Working on Something Big (Ep. 215 - Sci-Fi and Ham Radio)

There’s a good chance that the Internet as we know it wouldn't be a thing without this week's guest. Alan Emtage grew up in Barbados, where his connection to the outside world came through amateur radio projects that allowed him to talk with people around the world. He went on to pioneer the way we find information on the Internet at a time when there was no way to search, inventing the technology that eventually became familiar tools like Google. Alan made it possible for queer culture to flourish online, and for people who grew up isolated to find their community.

And don’t forget to join us for the next livestream! It’s on Saturday, February 9, at 2pm pacific.

Star Power (Ep. 214 - Tales of the City)

This week's guest is John Russo, a celebrity photographer who’s on a first name basis with subjects like Catherine Zeta Jones and Leonardo DiCaprio. John always projects a persona of complete and total confidence, a vibe that he also calls forth from his subjects. It’s a technique that's worked well for him, ever since he started out in his field, faking it until he made it.

And don’t forget to join us for the next livestream! It’s on Saturday, January 26, at 2pm pacific.


Permission to be Sexual (Ep. 213 - Cher & Prince)

This Week’s Guest: Indigo Blue

You might’ve seen this week’s guest onstage at some point — Indigo Blue is an accomplished burlesque performer and teacher. She also got a degree in anthropology by writing about sex work while working as a stripper, so she has a unique set of skills to pass along to students.

And don’t forget to join us for the next livestream! It’s on Saturday, January 26, at 2pm pacific.

My Grubby Dark Weekend Secret (Ep. 212 - James Bond)

This Week’s Guest: Mark O’Connell

My guest this week is Mark O’Connell, an ‘80s culture superfan who’s obsessed with Star Wars and James Bond. He’s the author of the books Watching Skies and Catching Bullets, and is also family friends with the producers of the Bond films. He’s also grown close with some of the actors from the franchise — no surprise, since those movies came to him as a kid when he needed them most.

Join us for the next livestream — it’s on Saturday January 26 at 2pm pacific with special guest Terrence Moss!

And thanks to everyone who makes The Sewers of Paris possible with a pledge of a dollar or more a month on Patreon. Head over to patreon.com/mattbaume to check out the new backer rewards, including a Sewers of Paris care package in the mail!

Stuff We Talked About


It Was a Battle (Ep. 211 - Leather, Kink, and Watchmaking)

This Week’s Guest: Bolt

My guest this week is Tyler, who you may know as Bolt — co-host of the YouTube series Watt’s the Safeword. Online, he’s known for providing fun cute silly sex ed, but did you know that when he’s not on camera, he’s super into watchmaking? Oh and also adventurous kinky sex of course. But that watchmaking!

Also, a quick note about the next livestream: I've had to reschedule it from Saturday the 12th to Sunday the 13th at 10am Pacific. See you there!

Stuff We Talked About



Behind the Sewers of Paris (Ep. 209 - Star Wars)

Hello there! I hope you had a nice holiday time and New Year season. We’re doing something a bit different this week — a kick-back chat with me and my partner James about why I started The Sewers of Paris, how it became what it is today, and the entertainment that changed my life (Star Wars, and also a roast). We’ll be back to the regular format next week, but let me know what you think of this slight departure from the normal Sewers style!

Taking Back Queer Femme Sexuality (Ep. 208 - Sylvia Plath)

The guests on this bonus episode are Erica Rose and Chelsea Moore, who talk about Sylvia Plath, The L Word, and the Well of Loneliness. Erica and Chelsea are a New York filmmaking team who push the boundaries of queer sex and sexuality on screen.

Stuff We Talked About:

The Collected Poems
By Sylvia Plath

The Sewers of Paris Holiday Special Special!

This holiday season, I hope you're surrounded with good cheer, fabulous family and friends, and comforts aplenty to keep you warm in the dark winter nights.

And when it comes to feeling cozy, I can think of no greater experts than Dave White and Alonso Duralde of the Linoleum Knife family of podcasts. Whether it's cooking glorious feasts, binging on cheesy specials, or unearthing obscure wintery films, this husband-and-husband team are the pinnacle of holiday warmth. Dave and Alonso were my guests on the very first Sewers of Paris holiday special back in 2015, sharing their advice for enjoying a jolly holiday, so we're going to start this episode by listening back to that conversation.

Then we'll hear a more recent chat from earlier this month, when Dave and Alonso popped by one of my regular livestreams to talk about how they're celebrating in 2018.

Next, I'll bring you a quick dive into my favorite holiday special -- Christmas at Pee-wee's Playhouse. Every month, I produce a video for my Culture Cruise series where I talk about LGBTQ themes on TV, in movies, in book, games, and more. And for December I took a look at Pee-wee's 1988 special, and it's connection to Judy Garland Christmas specials of the past, Glee episodes of the future, and believe it or not 18th century French theater. Then we'll wrap things up with a traditional Christmas carol sung by some past Sewers of Paris guests!

A Little Space Alien (Ep. 207 - Superman)

This Week’s Guest: Glenn Kiser

You might not recognize the name Glenn Kiser, but he's had a hand in countless films over the last three decades -- helping to craft films in editing rooms alongside directors like David Fincher, Spike Jonze, and Jane Campion, before moving on to run Skywalker Sound for George Lucas and now the Dolby Institute. As a kid, Glenn would obsess over movies and dream of the day he could make his own. And just like gathering elements of a story in an editing room, he crafted the steps in his career that would take him from living on an isolated ranch in Texas to working at Skywalker Ranch.

And I hope you'll join us for the next Sewers of Paris live chat, with Scott Flanary, winner of The Amazing Race Season 29. It's on Saturday December 29 at 2pm pacific.

The Sewers of Paris is listener supported -- click "support the show on Patreon" join the folks who make the show possible.

And for more queer podcasting, check out Queens Of Adventure to hear drag queens on an epic Dungeons & Dragons quest. And we'll be doing our next Queens of Adventure livestream on Saturday December 22, so head over to QueensOfAdventure.com for details.

This Week’s Recommendation: Auntie Mame

Thanks again to Glenn for joining me. We talked a bit about Auntie Mame, and now is indeed the perfect time of year for that film. Or for the book on which it's based. Or if you're really devoted, the musical adaptation Mame starring, for various reasons, none of them good, Lucille Ball.

None of these works is entirely perfect -- their handling of racial stereotypes is particularly unpleasant -- but they also manage to achieve moments of sheer delight.

Auntie Mame, in whatever form you consume it, is a delightful work of mid-century art. The film is a 1950s romp with bright phony soundstages and bellowing performances that overflow with camp, centered around a wacky aging aunt who lives a life entirely on her own terms, much to the horror of everyone around her.

At times, the movie manages to accidentally anticipate the freedom of the 60s, but gaily depicts it as originating not in youth culture but from a powerful grande dame.

It's no wonder queer folks are drawn to the character -- created by Patrick Tanner, a bisexual man. As Mame, Rosalind Russell emits a perfect form of manic free-spirited energy to demolish what today we would call "the patriarchy" but back then would simply be "life." And although the two movies lean heavily on the uptight heterosexual nephew as a framing device, Mame has no time for the stodgy times in which she lives, and flies from one madcap caper to another.

Whether her story is contained within the context of the Depression, the pre-feminist 50s, or who knows maybe someday a contemporary remake, Mame's refusal to even consider that she might be beaten down by her circumstances is inspiring. Insane, sure. But the inspiring kind of insane.

Stuff We Talked About