298 episodes

Revealing stories about the books, movies, tv, music and more that have changed the lives of gay men. Each week, a guest plucks a piece of entertainment from their past, and answers the question: how did it change your life?

The Sewers of Paris Matt Baume

    • Society & Culture
    • 5.0 • 21 Ratings

Revealing stories about the books, movies, tv, music and more that have changed the lives of gay men. Each week, a guest plucks a piece of entertainment from their past, and answers the question: how did it change your life?

    There Was a Rage (Ep 467 - Star Wars/Karl Dunn)

    There Was a Rage (Ep 467 - Star Wars/Karl Dunn)

    My guest this week is writer, activist, and former gold trader Karl Dunn, whose new book How to Burn a Rainbow is a memoir of how he pieced his life back together after a chaotic divorce. Karl’s journey from wedded bliss through a nightmare of legal battles and losing his livelihood and then ultimately finding inner peace sounds like a Hollywood narrative — which isn’t surprising, given that he worked for a time as a screenwriter, drawing on inspiration from wildly different sources from epic sci-fi novels to angry hip-hop to confrontational queer activism. 

    We’ll have that conversation in a minute. First, a reminder that if you like The Sewers of Paris, you’ll probably also enjoy my other projects. For example, my weekly livestreams on Twitch — this weekend we’ll be starting a two-part watch-party of the movie Cabaret. 

    Or you might want to check out my new podcast where we dive into the 90s TV series My So-Called Life, one episode at a time — it’s available now wherever you listen to podcasts, just search for Matt’s So-Cast Pod.

    And check out my videos, my book, my newsletter, and more at MattBaume.com.

    • 52 min
    Lucy Would Not Take This Down (Ep 466 Lucille Ball/Eli McCann)

    Lucy Would Not Take This Down (Ep 466 Lucille Ball/Eli McCann)

    My guest this week is Eli McCann, a lawyer, a humor columnist for the Salt Lake Tribune, and a devotee of Lucille Ball since the age of six. That made him an easy kid to shop for, and by the time he was a teen he’d amassed a treasure trove of Lucy memorabilia … which nearly led to a crisis when he caught wind of his classmates’ plan to ambush him at home and reveal what had been, until then, a mostly private obsession.

    We’ll have that conversation in a minute. First, a reminder that if you like The Sewers of Paris, you’ll probably also enjoy my new podcast where we dive into the 90s TV series My So-Called Life, one episode at a time. It’s available now wherever you listen to podcasts — just search for Matt’s So-Cast Pod.

    And you may also like my YouTube videos for a queer look at movie and television history, 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.

    • 37 min
    Living a Superhero Lifestyle (Ep 465 - Scooby Doo/Tim Fish)

    Living a Superhero Lifestyle (Ep 465 - Scooby Doo/Tim Fish)

    My guest this week is writer and artist Tim Fish. I first came across his work in the book Liebestrasse, written by Greg Lockard and illustrated by Tim. It’s the story of two men connecting in Berlin in the leadup to World War II, and it’s typical of Tim’s interests — personal, emotional, and thoughtful. Tim’s always been interested in comics, but for many years it was something of a secret identity for him — a passion that he thought was just a hobby, until he turned thirty and realized he wanted to walk away from his day job and become a full time artist. To make that work, he had a rich vein of inspiration to draw from, starting with Hanna Barbera cartoons.

    We’ll have that conversation in a minute. First, a reminder if that if you like The Sewers of Paris, you’ll probably also enjoy my new podcast about the 90s TV series My So-Called Life. The podcast is called Matt’s So-Cast Pod, and it’s available now wherever you listen to podcasts.

    And you may also like my YouTube videos for a queer look at movie and television history, 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.

    • 50 min
    Gay Male Student #1 (Ep 464 - Carol Burnett/Justin Root)

    Gay Male Student #1 (Ep 464 - Carol Burnett/Justin Root)

    Next week, comedy legend Carol Burnett turns 91 years old, and in honor of her amazing career and life, for this week’s episode we’re diving into the Sewers of Paris archives to revisit my 2018 chat with Carol superfan Justin Root. Justin’s entry to showbiz was kind of a cliché: a pretty young face who arrives in LA with no plan other than getting famous in movies. And yet, within a few days of moving from Ohio to Hollywood, Justin found himself in front of movie cameras. It didn't take long for the entertainment industry to discover Justin, but it took another decade -- and some terrified cruising in the local video store -- for Justin to find himself.

    We’ll have that conversation in a minute. First, a reminder if that if you like The Sewers of Paris, you’ll probably also enjoy my new podcast about the 90s TV series My So-Called Life. This week’s episode features the wonderful Guy Branum, talking about his experience writing for television and why he’s a superfan of actress Bess Armstrong. The podcast is called Matt’s So-Cast Pod, and it’s available now wherever you listen to podcasts.

    And you may also like my YouTube videos for a queer look at movie and television history, 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.

    • 1 hr 19 min
    I Love F***-Ups (Ep 463 - Another World/Rasheed Newson)

    I Love F***-Ups (Ep 463 - Another World/Rasheed Newson)

    My guest this week is author Rasheed Newson, a TV writer who got his start on the show Lie to Me and has gone on to write for The 100, Narcos, Bel Air, and more. Last year his debut novel, My Government Means to Kill Me, made a big splash — it’s the story of a young gay black man who moves to New York during the HIV epidemic. And although Rasheed didn’t experience that world first-hand, he discovered during his writing process that in a strange way, he’d been preparing himself to tell that story for years without ever realizing it.

    We’ll have that conversation in a minute. First, a reminder if that if you like The Sewers of Paris, you’ll probably also enjoy my new podcast about the 90s TV series My So-Called Life. This week’s episode features the delightful Anthony Oliveira, who appeared on The Sewers of Paris just a few weeks ago. We talked all about My So-Called Life episode 3, in which we learn a lot more about the gay teen named Rickie — and we also talked about Anthony’s own experience as a semi-closeted teen in Catholic school, and how his secret boyfriend wasn’t quite as secret as he thought. The podcast is called Matt’s So-Cast Pod, and it’s available now wherever you listen to podcasts.

    And you may also like my YouTube videos for a queer look at movie and television history, 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.

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

    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.

    • 52 min

Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5
21 Ratings

21 Ratings

TAE-08 ,

Just subscribe

As gays we have no direct genetic link but knowing that over continents and timespans there are things that we all have in common, a shared experience that binds us together is super comforting. This podcast made me realise that we all are both individuals with our own quirks and interests and also members of a community that has survived mellenia of oppression through sheer force of will and humour. That makes the good times in my own life better and makes weathering the lows more easy. Basically this podcast is fun and interesting and makes you laugh on the tube. So just subscribe.

AdamSmith520 ,

I’ve learnt so much from this podcast!

Matt finds some fascinating and eloquent guests, and his questioning is always really insightful. If you’re interested in gay stories and culture, check it out.

GirderClamp ,

Brilliant!

Discovered this after Matt appeared on Throwing Shade - it is absolutely brilliant. Rare to have an interviewer who gets so much from their guests whilst keeping it natural and on track! Thank you - really enjoying catching up on something I've clearly been missing out on.

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