What NYC Nightlife Was Like in the 90s (Before Social Media)

Cruising, Kink and a Bath House Kiki with Dr. Lee Phillips

This week, we're CUTTING UP with Dr. Lee Phillips @drleephillips [https://www.instagram.com/drleephillips]): sexologist, former psychotherapist, comedian, and professional shame-dismantler. Nothing is off the table. We trace Dr. Lee's path from mental health and substance use treatment to sex therapy and social media, and how he's built a platform that makes talking about sex feel normal, and funny. Because if you can't laugh about it, you're probably still ashamed of it. The conversation moves fast: moving back to NYC in 2021 and reclaiming main-character energy, '90s club kid nostalgia, and why humor disarms sexual shame better than anything else. We get into being kink-affirming and sex-work affirming, how cruising migrated from clubs to gyms, and why dating apps function like casino algorithms built to keep you swiping. From there it's ghosting, decision fatigue, the situationship epidemic, Sniffies, steam rooms, dad bod discourse, and how COVID rewired the way we date and connect. There are bathhouse stories. There is seafood boil chaos. There is a fishbowl question game that could have gotten us canceled in 2004. And underneath the laughs, a real conversation about pleasure, connection, and why we deserve better than breadcrumbing and confusion. Smart. Messy. Educational. Unhinged in the best way. Out now. @drleephillips [https://www.instagram.com/drleephillips]  Write to us at Kiki@TheCuttingUp.com [Kiki@TheCuttingUp.com] And follow us on instagram: @TheCuttingUp @TheRealConnieGirl @TheLinaBradford @PrideHouseMedia “The Cutting Up: A Kiki with Connie & Lina” is a Pride House Media production. Producers: Josh Rosenzweig & Matthew Breen. Graphic Design by Daryl Raymond. Original Music by 808 BEACH (John “J-C” Carr & Bill Coleman), courtesy of Peace Bisquit.   Production Design by Darryl Dickens.  Photography by Shane Reynolds. Our very special thanks to Jason Kanner for all your support.

Real Art in a Fake World

What happens when fashion photography, AI, dating apps, and stem cell therapy end up in the same conversation? Chaos. Insight. A little shade. Legendary fashion photographer Ezequiel De La Rosa (Ez to his friends) joins us for a no-filter talk on art, AI, and where creativity is headed, from capturing someone's true essence through a lens to what "photographer" even means now that everyone has a phone. We dig into AI's creep into art and acting, how phones and social media are reshaping dating and real connection, and whether love bombing is just a digital sport now. Then Ez pivots hard: a recent stem cell treatment for hip and knee pain, and whether regenerative medicine is the future of pain relief. We close with thrifted fashion finds, vintage obsessions, and friendships born from random encounters. Fashion. AI. Dating. Wellness. Vintage style. Thoughtful, funny, chaotic, real. Write to us at Kiki@TheCuttingUp.com [Kiki@TheCuttingUp.com] And follow us on instagram: @TheCuttingUp @TheRealConnieGirl @TheLinaBradford @PrideHouseMedia “The Cutting Up: A Kiki with Connie & Lina” is a Pride House Media production. Producers: Josh Rosenzweig & Matthew Breen. Graphic Design by Daryl Raymond. Original Music by 808 BEACH (John “J-C” Carr & Bill Coleman), courtesy of Peace Bisquit.   Production Design by Darryl Dickens.  Photography by Shane Reynolds. Our very special thanks to Jason Kanner for all your support.

A Summer Cookout Chaos Cutting Up

Summer vibes only!  Lina, Connie, and Producer Matt take Summer by storm. It’s all music, cookout food debates, beach energy, Fire Island plans, tan lines, and how you know summer has really started (hint: shirtless runners and sandals). They kick things off riffing on The Pointer Sisters, Cher, florals (groundbreaking), and the ultimate summer playlist soundtrack — from Donna Summer and the B‑52’s to “Summertime Sadness,” “Summer Breeze,” bossa nova, and Jessie Ware. If you need songs of the summer inspiration, we’ve got you. Then it’s cookout chaos: 🍗 What are you bringing to the BBQ? Potato salad? Mac & cheese? Ribs? Curry goat? Watermelon‑feta‑mint salad? Tuna‑pickle pasta? Barbecued shrimp?  🍹 What are we drinking, babes? Ginger beer, gin + fizzy lemonade, or our chaotic Fire Island special: Corona + tequila + lime.  We are serving peak summer energy. Drop your go‑to summer song and cookout dish in the comments 👇 And don’t forget to like, subscribe, and send this to your favorite BBQ guest. Write to us at Kiki@TheCuttingUp.com [Kiki@TheCuttingUp.com] And follow us on instagram: @TheCuttingUp @TheRealConnieGirl @TheLinaBradford @PrideHouseMedia “The Cutting Up: A Kiki with Connie & Lina” is a Pride House Media production. Producers: Josh Rosenzweig & Matthew Breen. Graphic Design by Daryl Raymond. Original Music by 808 BEACH (John “J-C” Carr & Bill Coleman), courtesy of Peace Bisquit.   Production Design by Darryl Dickens.  Photography by Shane Reynolds. Our very special thanks to Jason Kanner for all your support.

Fire Island’s Hidden History + Madonna’s Next Act

Pop icon debates, queer history deep dives, and insider cultural storytelling! This week Connie and Lina are joined by writer-producer Jess Rothschild. First up, Madonna’s Confessions Two album. What do we know and what do we really want Madonna to deliver? Plus a deep dive on mother’s discography: Erotica, Bedtime Stories, Ray of Light, her stunning debut, and early classics like “Burnin’ Up” and “Borderline.” Then Jess talks Finding Fire Island, her documentary podcast series now streaming: her first Cherry Grove trip in 2008, falling for The Pines a decade later, why nobody had made an accessible Fire Island history before, and the work of tracking down longtime residents for oral history. Lina closes it out with her own return to The Pines including anniversary events, a new residency, and how female energy is reshaping the island's culture.  Write to us at Kiki@TheCuttingUp.com [Kiki@TheCuttingUp.com] And follow us on instagram: @TheCuttingUp @TheRealConnieGirl @TheLinaBradford @PrideHouseMedia “The Cutting Up: A Kiki with Connie & Lina” is a Pride House Media production. Producers: Josh Rosenzweig & Matthew Breen. Graphic Design by Daryl Raymond. Original Music by 808 BEACH (John “J-C” Carr & Bill Coleman), courtesy of Peace Bisquit.   Production Design by Darryl Dickens.  Photography by Shane Reynolds. Our very special thanks to Jason Kanner for all your support.

Moral Panic & Queer Cinema with Blue Film director Elliot Tuttle

Buckle up. This week we’re joined by debut filmmaker Elliot Tuttle, director of Blue Film, one of the boldest queer indie films in recent memory. The film follows a cam boy hired by an anonymous client who turns out to be his disgraced former middle school teacher. It’s not comfortable and it was too scary for some LGBTQ film festivals.  This conversation goes deep, into queer loneliness, empathy vs. morality in film, voyeurism, adolescent desire, and whether art is allowed to be messy. Elliot talks about low-budget filmmaking, festival resistance to his movie, and landing a theatrical run (that keeps getting extended!) at NYC’s IFC Center plus a New York Times Critics’ Pick. It’s queer cinema, but really it’s about being human. It’s messy, contradictory, and a little unhinged. Go see Blue Film. Support queer artists.  Write to us at Kiki@TheCuttingUp.com [Kiki@TheCuttingUp.com] And follow us on instagram: @TheCuttingUp @TheRealConnieGirl @TheLinaBradford @PrideHouseMedia “The Cutting Up: A Kiki with Connie & Lina” is a Pride House Media production. Producers: Josh Rosenzweig & Matthew Breen. Graphic Design by Daryl Raymond. Original Music by 808 BEACH (John “J-C” Carr & Bill Coleman), courtesy of Peace Bisquit.  Photography by Shane Reynolds.  Production Design by Darryl Dickens.  Our very special thanks to Jason Kanner for all your support.