We Were Too Busy Being Gay (Ep. 340 - Stonewall/Tree)

This week, to celebrate Pride month, we’re heading into the Sewers of Paris archives for a chat with a man who was present for the Stonewall Riots. He earned the nickname Tree thanks to his six-foot-five stature, and he’s been a part of New York’s gay community going back to the fifties, when he didn’t even know a community existed. Tree’s been a member of Brooklyn street gangs, worked with the mob, and counted among his friends Buddy Holly, Bea Arthur, and Rock Hudson. We talked one year ago, as we were heading into a lot of uncertainty around COVID, quarantines, and the future. And now that many of us are finally in the process of re-emerging out into the world, it seemed like a perfect time to reflect on his stories of endurance and liberation.

We’ll have that conversation in a minute. First, a reminder that I just posted a new video over on YouTube that’s all about John Waters, Divine, and three films that I like to call the Trinity of Trash — check that out at YouTube.com/mattbaume.

And just a quick reminder that I’ve got a little newsletter where I share sneak peeks at what I’m working on. Sign up for that at mattbaume.com.

Also a big thanks to everyone who supports the Sewers of Paris on Patreon. And to everyone who’s reviewed it on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen.

A Pride Omnibus (Ep 339 - X-Men/Joe Glass)

My guest this week is comic artist Joe Glass, author of the just-released Pride Omnibus which collects several years of his queer superhero stories. Joe’s work is heavily influenced by his youthful love of heroes from X-Men to Buffy, and like those heroes, there were times when people tried to stop him from pursuing the work that he knew was right.

We’ll have that conversation in a minute. First, a reminder that I just posted a new video over on YouTube that’s all about John Waters, Divine, and three films that I like to call the Trinity of Trash — check that out at YouTube.com/mattbaume.

And just a quick reminder that I’ve got a little newsletter where I share sneak peeks at what I’m working on. Sign up for that at mattbaume.com.

Also a big thanks to everyone who supports the Sewers of Paris on Patreon. And to everyone who’s reviewed it on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen.

Glamour Rampage (Ep 338 - Justin Vivian Bond)

My guest this week is a legend — the amazing Justin Vivian Bond, or just Vivian — an actor, singer, performer, icon. You may recognize their name from the act Kiki and Herb, or from performances ranging from La MaMa to Carnegie Hall, or from collaborations with Jake Shears, John Cameron Mitchell, and Rufus Wainwright. Vivian knew they wanted to be a performer from an early age, and their journey to the stage was an adventure that brought them from a small town to experimental theater in San Francisco and New York to international acclaim — and now, a new project about to debut.

We’ll have that conversation in a minute. First, I want to let you know that I’ve got a new video coming this weekend — join me Sunday June 6 for a livestream and brand new video about the John Waters and his Trinity of Trash, three early films that changed the face of film. That’s at YouTube.com/mattbaume.

And just a quick reminder that I’ve got a little newsletter where I share sneak peeks at what I’m working on. Sign up for that at mattbaume.com.

Also a big thanks to everyone who supports the Sewers of Paris on Patreon. And to everyone who’s reviewed it on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen.

Misfits and Aliens (Ep 337 - Lypsinka/Gypsy)

This week’s guest is John Epperson — also known by his stage name, Lypsinka, who you might’s seen in the documentary Wigstock, in the movie Black Swan, and gracing New York stages from the legendary Pyramid Club to Lincoln Center. John moved from small town Mississippi to New York to chase a dream of a life in the theater, and found fame with his drag alter-ego in the wild 1970s and 80s, all while awash in radical revolutionary queer culture of the East Village.

We’ll have that conversation in a minute. First, a reminder that I’ve got a little newsletter where I share sneak peeks at what I’m working on — the most recent featured a recommendation for a FASCINATING documentary on the history of Nickelodeon. Sign up for that newsletter at mattbaume.com

And speaking of the history of Nickelodeon, check out my YouTube channel for deep dives into pop culture history — my latest video is all about Rocko’s Modern Life and the secret gay history of 90s animation. That’s at YouTube.com/mattbaume.

Also a big thanks to everyone who supports the Sewers of Paris on Patreon. And to everyone who’s reviewed it on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen.

If You Can Survive it, do it (Ep 336 - Gay New York in the 70s & 80s/Mark Finley)

Listeners, I’ve got a handful of interviews coming your way that you are going to love, with some Broadway drag icons. They’re not quite ready yet, but this week I want to prepare you for what’s coming with a conversation about someone who chased his dreams all the way to New York, and then followed his heart back home. This week, we’re diving into the archives to hear my 2016 interview with Mark Finley — a conversation that zooms from Japan to Cal Arts to a stint at Brigham Young where he earned the nickname “The Golden Throat,” and not for his singing. Mark’s stories are so unbelievably fascinating that we spoke for two hours, and I originally released our conversation as a two-parter. But on this episode, you’re going to get both parts of our conversation, including the story of Mark’s brush with death and his miraculous survival.

Also — mark your calendars for this Sunday, May 23rd at 11am pacific. I’m releasing a new video over on my YouTube channel about Rocko’s Modern Life and the secret gay history of 90s animation. Head over to YouTube.com/mattbaume for that — it’s this Sunday, May 23rd at 11am pacific.

Also a big thanks to everyone who supports the Sewers of Paris on Patreon. And to everyone who’s reviewed it on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen.

Camp is like Pornography (Ep 335 - Eurovision/Jānis)

We’re just a few days away from the start of Eurovision, the giant extravagant celebration of over-the-top music and outrageous costumes and, every now and then, taste. Eurovision is a big ball of fun, and it was the subject of the very first episode of The Sewers of Paris. So this week, we’re revisiting my 2015 interview with Jānis, who first introduced me to the joy of Eurovision, along with the German version of American Idol, gay-adjacent Hitchcock, and hard-core camp.

We’ll have that conversation in a minute. First, a quick thanks to everyone who supports the Sewers of Paris on Patreon. And to everyone who’s reviewed it on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen.

And check out my YouTube videos for deep dives into queer pop culture history. I recently posted a new one about The Nanny. That’s at youtube.com/mattbaume. And I’m currently working on a video about the queer undertones of 90s animation, from Nicktoons to Disney villains. Patreon backers get a little sneak peek at what I’ve found so far.

Also, a reminder that I’ve got a newsletter where you can see more stuff I’m working on and fun surprises I’ve discovered. You can sign up at mattbaume.com.

Beauty in Trash (Ep 334 - Bruce Vilanch/Bette Midler)

On last week’s episode I talked with James Sie about the importance of one well-placed Bette Midler album, and this week I want to dive into the Sewers archives with another guest whose life was changed by Bette — in his case, when she called him to offer him a job. Today we’re revisiting my 2017 interview with Bruce Vilanch, a writer an comedian who’s been slipping sly queer jokes into mainstream entertainment since before some of us were even born.  Starting out as a writer for great divas of the 1970s and then moving on to variety shows, the Oscars, and a notorious Star Wars holiday special, Bruce provided a subtle queer infusion into American showbiz for decades. And this week we'll talk about how he managed to get away with it.

We’ll have that conversation in a minute. First, a quick thanks to everyone who supports the Sewers of Paris on Patreon. And to everyone who’s reviewed it on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen.

And check out my YouTube videos for deep dives into queer pop culture history. I’ve got a new video about The Nanny, and how Fran Drescher managed to set the show apart with its treatment of queer characters at a time when TV was not quite so inclusive. That’s at youtube.com/mattbaume.

Also, a reminder that I’ve got a newsletter where you can see the stuff I’m working on and fun surprises I’ve discovered. You can sign up at mattbaume.com.

It Was All There in One Album (Ep 333 - Bette Midler/James Sie)

My guest this week is James Sie, whose voice you may recognize from Kung Fu Panda, Curious George, King of the Hill, and as an unlucky cabbage merchant on Avatar. He’s also the author of Still Life Las Vegas, and a new queer young adult novel called All Kinds of Other, which will have a launch celebration next Friday, May 7, to benefit the Los Angeles LGBT Center. As a young gay man entering college, James wasn’t where to look for community — but he started to pick up some clues thanks to a Bette Midler album.

We’ll have that conversation in a minute. First, a quick thanks to everyone who supports the Sewers of Paris on Patreon. And to everyone who’s reviewed it on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen.

And just a reminder that I’ve got a newsletter where you can see the stuff I’m working on and fun surprises I’ve discovered. You can sign up at mattbaume.com.

Also check out my YouTube videos for deep dives into queer pop culture history. I’ve got a new video coming this weekend about The Nanny, and how Fran Drescher managed to set the show apart with its treatment of queer characters at a time when TV was not quite so inclusive. That’s premiering this weekend, Sunday May 2nd, with a livestream starting at 11am before the video premieres. I hope you’ll join me for that over at youtube.com/mattbaume, and there’s a link on my twitter @mattbaume. 

And I hope you’ll join me for regular videogame livestreams over at Twitch.tv/mattbaume every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday afternoon!

My Life Was a Game of Survivor (Ep 332 - School of Rock/Brian Falduto)

You may recognize my guest Brian Falduto for his music, his coaching, or his role in the 2003 movie School of Rock as Billy, the stylist kid. When he shot his scenes, Brian had no idea what gay even meant, but as soon as the movie came out, it seemed like the whole world was telling him who he was. That pushed him deep into the closet, until another musical experience helped him find his authentic self again in an unlikely genre — country.

We’ll have that conversation in a minute. First, a quick thanks to everyone who supports the Sewers of Paris on Patreon. And to everyone who’s reviewed it on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen.

And just a reminder that I’ve got a newsletter where you can see the stuff I’m working on and fun surprises I’ve discovered. Last week’s newsletter was about how I came to realize how wrong I’ve been about Fran Drescher and Steve Urkle. You can sign up at mattbaume.com.

Also check out my YouTube videos for deep dives into queer pop culture history. That’s at youtube.com/mattbaume. I’ve got a new video in the works about the show The Nanny!

If you like weird old pop culture nostalgia, I livestream a lot of my research for my YouTube videos. Join me as we dive through old archives, discovering obscure clips and news articles — the next of those streams is coming up on Sunday, April 25 — not Saturday, as they’ve been in the past — at 11am pacific. There’s a link on my twitter @mattbaume. 

And I hope you’ll join me for regular videogame livestreams over at Twitch.tv/mattbaume every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday afternoon!

Queer People Everywhere (Ep 331 - Queer as Folk & Minari/Steven Wakabayashi)

 A few years ago, this week’s guest Steven Wakabayashi lived to party. His gay agenda centered on nightlife and a relentless fitness routine, but that all came to an end when the physical toll became too much for his body to bear and he found himself hospitalized for months. To recover, he had to completely change his life and set himself on an entirely new path — one that’s led him to film and literature he would never have otherwise known.

We’ll have that conversation in a minute. First, a quick thanks to everyone who supports the Sewers of Paris on Patreon. And to everyone who’s reviewed it on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen.

And just a reminder that I’ve got a newsletter where you can see the stuff I’m working on and fun surprises I’ve discovered. You can sign up at mattbaume.com.

Also check out my YouTube videos for deep dives into queer pop culture history. That’s at youtube.com/mattbaume. I have a new video up this week about the gay secrets of the show Friends.

And I hope you’ll join me for regular videogame livestreams over at Twitch.tv/mattbaume every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday afternoon!