The Cutting Up: A Kiki with Connie & Lina

Pride House Media
  • 5.0 (24)
  • FASHION & BEAUTY

Welcome to The Cutting Up: A Kiki with Connie and Lina, a new weekly podcast hosted by DJ/activist Lina Bradford and fashion legend Connie Fleming, the show offers unprecedented access to the icons, secrets, and untold stories that shaped queer culture. Lina and Connie are both trailblazing women of transgender experience, with deep backgrounds hosting and performing in NYC’s most storied clubs—and pioneering on fashion runways. They bring their knowledge, stories, and relationships to “The Cutting Up,” offering audiences a backstage pass to authentic conversations that can only happen between true friends and industry legends. “The Cutting Up” goes deep on fashion, music, activism, and identity.

  1. 6D AGO

    Why Real Conversations Still Matter (NYC Edition)

    This week, Connie and Lina welcome Zach Miller, host of the podcast Before We Cheers, and the vibes are very New York, very cultured, and just a little chaotic (in the best way). Zach describes Before We Cheers as “the emotional truths we tell before the toast.” The show was inspired by writing his best friend’s wedding speech, that vulnerable, unfiltered moment before everyone raises their glass.  We talk: The origin of Before We CheersBuilding community in New York’s creative sceneGrowing up born-and-raised NYC with culture and travelDating apps in 2026 and avoiding catfishersThe right way to do a first dateSlow dinners, Italian-style And the scent of a perfect night out (dirty martinis, pizza, Byredo’s Alto Astral, and a Sunday at The Eagle)Zach also shares how he started his podcast to spotlight his peers in the New York creative community—not celebrities, but the people shaping culture in real time. Follow Zach’s show @BeforeWeCheers and also @iamzcm Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-cutting-up-a-kiki-with-connie-lina/id1849020008 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/200MOk48TaLRPLQvzx2UK0?si=6499dd094f704a10 iHeart: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1333-the-cutting-up-a-kiki-wit-303161901  Write to us at Kiki@TheCuttingUp.com And follow us on instagram: @TheCuttingUp @TheRealConnieGirl @TheLinaBradford @PrideHouseMedia “The Cutting Up: A Kiki with Connie & Lina” is a Pride House Media production. Producers: Josh Rosenzweig & Matthew Breen. Graphic Design by Daryl Raymond. Original Music by 808 BEACH (John “J-C” Carr & Bill Coleman), courtesy of Peace Bisquit.   Production Design by Darryl Dickens.  Our very special thanks to Jason Kanner for all your support.

    34 min

  2. MAY 14

    What NYC Nightlife Was Like in the 90s (Before Social Media)

    What was New York nightlife really like before phones, influencers, and bottle service? This week on The Cutting Up, we sit down with East Village legend DJ Gant Johnson to relive the chaos, glamour, and dance-floor magic of 80s and 90s NYC club culture. We’re talking: 🔥 Crowbar Tuesdays  🔥 Boy Bar  🔥 Salon Wednesdays (1993–1999)  🔥 Pat Fields era fashion  🔥 Sugar Babies, the legendary Monday night party. And yes — the time Lina was electrocuted on stage… and the crowd thought it was part of the show. We get into how nightlife changed when: 📱 Phones hit the dance floor  📸 Social media killed mystery  💸 Pay-for-position replaced organic scenes  🔐 Privacy disappeared Was the energy better back then — or just different? For Gant and Lina DJing isn’t just music — it’s spiritual. It’s community. It’s bringing people together. This episode is a true love letter to the East Village that raised us. Click here to support his ride for Housing Works- to End Homelessness and AIDS https://pro.gofundme.com/fundraiser/7212007 Click here to support him on the Empire State Ride. NYC --> Niagra where he will be raising money for  cancer research at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center https://give.roswellpark.org/site/TR/SpecialEvents/General?pg=personal&px=1730543&fr_id=2130 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-cutting-up-a-kiki-with-connie-lina/id1849020008 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/200MOk48TaLRPLQvzx2UK0?si=6499dd094f704a10 iHeart: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1333-the-cutting-up-a-kiki-wit-303161901  Write to us at Kiki@TheCuttingUp.com And follow us on instagram: @TheCuttingUp @TheRealConnieGirl @TheLinaBradford @PrideHouseMedia “The Cutting Up: A Kiki with Connie & Lina” is a Pride House Media production. Producers: Josh Rosenzweig & Matthew Breen. Graphic Design by Daryl Raymond. Original Music by 808 BEACH (John “J-C” Carr & Bill Coleman), courtesy of Peace Bisquit.   Production Design by Darryl Dickens.  Our very special thanks to Jason Kanner for all your support.

    46 min

  3. MAY 7

    Peppermint on Survival of the Thickest, Trans Rights, and Celebrity Traitors

    Peppermint joins The Cutting Up, and the gloves are OFF. The icon, activist, and 2026 NYC Pride Grand Marshal comes through for what starts as a springtime kiki, and ends up being one of our most honest, most necessary conversations yet. From shouting out Sinners to going all the way in on Caitlyn Jenner's cheerleading for Trump, travel bans hitting the community, celebrity non-apologies, the TLC/Chilli tour mess, and the very specific double standards Black queer people have to navigate. Peppermint says what she says. ☕🔥 We talk about her return to Netflix’s Survival of the Thickest, and she introduces us to something we didn't know we needed: Transcendence Tea, her caffeine-free vanilla-mint blend made in collaboration with Chicago’s queer Black-owned Moody Teas. And it’s blue! A portion of proceeds goes to Advocates for Trans Equality, the organization that helps Peppermint through her own name and document changes. She celebrates:  ✨ Being named NYC Pride Grand Marshal  🎬 Her return to Netflix’s Survival of the Thickest  🌈 Why representation in Harlem still matters Messy. Meaningful. Unfiltered. No mercy for hypocrisy. Full love for the community. Press play. 💅🏽🔥 For more about Peppermint you can follow here at @Peppermint247 Click HERE to order Pep’s tea Transcendence. And remember a portion of each purchase goes to support Advocate For Trans Equality. Click HERE for more information on Advocates For Trans Equality.  Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-cutting-up-a-kiki-with-connie-lina/id1849020008 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/200MOk48TaLRPLQvzx2UK0?si=6499dd094f704a10 iHeart: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1333-the-cutting-up-a-kiki-wit-303161901  Write to us at Kiki@TheCuttingUp.com And follow us on instagram: @TheCuttingUp @TheRealConnieGirl @TheLinaBradford @PrideHouseMedia “The Cutting Up: A Kiki with Connie & Lina” is a Pride House Media production. Producers: Josh Rosenzweig & Matthew Breen. Graphic Design by Daryl Raymond. Original Music by 808 BEACH (John “J-C” Carr & Bill Coleman), courtesy of Peace Bisquit.   Production Design by Darryl Dickens.  Our very special thanks to Jason Kanner for all your support.

    46 min

  4. APR 30

    Cleansing Curses, Taking Leaps & Owning Your Power

    This week on The Cutting Up, Connie and Lina are welcoming our brother-in-chaos and Pride royalty himself, David Correa. Shall we start with outfits and an I Love Lucy tangent? Yes, we shall. David and Lina go way back—all the way to 2016, when he booked her as the resident DJ for NYC Pride’s Pride Island, a year that honestly shifted everything in terms of diversity, visibility, and who gets to take up space. From WorldPride to Hudson Yards to the moment he told Lina (to her face!) that the community elected her as a Pride Grand Marshal! Then we talk about the real leap. David opens up about leaving NYC Pride, freelancing with his husband’s support, and stepping into his next chapter as a pop-culture entertainment correspondent and executive producer/co-host of the ABC Pride broadcast. And we get into the concept that changed everything: Unshrinking. Why do we make ourselves smaller? How do bullying and trauma follow us into adulthood? What does it actually mean to take up space — especially in media and within the LGBTQ community? We talk representation, diversity in media, career pivots, and turning trauma into strength. It’s heartfelt. It’s chaotic. It’s empowering. And always a cackle. So, Sugar, if you’ve ever felt like you were “too much” or “not enough,” this one’s for you. Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-cutting-up-a-kiki-with-connie-lina/id1849020008 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/200MOk48TaLRPLQvzx2UK0?si=6499dd094f704a10 iHeart: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1333-the-cutting-up-a-kiki-wit-303161901  Write to us at Kiki@TheCuttingUp.com And follow us on instagram: @TheCuttingUp @TheRealConnieGirl @TheLinaBradford @PrideHouseMedia “The Cutting Up: A Kiki with Connie & Lina” is a Pride House Media production. Producers: Josh Rosenzweig & Matthew Breen. Graphic Design by Daryl Raymond. Original Music by 808 BEACH (John “J-C” Carr & Bill Coleman), courtesy of Peace Bisquit.   Production Design by Darryl Dickens.  Our very special thanks to Jason Kanner for all your support.

    38 min

  5. APR 23

    Alvaro Takes Us Inside 80s NYC Art & Fashion: Antonio Lopez, Naomi & The Golden Club Era

    Okay, first of all… yes. The camera betrayed us last time. But like true legends, we came back hotter. On this episode, we welcome back the incomparable Alvaro, an artist, fashion insider, South Bronx original. And this time the cameras stayed ON. Not only is his art all over our “studio,” but he literally presented Connie with a gorgeous original portrait. Because we keep company with icons only. We get into… ✨ Growing up in the South Bronx with big dreams and bigger manifestations ✨ How he engineered, nay, seduced (his word) his way into a meeting with legendary illustrator Antonio Lopez at an FIT seminar ✨ Assisting Antonio for years—posing, learning, grinding, absorbing genius 🔥 Discovering models before they were THE models 🔥 Forming a close bond with Naomi Campbell 🔥 Meeting the iconic Oribe 👻and ghosts!  Because in New York City, one connection changes everything.  It gets cosmic. And it’s very, very us. You can find us on: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-cutting-up-a-kiki-with-connie-lina/id1849020008 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/200MOk48TaLRPLQvzx2UK0?si=6499dd094f704a10 iHeart: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1333-the-cutting-up-a-kiki-wit-303161901  Write to us at Kiki@TheCuttingUp.com And follow us on instagram: @TheCuttingUp @TheRealConnieGirl @TheLinaBradford @PrideHouseMedia “The Cutting Up: A Kiki with Connie & Lina” is a Pride House Media production. Producers: Josh Rosenzweig & Matthew Breen. Graphic Design by Daryl Raymond. Original Music by 808 BEACH (John “J-C” Carr & Bill Coleman), courtesy of Peace Bisquit.   Production Design by Darryl Dickens.  Our very special thanks to Jason Kanner for all your support.

    48 min

  6. APR 9

    Music to Kiki By: Disco, House & the Albums That Raised Us

    This week we are joined by producer Matthew Breen (who also doubles as HR, Sugar). We all spiral from the iconic Justin-Britney denim lewk into a full jukebox of memories. It’s all about MUSIC. The albums that raised us, the songs that cracked us open, the disco divas who built community, the house tracks that baptized us on dance floors, and the very specific art of a “seal the deal” sexy playlist. Because music is memory, identity, resistance, heartbreak, healing… and foreplay. We talk about the childhood albums that shaped us—Michael Jackson’s Ben, Barbra Streisand’s Guilty, Bob Marley, Midnight Oil, Sinéad O’Connor, Kate Bush (obsessed), and the B‑52’s. These weren’t just records. They were bedroom sanctuaries, Sunday cleaning rituals, and emotional education. Then we get into disco. It’s resistance music! And it’s pure queer joy. We time‑travel to late‑’80s/early‑’90s House and early club days at the Limelight, Area, Sound Factory and all the dance floors that felt like church.  We swap songs for heartbreak, empowerment anthems, and the artists whose voices still stop us in our tracks. And yes, we absolutely discuss sexy listening picks—Sade, Maxwell, Afro‑Cuban rhythms—because vibes. If you’ve ever cleaned your house to Barbra, cried to Sinéad, found religion on a dance floor, or curated a very intentional late‑night soundtrack, this one’s for you You Can find us on: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-cutting-up-a-kiki-with-connie-lina/id1849020008 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/200MOk48TaLRPLQvzx2UK0?si=6499dd094f704a10 iHeart: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1333-the-cutting-up-a-kiki-wit-303161901  Write to us at Kiki@TheCuttingUp.com And follow us on instagram: @TheLinaBradford @TheRealConnieGirl @PrideHouseMedia The Cutting Up: A Kiki with Connie & Lina is a Pride House Media production. Producers: Josh Rosenzweig & Matthew Breen. Graphic Design by Daryl Raymond. Original Music by 808 BEACH (John “J-C” Carr & Bill Coleman), courtesy of Peace Bisquit.   Production Design by Darryl Dickens.  Our very special thanks to Jason Kanner for all your support.

    43 min

  7. APR 2

    Kevin Aviance on Black Queer Legacy, Beyoncé, and Club Kid History

    It’s a birthday episode and we are celebrating all month, Sugar and we’re setting intentions. Connie and Lena kick things off with a mystical little “circle of three” blessing before summoning the icon, the legend, the voice you definitely know — Kevin Aviance — for the ultimate backstage Kiki. We get into why our work is political (yes, even the glam), how assimilation has dulled parts of LGBTQ+ culture, and why movements that centered white gay men too often erased Black and trans pioneers like Sylvia Rivera and Marsha P. Johnson. We talk about how Black Lives Matter shifted the coalition model — and what real solidarity actually looks like. Then? We time‑travel to peak NYC nightlife chaos. ✨ Limelight  ✨ Sound Factory  ✨ Tunnel  ✨ Pat Fields fashion madness  ✨ Swirl at Crowbar  ✨ DC & Miami party circuits And yes… the legendary wheelbarrow moment makes an appearance. Kevin serves nostalgia, wisdom, and unfiltered truth about old‑school club culture — when creativity was currency and looks were lethal. Then we get into the Beyoncé of it all.Kevin shares how Queen Bey kept his original vocal sample, made sure he was properly credited under his real name, and paid correctly. (As she should.) We talk about ownership, credits, and why Black artists deserve their flowers — loudly and on time. This episode is queer nightlife history, cultural commentary, music industry tea, and community realness all rolled into one. Icons only. For more about Kevin: @KevinAvianceOfficial Click here for his new album HIPPOPOTAMUS! You Can find us on: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-cutting-up-a-kiki-with-connie-lina/id1849020008 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/200MOk48TaLRPLQvzx2UK0?si=6499dd094f704a10 iHeart: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1333-the-cutting-up-a-kiki-wit-303161901  Write to us at Kiki@TheCuttingUp.com And follow us on instagram: @TheLinaBradford @TheRealConnieGirl @PrideHouseMedia The Cutting Up: A Kiki with Connie & Lina is a Pride House Media production. Producers: Josh Rosenzweig & Matthew Breen. Graphic Design by Daryl Raymond. Original Music by 808 BEACH (John “J-C” Carr & Bill Coleman), courtesy of Peace Bisquit.   Production Design by Darryl Dickens.  Our very special thanks to Jason Kanner for all your support. The Cutting Up: A Kiki with Connie and Lina,” a new weekly podcast hosted by DJ/activist Lina Bradford and fashion legend Connie Fleming, the show offers unprecedented access to the icons, secrets, and untold stories that shaped queer culture. Lina and Connie are both trailblazing women of transgender experience, with deep backgrounds hosting and performing in NYC’s most storied clubs—and pioneering on fashion runways. They bring their knowledge, stories, and relationships to “The Cutting Up,” offering audiences a backstage pass to authentic conversations that can only happen between true friends and industry legends. “The Cutting Up” goes deep on fashion, music, activism, and identity.

    51 min

  8. MAR 26

    Joey Arias Unfiltered: Nightlife, Mugler & a Legendary Downtown Life

    This week on The Cutting Up, Connie and I are kiki‑ing in Washington Heights like it’s a downtown séance — and our guest? Only a living, breathing piece of NYC nightlife history: the one and only Joey Arias. Yes. That Joey Arias. Performance art legend. Mugler muse. Warhol era mischief-maker. Billie Holiday channeler. Downtown royalty. We kick off doing what we do best: manifesting peace on earth, success, spiritual elevation… and obviously a hot man. Priorities. From there? Chaos. Glamour. History. Joey and I reminisce about decades of friendship, fashion, and the golden age of New York City nightlife — when the clubs were dangerous, the looks were illegal, and everyone was either famous or about to be. We talk Mugler, Montreal nights, downtown club kid origins, and the kind of stories you cannot Google. And then — because icons don’t retire — Joey drops updates: A book  comingA documentary is in progressAnd his album “Past Present Future” is on Spotify, born from intense studio sessions that were equal parts magic and madnessWe also get real. Joey opens up about his sobriety journey after an intervention and detox — and how recovery reshaped his body, mind, and art. We talk reinvention, weight loss, body procedures, maturity, dating standards (they’re high, darling), and what it means to survive yourself. And because this is Joey Arias, the conversation floats effortlessly into: Higher consciousnessPolitics and energyPast lives and ghostsCurses (yes, curses)Spiritual awakeningsChanneling Billie HolidayStories about Andy Warhol, Paul Mooney, Keith HaringAnd an unearthed Basquiat found in a closet like it’s casualThis episode is part New York nightlife documentary, part spiritual fishbowl, part fast-food-fueled kiki, and fully unfiltered. If you love: Joey AriasDowntown NYC legendsFashion history and MuglerLGBTQ nightlife cultureSobriety and reinvention storiesArt world icons like Basquiat and WarholBillie Holiday energyOr just wildly glamorous storytellingWelcome to the coven. Light a candle. Manifest something reckless. And press play. Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-cutting-up-a-kiki-with-connie-lina/id1849020008 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/200MOk48TaLRPLQvzx2UK0?si=6499dd094f704a10 iHeart: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1333-the-cutting-up-a-kiki-wit-303161901  Write to us at Kiki@TheCuttingUp.com And follow us on instagram: @TheLinaBradford @TheRealConnieGirl @PrideHouseMedia The Cutting Up: A Kiki with Connie & Lina is a Pride House Media production. Producers: Josh Rosenzweig & Matthew Breen. Graphic Design by Daryl Raymond. Original Music by 808 BEACH (John “J-C” Carr & Bill Coleman), courtesy of Peace Bisquit.   Production Design by Darryl Dickens.  Our very special thanks to Jason Kanner for all your support.

    50 min
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5
out of 5
24 Ratings

About

Welcome to The Cutting Up: A Kiki with Connie and Lina, a new weekly podcast hosted by DJ/activist Lina Bradford and fashion legend Connie Fleming, the show offers unprecedented access to the icons, secrets, and untold stories that shaped queer culture. Lina and Connie are both trailblazing women of transgender experience, with deep backgrounds hosting and performing in NYC’s most storied clubs—and pioneering on fashion runways. They bring their knowledge, stories, and relationships to “The Cutting Up,” offering audiences a backstage pass to authentic conversations that can only happen between true friends and industry legends. “The Cutting Up” goes deep on fashion, music, activism, and identity.

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