Sci-Fi, Soaps, and Sports (Ep 461 - Jesse/All My Children)

Sci-Fi, Soaps, and Sports (Ep 461 - Jesse/All My Children)
Matt Baume & Jesse Murray
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When they say All my Children they mean ALL

My guest this week is Jesse Murray, who got hooked on soap operas as a kid when he watched them with his mom … and then as an adult, found himself working in writer’s rooms at ABC, helping to make soap operas for a new generation. As a young viewer, Jesse’s enthusiasm for the soaps was bolstered when he saw gay teenage characters on daytime TV. It’s a measure of inclusivity that’s steadily improved in the years since — thanks to folks behind the scenes who appreciated its importance.

We’ll have that conversation in a minute. And by the way, speaking of gay teens on television: If you like this podcast, you might enjoy my new podcast about the 90s TV series My So-Called Life, which featured a groundbreaking gay teenager named Rickie, played by Wilson Cruz. The podcast is called Matt’s So-Cast Pod, and it features a bunch of fabulous guests. It’s available for free right now wherever you listen to podcasts, and at SoCastPod.com.

And you may also like my YouTube videos about movies and TV shows. I just premiered a new video about the 1961 movie Victim, which helped overturn England’s 400-year-old ban on homosexuality. Also check out my weekly livestreams on Twitch, my book Hi Honey, I’m Homo!, my email newsletter. You can get all that and more at MattBaume.com.

And by the way, here are some fun soap clips that Jesse sent along:

I Don't Know When I Lost My Sense of Shame (Ep 460 - Dayspring/Anthony Oliveira)

I Don't Know When I Lost My Sense of Shame (Ep 460 - Dayspring/Anthony Oliveira)
Matt Baume & Anthony Oliveira
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My guest this week is Anthony Oliveira, whose new book Dayspring comes out this Easter, April 2, 2024. That’s a particularly suitable pub date, since the book is an exploration of how Christian ideas can infuse and are infused by queer love. Anthony’s a returning guest to The Sewers of Paris — I last spoke to him back in 2017, when our conversation focused on monsters and villains and standing in opposition to so-called decent society. Now, nearly a decade later, Anthony’s found himself engaged in a different sort of project: Building queer community through his writing, speaking, podcasting, and film series.

We’ll have that conversation in a minute. First, a quick reminder that if you like this podcast, you’ll probably enjoy my other projects — starting with my brand new podcast that launches next week! The new show is all about the beloved TV series My So-Called Life, and why it’s such a perfect encapsulation of the 90s and also the timelessness of teen angst. The podcast is called Matt’s So-Cast Pod, it features a bunch of fabulous guests, and it launches March 25, 2024. You can subscribe now at socastpod.com.

You may like my YouTube videos about movies and TV shows, and by the way I have a new one launching this weekend about the 1961 movie Victim. Also check out my weekly livestreams on Twitch, my book Hi Honey, I’m Homo!, my email newsletter. You can get all that and more at MattBaume.com.

Legendary Slumber Parties (Ep 459 - Robert Patrick/Greenwich Village)

Legendary Slumber Parties (Ep 459 - Robert Patrick/Greenwich Village)
Matt Baume & Robert Patrick
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Photo by Cat Gwynn

This week, March 17, marks 54 years since the premiere of the groundbreaking film The Boys in the Band. Set in a New York apartment in the 1960s and based on the play by Mort Crowley, it was one of the first major movies to feature majority-queer characters. And to mark that 54th birthday, for this week’s Sewers of Paris I wanted to revisit my conversation with someone who knew the world of 60s Greenwich Village very well, playwright Robert Patrick.

Robert wandered into the Village as an unsuspecting young gay man in the 1960s. He was only supposed to be there for a day, but he wound up staying for years, witnessing -- and participating in -- one of the most important periods in American theater history. He passed away last year, having written hundreds of plays — as Samuel French called him, “New York’s most-produced playwright.”

We’ll have that conversation in a minute. First, a quick reminder that if you like this podcast, you’ll probably enjoy my other projects — 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.

The Silver Age of Queer Cinema (Ep 458 - Tyler/It's a Sin)

The Silver Age of Queer Cinema (Ep 458 - Tyler/It's a Sin)
Matt Baume & Tyler Albertario
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My guest this week is my friend and colleague Tyler Albertario, a writer and researcher with a magnetic enthusiasm for queer history and culture. Tyler always had an interest in our vast queer past, but it was a chance viewing of a show about gay life in the 80s that turned it into a more serious field of study — and that’s led to some of his fascinating insights into the silver age that we’re living in right now.

We’ll have that conversation in a minute. First, a quick reminder that if you like this podcast, you’ll probably enjoy my other projects — 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.