Episode Summary
In our last episode, we broke down the music of 2Pac, now we're flipping the script (see what we did there?) and diving into the film career of Tupac Shakur. We rewatched his entire filmography and reviewed every role, from the iconic to the...not so great. From his chilling performance as Bishop in Juice to his nuanced portrayal of heroin-addicted jazz musician in Gridlock'd, we cover all six of his films. We're discussing favorite scenes, favorite characters and favorite lines. We also get into what roles made famous by others that we would have liked to have seen Tupac play, and which of his characters that we could be friends with.This episode is filled with spoilers, but these movies came out over 30 years ago, so, you've had time.🙂
Transcript
Christina: Welcome back to They Reminisce Over You, a podcast that takes a nostalgic look back at the best in music, movies and TV from the 80s, 90s and early 2000s. I'm Christina.
Miguel: And I'm Miguel. This week, we are discussing an actor by the name of Tupac Shakur. In our last episode, we talked about a rapper by the name of 2Pac Shakur.
Christina: Just 2Pac as the rapper.
Miguel: Yes, the number 2, P-A-C. This episode is T-U-P-A-C Shakur. They may or may not be the same person. I don't know, but we are going to talk about the movies that he was in before he passed away.
Christina: Yes. Well, his musical career was so big that I kind of feel like it overshadowed his acting career a little bit. Even though he starred in some classics.
Miguel: It did. Are you ready to get into it?
Christina: I am. Let's do it.
Miguel: So, like I said, we are going to discuss the films of Mr. Tupac Shakur. I read an article and I am going to read this quote to you that basically describes his film career.
“Tupac appeared in six films, Juice, Poetic Justice, Above The Rim, Bullet, Gridlock'd, Gang Related during his short career. Some were strictly cash grabs, others were beneath him. But he was the best thing going in each of them.”
And I think that's just a perfect description—
Christina: That sounds about right.
Miguel: of his acting career because all of the movies were pretty low budget. Even Poetic Justice was probably the biggest one and it only had a budget of 14 million. I think we should just get right into the movies.
Christina: I want to mention one thing before we get into the movies.
Miguel: Okay.
Christina: I was watching one of his interviews and the person asked him, you know, about acting versus rapping and he said, “I’m an actor. I just happen to rap in my spare time instead of being a waiter.”
Miguel: That makes sense.
Christina: He basically, you know, as some of us know, he went to a performing arts school. He's basically a theater kid.
Miguel: Yeah.
Christina: So, he's like, that's what I studied. And he basically started rapping because it was an opportunity to make money.
Miguel: Yeah.
Christina: And he was good at it, but he wanted to first be an actor.
Miguel: I never thought about it, but most struggling actors are waiters and waitresses and working as flight attendants. Just all sorts of random jobs to pay the bills.
Christina: And he just happened to become a prolific rapper.
Miguel: Yeah. His second job just happened to be one of the greatest rappers of all time.
Christina: Yeah. But we're going to talk about his first job.
Miguel: Yes. So, we mentioned in the last episode that he was working on his debut album, 2Pacalypse Now, at the same time that he was working on Juice. That's a rare occurrence for people who are in this industry. Like we mentioned then, usually you do one first to get into the other. They don't both happen at the same time, but for him, it did.
Christina: Right.
Miguel: So, let's get into Juice, shall we?
Christina: Okay.
Miguel: So, in this movie, he plays Roland Bishop, a high school student with emotional issues, that's putting it lightly.
Christina: To say the least.
Miguel: Yes. What do you think made the role of Bishop so iconic?
Christina: I think that he was just such a good villain. He was able to go from 0 to 100, and then other times he had this calm insanity. Like, the locker scene, and he just popped up and he's like, “You're right. I just don't give a fuck.”
Miguel: Yeah.
Christina: He's so calm, but you're like, oh, he's scary. But then at the same time, when he was at Raheem's funeral, he goes up and sweet talks to the mom like, oh, “You remember me? I'm Roland,” and he's all nice and stuff. So ,he was just able to balance all the different ways that one can be a villain.
Miguel: Yeah.
Christina: But also at the beginning, before all this stuff happened, he was kind of just, you know, just a high school kid hanging out with his friends.
Miguel: Right.
Christina: And you wouldn't have seen it coming, until it came.
Miguel: Yeah.
Christina: And you also know he's a psycho because who goes into a full elevator facing everybody?
Miguel: Yeah. Well, I'll let that slide because he just didn't have room to turn around. I'll let that one go.
Christina: He got enough room to turn around.
Miguel: I don't know. He was pressed up against the door and he shouldn't have forced his way into the elevator. I hate when people do that.
Christina: Yeah. But he had other things on his mind.
Miguel: Yeah.
Christina: Yeah. I think overall he was just good at being a villain.
Miguel: Yeah, because the energy that he gives in the movie, nobody else comes across on screen like that. Like you said, he was really nice in or pretending to be nice and pleasant at the funeral. He did the same thing when he went to the pool hall, pretending to look for Q and he was talking to Samuel Jackson. He's like, he's crazy, man. He's doing this. He's doing that.
Christina: “I’m worried about him.”
Miguel: If you see him, let him know I'm looking for him.
Christina: Right.
Miguel: So, he knew how to play both sides.
Christina: He sure did.
Miguel: Because he's the loose cannon, obviously, but he also knows how to pull it back and pretend to be a good person.
Christina: Right. And remember the scene where he shot and killed Raheem and Steel’s crying, he's hugging him—
Miguel: Yeah.
Christina: and comforting him and then threatening his life afterwards.
Miguel: Right. So, he was definitely a loose cannon.
Christina: Yes.
Miguel: As my grandmother would say, he was a little bit touched.
Christina: A lot of bit touched.
Miguel: Yes. But he doesn't want anybody else to say it.
Christina: Right.
Miguel: He knows there's something wrong with him, but you can't say there's something wrong with me.
Christina: Yeah. You can't tell a crazy person they're crazy.
Miguel: Exactly.
Christina: So, do you think that Bishop was naturally evil or he was a product of his environment?
Miguel: I thought about it, and I think it's a little bit of both, because like I said, he has issues and everybody knows it. But at the same time, he's getting bullied by Radamez and his crew. They're getting chased at school by the truant officers, Quilles keeps running out of the store pointing guns at them all the time. And even though at one point Q says “there's no one man above the crew,” obviously Raheem was the leader.
Christina: He was.
Miguel: It was obvious.
Christina: It was.
Miguel: And I think that Bishop wanted that role.
Christina: Yeah. And also you see that at the very beginning of the movie, when everyone's kind of getting ready to pretend to go to school, his dad has some kind of emotional issues too, because he goes and checks in on him and he's just sitting there staring off into space, and you see Bishop kind of like, being, I don't know, sad or something about it.
Miguel: Right. And then Radamez brings that up when they have one of their many run-ins in the movie.
Christina: So there's a lot of things in his environment as well, and we don't know exactly what's up with his dad, so, maybe it's something that could be inherited as well. So, whatever is going on with him was just prime, primed him for becoming a villain.
Miguel: So how much of the real life Tupac do you think came out as Bishop?
Christina: Well, according to Money B from Digital Underground, the interview[1] I mentioned in the last episode, he said that Tupac was more Bishop than Bishop was.
Miguel: Yeah.
Christina: So, I think aside from the murdering people.
Miguel: Right.
Christina: And maybe being completely insane, but in terms of having all these different sides of him, I think that's pretty much how he's like in terms of knowing when to turn on the charm, when to be threatening, when to be jokey jokey with your friends, how to be polite with adults. Like, I think that's all him.
Miguel: Yeah. I've read a couple of different interviews and like, the oral history of Juice and this, this and that about Juice. And what I noticed is people that were his actual friends all said the same thing, that he was, like you said, more Bishop than Bishop was. Whereas the people who were just in the movie with him or they knew him in passing would say that he kind of became Bishop after the movie.
And yeah, those people, I think, really didn't truly know him as well as obviously his friends are. So, that's why you always hear different people saying that he became Bishop after the movie, because they don't know him as well.
So, I sent you the link to the alternate ending,[2] and obviously you know the regular ending that made it to air. Which one do you prefer?
Christina: I actually think both could have worked, because in the actual release, when he's like, don't let me go, don't let me go, I think that that makes sense that when he's actually faced with death, he realizes, you know, maybe he does care about his life, maybe he does want to live and be better or whatever.
So, I think that makes sense. But I think the alternate where he's just like, let go, also kind of fits his crippling depression, and his I just don't give a fuck attitude. So, I think both work.
Miguel: Yeah, I think the alternate makes more sense, just because of his backstory, and not wanting to go to jail and end up getting sexually assaulted like his dad did. And he's like, fuck it, I'm going out, I'm not going to jail. They're not gonna do that to me. I'm not gonna end up being this guy just catatonic in the living room. So,I’m going out on my own terms.
I read an article[3] where Ernest Dickerson said that that was the ending that he wanted. But when they did test screenings, the studio said that the audience didn't like the fact that he got to choose his own fate. So, that's why they went with the other one and just overdubbed him actually saying something different.
Christina: Oh, so it's an overdub.
Miguel: Yes, some of it is an overdub.
Christina: That makes sense.
Miguel: And some was actually set.
Christina: OK, that makes sense, because I think there was always something a little off to me.
Miguel: Yeah.
Christina: How he said, don't let me go.
Miguel: Right.
Christina: That makes sense that it's a dub.
Miguel: Yeah. So, I think that one would have played better. But hey, they said they weren't going to support the movie if he left that ending in. So, that's what we got.
Christina: Okay. So you prefer the alternate?
Miguel: Yeah.
Christina: Do you think that the actual release is bad or do you think that worked too, though?
Miguel: It's not bad because it shows how he's very like, wishy washy because just two minutes before he's trying to kill Q. And now he's like, don’t, don't let me drop man, don't let me drop. Please save me. So, that just kind of plays into his loose cannon, and I'll say whatever I have to say to—
Christina: His manipulative side.
Miguel: Yeah. So, it still works.
Christina: Hey, man, I won't kill you if you pull me up.
Miguel: Basically, I promise I won't try to kill you for the third time.
Christina: Meanwhile, he pulls him up and then throws Q over.
Miguel: Exactly.
Christina: All right.
Miguel: And how did that punch make him fall over the edge anyway? He was, he had enough room not to flip.
Christina: There's a few plot holes.
Miguel: Yeah. But anyway.
Christina: Overall though, I still think it was a good film and definitely a good first like feature film for him.
Miguel: Yeah.
Christina: So with that being said, what is your favorite scene?
Miguel: I don't have a favorite scene, I have three.
Christina: Okay.
Miguel: So, the first one is after they ditch school and they go to Steel's house and he cooks breakfast for them. He's pouring Olde English in the eggs, he's got bacon in the eggs too. And then he brings it out and gives it to them. And they're like, what is this shit?
Christina: Ew.
Miguel: And they cut away from all of them and they're just showing the movie on the screen. And you can just hear Bishop say, “I’m too hungry to throw this shit away.”[4]
Christina: I completely missed that.
Miguel: And it makes me laugh every time I hear it.
Christina: Watch that scene again with my headphones on.
Miguel: So, there's that one. After he kills Raheem and they're coming up with alibis, and he's like, we were all at the party. “You can't keep up with a man at a party.” That makes me laugh. And then when the cops show up and he runs over to cue, “Yo, Raheem is dead, somebody shot him.”
Christina: Yes.
Miguel: Kills me every time.
Christina: Because first I see him in the crowd and he's pointing up at Q, and it's like, oh man, did he just like rat out Q?
Miguel: Right.
Christina: And he comes up with that, oh man, “they shot Raheem.”
Miguel: No emotion. “Yo, Raheem is dead, somebody shot him.” Kills me every time.
Christina: Shouldn't you be a little more emotional about your friend?
Miguel: Exactly.
Christina: Your best friend.
Miguel: So what's yours?
Christina: I do enjoy all of those as well, but I got to go back to the locker scene. He does his little, like I was saying, it's kind of like, this quiet, calm insanity, but he ends it with “Patna!”
Miguel: Yes.
Christina: Which is hilarious. And then also one of these articles I was reading was saying how the way that they shot him was kind of like, he was this evil force that could just appear anywhere.
Miguel: Yeah.
Christina: Which is basically what happened, because you got Q over here dusting off his books. And then all of a sudden, and then all of a sudden he closes the locker and he's just like, hey friend.[5]
Miguel: Right.
Christina: Like, where the hell did you just come from? Like, he just poof.
Miguel: Exactly.
Christina: So yeah, I do love to “Patna!” at the end.
Miguel: Yeah, that's always funny.
Christina: I do also enjoy the scene, which I mentioned already too, where he's comforting Raheem's mom, being all like, hello ma'am, and stuff just shows what a psycho he is.
Miguel: “Remember me? I'm Roland.”
Christina: “I’m Roland. Roland Bishop, he was like a brother to me.” Meanwhile, Q is just steaming back there. So, those are some memorable scenes.
Miguel: All right. Let's move on to his next film, which was Poetic Justice starring him and Janet Jackson.
Christina: Yes, as Lucky, a mailman. So, in this movie, he was still a little rough around the edges, but he wasn't a villain.
Miguel: He wasn't.
Christina: And there were moments where he showed vulnerability. This role was not like Bishop at all.
Miguel: No.
Christina: Do you think that this role challenged that tough guy persona?
Miguel: Yeah, because Lucky pretended to be a tough guy, but it was obvious that he wasn't. Like, he was a tough guy when he was at work trying to bully Janet's husband.
Christina: Yeah.
Miguel: And when he was with Chicago, but you see when Dooky and Monster roll up, he was just like, hey, what's up guys? How y'all doing? The whole tough guy kind of disappeared. And he was a tough guy when he was whooping Ricky Harris' ass up in the apartment, but not a tough guy later in the movie. So, I think it's one of those situations where he's from the hood, but he ain't hood.
Christina: Yeah, that's what I was going to say. Like, I don't think he is trying to or necessarily thinks of himself as being a tough guy. But when the situation calls for it—
Miguel: Right.
Christina: he can get into a fight. He can throw some punches, but he ain't out in here trying to commit drive-bys like the other guys.
Miguel: No, not at all.
Christina: Because when they told him, like, hey, we’re looking to jack somebody, he was like, oh, word.
Miguel: Well, let me go in the house then.
Christina: All right, bye. Peace.
Miguel: Because even when J. Bone offered him a hit of the joint, he was like, no, they test me at work. I can't do that. So, he wasn't a bad guy.
Christina: But he also didn't waste any time beating up his baby mom's boyfriend, though.
Miguel: He didn't. He did not. So, do you see any parallels between Lucky and Tupac's sensitive side, his more poetic side?
Christina: I do see some parallels because, you know, in this movie, he got to be like the romantic interest.
Miguel: Yeah.
Christina: The only difference, I would say, is I believe in real life, women liked Tupac right away. Janet slash Justice, she was not interested at the beginning.
Miguel: But it didn't take long for her to flip.
Christina: It didn't. But I think the real Tupac would be a little bit smoother right away.
Miguel: Yeah.
Christina: But you still see that charm even if Justice didn't at first.
Miguel: Right.
Christina: He was trying to be nice, and you know, she had her own issues. She was still grieving her ex-boyfriends, I don't think she was really open to talking to anybody.
Miguel: She wasn't. And Jessie pretty much told her that while they were standing there at the counter. You always wear black and this and that. You need to get over him. He wasn't shit anyway or something along those lines.
Christina: Yeah, I think it was a combination of both. But I definitely think Tupac makes a better first impression. The real Tupac makes a better first impression.
Miguel: Right.
Christina: But you got to see how he can even make the ice around Justice's heart melt pretty quickly, as you said.
Miguel: So, what's your favorite scene in this movie?
Christina: I think instead of like specific scenes, I just like all the little chit-chatty stuff in between.
Miguel: Okay.
Christina: Because it just felt really authentic. So like, after him and Janet had their big “fuck you, fuck you” tirade, and then she gets kicked off the mail truck and then they come pick her up again. And when they go into the back, him and Chicago are just making fun of Janet's little tirade. And Tupac says, “they still gonna fuck you up.” And then the moment they start giggling like little kids outside misbehaving. So, little things like that.
And like when they were at the gas station and him and that truck driver were like basically fighting over the gas pump, he was just all, “Hey, you like country music? Garth Brooks, he's slammin’, right?”
Miguel: While, country music is blaring from the guy's truck.
Christina: So, just all these little things, him and Tone-Loc chit chatting in front of the building.
Miguel: Yeah.
Christina: So, I think I just really appreciate all those little little moments. What about you?
Miguel: Mine? You know what mine is. It's the barbecue scenes. Is that barbecue? Is that free barbecue? And one what’s her name was like, “What y'all gonna do?” And he was like, “Shit, we gonna eat.” “You can't eat. That's not your family.” “We black. We all family.”
Christina: I like the “Lucky, little Lucky.”
Miguel: Yeah, the barbecue, all of the stuff at the barbecue is my favorite. Even when they were fighting at the end, when Chicago starts fighting with the dude that Iesha's with, he's like, “Cousin Pee, you don't mind if I take some of this food to go, do you?”
Christina: Yes. And he takes like a couple swigs of his beer before he runs off.
Miguel: There's a spot right before that when they start to tussle and Cousin Pee looks back at him, he just throws his hands up like, I don’t know. I took a screenshot of that. I might use it as the album art for this episode.
Christina: Do it.
Miguel: So yeah, those are my favorite scenes.
Christina: Okay. Overall, how do you feel about this movie or his performance in this movie?
Miguel: The issues I have with the movie have nothing to do with like, his performance or any of the cast members performances. My issue with the movie is the locations that they were shooting in and why would they take like, Pacific Coast Highway all the way to Oakland when they could shave two hours off for their trip going the other direction.That's what I had an issue with.
Christina: First of all, I'm sure it was probably easier for them to film.
Miguel: Yeah.
Christina: And it's a lot more picturesque.
Miguel: Yeah, I get why they did it, but in practicality-
Christina: See, you're not supposed to notice that, though.
Miguel: They keep saying that they got a schedule to keep.
Christina: Right, and it took them all day to get there.
Miguel: You're adding an extra two hours to your trip. That's all I had an issue with.
Christina: See, that's because you're an L.A. native, so you notice that kind of stuff. Other people are like, oh, they're just driving on the highway.
Miguel: Yeah, those are the only issues I have with the movie.
Christina: Okay, so after that, we get into—
Miguel: Above The Rim.
Christina: Another classic.
Miguel: Yes.
Christina: We're in 1994 now, and I also want to point out, in my notes, I also put notes of when the albums were also, in between which movies.
Miguel: Okay.
Christina: So, it's just kind of crazy that by 1994, this is his third feature film playing a main character, and he's also released one, two, two albums already. That's crazy. As you were saying, usually rappers turn into actors, whereas he's doing both at the same time.
Miguel: Yeah, and it usually takes a while to build up, to get some credibility. You just don't throw a first-album rapper into a movie or a first-time actor releases an album.
Christina: Yeah, and then to follow up Juice with Poetic Justice and Above The Rim. All three of these movies are considered fan-faves, classics. That being said, let's get into Above The Rim.
Miguel: Okay.
Christina: So, he plays Birdie, who is also a villain.
Miguel: He is.
Christina: So, how do you think he compares to Bishop? Do you think they're variations of the same character or are they more distinct?
Miguel: I think that if Bishop was allowed to live, he would end up being Birdie.
Christina: That's literally what I put in my notes. I put Bishop, if he lived.
Miguel: It's true. If he was able to live, he would end up being Birdie, in my opinion.
Christina: The only difference between the two, I would say, is I don't think Bishop would have had that little brother syndrome because he didn't have any siblings.
Miguel: Right.
Christina: He wouldn't have a big brother, I guess, to try to impress, but he would still be that kind of villain.
Miguel: Yeah. That's something that I've always thought about even back in the day. Like, this is the same dude but with money in his pocket.
Christina: And he's alive.
Miguel: Yes.
Christina: At the beginning of the movie.
Miguel: Right.
Christina: Spoiler alert.
Miguel: It's 30 years old. I don't think we need spoiler alerts on any of the stuff we're talking about today. So, we know in this movie that there's tension between Birdie and his brother coming back, Shep. Do you think that Birdie really didn't need his brother, or was he just pretending?
Christina: Oh, he was totally pretending.
Miguel: Yeah.
Christina: Because, first of all, you can see that he was hurt when he saw Shep, because obviously he didn't tell him he was going to be in town.
Miguel: Right.
Christina: He was kind of like, oh, he's here?
Miguel: Yeah.
Christina: But he didn't look angry. He looked more hurt. So, I think that if he didn't care for him at all, he would have just been like, ugh, this motherfucker.
Miguel: Right.
Christina: And then when he did finally meet up with him at the grave site, their mother's grave site, he was all like, with you by my side. You know, we could run the world and whatever. And then as soon as Shep was like, I ain't trying to be no drug dealer. That was when he turned real quick and was like, fuck you then, basically, which to me is obviously him trying to hide his hurt.
Miguel: Yeah.
Christina: Even some of the resentment because he was left there as a child with his mother going through all this stuff. But even then—
Miguel: Made it work.
Christina: Yeah. Made it work. And he's trying to show his brother, look what I did for mom. And then his brother's response was like, yeah, but you're a drug dealer.
Miguel: Yeah. Shep was the worst.
Christina: Yeah. It's like, I get it. He's a drug dealer. That's not ideal. But like, he's your little brother that you left behind.
Miguel: You've been gone for like, 10 years.
Christina: You could at least be like, thanks for holding mom down.
Miguel: Yeah.
Christina: Let's see if we could find you a legit job now or something. Like, he was just like, ew.
Miguel: Yeah. He was terrible. He was terrible to everybody though.
Christina: Except for Kyle's mom.
Miguel: Yeah. Even that took a while though. Because remember when she first showed up at the game, he snatched her up, no, you got to get out of here.
Christina: He did, but he, well, compared to everybody else, by the time they met the second time, he had warmed up to her.
Miguel: Did he though?
Christina: Much too— yeah. Because you saw how he was with the waitress.
Miguel: Yeah. But even so, when she said, what was the line? Something about it may look sweet, but it's rotten or something like that.
Christina: It's gone sour.
Miguel: Yeah. But even then, when she was asking if he was done with the table, she's talking to him and he just walked away.
Christina: Yeah. No, but he was polite to her though. He was just like, yeah, yeah.
Miguel: He was polite, but he just walked in the middle of conversation and she's like, all right then.
Christina: I thought that when the waitress said, you know, he looks sweet, but it's gone sour was when she asked him about the table.
Miguel: Yeah.
Christina: But they had a little conversation still.
Miguel: And then he just left.
Christina: He did.
Miguel: So, he has he's not very good socially. So, I need to know what exactly was going on with him and Nutso. For him to be a little bit off anyway, we know Nutso was doing drug,s was Shep doing drugs, too?
Christina: I think that the idea was he never recovered from the death of Nutso. It just made him angry or whatever he was.
Miguel: I guess.
Christina: But yeah, I definitely think that Birdie was very hurt and felt rejected.
Miguel: Yeah.
Christina: And that just made him worse.
Miguel: Yeah.
Christina: Even though he still came and harassed him afterwards.
Miguel: Yeah. That was funny.
Christina: Yeah. After their conversation at the graveyard, here he is waiting for him on his way to work.
Miguel: Because he wants his brother to acknowledge him. Just say hi or something.
Christina: Hey, brother.
Miguel: Yeah. Leaned up behind the tree waiting for him. “Mama would be so proud. Look at you going to work.”
Christina: He can't stop being that little brother.
Miguel: “Securing our high schools.”
Christina: “I’m the only family you got.”
Miguel: It was true.
Christina: So, maybe that's why he was so interested in Kyle, do you think?
Miguel: I think that's what they wanted us to believe.
Christina: I think he just wanted to win, and he thought Kyle was going to help him get there.
Miguel: I don't think he even wanted to win. I think he was just a degenerate gambler, and he saw how much money he can make off of Kyle.
Christina: Yeah. Well, that's what I mean. I don't think he had any personal interest in Kyle.
Miguel: No, not at all.
Christina: He just thought this kid could help him win the basketball tournament.
Miguel: Yeah, it goes deeper than that. He's like, I see this kid, he's going to Georgetown. If I get in good with him, I can blackmail him into point shaving.
Christina: Right.
Miguel: That's the way I looked at it. Like, I'm a gambler. I can make these bets on Georgetown knowing that I've got him in my pocket and he's going to do what I say.
Christina: Yeah.
Miguel: He's going to throw the games, he's going to miss shots. That's what I think his end goal was.
Christina: Yeah.
Miguel: Like, it meant to look like, OK, I'm going to be the big brother. The ship wasn't to me, but I think he was just in it completely for the money.
Christina: Yeah. I think the first scene when they met and he was like, giving him money and stuff, that's just manipulation.
Miguel: Yeah. Because that was a thing back in the day when, well, we've talked about this before, before this NIL stuff and kids could get money legally. They were always getting paid under the table by some unscrupulous character like Birdie. Who would come along, give them some money, get them caught up in some shit. They get suspended, can't play no more, and then they move on to the next. That's what I thought.
Christina: Yeah. I don't think there's any personal interest.
Miguel: Nope, not at all. What's your favorite scene in Above The Rim?
Christina: When he stylistically reveals the razor blade in his mouth. I just remember being like, I've heard of people holding razor blades in their mouths, but I was just like, I've never seen it being done before. I still don't understand how this works.
Miguel: I don't know. I'm not brave enough to try it. I've never seen it happen in person, only on movies. But yeah, that ain't my bag.
Christina: What about you?
Miguel: I'm going to say when they were at the cemetery and he was talking to him for the first time, he just sitting there grinning like a five year old looking up at his big brother, and then he throws his arm around him and hugging him. Shep just sitting there like, don't touch me. Don't touch me. He was very childlike in that. And just the look on his face always makes me laugh. Like look at him. He's eight years old again.
Christina: Shows the multitudes of Birdie and Tupac.
Miguel: Exactly.
Christina: I think that's always at the end of the day, what makes him shine in all his roles is he's manages to show all these different sides of these characters.
Miguel: Yeah.
Christina: Even if they are villains, you still see like, oh, there was a time when he wasn't bad.
Miguel: Right. All right. I think that's a good spot for us to take a break and we'll be right back.
[Break]
Miguel: This is They Reminisce Over You, I'm Miguel.
Christina: And I'm Christina. We wanted to take a minute to make a small request of all our listeners. If you're listening to us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Goodpods or Podchaser, leave us a 5 star rating. You can also leave a review as well on Apple, Goodpods and Podchaser. Ratings and reviews will help us with discoverability and we want to get this out to as many like-minded folks as we can.
Miguel: We want to get on the first page of these podcast apps.
Christina: And to move up on the charts as well. So help us get the word out.
Miguel: Make sure to follow and interact with us on social media. Also check out our website, troypodcast.com. It's where we post links to a lot of the things that we've mentioned in the show, as well as transcripts and themed playlists that supplement our episodes and more.
Christina: Thank you again for your support.
[Break ends]
Miguel: All right, we are back. And now we're going to talk about a movie called Bullet.
Christina: Yes.
Miguel: Starring Tupac and Mickey Rourke.
Christina: Yes.
Miguel: And a couple other people that we know.
Christina: It's a wild ride.
Miguel: This movie is so weird. I had only seen it when it first came out and completely forgot everything about it.
Christina: This is the first time I've ever seen it.
Miguel: And we rewatched it the other night and it is so bad.
Christina: Yeah. I think they were trying really hard to make it artistic.
Miguel: Yeah.
Christina: Dramatic, very theatrical.
Miguel: Yes. I think it was written and directed by Mickey Rourke. I don't know if he did both, but he definitely wrote it.
Christina: Yeah.
Miguel: Because there was a review, an advance review that really pissed him off.
Christina: Oh.
Miguel: About how bad the movie was. And yeah, so he was really upset about that. But well, the review was right.
Christina: The film was delayed for two years. So, that must have been for a reason. And I think the only reason it got released was because Tupac died.
Miguel: Yeah.
Christina: Because it was delayed for two years, and then one month after Tupac passed.
Miguel: It's out.
Christina: It's out. And even then, like it was a limited release and then it was released direct to video worldwide.
Miguel: And like I mentioned earlier, the article I was reading that said he was doing a bunch of cash grabs and there were some movies that were beneath him. This one is both.
Christina: And he wasn't even in it very much.
Miguel: Yeah, he's not in it very much, but when he's in it, he's the best part of the movie.
Christina: Right.
Miguel: And not even close.
Christina: But he was like, this was his smallest role out of all the stuff we've had. And I don't know if I'd call it a cash grab necessarily for him, I kind of feel like he just wanted to act.
Miguel: No, because in one of the articles I was reading, he was literally doing a lot of these movies just for the money.
Christina: Oh, okay.
Miguel: Because he was paying lawyer fees.
Christina: Oh, well, yeah.
Miguel: All that stuff. So, he needed the money.
Christina: I thought he just wanted to, you know, build his resume.
Miguel: Not with this one. This definitely wasn't it. This one was like, I'm getting a check? All right, cool, let's go.
Christina: Yeah, it was weird. Like, the overall plot of the film isn't that weird. But how it was how it played out was odd.
Miguel: Yeah, it was terrible. There's no beating around the bush with this one. It was terrible. So, I'm not even going to ask you what your favorite scene is because you probably don't remember or have one.
Christina: I do. Actually, I do.
Miguel: Oh, you do have one.
Christina: Yeah.
Miguel: OK.
Christina: One of the few scenes.
Miguel: All right.
Christina: That Tupac was actually in. First, we also got a Michael K. Williams cameo as well.
Miguel: But he didn't speak at all, all he did was get shot.
Christina: I thought he at least said something.
Miguel: He didn't say a word.
Christina: I don't remember. But anyway, there is one scene where they're all in a car together talking to some of the other, I don't know.
Miguel: Well, one was Donnie Wahlberg.
Christina: Yes, one was Donnie Wahlberg. Was he in the car with them?
Miguel: Yeah, because he was the one that was giving him lip.
Christina: Okay. So, Donnie and then like, the other guy, two white dudes basically. And I say that because after they were done with the conversation, Tupac's like, “Get out. It smells like wet dog in here.”
Miguel: Yeah, I forgot about that.
Christina: So, I managed to find a favorite scene, even though he wasn't in it much.
Miguel: That is funny. I completely forgot about that one. But now I do remember it.
Christina: So, that's that.
Miguel: All right.
Christina: Other than that, I think, I think that's all we got to say about Bullet.
Miguel: Yeah, that's it. We can just speed right on through to Gridlock'd.
Christina: Oh, Gridlock'd.
Miguel: Yeah.
Christina: I love Gridlock'd.
Miguel: This is by far my favorite Tupac movie.
Christina: Same.
Miguel: Not even close.
Christina: Same. As much as I pretty much enjoy his performance in everything, because he brings that Tupac-ness with him to everything he does. This one I really liked for a couple of reasons.
Miguel: Okay.
Christina: One is he got to play something that people wouldn't expect him to play. He wasn't a gangster, he wasn't a villain, he wasn't like, a kid from the hood or whatever. I mean, it was still very dark because they were drug addicts.
Miguel: Yes.
Christina: But the role didn't have anything to do with who Tupac is.
Miguel: Yes.
Christina: You know what I mean? And he also got to be funny.
Miguel: Yeah.
Christina: It's a dark comedy, but it was definitely funny.
Miguel: It is. It's hilarious.
Christina: I wrote down, it's kind of like Friday, but the stuff they get into is much worse.
Miguel: Yeah. I never put it together like that. It is very much like Friday.
Christina: Because it's just like, I mean, it's actually like two days, not one day, but it's just basically like a day of hijinks.
Miguel: Yeah.
Christina: Hijinks and bullshitting.
Miguel: They keep finding themselves in random situations that make the one before even worse.
Christina: Like, they had one goal. Like, in Friday was we got to pay Big Worm back. In this one it’s like, we're just trying to get into rehab. So, they have one goal, it's like, over the course of, like I said, two days, not one day, but it's the same idea. And just stuff keeps getting in the way.
Miguel: Right. And you see all the red tape that is surrounding people who are actually trying to get into rehab.
Christina: So, even though it's like a dark and serious topic, there is just like, the silliness of this bullshit at the same time. And it also spawned one of the most used memes I've seen on social media with Tupac looking exasperated, leaning back, sitting down at the like, the hospital or something. It's funny, even though I saw the movie, it's still funny to see that scene after seeing it so often on social media being memed. It's like, here comes the scene.
So, I guess I kind of blew right through talking about the plot, but Tupac plays Spoon, who is a musician addicted to heroin, with Tim Roth, who plays Stretch, and Thandiwe Newton, who plays Cookie, and they're in like, this little group together.
Miguel: Eight Mile Road is the name of their jazz band. They’re a jazz trio.
Christina: Yes, “Life is a traffic jam. life is a traffic jam.” So, I mean, we kind of just went right into this, but do you have anything else to say about how Spoon might be different from other characters he's played?
Miguel: Yeah, like you said, he's not a villain, he's not a bad guy, he's not aggressive. He's kind of meek and non-threatening. Like, they're kind of scary.
Christina: Yes.
Miguel: Like, every situation that they're in, they're kind of timid and like, oh, I don't think we should be doing this. They're very scared throughout pretty much the entire movie.
Christina: Yeah.
Miguel: So, it's the complete opposite of everything that we knew Tupac to be. And this is probably the Tupac that his friends and family got to see sometimes where he's low key and reserved and can be funny, but not Bishop, not Birdie.
Christina: And inherently, he's a good guy.
Miguel: Yeah.
Christina: Like, yeah, they do drugs, whatever, but that doesn't make them bad people.
Miguel: Yeah. He's just an addict.
Christina: Right.
Miguel: Who's actually trying to get off of heroin.
Christina: Yes, because since Cookie overdosed, he was just like, oh, wow, we almost, we may lose her because while they're going through all this, she's in the hospital still and they're not sure if she's going to make it through or not. But this was a big wake up call for him. It's like we really care about this person, this is what happened to her. Like, we all need to get off of this and be together.
Miguel: Now, do you think they were really serious about it or was it just something to distract them from her overdosing?
Christina: I think they really...Okay, I think he was serious about it. I think Stretch was just kind of going along with it.
Miguel: Yeah, Stretch was just kind of there.
Christina: I think he…because it was his idea.
Miguel: It was.
Christina: And I think that Cookie was a big wake up call for him.
Miguel: Yeah.
Christina: But yeah, I think Stretch is like... you can see he's like, goofier between the two of them.
Miguel: Right.
Christina: So I think he was just like, all right, if you do it, I'll do it.
Miguel: Yeah. So what was your favorite scene in the movie?
Christina: Oh my gosh, so many. It sounds silly to say my favorite scene, but the stabbing scene.
Miguel: I was going to say the exact same thing.
Christina: Because it was so silly, them trying to figure out where to stab him. So, that the whole plan is they're getting the run around and trying to get into rehab. And their hair brained scheme is, oh, if we go to the emergency room, then—
Miguel: We have to get admitted.
Christina: Yeah, and then we could kick it. So, he has this tiny little pocket knife.
Miguel: The blade is probably 2 inches long.
Christina: And they're trying to figure out where best to stab him so he doesn't die. It's like, “My stomach's on the left. No, my stomach's on the right. My kidney's over…”
Miguel: Right.
Christina: And then you got Tim Roth just being like, duh, the whole time. It's just, I don't know how else to describe it without, like, if you haven't seen it, you just have to see it, because them just trying to figure this out is the silliest thing.
Miguel: Because it's a very long scene, too.
Christina: And it's, like, uncomfortable, but it's hilarious at the same time.
Miguel: It's a brilliant, yet stupid idea for them to get into rehab. But it's by far my favorite scene in the movie.
Christina: Yeah. I do have a runner up.
Miguel: Okay.
Christina: When they are just going to these different offices, just trying to get into rehab and they're just getting the run around. And every time Stretch gets frustrated, Tupac has to pull out the Tupac charm and be always like, hello, ma'am, my brother. You know, he has to calm everybody down because Stretch is hollering and being belligerent and stuff. So, I always appreciate seeing the Tupac charm.
Miguel: Like, excuse my friend here, he's just a little upset.
Christina: Yeah. So this is definitely my favorite movie, though.
Miguel: Yeah, not even close.
Christina: And for some reason, it is not available anywhere, which makes me so upset.
Miguel: Yes, because we watched it less than a year ago and it was available for streaming then. But then when we want to watch it this week, it's just completely gone. The only place we found it was on some random Russian movie site, and I was refusing to click that link because I didn't want my computer to blow up, I didn't want my computer to be used for terrorism. None of that. So, I didn't click it. We had to buy it on Amazon. We actually delayed recording this episode so we could get it on Amazon yesterday.
Christina: And paid an extra $6.99 to get it same day delivery.
Miguel: Yes.
Christina: So, that's how much we like the movie. We had seen the movie already but we liked it so much we wanted to watch it again.
Miguel: This is probably my fourth time seeing this movie and I love it every single time.
Christina: And now we got a copy so we can watch it anytime we want.
Miguel: Yes. All right. So, let's move on to his sixth and final movie, Gang Related. It wasn't the last one to be filmed, but it was the last one to be released. And in this one he plays a cop who may or may not be dirty.
Christina: I'm going to say he is.
Miguel: Yeah, he is. I was just trying to blur the lines a little bit but he's dirty.
Christina: Yeah, there's no way that this is the first time they've done illicit things.
Miguel: No, because they said this was like, the 10th time. They were definitely dirty. But do you think that he actually started to feel guilty or was he just afraid of the consequences of what they had done?
Christina: I think everything. Because, first of all, he also has a gambling debt.
Miguel: He does.
Christina: So, I think that was also crushing him. I think he just felt bad overall. Like, there are the consequences, of course, but I do think he did feel guilty because he was just like, we have to stop doing this. Especially when they found out that the person that they killed was undercover DEA. So, now he's like, oh man, we killing other cops?
Miguel: Right.
Christina: Like, how much worse can this get? And it got worse.
Miguel: Yeah. They couldn't get out of their own way. Actually, everything they did was James Belushi's fault.
Christina: It was because he just kind of went along with everything.
Miguel: Yeah, it was all, what's his name? Detective Da Vinci's fault.
Christina: Yeah. But I definitely think he did feel the crushing weight of everything, including guilt and consequences.
Miguel: Yeah, same thing. Once they killed the DEA agent, played by Kool Moe Dee, by the way. That's when he started to realize that this shit might happen to me too.
Christina: Yeah.
Miguel: And that's when everything just broke him.
Christina: But I think the consequences outweighed the guilt when he had to make a decision, because when they were trying to figure out if they should get rid of Belushi’s girlfriend, played by Lela Rochon, first he was like, no, we can't kill another person. And then later he's like, fuck it, she got to go.
Miguel: Yeah. Exactly.
Christina: What's one more?
Miguel: Right. That's basically how he felt.
Christina: Well, I mean, when DaVinci was like, trying to talk him into it, he was like, look, this is 11 bodies right here.
Miguel: Yeah.
Christina: We ain't killing everybody, other people are killing people too. We're just killing a couple.
Miguel: And they were justifying it by saying, these are drug dealers, so these are bad people.
Christina: But they're not real people.
Miguel: Yeah. That was their justification for it until they killed one of their own.
Christina: So, I think he felt guilt, but that didn't necessarily stop him. But he did also rat on him at the end, so I don't know, maybe that's the guilt coming back in.
Miguel: Right.
Christina: So, that's what I think. But in terms of tone, this character is probably closer to Spoon and Lucky than Birdie or Bishop because even though he's a dirty cop, he's not really like, typical villain, should we say. Do you think this gives us a glimpse into what he could have done in the future?
Miguel: I think so because Gridlock'd was a very good performance for him and I think that would have gotten him out of the low budget, straight to DVD area and into more mainstream movies. Because as we're going to talk about later, John Singleton has some things lined up for him that just didn't work out. So, I think he would have moved away from the villains all the time and played other types of characters as well.
Because you could see the range and he was getting better. Because the performance in Gridlock'd from Juice, even though Juice was really good, is a completely different actor and you can see the growth.
Christina: And I think even the fact that he was just playing a cop, all the stuff he was saying about cops.
Miguel: Yeah, exactly.
Christina: Even though he was crooked, he was a detective and not like, a beat cop, but still playing a cop.
Miguel: Exactly. Kind of like Ice-T playing one for 20 years.
Christina: Exactly. So do you have a favorite scene?
Miguel: Like one of the other movies earlier, I actually have three.
Christina: Okay.
Miguel: I have favorite scenes. So, when they were doing the interrogations of people that they were trying to pin these murders on, there's one of the suspects who's actually playing them. And he's holding the gun, he's playing with it, and then he starts to wipe it down and wipe all of his prints off of it. He says something, I don't remember what he says, but 2Pac throws his pencil at him, and that makes me laugh.
There's another scene when they're sitting in the police station and DaVinci looks at him and was like, you gotta be kidding me. And his response was, “Oh, I just love to make people laugh. It's my life's work. Did you hear the one about the D, the two cops who killed the DEA agent? It's hilarious.”
And the last one is, they're in the restroom and they're arguing over another one of their failed ideas, and DaVinci says something along the lines of, how did that guy know that wasn't his gun? And his response was, “I don't think that's important right now. As a matter of fact, I know it's not important right now.”
So those are my three favorite, because similar to Gridlock'd, this had a lot of funny moments in it too, just to see them fail over and over again.
Christina: Yeah, it's like, how could this get worse and then it does?
Miguel: Yes, constantly.
Christina: I actually don't really have a particular favorite scene, I think maybe because I'm just not as familiar with the movie.
Miguel: Right.
Christina: And then so this is the second time I've watched it, but I was kind of just watching it like, while I was doing stuff.
Miguel: Okay.
Christina: But I do just like the movie overall. So, I think that if I were to pick favorite scenes, it would probably be similar to Poetic Justice, where it's more just like, all the little chit chat in between.
Miguel: Okay, that's fair.
Christina: But I do like the movie overall.
Miguel: All right, then. That's a good spot for us to take another break. And we'll be right back.
[Break]
Miguel: Hi, kids. Do you like fun?
Christina: Yeah.
Miguel: We're starting a monthly newsletter called Liner Notes. We'll be sharing what we're watching, what we're listening to, throwback YouTube videos, updates on our upcoming projects, random shit you may have missed on the Internet, you know, stuff like that. The link is in the show notes, or you can go to troypodcast.com/newsletter. Do it. It's good for you.
Christina: It'll make your teeth whiter.
Miguel: And back to the show.
[Break ends]
Miguel: Okay, we are back and we're gonna get into some roles, like I mentioned in the last segment, that he was supposed to play, but for various reasons, he didn't play. The first one was in Menace II Society. He was supposed to play Sharif, but because he got into a fight with Allen Hughes, he was fired from that movie. He was also supposed to play the Omar Epps role of Malik in Higher Learning, but once he got accused of rape and he got shot, the studio was like, nope, we're not financing this movie unless you fire him.
Christina: Right.
Miguel: Also, he was supposed to play Jody in Baby Boy. John Singleton wrote the role specifically for him, but unfortunately, he didn't get a chance to play it because he passed away and John Singleton was hurt and put it off for years and came back to it.
Of those three movies, which one would you have liked to see him play?
Christina: Well, usually, when someone fits a role really well, it's hard to see someone else play it.
Miguel: Yeah.
Christina: Because I did really like the Sharif, what's his real name, but the person who played Sharif.
Miguel: Vonté Sweet.
Christina: Yes. I think he did a good job and I think Omar Epps did a good job as Malik, but I could also see 2Pac playing both of them.
Miguel: Yeah.
Christina: So, although I do like what the casting ended up being, I would have liked to just see how he would have done it too.
Miguel: Right.
Christina: For Baby Boy, I don't actually remember the movie too much because I know we did watch it together once like, a while ago.
Miguel: Yeah.
Christina: I just remember it being kind of silly.
Miguel: It is. It's ridiculous.
Christina: So, at the same time, I do see how it could have been written for 2Pac.
Miguel: Yeah.
Christina: But at the same time, I'm like, it is what it is.
Miguel: Yeah. I think that one would have kind of fell back into the—
Christina: Yeah, taking a step back.
Miguel: Yeah.
Christina: Yeah.
Miguel: I don't think that would have been good to progress his career, so to speak.
Christina: Because I was seeing reviews talking about Baby Boy is like, John Singleton's best work since Boyz n the Hood and I'm like, am I missing something?
Miguel: It's very silly. That's all I can say about it, it's very silly.
Christina: So, I think if he did end up playing Jody in Baby Boy, that would make more sense if it was earlier in his career, not after Gridlock’d or Gang Related.
Miguel: Yeah.
Christina: It just seemed like, now you're just going back to doing the same old, same old.
Miguel: Yeah. Well, there's one, and I don't know if you clicked the link that I sent you, but he actually auditioned for Samuel Jackson's role as Mace Windu in one of the Star Wars movies.
Christina: Oh, okay.
Miguel: There's an interview with George Lucas talking about how good he was in his audition, and he possibly could have ended up as Mace Windu. Who knows?
Christina: We’ll never know, unfortunately.
Miguel: George Lucas loved his performance, and I would love to see 2Pac as a Jedi. That would have been fucking hilarious.
Christina: Well, this kind of rolls into the next question, which is what's another role played by someone else that you would have liked to see him play? You named one.
Miguel: That's one, but only because he actually auditioned for that one.
Christina: Okay.
Miguel: So, a role that he had nothing to do with that I think would have been great. All right, I'm going to preface it like this. We saw him in an ensemble cast in Juice. We saw him as Lucky in Poetic Justice, showing his sensitive side. We saw his range as Spoon in Gridlock'd. So, I'm going to submit this to you.
Christina: Okay.
Miguel: That if we could go back in time and save Tupac's life, we recast the role of Harper Stewart in The Best Man to Tupac Shakur.
Christina: Yes, I would like that.
Miguel: That's what we need to do.
Christina: Yes, I would like to see that. You know, that actually plays into— So, I had had two notes. So, one, I just said, I would have liked to see him in kind of like a silly rom-com.
Miguel: Right.
Christina: So that's kind of that was that was my second thought.
Miguel: Any of those roles that Morris Chestnut played could have been Tupac.
Christina: Yeah, I would like to see him like we saw a bit of that in Poetic Justice in terms of being the leading man, but I wanted that to like, combine with being funny.
Miguel: Yeah.
Christina: So I would like to see him in a silly rom-com. Now, in terms of a specific movie, even though this scene was improv by Denzel, I would like to see him do the Training Day scene. “King Kong ain't got shit on me.”
Miguel: Yeah, I actually thought about that, but I would rather see him play the Ethan Hawke role to have them playing opposite of each other.
Christina: That could work, too, with Denzel being like kind of the older, more seasoned detective, him kind of being the underling.
Miguel: Yeah.
Christina: Yeah, I could see both actually would have worked really well.
Miguel: The only problem is knowing 2Pac, he wouldn't want to play the other role. It's like, oh, you got Dre playing a gangster, you got Denzel playing a gangster, how come I gotta be the good guy? But yeah, that's what I would want to see.
Christina: Yeah, I really wish, and I think he mentioned it in, or he was asked about it in one of his interviews about different characters he wanted to play and doing more comedy, so, I really wish we could have seen him in a silly rom-com.
Miguel: Yeah. Which of his characters would you be friends with? I know which one I wouldn't be friends with, but who would you be friends with?
Christina: Lucky, he's the only person that ain’t crazy.
Miguel: Yeah, yeah, pretty much.
Christina: Either they're crazy or they got something going on. Like, in Gang Related, I don't necessarily think he was a bad person, even though they did a lot of bad things, if that makes any sense. But you don't want to be friends with a dirty cop.
Miguel: No, a dirty cop who's a degenerate gambler.
Christina: Yeah. And yeah, pretty much everything else he was like, a villain. And yeah, so that just and then, well, Gridlock’d. He like I said, he seemed like a good person, but I ain't trying to hang out with a drug addict.
Miguel: Exactly.
Christina: You know, no shade.
Miguel: Yeah.
Christina: But we all go through things.
Miguel: Yes.
Christina: But I would hang out with Spoon after he kicked.
Miguel: Right. That would make more sense.
Christina: I ain't trying to get caught up in all these hijinks.
Miguel: Exactly.
Christina: But yeah, as they are, Lucky.
Miguel: Yeah, same. I know several Luckys already, so he would be my choice as well.
Christina: Little Lucky?
Miguel: Yes. I grew up with many Luckys in L.A. So, that would be my choice.
Christina: All right. So, who wouldn't you be friends with?
Miguel: Who wouldn't I be friends with?
Christina: You just said you know who you wouldn't be friends with. So, who would that be?
Miguel: Oh, all of them other than Lucky and Spoon. So, Tank in Bullet don't want to be friends with him. Don't want to be friends with Bishop. Who else?
Christina: Above The Rim.
Miguel: Don't want to be friends with Birdie. Don't want to be friends with Detective Rodriguez. It's got to be Lucky by default.
Christina: I also find it hilarious that he's Detective Rodriguez.
Miguel: Yes.
Christina: I’m like, sure. Hey, your name is Miguel.
Miguel: That's true, that's fair. All right. So, what's your favorite Tupac acting performance of all time?
Christina: Gridlock'd.
Miguel: Yeah.
Christina: Hands down.
Miguel: Yeah, that's my answer too.
Christina: As I said, I've enjoyed all his performances because I think he just has this like, star quality.
Miguel: Yeah.
Christina: But in terms of like, best performance or even like, maybe this performance was so much better in my opinion than the other ones because the role itself allowed him to just kind of stretch his wings.
Miguel: Yeah, that would be my choice as well.
Christina: Right. Well, we agree.
Miguel: Yes. Yes, we do.
Christina: Okay. Well, I think we did it.
Miguel: Yeah. I think that's a good place for us to wrap this up.
Christina: So, we're actually going to take a little summer break.
Miguel: Yeah.
Christina: But make sure you subscribe to our newsletter, Liner Notes.
Miguel: Yes.
Christina: Because Miguel's still going to keep writing that, and I'm going to keep on reading it. And also make sure to follow us on our socials so you can stay up to date. And we'll still be active over there. So it's @troypodcast on Instagram and on Bluesky.
Miguel: Yes. And we will be re-releasing some of our older episodes, so the feed will still be active. And that way you can catch up on some of the stuff that you missed previously.
Christina: That's right. Are you going to re-master them?
Miguel: I am. They're going to be different than the first go-round, so check those out. There's going to be a couple of episodes that we haven't shown enough love to, let's put it that way. So, yes, sign up for the newsletter, troypodcast.com/newsletter. Make sure to subscribe and rate and all that good stuff at your podcast provider of choice. Don't forget to go buy some merch at Nuthin’ But a Tee Thang. That's our store. You can find it at teethang.com. T-E-E-T-H-A-N-G .COM.
We'll be back in the fall with new episodes. So yeah, enjoy your summer, Stay out of the heat. It's really hot. We're in the middle of a heat wave here in Toronto.
Christina: No AC on.
Miguel: And we got to turn this AC back on because I'm sweating like a hooker in church. So, we'll be talking to y'all again in a couple of months. But like I said, keep listening to the older episodes as we put them up for the next month and a half or so. All right, peace.
Christina: Bye. “Ain’t no peace today.”
Miguel: All right, Dooky.