Not a Fan of Hanging Around in Reality (Ep. 36 - Steve Kmetko)

November 26, 2015 Matthew Baume

This episode comes out on Thanksgiving, and this year I hope you'll remember to offer your thanks to the brave pioneers who came out of the closet at a time when doing so meant putting yourself at great personal and professional risk. We're able to enjoy the freedom we have today because of the people who were openly gay in decades past, who demanded acceptance, and paved a path for future generations.

My guest this week is Steve Kmetko, best known as the face of the E! cable network from 1994 to 2002. He hosted countless Oscar and Emmy broadcasts, reported from film festivals, and interviewed everyone who was anyone in Hollywood. It was his dream job, but privately, he was being weighed down by a lifetime of baggage: a career that demanded he stay closeted, and a religious upbringing that burdened him with guilt.

Although his career was going great, the pressure of keeping a secret just kept building as the years went on. Until finally, after years of putting tough questions to everyone around him, it was time for Steve to tell the truth about himself.

It was a gutsy move. Risky. And there were times that he paid a price for being honest about who he was. But the acceptance that LGBTs enjoy today simply wouldn't be possible if not for the high-profile figures who stepped forward in years past, people whom we give particular thanks.

Here's Steve's Advocate interview, and some great clips of Steve at work:

Music:
ParisianKevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia (Ep. 35 - Designing Women)

November 19, 2015 Matthew Baume

A quick note this week. It's hard to talk say the word "Paris" right now without thinking about what the city's been through in the last few days. Not just the pain, but in the aftermath, the unity, the strength, the resilience, the solidarity. Paris is known as the city of light not only for its beauty, but because it was a cornerstone of the age of enlightenment, a period that celebrated tolerance, liberty, equality, progress. Values that illuminate the human spirit. Values we still cherish to this day, values that survive in our resolve to stand together against violence and fear. That fellowship is what has made Paris a beacon of enlightenment for hundreds of years, and it's what I hope to capture just a fragment of on this show: the uncovering our connections to each other, the discovery of our shared bonds, the sense of solidarity with people who might have seemed a moment earlier like strangers. That's why I invite you to The Sewers of Paris every week, on a podcast adventure to discover the entertainment that changed the lives of gay men.

What does it take to get you to speak out? For some people, speaking your mind comes naturally, but others feel overwhelming barriers to saying what they feel.

My guest this week is Brian Matthews. He grew up surrounded by strong female figures who inspired him with eloquent words. He himself had quite a lot to say, but for years kept those words confined to his mind, or at most, to the page. It wasn't until he started speaking the truth about himself that he began to feel comfortable speaking the truth about the world.

Music:
Parisian Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Channel Madonna While Playing Jesus (Ep. 34 - Madonna & Emma Thompson)

November 12, 2015 Matthew Baume

Is it better to judge or be judged? My guest this week is Bil Antoniou, co-host of the podcast Bad Gay Movies/Bitchy Gay Men, in which three gays choose a terrible film and mock it mercilessly. Of course, it's easy to poke fun at someone else's creative work -- it's a lot harder to put something of your own in front of the world and invite everyone's judgment. And for years, Bil shrank from the spotlight, keeping his own art bottled up, even though a creative spark burned secretly inside.

He worked a boring job, engaged in some unhealthy habits, and kept his artistic passions stifled. Until one day he decided something had to change.

Now he's a successful actor and playwright, with his show "Heart of the Storm" opening this week in Toronto -- but getting there took years of work and the help of some friends.

Here's a whole freaking playlist of Madonna videos, you're welcome:

Ooh and the trailer for Jeffrey! I haven't seen this in years so it's probably time to revisit:

And of course Emma Thompson being delightful:

Music:
Parisian Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Mom, I'm Super Gay (Ep. 33 - '80s Films)

November 5, 2015 Matthew Baume

My guest this week is Wes Hurley, creator of the incredible web series Capitol Hill. Season 2 of the show just premiered on YouTube this week, and it's laden with references from all across the broad landscape of American popular culture. Growing up in Vladivostok, Russia, American movies and TV shows floated to Wes through secretive, often illegal channels, and they gave him hope that maybe someday he wouldn't have to walk a mile for clean water, or carry a knife to school, or find human remains washing past his house in a flood. Bootleg American movies kept his spirits up, but when he and his mother were finally able to escape to the United States, they found the country wasn't quite what he'd been led to expect.

Here's the first episode of Capitol Hill!

Also Curly Sue's trailer. Looks pretty great.

How about a little Waxie Moon?

Music:
Parisian Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

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