My Gay Suit of Armor (Ep 305 - Street Fighter/Deere)

October 9, 2020 Matthew Baume

My guest this week is the drag artist known as Deere. You may know her from her livestreams on Twitch, where she plays primarily horror games. She’s also the founder of Stream Queens, a collective of drag artists, makeup monsters, and creatures who adopt amazing costumes and personas to livestream games. Off-camera, Deere’s a quiet introverted artist who never expected her drag alter ego to take on a life and career of her own.

We’ll have that in a minute. First, a reminder that The Sewers of Paris is on Twitter and Facebook, where I post clips of the stuff that we talk about on each episode.

And I hope you’ll join me for our next fun friendly livestream on October 10 at 11am Pacific. It’s a nice relaxing time to just hang out and chat. There’s a link at the top of the Sewers of Paris twitter feed.

And don’t forget to check out my other shows! Culture Cruise on YouTube is a deep dive into queer entertainment milestones — I just posted a video about the 90s show Dinosaurs, and its unlikely link to a real-life gay Transylvanian dinosaur hunter from the 1800s. And check out Queens of Adventure and Queens of Adventure: Legends, two narrative comedy shows with drag heroes going on adventures in a world of fantasy.

More links to check out: Arson Nicki is a meticulous gamer who loves to chat while streaming makeup transformations, life simulators, and the occasional RPG or party game. You can find her at twitch.tv/arsonnicki. Fraya Love is an artist who streams makeup and exploration games like Breath of the Wild, at twitch.tv/fraya_love. And Londyn Bradshaw is a chaotic queen whose streams are never not surprising. She’s at twitch.tv/londynbradshaw.

And here's the moderator video that Deere talked about: https://twitch.tv/videos/507819705

Life with Sharks (Ep 304 - Jaws/Chris Pepin-Neff)

October 1, 2020 Matthew Baume

My guest this week is Chris Pepin-Neff, the world’s foremost expert on human-shark interaction. His life was shaped, you will be shocked to hear, by the movie Jaws — but also by his time in a socialist commune, as well as working alongside Frank Kameny, one of the leading gay rights activists of the 20th century, not to mention his friendship with Gore Vidal. Chris has so many fascinating stories to share and I am so excited to bring them to you.

But first, a reminder that The Sewers of Paris is on Twitter and Facebook, where I post clips of the stuff that we talk about on each episode.

You Don't Want to See Minnie Mouse Take Her Head Off (Ep. 303 - BenDeLaCreme)

September 25, 2020 Matthew Baume

You may have seen the very exciting news this week that BenDeLaCreme and Jinkx Monsoon will release a holiday special this year — an adaptation of their wonderful live holiday show. I helped out with the shooting of the special and without giving away too much, I can tell you that it is going to be AMAZING. For this week’s Sewers of Paris, we’re jumping into the archives to revisit my 2016 interview with BenDeLaCreme, a performer who specializes in breaking boundaries, upending order, and causing mischief. You probably know her best from Season 6 of Drag Race, or the even more shocking All-Stars twist. If you enjoyed her on reality TV and at her live shows, just wait until you get to know Ben, the alter ego behind the character.

But first, a reminder that The Sewers of Paris is on Twitter and Facebook, where I post clips of the stuff that we talk about on each episode.

And I hope you’ll join me for our next fun friendly livestream on September 25 at 11am Pacific. It’s a nice relaxing time to just hang out and chat. There’s a link at the top of the Sewers of Paris twitter feed.

And don’t forget to check out my other shows! Culture Cruise on YouTube is a deep dive into queer entertainment milestones. And check out Queens of Adventure and Queens of Adventure: Legends, two narrative comedy shows with drag heroes going on adventures in a world of fantasy.

Your Grease Truck Voice (Ep 302 - Philip William Stover/Gay Romance Novels)

September 17, 2020 Matthew Baume

Love is in the air this week with my guest Phillip William Stover, writer of numerous romance novels both gay and straight. Growing up, he hid his love of romance, tearing the covers off of books so nobody would notice what he was reading. But as he grew up, he started to realize the extent to which queer people are often denied an opportunity to see loving relationships depicted in media. And so he made it his mission to fix that.

We’ll have that conversation in a minute.

First, a reminder that The Sewers of Paris is on Twitter and Facebook, where I post clips of the stuff that we talk about on each episode.

And I hope you’ll join me for our next fun friendly livestream on September 19 at 11am Pacific. It’s a nice relaxing time to just hang out and chat. There’s a link at the top of the Sewers of Paris twitter feed.

And don’t forget to check out my other shows! Culture Cruise on YouTube is a deep dive into queer entertainment milestones. And check out Queens of Adventure and Queens of Adventure: Legends, two narrative comedy shows with drag heroes going on adventures in a world of fantasy.

And a quick note — the audio on my side of the recording is a bit muffled at the start of our conversation. But fortunately I don’t talk much and then it improves pretty quickly.

Freak of Nature (Ep 301 - Bride of Frankenstein/Sam Irvin)

September 10, 2020 Matthew Baume

The Sewers of Paris is independent, ad-free, and listener supported. Head over to Patreon.com/mattbaume to join the folks who make the show possible, and to check out the rewards for backers.

My guest this week likes a good scare. As a kid, Sam Irvin loved Bride of Frankenstein, and he brought that influence with him as an adult when he directed the show Dante’s Cove and the movie Elvira’s Haunted Hills — among many other projects. Whether working with Christopher Lee, Brian DePalma, or Ian McKellan, Sam is an endless source of amazing stories, and I’m so glad to bring them to you on this episode.

First, a reminder that The Sewers of Paris is on Twitter and Facebook, where I post clips of the stuff that we talk about on each episode. This week I’ll be posting my favorite clip of all time from Bride of Frankenstein, Dante’s Cove, and Elvira, Mistress of the Dark.

Eight Great Conversations With Queer Creators (Ep 300)

September 3, 2020 Matthew Baume

This is the three hundredth episode of the show, and I just want to take a moment to say how incredibly grateful I am to the hundreds of amazing guests who’ve made time to talk to me, listeners like you who download the show and recommend it to friends, and of course everyone on Patreon whose support allows me to create the show week after week.

In the nearly five and a half years that I’ve been doing The Sewers of Paris, I’ve spoken to hundreds of fascinating people, and for this three hundredth episode I wanted to gather clips from some of my favorite conversations over the years. You’re about to hear excerpts from my interviews with sex advice columnist Dan Savage, comedy writer Bruce Vilanch, NPR reporter Sonari Glinton, drag icon Coco Peru, Lebanese pop singer Hamed Sinno, pop culture host Louis Virtel, actor Patrick Bristow, and finally Drag Race star Alaska Thunderfuck.

Each of these people is creating art and culture and entertainment, and I’ve selected clips from each episode that provides insight into their unique styles and inspiration. And of course, if you’d like to hear the full interview with any of them, you can find them all at SewersOfParis.com.

Also, a reminder that The Sewers of Paris is on Twitter and Facebook — I’ll be posting links to each of these guests’ original episodes throughout the next week.

And don’t miss my next livestream — a nice time to just hang out and talk about the book and movies and music and shows we love, trade recommendations, and just chill out with queer friends. The next one is September 19 at 11am pacific. There’s a link at the top of the Sewers of Paris twitter feed.

And don’t forget to check out my other podcasts! Culture Cruise on YouTube is a deep dive into queer entertainment milestones. And check out Queens of Adventure and Queens of Adventure: Legends, two narrative comedy shows with drag heroes going on adventures in a world of fantasy.

Hot Glue and Rhinestones (Ep. 299 - Remembering Chi Chi DeVayne)

August 27, 2020 Matthew Baume

On this episode we’re remembering Chi Chi DeVayne, performer and Drag Race star who passed away last week at the age of 34. I spoke to Chi Chi back in 2018, when she was appearing on All Stars, about her roots, her religion, and how she drew on military training as she discovered her love of drag.

This week I’ll also be posting some clips on the Sewers of Paris Twitter and Facebook of stuff that Chi Chi and I talked about — Big Freedia, To Wong Foo, and Bulletproof.

Also I hope you’ll join me for our next fun friendly livestream on August 29 at 11am Pacific. It’s a nice relaxing time to just hang out and chat. There’s a link at the top of the Sewers of Paris twitter feed.

And if you’re looking for more queer entertainment, check out Culture Cruise on YouTube for a deep dive into queer entertainment milestones. And take a listen to Queens of Adventure and Queens of Adventure: Legends, two narrative comedy shows with drag heroes going on adventures in a world of fantasy.

The Unspoken Queerness of the South (Ep 298 - Steel Magnolias/Anthony Methvin)

August 20, 2020 Matthew Baume

The topic this week: Tori Amos, Steel Magnolias, and Alice in Wonderland.

What piece of media gets you through your rough patches? For my guest this week, it’s Steel Magnolias, a movie that helped him understand his place as a little gay kid among powerful southern women. It’s also the film that got him through election night 2016.

First, a reminder that The Sewers of Paris is on Twitter and Facebook, where I post clips of the stuff that we talk about on each episode. This week you can look forward to of course some Steel Magnolia clips, along with the best Tori music videos and a little Disney.

And I hope you’ll join me for our next fun friendly livestream on August 29 at 11am Pacific. It’s a nice relaxing time to just hang out and chat. There’s a link at the top of the Sewers of Paris twitter feed.

Bright Colors, Zany Action (Ep 297 - Skeletor/JP Karliak)

August 13, 2020 Matthew Baume

Imagine if there was someone out there who could, in a matter of minutes, help you make sense of the unanswered questions you’ve asked about yourself for as long as your can remember. My guest this week is JP Karliak, a voice actor and writer who you might recognize as the voice of the characters Boss Baby, Wile E Coyote on those occasions when he speaks, as Spider-Man and Willy Wonka and tons of voices from The Last of Us to Castlevania to Evangelion. JP was always making of characters and voices and stories, going all the way back to his childhood love of Skeletor or Auntie Mame — and some of those tendencies started to make a lot more sense as an adult, when for the first time he met his birth mother.

Also, a reminder that The Sewers of Paris is on Twitter and Facebook, where I post clips of the stuff that we talk about on each episode. This week I’ll be posting my favorite clip of all time from He-Man, as well as some extremely gay moments from Auntie Mame and also a little quiet time with Rita Repulsa.

And I hope you’ll join me for our next fun friendly livestream on August 15 at 11am Pacific. It’s a nice relaxing time to just hang out and chat. There’s a link at the top of the Sewers of Paris twitter feed.

Not a Fan of Hanging Around in Reality (Steve Kmetko/E! News)

August 6, 2020 Matthew Baume

You might’ve seen the news this week that after three decades, NBC cancelled the entertainment show E! News. For this week’s episode, we’re revisiting my 2015 conversation with one of the hosts of E! News, Steve Kmetko. Steve was the face of the E! cable network from 1994 to 2002, and in addition to hosting the news show he also anchored countless Oscar and Emmy broadcasts, reported from film festivals, and interviewed everyone who was anyone in Hollywood. It was his dream job, but privately, he was being weighed down by a lifetime of baggage: a career that demanded he stay closeted, and a religious upbringing that burdened him with guilt.

First, a reminder that The Sewers of Paris is on Twitter and Facebook, where I post clips of the stuff that we talk about on each episode. This week I’ll be posting clips from Peter Pan with Mary Martin, Whoopi Goldberg in Ghost, and of course, Steve himself reporting on entertainment.

Now, here’s my 2015 interview with Steve.

About The Sewers of Paris

The Sewers of Paris is a podcast about how queer lives are shaped by our favorite books, movies, music, and shows. Each week, guests open up about their secret struggles, hidden passions, and surprising triumphs by plucking a piece of entertainment from their past and answering the question: What’s the entertainment that changed your life?

About Defining Marriage

Each week on Defining Marriage, hosts Matt Baume and James Morris chat about what's happening with marriage equality, featuring frequent digressions into pop culture, silly banter, and the jokes and quibbles that have kept them together as a couple for over a decade.

The first eighteen episodes of the podcast contain the complete audiobook version of the book Defining Marriage, which traces the decades-long evolution of marriage through the personal stories of those who lived through it, featuring personal insights from the lives of Evan Wolfson, Dan Savage, Ken Mehlman, Dustin Lance Black, and many more.

About Matt's So-Cast Pod

Revisit the iconic '90s drama My So-Called Life, one episode at a time. Every week, host Matt Baume & his guests delve into the teen angst, the grown-up turmoil, and the endless flannel of the 90s -- and examine the show's impact on television and our lives.