Poser (2021) - full transcript

- It looks like
while it was painted,

it was, like,
painted off of instinct,

you know?
- Mm-hm.

-I think that's kinda what the
artist is trying to say here --

like...

this struggle is very
instinctual and, like...

just, like, her
brushstrokes, you know?

I just know it's
aesthetically pleasing.

Like, I like looking at this...

at this thing, you know?

- It looks
like while it was painted,



it was, like,
painted off of instinct,

you know?
- Mm-hm.

- I think
that's kinda what the artist is

trying to say here -- like...

this struggle is very
instinctual and, like--

- Recording a
podcast is easy if you have the

right equipment.

You're going to
need a microphone,

a recording device, and a place
to upload your file so it's easy

to share.

Let's record something!

- The scene has a
tendency of shifting from day to

day.

And I suppose that's the
purpose of my podcast.



I've always had an
interest in collecting sound --

conversations...

ambience...

I have thousands of recordings.

I usually will record digital,
then I re-record analog because

analog just sounds better.

My process may seem weird, but
I embrace the unconventional.

For my podcast, I'll be
following underground musicians

-- bands that you've
probably never heard of.

I find the best way to discover
new music is at a record store,

tucked away, hidden from shallow
people who don't appreciate good

music.

These groups can be a
bit elusive at times,

nonconformists, playing
unmarketed shows in spotty

basements and seedy venues.

When I'm at these shows, I
see how music connects people.

I see these artists onstage,
and they have something that I

don't: a certain kind of
tenacity that almost feels

superhuman.

For this podcast, I hope to
investigate these artists,

research them.

Tune in each week for exclusive
interviews and performances...

with some of the best
undergrou--

With some of the best
underground musicians in the

city.

My name is Lennon Gates.

Do you mind if I
interview you for my podcast?

-No, I'm good.

- Make yourself at home.

Want any tea?

- No, thank you.

So, um...

I'm Lennon.

My podcast is
basically just, like...

about the local music
scene, and I, like,

interview
underground musicians, um...

so I guess, basically, I'm just
gonna ask you some questions

about music and
art and yourselves.

-I think that comes across a
lot more in some of the current

material that we're
working on right now.

Um, we're in the process of
completing a full-length album.

-Mm, 'Oscillations.'
-'Oscillations.'

It was this past
summer, it was record heat,

and I made my way over to
the creek in our backyard,

and...

I just spent hours watching the
water flow through the rocks...

and I remember having this...

profound realization that...

us -- and
everything around us--

-Mm.

-Are composed of atoms
oscillating in and around us.

- Mm-hm, yes.
- Yeah.

Mm-hm.

So that's slated for
fall of 2026 release,

so we're excited about that.

-Have you guys been
on a podcast before?

-Can you describe your genre?

-Queer death pop.

- Experimental indie?
- Experimental pop?

-I think we call
ourselves "indie folk."

-I guess I'd just
be "Alternative."

- Uh, I'm
in a-- I'm in a duo;

we don't really
identify as "a band."

That would seem like kind of a
weird thing to call ourselves.

-Our genre is "junkyard
bop" or "family band"...

um, like if your
really strange relative,

uh, was a band.

-My art is super...

super colorful and super fun.
- Mm-hm.

- Been the
proverbial door to my...

self-indignation.

Instead of you...

I...belong here.

All right,
here's another new one.

This one's unreleased.

-I've been trying to push myself
outside of my comfort zone more.

-Is, uh, that why we came here?

-I saw Jen Tsang post about it.

-Who's Jen Tsang?

-I've been wanting to tell you.

I've been booking
more interviews lately,

so I probably won't be able to
see you as much in the next few

months.

-I mean, we don't really see
much of each other anyway.

-How's Mom?

-I don't know, why
don't you call her?

-Why doesn't she call me?

-Who's Jen Tsang?

-She's a
politically-driven musician.

-Isn't that like a
tea or something?

-No, she's a
politically-driven musician.

-Are you still
working at Philip Arthur's?

-Yeah.

But I haven't been
taking as many hours.

-Does Mike still work
at Philip Arthur's?

-I've been looking
for a new apartment.

-Where?

-I don't know.

I want more space
to be creative.

And, like, where the bedroom is
the same room as the kitchen.

-So like a studio apartment?

-Yeah, like a studio apartment.

- Can I get you
guys another drink?

-Um, no, thanks,
we'll take the check,

and you can put
both of them on mine.

- Got it.
- Thanks.

-Can I try yours?

-Sure, whatever.

You know, when I used to
work at Philip Arthur's,

we literally only had eight
people on the whole staff,

and we did one
event every weekend.

Now, he's, like, running
every event for the whole

frickin' town.

Stretch his sleeves...

that were never
meant to be long...

asking myself, "Do
good people do this?

And am I one?"

So we try again, and
again fade to black...

with lust...

maybe lost...

maybe needing more time...

remembering the sticky things...

mostly...

how sweet our
tongues used to be.

-Thanks for
letting me record that.

- I've never
been on a podcast before.

-As a producer, I go
for a real lo-fi sound.

I strive to capture honesty
in the musicians I record.

I'm a songwriter, too.

-Dope.

-I've been looking for ways
to break into the music scene.

I don't really perform, though.

I just have, like,
notebooks filled with lyrics.

-You have anything I can read?

-Yeah, I have a
few songs written.

This is my journal.

- "You'll be the one
I lament when I've grown...

and I long to forget
everything that I've known.

But I've still got
miles and miles to go."

This stuff is good.

-I have a lot of
other songs, too.

Um, I gotta go.

Thanks.

So we try again...

and again fade to black...

with lust...

"With lust..."

- Maybe lost...

maybe needing more time.
- "Time..."

Remembering the sticky things...

mostly...

how sweet our
tongues used to be.

- "How
sweet our tongues used to be."

Four years ago, the Tack
Gallery was shut down.

The space was originally
used as a meat factory,

but after the building closed,
bands began using the empty

rooms to play shows.

In the spring of 2016, an
underaged kid named Danny Brooks

got drunk at a show.

He stumbled outside and fell
asleep on the railroad tracks,

which ran behind the building.

The owner and older man named
Ed Flock was forced to close the

space after Danny Brooks' body
was fatally run over by a train.

Shortly after, Ed was
arrested for tax evasion.

The city took
control of the space,

and the factory remained empty
and unused for three years,

until Ed's nephew, Randy
Flock, gained ownership.

Next Friday, the Tack Gallery
will open its doors once again

for a secret show at 9PM.

I'll see you all there.

- Damn the Witch
Siren is a witch-rock music

group founded by
Bobbi Kitten and Z-Wolf.

Bobbi Kitten's sultry prowess as
a frontwoman puts Damn the Witch

Siren as one of the most popular
music groups in the scene.

Accompanying Bobbi
is her partner Z-Wolf,

a mysterious musician
who's only ever seen wearing his

wolf mask.

In February, they released
their full-length album,

'Red Magic.'

It's a concept
album about Feminism,

sex, lust, love, setting
fire to the Patriarchy,

and Bobbi's journey of
self-discovery and owning her

sexuality.

-Wait.
-I think it's...

I think we should
start from the beginning.

-Do you like music?

-Yeah, I like music.

-Me too.

You want a chip?

-Sure.

-So last week...

I realized my favorite chip...

is the folded-over chip.

It's just two chips
stacked on top of each other.

I could have my
favorite chip in every bite...

if I just put two chips
on top of each other...

and ate 'em at once.

But here's the thing:

two chips on top of each other
doesn't taste like a folded-over

chip.

- It's
nowhere near as good.

Maybe the flavor
gets stuck between 'em.

- The Old North
District is where most artists

and musicians in the city live.

Rent is cheap.

It's north of campus,
away from the bros.

You'll find the true artist
inconspicuously planted along

Hudson Avenue.

In the 14th century, the great
minds of the time gathered in

Florence, sharing
music, poetry, fashion.

-Hell yeah.

- Old North
is like modern Florence;

the scene here is
small and concentrated,

circles constantly intersecting,
musicians and artists mingling

and collaborating.

It isn't difficult at all for
one artist to cross paths with

another.

-Excuse me.

Hi, I'm Lennon.

-I'm Bobbi.

-We're heading upstairs.

Wanna come?

-Yeah, I do.

Yo, this is, um...

Lennon?

-Oh, yo!

Yeah, we did that podcast.

-Yeah, hey.

-We're heading upstairs to
go smoke and read some poems.

You wanna come?

-Sure.

-That's good shit, Micah.

-Thanks.

Yo.

I never got a chance to
hear that recording you did.

Can you send it to me?

-Oh, for sure.

-You guys have to listen
to some of Lennon's lyrics.

They're incredible.

-You write?

-Um...

a bit, but I
don't really perform.

-Come on.

-I mean...

Yeah, I-- I can play something.

Can you hand me that guitar?

I haven't really played this
one out loud much, though.

-You wrote that?

-Yeah, uh, I'm still
kinda working on that one.

-It's good.
-It's damn good.

- Thanks.

-Yo, you should come to
Kate's place later tonight.

Bobbi and Z are
doing a house show.

-Yeah, I can come.

Actually, um, I host a podcast.

Would you possibly...

be willing to let me
interview you after the show?

-Sure.

-I record everything on my
phone, so if you could just

direct your answers
here, that'd be great.

The song you played tonight,
it seems like it could be

autobiographical.

-Mm, yeah, it's kinda of about
reveling in your darkness, too.

-Could you talk a little
bit about your process?

Like how you write?

-I feel like you're so far away.

Why don't you join us?

That's better.

...to get a lot
of opportunities,

but we're too big
to be doing, like,

the same local
scene all the time.

I wanna break rules; I wanna
do shit that hasn't been done.

I think that
really inspires people.

-What other things are you into?

Like besides music.

- Well,
I really like, uh,

experimental art
and performance art.

And Z's really
into animal rights.

I mean, we both are; we
both really love animals.

Except fish.

Ugh.

You know, you should
party with us tonight.

-You're going somewhere else?

-I mean, I don't wanna
derail this interview right now.

-Y-- yeah, I mean...

we can finish it...later or...

-I mean, whenever you want.

Yeah, let's get outta here.
-Okay.

Do you want one?

-Sure.

- Stick out your tongue.

Can I draw a star on your face?

-A star?

-Yeah, like right here.

-Okay, sure.
-Okay, close your eyes.

Looks fuckin' awesome.

-Good morning, Birdy.

- Ahh!

Ahh!

- One.

One.

One.

Is this consensual sex?

Yes.

Yes, it is.

Two.

Two.

A dialogue between two lovers.

Two.

Two.

A dialogue between my
id and my super-ego.

Two.

- It looks like it
was painted off of instinct.

You can see it in
her brushstrokes.

I've been booking a lot
more interviews for my podcast

lately.

-That's awesome!

-Well, I'm trying to push myself
outside of my comfort zone more.

-Are you uncomfortable?

-Sometimes.

I've been...going
to more shows...

finding new sounds.

That was the first performance
art piece I've ever seen.

-So what'd you think?

-It was captivating.

-I think the appeal for
me is honestly just...

witnessing something I
haven't seen before.

You know, like creating a space
or environment for something

completely new.

I mean, you're an artist, right?

You get it.

-Yeah.
-Hey, I have an idea.

Here, turn towards me.

Okay, lemme take this, though.

Oh, wait, actually,
you should finish it.

Bottoms up.

Okay.

Now...

in order for this to
work, no laughter, no smiles;

we have to be
completely serious, okay?

So the idea is you're gonna
mimic everything that I do,

like facial
expressions, motions, okay?

-Okay.

-And if we do it
right, eventually,

I'll start mimicking you back,
so that you won't be able to

tell who's starting
and who's following.

And then we'll just be
creating art simultaneously.

Get it?
-Okay.

- No smiling.

Okay.

No laughing!

You're gonna make me laugh.

I saw that podcast girl again.

Lennon?

She's weird.

There's something I
kinda like about her, though.

- Hello?
- Hey.

Um, this is Lennon.

- Oh, hey!

What's up?

-Um...

I was wondering if you would
maybe wanna finish the interview

for my podcast.

Oh, yeah, totally!

Well, I'll be home
in, like, 30 minutes.

Do you wanna meet at my place?
-That would be awesome.

- If you see
the cats around, watch out;

Lyla's kind of an asshole.

But yeah, I actually have to go
grab a few things from Z real

fast, but you can
make yourself at home.

I'll be like five minutes or so.

We can start the
interview as soon as I get back.

-Sure.

- I'll see you in a bit.

All right.

I'm ready!

Um, do you wanna do this
outside so we can smoke?

- Sure.
- Okay, let's go.

-Okay.

Take two.

-Take two.

-I'm here with Bobbi Kitten, the
lead singer for the band Damn

the Witch Siren.

-Yo, yo, yo, what's
up, Lennon listeners?!

-She's wearing a large fur
coat, looks like it could be...

bear fur?

-Is that bear fur?

-God, no!

Lennon, have you been
paying attention at all?

This is a fake fur coat;
I repeat, fake fur coat.

I do not condone the slaughter
of poor, innocent creatures.

- Okay, okay.

-Except if it's a fish.

Stop.

- Okay.

So...

when you're writing, do you feel
like your fanbase influences

your writing?

-Well, I mean, I think
it used to a lot more,

when I first started out.

I started this band wanting to
write dance music because nobody

in this town is, like,
writing dance music.

I just wanted people
to have fun, you know?

Feel like they
could enjoy themselves.

But lately, I just
feel...

I don't know, like I'm writing
more...emotional stuff --

stuff that gets
me really excited.

I'm writing stuff for myself...

and my cat.

-So what are you working on now?

-Um, yeah, so I've been...

writing stuff on the piano, and
I'm really proud of, like...

all these words that are
coming out of me, you know?

And I'm hoping to
collaborate with my girl Lennon,

who is an incredible writer.

Okay, I'm gonna edit that out.

-Don't!

Why would you do that?

Seriously, you should
be proud of that shit.

It's one of the
best things about you.

-What?

-Your art, your ideas.

I lot of people
don't have shit to say.

And you do.

And it's important.

-So...

what's the best thing
about Bobbi Kitten?

- I don't wanna
do that.

-No, seriously.

What's your favorite
thing about yourself?

I wanna know.

Um...

- The scene has a
tendency of shifting from day to

day.

A perpetual pursuit
for something new.

A true musician pushes
boundaries in every way

possible...

using their art as a platform
for something completely

original.

Those in the scene know this.

- I love it.

It's amazing.

You should totally record this.

-I mean, you really
got something, Lennon.

Like...

-I just worry about...

what people will
think and, like,

sharing that kind of
stuff feels so intimate.

- Well, it is.

I mean, that's why it
inspires people -- being real.

You
should totally record this.

Well, it is.

I mean, that's why it
inspires people -- being real.

- I love
the sound of your voice.

-Uh...

I hate the sound of my voice.

Holy shit, you have, like,
so many recordings on here.

It's wild.
-Yeah.

-Here, let me try one.

- After some persuasion,
I've decided I'll be releasing

my first EP next week.

As a writer, I've mostly
kept my work to myself.

As a writer, I've
mostly kept my work to myself.

After some persuasion,
I've decided I'm going to be

releasing my first EP next week.

As a writer, I've mostly
kept my work to myself.

But in an effort to push myself
outside of my comfort zone,

I'm going to be
releasing some of my songs.

I'll be releasing them on
all social media platforms,

so stay tuned for that.

You know, I've been working
on some new music recently.

-For your podcast?

-Well...

I might release it on there.

-Uh, before I forget...

some cash from Mom.

-Do you wanna listen to it?

-To what?

-To my new music.

-In here?

Okay, whatever.

Stupid.

You wrote this?

This is good.

It's really good, Lennon.

-Thanks.

-How come Z wears
that mask all the time?

-People wear masks every day;
maybe he's just a little bit

more straightforward about it.

I honestly think it's 'cause he
doesn't really like people very

much.

I think he likes
putting fear in people.

I think it's a way
for him to, like...

not have to deal
with people's bullshit.

Later, bitch!

Have fun at work!

-This Wednesday night, your
boy will be playing at The

Livestock.

Come watch me; I've got
some new music to share,

and--

it's a blessing.

I'm excited.

Let's go.

Woo!

- What'd you get on it?

Oh!

- So we're going
in a new direction.

- You know, we
just got a noise complaint;

they're trying to kick us out.

- What great things
are marred with words only

intended to fill the void.

-Tonight, ladies and gentlemen,
I am that second mouse.

- Butter mouse!

- Say hi.

- Hi.
- Hi!

I don't know.

- Thank
you so much, we're WYD.

This is your new song.

- Hey.

It's a pinot noir.

- Thanks.

- Like right
now is my pinot phase,

but...

I kinda dabble in
some merlots, you know?

Uh, listen, I'm not gonna call
anyone out by name or anything

like that...

but there are some
fake-ass musicians out there,

and I gotta get
this off my chest;

trust me, I really do.

And the thing is, I guess, that
I'm most pissed off about is

because I thought I was a
good judge of character.

I really did.

-Hey, Bobbi.

It's Lennon.

You haven't been responding.

Um...

I just wanna make sure...

Are we okay?

Hello?

Bobbi?

So what's the
best thing about Bobbi Kitten?

- I don't
wanna do that.

- No, seriously.

What's your favorite
thing about yourself?

I wanna know.

Um...

I feel confident.

I have stuff to say.

And...

I don't know, I guess I
feel really sure of myself.

And I like that I don't ever
have to second-guess myself,

you know?

Here, lemme hold this.

You bitch, come on!

All right, just, like,
you know what I mean?

- I don't...

- Come on, and then
we can build up after that.

You're too shy!

You're too shy.

Free yourself.

I don't give a
fuck what they think.

I don't give a fuck!

Woo!

Woo, woo, woo!

-Wait.

Hold on.

You should wear this.

It is my intention
for my podcast...

My intention for my podcast
is to explore this city's...

underground music scene.

It is my intention for my
podcast to explore this...

this city's underground m--...

Following
cutting-edge artists...

Following cutting-edge...

musicians--

I intend to capture
a true--

a true depiction...

of--

I...

I-- I belong here.

You aren't gonna pull a
Danny Brooks on me, are you?

-Are you, like, a stalker?

-I'm not a stalker,
I host a podcast.

I...research.

-You researched me?

-Yes, because you
were on my podcast.

-I never even listened
to one of your podcasts.

-Why have you been ignoring me?

-You bring your
journal with you, Lennon?

-Yes.

-And all those words in there...

you wrote those?

-Yes.

-You know I know
you stole that song.

-I don't know what
you're talking about.

-What, you think you're just
gonna keep lying about it?

Like, you're just gonna play
it off like you wrote all those

songs?

Like no one's gonna find out?

What are you gonna do?

You know I'm
gonna tell everyone.

You know that, right?

Do you steal my songs, too?

-No.

- Lemme see
your journal, then.

-Why?

-'Cause I wanna see it.

- Stop!

The scene has a tendency
of shifting from day to day.

I suppose that's why
I began this podcast:

to collect inspiration, to
observe artists and their

creativity...

their originality...

and to push myself
outside of my comfort zone.

Now...

I finally feel confident.

I have stuff to say, and...

I guess I feel
really sure of myself.

And I like that I never
have to second-guess myself.

I know I don't have
that many listeners,

but do those of
you who do listen,

thank you.

Fuck.