mattbaume posts
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Sewers of Paris: The Great Movie Ride (Ep 529 - Turner Classic Movies/Christian)
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 c...
Bonus! An actor's first gay kiss
You might know Dante Basco as Prince Zuko from Avatar, or as Jake Long, or as Rufio from Hook. But back in the 90s, he was a break-dancer and he played a gay wrestler in But I'm a Cheerleader -- though the director was worried that he wouldn't manage to pull off the required gay kiss. Not only did he prove her wrong, it turned out to be a learning experience for everyone.I've got the story in this week's bonus video, plus the story of the Chiquita Banana's terrible musical li...
Sewers of Paris: We Love Making Gay Sh*t (Ep 528 - Frank/Wish You Were Queer)
On last week’s episode of The Sewers of Paris, 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.
Bonus! Natasha Lyonne's fight to survive & thrive
Hello there! For this week's bonus video, I wanted to give a little context for why, in this house, we adore Natasha Lyonne -- starting with her adorable early roles in commercials and Pee-Wee's Playhouse, and then of course with her teen appearance in But I'm a Cheerleader. Things took an unpleasant turn for a few years in her 20s: Some people in her life who did not have her best interests at heart; and a health crisis that nearly took her out. But fortunately for her -- and us! --...
Sewers of Paris: I Like Being Scared (Ep 527 - Scream/Tim Murray)
My guest this week on the Sewers of Paris podcast 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 ...
Bonus! The debate over Ang Lee's changes to Brokeback Mountain
Pretty much any time a book is adapted into a movie, the book was better ... but there are a few notable exceptions, and one of them is Brokeback Mountain. And that's according to Annie Proulx, who wrote the book! In this week's bonus video, we're looking at one change to the story that she vigorously opposed ... until she saw it on the screen and realized that Ang Lee's changes to her story made them movie better.Plus! More Brokeback Mountain jokes, including a bunch that Patron...
Sewers of Paris: Sweet Meanness (Ep 526 - Drag Race/Luis)
My guest this week on The Sewers of Paris 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 drag 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.
Bonus video! The best (& worst) Brokeback Mountain jokes
Hello, here's a rare Monday-afternoon bonus video! Usually I post these on Sundays, but because we've had a lot of folks joining from my new Brokeback Mountain video, I didn't want to keep you in suspense for a week with this one: The best (and mostly worst) Brokeback Mountain jokes from the early 2000s.I've got some clips to share from SNL, of course; but also from Jay Leno, Family Guy, and some resourceful YouTubers who jumped on the then-popular trend of reëditing movie trail...
Sewers of Paris: More Taboo Relationships (Ep 525: Christopher Rice/Knots Landing)
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...
Bonus video! Anne Hathaway lied to get a part in Brokeback Mountain
Okay, sure, Anne Hathaway told a little lie during her audition for Brokeback Mountain. But can you blame her for not wanting to do Princess Diaries sequels for the rest of her life?Anne's little fib helped her land the part, but that was just one many problems faced by the film. Today, Brokeback Mountain is regarded as one of the greatest movies ever made (at least, regarded that way by me) ... but back in the early 2000s, it was nearly impossible to find stars willing to appear in a gay ro...
Sewers of Paris: It was Intoxicating (Ep 524: Spice Girls/Courtney Act)
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 h...
Sewers of Paris: Get on Stage and Tell a Joke (Ep 523 - Beijing Story/Ricky)
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 here.)Also — 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...
Bonus! Why was Star Trek: The Animated Series accidentally good?
The animated Star Trek spinoff should have been cheap and terrible ... but thanks to a fluke of timing and a very brave demand from Leonard Nimoy, it wound up having some surprising bright spots. (It was still pretty cheap, though.) So why is the writing and acting so much better than the same company's Archie cartoon that came before, and the He-Man series that followed?Plus: A sneak peek at an upcoming Brokeback Mountain video, and its BONKERS straightwashing ad campaign from 2006.Also, no...
Sewers of Paris: A Restaurant, a Cabaret, and a Hustler Bar (Ep 522 - Sorority House Massacre/Erik)
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 i...
Bonus! Who Thwarted Gene Roddenberry's Gay Vision for Star Trek?
Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry wanted to have gay characters on the show, and even instructed writers to include gay couples on Next Generation ... so why didn't they? This week's bonus video's all about Gene's vision for making the future queer, the forces that stood in his way, and how actors and fans managed to bring his vision to life.Plus! If you're in Seattle, I have several live events coming up!Sunday, June 8: Book signing & sitcoms at Northgate Barnes & NobleTues...
Sewers of Paris: Who Killed the Cinema Palace? (Ep 521 - Hitchcock/Christopher)
My guest on The Sewers of Paris podcast 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 ...
Sewers of Paris: What Happened to my Brother? (Ep 520 - Hair/Peter)
My guest on the Sewers of Paris podcast 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...
Bonus! The mystery of William Shatner's stolen wigs
Why did William Shatner need to steal so many wigs from the set of Star Trek, and what was he doing that rendered them "unphotographable"? For that matter, what happened to the wigs belonging to the producer's multiple mistresses in the cast? We're tackling those hairy riddles in this week's bonus video. Plus! The story of how a humble housewife saved Star Trek ... and why the version of the story that's usually told is not the whole truth about just how clever that house...
Sewers of Paris: I Don't Want to be Part of the Straight World (Ep 519 - Freaks/Alexis)
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 wo...
Bonus! Celebrate Mothers Day with the Lustiest Mom in the Galaxy
Happy mother's day, let's talk about the horniest mom in the galaxy! I've dug up some fascinating behind-the-scenes details about Star Trek, the character Lwaxana Troi, and the real-life saucy shenanigans going on behind the scenes of the show from the 1960s to the 1990s.Plus! If you're as excited as I am to see Bosco and Irene the Alien on Drag Race All Stars right now, I think you'll love listening to these two drag icons playing Dungeons & Dragons. A few years ago, my part...
Sewers of Paris: Inspired by Hookups (Ep 518 - The B-52s/Peter Crighton)
My guest on this week's Sewers of Paris podcast 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.
Bonus! Ian McKellen Versus Dick
This may be one of the most awkward interviews I've ever seen: Ian McKellen talking to Dick Cavett, ostensibly about Ian's appearance at the 1992 Tonys and his touring production of Richard III, but it quickly turns into a weirdly tense confrontation about homosexuality, coming-out, and the use of slurs. Dick seems to be on another planet, and Ian handles himself admirably, I think.Backup link in case the above video doesn't work: https://youtu.be/X3neg4Q2XRAHere's a link to the ...
Sewers of Paris: A Radical Like Me (Ep 517 - Lavender Men/Roger & Lovell)
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 f...
Sewers of Paris: The Moment I Became a Director (Ep 516 - Most People Die on Sundays/Iair)
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.
Bonus! The adorable friendship of Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen
Is there any more friendship in showbiz as wholesome as Ian McKellen's and Patrick Stewart? I've been doing a lot of Ian-related research for an upcoming video about his show Vicious, and I just keep coming across really lovely stories about how close these two actors are -- so for this week's bonus video, we're diving into their long lovely relationship, from their roles in the X-Men films to giving each other (sometimes terrible) career advice to even officiating a wedding (twi...
Sewers of Paris: Serial Killers Shake Things Up (Ep 515 - Torch Song Trilogy/Jeffery Self)
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 troup...
Bonus! Fun backstage stories from Ian McKellen and Derek Jacobi
Hello there!I'm chugging away on multiple videos for you right now -- one about Roy Cohn and Angels in America; and another about the 2013 British sitcom Vicious. For this week's bonus video, I've got some fun backstage stories from the stars of Vicious, the always-iconic Sir Ian and Sir Derek, regarding their youthful hairstyles and run-ins with various other queer creatives. Was Noël Coward making a pass at Derek, or just being really fucking weird?Also, an important question: Whe...
Sewers of Paris: Where's the Coming-Out Advice for Somebody in a Chair? (Ep 514 - Narnia/Andrew)
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 rev...
Bonus video! What happens to you after you're in a bank heist
Hello there!So, you've just been through a bank heist. Robbers have held you at gunpoint for hours, the FBI rescued you, and ... what happens next? Do you have to go in to work the next day, do you get overtime, and how does anyone know that YOU weren't one of the bank robbers? In this week's bonus video, we're diving into the day-after details of the bank heist that inspired Dog Day Afternoon. Plus a fun glimpse at Patty Hearst's cute t-shirt.Backup link in case the video do...
Sewers of Paris: We Were Too Busy Being Gay (Ep 513 - Tree/Stonewall)
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 podcast episode, we’re diving into the Sewers of Parisarchives 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 g...
