The Sewers of Paris

You are almost certainly acquainted with my guest on this week’s episode — through the episodes he wrote of Will & Grace, Cybil, Frasier, and the show he helped create, The Chris Isaak Show. Bill was a theater guy who get his foot in the door of TV thanks to a few lucky breaks and some colleagues who recognized how funny he was, and he went on to play an important role in shaping TV comedy in the 90s. And now, after a break to raise two kids, he’s picking up where he left off. We’ll have that conversation in just a minute. First — if you’re enjoying The Sewers of Paris, I hope you’ll consider supporting the show on Patreon at Patreon.com/mattbaume. You may also enjoy my YouTube videos about the making of iconic movies and TV shows — I’ve got a new one out about the movie But I’m a Cheerleader. And check out my weekly livestreams on Twitch, my book Hi Honey, I’m Homo!, and my free email newsletter full of stories about the making of gay entertainment. There’s links to all that in the episode shownotes, and at MattBaume.com.

For this week’s episode of The Sewers of Paris, we’re trying something new — I’ll interview my guest, Christian Garcia, about the movies that changed his life. And then he’ll interview me about the media that shaped mine, for his podcast. Christian’s the host of That Ol’ Gay Classic Cinema, which focuses on the golden age of Hollywood. And as you’ll hear… after years of thinking that he could only enjoy old movies by himself, creating the podcast brought him in contact with a community he never knew existed. We’ll have that conversation in just a minute. First — if you’re enjoying The Sewers of Paris, I hope you’ll consider supporting the show on Patreon. You may also enjoy my YouTube videos about the making of iconic movies and TV shows — I’ve got a new one coming this weekend about the movie But I’m a Cheerleader. And check out my weekly livestreams on Twitch, my book Hi Honey, I’m Homo!, and my free email newsletter full of stories about the making of gay entertainment. There’s links to all that in the episode shownotes, and at MattBaume.com.

On last week’s episode, I talked with comedian Tim Murray, co-star of the new show Wish You Were Queer, alongside Michael Henry and Trixie Mattel. This week, we’re going behind the scenes to chat with the show’s producer, Frank Spadafora. Frank’s a former theater kid who realized that his real talent lay in wrangling his weird queer friends into making zany projects — sort of like Kermit the Frog, but very very gay. We’ll have that conversation in just a minute. First — if you’re enjoying The Sewers of Paris, I hope you’ll consider supporting the show on Patreon. You may also enjoy my YouTube videos about the making of iconic movies and TV shows — I just posted a new video about the twenty-year anniversary of Brokeback Mountain, and I’ve got a new one coming soon about the movie But I’m a Cheerleader. And check out my weekly livestreams on Twitch, my book Hi Honey, I’m Homo!, and my free email newsletter full of stories about the making of gay entertainment. There’s links to all that in the episode shownotes, and at MattBaume.com.

My guest this week is comedian Tim Murray, co-star of the new show Wish You Were Queer, alongside Michael Henry and Trixie Mattel. The show follows two friends on a real road trip around the country, each week exploring a new city where they have just a few days to create a new stand-up show for each local audience. The entire series is streaming now on OUTtv. Tim’s entry into entertainment came from a very different genre from comedy — a childhood interest in horror. But as you’ll hear, making people laugh and making people scream isn’t as different as it might seem. We’ll have that conversation in just a minute. First — if you’re enjoying The Sewers of Paris, I hope you’ll consider supporting the show on Patreon. You may also enjoy my YouTube videos about the making of iconic movies and TV shows — I just posted a new video about the twenty-year anniversary of Brokeback Mountain. And check out my weekly livestreams on Twitch, my book Hi Honey, I’m Homo!, and my free email newsletter full of stories about the making of gay entertainment. There’s links to all that in the episode shownotes, and at MattBaume.com.

My guest this week is Professor Luis Alvarez-Hernandez, whose book See Me! tells the stories of gay and trans men in South Texas. Luis was inspired, in part, by Puerto Rican performers on Drag Race to explore his own place in the queer community — and to study the ways in which drag queens sometimes step into the role of unofficial social workers for folks who have few other places to turn. We’ll have that conversation in just a minute. First — if you’re enjoying The Sewers of Paris, I hope you’ll consider supporting the show on Patreon. You may also enjoy my YouTube videos about the making of iconic movies and TV shows — I just posted a new video about the twenty-year anniversary of Brokeback Mountain. And check out my weekly livestreams on Twitch, my book Hi Honey, I’m Homo!, and my free email newsletter. There’s links to all that in the episode shownotes, and at MattBaume.com.

This week, I’m welcoming author Christopher Rice back to The Sewers of Paris to talk about his new book, Party of Three — a steamy romance about a gay couple who finds room for a third. On past episodes, I’ve chatted with Christopher about finding inspiration, for example from soapy shows of the 70s and 80s. This time, we’ll go deep on his writing process and the process of psychoanalyzing himself and the characters he creates. Plus, the story of how he once helped solve a murder. We’ll have that conversation in just a minute. First — if you’re enjoying The Sewers of Paris, I hope you’ll consider supporting the show on Patreon. You may also enjoy my YouTube videos about the making of iconic movies and TV shows — I have a new one coming this weekend about the complex legacy of Brokeback Mountain. And check out my weekly livestreams on Twitch, my book Hi Honey, I’m Homo!, and my free email newsletter. There’s links to all that in the episode shownotes, and at MattBaume.com.

My guest this week is drag legend Courtney Act, who you may know from Drag Race, Australian Idol, and from her countless live shows and music videos and albums. Now Courtney has a new podcast called RnR with Courtney Act where she goes deep with friends, celebrities, and celebrity friends. In part, it’s a way for her to recapture that intimate, close-knit relationships she had with other queer people early in her career, before fame turned everything upside-down. And if you’re in Seattle, I hope you’ll join me this Tuesday June 24th at my upcoming live show What’s so Gay About Frasier. It’s a deep-dive into the private life of Seattle’s most eligible bachelor — and an investigation into why he keeps finding himself at the center of queer misunderstandings. It’s on Tuesday, June 24 at Elliott Bay Books on Capitol Hill at 7pm. Tickets are free, and I have all the details at mattbaume.com/events. Also, if you’re enjoying The Sewers of Paris, I hope you’ll consider supporting the show on Patreon. You may also enjoy my YouTube videos about the making of iconic movies and TV shows — I have a new video about the magic of Star Trek’s Lwaxana Troi. And check out my weekly livestreams on Twitch, my book Hi Honey, I’m Homo!, and my free email newsletter. There’s links to all that in the episode shownotes, and at MattBaume.com.

My guest this week is the comedian Ricky Sim, who’s currently touring with his show Coming Out to Dead People. As the name might suggest Ricky’s coming-out process was a little bumpy. Starting with the time that he smuggled an adult VHS tape into the one place he felt safe watching it … a church basement. (Check out Ricky’s upcoming shows in Chicago and New York at https://www.rickysim.com/#tour-dates .) We’ll have that conversation in just a minute. First — if you’re in Seattle, I hope you’ll join me at my upcoming live show What’s so Gay About Frasier. It’s a deep-dive into the private life of Seattle’s most eligible bachelor — and an investigation into why he keeps finding himself at the center of queer misunderstandings. It’s on Tuesday, June 24 at Elliott Bay Books on Capitol Hill at 7pm. I have all the details in the shownotes and at mattbaume.com/events. Also, if you’re enjoying The Sewers of Paris, I hope you’ll consider supporting the show on Patreon. You may also enjoy my YouTube videos about the making of iconic movies and TV shows — I have a new video about the magic of Star Trek’s Lwaxana Troi. And check out my weekly livestreams on Twitch, my book Hi Honey, I’m Homo!, and my free email newsletter. There’s links to all that in the episode shownotes, and at MattBaume.com.

My guest this week is culture writer Erik Piepenburg, author of the new book Dining Out: First Dates, Defiant Nights, and Last Call Disco Fries at America's Gay Restaurants. It’s a nationwide tour of the places queer people gather to eat, and how those places satisfy more than just our literal hunger. When Erik started the project, he expected that he’d be documenting the dying-out of gay restaurants, but he found something surprising and thriving instead. We’ll have that conversation in just a minute. First — if you’re in Seattle, I hope you’ll join me at two upcoming live events. The first is a book signing and sitcom-themed hangout at the Northgate Barnes & Noble — that’s this Sunday, June 8 from noon to 4pm. Come enjoy clips from classic sitcoms, get your copy of Hi Honey, I’m Homo! signed, and pick up some free stickers & bookmarks! The store’s located right off the light rail — just take it up to Northgate. The second event this month is a presentation entitled What’s so Gay About Frasier — a deep-dive into why Seattle’s most eligible bachelor keeps managing to find himself at the center of queer farces. That’s on Tuesday, June 24 at Elliott Bay Books on Capitol Hill at 7pm. I have all the details in the shownotes and at mattbaume.com/events. Also, if you’re enjoying The Sewers of Paris, I hope you’ll consider supporting the show on Patreon. You may also enjoy my YouTube videos about the making of iconic movies and TV shows — I have a new video about the magic of Star Trek’s Lwaxana Troi. And check out my weekly livestreams on Twitch, my book Hi Honey, I’m Homo!, and my free email newsletter. There’s links to all that in the episode shownotes, and at MattBaume.com.

My guest this week is writer Christopher Tradowsky, who loves nothing more than to slip into the sanctuary of an old-fashioned movie palace, to commune with strangers all indulging together in whatever escape is unspooling up on the screen. These days, those great vintage movie houses are getting harder to find. But Christopher’s extending an invitation to discover that magic through his new book, Midnight at the Cinema Palace, a novel about three friends — or maybe more? — whose love of film draws them into a 1990s-era film noir. We’ll have that conversation in a minute. First, if you’re enjoying The Sewers of Paris, I hope you’ll consider supporting the show on Patreon. You may also enjoy my YouTube videos about the making of iconic movies and TV shows — I have a new video about the magic of Star Trek’s Lwaxana Troi. And check out my weekly livestreams on Twitch, my book Hi Honey, I’m Homo!, and my free email newsletter. There’s links to all that in the episode shownotes, and at MattBaume.com. Also -- if you're in Seattle, come grab a signed copy of my book, Hi Honey, I'm Homo!, hang out and chat about great queer comedy, and pick up some freebies next Sunday June 8 -- I'll be at Northgate Barnes & Noble, signing books & showing my favorite sitcom clips. It's right off the Northgate light rail stop -- see you there!

My guest this week is filmmaker Peter McDowell, whose documentary Jimmy in Saigon is a sort of detective story that follows Peter’s attempt to unravel into the strange death of his brother … and also an unspoken love story that had been hidden for years. Peter didn’t expect to find himself making this documentary, and for a long time didn’t even think of himself as a filmmaker. It wasn’t until recently that he decided to spend his entire savings trying to unravel a mystery that had hung over his family for decades. We’ll have that conversation in a minute. First, if you’re enjoying The Sewers of Paris, I hope you’ll consider supporting the show on Patreon. You may also enjoy my YouTube videos about the making of iconic movies and TV shows. And check out my weekly livestreams on Twitch, my book Hi Honey, I’m Homo!, and my free email newsletter. There’s links to all that in the episode shownotes, and at MattBaume.com.

My guest this week is Alexis Langlois, director of the film Queens of Drama — a musical love story about two performers who enter a forbidden romance behind the scenes of a pop-star competition. Alexis has been making films with a troupe of irregulars for years, inspired by John Waters’ Dreamlanders and the recurring actors in the films of David Lynch. His style is scrappy, independent, political, and very queer … so you can imagine his surprise when he was invited to present his latest work at Cannes. We’ll have that conversation in a minute. First — if you’ve been watching the latest season of Drag Race All Stars, you’ve seen Bosco and Irene the Alien absolutely stealing the show with great looks, funny banter, and a mischievous friendship. And you can get even more of that Irene and Bosco magic — having an absolute riot playing Dungeons & Dragons. A couple years ago Bosco and Irene joined me and my partner James for a D&D adventure, and we just posted the full audio for you to check out. Over six hours of these two drag stars on a fun, chaotic fantasy romp. You don’t need to know anything about D&D to listen — it’s basically like an audiobook that you can put on to enjoy while you’re doing something else. I think you’ll love it — Here’s a link: https://youtu.be/rD8tJTtAMYA And if you’re enjoying The Sewers of Paris, I hope you’ll consider supporting the show on Patreon. You may also enjoy my YouTube videos about the making of iconic movies and TV shows. I have a new video out now about the British sitcom Vicious, starring Ian McKellen and Derek Jacobi. And check out my weekly livestreams on Twitch, my book Hi Honey, I’m Homo!, and my free email newsletter. There’s links to all that in the episode shownotes, and at MattBaume.com.

My guest this week is Pete Crighton, whose debut book The Vinyl Diaries comes out next week on May 13. It’s a memoir and a disocography, based on a journal that Pete kept of his various hookups with men over the years and the soundtrack of each encounter and relationship. We’ll have that conversation in a minute. First, if you’re enjoying The Sewers of Paris, I hope you’ll consider supporting the show on Patreon. You may also enjoy my YouTube videos about the making of iconic movies and TV shows. I have a new video out now about the British sitcom Vicious, starring Ian McKellen and Derek Jacobi. And check out my weekly livestreams on Twitch, my book Hi Honey, I’m Homo!, and my free email newsletter. There’s links to all that in the episode shownotes, and at MattBaume.com.

A new film called Lavender Men comes to theaters this month, and streaming in June — it’s about a theatrical stage manager who daydreams about her connection to Abraham Lincoln through queer romance. I’m chatting with two of the folks involved in the film this week: Lovell Holder directed the film, and Roger Q. Mason is the writer and star. They’re longtime collaborators, going back to college when Lovell was entranced by Roger’s performance in Romeo and Juliet as the Nurse. And this film is just one step in their plans to change the world. We’ll have that conversation in a minute. First, if you’re enjoying The Sewers of Paris, I hope you’ll consider supporting the show on Patreon. You may also enjoy my YouTube videos about the making of iconic movies and TV shows. I have a new video out now about the British sitcom Vicious, starring Ian McKellen and Derek Jacobi. And check out my weekly livestreams on Twitch, my book Hi Honey, I’m Homo!, and my free email newsletter. There’s links to all that in the episode shownotes, and at MattBaume.com.

My guest this week is the writer, director, and co-star of the new Argentinian film Most People Die on Sundays. Iair grew up watching soap operas, pulled into on-screen melodramas. And now as an adult, he gets to make movies and work alongside the actors he used to watch on his favorite shows. But that’s only the start of what makes his latest film so personal. We’ll have that conversation in a minute. First, if you’re enjoying The Sewers of Paris, I hope you’ll consider supporting the show on Patreon. You may also enjoy my YouTube videos about the making of iconic movies and TV shows. I have a new one coming this weekend about the British sitcom Vicious, starring Ian McKellen and Derek Jacobi. And check out my weekly livestreams on Twitch, my book Hi Honey, I’m Homo!, and my free email newsletter. There’s links to all that in the episode shownotes, and at MattBaume.com.

You may have seen writer, actor, and comedian Jeffery Self on the shows 30 Rock, Desperate Housewives, and Jeffery & Cole Casserole alongside Cole Escola. Or you might know him from his books, Drag Teen and A Very Very Bad Thing. Jeffery’s latest book Self-Sabotage: And Other Ways I've Spent My Time came out last month. And for this week’s episode, we’re heading into the Sewers archive to revisit my conversation with Jeffery from 2017, when we talked about forming a rebel theater troupe in his small southern hometown; testing his capacity for sass on television; and creating the circle of friends that he knew he needed in his life. We’ll have that conversation in a minute. First, if you’re enjoying The Sewers of Paris, I hope you’ll consider supporting the show on Patreon. You may also enjoy my YouTube videos about the making of iconic movies and TV shows — my latest is about the film Dog Day Afternoon. And check out my weekly livestreams on Twitch, my book Hi Honey, I’m Homo!, and my free email newsletter. There’s links to all that in the episode shownotes, and at MattBaume.com.

You might’ve seen this week’s guest, Andrew Gurza, in the news lately. An activist and advocate for people with disabilities, he recently drew headlines for talking openly about how sex workers have changed his life, and why he believes the government should pay for them. Andrew has a new book coming out this month called Notes from a Queer Cripple: How to Cultivate Queer Disabled Joy (and Be Hot While Doing It!). And for this week’s Sewers of Paris, we’re diving into the archives to revisit my conversation with Andrew from 2017. At that time, he was hosting a podcast called Disability After Dark, and had recently organized a successful accessible sex party in Toronto. Now, his mission has continued: To demolish cultural taboos around disability and sex.

As you might’ve heard, I have a new video up on YouTube about the film Dog Day Afternoon, and a queer bank robber who stunned New York way back in the 1970s. For this week’s episode, we’re diving into the Sewers of Paris archives to explore queer life (and, occasionally, crime) in New York of the ‘70s. Back in the spring of 2020 I spoke with a man who remembered that era well; 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.

My guest this week is author and architect Robert Raasch, whose recent debut novel The Summer Between is a coming-of-age adventure set in Greenwich Village of the late 1970s. It’s a topic that Robert knows well, having lived through that time himself — making the most of the thrilling disco and loft parties and sexual exploration it had to offer. And now his book offers a glimpse back at the best of those years, and maybe some inspiration for recapturing that energy of liberation. We’ll have that conversation in a minute. First, if you’re enjoying The Sewers of Paris, I hope you’ll consider supporting the show on Patreon. You may also enjoy my YouTube videos about the making of iconic movies and TV shows. And check out my weekly livestreams on Twitch, my book Hi Honey, I’m Homo!, and my free email newsletter. There’s links to all that in the episode shownotes, and at MattBaume.com.

My guest this week is writer SW Kent, whose new novel is The Storyteller from Balincia. He’s been a storyteller himself since he was a kid, but for the first act of his career he had to rest his fiction-writing muscles so that he could concentrate on his job, which largely concerned programs for diversity, equity, and inclusion. In that role, he helped people in marginalized communities tell their stories. Now it’s his turn to tell his own story, through his favorite genre of dark epic fantasy. We’ll have that conversation in a minute. First, if you’re enjoying The Sewers of Paris, I hope you’ll consider supporting the show on Patreon. You may also enjoy my YouTube videos about the making of iconic movies and TV shows. And check out my weekly livestreams on Twitch, my book Hi Honey, I’m Homo!, and my free email newsletter. There’s links to all that in the episode shownotes, and at MattBaume.com.