In the year 2000, Lorelai and Rory Gilmore entered our middle school hearts and never ever left. As we grew into high school and college, the Gilmore Girls became role models: Rory our big sister who we looked up to and Lorelai the cool mom we wished we were related to. It’s safe to say this show prepared girls everywhere for heart break, hangover, and how important coffee really is to everyday functioning.
The Gilmore family and the other cartoony characters on the show inspired us and probably our moms, but what about guys? The show never seemed to have an obvious guy audience until a new brave podcast emerged… Gilmore Guys. Kevin Porter and Demi Adejuyigbe have created a hilarious platform for all us ‘Gillys’ to see and hear what it’s like to have two guys discuss every episode of Gilmore Girls. Now we would go into detail about how the show has tangents about how wonderful Emily Gilmore can be and team Dean/Jess/Logan arguments, but we’ll just let the two Gilmore Guys themselves tell you about it.
the Lala: Do you have backgrounds in podcasting/comedy?
DEMI: Me, I don’t have a background in either really. I’ve been a big fan of comedy podcasts since I was a freshman in college and that only doubled when I moved out to Los Angeles and could suddenly see so many of my favorite podcasts live, and my comedy background only extends as so far as writing bad jokes on Twitter for years and soaking in improv classes at the UCB.
KEVIN: I’ve been a huge podcast fan for the last 4 years. For the last few years I’ve wanted to start one and couldn’t think of an interesting enough concept. I think both Demi and I had minimal experience in the realm of professional comedy. Demi is an amazing joke-writer on Vine and Twitter where he has a pretty sizable audience, but otherwise this podcast is probably our first major public foray into the comedy world.
the Lala: Why did you choose Gilmore Girls?
KEVIN: There’s so many reasons this show was a perfect choice for our podcast.
Gilmore Girls is, in my opinion, an anomaly in the television world. It’s a show that was assumed to be only for women because of the title, it was on the WB which likely kept it from a lot of wide recognition. It’s almost a weird secret how rich and amazing and complex and wonderful this show is, and those of us that know really want to share that secret! I grew up watching Gilmore Girls when I was a kid, it was one of my favorite shows. And so I’ve lived with the show for years and years. I knew that there were great depths to mine here.
In addition to the built in richness of the content, there’s also a silly hook that I think intrigued a lot of people. “TWO DUDES TALKIN’ ABOUT A SHOW FOR CHICKS LOL” but we knew that would only be compelling on a surface level. It would be terribly obnoxious if we were flippant and cracking “women, right?” sort of jokes on the show. If we didn’t treat discussion of the story and the characters with gravity and nuance it wouldn’t be fun for anyone.
Also, like with any podcast about a specific brand, you not only bring your own audience but the audience of that brand as well. In a strange way, Gilmore Girls is a trojan horse for me and Demi. People come because they’re a fan of Gilmore, but maybe they stay because they’re a fan of what we do. We’re really just trying to trick people, you see. This is all a big scam and people seem to be falling for it, it’s awesome!
the Lala: How did Gilmore Guys start? Did you know each other before?
KEVIN: When Netflix announced that they were bringing Gilmore Girls to their streaming service, I thought it might be a perfect fit for the ever elusive podcast idea I was chasing for years. I actually tweeted half-joking, half-not: “Anyone want to start a podcast with me called Gilmore Guys where we talk about every episode of Gilmore Girls?” Demi was a friend of mine before then but then he responded to the tweet and was super into it. We recorded our first episode a week or so after that and we’ve put out at least two episodes a week ever since.
the Lala: Tell us about the set up of the show (segments, guests, notes)
KEVIN: The set-up is pretty simple: Kevin is a super-fan of the show, Demi’s watching it for the first time, and they discuss each episode with special guests. These guests are generally from the comedy world. Some are super-fans of the show and some are watching for the first time. We try to get fans whenever we can but the most important thing is that the guest is someone funny who can engage in an earnest and lively conversation. At the end of the show we rate the episode and sing along to Carole King’s magnificent theme song.
Almost every segment we do on the show started organically and has a very dumb name to accompany it. Pop Goes The Culture is a segment in which we take every single pop culture reference in the episode we’re discussing, edit them together in a “supercut” and listen back to them. We always talk about the fashion in a segment called The Fashion Report, which is particularly dumb when you take into account how little intrinsic fashion sense both Demi and I have. We have recurring segments as well like Where You Tweet, I Will Follow where we plug our social media. This all sounds very dumb, I promise it’s fun when you listen to it though!
the Lala: What are your favorite episodes (of the show, not your own podcast !)?
DEMI: My favorite episodes so far are the danceathon in season 3, episode 7 and the season 3 finale. Both very Rory-centric episodes with sweet moments from other characters. The Bracebridge Dinner from season 2 is also a highlight episode even though it’s just fun and not much story progress!
KEVIN: I’ll second Demi in that 307 (They Shoot Gilmores, Don’t They) and 210 (The Bracebridge Dinner) are huge highlights for me. Additionally 307 was one of my favorite episodes of the podcast we’ve ever done because our guest was Jason Mantzoukas. Jason was a perfect guest in that he was invested in the show, earnest, and deeply hilarious.
One of the most encouraging things we’ve seen in the way of feedback for the show is that people cite wildly different episodes as their favorite episode of all time. So many people said 307 was their favorite episode of all time of the podcast, but then so so many people said 222, or 209, or 322. That’s so lovely to hear because that means that maybe we’re doing something interesting as a whole but unique enough on a per episode basis that we’re catering to the wide variety of tastes our listeners have.
the Lala: Did your opinions change about the show?
DEMI: Oh, for sure. The show was on when I was a bratty teen, so any show advertised with “girls” in the title was an automatic no-no for me. But actually watching the show as an adult (who has the cognitive common sense to know that a show about women is not only FOR women) means I get to take it in for what it is- a beautiful, funny, brilliantly-written show about a family and their friends.
KEVIN: As an adult I found that a lot of the show has held up shockingly well, but a lot has not. I think now I have a more critical eye towards production elements of the show. Oddly enough too, when I was a kid I found myself way more interested in the Emily / Richard stories. I found myself way more invested in the relationship stories (Dean/Jess/Logan) than I ever was when I was younger, which is super weird and backwards. Also, I always loved Paris but now I love her very deeply.
the Lala: Favorite characters and why?
DEMI: I say time and time again that my favorite character is Paris Geller. She’s neurotic, brash, bold, and above all clever, brilliant, and effortlessly funny. She’s also so strong and unwavering that any scene where she’s an emotional wreck hits me twice as hard. I went from rolling my eyes at her being the “teen girl bully” trope to falling in love with her in like, ten episodes flat.
KEVIN: Emily Gilmore is the queen and the secret weapon of this show. Kelly Bishop couldn’t be more perfect in the part and Emily Gilmore’s hilarious brashness and quiet pain is still one of the most compelling things about this series.
the Lala: Least Favorite Characters and why?
DEMI: Max Medina. He’s Lorelai’s biggest romantic partner so far, and he was so boring and uncaring to me. When their relationship breaks off it’s as if he never existed, and when they’re in the same room there couldn’t be less chemistry.
KEVIN: Alex (Billy Burke) was a real drag to watch. Do you remember him? Probably not because he couldn’t be less memorable as a character. I think that was a misstep on a part of the show, to make Lorelai’s love interest so dull and uninteresting in a world filled with such wonderful and colorful characters. He stuck out like a sore thumb, good riddance Alex!
the Lala: So far in the show, who is the most interesting character story arc, that are not in the core Gilmore family?
DEMI: Paris, for sure. She’s probably one of two non-Gilmore characters that have an arc thus far (the other being Dean, whose borderline-abusive-boyfriend-
to-pining-ex-boyfriend arc is such a drag) and her arc of becoming Rory’s closest friend works so well in conjunction with her letting down her guard and showing her more vulnerable self.
KEVIN: Gonna have to second Demi again and go with Paris. Liza Weil has such a perfect understanding of this character and makes her transformation so earned. I also loved Luke’s arc as the show goes on and you seem him a flawed man trying to serve everyone around him the best he can and often failing at it.
the Lala: The show is known for being a great example of mother daughter relationships, what do you think are the best examples?
KEVIN: (SPOILERS FOR EPISODE 422) One of my favorite moments of the show ever (I’m literally tearing up just recounting it) is when Lorelai comes home to find that Rory and Dean have slept together. Her disappointment and heartbreak are functioning on so many levels, as a mother AND a friend. Lauren Graham plays that scene perfectly and it’s one of the most emotionally resonant scenes the show has ever done. On a happier note, I think the dynamic between Lorelai and Rory in the episode “Kiss and Tell” where Lorelai’s trying to play the wing woman and the fun mom at the same time is so fun to watch and not something we’ve really seen in TV or movies, really before or since. (the Lala: We cried too Kevin.)
the Lala: The show has a huge women fan base, and most of the characters are female. Has this show influenced the way you interpret girls and their actions?
KEVIN: Yeah, I think it’s safe to say Demi and I have pretty much solved women!
But actually I feel like maybe over time, especially for me over the last 12 or so years of watching this show, it’s heightened certain sensitivities to women. It’s always good to be as aware as possible of what the person you’re talking to may be thinking about or going through. Truthfully I feel like the biggest influence it’s had on me is it engendered in me a deep attraction to women who are funny. Lorelai was such a model for that on the show. Some guys don’t like funny women, and those guys are dumb and stupid.
the Lala: What parts of the show do you think would change if it was shot today?
DEMI: Technology updates aside, there’d definitely be a lot more focus on the feminist implications of this mother daughter relationship. The very nature of this show existing is feminist, but this show never makes a point to say that the Gilmores being women is what makes this show special. Also maybe Luke would be competing with like, a Starbucks or something, I don’t know.
KEVIN: Definitely more Twitter jokes! More Hillary references too!
the Lala: You guys are going on tour right? How do your fans get involved in that?
KEVIN: We hope to go on some sort of tour this year! We may do some scattered dates here and there in different cities. The best way fans can get involved is to simply come out to the shows when we do them. If we do well, we can do more shows in the future, bigger shows, and come to more cities! If you’re not in a city we’re performing at, but in a nearby city, make the drive and come to the show! We’ll make it worth it, we promise. We have pop tarts!
If you are as completely enthralled with the idea of two guys discussing the emotional, political and social aspects of Gilmore Girls, you can check out all their links here! Love Gilmore Girls? Check out these other amazing posts!
the gilmore guys
The post We Interviewed The Guys Behind The “The Gilmore Guys” Podcast (And We’re In Love) appeared first on the Lala.