‘How Long Gone’ podcast is bringing bicoastal elite energy to the Turf Club

“How Long Gone,” an irreverent podcast hosted by a pair of self-described “bicoastal elites,” is bringing its cheeky banter before a live Twin Cities audience.

Hosts Chris Black and Jason Stewart are scheduled to take the stage at 8 p.m. Monday at the Turf Club in St. Paul.

The thrice-weekly pop culture podcast debuted in March 2020 as a pandemic-era project for the longtime friends. The show picked up momentum with a series of if-you-know-you-know guests from the worlds of music, fashion and food. High-profile cameos have included Phoebe Bridgers, Charli XCX, Alison Roman and Hozier.

Black and Stewart have taken “How Long Gone” on the road in the past, but Monday will be the pair’s first live appearance in Minnesota, following prodding from devoted local fans whenever the podcast announced tour dates in the past.

“Eventually, we decided to give in,” Black joked in a recent Zoom interview ahead of the pair’s June 19 show in Chicago, the first date on the tour.

“We like you guys,” Stewart said of Twin Cities fans. “You guys seem to like us. I’ve always wanted to go.”

An in-person podcast performance might seem like an oxymoron when the medium naturally lends itself to passive on-demand listening during commutes or household chores. “How Long Gone” live shows have an air of a comedy set, with sporadic special guests and audience engagement.

“We love community building as long as it’s not digital or online,” Stewart said. “We don’t record the live shows. We don’t upload them. What happens in the room happens in the room, and we like to create real value for people who are kind enough to pay their hard-earned money.”

It’s also a plus to get out of New York and Los Angeles, where Black and Stewart are based.

“It’s like the full version of touching grass for me,” Black said, adding that the live shows give the hosts a chance to learn more about their fans. The audience leans slightly more male, according to Black, but is split 60-40 between men and women.

“I think they listen to other podcasts. They care about clothes. They care about pop culture. They care about music,” Black said of the show’s typical listener.

When interviewing guests, Black and Stewart take a different tack than most shows, eschewing rote questions in favor of more freewheeling conversations. Gym routines and other domestic pursuits are common themes.

“People like to listen to an interview with somebody and feel like, this person is cool. I want to hang out with them. I’d have a beer with them. I’d go shopping with them,” Stewart said. “Versus like, I’m so glad I learned what studio they recorded their fourth album in and what dates they plan on touring.”

The podcast has attracted increasingly famous guests, but the hosts don’t have a white whale booking on their radar.

“For me, the bucket list has sort of gone away. You’re always surprised at who’s great and who’s not,” Black said.

“We are the bucket list,” Stewart joked.