The Best Of The Sewers Of Paris: Musicals! The Sewers Of Paris podcast

1:04:32

Hello, I’m Matt Baume, and welcome to the Sewers of Paris. We’re on a podcast search for entertainment that changed queer peoples’ lives. This week, I’m continuing the monthlong Pride special, bringing you excerpts from some of the very best Sewers of Paris conversations I’ve had over the last nine years. This week, we’re talking comics books. We’ll start with a conversation with writer Andrew Wheeler, whose tales of adventure and intrigue stand in sharp contrast to his domestic life. Then moving on to artist DJ Kirkland, who pursued his dreams in spite of — or maybe in order to spite — a particularly mean art school teacher. Then we’ll hear from artist Justin Hall, whose erotic imaginings are seemingly without limit. And finally the delightful writer Anthony Oliveira, who hosted a panel with me just last week at the Toronto Public Library. And also a quick note: if you’re in Seattle, I hope you’ll come see me at Elliott Bay Books this Friday, June 21st! I’ll be talking about The Golden Girls , and what made those ladies such powerful queer icons — both on screen and in real life. Full details on all that at mattbaume.com/events . Full conversations with this week’s guests: My 2018 conversation with Andrew Wheeler My 2016 conversation with DJ Kirkland My 2019 conversation with Justin Hall My 2017 conversation with Anthony Oliveira…

The Sewers of Paris

1
The Best of The Sewers of Paris: Musicals! 48:20

42 weeks ago48:20

48:20

I’m continuing the monthlong Pride special, bringing you excerpts from some of the very best Sewers of Paris conversations I’ve had over the last nine years. This week, we’re talking musicals — a roundup of conversations about songs on stage and on screen. We’ll start with a conversation about Pippin with voice actor Cam Clarke; then moving on to Rocky Horror with a programmer named Matt; then a chat about Sondheim with NPR’s Ari Shapiro; and finally a talk with Gregory Maguire, author of the novel Wicked . And if you’re in Seattle, I hope you’ll come see me at Elliott Bay Books next week, June 21st! I’ll be talking about The Golden Girls , and what made those ladies such powerful queer icons — both on screen and in real life. Full details on all that at mattbaume.com/events . Here are the full conversations with all my guests this week: Cam Clarke Matt Hintzen Ari Shapiro Gregory Maguire…

The Sewers of Paris

1
The Best of The Sewers of Paris: A Drag Race Spectacular! 1:07:47

43 weeks ago1:07:47

1:07:47

Starting this week, I’m doing something special for Pride. Throughout the month of June, I’m going to bring you the very best of the last nine years of Sewers of Paris interviews — excerpts from some of my very favorite conversations. We’re starting this week with a roundup of some of the fabulous Drag Race performers that have stopped by the show, starting with BenDeLaCreme, continuing on the Peppermint, then Jaymes Mansfield, Alaska, and then paying tribute to Chi Chi DeVayne. I’ll have more best-ofs next week — for that episode, themed around musicals of stage and screen. And if you’d like to hear the full interviews, check out these episodes: Ben DeLaCreme: Episode 303 Peppermint: Episode 306 Jaymes Mansfield: Episode 304 Alaska and Jeremy: Episode 198 Chi Chi DeVayne: Episode 299 And for some more BenDeLaCreme, check out Matt’s So-Cast Pod Episode 1 .…

The Sewers of Paris

1
Bright Colors, Zany Action (Ep 470 - Skeletor/JP Karliak) 57:05

44 weeks ago57:05

57:05

You may have most recently heard this week’s guest on X-Men 97, where he plays the character morph — but you’ve also heard him as the voice of the Green Goblin, the Joker, Boss Baby, Archie, Wile E. Coyote, and so many more I’ve lost count. I spoke with JP Karliak back in 2020 about his career as a voice actor for video games and animation. And for this week’s episode, we’re celebrating season 1 of his X-Men role by revisiting that interview about the animated villains who inspired him as a kid. We’ll have that conversation in a minute. First, a reminder that if you like The Sewers of Paris , you’ll probably also enjoy my other projects. This weekend I’ve got a new YouTube video premiering about the movie Cabaret — you can join us for a livestream and premiere at youtube.com/mattbaume starting at 11am pacific. Or you might want to check out my new podcast where we dive into the 90s TV series My So-Called Life , one episode at a time — it’s available now wherever you listen to podcasts, just search for Matt’s So-Cast Pod . And check out my Twitch livestreams, videos, my book, my newsletter, and more at MattBaume.com .…

The Sewers of Paris

1
Dangerous Book of Secrets (Ep 469 - Lord of the Rings/Jared) 36:49

45 weeks ago36:49

36:49

My guest this week is Jared Pechaček , author of the forthcoming fantasy-horror novel The West Passage. Jared’s work is heavily informed by his homeschooling and his upbringing in the Pentecostal church — influences that found their way into his writing without him realizing it. When he finally did understand just how much his fiction revealed about him, it was like finding clues that his brain had been dropping for years. Clues that helped point him in the direction of understanding his past, and coming to terms with it. We’ll have that conversation in a minute. First, a reminder that if you like The Sewers of Paris , you’ll probably also enjoy my other projects. For example, my weekly livestreams on Twitch . Or you might want to check out my new podcast where we dive into the 90s TV series My So-Called Life , one episode at a time — it’s available now wherever you listen to podcasts, just search for Matt’s So-Cast Pod . And check out my videos, my book, my newsletter, and more at MattBaume.com .…

The Sewers of Paris

1
Don't Ask Me Out Again Until You've Written Chapter Two (Ep 468 - Steven Rowley/Tootsie) 1:03:06

46 weeks ago1:03:06

1:03:06

The writer Steven Rowley is known for numerous novels: Lily and the Octopus ; The Celebrants ; The Editor ; and The Guncle , which is about a gay man who finds his hands full when he takes in a niece and nephew he never expected to raise. Not only did that novel win the Thurber Prize — it’s now the first installment in a series, with his latest novel, A Guncle Abroad , coming out on May 21, 2024. For this week’s episode, I’m diving into the Sewers archives to revisit my 2016 interview with Steven. At that point, his debut novel Lily and the Octopus had just hit shelves. We spoke about how he’d spent a large chunk of his career disguising himself, writing rom-com scripts about heterosexual relationships. But there came a point when he decided to stop de-gaying his stories — and little did he know then just how much success that choice would bring him. We’ll have that conversation in a minute. First, a reminder that if you like The Sewers of Paris , you’ll probably also enjoy my other projects. For example, my weekly livestreams on Twitch . This weekend we’ll be continuing our watch-along for the musical episode of The Love Boat . Or you might want to check out my new podcast where we dive into the 90s TV series My So-Called Life , one episode at a time — it’s available now wherever you listen to podcasts, just search for Matt’s So-Cast Pod . And check out my videos, my book, my newsletter, and more at MattBaume.com .…

The Sewers of Paris

1
There Was a Rage (Ep 467 - Star Wars/Karl Dunn) 52:42

47 weeks ago52:42

52:42

My guest this week is writer, activist, and former gold trader Karl Dunn , whose new book How to Burn a Rainbow is a memoir of how he pieced his life back together after a chaotic divorce. Karl’s journey from wedded bliss through a nightmare of legal battles and losing his livelihood and then ultimately finding inner peace sounds like a Hollywood narrative — which isn’t surprising, given that he worked for a time as a screenwriter, drawing on inspiration from wildly different sources from epic sci-fi novels to angry hip-hop to confrontational queer activism. We’ll have that conversation in a minute. First, a reminder that if you like The Sewers of Paris , you’ll probably also enjoy my other projects. For example, my weekly livestreams on Twitch — this weekend we’ll be starting a two-part watch-party of the movie Cabaret. Or you might want to check out my new podcast where we dive into the 90s TV series My So-Called Life , one episode at a time — it’s available now wherever you listen to podcasts, just search for Matt’s So-Cast Pod . And check out my videos, my book, my newsletter, and more at MattBaume.com .…

The Sewers of Paris

1
Lucy Would Not Take This Down (Ep 466 Lucille Ball/Eli McCann) 37:04

48 weeks ago37:04

37:04

My guest this week is Eli McCann , a lawyer, a humor columnist for the Salt Lake Tribune , and a devotee of Lucille Ball since the age of six. That made him an easy kid to shop for, and by the time he was a teen he’d amassed a treasure trove of Lucy memorabilia … which nearly led to a crisis when he caught wind of his classmates’ plan to ambush him at home and reveal what had been, until then, a mostly private obsession. We’ll have that conversation in a minute. First, a reminder that if you like The Sewers of Paris , you’ll probably also enjoy my new podcast where we dive into the 90s TV series My So-Called Life , one episode at a time. It’s available now wherever you listen to podcasts — just search for Matt’s So-Cast Pod . And you may also like my YouTube videos for a queer look at movie and television history, my weekly livestreams on Twitch , my book Hi Honey, I’m Homo! , and my email newsletter. You can get all that and more at MattBaume.com .…

The Sewers of Paris

1
Living a Superhero Lifestyle (Ep 465 - Scooby Doo/Tim Fish) 50:50

49 weeks ago50:50

50:50

My guest this week is writer and artist Tim Fish . I first came across his work in the book Liebestrasse , written by Greg Lockard and illustrated by Tim. It’s the story of two men connecting in Berlin in the leadup to World War II, and it’s typical of Tim’s interests — personal, emotional, and thoughtful. Tim’s always been interested in comics, but for many years it was something of a secret identity for him — a passion that he thought was just a hobby, until he turned thirty and realized he wanted to walk away from his day job and become a full time artist. To make that work, he had a rich vein of inspiration to draw from, starting with Hanna Barbera cartoons. We’ll have that conversation in a minute. First, a reminder if that if you like The Sewers of Paris , you’ll probably also enjoy my new podcast about the 90s TV series My So-Called Life . The podcast is called Matt’s So-Cast Pod , and it’s available now wherever you listen to podcasts. And you may also like my YouTube videos for a queer look at movie and television history, my weekly livestreams on Twitch , my book Hi Honey, I’m Homo! , and my email newsletter. You can get all that and more at MattBaume.com .…

The Sewers of Paris

1
Gay Male Student #1 (Ep 464 - Carol Burnett/Justin Root) 1:19:42

50 weeks ago1:19:42

1:19:42

Next week, comedy legend Carol Burnett turns 91 years old, and in honor of her amazing career and life, for this week’s episode of the Sewers of Paris podcast we’re diving into the archives to revisit my 2018 chat with Carol superfan Justin Root . Justin’s entry to showbiz was kind of a cliché: a pretty young face who arrives in LA with no plan other than getting famous in movies. And yet, within a few days of moving from Ohio to Hollywood, Justin found himself in front of movie cameras. It didn't take long for the entertainment industry to discover Justin, but it took another decade -- and some terrified cruising in the local video store -- for Justin to find himself. We’ll have that conversation in a minute. First, a reminder if that if you like The Sewers of Paris , you’ll probably also enjoy my new podcast about the 90s TV series My So-Called Life . This week’s episode features the wonderful Guy Branum, talking about his experience writing for television and why he’s a superfan of actress Bess Armstrong. The podcast is called Matt’s So-Cast Pod , and it’s available now wherever you listen to podcasts. And you may also like my YouTube videos for a queer look at movie and television history, my weekly livestreams on Twitch , my book Hi Honey, I’m Homo! , and my email newsletter. You can get all that and more at MattBaume.com .…

The Sewers of Paris

1
I Love F***-Ups (Ep 463 - Another World/Rasheed Newson) 55:09

51 weeks ago55:09

55:09

My guest this week is author Rasheed Newson , a TV writer who got his start on the show Lie to Me and has gone on to write for The 100, Narcos, Bel Air , and more. Last year his debut novel, My Government Means to Kill Me , made a big splash — it’s the story of a young gay black man who moves to New York during the HIV epidemic. And although Rasheed didn’t experience that world first-hand, he discovered during his writing process that in a strange way, he’d been preparing himself to tell that story for years without ever realizing it. We’ll have that conversation in a minute. First, a reminder if that if you like The Sewers of Paris , you’ll probably also enjoy my new podcast about the 90s TV series My So-Called Life . This week’s episode features the delightful Anthony Oliveira, who appeared on The Sewers of Paris just a few weeks ago. We talked all about My So-Called Life episode 3, in which we learn a lot more about the gay teen named Rickie — and we also talked about Anthony’s own experience as a semi-closeted teen in Catholic school, and how his secret boyfriend wasn’t quite as secret as he thought. The podcast is called Matt’s So-Cast Pod , and it’s available now wherever you listen to podcasts. And you may also like my YouTube videos for a queer look at movie and television history, my weekly livestreams on Twitch , my book Hi Honey, I’m Homo! , and my email newsletter. You can get all that and more at MattBaume.com .…

The Sewers of Paris

1
Loners & Misfits (Ep 462 - Silence of the Lambs/Monty Wolfe) 52:56

52 weeks ago52:56

52:56

My guest this week is director Monty Wolfe, whose queer romcom Exploding Boy is now available on streaming. Monty’s path to filmmaking took a lot of swerves over the decades — starting with a teacher who saw the potential in a young teenager, and maybe something a little queer. That was followed by some less helpful guidance from other adults in his life, a job at a news station that he landed by accident, a decision to completely upend his life and move across the country in part to get as far as possible from a homophobic coworker, and a boyfriend who believed in Monty’s dreams and pushed him to go after them. We’ll have that conversation in a minute. First, a reminder if that If you like this podcast, you might enjoy my new show about the 90s TV series My So-Called Life . The podcast is called Matt’s So-Cast Pod , it features a bunch of fabulous guests, and it’s available now wherever you listen to podcasts. And you may also like my YouTube videos about movies and TV shows, my weekly livestreams on Twitch , my book Hi Honey, I’m Homo! , and my email newsletter. You can get all that and more at MattBaume.com .…

The Sewers of Paris

1
Sci-Fi, Soaps, and Sports (Ep 461 - Jesse/All My Children) 51:51

1 year ago51:51

51:51

My guest this week is Jesse Murray, who got hooked on soap operas as a kid when he watched them with his mom … and then as an adult, found himself working in writer’s rooms at ABC, helping to make soap operas for a new generation. As a young viewer, Jesse’s enthusiasm for the soaps was bolstered when he saw gay teenage characters on daytime TV. It’s a measure of inclusivity that’s steadily improved in the years since — thanks to folks behind the scenes who appreciated its importance. We’ll have that conversation in a minute. And by the way, speaking of gay teens on television: If you like this podcast, you might enjoy my new podcast about the 90s TV series My So-Called Life, which featured a groundbreaking gay teenager named Rickie, played by Wilson Cruz. The podcast is called Matt’s So-Cast Pod , it features a bunch of fabulous guests, and it launches March 25, 2024. You can subscribe now wherever you listen to podcasts, and at SoCastPod.com . And you may also like my YouTube videos about movies and TV shows. I just premiered a new video about the 1961 movie Victim , which helped overturn England’s 400-year-old ban on homosexuality. Also check out my weekly livestreams on Twitch , my book Hi Honey, I’m Homo! , my email newsletter. You can get all that and more at MattBaume.com . And by the way, here are some fun soap clips that Jesse sent along: Susan Lucci being amazing as Erica: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-YlCHBbE_8 Susan Lucci being even more amazing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RT98I87Fsaw Another fun Erica scene, ending on a hilarious delivery of “I’m not even that rich!” https://youtu.be/RT98I87Fsaw?si=Sg_B6i-91L7W-aOU&t=444 Erica compares herself to Yoko Ono: https://youtu.be/NH9xsXKbpuA?si=oiXnjNdZZlEmCFHe&t=323…

The Sewers of Paris

1
I Don't Know When I Lost My Sense of Shame (Ep 460 - Dayspring/Anthony Oliveira) 39:00

1 year ago39:00

39:00

My guest this week is Anthony Oliveira, whose new book Dayspring comes out this Easter, April 2, 2024. That’s a particularly suitable pub date, since the book is an exploration of how Christian ideas can infuse and are infused by queer love. Anthony’s a returning guest to The Sewers of Paris — I last spoke to him back in 2017 , when our conversation focused on monsters and villains and standing in opposition to so-called decent society. Now, nearly a decade later, Anthony’s found himself engaged in a different sort of project: Building queer community through his writing, speaking, podcasting, and film series. We’ll have that conversation in a minute. First, a quick reminder that if you like this podcast, you’ll probably enjoy my other projects — starting with my brand new podcast that launches next week! The new show is all about the beloved TV series My So-Called Life , and why it’s such a perfect encapsulation of the 90s and also the timelessness of teen angst. The podcast is called Matt’s So-Cast Pod , it features a bunch of fabulous guests, and it launches March 25, 2024. You can subscribe now at socastpod.com . You may like my YouTube videos about movies and TV shows, and by the way I have a new one launching this weekend about the 1961 movie Victim . Also check out my weekly livestreams on Twitch , my book Hi Honey, I’m Homo! , my email newsletter. You can get all that and more at MattBaume.com .…

The Sewers of Paris

1
Legendary Slumber Parties (Ep 459 - Robert Patrick/Greenwich Village) 43:25

1 year ago43:25