Dimension 20's New York City: Brennan Lee Mulligan and Ally Beardsley's Unsleeping City Guide

Ahead of D20's sold-out Madison Square Garden show, we asked Brennan Lee Mulligan and Ally Beardsley to give us their take on some classic Unsleeping City locations - from Pete the Plug's place in Greenpoint, to the heart of it all in Times Square.
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[@elbowcat]

i love how ally is simply there to perceive brennan's information waterfall, the friend we all need

[@haunthouses]

"a bodega--" "is where cats live" killed me

[@viridian5maureen853]

They're not wrong.

[@colinkincaid692]

Some Beardsley highlights from the video: Making a Polygon camera collapse from the power of their relationship with BLeeM Calling 4 places the M&M factory Getting stuck in their jacket Having incredible "younger sibling listening to cool older sibling" energy

[@emericcson123]

Their aura has negative dex lol

[@sanityisrelative]

True Applebees dex

[@jasmijn-isme]

I love them, your honour!

[@polygon]

now with audio that's in sync

[@polygon]

I must beg you all to share this video far and wide since deleting and reposting it is going to tank our analytics 🙏

[@branflank]

I’m going to, because I wanted to, not because you told me

[@jakechaffee4830]

you are the real hero :)

[@moonlover9650]

whats the name of the song at the end of this video?

[@MagretaWestby]

@@moonlover9650 same question

[@dustmithrarin]

ally going "and that's when we started our loving relationship" is so hilarious to me

[@dustmithrarin]

also this is a VERY good interview as usual!

[@Ratigan2]

@@dustmithrarin Also at 2:24 Ally playing again into the joke "We got married there". Izzy must be dying of laughter

[@panoramathatguy7624]

It fills me with so much joy to see these guys on actual news outlets.

[@flickering-ghostlight]

makes you realize how much media is NY based vs LA based

[@delightedmatt]

This German here is currently writing an essay on Robert Moses and how he coopted reformist rhetorics and how powerful those old narratives are - all because of watching their Unsleeping City.

[@kimhaz6082]

Awesome ❤

[@InigoPhentoya]

Hope you've already read The Power Broker!

[@MagretaWestby]

Bruh, I wanna read that essay when you're done

[@SamAronow]

I read up on Robert Moses when I started watching and should warn you that he wasn't as all-powerful as _The Power Broker_ made him out to be. That book blamed him for a lot of stupid ideas and social problems that were happening in large cities all over the world (rising crime, freeways everywhere, a vicious cycle of declining tax revenues and reductions in public services). It's just that New Yorkers aren't aware that the rest of the world exists. In fact New York got through the postwar era in much _better_ shape than most North American cities even though the city literally went bankrupt (the subways weren't abandoned, for instance).

[@InigoPhentoya]

@SamAronow that sounds like you... didn't read the book

[@harryr2431]

Love that Brennan called him "Saint Bourdain" ❤

[@CurseTheCosmos]

Pardon my ignorance, as I’m late to the Brennan Lee Mulligan admiration train, but I had no idea that he’s “one of us”. It was genuinely comforting to hear him talk about every aspect of my home with such concise detail.

[@Sandreline]

Definitely watch Unsleeping City, if you haven't!

[@GeekLove100u]

Go find the College Humour sketch where he defends New York City. It’s legendary.

[@Tuckerscreator]

His old superhero comic Strong Female Protagonist is also set in New York City.

[@jedinxf7]

​@@GeekLove100uits what I always want to say to people from little towns who think they're from cities lol

[@insomniacwriter9411]

I’ve met him at board game cafe in New Paltz. Nicest, kindest, most generous dude in the world!

[@rahulsatish7131]

The camera falling over by the sheer charisma of ally and Brennan

[@tangledfish]

The tripod went weak at the knees.

[@amberrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr]

i love that to ally everything is the m&m factory. if you believe, anything can be an m&m factory

[@apocalypt_us7941]

The real m&m factory was inside them all along

[@-piras]

if you can make m&ms there, you can make them anywhere, babyy

[@discflame]

So thankful for the mention of Anthony Bourdain just briefly. Man was and is an international treasure, the only true world traveller. And the one time he visited where I live, I saw all these dingy little spots that I always drove past and ignored as a part of the background as a part of a new dimension. he's so great. rip to a real one

[@xoLicibbyox]

god, i watched the variety interview before this and all i can say is THANK YOU for actually caring about the interview instead of using ai or something to generate all the questions

[@nathanielhamovitz]

I do think there's something to that tweet that goes "if you ever need to cheer up a New Yorker, ask them what a bodega is" but Brennan's ode to the bodega is beautiful. What a storyteller my god

[@hamatodonatello8565]

4:49 I love during interviews when Brennan turns on the dm for a moment to describe something really beautifully. I see this happen with my friends who dm all the time

[@yershellur911]

Being from Chicago I obviously have a bias that Chicagos the best city in da warld, but the moment Brennan Lee Mulligan talks about New York I am convinced, if only for a moment, of the magic of New York. And that’s love baby.

[@matthewmarting3623]

I have to say that I think this interview was so much better than the one on Variety. And it’s because the questions and edit here gave them room to express their thoughts and personality. Good on you Polygon! The thing that makes dimension 20 special is the people playing it.

[@crelb5219]

Honestly a little surprised that Brennans "Bohemian period" wasnt a euphamism for being defenstrated

[@ThePurpleclone]

Deepest cut imaginable. Insane to reference the 30 years war on a Polygon KZbin video comments section lol

[@monckey44]

@@ThePurplecloneidk, I kind of expect these types of references on polygon videos lmao

[@itsdrgrandpa]

apologies, I'm a lil blazed, but I loudly announced "M A R V E L O U S" and gut-laughed when I read your comment, very enjoyable

[@michaelkosmas1487]

DEFENESTRATION OF PRAGUE MENTIONED SHOUTOUT AP EUROPEAN HISTORY

[@jedinxf7]

LOL this is why Dropout fans are the best fans

[@Fitzs1]

Excited for 9 minutes of New Yorker Brennan Noises and fun facts

[@The_Jantof]

This video demonstrates why “The Unsleeping City” is the greatest urban fantasy ever written. Most urban fantasy can be boiled down to “there’s elves on the train” But TUC is about how real world New York City has a magic and a power and a romantic fantasy all of its own, and then it populates that world with magical characters.

[@frostedjosieos]

TUC physicalizes how magical it feels like to be in the greatest city in the world

[@mainstreetmafia6605]

Brennan's almost religious reverence for New York City is so on the money, I've been there a few times in my life and there's truly nothing that compares to it, genuinely the most magical place I've ever been

[@jedinxf7]

the most New Yorker thing about me is that I simultaneously agree with the words of your comment and feel an inherent exclusive right to say them that no tourist has earned (and goes triple for transplants who think they're not tourists lol). i apologize for this feeling and realize it is the main reason everyone else hates us but I can't lie!

[@astarixn]

huge props for all the effort that went into researching and adding citations for brennan's wild span of knowledge!!

[@AfikiJ]

"We asked Brennan to tell us about NY locations and Ally insisted on coming too"

[@cereusfox]

this monologue is such a beautiful ode to new york city brennan knows this city so well

[@legomojo]

Wow… I’m watching this from Astoria. I was NOT expecting the shoutout. It is the best.

[@TH-is8cf]

It's so full circle that I only started watching d20 bc of polygon

[@apauser3005]

Same, watched that overboard episode, found dimension20 on KZbin and then became a dropout subscriber ✌️

[@giualonso]

Same!!! That overboard episode is SO GOOD I had to look that funny guy out. Look at us! :)

[@elimithom]

same!!!

[@helenfhnin]

Same!!

[@SolunaEP]

First Vanity now Polygon? Press goin off on D20 today here for it

[@TinyDragonOnFire]

I will never not be furious with Robert Moses.

[@ratatoskclarke4534]

getting to see them at MSG was so fucking sick. What a show.

[@lenajn13]

I have never been to NYC but Unsleeping City is my FAVOURITE D20 show, i'm currently on my 3rd listen through of both seasons back to back and I cannot tell you how many times I have watched/ listened to the begining of season 1

[@tzarn1]

Loving the Polygon/Dropout cross-pollination with BDG joining Dropout followed by this.

[@michelekoh9875]

I love the care that Polygon puts into everything they do. I'm not as avid a watcher as I used to be, but every now and then I'll come back to watching Polygon because they make their videos with such enthusiasm and thoughtfulness. I miss the times that KZbin allowed community captions where people lovingly added little details and comments in addition to the captions, just seeing something as simple as "it's on the 4, 5, 6 [train lines]"(1:19) makes me so happy. I appreciate Polygon's commitment to providing captions and including these little details.

[@bulldogfront666]

The crossover of all time!! All my favorite parasocial friends in one room!

[@Michael_Lindell]

0:53 with synced audio; Now that's what I call Award Winning Journalism!

[@seemsfishy23]

I’m a fifth generation New Yorker, so unbelievably proud to be from New York, like they say of Kingston Brown, I’ll DIE here and a massive D20 and polygon fan, so this video is the most perfect and wonderful video on earth to me

[@seemsfishy23]

Also I am the typically annoying New Yorker who spends a lot of my time traveling through other cities missing home and when I was in LA last the only time I was really like “WOW what a cool spot” was in Los Feliz so lol yes

[@wellspokenrambler]

It’s back baby

[@polygon]

we have never been more back

[@orijimi]

The Venn diagram here is practically a circle.

[@JuniperArcher]

Always love listening to Brennan talk about New York:)

[@RarelyAChump]

I'm in New York for a week from another country and watching this is surreal. I'm so glad this came out 2 days ago!

[@ikanhazw1n]

Brennan's Times Square bit, at 4:25, is perfectly accurate. One of the best days of my life was a date that ran until the next morning out on the streets of midtown, and just before dawn we went to Times Square when there were less than 20 people in it, and its like nothing else in the world

[@kailiogden6820]

This interview is just Ally watching one of their best friends gush about something he loves and boosting that love with affectionate jokes and undivided attention.

[@mallory9486]

I could listen to Brennan talk forever… it soothes me

[@GG_Gemi]

I can't stop thinking about how they are color coded as Wolverine and Deadpool

[@cidneeemanuelle9062]

I went to New York with my high school like 7 years ago and i would kill to go back now as an adult and be able to properly explore the city without being in choir rehearsals for about 4 hours a day, but as a Canadian going to the states actually terrifies me now

[@WavingWorld]

This could have been 6 or 7 times as long and been just as good.

[@PokeRedstone]

Bodegas are the lifeblood of America. Nothing hits harder than a ham sub made by a guy who can’t eat ham.

[@ApexGale]

Astoria's Neptune Diner only *just* closed recently in the last few months. Withstood the test of time for the longest. Shoutouts the pizzeria Vita Mia, which was sadly replaced by a coffee shop. I will never forget it, many a great summer's eve spent getting a slice after playing basketball with friends. The REAL oldheads will remember when Ditmars had a Coldstone, a Hershey's store, and a Blockbuster!

[@Drilling4mana]

Unsleeping City is such a good campaign

[@whitelikeblack1241]

NYC is really a magical place, only spent 14 days there but what a time... would never do it again tho XD Love these two, and D20!!!

[@stephenholt6956]

"I looked at with my dad and dissociated"

[@EK-gq1sc]

Neptune Diner shoutout! Genuinely so sad it closed, my friends and I used to get late night waffles there :(

[@LtMjBurrito]

That bit about Loz Feliz is so real 🤣

[@bowtiebazaar263]

I'm so absurdly happy because of the MSG live show, this crew is getting way more attention now

[@CaspiDrako]

I should rewatch the unsleeping city

[@Julia-hu8ff]

The structure of this video was literally if we hand Brennan a photo he'll teach us something

[@tombpunk]

Very ”two sports casters commenting their view at a home party”-energy. ❤

[@3am-tarot]

"god bless the bodega, long may she reign"

[@abracabadass]

ally's eyes causing the camera to faint - same

[@festergroove]

love d20, love The Unsleeping City, loved seeing this notification

[@Nicole-xu9xn]

Between this and the variety interview, we're getting content!! wooooo!!!!

[@ratatoskclarke4534]

This made me cry. I love this city.

[@ratatoskclarke4534]

Plus if I ever (god forbid) decide to move to LA, now I know where to go!

[@jedinxf7]

​@@ratatoskclarke4534hahah right? i was like "write that down in case this becomes the coast with the hostile climate somehow"

[@SamAronow]

I'm watching _The Unsleeping City_ for the first time right now and feel like this was made for me. Thank God Brennan is a Mets fan.

[@samuelsupernova894]

This video made my New Yorker heart unbelievably happy. Queens, baby- Astoria represent!!

[@KoryGordon11]

I could listen to Mulligan talk about NYC all day

[@mynameskatt]

Ally and Brennan are such an iconic duo

[@MossPerone]

IVE WANTED THIS FOR SO LONG!!! Thank yoouuuuuuuu

[@kevinlohmann3185]

I like how sometimes Brennan's thoughts move so quickly that he can only produce sound effects to get his meaning across.

[@Arcane_Archer]

0:54 is some absolute Beardsley shit in and of itself, lmao

[@ShinjiSixteen]

4:10 Visited multiple times, and can strongly agree Time Square has a magic time after midnight and before dawn

[@jasonericson3744]

if all this press doesn’t lead to a live action adaptation of unsleeping city I will simply be a mess

[@speareshaker]

Elliot Page as Pete Conlan. Full stop.

[@littlemissmello]

Omg yes​@@speareshaker

[@londongirl2768]

No it’s so special how it is, I don’t trust any adaptation

[@Sandreline]

Everyone needs a chaotic ride or die like Beardsly.

[@GrislyBeasty]

Man I hope this is a partial primer for a new Unsleeping City. I know I’m not the only one who wants to see an LA spinoff/season

[@SuperKavv]

Very small nitpick: In the captions of the intro at 0:18, it spells Brennan's name as Brendan.

[@illznik2]

Fun fact: there are no street lights in Times Square because it never gets dark there.

[@sentientbeans]

Ayyyy love the talk about NYC!!! Although I was only there for a year, their mentions of the locale brings back memories.

[@mohmohlante5809]

Re: the Dimension 20 Times Square Billboard: Brennan: "I looked at it with my dad and dissociated" Ally: "That's ALL I do with my dad" Hahaha 😂😂😂

[@kevinwillems8720]

6:55 this is a big oof as someone in Chicago. Like, I'm not gonna say the CTA is better than the MTA, but it's probably the closest, and it allows me to exist without a car.

[@shadycactus6146]

i’ve been to chicago twice, and i already love it, in no small part due to the excellent public transit. driving there, on the other hand, seems utterly terrifying, but luckily it’s also unnecessary :)

[@NoahGarcia]

Brennan : 🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️ Ally : 🥰

[@probablyaparent]

Beardsley is goddamn international treasure. BLeeM is an interdimensional treasure.

[@natalieblack7813]

Love this! Two great tastes that go great together.

[@axemtitanium]

Iconic interview thank you

[@Michiganboy]

Wish this dropped while I was still in NYC for the show :p

[@asdfopjpsjoop230]

When Brennan gets going he enters Abe Simpson mode

[@lilsheba]

I have ever learned this much about anything in nine minutes.

[@shockofthenew]

Love this crossover!

[@thomasregis9748]

My dream D20 campaign is a reunion of BDG with Pat and Simone. This video give me hope lol

[@steegen101]

Awesome to see them both on here

[@jacksonbland8793]

This would have been so useful when i was actually in new york to see the show

[@capness1228]

Weird I feel like I've already watched this.

[@polygon]

HOW DID YOU HAVE TIME IT WAS ONLY UP FOR LIKE TEN MINUTES

[@capness1228]

@polygon ADHD 1.5x speed baybeeeee

[@TheCattilyn]

​@@polygon some of us are notified when y'all post new videos ✌️😎

[@Iron_Bishop]

Of course they start by having them singing Frank Sinatra's New York, New York. It seems appropriate 🎉❤

[@AoM248]

0:50 Ally Beardsley has actual magical powers confirmed

[@nickkelly1485]

Ally making the camera fall was just rolling a Nat 20 in real life

[@nina1858]

i wonder if the interviewers were surprised by how much brennan knows about new york

[@orangesilver8]

This is a beautiful video.

[@melissaclancy2183]

You know Brennan's an actual New Yorker because he knows what a bridge USED to be called

[@alisonkellythorn4581]

Ally saying “m&m factory” at every location got me good

[@jedinxf7]

not inaccurate at times square though was it? I feel like it's around there somewhere? maybe by the Lego store? i don't go to times sq on purpose but I feel like that's about right

[@RichardsNickname]

best episodes!!!!!!!!! yaaaayyayayayayayyaayyya🎉❤🎉❤🎉❤🎉❤🎉❤🎉❤🎉❤🎉❤🎉❤🎉❤🎉🎉❤

[@brooklynbuglet]

Ok. So Brennan if he’s still in NYC may definitely be staying at a house near mine and if so that’s amazing

[@ga4667]

Appreciate the Bx rep with the Yankee stadium

[@aratakiskiitto]

As a Mets fan, can confirm we all go to Citi Field (rip Shea) to yell at our Metsies