Ep 107 - Quicker Than a Ray of Light

This week Josh and Sean discuss the recent (and historic) controversies surrounding celebrity gossip blogger, Perez Hilton. Following the blogger’s apparent mental health emergency that was live-streamed, the duo discuss how he mistreated mostly-female celebrities across decades. The pair also discuss the death of music producer William Orbit, most known for his collaboration with Madonna on her Ray of Light album. Sean explores the diversity of Orbit’s work and uncovers some surpassing collaborations including Betty Boo, Blur, and Belinda Carlisle. The episode also explores the current UK political landscape as Josh suggests that perhaps the Conservative Party is losing votes to Reform (and Restore) because some voters don’t want to support a Black woman (Kemi Badenoch) as the potential Prime Minister. Enjoy the ride! #podcast #popculture #LGBTQ #CurrentAffairs #vegan #PerezHilton #WilliamOrbit #RayOfLight #Madonna #UKpolitics #KemiBadenoch **Mentioned in this episode** Tickets for Queer Vegan Disco on 21st August: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/queer-vegan-disco-tickets-1993624603857 **About the Hosts** Josh Leuner is a London-based singer and plant-geek. Find out more about him here: https://linktr.ee/joshandthejumpstarts  Sean O’Callaghan is an award-winning blogger and published author. Find out more about him here: https://linktr.ee/fatgayvegan  **Theme Music** Our theme music is the song Empty Seat by Josh and The Jumpstarts   -  Stream it here:  https://open.spotify.com/artist/4KxOAKJFWCoSWBMA99QEax?si=3Q\_SjkQKTVuXANcrxmh95g **Chapters** 00:00 Introduction and Light Banter 02:25 Celebrity Gossip and Mental Health 05:27 The Controversial Figure of Perez Hilton 08:37 The Impact of Celebrity Culture 11:38 Mental Health and Public Perception 14:35 Empathy in the Age of Social Media 17:25 Pop Culture and Personal Taste 22:09 Remembering William Orbit 35:03 The Conservative Party's Controversial Candidate 46:28 Celebrating Milestones and Upcoming Events 46:36 Outro