Best Manuel Santana Podcasts (2024)

1
'I Never Had To Say I'm Gay Or I'm Queer Or I'm Pansexual' - with D'orjay 52:29

26m ago52:29

52:29

Although I can appreciate a lot of the things about getting older I wouldn't say that I'm totally super enthusiastic about it (especially the creaking joints!). So, it was kind of nice to talk to singer/songwriter D'orjay and get a different perspective on getting on in years. And, in fact, everything about this week conversation is just lovely. It…

1
'I've Always Been The Odd One Out Because Of My Queerness' - with Sam See 53:39

35m ago53:39

53:39

Not many people can say they owe their entire career to their local gay bar, but for comedian Sam See, that’s exactly the case! His first brush with comedy happened while prepping for a talent show at Play Club in Singapore. Performing in front of a queer audience gave him the spark to pursue comedy full-time. We dug into what it was like growing u…

1
'Am I A Lesbian?' - with Jane Postlethwaite from All the Terrible Things: A Paranormal Queer Comedy Podcast 49:24

1d ago49:24

49:24

I would never wish the years of uncertainty, overthinking, and isolation on anyone navigating their queerness. But, there's something magical about the person who comes out at the other end of all that. And one of the best parts of Lost Spaces is getting to speak with people who have reached that place of self-assuredness, and who are so confident …

1
'We Can All Kiss Girls (And Nobody's Mad About It)' - with Sinn Sage 52:11

13d ago52:11

52:11

I've just realised that, for a podcast that is for mostly about queer clubbing and nightlife, we don't actually talk all that much about drugs, drug-taking and the impact of that. That's not a good or a bad thing, per se. It's just a little odd. Which isn't to say that that is a huge part of this week's chat, but it struck me because, for this week…

1
'...Because I'm THAT Gay Stereotype' - with Nick Baker from Incomplete Geeks Podcast 51:11

20d ago51:11

51:11

When I first moved to London I had this friend who I would go to bars and clubs with. And, he was totally, 100% a friend of convenience. In fact, the only reason we spent any time together is because neither of us had any other friends. But I always look back on that friendship with a great deal of affection — and I think that one of the gifts of b…

1
'Being Gay Is A Great Superpower' - with Santana Sexmachine 1:00:34

23d ago1:00:34

1:00:34

You may have had some wild clubbing nights in your life, but were any ever as wild as obliviously walking around with a shit-stained t-shirt thinking that you were fabulous? No, probably not. But, that's exactly what this week's guest, Santana Sexmachine, managed to get up to in her lost space, Berlin's Greece-muller. (i hope I said that correctly.…

1
'A Beautiful Go-Go Dancer' - with Manuel Skye 37:17

30d ago37:17

37:17

So, if we were to say that clubbing is a religion, then the club is the place of worship, the music is the hymn, and the DJ takes on the role of the Priest. But what about the go-go dancer? Where do they fit into this clunky, overused metaphor? Well, according to former go-go dancer, and current author and porn actor, Manuel Skye, the role of the g…

1
'A Rite Of Passage For Any Gay Man Living In New York' - with David Kennerley 34:45

1M ago34:45

34:45

I think that I might have met my match. For the last few years I've been feeling as though I'm the person who talks the most about lost queer spaces, but journalist David Kennerley might actually be ahead of me. He loves queer nightlife so much that he's gone and written a whole book about the long-lost gay scene of '90s New York City. The book, Ge…

1
'I Didn't Have Gay Friends At That Point' - with Neil Laird 45:42

2M ago45:42

45:42

This week it's time to talk about love... Now, I know what you're thinking. Who am I to talk about love when all I seem to be interested in are firey, passionate, fleeting moments on a dancefloor? Well, yeah, you've probably got a point there.... So, it's a good job that this is a conversation podcast and I have a guest to show me the way! And who …

1
'Queerness Is Such A Big Part Of My Identity And Definition' - with Matte Namer from The FMs 56:29

2M ago56:29

56:29

We get assigned a lot of roles in life depending on how we look, how tall we are, which family we're born in to... Sometimes living up to these roles can be a total breeze, but other times can be an incredibly daunting, terrifying task, and overcoming these isn't in any way straightforward. And so it's always really affirming when I get the chance …

1
'It Didn't Feel Very Queer To Me' - with Ames Pennington 46:58

2M ago46:58

46:58

What do you do if you think the scene isn't a welcoming place for you? If you don't feel particularly excited to be in spaces that are pumping out Top 40 chart hits and offering jell-o shots for £1 a go? Well, you roll your sleeves up and you make your own night. And that's precisely what this week's guest did (with the help of some friends, of cou…

1
'Full Blown Gay...' - with J3M 36:00

2M ago36:00

36:00

I sometimes rail against this notion of 'chosen family', and I always assumed that the reason I did this was because somewhere in the back of my head I was just jealous of other people who happened to find that and make that happen for themselves because that's not been my experience. But, I had a bit of a moment of realisation in this week's conve…

1
'I Wasn't Very Popular In Gay Male Spaces' - with Miah Jeffra 44:07

3M ago44:07

44:07

We’re going to get really cheesy this week... You probably already know that I love me some cheesy, poetic imagery. And this week I may have stumbled upon the cheesiest thing that you ever did hear. Now, we've talked about the importance of the dancefloor in finding community and being oneself, but we haven't ever spoken to someone who attributes t…

1
'Oh, Look, There's International Mr. Leather!' - with John Pendal 52:07

3M ago52:07

52:07

So, I will readily admit that I was a bit naive when it came to the world of leather pageantry. Obviously I knew that these leather competitions existed, and that they were loosely modelled on beauty pageants, but I kind of assumed that they weren't all that serious. I just thought that people showed up, had a bit of a laugh, took a few pictures an…

1
'The First Gay Place That I Went Inside...' - with Alex Iantaffi from Gender Stories Podcast 56:58

3M ago56:58

56:58

The lyric to that very famous 80s TV theme song is 'sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name'. Whilst I think that's true I also think there are times where you want to go where nobody knows your name and where there's absolutely no risk of running in to anybody that you even vaguely know. It's that type of space that gave this week…

1
'Seeing These Beautiful Queer Faces' - with Terrence O'Brian Henderson 36:14

3M ago36:14

36:14

Are you one of those people that has a crystal clear memory of where they were and how they reacted when they found out about momentous moments in history? For instance, do you remember where you were on September 11? When you first heard of the Covid-19 outbreak? Most importantly, do you remember the first time you heard Beyonce’s ‘Single Ladies’ …

1
'My Queerness Is My Strength' - with John Sizzle 44:31

3M ago44:31

44:31

I was gutted, understandably, when I found out earlier this year that my favourite queer bar, The Glory, was going to close. But I also had a bunch of questions, as it wasn't closing for the same reason that so many others do (£££). In fact, the owners opened a brand new venue, The Divine, within days of The Glory closing its door. So I needed to f…

1
'The Seediness of New York' - with Richard Skipper 58:35

4M ago58:35

58:35

If you were trying to seduce someone in the audience when you were performing at a piano bar or at karaoke... what song would you sing? I imagine you'd go for something slinky and sexy, right? Or maybe something bombastic and exuding confidence? Well, not, it turns out, if you are this week's guest, the singer and story teller Richard Skipper, who …

1
'There Is No Word for Gay in the Samoan Context' - with Edward Cowley (aka Buckwheat) 49:53

4M ago49:53

49:53

One of the things that I get asked a lot when people find out that I do this show is 'well, why are queer spaces important? bars and clubs close all the time, why should we care about them just because they're queer?'. And there are lots of answers to that, but the one that I keep coming back to is that they aren't just businesses - they're communi…

1
'Maybe We Should Explore Polyamory...' - with Mehgan Sapphire from Sapphire's Earplay Podcast 49:28

4M ago49:28

49:28

It's time to talk all about the fine art of ho-ing. And who is going to guide us through this very important lesson? Why, it's Mehgan Sapphire, host of the Sapphire's Earplay podcast. Mehgan joined me to talk about her lost space, The Lexington, a San Franciscan lesbian bar that she went to when she was just a little baby gay in her college days. A…

1
'I'm In San Francisco And Everyone's Dying From Sex' - with Daniel Nardicio 55:56

5M ago55:56

55:56

San Francisco in the 80s. If you know anything about queer history then you may already know that that wasn't the most joyous of times. And, yet, despite that... despite all that was happening in the world - heightened homophobia, and the really real fear of contracting HIV - people got on with their lives and they found and made joy. And that is e…

1
'Looking Back Through This Queer, Non-Binary Lens' - with Holly Revell 49:30

5M ago49:30

49:30

One of the constant gifts of doing this show is the reminder of how privileged those of us who get to grow old are. It’s easy to forget this in a world saturated with messages glorifying youth, but youth isn't always that great (sure, I still have crippling social anxiety, but I'm MUCH better at masking it now!). So, getting the chance to talk to p…

1
'I'm Really Lucky That I'm Gay' - with Eric Marcus from Making Gay History Podcast 54:23

5M ago54:23

54:23

I don't know about you, but I really like the idea of being referred to as a gay elder at some point in the future. The only part about it that worries me is that I hope I'm not expected to suddenly be wise or level-headed or clever or anything... And though this week's guest, Eric Marcus from the Making Gay History podcast, might not like being re…

1
'Gays Aren't The Best At Catching' - with Recognition 57:28

5M ago57:28

57:28

I think what's so magical about a place like London is the promise of what the city represents rather than what it can actually meaningfully offer people... And, that might sound like a strange distinction, but for me London was always the place that I was going to run away to in order to become the person that I was meant to be. And it was here th…

1
'All These Gay Men With No Shirts On...' - with Van Hechter 42:12

6M ago42:12

42:12

I love the kind of people that can go through a whole bunch of bullying, a whole bunch of othering, a whole bunch of shit in their life and still come out the other end and be like 'this is who I am, take it or leave it, I'm not changing for anyone'... And those are exactly the vibes that this week's guest, singer/songwriter Van Hechter, was puttin…

1
'A Gay Man in New York' - with Colin Drucker from Alright Mary Podcast 1:01:57

6M ago1:01:57

1:01:57

One of my favourite things about queer people is that they make shit happen. Ok, ok, so that's a massive generalisation. And here's another one... Straight people (apologies to any that are reading this) are not forced to put themselves out there and meet people and make new connections in the same way that queer people are. So they don't have to g…

1
'That's Where Cruising Tends To Happen...' - with Marcus McCann 43:56

6M ago43:56

43:56

So, this week we’re doing something a little different. Rather than visit a lost space we’re setting out to answer the question ‘is the ancient art of cruising about to be lost?’. I know that's a fairly dramatic question, but there are a number of factors - like hook up apps and the over-gentrification of our cities - that seem to threaten these li…

1
'Every Letter Of The Alphabet Mafia...' - with Karl Dunn 49:08

6M ago49:08

49:08

LA. Los Angeles. City of Angels. It's not really known to be the easiest of towns to live in. But, i think that's part of what makes it so exciting, right? Not to completely plagiarise a popular song, but if you can make it there then... you know the rest... And this is what brought Karl Dunn, who has just released his first book How To Burn A Rain…

1
'I Felt That Way About Pulse' - with JJ Ivey 44:44

7M ago44:44

44:44

So, if you're reading these show notes I'm going to go ahead and make the assumption that you know about the Pulse nightclub shooting that happened in Orlando in 2016. And I'm also going to assume that you've heard some of the stories from survivors and families of victims about the impact of that night. But, now that we're a few years on and peopl…

1
'I Didn't Have Any Gay Friends' - with Rudy Jeevanjee 43:00

7M ago43:00

43:00

I've been thinking a lot lately about how your life can just happen to you. And, if you're not careful you can wake up one day wondering how you ended up there. But then, there are times when we take the bull by the horns and throw caution to the wind (and all the other cliches that you can think of), even if we know we might fail. Anyway, I had a …

1
'Where Do Lesbians Go For Fun?' - with Layne the Auctionista 47:32

7M ago47:32

47:32

I love hearing people's stories of places that are close to their hearts - places where they spent tonnes of time, met lots of wonderful people, and figured out things about themselves. But, you know what else I love? When people want to talk about places that they HATED! And hate is maybe too strong a word for this week's guest's experience, but I…

1
'Disco 2000 Was The Hub Of The Club Kids Scene' - with Abdi Nazemian 1:05:46

7M ago1:05:46

1:05:46

So, if you were to ask me to overly generalise and boil down the types of experiences that guests on this show have had when first accessing a queer space I'd say they neatly fit in to two categories: 1) there are those who feel instantly at home and like they've arrived. 2) there are those who feel like an outsider, or a 'tourist' in the space. So…

1
'I Can't Be Gay Because I'm Christian...' - with Dr Luke Wilson 1:10:50

8M ago1:10:50

1:10:50

We seem to have, in the last few months, had a lot of religious guests, and through that we've had a lot of conversations about how religiosity can be in direct conflict with queerness, and all the issues that that can create. But what we haven't really talked about are the similarities between religion and queerness. And, to be fair, there probabl…

1
'This Kid's Probably Gay...' - with Matt Fishel 45:58

8M ago45:58

45:58

Can you really call yourself queer if you don't have a weird love/hate relationship with your home town? Because even if you love the place that you're from and you had an idyllic childhood there's still that reckoning that you need to have with all of those feelings of isolation and anticipation judgement and scorn when you came to terms with your…

1
"I Needed To See Masculine-Of-Centre Black Lesbians" - with Anna DeShawn 42:15

8M ago42:15

42:15

How much of yourself do you bring to the spaces that you spend time in? How much of the different sides of yourself do you bring out when you are at work? At dinner with friends? Spending time with your family? Hanging out at the club? Do you dial back your queerness, do you push down your beliefs or censor your thoughts? Or, are you one of those p…

1
"It Took Almost 30 Years Before I Actually Transitioned" - with Amethysta Herrick from Gender Identity Weekly Podcast 59:25

8M ago59:25

59:25

There's one question that gets asked in this week's episode that’s really stuck with me and that I continued to ponder even after we'd said our goodbyes and turned our microphones off... And that question is: how do you know when you have become the person that you’re supposed to be? By that I mean - at what point do you say 'yes this is the person…

1
"Oh, But I AM Queer..." - with Eric Kostiuk Williams 53:31

8M ago53:31

53:31

Have you ever shown up at the tail-end of a really exciting party just as everything was ending, and you get that overwhelming feeling of having had missed out on something big? Well, that's kinda what happened to illustrator and cartoonist Eric Kostiuk Williams. He had moved to Toronto in 2008, and took a few years to discover the corner of the sc…

1
"This Hotbed Of Trans Activism..." - with Dr Syrus Marcus Ware 42:43

9M ago42:43

42:43

So, it's well documented on this show that queer spaces are good for many things - they're for dancing, socialising, drinking, falling down, getting back up, losing yourself, finding yourself in the arms of some strange men at 2am in the morning... BUT, they are also for organising and activism, and I think that's something we don't talk about enou…

1
"'Love Is Love' - Until You're Black, Trans, Disabled, Non-Binary..." - with Andrew Gurza from Disability After Dark 49:26

9M ago49:26

49:26

I know there's always the risk with this show of completely romanticising queer spaces as these glistening oasis' of tolerance and acceptance. But, that's really not the case - despite how wonderful and freeing they can be, they can also be a bit shitty and exclusionary. And I was reminded of that this week when I sat down to talk to talk to Andrew…

1
"My Faith Side And My Queer Side" - with Crystal Cheatham 50:51

9M ago50:51

50:51

I have a fairly straightforward relationship with religion in that... well, I don't have one. I wasn't brought up religious, I've never dabbled in religiousity, and it's never seemed to be something that particularly drew me in. Where it's a bit more fuzzy for me is when talking about the intersection between queerness and religiousness. It'll come…

1
"I've Never Really Liked This Concept Of 'Coming Out'"- with Lamya H 50:28

9M ago50:28

50:28

We talk in this episode a little about Lamya's new memoir, Hijab Butch Blues. If you're interested in snagging yourself a copy why not take a look at my Bookshop store? https://uk.bookshop.org/a/13642/9781785788499 Books! Is there anything more inviting and accepting than a good book - one that seems to know you better than you know yourself? Books…

1
"Gay and Emo?" - with Matt Hey 39:41

10M ago39:41

39:41

It's time to put on your skinny jeans, dig out your studded belt, and apply about a week's worth of black eyeliner, because this week.... we're going emo! Now, if you’re listening to this episode 300 years from now and you’re like ‘what the heck is emo’ let me break it down for you... According to dictionary.com emo is 'a style of rock music resemb…

1
"She Gave Us The Space To Be Ourselves" - with Barrak Alzaid 42:40

10M ago42:40

42:40

This study was published at the beginning of 2024, and it talks about the key role of Aunties and 'othermothers' in supporting queer children to flourish by providing emotional and practical support. Admittedly, it's probably one of those studies that confirms what everyone else has known for years, but it's particularly interesting to me because I…

1
"It Felt Like There Was Only One Way To Be Queer" - with Natali Caro 53:37

10M ago53:37

53:37

So it's fairly well established that I think queer spaces are really significant and an important way to explore your identity and dip your big toe into the queer lake of fabulosity. But, what we don't talk a lot about on this show is the importance of queer performance spaces, where people who are just starting out - singers, comedians, jugglers -…

1
"All The Other Black Queer Boys Who I've Known..." - with Jord Hailwood from The Winning Side Podcast 37:46

10M ago37:46

37:46

Now, you might want to sit down or take a deep breath before you read this episode description, but.... it's possible that I've managed to find someone wracked with more self-doubt than me! Now, i hope you haven’t spit out your coffee or come over all faint, but I can confirm it is absolutely true. And who is that person? Well, it’s host of The Win…

1
"Other Kinky Queer People" - with Auntie Vice from Fat Girls On Top Podcast 56:38

11M ago56:38

56:38

On this week's show I'm starting to question whether I should be getting in to the world of kink or not. And, who is enticing me over to the kinky side? Why, it's podcaster and well-known kinkster Auntie Vice, who tells me all about what drew her to the world of kink, as well as what was so special about her lost space, Wicked Grounds in San Franci…

1
Introducing 'The Queer Family Podcast'... 1:04:56

11M ago1:04:56

1:04:56

More new podcast recommendations this week! This week I'm sharing an episode of The Queer Family Podcast, a show all about queer families. Every episode is a chat between host Jaimie and different guests who have been through the process of starting their own family, and I've learnt so much from listening about how varied everyone's journey is. Thi…

1
Introducing 'This Queer Book Saved My Life!'.... 43:21

11M ago43:21

43:21

Ahoy! I'm taking a few weeks off over the festive period to recharge (and eat too many mince pies). But, rather than leaving you languishing out there in podcast land without any fresh content I thought I would share some of my favourite episodes from past guests' own podcasts. And, the first show that I'm sharing is..... This Queer Book Saved My L…

1
"I Started Discovering These Gay Country Bars" - with David F M Vaughn from Gaytriarchs Podcast 50:20

11M ago50:20

50:20

Sometimes on this show we talk about spaces that my guest went to religiously, and they have stories from years of partying and socialising. And sometimes, like with this episode, we go to spaces that my guest only went to once. Despite that, it was still hugely influential to them. And, so, although we don't know the name of this week's bar, or ex…

1
"Becoming A Nightlife Celebrity..." - with Miss Guy 43:12

12M ago43:12

43:12

What do you do when Malcolm McLaren, that hugely influential promoter and manager for punk rock bands like Sex Pistols, Adam and the Ants, and Bow Wow Wow, tells you that he thinks you should move to New York City? Well, you pack your bags and get moving! That’s exactly what this week’s guest did, packing his bags and moving with his best friend La…

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