Something from Another Planet - (Ep. 244 - David Bowie/Orlando Ortega Medina)

July 25, 2019 Matthew Baume

My guest this week is musician-turned-novelist Orlando Ortega Medina. Growing up in the music scene in and around Los Angeles, he was never really in the closet — or at least, he didn’t think of himself as closeted, until he realized that his own parents didn’t fully understand that he was married to a man. Explaining to his mother that she had a son in law wasn’t exactly comfortable, but it changed everything for his relationship with his parents. And he processed the experience in the way he knew best — by turning it into a novel.

Also, a reminder that I host twice-monthly livestreams where I chat with listeners like you about the book and movies and music and shows that are bringing you joy right now. The next one is on August 3, and there's a link at the top of the Sewers of Paris twitter feed.

Big thanks to everyone who makes The Sewers of Paris possible with a pledge of support on Patreon -- head over to SewersOfParis.com and click "Support the show on Patreon" to check out the rewards for backers.

And for more queer podcasting, check out the show Queens of Adventure, a comedy storytelling show featuring drag queens on an epic Dungeons and Dragons quest! That's at QueensOfAdventure.com. Visit queensofadventure.com or follow @dungeondrag on twitter.

The Lost Art of Cruising (Ep. 243 - Donahue/David Quantic)

July 18, 2019 Matthew Baume

For years, David Quantic’s only connection with queer community was cruising the bathrooms at the local mall, slipping away from his parents while the family shopped to meet up with men in stalls. But gradually, he found windows to a more expansive view of what the gay world could be, watching afternoon talk shows and eventually running away to Texas and then New York to capture queer life through a camera lens. It’s probably no surprise that these days his lens is turned towards sex, telling the story of queer community through our physical connections.

Also, a reminder that I host twice-monthly livestreams where I chat with listeners like you about the book and movies and music and shows that are bringing you joy right now. The next one is on July 20 at 9am pacific, and there's a link at the top of the Sewers of Paris twitter feed.

And for more queer podcasting, check out the show Queens of Adventure, a comedy storytelling show featuring drag queens on an epic Dungeons and Dragons quest! Visit QueensOfAdventure.com or follow @dungeondrag on twitter.

I Couldn't Get Close Enough to the Screen (Ep. 242 - The Simpsons/Matt Fisher)

July 11, 2019 Matthew Baume

My guest this week is caught between two extremes — the smart reference comedy of The Simpsons and the brutality of dramatic films about lives crumbling to pieces. Matt Fisher is the co-host of the podcast Ex-Rated movies, where he and his co-host and ex-boyfriend Ryan chat about films. Ryan was my guest on episode 235 back in May, and we talked a lot about how he finds joy in exuberant dance. In contrast, Matt’s drawn to darker stories, exploring pain through cathartic release.

Also, a reminder that I host twice-monthly livestreams where I chat with listeners like you about the book and movies and music and shows that are bringing you joy right now. The next one is on July 20 at 9am pacific, and there's a link at the top of the Sewers of Paris twitter feed.

And for more queer podcasting, check out the show Queens of Adventure, featuring drag queens on an epic Dungeons and Dragons quest! That's at QueensOfAdventure.com. Visit queensofadventure.com or follow @dungeondrag on twitter.

Mom, I'm Super Gay (Ep. 241 - '80s Films/Wes Hurley)

July 4, 2019 Matthew Baume

This episode is posting on the Fourth of July, and I’m going to celebrate America with a look back at one of my favorite early episodes of The Sewers of Paris — an interview from 2015 with director Wes Hurley, whose story of immigrating to this country is unlike anything you’ve ever heard. Wes was raised in Vladivostok Russia, where images of American culture floated to him through illegal midnight broadcasts and his life was so dangerous he had to carry a knife to school. His mother was able to bring them to America — she was a mail-order bride — but upon landing stateside as a young queer teen, Wes soon found the country wasn’t quite what he’d been led to expect.

Also, a reminder that I host twice-monthly livestreams where I chat with listeners like you about the book and movies and music and shows that are bringing you joy right now. The next one is on July 6 at 9am pacific, and there's a link at the top of the Sewers of Paris twitter feed.

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