The Taste of an Old Queen (Ep 398 - Kyle Turner/Bringing up Baby)

The Taste of an Old Queen (Ep 398 - Kyle Turner/Bringing up Baby)
Matt Baume & Kyle Turner

Kyle Turner was one of those weird little kids whose tastes were more like those of a middle-aged gay man than those of his peers. He was raised on a steady movie diet of golden-age black-and-white comedies, and the resulting perspective that he gained set him apart from the other kids at his deeply conservative private school. He always believed he was destined to writing about classic film, and though a mix of hard work and good connections, as an adult those dreams have come true.

We’ll have that conversation in a minute. First, a reminder that I’ve got a book coming out next year about how subversive queer comedy transformed the American sitcom over the last half century, and I’ll be revealing the title and cover later this month in my weekly newsletter — head over to gaysitcoms.com to subscribe and be the first to get all the details.

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

Like I Was the Star (Ep 397 - Kevin/Reality TV)

Like I Was the Star (Ep 397 - Kevin/Reality TV)
Matt Baume & Kevin Haddad

My guest this week was present for some of the earliest days of what we now recognize as reality TV — he helped produce Gay Riviera, a 2001 Bravo series about queer dating. Kevin Haddad never expected to find himself behind the scenes of a series that helped developed the rules of reality television — a few months earlier, he was a waiter at a family restaurant in Connecticut, and before he knew it he was staying out all night at New York’s hottest nightclubs and possibly getting picked up by a mobster.

We’ll have that conversation in a minute. First — hey, are you interested in the history of gay characters on sitcoms, from Bewitched to The Golden Girls to Modern Family? And how, hidden in those characters, is the real-life story of queer liberation? Well I’ve got a book coming out on exactly that topic next year! I’ll be revealing the title and cover later this month in my newsletter — head over to gaysitcoms.com to subscribe to the newsletter and be the first to get all the details.

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

Morbid Curiosities (Ep 396 - Disaster books/Chris Steadman)

Morbid Curiosities (Ep 396 - Disaster books/Chris Steadman)
Matt Baume & Chris Steadman

My guest this week is Chris Steadman, an author and professor and podcaster whose childhood obsession was very grown-up books about disasters. Even as a kid, he took a very serious view of the world, placing on himself the burden of understanding and — hopefully — finding a solution to humanity’s greatest troubles. That led him down some unexpected paths, and now he helps guide other folks who are on similar explorations.

We’ll have that conversation in a minute. First, a quick reminder that I’ve got a weekly-ish newsletter that you can subscribe to at mattbaume.com. I’ll be sharing details there about my upcoming book about the history of gay characters on sitcoms. And I’ve got a YouTube channel where I post videos about film and TV history — I just posted one about Seinfeld’s “not that there’s anything wrong with that” episode — that’s at youtube.com/mattbaume.

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.

My Heel Connected with his Jaw (Ep 395 - Tomie dePaola/Trung Le Nguyen)

My Heel Connected with his Jaw (Ep 395 - Tomie dePaola/Trung Le Nguyen)
Matt Baume & Trung Le Nguyen

My guest this week — and apologies for the slightly late post, it’s been a busy week! — is Trung le Nguyen, author and illustrator of the award-winning book The Magic Fish, among many other graphic works. Trung’s family made their way to the US from a refugee camp, and he grew up obsessed with cozy picture books. A sensitive boy, Trung could have been the target of a lot of bullying — but he wasn’t, thanks in part to a moment at a birthday party that involved his father, his friends, and a kick to the jaw.

We’ll have that conversation in a minute. First, a quick reminder that I’ve got a weekly-ish newsletter that you can subscribe to at mattbaume.com. I’ll be sharing details there about my upcoming book about the history of gay characters on sitcoms. And I’ve got a YouTube channel where I post videos about film and TV history — I just posted one about Seinfeld’s “not that there’s anything wrong with that” episode — that’s at youtube.com/mattbaume.

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.