uber. One more way Uber is putting safety at every turn. Learn more on the Uber app. One thing I was curious about was how these fans found out about Boy Throb in the first place. A band that only formed last year. A band that doesn't appear to have a label or any major backing. Where did you hear about them originally? Like, how did it come to you? On TikTok. Yeah, we found them on TikTok. Yeah. We found them on TikTok. Yeah. Yeah. only have three songs out now they're each getting better than the last at first i was like yeah sure i'll give this a follow on instagram i'm starting to like really like these guys but it originally started as a joke of can we do this so i think they actually can but it's been a journey to get there and that's part of why they've become so likable because the question of what are they actually capable of and they do seem very talented after about an hour the meet and greet is done the fans disperse to do whatever new yorkers do after 6 p.m on a sunday and boy throb wander off into the park the day after tomorrow is their first ever live show throb challah the first thing i notice as i approach the bowery ballroom is the line there's a really long line i follow it around the block around the corner around another corner and then another it goes around the entire block it's 6 30 on a tuesday night and doors open at 7. the bowery ballroom is a pretty amazing place to play patty smith cole play kanye west radiohead metallica amy winehouse the strokes frank ocean lady gaga they've all played here and shortly boy throb inside downstairs by the bar people are buzzing we are at uh boy throbs first ever live concert are you excited about this i don't even have words to describe it i'm so thrilled to be here i thought i wasn't going to get in i thought there was already too many people when i got in line that line was crazy i heard it wrapped around the whole block boy throb is you know the new band of our generation so i'm excited to be here i hope you are too for lisa she feels personally invested in this whole thing i saw them on tiktok and as an immigrant i really saw darshan's issues with immigration and it was a lot of fun and it really resonated with me and they just seem like a group of really nice people so i'm kind of obsessed uh well it's boy throb you know they're a social media sensation trying to get darshan a visa to bring him over to the u.s talking to max and tessa i realize i'm not the only press in the room should tell you since you're making the the podcast we are press as well the washington post is here and so is a local fox news affiliate honestly i have to say the more research i've done i've listened to these guys in a couple of years and i've seen a lot of them and i've seen these guys in a couple of other podcasts and interviews and the more that i listen to them the more that i am convinced that they actually love it and they want to success in music since they had such explosive viral success so quickly that is what gives a lot of people pause and thinking you know could this possibly be legit but just because they have a goofy campy seemingly very authentic presentation doesn't necessarily mean that it's an inside job or that they're being propped up so i have the same questions as you my friend we shall see this is just a testament to how much they care about immigration rights as well because this is a person that they care about and is integral to their sound and their group and they want him here as fast as possible and they'll do anything to prove that it's legit did you see the line it was all the way around the block i'm not talking around the corner it was around the four corners upstairs dj is hyping the crowd up big big hits and the room is packed and just before 8 p.m boy throbs manager gino takes to the stage ladies and gentlemen please remove your hats from the national anthem okay okay for the first chant to be about a visa is amazing to me and gino who fans know from the band's social media goes into more details apparently their first application for dashan's o1 was turned down essentially the u.s government not convinced all this was legit that boy throb was a real band which is sort of an interesting thing to think about considering said band is about to play to a room packed full of fans we're here because the u.s government sent us an rfe which means they have a request for further evidence they think because we'll think of stars the boys are online i know because of how good they are just being themselves and effortlessly marketing themselves because they're just so funny and great and talented the government i know i know the government thinks that they're just like a viral oh well it's just like a viral and we're like no no no that we're a real hey not only a real band it's the hottest boy band in the world i mean we're here for our boy to show we're here to show the government yeah we're here to show the government that this is a real goddamn band and not only a real band but they're stars and we need our boy we need our boy then just before 8 p.m boy throb come on stage it's like the excitement from the park two days ago but times a thousand so Things go quiet as Boythrob open their set with the national anthem. Thank God that I am well, O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave. What follows is a tight, hour-long show, which is quite a feat when you realize they only have three singles so far. As one of the most high-energy concerts I've ever been to, the crowd was loud, like my ears were ringing afterwards. What did they play? Well, there were quieter, acoustic versions of songs. Honestly, I'm not even crazy 'Cause when I'm in the Grammy, I make sure to say I'm never gonna miss. I'm never gonna miss. I'm never gonna waste my time on a crown. Am I ever gonna let them take off my crown? Am I ever gonna let them hear there's no sound? Cause fire, cause fire, I'm going higher and higher. Later, they do the song again, but on full blast. What follows is a tight, hour-long show, which is quite a feat when you realize they're not even crazy 'Cause when I'm in the Grammy, I make sure to say I'm never gonna miss. I'm never gonna let them hear there's no sound. And as if to further prove the legitimacy of all this, the show ended on a power move, playing a new Boy Throb remix from Kesha, a giant, giant star. I mean, that has to count towards the next visa attempt, right? We spill out onto the street. Throb is still buzzing from what just happened, their favorite internet band suddenly real and fully formed in front of them. So a question, because this is like not a visual medium, how would you describe the crowd? Who are the fans? Millennials. More adult than I anticipated. Older than I thought, which as a 35-year-old and a mother of three, I totally support it. As a 24-year-old, I was expecting, I was expecting. Eight, 17-year-olds and more men, more men than I anticipated as well, which I love. Boy Throb for everyone. I think that's what's so nice is that it's literally for everyone. Do you have a good time in there? I do. I'm actually with the Washington Post, so I'm here working as well. What do you make of it? As a member of the press, obviously, you're here with a bunch of fans that love them for a variety of reasons. You'll have to read tomorrow, but I loved it. That was great. What's your name? David. David Shane. Nice to meet you. Nice to meet you, too. It was amazing. Better than I thought it was going to be, so honestly. Highlight for you? The acoustic version of Finger. Honestly, it was really genuine, really raw. I very much enjoyed that. And also just finding out that Kesha's on the new song was fantastic. That was so fucking cool. Sorry, should I curse? I would have absolutely paid. A lot of people did pay for, like, resale of the tickets. A lot of people paid for the ticket. Black market for tickets. I know someone who paid, like, $75 for, like, one of the resold tickets. Did they get in? I hope so. Well, that was a religious experience for me. That was the one real coolest thing I've ever done in my life. Genuinely, like, it was purely, like, you can just feel the joy from everything. Everybody that, it was, it was amazing. The energy that they bring and, like, the genuine, like, niss that they actually, you can tell they genuinely love to do what they do. You know? Very endearing. Yeah. You can't help but root for them. You can't. Because you can tell that this is, like, a dream for them. And that we're, like, helping make it happen in a way. It was really special. And seeing, like, from what, like, we've seen of Evan and Anthony and how they all, like, you know, started as influencers or on, you know, American Idol or whatever it was. And now to see, now to see them here. I love it. I'm so proud of them. Most fans drift off into the night to do whatever New Yorkers do at 9 p.m. on a Tuesday night. Some of us head to the after party, hounded a bar a 15-minute walk away. Inside, we're greeted by a small boy throw-by sculpture, some drinks, and some fried chicken. This whole night has felt like a bit of a blur. And at some point during the after party, I bump into the boys themselves, Evan, Zach, and Anthony. They're in good spirits, but also look utterly disheveled and exhausted. Yeah, oh, I love your accent. Thank you, I'm from New Zealand. Did you have expectations of what tonight would be, and was this what you expected, or was it different? I think there was a little bit of, we just didn't know. It could have been a sold-out show, or maybe had 20 people. We really didn't know. This was really the first test run to see, do we have fans that would show up for a show? And boy, did they! Wow! So thrilling, so exciting, like my adrenaline is high. Most surprising thing for you tonight, was there something that jumped out at you that you didn't expect? I would say the amount of people there, honestly. I am such a pessimist sometimes, and I never know how many people are going to show up to stuff, and who did they show? And the line, the line outside is insane. Most annoying question you've had so far in all this press that you've done tonight? All tonight, or in all of life? In all of your career in Boythrope. Maybe when people are always asking us, you know, are we organic or not? That gets old. It's like, look, what you see is what you get. Hope you like it. If you don't, oh well. Oh, if you're a gag or not, that annoys the fuck out of me. Like, if you're a joke. I'm so done with that shit. What else do we need to prove to people to tell you that we're not a gag? We just sold out the Bowery, and got a line outside the fucking door. I say goodnight. But before I go, there's one last person I want to talk to. A woman who's quietly sitting in the corner of the afterparty. A giant grin plastered on her face. She's Wendy, Evan's mum. Oh, I am a beyond proud mother. I'm going to make me cry again. I already cried two or three times during the show. How was tonight? Like, did you know what to expect? You know what? This was beyond anything I could have imagined. I mean, his, just the reception from the crowd and the meaning and the love. The love that was in that room was off the charts. I've been to so many concerts, I mean, I've never seen anything like this. Highlight of your night tonight? The elation of seeing my son, who's been doing this since he was three. Evan has been doing this since he was three years old. I was so proud of him. And he stuck to his dreams. Nothing has deterred him. If you want to achieve something, you can do it if you set your mind to it. And he's done that. This is like, for me, it's, you know, it's not my dream. It's not my dream come true that I wanted him to do this, but that his dream came true. For any mother, that is, like, what you're all about, you know? Support for Flightless Bird comes from Grow Therapy. Now, I don't know if you've heard these words, or maybe you've said them yourself. Therapy is way more than just a word. It's way too expensive. That used to be the end of the conversation, but it shouldn't be. Grow Therapy works to help people find care they can afford that's insurance-friendly and easy to start and stay with. There's no subscriptions, just support that fits your life and your budget. Whether it's your first time in therapy or your 50th, Grow makes it easier to find a therapist who fits you, not the other way around. They connect you with thousands of independent licensed therapists across the U.S., offering both virtual and in-person sessions, nights and weekends. You can search by what matters, like insurance, specialty, identity, or availability, and get started in as little as two days. And if something comes up, you can cancel up to 24 hours in advance at no cost. There are no subscriptions, no long-term commitments. You just pay per session. Grow helps you find therapy on your time. So, whatever challenges you're facing, Grow Therapy is here to help. Grow accepts over 125 insurance plans, sessions average $21 with insurance, and some pay as little as $0 depending on their plan. Visit growtherapy.com slash bird today to get started. That's growtherapy.com slash bird. Availability and coverage vary by state and insurance plan. With Share My Trip from Uber, you can send your live trip location to the ones who matter most. Like Dan and Hannah, who always wait up to make sure their daughter gets back to her college dorm room. Or Tiffany, who's running late as usual, and her friends are tracking her trip to make sure she's actually on her way. Look, she's right there. There, she's three minutes away. Or Sam, who never goes anywhere without her roommate knowing exactly where she is. Some journeys are meant to be shared. Share your ride in real time with Share My Trip on Uber. Hey friends, Olivia from Ollie. Between new routines and the ultimate group project known as parenting, you need science-backed solutions that work with your life. That's where Ollie comes in. Start your mornings off right with multis made to support nutrition and immune health. Choose from our lineup of gut-supporting probiotics, and we've got occasional sleep support to help the whole fam chase their big dreams. Head back to class with the number one gummy supplement brand. Stock up on Ollie.com today. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. So I took my New Zealand friend, George, to that show who had never heard of Boy Throb. Yeah. And we were breaking it down afterwards and just reflecting on how it was a fucking amazing show. It was the energy that was packed into a small space. My ears were still ringing the next day because it was just so loud. Yeah, yeah. And you go to metal shows, so that says something. Completely. Just people's screams. And I went there kind of with the attitude of how I'd watched a lot of their online stuff, which is like, this is a bit funny and very self-aware. Yeah. But then when I was in that room, I kind of realized, holy shit, people are really into this. Everyone in that room was on the same page. They're really fucking likable. And they have some bangers of songs. The songs are good. Yeah. What did you make of it? As an outsider who loves, you don't love this type of music, but you've been to a lot of shows. And the Bowery, as I said, Radiohead had played there. Yeah, I've seen shows. I've seen As Tall As Lions at Bowery Ballroom. It's an iconic old venue. Mm-hmm. Um. I'm still skeptical. Yes, you interviewed them, and they said that's not a gag. Yeah. Or a joke. Yeah. So adamantly. And I think, what do I think about them? I just think it's so perfect that whether or not they're, I don't know how to say it, whether or not they're doing it with pure intentions, there is a gimmick to it. Absolutely. The fact a member is in India trying to get a visa. Yes. Is inherently gimmicky. Yeah. And the fact that a manager is introducing. I haven't seen a manager introduce a band before on stage. Now I think about it. Imagine before Radiohead comes on, their manager comes out. Yeah. A character of the band is the manager. Yeah. Which though, like leans into the storied past of boy bands in a fun way. I guess. I guess. Um. Whether or not it started as a gimmick or a gag almost doesn't matter. That's the exact feeling I took away. I think they're incredibly self-aware of what's going on. Mm-hmm. And they are riffing on so many different things that make boy bands interesting in a really funny way. And in its satirical way. It almost feels, but then really blurring the lines of that, like they have to be aware of some of these cliches and things that they're leaning into. Yeah. Yeah. like what separates it from any boy band ever because every boy band leans into cliches which is then though what makes it even more brilliant as a whole because what they're being criticized for doing is exactly what a boy band is what harry styles has done yes and what every every incarnation of them in the past yeah was the feeling i got from them afterwards because i just kind of turned up very late notice uh they had a bunch of interviews lined up and there's press with them all over the place now like pace magazine had them fox had them washington post had them even though that reviewer wouldn't tell me what that fucking review was i did i did like that he implied that you were gonna take his story his story and release it a month later on a podcast very funny but so i was right at the end and i sort of slipped in and i think whatever is going on i think they genuinely love what they do and they're making something they believe in and i think for them constantly getting a question of are you just a joke kind of negates the fact that they are talented and they have really catchy songs and they have really good moves and they love their art so even if this whole thing was a gag right say the whole thing is a gag say nathan fielder has invented the whole thing which is a big theory on many reddit even if he had i think these guys are realizing that we love what we do and we wish people would just appreciate what we do instead of the gag which on that night in the bowery ballroom everyone was on board yeah and i think afterwards to have a bunch of press come to them and say oh so you're just nathan fielder joke they're kind of like no fuck you like we love this and we're really good at it and can't you just appreciate that and as i am rambling onto you about this i think that's what made that room so magic is that for one night everyone fucking was on the same page no one was like they bought into yeah the story and it was really magnetic and hypnotic and if you're watching the video for this on youtube or spotify or whatever you can see that in the room it's just packed and so thrilled and the guys are grinning their heads off they're loving it well i guess like even to play devil's advocate say this was all concocted by nathan fielder for the new season of the rehearsal yeah it doesn't change much no uh yeah what would it change really it wouldn't change it's a band marketing themselves and whichever way that they can get it out to people and would with whatever gimmicks they're doing um which is every band ever yeah in the history of music there's always something to get you across to people and the like record label auditioning process like all of that of any other boy band like if that's how they were drawn up doesn't change it either doesn't change yeah i think if you if you're listening to this and you are on the fence i think they're they're single finger which is inherently just as i say a very funny name but the whole the whole line is like if you're pointing a finger at someone accusing them of something and they're like oh my god you're pointing three fingers back at yourself that's the message of the song it's a certified banger yes it's very funny that it's called finger just like boy throb they're very is it just me or are they quite sort of they have some slight sexual connotations to throb and right yeah it's not me being dirty no no those are yeah again that's like a very self-aware element of them and so they also probably have to get used to people going are you for real because throb well i'm sure every boy band every boy band was getting that question too completely i'm sure they had to answer the same i think i think even bands like i think of my chemical romance like peak emo whatever at the time i remember thinking like are you like are you serious this is just like a bit of bullshit this is back to that conversation we had um on geese yeah the band geese it is not how people thought geese real the real thing yeah birds aren't real um of like this they were part of this big marketing yeah campaign and does that change yeah does that change anything even if they are as we wrap up rob i want you to do one thing for me and listeners you can play along just turn up finger in the car really loud i want natalie in the car with you on the kids and i just want you to see how you feel that song and whether you like it or not i'm pretty confident is gonna be in your brain for the rest of the year are were you the manager that went on stage i'm gino that's my alter ego um okay very quickly a little bit of feedback tom who wrote in his email name is tom pinball he was involved in our pinball episode a while ago how will the new rules affect you in the show when it comes to time to renew your visa and or green card he's running in in regards to trump's new things about green card rules it won't affect me at all because i'm running for a green card so that's good it's always the case with me that i've had to leave the country um to apply for an o1 being that way for the last year so nothing too crazy cory it's an unusual name c-o-r-r-i-e have you heard that before uh not spelled like that but cory i've heard cory just not i guess maybe this is cory yeah i'm reading as cory as cory it's just spelled in a unique way um long time you just said the two same it's two of the same names were you in my head they sounded very different okay just believe me long time listener pretty much my favorite pod first time email emailer from canada with a focus on wisconsin in your recent epis there is something going on there that is far more important than she's a supper clubs the beagles at ridgeland farms i have heard about these beagles have you heard about these beagles i haven't even read this email yet wow all right buckle up um as someone who has been in the industry for a long time i've heard about these beagles i've heard about these beagles um or vegetarian for many years and always tries to purchase cruelty-free products sometimes i don't because of price convenience or some other dumb reason i've just seen the videos of the dogs being rescued from this horrible place okay i assume it's some kind of puppy farming mill some behind the scenes footage of the facility and really putting a face to animal testing animal testing my heart breaks for the dogs and i'm angry the people who go there every day to work you probably have a pet dog at home i'm angry at the companies who still use animals for testing okay so obviously there's some kind of animal testing on beagles at ridgeland farms i'm remembering a headline where someone went to prison for this for a long time maybe or maybe that's another story and they recently got out but i feel like something around animal testing is certainly worth an episode because that is something that people aren't aware of it's a breeding and research facility that has roughly 2 000 beagles 2 000 beagles for scientific and medical research see this is a minefield to get into because it's funny how we think about animals in general i feel like people are kind of okay with them testing shampoo on mice yeah a beagle takes it to a different level because we know what a pet dog is but is there a difference yeah uh is this has this recently come out in headlines yeah and there were a bunch of protests happening there where they were i think they were all going to storm this facility and break all the dogs out so many dogs so beagles they're just like one of the cutest dogs imaginable like how could this not turn on that company at some point i mean do you want to do a story on this or do you want me to give you some of this oh do i feel like it's a story okay if you're listening to this now and you have info on these specific beagles or animal testing in general flightless bird chat at gmail.com we'd love to hear from you yeah that'd be a good that'd be a good episode nat rodent saying hi guys listening to your anaconkel episode and the chat about waymo food delivery services and thought you'd enjoy this video i'm in melbourne and for the last two years we've had an automated flying drone food delivery service in my area whoa flying drone that's fucking cool i'm gonna be in melbourne in a month i'm gonna see if i can get something flowing in that's cool i feel i've seen videos of this maybe in america anyway amazon dropped yeah i think they were testing that it's i mean there's only certain i think parts of the country you could do flying drones you can't have flying drones in a i don't want i feel like in la drones willy-nilly would be a nightmare yeah they'd explode the fucking lapd police chopper that's always flying over my house it'd be a disaster okay i'm gonna do one more megan says hi rob hi david i've been a listener since beginning a few times now i've heard some feedback i wanted to write in but i mostly listen in the car and by the time i get on my phone thought of it's out of my head this time i had to pause and send this okay so megan has been listening she's pulled over the car she's talking to me she's talking to me she's talking to me i've typed out this email thank you megan for your uh for doing this i'm in the middle of the anaconkel pen 15 episode and you're discussing the american traveling circus the town i grew up in is known as the cradle of the american circus hatchelia bailey purchased an elephant named old bet and toured her around the region in the 1800s he's not the bailey of barnum and bailey which i also don't want the fact that it's by the way barnum and bailey is like a iconic circus okay so separate thing but he's a relative of those people the center of town features the elephant hotel an old hotel that now houses the town offices there's a statue of the an elephant at the top in honor of old bet growing up there were rumors that old bet was buried under the statue but there's probably no truth only one way to find out okay i think it's i mean i think the history of um circuses is a fascinating thing and especially because they still sort of exist in some areas but with animal rights now they're much less prominent yeah i do think you should head there and dig under the statue and see if there's an elephant i have something else that someone wrote in about and i made a mental note of this rob it's been a pleasure you remember what you have to do this week you have to listen to a song called fingers finger finger single finger single finger by a new boy band called boy throb okay and we will uh discuss at a later date yeah we'll we'll put our review over on patreon patreon.com slash flightless bird uh where we have a bonus episode for you this week uh and also um if you have any feedback as always flightless bird chat at gmail.com we'd love to hear from you have a really wonderful week and we'll see you in exactly seven days one week bye on any journey using uber it helps to know you're getting into the right car pin verification adds an extra step to make sure you're getting into the right car make sure your ride is your ride before the trip begins your app gives you a unique pin just tell it to your driver and they'll enter it in their app before the ride can start hey what's your pin two five three eight that way you know you're in the right car taking the right trip and your driver knows you're the right passenger make sure your ride is your ride with pin verification from uber one more way uber is putting safety at every turn learn more on the uber app endless summer escapes start here travel the worlds of netflix irl get your tickets today at netflix dot com slash house play leveled up arcade games shop exclusive merch and enjoy themed food and drinks beat the heat play eat and shop on repeat at netflix house at galleria dallas bring your crew and save get your tickets today at netflix dot com slash house