It's our first repeat guest on Kunyit Squared! We chat with social cause activist Ben on his latest self-funded project LEV8 (pronounced all-e-vi-ate) and how it's a race against time with the increasing rate of HIV transmission and drugs that appear to be a mainstay in the local gay scene unless we do something about it together.
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Guess what, Kunyits? We’re in love! Tune into this episode to listen to us express our praise and adoration for the latest boys' love movie to take our hearts by storm - Red, White and Royal Blue. Spoilers ahead, so we hope you’ve seen the movie! We also talk to Mikael to know more about the challenges of being in an interracial relationship and believe us when we say it’s not without its own set of tests. (This episode was recorded in October 2021)
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Intro: Shine A Light by Hooksounds
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Season 4 booms full steam ahead with the multi-faceted Nickey Ross aka Miss Boom! We have a laidback chat with the multi-hyphenate creator to understand their two personas better and pose some questions on tarot reading, making music, and performing in drag. (This interview was recorded in November 2021)
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Intro: Shine A Light by Hooksounds
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Happy Pride Kunyits!!! We're stepping out from our domestic bliss to celebrate this special month by returning for a very padam padam Season 4! We kick off with a very special juicy inside scoop of the XXO Party Cruise 2023 - The Magical Sea, aka the "Southeast Asian Gay Fyre Festival on Water" as we call it. Touted The Largest Diversity Festival at Sea, the party left queer revellers confused, frustrated, and disappointed, but bonded through the low-key trauma experienced on board. Listen now and continue your pride merriments with us! But if you're looking to know what we've been up to while we've been away, stay tuned for the next episode of Kunyit Squared!
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Intro: Shine a Light by Hooksounds
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It finally happened! V got local pop culture pundit Shaw (@thecathooman) to join in on an episode dedicated to the pop starlet Dua Lipa! However, as a compromise to J, the trio also talk about other artists, shows, and pop culture moments that have emerged in between the time of our lockdowns in Malaysia. Join us for laughs and reach out to us via our social channels to let us know your picks for the categories too! (This episode was recorded in January of 2021)
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Don’t be frightened by the voice – it’s just a voice modulator as discreet Malaysian-based singer-songwriter Frederik joins us to lay it all bare – the homophobia, sexual predation, and desolation in the local music industry, In keeping with the episode theme, we also play Guess the Artist; see if you can score better than the participants!
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Intro: Shine A Light by Hooksounds
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Here we go again with MC0 2.0! This interview was recorded back when the world was a better place with less cases. Listen in as Malaysian queer singer songwriter of the world, Kit Naga opens up on the thought process behind his personal and very vulnerable debut LP Son of the Dragon and how music has helped him with self-acceptance and expressing love. Also in this episode is the chance to find out if you know your Ryan Murphy works! Play along with the participants to find out: Who's the Bigger Ryan Murphy Fan? We also discuss dating during Covid-19, flings of holidays past, and Grindr Unwrapped 2020.
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It’s our longest episode yet for what has been the longest year! It’s a scientific one as we dissect the phenomenon that is boys’ love with thought leader (read: fanboy) Andrew. Join us on this academic journey as Andrew explains the origin of BL, the different approaches directors use on the series, and terms such as net idols and fan cams. We also give a little teaser of our recent appearance on We're In Too Deep Together podcast discussing 2gether The Series, chat about the Queen of Christmas, Ms. Mariah Carey’s Apple TV+ special (yes, of that iconic Mariah-Ariana double whistle) and briefly review Taiwan’s latest epic queer drama, Your Name Engraved Herein.
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We check in with Adam, a Malaysian transplant to the United States who’s stuck here right now due to Trump and Covid-19. Expect dissections of stereotypes, reality of reverse culture shock even with our shopping malls, and tips for a functional long-distance relationship. We also discuss more Dua Lipa (😍) and our Spotify Wrapped 2020.
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Intro: Shine A Light by Hooksounds
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Trigger Warning: This interview discusses instances of rape in a very candid manner. Listener discretion is advised.
We sit down with Rahimie, who is most well-known for a Medium article detailing his chilling recollection of being sexually abused in a Malaysian boarding school, to find out more on sexual grooming, coping with sexual abuse, and experiencing sex as an adolescent. We also discuss Dua Lipa (again) and skincare for men, Lumin.
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Intro: Shine A Light by Hooksounds
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It’s an honour: This week we are joined by the podcast’s first out and proud lesbian and poet Cat Brogan, who has played a significant part in the advancement of Malaysia’s queer scene since arriving in the country, right after seeing a shaman. Listen in as Cat takes us through her childhood growing up in a small rural town in Northern Ireland and her experience throwing parties in quarries and squatter settlements even before her shindigs above a curry house.
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Intro: Shine A Light by Hooksounds
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It’s full steam ahead as we discuss the difficulties of living as a queer man in Malaysia with community organiser extraordinaire Numan Afifi, who sheds more light on the world of activism and the adversities posed by various insidious parties. He also gives us more information on the Selangor case currently going through the courts. Also, join us for a quick chat on life under CMCO! Don’t forget, if you need a friendly ear to listen to anything that may be troubling you, between us we have four so feel free to write in to us!
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Intro: Shine A Light by Hooksounds
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We’re back, back, back again with Season 3 of Kunyit Squared! Look forward to more juicy insights on Malaysian queer life as well as lots of information that we hope would be helpful to you. On this first episode of the season, we’re joined by Nurul to enlighten us on the Malaysia's law pertaining to the queer community. The inspiration behind this discussion was the Federal Court's nod to proceed with challenge of Selangor's Shariah law criminalising unnatural sex, aka gay sex. We also catch up on our quarantine shenanigans for your entertainment. Hope you’re doing great and staying safe!
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How are you holding up during quarantine? We called up ground-breaking pornstar Yoshi Kawasaki to have a long chat on his significant role in the porn industry, the intriguing multi-faceted fetish world, and the difference between fetishizing Asian porn and Asian men. We also give a quick update on what we've been up to during our between-season break!
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In the last episode of Season 2, the Kunyits check in with Daniel to find out more about everyday life, employment, and dating as a person living with HIV in Malaysia. TLDL: It does get better! For Pop Culture we discuss Rupaul’s Drag Race UK, streaming service WOW Presents Plus, and Facebook group Bad Dates of Melbourne, while Brain Teaser covers Dosa by Indonesian author Nuril Basri and the institution that is The New York Times.
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The Kunyits are awestruck this week as they are joined by artist, activist, and all-around good person Dhinesha Karthigesu to learn more about his multidisciplinary art projects, involvement in activism, and commitment to become a father. For Pop Culture we revisit sexy sci-fi series Sense8 and discuss The Morning Show on Apple TV+ and queer content streaming service Gagaoolala. Brain Teaser recommendations are lit: The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller, The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon, Captive Prince trilogy by C.S. Pacat, Normal People by Sally Rooney, and Bookalicious, the very interesting bookstore in Summit USJ.
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In this very important episode, the Kunyits check in with Ben of Take Charge Today, the exciting new outreach programme powered by PT Foundation on why it’s high time to take more assertive actions to raise awareness on sexual health and build a support system among the MSM community in Malaysia. For Pop Culture, everyone bonds over their love for grapevine mainstay Ms. Wendy Williams, with a quick mention of superhero dystopian Amazon Prime series The Boys. For Brain Teaser, the Modern Love podcast by WBUR and the New York Times.
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What is it about leather? The Kunyits invite leather aficionado and fetish photographer Intaglove (@intaglove_photography) to shed more light on the leather subculture and why it’s not all about sex and looking rough but also about a sense of community and belonging, even in Malaysia. For Pop Culture funny people Paul Rudd and Nicole Byer make their debut with their Netflix shows and a very quirky podcast (Why Won’t You Date Me with Nicole Byer) followed by a brief walk down memory lane thanks to the Dynasty reboot. The Today, Explained podcast by Vox is picked for Brain Teaser because of a peculiar reason surrounding nipples.
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Do gays and fag hags really have a mutually beneficial relationship or is it just propaganda? The Kunyits invite bona fide straight female best friend Emma to unpack this age-old symbiosis while discussing the differences between straight dating and gay dating. Also: dickpics – yay or nay? For Pop Culture we’ve got A Black Lady Sketch Show, rising musical star Kit Naga, and GTA (what you get when you have a straight guest), with The Secret History by Donna Tartt for Brain Teaser. Check us out on Facebook: facebook.com/KunyitSquared
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Intro: Future Bass Logo by Hooksounds