Stripping Floral (Ep 428 - Margaret Atwood/Kevin)

My guest this week is illustrator Kevin Jay Stanton. I can’t remember how he first came to my attention, but for the last few years I’ve been following him and his lovely artwork of plants and woodland creatures, which find their way onto all manner of objects from tarot cards to bomber jackets. Kevin’s work draws heavily from the natural world, which is why I was surprised to hear that for a time, he set those motifs aside and was pursuing work that he was told would be more commercially lucrative — until he figured out how much better it feels to do work that feels good.

We’ll have that conversation in a minute. 

But first — a quick reminder to check out my YouTube channel for videos about film and TV history. I just posted a video about the behind-the-scenes making of All in the Family — the rise and fall and afterlife of the Bunker family. And I’ve got a video coming soon about the backstage battles behind the movie Some Like it Hot. That’s at YouTube.com/mattbaume. 

And I hope you’ll join me every Sunday for livestreams — we’ve been watching a lot of classic TV shows and films & talking about our favorite parts. You can join us for those at twitch.tv/mattbaume.

Also take a look at my new book about the history of queer characters on sitcoms, Hi Honey, I’m Homo! — available now wherever books are sold. Go to gaysitcoms.com to get a copy and request a personalized signature.

Big thanks to everyone who makes all my work possible on Patreon — visit patreon.com/mattbaume to support Sewers of Paris and get patron-exclusive benefits.

The Eight-Year Audition (Ep 427 - Into the Woods/Alexis Michelle)

My guest this week spent eight years auditioning for Drag Race before he was accepted and his life completely changed. Alexis Michelle, aka Alex Michaels, was a theater performer when he discovered a love of drag, and gradually figured out how to turn his hobby into his career. Now Alexis known for two much-talked about appearances on Drag Race, for appearing on the show Dragnificent, for multiple off-Broadway roles, an album, and an upcoming live tour. But Alex (and Alexis) are only just getting started — ever since seeing his first Sondheim show at the age of five, he’s never stopped dreaming of Broadway. And he’s never been closer to making that dream a reality.

We’ll have that conversation in a minute. 

But first — a quick reminder that I have a new book out! It’s about the behind-the-scenes history of queer characters on sitcoms, and the role that comedy played in queer liberation. It’s called Hi Honey, I’m Homo! and it’s available now wherever books are sold. I can even sign and personalize your copy before shipping it to you — just go to gaysitcoms.com and look for the instructions for ordering a signed copy.

Also don’t forget to swing by my YouTube channel for videos about film and TV history. That’s at YouTube.com/mattbaume — I’ve got one coming this Sunday, August 6, about the-behind-the-scenes making of All in the Family. Also, join me every Sunday for livestreams over on Twitch at twitch.tv/mattbaume where I share the amazing bits of film & TV history that I come across in my research. 

Big thanks to everyone who makes all my work possible on Patreon — visit patreon.com/mattbaume to support Sewers of Paris and get patron-exclusive benefits.

My Favorite Fairy (Ep 426 - Fairy tales/Trip)

My guest this week is Trip Galey, who grew up in the macho world of rodeo before leaving it all behind to join the world of fairies. At his first opportunity, Trip left home to study literature and Shakespeare, finding himself drawn to classical fantasies — to the point that he reshaped his life around them, finding a home in England and dedicating himself to the study of magical tales. Now, his first novel is about to debut. It’s entitled A Market of Dreams and Destiny, and it’s about a human teen who sees an opportunity to escape the oppressive world of his childhood for one of freedom, magic … and romance with a mysterious man.

We’ll have that conversation in a minute.

But first — you may have heard that I too have a new book out! It’s about the behind-the-scenes history of queer characters on sitcoms, and the role that comedy played in queer liberation — and continues to play to this day. It’s called Hi Honey, I’m Homo! and it’s available now wherever books are sold. I can even sign and personalize your copy before shipping it to you — just go to gaysitcoms.com and look for the instructions for ordering a signed copy.

Also if you’re a fan of queer culture, and I’m sure you are, don’t forget to swing by my YouTube channel for my videos about film and TV history. That’s at YouTube.com/mattbaume — I’ve got one coming soon about the behind the scenes making of All in the Family. And join me every Sunday for livestreams over on Twitch at twitch.tv/mattbaume where I share the amazing bits of film & TV history that I come across in my research.

Also, big thanks to everyone who makes all my work possible on Patreon — visit patreon.com/mattbaume to support Sewers of Paris and get patron-exclusive benefits.

The Fantasy That They Sold Us (Ep 425 - International Male/Jesse)

My guest this week is Jesse Finley Reed, co-director and co-producer of the new documentary All Man, which dives deep into the famous (or infamous) catalog/magazine International Male. If you were a curious young queer in the 90s, chances are good that you took a furtive look through the pages of International Male, or had copies hidden in places only you knew about. It was a source of daring, adventurous fashion, and plenty of exposed male flesh. When it comes to telling the story of the rise and eventual fall of International Male, Jesse has a particularly personal connection — going back to his teen years and a doctor who completely changed the course of his life.

We’ll have that conversation in a minute.

But first — you may have heard that I too have a new book out! It’s about the behind-the-scenes history of queer characters on sitcoms, and the role that comedy played in queer liberation — and continues to play to this day. It’s called Hi Honey, I’m Homo! and it’s available now wherever books are sold. I can even sign and personalize your copy before shipping it to you — just go to gaysitcoms.com and look for the instructions for ordering a signed copy.

Also if you’re a fan of queer culture, and I’m sure you are, don’t forget to swing by my YouTube channel for my videos about film and TV history. That’s at YouTube.com/mattbaume — I just published a new video about the incredible work of Norman Lear that I think you’ll love. And join me every Sunday for livestreams over on Twitch at twitch.tv/mattbaume where I share all of the amazing bits of film & TV history that I come across in my research.

Big thanks to everyone who makes all my work possible on Patreon — visit patreon.com/mattbaume to support Sewers of Paris and get patron-exclusive benefits.

Talking About Pleasure (Ep 424 - Madonna/Shantel & Trevor)

I have two guests this week — Shantel Buggs and Trevor Hoppe are the co-authors of a new book about how queer people talk to each other about sex entitled “Unsafe Words: Queering Consent in the #MeToo Era.” I spoke to them both about what brought them to this topic, and about their individual experiences growing up as queer people in very different environments. We’ll hear first from Shantel, who planned to be a doctor before she felt the unexpected call from a very different field of study. And then from Trevor, who was a self-described “horny little teenager” whose early experiences with gay community involved a chaotic nosebleed caused by dancing too close to a butt.

We’ll have those conversations in a minute. And just a heads-up before we get going — this episode will include some brief discussion of sexual assault.

But first — you may have heard that I too have a new book out! It’s about the behind-the-scenes history of queer characters on sitcoms, and the role that comedy played in queer liberation — and continues to play to this day. It’s called Hi Honey, I’m Homo! and it’s available now wherever books are sold. I can even sign and personalize your copy before shipping it to you — just go to gaysitcoms.com and look for the instructions for ordering a signed copy.

Also if you’re a fan of queer culture, and I’m sure you are, don’t forget to swing by my YouTube channel for my videos about film and TV history. That’s at YouTube.com/mattbaume — I just published a new video about the incredible work of Norman Lear that I think you’ll love. You can also subscribe to my email newsletter for weekly dispatches, and join me every Sunday for livestreams over on Twitch at twitch.tv/mattbaume where I share all of the amazing bits of film & TV history that I come across in my research. 

Big thanks to everyone who makes all my work possible on Patreon — visit patreon.com/mattbaume to support Sewers of Paris and get patron-exclusive benefits.

Do I want him or do I want to be him? (Ep 423 - Manuel/Disney films)

Welcome back to the Sewers of Paris. Thanks for your patience during the brief pause in the podcast during the month of June — and now I’m delighted to get back behind the mic for more conversations about the entertainment that changed the lives of queer people. On tonight’s episode: 

My guest this week is Manuel Betancourt, whose new book of essays about hunks, heartthrobs, and what pop culture taught him about men — and the desire for them. Manuel’s found his way through a series of re-inventions, moving from Colombia to Canada to New York and California, each time deciding to try out a new life as he zeroed in on the one that fits best — one that, it turns out, includes naked garden parties.

We’ll have that conversation in a minute. But first — you may have heard that I too have a new book out! It’s about the behind-the-scenes history of queer characters on sitcoms, and the role that comedy played in queer liberation — and continues to play to this day. It’s called Hi Honey, I’m Homo! and it’s available now wherever books are sold. I can even sign and personalize your copy before shipping it to you — just go to gaysitcoms.com and look for the instructions for ordering a signed copy.

Also if you’re a fan of queer culture, and I’m sure you are, don’t forget to swing by my YouTube channel for my videos about film and TV history. That’s at YouTube.com/mattbaume — and I’ve got a new video premiering this weekend all about Norman Lear that I think you’ll love. You can also subscribe to my email newsletter for weekly dispatches, and join me every Sunday for livestreams over on Twitch at twitch.tv/mattbaume — on the last livestream, we watched clips from a bunch of my favorite failed TV show pilots, and there’s lots more to watch on the next one.

Oh and one more thing — I’ve added two new free features to my Patreon. The first is a free tier that gets monthly Q&A videos where I respond to questions and clips sent in by folks like you. And the second is a free trial, so you can watch hundreds of Patreon-exclusive bonus videos for a week, and then decide if you want to stick around. You can check out the Patreon at patreon.com/mattbaume.

Tough on the Outside, Nice on the Inside (Ep 422 - Pokémon/José)

On the last episode of Sewers of Paris, we heard from Max Miller, host of the YouTube series Tasting History the book of the same name. This week, we’re revisiting my 2020 conversation Max’s partner José, who as a kid was a shy gay nerd before he grew up to be … also a shy gay nerd. But one who helped launch Disney Plus, who now cohosts a YouTube series of his own, created a life for himself he could never have imagined when he was young.

Also: A quick reminder that I’ve got a book of my own about to come out — Hi Honey, I’m Homo — and I’ll be hosting live readings this month in New York, Chicago, Seattle, Portland, and we’re about to add Los Angeles to the itinerary.

All of Your Passions Together (Ep 421 - Max Miller/Tasting History)

This week, we’re diving into the Sewers of Paris archives to revisit my 2020 interview with Max Miller. He’s the creator of the Tasting History YouTube channel, and author of the new book Tasting History, which comes out this week. In Max’s video series, he shares historical recipes and intriguing stories about the origin of the foods that humans have eaten throughout history, and his book expands on that work. It was inspired, in part, by Max’s appreciation for The Great British Bakeoff, and at first he didn’t intend for his videos to be anything other than a fun hobby to entertain family and friends — which is why nobody was more surprised than him when it took off, making unexpected use of his background in musical theater and his time swinging from the rafters of a cruise ship.

We’ll have that conversation in a minute. First, a reminder that I’ve got a book of my own about to come out in May — tracing the history of queer characters on American sitcoms and entitled Hi Honey, I’m Homo. I’ll be hosting live book readings around the country to celebrate launch! So far we have New York, Chicago, and Seattle on the calendar, and we’re about to add Portland. Plus there’s more on the way. Check out the details at gaysitcoms.com, or subscribe to my weekly newsletter for all the latest at mattbaume.com.

Comrades and Bedfellows (Ep 420 - Walt Whitman/Andrew)

My guest this week is Andrew Rimby, host of the Ivory Tower Boiler Room podcast. Andrew’s career as an entertainer began at an early age as a stage performer, but then he took an unexpected swerve into academia, and he’s spent the last decade pursuing a PhD, exploring the work of Victorian poets and in particular the homoerotics of Walt Whitman and Oscar Wilde. 

We’ll have that conversation in a minute. First, a reminder that I’ve got a book coming out this May — Hi Honey, I’m Homo, now available for pre-order at gaysitcoms.com. And we’ve just announced a bunch of in-person events I’ll be hosting around the country to celebrate the book launch! So far we have New York, Chicago, and Seattle on the calendar with more on the way. Check out the details at gaysitcoms.com.

And! I popped by Andrew’s podcast to talk about my work, activism, and queer liberation. Check that out here.

Enemies to Lovers (Ep 419 - Christopher Rice/Gay romance novels)

Author Christopher Rice is known for a lot of things, from his thrillers to his podcast to collaborations with his mother Anne Rice to his more recent foray into novels about gay romance. I spoke to him last year about his book Sapphire Sunset, and now he has a new book in that series coming out. It’s entitled Sapphire Storm, and it’s about two men who start as bitter enemies before they realize that there’s an irresistible force pulling them closer together.

I caught up with Christopher for an update to our previous conversation, and we spoke about his writing process and why gay romance matters. Because of his busy schedule, this conversation’s a little shorter than the usual Sewers of Paris interviews. But chatting with Christopher is always a delight — and if you want more, after this episode you can jump back to our conversation last year in episode 378.

Also, a quick update on my upcoming book about the history of queer characters on sitcoms, Hi Honey I’m Homo: we’ve announced some live in-person events, with more on the way! Head over to GaySitcoms.com to see if I’m coming to your town for a reading and book signing — so far we have events confirmed for New York, Chicago, and Seattle, with additional ones in the works.