The Trans Narrative Podcast · Trans Narrative Pod

Mateo Briscoe: Talk My Ear Off | Connection, Understanding, & Uplifting Transgender Voices

·1 hr 15 min·4 clips

Mateo says there is "absolutely nothing wrong" with being different, autistic, or on the spectrum.

1. The Trans Narrative Podcast episode centers on Mateo Briscoe, also known as Local Sloth Boy, and his path from Sacramento childhood to trans songwriting. 2. Caroline hosts the conversation, Athena joins as a co-host, and Mateo matters because he connects transition, performance, and local Sacramento music scenes. 3. The episode asks how transition, creativity, and courage shape identity, healing, and connection through music. 4. Mateo says he was born and raised in Sacramento and moved to Arizona only once, briefly living on an army base with his older sister and nephew. 5. He says his first dream job was veterinarian, but school became hard because of attention problems that he later understood as ADHD. 6. A Christmas guitar from his stepdad during freshman year of high school changed his direction after he had nearly joined the army. 7. Mateo names clarinet in middle school and high school, choir, Amy Winehouse, Tracy Chapman, Green Day, Death Cab for Cutie, and The Front Bottoms as part of his musical formation. 8. He says he spent years trying to learn Tracy Chapman’s "Fast Car" and that the song’s lyric order was hard to remember even though the story felt rich. 9. He describes rebranding from solo billing to Mateo Briscoe and the Sloth Boys, and says the acoustic EP helped define the project. 10. He explains that "Little Guy" moves from being small in the world to lines about childhood abuse, while "Insane" turns ADHD, anxiety, and depression into self-acceptance. 11. Mateo argues that accepting labels can become a form of resistance when those labels have been used hurtfully by other people. 12. He says his family was open about sexuality, with gay aunts and a bi mother, which made later homophobia feel foreign to him at first. 13. He connects gender norms to social construction and says he never liked being told he had to choose "one or the other." 14. Mateo describes watching "The L Word" in Arizona as his first strong memory of trans representation on TV. 15. He says testosterone changed his singing voice, made him more comfortable with femininity, and let him enjoy things he had once suppressed, including pink and musicals. 16. He explains that music gives him a way to speak when conversation is hard, and that performing has improved his public speaking and crowd interaction. 17. The interview style is conversational and detailed, with Caroline and Athena asking follow-up questions and Mateo answering at length. 18. The tone moves between reflective, practical, and lightly funny, especially when Mateo discusses algorithms, hate comments, and trolling back. 19. Listeners interested in trans identity, songwriting, and local music scenes. 20. Listeners who want a short, plot-only, or purely technical music episode.

As heard by us

A warm, candid conversation about trans visibility, music, and staying connected through it all.

Mateo Briscoe brings a musician's eye to a conversation about trans identity, art, and connection. As a musician and songwriter shaped by Amy Winehouse and Tracy Chapman, he treats music as a way to reach truth, healing, and community.

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

For when you want an interview that feels like a real conversation about music, courage, and community.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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