Giulia Rozzi’s “Should I Get Bangs?” Wants Talking About Your Feelings to Last Beyond the Pandemic

Giulia Rozzi’s “Should I Get Bangs?” Wants Talking About Your Feelings to Last Beyond the Pandemic

In truth, it wasn’t supposed to be a pandemic podcast at all.

“I had planned to start it over a year ago, I had the logo and the music and everything ready,” comic and writer Giulia Rozzi said of her new podcast “Should I Get Bangs?” during a recent chat:

I kept putting it on pause during the pandemic because I didn’t want it to turn into a pandemic podcast. So far, I don’t think it has? I mean, you know, it’s an unavoidable topic but I really wanted the show to focus on moments in people’s lives where they crack and something changed, or they changed something about themselves.

And it’s possible that in future episodes, her guests will share moments that the pandemic brought to light. But for the time being, Rozzi is taking her persistent interest in people’s feelings and personal stories, and framing them into conversations that allow listeners to feel equal senses of empathy and enlightenment.

Feelings have always factored heavily into Rozzi’s comedy. When asked how the idea for the podcast came about, she noted, “I kind of just noticed that a lot of my material and my stories, both on and offstage, tend to be about mental health and specifically a lot of jokes about crying in public, and losing my shit.”

She’s always liked the feeling of being able to work through those moments, and recognized that audiences appreciated the openness she brought to her act. At the same time, she also acknowledges that it was a process to go from unloading after a tough moment, to crafting these stories for the stage. “I can think back to moments where I definitely got on stage and talked about something that was too fresh and then reeled it in,” she said of her earliest attempts to bring feelings into her jokes, before adding, “I don’t think anything is off limits as long as you have some perspective and, especially if you’re doing comedy, it should be funny too.”

She’s also careful to make a clear distinction between sharing an act with an audience, and unburdening yourself to them: “I’ve learned that comedy can be very therapeutic, but it’s not a replacement for therapy.”

It should come as no surprise, then, to hear that Rozzi once envisioned a career for herself as a therapist (her older sister Elena did pursue that line of work), and her genuine interest in helping people work through their stories is clear as you listen to the podcast.

In one episode, comedian Chris Garcia talks through an elaborate school ruse that helped him cope with his sister leaving home; in another, writer Josh Gondelman talked about deciding the course of his career through the lens of his romantic relationships. Episodes with Christi Chiello and Sydnee Washington touch on bigger feelings of shame, guilt, and even suicidal ideation. But through it all, there is a sense of lightness – and a clear tone of contemplation rather than confession. Which is to say, no one on the show was on the verge of cutting themselves bangs in that exact moment. Or, as Gondelman cleverly pointed out, growing a beard – the boy version of bangs…a connection I had not previously made, and have not been able to stop thinking about since.

And what of the cutting bangs reference? Rozzi came up with it early, before the full idea of the podcast was even fully fleshed out. I like how she framed it: the cutting of bangs is often framed (as they frame the face) as the sign of a breaking point, but also as the start of a rebirth of sorts. This is the idea that Rozzi hopes to keep central as the show continues: that the bangs-cutting moment is the start of finding control. It’s a means to find a breakthrough. That’s what she’s hoping for, as listeners find the podcast and dig into the stories it shares:

My whole wanting to do a show like this, and why I do a lot of what I do, is that feeling of connection and being like “oh my God, me as well” and that’s being proven in this show. Every single guest, I’ve related to what they’re saying deeply. And so what I hope is that if that’s the case with me and the guest, then that’ll be the case with the guest and the audience.

Her other hope? That the audience’s stories can become a bigger part of the show. Her sister Elena is a recurring guest on the show, and the sisters hope to team up and help listeners through challenges they’re facing. “When I say reach out if you have anything you want to share, I really mean that,” she said. And don’t worry – a fresh set of bangs is far from required.

New episodes of Should I Get Bangs? are released each Thursday, and you can follow along with Giulia on Twitter and Instagram at @giuliarozzi.

Read more comedy news.

The following two tabs change content below.

Amma Marfo

Amma Marfo is a writer, speaker, and podcaster based in Boston, MA. Her writing has appeared in Femsplain, The Good Men Project, Pacific Standard, and Talking Points Memo. Chances are good that as you're reading this, she's somewhere laughing.
Amma Marfo
Amma Marfo
Amma Marfo is a writer, speaker, and podcaster based in Boston, MA. Her writing has appeared in Femsplain, The Good Men Project, Pacific Standard, and Talking Points Memo. Chances are good that as you're reading this, she's somewhere laughing.