Ep. 246: Billboard-Charting Musical Theater Writer Billy Recce on Big Man & Queer Storytelling

Ep. 259: Jordan Rainer on Coming Out Late, The Voice, and Her Outlaw Country Revival

Jordan Rainer — country singer, preacher's daughter, and four-chair-turn phenomenon from Season 26 of The Voice — joins Zach for one of the most honest conversations you'll hear about coming out late in life, leaving religion behind, and reclaiming your identity through music. Jordan opens up about growing up in a Southern Baptist household in Altus, Oklahoma, where who she really was "was not safe, not talked about, and hated." She didn't plan to come out — until a phone call with her dad changed everything. Her younger brother was in tears at a park, struggling with the family's rejection of his being gay. Jordan called her parents and told them: if you can't figure out how to love him, you can't figure out how to love me either — because I'm gay too. That moment of courage became the seed of her debut album, Outlaw Revival — a record about deconstruction, freedom, bodily autonomy, and a different kind of rebirth. Jordan talks about why the album is sold exclusively on her website (streaming robs the little guy), how coming out literally changed the sound and register of her voice, and why she re-recorded key tracks — including the stunning "Days of Thunder" — to capture a freedom she didn't know she'd been holding back. She also shares: what it was like to audition with Reba McEntire's biggest hit on Reba's first season of The Voice (spoiler: she threw up after), Reba's warm and immediate reaction when Jordan came out, the story behind "The Night I Drank with Tanya" (yes, Tanya Tucker has heard it — and loves it), and her dream of making country music a truly inclusive space. If you're queer, if you've ever been confined by religion, if you're still in the closet — this one's for you. Jordan Rainer is a beacon. 🎵 Buy Outlaw Revival exclusively at Jordan's website —https://www.jordanrainerofficial.com/  [https://www.jordanrainerofficial.com/] 📲 Follow Jordan:https://www.instagram.com/thejordanrainer/ [https://www.instagram.com/thejordanrainer/] 📲 Follow Zach: @TheRealZachRE 🎙️ Subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode — it genuinely helps the show reach more people who need to hear it. Podcast song by SIXFOOT 5: https://www.sixfoot5prod.com [https://www.sixfoot5prod.com]  Apple: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/sixfoot-5/1551774977  [https://music.apple.com/us/artist/sixfoot-5/1551774977 ] Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5rHMzoU0G0fLhaBsrQiOOY?si=laSZ5hiKTYubJJyhrzf2JQ [https://open.spotify.com/artist/5rHMzoU0G0fLhaBsrQiOOY?si=laSZ5hiKTYubJJyhrzf2JQ] Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Ep. 258: Nic Dantes on Law & Order, Being Gay in Hollywood & Finding Love

Nic Dantes is a New York-based actor, singer, dancer, and songwriter with an IMDB page, a growing social following, and a talent pool deep enough to make anyone feel like an underachiever. In this episode of Everything & Anything…and a Bit Gay, Zach sits down with Nic for a wide-ranging conversation about building a career in entertainment as an openly gay man — from his childhood auditions for kids' TV to a guest spot on one of the most iconic crime dramas in television history. Nic shares what it was actually like being cast on Law & Order — the weight of stepping onto that set, the warmth of the cast, and the slightly surreal fact that he now shares a credit with Sabrina Carpenter. He also opens up about his time on What Should I Do?, the hidden camera show where he played a gay teen coming out, and how strangers in New Jersey during Pride Month showed up for him in a way that genuinely surprised him. But the heart of this episode is the conversation about what it means to be gay in the entertainment industry from a young age. Nic reflects on the anxiety of auditioning for straight romantic roles as a kid, the fear of being "found out," and how that weight shifted as he grew up and stepped into his identity more fully. He talks candidly about the progress the industry has made — and the ways it still asks queer actors to straddle two worlds. Zach and Nic also get into the fun stuff: dream collaborations (Sabrina Carpenter, a K-pop group, Jennifer Lawrence — yes, all three), the debate between a film career versus a long-running series, and what Nic is actually looking for in a relationship. Plus, Zach officially opens his Instagram DMs to matchmaking applicants — first date paid for, applications reviewed personally, no hate DMs accepted.   Follow Nic on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nicdantes [https://www.instagram.com/nicdantes] Everything Nic! https://linktr.ee/nicdantes?utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio&fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQPOTM2NjE5NzQzMzkyNDU5AAGnsiyk4qyvQNXBa3XA3KfbWF8Ay84eKMQZbBU9cDm5eyYS-ysXjqIB_PZJOkw_aem_nPzndVWLK9d69uGsd9VkNA [https://linktr.ee/nicdantes?utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio&fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQPOTM2NjE5NzQzMzkyNDU5AAGnsiyk4qyvQNXBa3XA3KfbWF8Ay84eKMQZbBU9cDm5eyYS-ysXjqIB_PZJOkw_aem_nPzndVWLK9d69uGsd9VkNA] Podcast song by SIXFOOT 5: https://www.sixfoot5prod.com [https://www.sixfoot5prod.com]  Apple: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/sixfoot-5/1551774977  [https://music.apple.com/us/artist/sixfoot-5/1551774977 ] Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5rHMzoU0G0fLhaBsrQiOOY?si=laSZ5hiKTYubJJyhrzf2JQ [https://open.spotify.com/artist/5rHMzoU0G0fLhaBsrQiOOY?si=laSZ5hiKTYubJJyhrzf2JQ] Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Ep. 257: San Francisco in the 70s, Harvey Milk & Surviving AIDS — Chuck Forrester's Story

What was it like to be gay in San Francisco in the 1970s — when the city was wide open, Harvey Milk was your neighbor, and an entire community was inventing what it meant to be queer? Chuck Forrester lived it. He came out at 28, moved from Wisconsin to the Castro, and found himself in the middle of one of the most extraordinary moments in LGBTQ+ history — one that would soon be transformed forever by the AIDS crisis. In this episode, Chuck shares what it felt like to finally be free, what we lost in the epidemic, and why he spent decades fundraising and fighting for his community — including co-chairing the board of the Human Rights Campaign Fund and raising $3.5 million for the Queer Center at the San Francisco Main Library. He also talks about working as a special assistant to three San Francisco mayors, being a gay dad, and his book Bonding in the Time of Plague — a frank, unapologetic tribute to his generation of gay men. This is living history. And it's essential listening. 📖 Buy Chuck's book Bonding in the Time of Plague on Amazon:https://www.amazon.com/Bonding-Time-Plague-Chuck-Forester/dp/B0H2BQKBCP/ref=sr_1_1?crid=RHYU8UFH1Z39&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.ff6s45NxJL6Kx7d_Y3sl3g.a1eQogOE1q8wtqjKTs-m5Ii7xfOlnLu7OWrz7uBiIL4&dib_tag=se&keywords=Bonding+in+the+Time+of+Plague&qid=1782929360&sprefix=bonding+in+the+time+of+plague%2Caps%2C165&sr=8-1 [https://www.amazon.com/Bonding-Time-Plague-Chuck-Forester/dp/B0H2BQKBCP/ref=sr_1_1?crid=RHYU8UFH1Z39&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.ff6s45NxJL6Kx7d_Y3sl3g.a1eQogOE1q8wtqjKTs-m5Ii7xfOlnLu7OWrz7uBiIL4&dib_tag=se&keywords=Bonding+in+the+Time+of+Plague&qid=1782929360&sprefix=bonding+in+the+time+of+plague%2Caps%2C165&sr=8-1] 🎙️ Subscribe to Everything & Anything…and a Bit Gay wherever you listen to podcasts ⭐ Leave us a review — it means everything 📲 Follow us on Instagram: @TheRealZachRE Podcast song by SIXFOOT 5: https://www.sixfoot5prod.com [https://www.sixfoot5prod.com]  Apple: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/sixfoot-5/1551774977  [https://music.apple.com/us/artist/sixfoot-5/1551774977 ] Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5rHMzoU0G0fLhaBsrQiOOY?si=laSZ5hiKTYubJJyhrzf2JQ [https://open.spotify.com/artist/5rHMzoU0G0fLhaBsrQiOOY?si=laSZ5hiKTYubJJyhrzf2JQ] Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Ep. 256: The Gay Bit: Take 13 - Madonna's New Album Is the Song of the Summer

Madonna is BACK — and she's never been better. On this week's Gay Bit, host Zach Randles-Friedman celebrates the release of Confessions on a Dance Floor 2, Madonna's highly anticipated new album dropping just before the Fourth of July weekend. Zach shares his lifelong love affair with Madonna — from hearing her songs as a fifth-grade safety patrol in Miami, to plastering every inch of his bedroom with posters from Spencer Gifts and Teen Beat, to paying $1,500 a ticket to see her live. He talks about her Coachella surprise with Sabrina Carpenter, why Feel So Free is already a certified banger that had an entire bar singing along, and why this album is exactly what Madonna's fans — and her critics — needed to hear. Plus: why Madonna would absolutely love Zach if she ever came on the podcast, and why he would 100% drop his friends Mandy and Jen the second she texted him back. 🎙️ Everything & Anything…and a Bit Gay drops new episodes every week. Subscribe so you never miss a Gay Bit, a guest interview, or a solo monologue that hits a little too close to home. 👍 Like this episode | 💬 Leave a comment with your favorite track on the new album | 🔔 Subscribe for more Podcast song by SIXFOOT 5: https://www.sixfoot5prod.com [https://www.sixfoot5prod.com]  Apple: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/sixfoot-5/1551774977  [https://music.apple.com/us/artist/sixfoot-5/1551774977 ] Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5rHMzoU0G0fLhaBsrQiOOY?si=laSZ5hiKTYubJJyhrzf2JQ [https://open.spotify.com/artist/5rHMzoU0G0fLhaBsrQiOOY?si=laSZ5hiKTYubJJyhrzf2JQ] Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Ep. 255: Spiritual Counselor Laura Hoorweg on Life After Death, Mediumship & Soul Contracts

What happens when we die? Can our loved ones really reach us from the other side? Spiritual counselor and intuitive coach Laura Hoorweg joins Zach for a wide-ranging, mind-expanding conversation about life after death, mediumship, soul families, and what it truly means to evolve as a soul. Laura shares her extraordinary out-of-body experience at 15 that changed everything she believed about life and death — plus the car accident she believes was prevented by an actual angel. She breaks down the difference between psychics and mediums, why mediumship is a gift you're born with (not something you can be taught), and how she uses her abilities to help people heal from grief and rebuild their lives. They also get into: forest bathing and wilderness as spiritual connection, why Earth is the only planet of free will, reincarnation and soul contracts, what really happens when we pass over, and why there is no hell. 💻 Connect with Laura: 🌐 www.spiritspeaks2.me [https://www.spiritspeaks2.me/] 📧 laurahoorwig@gmail.com 📬 Subscribe so you don't miss Part 2 with Laura — coming soon! 👍 If this episode resonated with you, leave a review, share it with someone who needs it, and hit subscribe. It truly makes a difference. Podcast song by SIXFOOT 5: https://www.sixfoot5prod.com [https://www.sixfoot5prod.com]  Apple: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/sixfoot-5/1551774977  [https://music.apple.com/us/artist/sixfoot-5/1551774977 ] Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5rHMzoU0G0fLhaBsrQiOOY?si=laSZ5hiKTYubJJyhrzf2JQ [https://open.spotify.com/artist/5rHMzoU0G0fLhaBsrQiOOY?si=laSZ5hiKTYubJJyhrzf2JQ] Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.