Demons & Ghosts (Ep 392 - Hamish Steele/Dead End: Paranormal Park)

Demons & Ghosts (Ep 392 - Hamish Steele/Dead End: Paranormal Park)
Matt Baume & Hamish Steele

Maybe you’ve seen the new animated series on Netflix entitled Dead End: Paranormal Park, featuring a cast of queer characters working at an amusement park that might be a portal to hell. I spoke to the show’s creator, Hamish Steele, several years ago when his comic book Deadendia was in the early stages of being adapted into a show, and now that Dead End has been completed and released, we’re revisiting that conversation this week to hear about the real-life friends who inspired the story… and also Hamish’s controversial opinions about the difference between films that merely have queer people in them versus films that queer people actually like.

We’ll have that conversation in a minute. First, a reminder that I’ve got a weekly newsletter where I write stories about queer pop culture and also link to cute animal videos —  subscribe to that at mattbaume.com. Also take a look at my YouTube channel for videos about film and TV history — I’ve got one coming up about Seinfeld’s “not that there’s anything wrong with that” episode.

Also, big thanks to everyone who supports The Sewers of Paris on Patreon! Patrons get hours of exclusive videos about super queer pop culture history, stickers and stuff in the mail, and shoutouts in the credits of YouTube videos.

Everything but His Underwear (Ep 391 - Swedish Drag/Markus)

Everything but His Underwear (Ep 391 - Swedish Drag/Markus)
Matt Baume & Markus

My guest this week set himself a goal many years ago — to bring RuPaul’s Drag Race to Sweden, with an all-Swedish production, Swedish queens, and a Swedish host. Now it’s finally happening, thanks to my guest’s decade of work amidst international travel, seeking a country that felt like home, and meeting and falling in love with his husband.

We’ll have that conversation in a minute. First, a reminder that I’ve got a weekly newsletter where I write stories about queer pop culture and also link to cute animal videos —  subscribe to that at mattbaume.com. Also take a look at my YouTube channel for videos about film and TV history — I’ve got one coming up this weekend about the show Modern Family.

Also, big thanks to everyone who supports The Sewers of Paris on Patreon! Patrons get hours of exclusive videos about super queer pop culture history, stickers and stuff in the mail, and shoutouts in the credits of YouTube videos.

Every Gay Bar Was Owned by Mafia (Ep 390 - Stonewall/Tree)

Every Gay Bar Was Owned by Mafia (Ep 390 - Stonewall/Tree)
Matt Baume & Tree

Welcome to June, listeners. Every year for Pride month, I like to revisit my conversation with a man whose tales of old queer New York are absolutely captivating. He earned the nickname Tree thanks to his six-foot-five stature, and he’s been a part of New York’s gay community going back to the fifties, when he didn’t even know a community existed. Tree’s been a member of Brooklyn street gangs, worked with the mob, and counted among his friends Buddy Holly, Bea Arthur, and Rock Hudson. We talked back in 2020, as we were all heading into a lot of uncertainty around COVID, quarantines, and the future. The start of Pride month is a particularly apt time to reflect on Tree’s stories of endurance and liberation.

We’ll have that conversation in a minute. First, a reminder that I’ve got a weekly newsletter where I write stories about queer pop culture and also link to cute animal videos —  subscribe to that at mattbaume.com. Also take a look at my YouTube channel for videos about film and TV history — I just posted a video about Will & Grace and I’ve got one coming up about the behind-the-scenes fight over the gay couple on Modern Family.

Also, big thanks to everyone who supports The Sewers of Paris on Patreon! Patrons get hours of exclusive videos about super queer pop culture history, stickers and stuff in the mail, and shoutouts in the credits of YouTube videos.