Just For Laughs Festival opens at the O2 Arena in March. Headliners include Ryan Reynolds and Graham Norton. Also taking to the stage are the UK’s Number One award-winning podcast hosts, A Gay and A NonGay, James Barr and Dan Hudson.
In a time when we’re all threatened by the rhetoric of hate from those in power, A Gay and A NonGay challenges our differences and proves that love is love and Gays and NonGays can be Friends. An episode is released every Wednesday, where James (Gay) and Dan (NonGay) have conversations about day-to-day life, homophobia, coming out, differences in perceptions, and mental health, along with lighter topics such as dating and Dan learning all about how to douche. It’s their mission to talk openly and promote equality, freedom and friendship whilst making their listeners laugh.
James and Dan kindly took some time out of their hectic schedules to talk to QX.
What gave you the idea to do a podcast?
Dan – My girlfriend Talia, who is friends with James – has moved to New York and said we look after each other whilst she was away… that was 7 years ago, the rest is history!
What do you admire most in each other?
Dan – I definitely admire James’ drive and ability to get things done when he puts his mind to it. I’ve just started doing stand-up and there is so much gatekeeping and rules. I now realise James has just ignored it and gone ‘yeah I’m just going to go and do Edinburgh by myself’ and ignore what anyone else thinks. Then he gets a 5 star review in the Metro.
James – I admire Dan’s allyship. Our podcast wouldn’t exist without Dan, it would be too exhausting to be fighting for LGBTQ+ rights over and over again without him. I also admire his self-respect. He’s straight so he’s never had to question whether he deserves his rights or not. I admire that subtle sense of self-assurance.
What do you think binds you as friends?
Dan – I think the fact that we are both completely different is part of it. Obviously he’s gay and I’m not, but we have a totally different outlook on almost everything to the extent that it’s like we’re both aliens to each other!
James – At first it was his girlfriend for putting us in a studio together… then it was our listeners but now it’s deeper. I care for him like an ex-boyfriend. An ex-boyfriend who I broke up with because he drives me crazy but I still love him.
Do you ever give each other relationship guidance?
Dan – I don’t really need relationship guidance from James as I’ve been with my girlfriend for 11 years, and they’re also friends. I’ve offered him some over the years but I’m not sure he necessarily takes it on board. I think he thinks I’m too direct and straight to the point.
James – Dan’s relationship advice has always been pretty blunt, “Why are you wasting your time with this loser?”. It always feels pretty heartless in the moment but on reflection, he’s always been right.
What do you like doing with each other when you’re not working together?
Dan – We don’t really get a lot of time to hang out together as we’re both so busy but it is amazing when we do get the chance and it isn’t sidelined by the latest bit of admin that needs doing. But the usual – coffee, dinner, we’ve gone to gigs together and I’ve come to see James do stand-up a bunch of times.
James – We never agree on music but we went to a Carly Rae Jepson gig together in Brixton and that was so fun! Dan got triggered because the bar refused him tap water and he genuinley complained to the manager with the words, “what if I’m pregnant?”.
Have you explored other projects that you could do together?
Dan – Outside of the podcast we’ve done a number of different projects – we did a three part BBC documentary about conversion therapy in Northern Ireland – and most significantly last year we brought out our first TV doc together, Sashay To Hell where I took James to spend a weekend at Bloodstock Festival, the biggest extreme metal festival in the UK. He had a whale of a time!
James – I did not have ‘a whale of a time’ haha. I had an interesting time, but I loved spending the weekend with Dan.
Tickets for A Gay and A NonGay: https://london.hahaha.com/events/a-gay-and-a-nongay-podcast/
See James and Dan in A Gay and A NonGay on 5th March 2023, 3.30 pm, at Just For Laughs. The O2, O2 Blueroom, Peninsula Square, LONDON SE10 0DX, United Kingdom.
