Soft Weird

About Soft Weird

Soft Weird is a cozy campfire for the strange-hearted. Hosted by actor and artist Paul Cram, this podcast lives in the in-between—where queerness, grief, scent, creativity, identity, and vulnerability overlap with a hint of the uncanny. If you’ve ever felt both tender and haunted, this show is for you. Each episode offers intimate storytelling, offbeat reflections, and conversations that lean into the soft places most people rush past. You’ll hear about navigating masculinity, finding beauty in odd corners, and carrying the weird things that make us who we are. Unlike other podcasts that stay polished or distant, Soft Weird thrives on being raw, atmospheric, and deeply human. It’s less about answers and more about companionship in the questions. Many episodes feel like whispered secrets around a fire, where honesty can glow in the dark. Listeners come away with a sense of connection, comfort, and recognition. Pull up a seat. The fire’s warm, night’s long, and the stories are waiting.

Publisher

Paul Cram

Category

arts · arts · tv & film

Language

en

Explicit

Yes

First episode

14 Oct 2015

Latest episode

22 May 2026

Latest episodes

44 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   22 May 2026

   The Hierarchy Games | Who Decides Who’s “Out of Your League”? | 🍬 Soul Snack

   May The Odds Be Ever In Your Favor In this episode, I’m talking about “leagues.”You know that invisible ranking system so many of us quietly absorb about who’s desirable, who’s “out of our league,” who’s winning, who’s chosen, and where we supposedly fall inside all of it. The conversation started after a friend reacted to a guy I’d been making out with by saying: “Wow. I thought he was out of your league.” And honestly? I knew exactly what he meant. But the more I sat with it, the more I started questioning the entire system underneath that sentence. This episode is about attraction, tenderness, status, desirability, queer culture, dating, acting, insecurity, chemistry, and the strange ways we learn to rank ourselves and each other. It’s also about something deeper:Dignity. The dignity of experiencing connection outside of competition. We talk about: * “Leagues” and dating hierarchies * Why attraction can start to feel like a social competition * The difference between chemistry and status * How acting and casting shaped the way I saw myself * Why tenderness caught me off guard * The exhausting pressure of trying to “measure up” * And why I’m trying to step out of the arena entirely Also:There are jokes about Tank Night, cheekbones, and emotionally available men who own ceramic mugs. So, you know. Balance. If you’ve ever felt “not enough,” “too much,” “not hot enough,” or like human connection secretly operates on some invisible scoreboard… this one’s for you.

2. 

   14 May 2026

   Making Room at the Table | A Message to Christian Families with Queer Loved Ones

   Not a theology debate. Just an honest conversation about love, family, and making room at the table. A conversation for Christian families with queer loved ones. This episode explores the difference between being invited… and truly belonging. We talk about: * emotional inclusion * family silence * chosen family * queer loneliness inside religious spaces * and why many LGBTQ people feel “present, but separate” in their own families Not a theology debate.Just an honest conversation about love, family, and making room at the table. 🎬 Thanks for Watching! If you enjoyed this video, don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe. 🔗 Stay Connected: 📺 Subscribe for more videos: https://www.youtube.com/@iampaulcram/featured ▶️ Watch More Videos: Playlists – https://www.youtube.com/@iampaulcram/playlists 🌍 Website: https://www.iamPaulCram.com (https://www.iamPaulCram.com)🔊Listen to some of my audio book narrations: https://www.audible.com/search?searchNarrator=Paul+Cram (https://www.audible.com/search?searchNarrator=Paul+Cram)Catch my IMDB listing: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0186120 (https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0186120)Purchase books from my Bookshop: https://bookshop.org/shop/iampaulcram (https://bookshop.org/shop/iampaulcram) 📩 Join My Newsletter! Get exclusive updates, behind-the-scenes stories, and more. Sign up here: https://mailchi.mp/80aaa0c6cb48/actor-list-sign-up-page 📲 Follow Me on Social Media: 📘 Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/iampaulcram 🐦 X/Twitter: http://www.x.com/iampaulcram 📸 Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/iampaulcram (http://www.instagram.com/iampaulcram)

3. 

   10 May 2026

   What a Buck-Naked Rugby Player Taught Me About Anxiety and Self-Regard | 🍬 Soul Snack

   In this episode of Soft Weird, I talk about a night out at the Saloon that turned into something much deeper than a funny one night stand story. What started as chemistry with a very large rugby built man became an unexpected reflection on anxiety, self worth, and the stories we inherit about desirability. Somewhere around 5 in the morning, my inner monologue kicked into overdrive. Without the beer goggles, was I suddenly going to become a regrettable decision? Was this man going to wake up, look at me clearly in daylight, and want out? The funny thing is, none of that had actually happened. He was asleep. And I realized how quickly anxiety can impersonate intuition. How fast old shame scripts can step onto the stage and start narrating the moment before reality has a chance to speak for itself. I also share a strange full circle moment from my acting career. Years ago, I was cast in a Minnesota Department of Health campaign about regrettable drunken hookups. My face was literally posted in bars and bathroom stalls across the state as the cautionary tale. I cashed the check and smiled, but there was an ouch in that experience too. This episode became less about sex and more about self regard. About how many of us quietly outsource our worth to other people. About the hierarchies we absorb around beauty, body image, age, masculinity, status, and desirability. About how easy it is to turn attraction into judgment. I talk about The Professor, Mister Pearls, and Rugby. About trusting my gut while also learning to interrogate my inner narrator. About the difference between discernment and diagnosis. About how some of the harshest voices in our heads were trained there early through family, religion, shame, and years of feeling not quite enough. And I keep coming back to this: Desire does not have to be hierarchical. I can be attracted to someone beautiful without turning them into a judge. Also, sometimes a man is just asleep. This episode is funny in parts, vulnerable in others, and probably one of the more honest conversations I have had publicly about dating, self worth, and learning to rewrite old stories. If you have ever mistaken anxiety for intuition, if you have ever felt judged before anyone actually judged you, or if you are trying to unlearn the idea that your worth depends on being chosen, I think this one might resonate. And yes, there is also a buck naked rugby player wandering through my apartment in broad daylight. We contain multitudes.

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

2 ratings

Contact Soft Weird

Guest appearances

Does not typically book guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.