Loners & Misfits (Ep 462 - Silence of the Lambs/Monty Wolfe)

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.

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

When they say All my Children they mean ALL

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, and it features a bunch of fabulous guests. It’s available for free right 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:

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

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.

Legendary Slumber Parties (Ep 459 - Robert Patrick/Greenwich Village)

Photo by Cat Gwynn

This week, March 17, marks 54 years since the premiere of the groundbreaking film The Boys in the Band. Set in a New York apartment in the 1960s and based on the play by Mort Crowley, it was one of the first major movies to feature majority-queer characters. And to mark that 54th birthday, for this week’s Sewers of Paris I wanted to revisit my conversation with someone who knew the world of 60s Greenwich Village very well, playwright Robert Patrick.

Robert wandered into the Village as an unsuspecting young gay man in the 1960s. He was only supposed to be there for a day, but he wound up staying for years, witnessing -- and participating in -- one of the most important periods in American theater history. He passed away last year, having written hundreds of plays — as Samuel French called him, “New York’s most-produced playwright.”

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 — 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 Silver Age of Queer Cinema (Ep 458 - Tyler/It's a Sin)

My guest this week is my friend and colleague Tyler Albertario, a writer and researcher with a magnetic enthusiasm for queer history and culture. Tyler always had an interest in our vast queer past, but it was a chance viewing of a show about gay life in the 80s that turned it into a more serious field of study — and that’s led to some of his fascinating insights into the silver age that we’re living in right now.

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 — 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.

People Who Have Real Magic (Ep 457 - Ryan/Dune)

Photo by David M. Barreda

For this week’s episode, the recent release of Dune Part 2 reminded me of a Sewers of Paris episode from 2018 where my guest Ryan and I talked about the grip that fear can have on a person’s mind. Ryan grew up in a rough environment, where his parents subjected him to devastating homophobia and dangerous "ex-gay" treatments. After Ryan legally emancipated himself from his family, what followed was a period of homelessness and addiction that took years for him to overcome. But overcome them he did — and now in 2024 he’s working as a civil rights attorney in Los Angeles.

We originally recorded this interview back in 2018, during a thunderstorm in Colorado, so you'll hear some noise of rain in the background and a few rolls of thunder that were oddly well-timed for Ryan's story. 

We’ll have that conversation in a minute. First, a couple quick announcements, starting with a reminder that I’ve got a weekly newsletter about LGBTQ+ entertainment history. You can sign up for that at MattBaume.com.

Also, check out my YouTube channel for videos about the making of iconic pop culture. I just released a new video about the movie Rebel Without a Cause — that’s at YouTube.com/mattbaume. And I’ve got one coming your way in March about the movie Victim.

And I hope you’ll join me for weekly livestreams over on Twitch every Sunday afternoon. That’s at twitch.tv/mattbaume. 

Also! If you haven’t yet, take a look at my book about the history of queer characters on American sitcoms, Hi Honey, I’m Homo! Available now wherever books are sold. Go to gaysitcoms.com for details and to get a signed copy.

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

Very Powerful Women (Ep 456 - Paul/The Eyes of Laura Mars)

My guest this week is artist Paul Robinson, who just launched a fantastic new project called Twelve Soldiers. It’s a year-long series of monthly profiles, spotlighting heroes of the queer community — and it’s just one of the ways that Paul hopes to give back to a community that’s been very good to him. Starting from the early days of his career as a photographer, working with friends like Lara Flynn Boyle and Jennifer Tilley, to his more recent projects like elevating the work of emerging filmmakers in Africa and around the world.

We’ll have that conversation in a minute. First, a couple quick announcements, starting with a reminder that if you like this podcast, you’ll probably like my weekly newsletter about LGBTQ+ entertainment history. You can sign up for that at MattBaume.com.

Also, check out my YouTube channel for videos about the making of iconic pop culture. I just released a new video about the movie Rebel Without a Cause — that’s at YouTube.com/mattbaume. 

And I hope you’ll join me for weekly livestreams over on Twitch every Sunday afternoon. That’s at twitch.tv/mattbaume. 

Also! If you haven’t yet, take a look at my book about the history of queer characters on American sitcoms, Hi Honey, I’m Homo! Available now wherever books are sold. Go to gaysitcoms.com for details and to get a signed copy.

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

A Writer's Job (Ep 455 - Wicked/Gregory Maguire)

There’s a new trailer out for the upcoming Wicked movie, so I thought it was a good time to dive into the Sewers archives to revisit my chat with Gregory Maguire, author of the Wicked novel, among many other works. Though I’m sure you’re familiar with his book and the musical adaptation, you may not know the extent to which Gregory’s childhood was infused with elements of fairytale — from the fantasy novels he devoured, to the family tragedy that led to his time in an orphanage. 

We’ll have that conversation in a minute. First, a couple quick announcements, starting with a reminder that if you like this podcast, you’ll probably like my weekly newsletter about LGBTQ+ entertainment history. You can sign up for that at MattBaume.com.

Also, check out my YouTube channel for videos about the making of iconic pop culture. I’ve got a video coming your way this Sunday, February 18, about the movie Rebel Without a Cause at YouTube.com/mattbaume. 

And I hope you’ll join me for weekly livestreams over on Twitch every Sunday afternoon. That’s at twitch.tv/mattbaume. 

Also! If you haven’t yet, take a look at my book about the history of queer characters on American sitcoms, Hi Honey, I’m Homo! Available now wherever books are sold. Go to gaysitcoms.com for details and to get a signed copy.

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

If I Drown Myself in my Bathtub for my Art, so Be it (Ep 454 - Sam/Pushing Up Daisies)

My guest this week is a sort of collector of culture. Sam is the co-host of a YouTube series called P and S — be careful not to say it too quickly in polite company — where he and his friend Ewan dissect the strangest pop culture artifacts they can find. Sam’s sensibility was shaped in part by stories about fictional oddballs finding each other. And now through his own videos and comedy, he’s creating culture that helps oddballs find each other in real life. You can find more of Sam’s work via Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok.

We’ll have that conversation in a minute. First, a couple quick announcements, starting with a reminder that if you like this podcast, you’ll probably like my weekly newsletter about LGBTQ+ entertainment history. You can sign up for that at MattBaume.com.

Also, check out my YouTube channel for videos about the making of iconic pop culture. I’ve got a video coming your way about the movie Rebel Without a Cause at YouTube.com/mattbaume. 

And I hope you’ll join me for weekly livestreams over on Twitch every Sunday afternoon. That’s at twitch.tv/mattbaume. 

Also! If you haven’t yet, take a look at my book about the history of queer characters on American sitcoms, Hi Honey, I’m Homo! Available now wherever books are sold. Go to gaysitcoms.com for details and to get a signed copy.

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

I Didn't Know I Could Love Someone Like That (Ep 453 - Mark/Rent)

My guest this week is Mark Daley. Mark’s background is in politics, and included some time as communications director for Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign. But a few years ago, he stumbled across an opportunity to apply his advocacy skills in a new arena, when he and his partner became parents — under circumstances that were not exactly what they’d planned. Mark has a new book out entitled Safe — it’s a look back at how he became a dad, how he maintained a family amidst the challenges of the foster system, and how he founded TheFosterParent.com to help families like his.

We’ll have that conversation in a minute. First, a couple quick announcements, starting with a reminder that if you like this podcast, you’ll probably like my weekly newsletter about LGBTQ+ entertainment history. You can sign up for that at MattBaume.com.

Also, check out my YouTube channel for videos about the making of iconic pop culture. I’ve got a video coming your way this month about the movie Rebel Without a Cause at YouTube.com/mattbaume. 

And I hope you’ll join me for weekly livestreams over on Twitch every Sunday afternoon. That’s at twitch.tv/mattbaume. This weekend we’re continuing our watch along — and debate about the queerness — of James Dean in Rebel Without a Cause.

Also! If you haven’t yet, take a look at my book about the history of queer characters on American sitcoms, Hi Honey, I’m Homo! Available now wherever books are sold. It was just named one of the American Library Association’s Stonewall Book Honorees! Go to gaysitcoms.com for details and to get a signed copy.

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