Overview of 976. — Steven Phillips-Horst
Chris Black and Jason Stewart open with their usual mix of lifestyle banter, errands, and culture commentary before bringing on Steven Phillips-Horst for a wide-ranging conversation about life in Edinburgh, the Fringe Festival, his new show The Last Mad Man, and the weird overlap between branding, performance, and selling yourself online. The episode moves from light gossip and absurd observational comedy into a deeper discussion of creative work, queer nightlife, commercial art, and what it means to stay funny while making a living.
Opening Banter and Recurring Bits
- The hosts start with New York weather anxiety, flood warnings, and the logistics of getting around the city in the rain.
- They drift into errands and material culture:
- tailoring and garment repair
- suitcase repair at RIMOWA
- city bike logistics
- There are extended jokes about:
- dirt, mulch, pine straw, and “buying dirt”
- sand as a healing/relaxation surface
- Theracane use at the beach
- sauna/litter-box comparisons
- A lot of the early segment is classic How Long Gone riffing: middle-aged domesticity, bodily maintenance, and making everyday chores sound elaborate and slightly unhinged.
Culture Talk and British Public Figures
Boy George and public political statements
- Chris and Jason react to Boy George releasing a pro-Israel song, treating it as a “why would you do this” aging-celebrity move.
- That launches a broader conversation about British celebrities becoming more outspoken with age in ways that can hurt their legacy.
Class, land, and British vs. American wealth
- They compare:
- American houses and property
- British “land-rich” families who inherit large homes they can’t really afford
- The conversation turns into jokes about:
- stone piles vs. brownstones
- 99-year leases in London
- the cultural weirdness of inherited land and old money
Steven Phillips-Horst Interview: Edinburgh, Fringe, and His New Show
Life in Scotland
- Steven joins from a self-built soundproof booth in Edinburgh.
- He explains that he moved to Scotland with his fiancé, who is studying botany.
- He describes Edinburgh as:
- posh, quiet, and slightly more restrained
- full of students, parents, and a slower pace of life
- Glasgow is framed as the grungier, more druggy, artsy counterpoint.
The Fringe Festival
- Steven explains the Fringe as the world’s biggest theater festival, where:
- comedians, performers, magicians, and experimental artists all compete for attention
- everyone is hustling for reviews, bookings, and breakout success
- He notes that the festival now has a very commercial side:
- PR teams
- billboards
- people trying to “become the next Baby Reindeer” or Fleabag
The Last Mad Man
- Steven’s show is described as:
- a fictional, narrative, genre-bending one-man show
- about the last man on earth, an advertising copywriter, rebranding the apocalypse
- He frames it as a mix of:
- Beckett
- 30 Rock
- consumerism and identity politics
- climate change
- He says the show includes original music made in Ableton.
Career, Branding, and Monetization
Copywriting and brand work
- Steven talks about his years in branding and copywriting, including work for DTC startups and agencies like Gin Lane.
- He reflects on how many of those brands have disappeared, calling out the fleeting nature of startup culture.
- He describes writing for absurd “medical food” products and other corporate euphemisms.
Art vs. selling out
- The conversation becomes a surprisingly honest debate about:
- whether brand work compromises artistic integrity
- the joy of persuasive writing
- how ad reads and sponsored content fit into a creative life
- Steven argues that making commercials and ads can still be creatively satisfying.
- The hosts joke about being “digital panhandlers” and “buskers,” but the underlying point is clear: everyone is monetizing attention somehow.
Queer Culture, Nightlife, and Social Life in Edinburgh
- Steven describes Edinburgh’s queer scene as active but somewhat small-town:
- gay nights at clubs
- recurring crowds
- afterparties
- He and the hosts riff on:
- gay Reels where straight guys identify random men as “gay”
- club stereotypes
- how queer culture shows up differently in Scotland than in New York or London
- He also mentions that the drugs aren’t as good there as in bigger cities, joking that the farther you get from Colombia, Miami, or New York, the worse the product gets.
Relationships, Domesticity, and the Botany Husband
His fiancé’s botany studies
- Steven’s fiancé is a full-time botany student, and they joke about:
- academic science life
- plant collecting
- orchid smuggling
- whether his future career will be in weddings, florals, or Pfizer-style plant exploration
- The relationship dynamic is presented humorously:
- Steven is the breadwinner
- his fiancé handles other domestic and botanical oddities
- they share household labor and a cat
A quieter life
- Steven says that living in Edinburgh has made him slower, more domestic, and less productive in some ways.
- He admits he had fantasies about moving somewhere pastoral and writing a novel, but that reality has been more about darkness, winter, and routine.
- Still, he clearly likes the tradeoff:
- a backyard
- a slower pace
- easier access to nature
- a less frantic daily life than New York
Notable Takeaways
- Steven’s Fringe show is a satire of advertising, consumer culture, and apocalypse branding.
- The episode is a strong snapshot of how the hosts think about:
- class
- aesthetics
- queer life
- sponsorships
- the comedy economy
- A recurring theme is that “selling out” and “making art” are often the same activity now—just with different packaging.
- The episode ends with a plug for Steven’s run at the Edinburgh Fringe, where he’s performing The Last Mad Man throughout August.
Episode Details Mentioned
- Guest: Steven Phillips-Horst
- Show: The Last Mad Man
- Location: Edinburgh Fringe Festival
- Run: August 5–30
- Core themes: branding, apocalypse, masculinity, queer culture, botany, and the absurdity of modern creative work