Surface Level

Latest Episodes:

We Can't Be Friends Jul 15, 2020

Show notes

Damon, Jordan & Tony are curious about the give and take in defining friendship.

This episode discusses the expectations we place on friendship. Is there a set definition of our relationships with others or does it evolve over time?

We discuss each other’s most annoying traits, the line between friend and associate, rules or lack there of around friends and exes, when it’s time to break up with a friend, and how our internal struggles manifest in our relationships with others.

The term friend is thrown around so often that it can sometimes feel empty. After spending a decade building our bond we share the things that have made it both successful and challenging. In the end, that connection looks quite different today than it did in our early twenties. There is one concept we all agree on - if there is no growth in a friendship, there is definitely not a chance for longevity.

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The Magical Negro Is OOO Jul 08, 2020

Show notes

Damon, Jordan & Tony are curious about why being Black at work is so hard.

This episode discusses the part of our lives where code switching is not only encouraged but often expected. Are the expectations of Black employees too high for any human to consistently meet?

We discuss our experiences in corporate America, assimilation and if it is the route to success, the pressure to represent our entire race in the workplace, and how we can make being Black at work less rare.

Far too often in New York people tend to start conversations asking the condescending question, “what do you do?” For us, the answer isn’t simply the expected banter of disclosing our profession. We are Black, queer, creative professionals trying to bring the best parts of ourselves to an environment that was never set up for us to succeed, and we’re expected to do it all with a smile.

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#STUNTQUEENZ Jul 01, 2020

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Damon, Jordan & Tony are curious about the price of fabricating our lives for Instagram.

This episode discusses the life we live compared to the one we feel compelled to portray on social media. How often are sharing real moments vs ones created, purely for the currency of likes?

We discuss our Instagram flirting styles, online stunts that we’ve personally pulled, influencer culture, the negative effects of creating a false digital persona, and digital content we love.

The world is moving further and further towards digital interaction. Access to technology started this and the experience of quarantine amplified it. We explore where the line is drawn between aspiration and fabrication, or if there really is one at all.

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Dad, I’m A Bottom Jun 23, 2020

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Damon, Jordan & Tony are curious about the acceptance of queerness among Black men.

This episode discusses coming out to our fathers and the impact it had on each of our relationships. Can there be healing from a relationship splintered from coming out? How have our dads fought against the stigma of homophobia among Black men?

We discuss celebrity dads we love, the joy and pain of coming out to our fathers, censoring our sexuality around other Black men, and the types of dads we would like to be.

The process of coming out for any queer person is an act that can greatly alter their relationships with others. The bond between father and son is one that we explore in hopes of normalizing love between all Black men. The one thing we all want is to experience love no matter how we identify.

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Last Scene & Last Season Jun 12, 2020

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Damon, Jordan & Tony are curious about the space we give artists to be flawed before cancellation.

This episode evaluates artists for who they are as people. In the age of social media the expectation is that people let you into their lives. They craft their persona in a way that exposes their talent but also their flaws. And we take every opportunity to evaluate each of them.

We discuss artists we couldn’t cancel, a certain host’s obsession with Keri Hilson, the social responsibility of public figures; the poster couple of cancel culture Kimye, and the lines people have to cross before we pull the plug on supporting them.

Are we wrong for loving certain bops even if they are made by trash a human? Let’s evaluate what those qualifiers are. In the end we’re all human and need room to screw up, learn, and grow. Yes, there are absolute wrongs but maybe we spend some time understanding that culture should accept growth without the knee jerk desire to cancel.

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The Trade Is Ruining My Life Jun 12, 2020

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Damon, Jordan & Tony are curious about the value of masculinity.

This episode explores the masc obsession, specifically in the queer community. We work, we worship, we date, we make love, we exercise, we live all through the guise of our relationship with and the external opinions of where we land on the “butch” scale.

We discuss gentlemen we’d keep, freak & delete, chasing trade, butching it up when we’re around the heteros, learning to love our femininity, and the parts of the journey to seasoned butch queen that are still in progress.

There is a Moses Sumney lyric that reads, “I insist upon my right to be multiple, even more so I insist upon the recognition of my multiplicity. All things encompassed in one...” We are three versions of many things combined into individuals who want to live as free as possible. In that quest for freedom as Black queer men, we’re looking to place value in all parts of us, not just those that are expected.

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The Politics Of Quarantine Jun 12, 2020

Show notes

Damon, Jordan & Tony are curious about the world we could create if we did not fear sacrifice.

Our first episode comes at a moment defined by a health crisis that disproportionately affects Black people, and police violence towards Black people…or what our community would call a normal day in America.

We discuss the strain of being confined to our New York City apartments for months, shifting to a way of life in which we were forced to be socially distant(ish), our favorite social media breakout stars, and glimmers of hope that our Black queer lives will start to matter in this country.

If mattering is the end goal, how are we supposed to get there? Voting, protesting, rioting, digital campaigns, making space in professional environments? The answers of “how” vary greatly between us and the conversation gets tense at times, pushing the borders of comfort that our friendship typically inhabits. Well, our first sacrifice is comfort in trying to create a world where our Black queer lives matter.

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Surface Level Trailer Jun 03, 2020

Show notes

A show that takes a look at society’s expectations and rejects the ones we don’t see it for — all from the perspective of three black, queer best friends.

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