My Mentor was a Murderer (Ep. 275 - Muppet Show/Dan Steadman)

My Mentor was a Murderer (Ep. 275 - Muppet Show/Dan Steadman)
Matt Baume & Dan Steadman

My guest this week has a lot of stories to share, both in his role as a filmmaker and as person who’s lived a lot of lives. Dan Steadman’s upbringing in a sheltered religious community found him placed in a lot of unusual circumstances, surreptitiously consuming forbidden entertainment and rebooting his entire identity when his family swapped lives with a family in Brazil. His career in showbiz took him to Los Angeles, where he worked alongside big-time celebrities and also faced a crisis — the more comfortable he became living as an openly gay man, the more he realized that he’d have to cut ties with some of the homophobic celebrities he worked with.

We’ll have that conversation in a minute. First — I want to let you know about a whole bunch of live shows I’m hosting in Seattle, Portland, and San Francisco this March, including a livestream that you can watch anywhere in the world. Join us for an escape into a world of Dungeons and Dragons & drag queens with our show Queens of Adventure, where drag performers play Dungeons & Dragons for a live audience. It kicks off with a livestream on YouTube on March 8th. Then we’re performing live in Seattle on March 12 and 13, Portland on March 18th and 19th, and then San Francisco on March 25 and 29. Queens of Adventure live shows are so much fun — basically big queer improvised comedy stories where queer heroes save the world. Tickets and details are now on sale at QueensOfAdventure.com — I hope to see you at those shows and on the livestream on March 8!

It's F*cking Tough to be Reasonable (Ep. 274 - Carlos Maza/Suikoden 2)

It's F*cking Tough to be Reasonable (Ep. 274 - Carlos Maza/Suikoden 2)
Matt Baume & Carlos Maza

For this week’s episode, we’re diving into the Sewers of Paris archive to revisit a chat with the wonderful Carlos Maza. You may know Carlos from the brilliant videos he’s produced, analyzing news and media. Or you might know him from the big queer fuss he caused last year when he shone a spotlight on the rampant harassment and discrimination problem faced by YouTube. Carlos and I spoke back in 2017 about his nerdiest interests — role playing and video games, a medium in which he’s given a lot of thought to whether he identifies as a fighter or a healer? In his videos, Carlos puts up a strong verbal fight. But offscreen, the role in which he's most at home is that of caretaker, looking after others and supporting the well being of those around him. But as he's found, that doesn't always leave time for taking care of himself. 

We’ll have that conversation in a minute. First I want to let you know about a whole bunch of live shows that I’m hosting in Seattle, Portland, and San Francisco. You’ve probably heard me mention my live comedy show and podcast Queens of Adventure, which features drag queens playing Dungeons & Dragons. We’ll be taking the stage at Re-Bar in Seattle on March 12, and then at Emerald City Comic Con on March 13; then we’re doing two in Portland at the Siren Theater on March 18 and 19; and then even more at Oasis in San Francisco on March 25 and 29. Our Queens of Adventure live shows are a ton of fun, basically a big queer improvised comedy story powered by unpredictable dice rolls and a rowdy audience. Tickets are now on sale at QueensOfAdventure.com — I hope to see you at those shows!

Horror is a Comfort (Ep. 273 - classic horror/Lee Gambin)

Horror is a Comfort (Ep. 273 - classic horror/Lee Gambin)
Matt Baume & Lee Gambin

My guest this week is Lee Gambin, who always knew he had a place in the world of cinema. An obsessive collector of VHS tapes as a kid, he grew up to host raucous film screenings and to write extensively about his great love — classic film and particularly horror. Despite his favorite films being full of frights, he’s never found them scary. Instead, he’s embraced the comforting power of monsters and gore.

We’ll have that conversation in a minute. First I want to let you know about a whole bunch of live shows that I’m hosting in March. You’ve probably heard me mention my live comedy show and podcast Queens of Adventure, which features drag queens playing Dungeons & Dragons. We just announced an upcoming live show at Re-Bar in Seattle on March 12, another at Emerald City Comic Con on March 13; then two in Portland at the Siren Theater on March 18 and 19; and then more shows at Oasis in San Francisco on March 25 and 29. Our Queens of Adventure live shows are a ton of fun, basically a big queer improvised comedy story powered by unpredictable dice rolls and a rowdy audience. Tickets are now on sale at QueensOfAdventure.com — I hope to see you at those shows!

Magic Horses & Middle School (Ep. 272 - Fantasy novels/Hugh Ryan)

Magic Horses & Middle School (Ep. 272 - Fantasy novels/Hugh Ryan)
Matt Baume & Hugh Ryan

Hugh Ryan is a writer, researcher, speaker, and also the subject of a recent episode of The Sewers of Paris. You might remember a few weeks ago when my guest Michael mentioned Hugh’s book, When Brooklyn was Queer, and Hugh was kind enough to sit down for a chat about his own favorite books — pulpy sci-fi novels, which filled his middle school days with magic horses. Growing up, be became a sort of explorer — mild mannered academic by day, rowdy party monster by night, after a series of adventures, including one in which he moved into another person’s life, Hugh found a calling in creating informal pop-up museums of queer history.

Big thanks to everyone who makes the Sewers of Paris possible with a pledge of support on Patreon! Click “support the show on Patreon” to check out the rewards for backers.

And just a reminder that The Sewers of Paris is on Twitter and Facebook — I post clips of the stuff that we talk about on each episode.

Also I hope you’ll join me for our next fun friendly livestream on February 8. It’s a laid back brunch-time chat about the books and movies and music and shows that are bringing you joy right now. There’s a link at the top of the Sewers of Paris twitter feed.

And by the way, if you like LGBTQ podcasts you may enjoy my other show, Queens of Adventure, a comedy-adventure podcast that stars drag queens playing Dungeons & Dragons. That’s at QueensOfAdventure.com.