Culture Catch-Up: Jill Zarin, Twinless, Pillion & Heated Rivalry vs. Queer as Folk

Jess is joined by performance artist and rocker AMBER MARTIN (@msambermartin)! Topics — the origins of her Bette Midler at the Continental Baths show "Bette, Bathhouse & Beyond," winning the NYC artist housing lottery at Manhattan Plaza, touring with the Scissor Sisters, the Allways Cabaret in New Orleans, working as a flight attendant, radical faeries and more!  ⭐ IG: @jessxnyc | @msambermartin ⭐ Jess' docu-series on the history, mystique & lore of Fire Island — Finding Fire Island

Jess welcomes beloved NYC drag legend HEDDA LETTUCE, boots on the ground in Puerto Vallarta after the recent cartel attack. Topics — Playing Kim Cattrall's ex-boyfriend on Sex and the City on stage with Madonna at the 1999 MTV VMAs, neighbors with Quentin Crisp, and cult movies  at Chelsea Clearview Cinema. Plus — Shirley Q. Liquor, Heather Locklear at Cherry's on the Bay, and Hedda's journey from rock bottom in Provincetown to reigning on Fire Island—and now wintering in Puerto Vallarta. ⭐ IG: @jessxnyc | @heddalettuceofficial ⭐ Jess' docu-series on the history, mystique & lore of Fire Island — Finding Fire Island

Jess is joined by Broadway composer / orchestrator / adult star JONAH WEELER! (@showoffjonah). Topics — blind items about this worst Broadway experiences, music directing Sweeney Todd Off Broadway and the final straw that pushed him toward a full-on career pivot to OnlyFans. Plus: beating Instagram censorship, creating a new cabaret about that pivot with partner John Coons, the origin story of his p*rn name "Jonah Weeler" (he is the artist formerly known as Matt Aument) and more! ⭐ IG: @jessxnyc  ⭐ Jonah Weeler & John Coons in NYC - Mar 22 ⭐ Jess' docu-series on the history, mystique & lore of Fire Island — Finding Fire Island

Jess is joined by DAMIAN BELLINO & ANNE RODEMAN (co-hosts of "You Might Know Her From") for a wintertime culture catch-up! Topics — Jill Zarin fired (again), Sandra Bernhard cast in The White Lotus S4, The L Word corner, and why is Heated Rivalry accepted by gay men while Queer as Folk was not? Plus — we review the films Twinless, Pillion & Plainclothes. ⭐ IG: @jessxnyc | @damianbellino | @rodemanne ⭐ Tix for "You Might Know Her From" live Feb 28 in NYC! 

Jess welcomes back nightlife impresario DANIEL NARDICIO to talk about his latest venture in Zipolite, Mexico and the runaway success of running The Ice Palace in Cherry Grove. Topics — legalities of throwing s*x parties, surviving Patti LuPone's rider and stories from working with Sandra Bernhard, John Waters, Jennifer Holliday and more! ⭐ IG: @jessxnyc | @the_danielnardicio ⭐ Jess' docu-series on the history, mystique & lore of Fire Island — Finding Fire Island ⭐ Jess' docu-series on the rise & fall of SoulCycle — Cult of Body & Soul

Jess welcomes LOLA ROCKNROLLA, filmmaker of the brand-new documentary THE BIG JOHNSON, exploring the life and eerie death of DEAN JOHNSON: the 6'6", genderf*cky, rollicking rock-star frontman who helped define 1980s–90s East Village nightlife. Topics — the still-unsettled details around Dean's 2007 death, his bands Dean & the Weenies and The Velvet Mafia, being an HIV+ party promoter & more! "The Big Johnson" screens at NYC's Quad Cinema January 23–29, streaming avail in February ⭐ IG: @jessxnyc | @lolarocknrolla13 ⭐ Jess' docu-series on the rise & fall of SoulCycle — Cult of Body & Soul ⭐ Jess' docu-series on the history, mystique & lore of Fire Island — Finding Fire Island  

Jess is joined by WALTER AFANASIEFF, the Grammy-winning songwriter and producer behind MARIAH CAREY's biggest '90s hits — including "Hero," "My All," "One Sweet Day," and  "All I Want for Christmas Is You." Topics — how the modern Christmas classic was written, his professional fallout with Mariah Carey, and how the songwriting biz has radically changed since the '90s. Plus — producing CELINE DION's "My Heart Will Go On" from Titanic, writing with BEYONCÉ and BARBRA STREISAND, and the story of how a record label sabotaged a future American Idol winner. ⭐ IG: @jessxnyc  ⭐ Jess' docu-series on the rise & fall of SoulCycle — Cult of Body & Soul ⭐ Jess' docu-series on the history, mystique & lore of Fire Island — Finding Fire Island

Jess is joined by interior designer Dale Saylor (Hollymount Design) to react to some of our favorite Architectural Digest home tours. Topics — BETHENNY FRANKEL's Florida move, ANDY COHEN's West Village duplex, AMY SEDARIS' Greenwich Village funhouse, SARAH PAULSON's Malibu studio, RUPAUL in LA, NEIL PATRICK HARRIS' Harlem brownstone & KELLY RIPA's UES townhouse. Plus — advice for max impact in small spaces AND Dale critiques a walk-through of Jess' apartment. ⭐ IG: @jessxnyc | hollymountltd.com ⭐ Jess' docu-series on the rise & fall of SoulCycle — Cult of Body & Soul ⭐ Jess' docu-series on the history, mystique & lore of Fire Island — Finding Fire Island  

Jess is joined by All I Want to Do Is Talk About Madonna co-host Mark Snyder for a 2025 revue of our favorite theater, films, and concerts. Topics— Wicked ambivalence, Kristin Chenoweth's rough year, a Chess revival, Oh Mary predictions, the Plainclothes film, the Lilith Fair documentary, Mike Albo's Hologram Boyfriends, Julio Torres' Color Theories, and Linda Perry's reunion with 4 Non Blondes. Plus— an in-memoriam for Diane Keaton & Jill Sobule, and major existential Madonna happenings in 2026. ⭐ IG: @jessxnyc | @markbsnyder2025 ⭐ Jess' docu-series on the rise & fall of SoulCycle — Cult of Body & Soul ⭐ Jess' docu-series on the history, mystique & lore of Fire Island — Finding Fire Island

Jess sits down with powerhouse docu-series Executive Producer Billy Taylor! Topics — Billy's jump from MTV News to producing MTV Diary, then showrunning the Bravo glory days of Jeff Lewis Flipping Out, Work Out w/ Jackie Warner, and Kell on Earth w/ Kelly Cutrone. Plus — trailing Kanye West with a camera, Britney: In the Zone & Out All Night, directing Selling Sunset pilot, and more!  ⭐ IG: @jessxnyc  ⭐ Jess' docu-series on the rise & fall of SoulCycle — Cult of Body & Soul ⭐ Jess' docu-series on the history, mystique & lore of Fire Island — Finding Fire Island