I am Nerdy and Kinky (Ep. 328 - Pup Amp/Cosplay & Bondage)

March 25, 2021 Matthew Baume

Back in 2015, one of the very first guests on The Sewers of Paris was my friend Amp, who was then just getting started on his career as a kink educator and adult performer. In the years since, he’s built a huge following for his podcast and YouTube series, Watts the Safeword, and on Friday of this week he’ll appear on the Epix TV show Sex Life, a documentary series about sex-positive households.

For this week’s episode, we’re revisiting our 2015 conversation about Amp’s quiet Catholic upbringing, and the childhood he spent hiding from constant teasing by playing videogames in his basement. Early in his life, Amp learned the value of re-inventing himself when it was time to move to a new school, turning himself from a shy nerd to a true star.

We’ll have that conversation in a minute. First, a quick thanks to everyone who supports the Sewers of Paris on Patreon. And to everyone who’s reviewed it on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen.

And just a reminder that I’ve got a newsletter where you can see the stuff I’m working on and fun surprises I’ve discovered. You can sign up at mattbaume.com..

Also check out my YouTube videos for deep dives into queer pop culture history. That’s at youtube.com/mattbaume.

And I hope you’ll join me for regular videogame livestreams over at Twitch.tv/mattbaume every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday afternoon at 5pm pacific!

When You Don’t Have Words to Say, You Sing (Ep 327 - Angels in America/Jonathan Blalock)

March 18, 2021 Matthew Baume

A few years ago, the Royal National Theater in London recorded an amazing production of the play Angels in America, starring Andrew Garfield, Nathan Lane, Russell Tovey, and more. And they just made that recording available to stream at NTatHome.com. For this week’s episode, we’re revisiting my 2015 interview with actor and singer Jonathan Blalock, whose life was completely changed by Angels in America, in part because of his religious upbringing. Jonathan grew up surrounded by spiritual music that at first filled him with joy, and then pain as he realized that his homophobic surroundings were turning on him. But as an adult, he finally gave himself permission to explore new forms of performing and song, and discovered that the intense emotions music always gave him didn’t have to come from a church. They could also come from him.

And just a reminder that I’ve got newsletter where you can see the stuff I’m working on and fun surprises I’ve discovered. You can sign up at mattbaume.com..

Also check out my YouTube videos for deep dives into queer pop culture history. That’s at youtube.com/mattbaume.

And I hope you’ll join me for regular videogame livestreams over at Twitch.tv/mattbaume every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday afternoon at 5pm pacific — a new later time!

Attracted to Jesus (Ep 326 - Michelangelo & Judy Garland/Rob Urbinati)

March 11, 2021 Matthew Baume

My guest this week is Rob Urbanati, a New York playwright and director. He had a unique upbringing — he grew up openly gay in a small suburb in the 1960s, and people were generally accepting. That gave him an unusual freedom to explore the gay scene, the hippie scene, the club scene, and the drug scene. But the great mystery that he wonders about to this day is how he wound up interested in the movies and art that he did.

And just a reminder that I’ve started a new weekly newsletter for all the stuff I’m working on. You can sign up at mattbaume.com — each week I give you a little sneak peek into stuff in the works, little bits of weird fun cultural artifacts I’ve uncovered in various archives, and of course links to cute animal videos.

Also check out my YouTube videos for deep dives into queer pop culture history. That’s at youtube.com/mattbaume.

And I hope you’ll join me for regular videogame livestreams over atTwitch.tv/mattbaume every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday afternoon at 5pm pacific — a new later time!

I Prefer the Term "Enchanted" (Ep 325 - Joe/Bewitched)

March 4, 2021 Matthew Baume

You might’ve seen that I just released a new video over on YouTube about the queer secrets of the show Bewitched, and how this bizarre sitcom from the 60s managed to be about homosexuality without ever saying so. For this week’s episode, we’re jumping into the Sewers archives for another conversation about witchcraft — it’s my 2015 interview with a Minnesota entertainer named Joe, a Sister of Perpetual Indulgence who was inspired by imaginary worlds and TV witches to conjure up magic wherever he went, whether it was on military bases or in his ice cream truck.

But first, a, a quick thanks to everyone who supports the Sewers of Paris on Patreon. Visit Patreon.com/mattbaume to join the folks who make the show possible and get some backer rewards.

And just a reminder that I’ve got a weekly newsletter for all the stuff I’m working on. You can sign up at mattbaume.com — each week I give you a little sneak peek into upcoming projects, little bits of weird fun cultural artifacts I’ve uncovered in various archives, and of course links to cute animal videos.

Also check out my YouTube videos for deep dives into queer pop culture history. That’s at youtube.com/mattbaume. The latest one is all about the secret queerness of the show Bewitched.

And I hope you’ll join me for regular livestreams — I hang out every Saturday on YouTube starting at 11am pacific, and on Twitch at Twitch.tv/mattbaume every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday afternoon at 5pm pacific.

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