To Be Disgusting Is Good (Ep 431 - Beautiful Thing/Huw Lemmey)

To Be Disgusting Is Good (Ep 431 - Beautiful Thing/Huw Lemmey)
Matt Baume & Huw Lemmey of the Bad Gays book & podcast

On last week's Sewers of Paris podcast I spoke with Ben Miller of the Bad Gays book and podcast. This week I’m talking to his co-host and co-author, Huw Lemmey, a writer whose work investigates the disgusting. It’s an unlikely fascination, one borne out of attitudes he heard expressed about queer people when he was growing up. In looking at the realities of human life, from its best to its worst, Huw’s writing has evolved from asking whether people can be loveable despite being gross … to whether they are lovable because they are gross.

Also, a couple quick reminders, starting with a heads-up that I’ve got a new video coming your way this weekend on YouTube! This one’s about the behind the scenes making of the film Some Like it Hot. Join me Sunday at 11am pacific at youtube.com/mattbaume for a livestream and then the premiere of the video.

And I hope you’ll join me for weekly livestreams over on Twitch! Every Sunday afternoon we watch and talk about classic episodes of television, great movies, and occasionally old commercials that have a way of sticking with you. That’s at twitch.tv/mattbaume every Sunday.

And if you haven’t yet, take a look at my new book about the history of queer characters on sitcoms, Hi Honey, I’m Homo! — available now wherever books are sold. It’s the book that Dan Savage called “a triumph” and said “everyone should read this book.” So you should! Go to gaysitcoms.com to get a copy and request a personalized signature.

You and Your Peacocks are Ridiculous (Ep 430 - Salome/Ben Miller)

You and Your Peacocks are Ridiculous (Ep 430 - Salome/Ben Miller)
Matt Baume & Bad Gays' Ben Miller

My guest this week is Ben Miller, co-author and co-creator of the Bad Gays book and podcast. Ben was headed for a career in international relations until he realized just how out of place he was in that role. It was a lucky encounter with a historical communist leader who helped him course-correct, and now he helps lead the largest queer archive in the world while enjoying his passions for opera and some of the most infamous queer villains in history.

We’ll have that conversation in a minute.

First, a couple quick reminders, starting with a heads-up that I hope you’ll join me for weekly livestreams over on Twitch! Every Sunday afternoon we watch and talk about classic episodes of television, great movies, and occasionally old commercials that have a way of sticking with you. Lately we’ve been doing a watch-along of one of the greatest comedies ever made, Some Like it Hot. The livestreams are every Sunday at noon pacific over at twitch.tv/mattbaume.

And I also have a Some Like it Hot video coming your way soon on my YouTube channel. It’s the behind the scenes story of the making of the film that helped change movies as we know them, including the incredible backstage drama that threatened to destroy some of the lead actors’ lives. That’s coming your way soon at YouTube.com/mattbaume.

And if you haven’t yet, take a look at my new book about the history of queer characters on sitcoms, Hi Honey, I’m Homo! — available now wherever books are sold. It’s the book that Dan Savage called “a triumph” and said “everyone should read this book.” So you should! Go to gaysitcoms.com to get a copy and request a personalized signature.

Big thanks to everyone who makes all my work possible on Patreon — visit patreon.com/mattbaume to support Sewers of Paris and get patron-exclusive benefits.

Gay Guy Seeking Lesbian to Live a Lie (Ep 429 - Big Valley/John)

Gay Guy Seeking Lesbian to Live a Lie (Ep 429 - Big Valley/John)
Matt Baume & John Griffiths

My guest this week is John Griffiths, the founder and executive director of GALECA — that’s The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics. From an early age, John loved spending time with TV families, and as an adult he turned that passion into a career, spending time hob-nobbing and covering icons of entertainment. But like those found-families that captured his attention as a kid, he’s also assembled a family of his won — one consisting of hundreds of like-minded queer journalists and cultural critics. 

We’ll have that conversation in a minute. 

First, a couple quick reminders, starting with a heads-up that I hope you’ll joining me for weekly livestreams over on Twitch! Every Sunday afternoon we watch and talk about classic episodes of television, great movies, and occasionally old commercials that have a way of sticking with you. That’s every Sunday at noon over at twitch.tv/mattbaume.

And over on my YouTube channel, I’ve got a video coming your way about the behind the scenes story of the movie Some Like it Hot — including the incredible backstage drama that threatened to tear many of the lead actors apart. That’s coming your way soon at YouTube.com/mattbaume.

And if you haven’t yet, take a look at my new book about the history of queer characters on sitcoms, Hi Honey, I’m Homo! — available now wherever books are sold. It’s the book that Dan Savage called “a triumph” and said “everyone should read this book.” So you should! Go to gaysitcoms.com to get a copy and request a personalized signature.

Big thanks to everyone who makes all my work possible on Patreon — visit patreon.com/mattbaume to support Sewers of Paris and get patron-exclusive benefits.

Stripping Floral (Ep 428 - Margaret Atwood/Kevin)

Stripping Floral (Ep 428 - Margaret Atwood/Kevin)
Matt Baume & Kevin Jay Stanton

My guest this week is illustrator Kevin Jay Stanton. I can’t remember how he first came to my attention, but for the last few years I’ve been following him and his lovely artwork of plants and woodland creatures, which find their way onto all manner of objects from tarot cards to bomber jackets. Kevin’s work draws heavily from the natural world, which is why I was surprised to hear that for a time, he set those motifs aside and was pursuing work that he was told would be more commercially lucrative — until he figured out how much better it feels to do work that feels good.

We’ll have that conversation in a minute. 

But first — a quick reminder to check out my YouTube channel for videos about film and TV history. I just posted a video about the behind-the-scenes making of All in the Family — the rise and fall and afterlife of the Bunker family. And I’ve got a video coming soon about the backstage battles behind the movie Some Like it Hot. That’s at YouTube.com/mattbaume

And I hope you’ll join me every Sunday for livestreams — we’ve been watching a lot of classic TV shows and films & talking about our favorite parts. You can join us for those at twitch.tv/mattbaume.

Also take a look at my new book about the history of queer characters on sitcoms, Hi Honey, I’m Homo! — available now wherever books are sold. Go to gaysitcoms.com to get a copy and request a personalized signature.

Big thanks to everyone who makes all my work possible on Patreon — visit patreon.com/mattbaume to support Sewers of Paris and get patron-exclusive benefits.

The Eight-Year Audition (Ep 427 - Into the Woods/Alexis Michelle)

The Eight-Year Audition (Ep 427 - Into the Woods/Alexis Michelle)
Matt Baume & Drag Race Star Alexis Michelle/Alex Michaels

My guest this week spent eight years auditioning for Drag Race before he was accepted and his life completely changed. Alexis Michelle, aka Alex Michaels, was a theater performer when he discovered a love of drag, and gradually figured out how to turn his hobby into his career. Now Alexis known for two much-talked about appearances on Drag Race, for appearing on the show Dragnificent, for multiple off-Broadway roles, an album, and an upcoming live tour. But Alex (and Alexis) are only just getting started — ever since seeing his first Sondheim show at the age of five, he’s never stopped dreaming of Broadway. And he’s never been closer to making that dream a reality.

We’ll have that conversation in a minute. 

But first — a quick reminder that I have a new book out! It’s about the behind-the-scenes history of queer characters on sitcoms, and the role that comedy played in queer liberation. It’s called Hi Honey, I’m Homo! and it’s available now wherever books are sold. I can even sign and personalize your copy before shipping it to you — just go to gaysitcoms.com and look for the instructions for ordering a signed copy.

Also don’t forget to swing by my YouTube channel for videos about film and TV history. That’s at YouTube.com/mattbaume — I’ve got one coming this Sunday, August 6, about the-behind-the-scenes making of All in the Family. Also, join me every Sunday for livestreams over on Twitch at twitch.tv/mattbaume where I share the amazing bits of film & TV history that I come across in my research. 

Big thanks to everyone who makes all my work possible on Patreon — visit patreon.com/mattbaume to support Sewers of Paris and get patron-exclusive benefits.