The Sewers of Paris

I’m very excited to bring you this week’s guest — the fabulous actor and playwright Charles Busch, who first rose to prominence in the 1980s with the show Vampire Lesbians of Sodom and followed up with such hits as Die Mommy Die, Psycho Beach Party, and The Allergist’s Wife, for which he earned a Tony nomination. For the first decade of his career, Charles was a struggling writer who traveled the country with exhausting one-man shows, but his big break came when he wrote a just-for-fun skit with some friends that happened to get the attention of a New York Times theater critic. In our conversation, Charles talks about some of the figures who inspired him, in particular the legendary gay theater pioneer Charles Ludlam, who helped create a new artistic movement in the 60s called Theater of the Ridiculous. Ludlam’s career is a fascinating journey, and includes a strange and beautiful collaboration with Madeline Kahn. I’m currently working on a YouTube video that explores that collaboration, to be released next week. Keep an eye on my YouTube channel, at YouTube.com/mattbaume, and hit the bell on the subscribe button to get notified when that video comes out. And big thanks to everyone who makes the Sewers of Paris possible with a pledge of support on Patreon! Click “support the show on Patreon” to check out the rewards for backers. And I hope you’ll join me for our next fun friendly livestream on April 25 at 11am Pacific. I've been trying something new with the livestreams: rather than just sitting there and talking, I play some super relaxing videogames while we all chat about what we've been up to. It's been a really soothing way to kick back and hang out and get away from the daily stress of, you know, everything. There’s a link at the top of the Sewers of Paris twitter feed. And by the way, if you like nerdy queer podcasts you may enjoy my narrative comedy shows Queens of Adventure and Queens of Adventure Legends for an escape into a world of fantasy, with drag queens playing Dungeons & Dragons. Queens of Adventure features an ongoing fantasy story with a regular cast, and Queens of Adventure Legends features recordings of live shows and stand-alone stories. Queens of Adventure: Legends is perfect for new listeners, with adventures sized for one or two sittings and introductions at the start of each episode. You can subscribe to both shows at QueensOfAdventure.com, or search your favorite podcast app.

Some of the most groundbreaking queer moments on television happened on a show that if you’re American, you’ve probably never heard of. Number 96 is one of the most popular TV shows in Australia’s history, but it never managed to successfully make the jump to the US — maybe because its content, in the mid 1970s, was way too risqué for American audiences. My guest this week is a scholar of Australian TV. Ever since he was a kid, Andrew Mercado was devoted to Aussie soap operas, and as an adult he seized a once-in-a-lifetime chance to work on them… and to inject a little more queerness into what was already surprisingly queer medium. We’ll have that conversation in a minute. First, a reminder that The Sewers of Paris is on Twitter and Facebook — I post clips of the stuff that we talk about on each episode. And big thanks to everyone who makes the Sewers of Paris possible with a pledge of support on Patreon! Click “support the show on Patreon” to check out the rewards for backers. And I hope you’ll join me for our next fun friendly livestream on April 18 at 11am Pacific.I've been trying something new with the livestreams: rather than just sitting there and talking, I play some nice relaxing videogames while we all chat about what we've been up to. It's been a really soothing way to kick back and hang out and get away from the daily stress of, you know, everything. There’s a link at the top of the Sewers of Paris twitter feed. And by the way, if you like nerdy queer podcasts you may enjoy my narrative comedy shows Queens of Adventure and Queens of Adventure Legends! Join us for an escape into a world of fantasy, with drag queens playing Dungeons & Dragons. Queens of Adventure features an ongoing fantasy story with a regular cast, and Queens of Adventure Legends features recordings of live shows and stand-alone stories. Queens of Adventure: Legends is perfect for new listeners, with adventures sized for one or two sittings and introductions at the start of each episode. You can subscribe to both shows at QueensOfAdventure.com, or search your favorite podcast app.

My guest this week is Trystan Reese, who starred as Yitzhak in the original LA production of Hedwig and the Angry Inch. From an early age, Trystan was laser focused on going to Broadway and becoming a famous actor. But the experience of being an actor, it turns out, helped him learn about passions he never knew he had, and shaped him into the advocate and dad that he is today. We’ll have that conversation in a minute. First, a reminder that The Sewers of Paris is on Twitter and Facebook — I post clips of the stuff that we talk about on each episode. And big thanks to everyone who makes the Sewers of Paris possible with a pledge of support on Patreon! Click “support the show on Patreon” to check out the rewards for backers. And I hope you’ll join me for our next fun friendly livestream on April 11 at 11am Pacific.I've been trying something new with the livestreams: rather than just sitting there and talking, I play some nice relaxing videogames while we all chat about what we've been up to. It's been a really soothing way to kick back and hang out and get away from the daily stress of, you know, everything. There’s a link at the top of the Sewers of Paris twitter feed. And by the way, if you like nerdy queer podcasts you may enjoy my narrative comedy shows Queens of Adventure and Queens of Adventure Legends! Join us for an escape into a world of fantasy, with drag queens playing Dungeons & Dragons. Queens of Adventure features an ongoing fantasy story with a regular cast, and Queens of Adventure Legends features recordings of live shows and stand-alone stories. Queens of Adventure: Legends is perfect for new listeners, with adventures sized for one or two sittings and introductions at the start of each episode. You can subscribe to both shows at QueensOfAdventure.com, or search your favorite podcast app.

Last week I chatted with comic book author Dale Lazarov, and this week we’ll hear from a comic artist — Joe Phillips. Jos images were some of the first glimpses of gay life I ever saw, back in the 90s as a teenager. His art was simultaneously sexy and wholesome, depicting smiling scantily clad young muscle men in tenet romantic scenes. It wasn’t until a few years later that I learned about his more erotic endeavors. Joe’s work touches on a wide variety of settings and themes, not unlike his childhood which had him moving between rural farms and big cities, with influences that included classic TV, broadway musicals, his church, and his grandmother — a practicing witch. We’ll have that conversation in a minute. First, a reminder that The Sewers of Paris is on Twitter and Facebook — I post clips of the stuff that we talk about on each episode. And big thanks to everyone who makes the Sewers of Paris possible with a pledge of support on Patreon! Click “support the show on Patreon” to check out the rewards for backers. And I hope you’ll join me for our next fun friendly livestream on April 4 at 11am Pacific.I've been trying something new with the livestreaams: rather than just sitting there and talking, I play some nice relaxing Animal Crossing while we all chat about what we've been up to. It's been a really soothing way to kick back and hang out and get away from the daily stress of, you know, everything. There’s a link at the top of the Sewers of Paris twitter feed. And by the way, if you like nerdy queer podcasts you may enjoy my narrative comedy shows Queens of Adventure and Queens of Adventure Legends! Join us for an escape into a world of fantasy, with drag queens playing Dungeons & Dragons. Queens of Adventure features an ongoing fantasy story with a regular cast, and Queens of Adventure Legends features recordings of live shows, one-shot adventures, and stand alone stories with special guests like BenDeLaCreme, Rock M Sakura, Erika Klash, and many more. Queens of Adventure: Legends is perfect for new listeners, with stories that can be consumed in one or two sittings and introductions at the start of each episode. You can subscribe to both shows at QueensOfAdventure.com, or search your favorite podcast app.

Hello and welcome to the Sewers of Paris. My guest this week is Dale Lazarov, a comic book writer who specializes in sexy character-based stories. Dale grew up in Puerto Rico, amidst a conservative culture of machismo, and as a young adult he was scandalized by anything sexual. His writing helped him overcome the social baggage that kept him in the closet, and now his novels serve as a sort of wish fulfillment — he writes about his dreams, and then miraculously, they seem to come true. We’ll have that conversation in a minute. First, a reminder that The Sewers of Paris is on Twitter and Facebook — I post clips of the stuff that we talk about on each episode. And big thanks to everyone who makes the Sewers of Paris possible with a pledge of support on Patreon! Click “support the show on Patreon” to check out the rewards for backers. I hope you’ll join me for our next fun friendly livestream on April 4! It’s a laid back brunch-time chat about the books and movies and music and shows that are bringing you joy right now. There’s a link at the top of the Sewers of Paris twitter feed. And by the way, if you like nerdy queer podcasts you may enjoy my narrative comedy shows Queens of Adventure and Queens of Adventure Legends! Join us for an escape into a world of fantasy, with drag queens playing Dungeons & Dragons. Queens of Adventure features an ongoing fantasy story with a regular cast, and Queens of Adventure Legends features recordings of live shows, one-shot adventures, and stand alone stories with special guests like BenDeLaCreme, Rock M Sakura, Erika Klash, and many more. We made Queens of Adventure: Legends with new listeners in mind, with individual self-contained stories, you can start listening to whichever episode you want. Subscribe to both shows at QueensOfAdventure.com, or search your favorite podcast app.

My guest this week has a had a lot of jobs and a lot of adventures, from working on Broadway shows to producing the news alongside Dan Rather, singing to Angela Lansbury, earning a nickname from Fidel Castro, and writing the biography of Madeline Kahn. William Madison knew he had a passion for creative artists from an early age, but there’s no way he could have predicted how closely he’d work alongside them. We’ll have that conversation in a minute. First, a reminder that The Sewers of Paris is on Twitter and Facebook — I post clips of the stuff that we talk about on each episode. And I hope you’ll join me for our next fun friendly livestream on March 21! It’s a laid back brunch-time chat about the books and movies and music and shows that are bringing you joy right now. There’s a link at the top of the Sewers of Paris twitter feed. And by the way, if you like nerdy queer podcasts you may enjoy my narrative comedy shows Queens of Adventure and Queens of Adventure Legends! Join us for an escape into a world of fantasy, with drag queens playing Dungeons & Dragons. Queens of Adventure features an ongoing fantasy story with a regular cast, and Queens of Adventure Legends features recordings of live shows, one-shot adventures, and stand alone stories with special guests like BenDeLaCreme, Rock M Sakura, Erika Klash, and many more. Subscribe to both shows at QueensOfAdventure.com, or search your favorite podcast app.

Hello and welcome to the Sewers of Paris. Have you ever been lucky enough to enjoy the sensation of villainy? For this week’s episode, we’re revisiting my interview from three years ago with Anthony Olivera, who you might also know for his incisive tweeting as Meakoopa. We spoke in 2017 about his love for villains, failed mystics, and queer awakenings; and just this month, Harper Collins announced that they’ll be publishing a comic by Anthony featuring all of those things entitled Apocrypha. It’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer meets Paradise Lost amidst a cosmic war, and judging from the conversation you’re about to hear, it’s going to be super gay. We’ll have that conversation in a minute. First a reminder that I’ve got some live shows coming up! Join us for an escape into a world of Dungeons and Dragons & drag queens with our show Queens of Adventure, where drag performers play Dungeons & Dragons for a live audience. We’re playing at Re-Bar in Seattle on March 12, then heading to San Francisco’s Oasis on March 25 and 29. Queens of Adventure live shows are so much fun — basically big queer improvised comedy stories where queer heroes save the world. Tickets and details are now on sale at QueensOfAdventure.com — I hope to see you there! And if you like queer podcasting, check out a brand new show I just launched: Queens of Adventure: Legends! This new podcast features recordings of live shows, one-shots, and stand-alone adventures from the world of Queens of Adventure. You can dive in to any episode and hear recordings with special guests like BenDeLaCreme, Rock M Sakura, Erika Klash, and more — Queens of Adventure: Legends is available to subscribe to now wherever you get your podcasts.

How have you discovered your hidden talents? My guest this week is a former shy kid who, after trying to hide from the spotlight for years, was shocked to discover that he’s actually really good at acting, journalism, and go-go dancing. Growing up in a rougher environment, Mike learned the hard ay that he’d sometimes be challenged to stand up for himself — such as the time he came out as gay, got punched in the face, and then surprised everyone by wheeling around and breaking his assailant’s nose. As he grew more comfortable asserting himself, he found some less violent outlets — acting, dancing, and being a jubilant party boy in underground queer New York clubs. But eventually, it was time for him to buckle down and get serious, which is how he found himself going from dancing nearly-naked on boxes to delivering the news. We’ll have that conversation in a minute. First — I want to let you know about a whole bunch of live shows I’m hosting in Seattle and San Francisco this March, including a livestream that you can watch anywhere in the world. Join us for an escape into a world of Dungeons and Dragons & drag queens with our show Queens of Adventure, where drag performers play Dungeons & Dragons for a live audience. It kicks off with a livestream on YouTube on March 8th. Then we’re performing live in Seattle on March 12 and 13, and then San Francisco on March 25 and 29. Queens of Adventure live shows are so much fun — basically big queer improvised comedy stories where queer heroes save the world. Tickets and details are now on sale at QueensOfAdventure.com — I hope to see you at those shows and on the livestream on March 8!

My guest this week has a lot of stories to share, both in his role as a filmmaker and as person who’s lived a lot of lives. Dan Steadman’s upbringing in a sheltered religious community found him placed in a lot of unusual circumstances, surreptitiously consuming forbidden entertainment and rebooting his entire identity when his family swapped lives with a family in Brazil. His career in showbiz took him to Los Angeles, where he worked alongside big-time celebrities and also faced a crisis — the more comfortable he became living as an openly gay man, the more he realized that he’d have to cut ties with some of the homophobic celebrities he worked with. We’ll have that conversation in a minute. First — I want to let you know about a whole bunch of live shows I’m hosting in Seattle, Portland, and San Francisco this March, including a livestream that you can watch anywhere in the world. Join us for an escape into a world of Dungeons and Dragons & drag queens with our show Queens of Adventure, where drag performers play Dungeons & Dragons for a live audience. It kicks off with a livestream on YouTube on March 8th. Then we’re performing live in Seattle on March 12 and 13, Portland on March 18th and 19th, and then San Francisco on March 25 and 29. Queens of Adventure live shows are so much fun — basically big queer improvised comedy stories where queer heroes save the world. Tickets and details are now on sale at QueensOfAdventure.com — I hope to see you at those shows and on the livestream on March 8!

For this week’s episode, we’re diving into the Sewers of Paris archive to revisit a chat with the wonderful Carlos Maza. You may know Carlos from the brilliant videos he’s produced, analyzing news and media. Or you might know him from the big queer fuss he caused last year when he shone a spotlight on the rampant harassment and discrimination problem faced by YouTube. Carlos and I spoke back in 2017 about his nerdiest interests — role playing and video games, a medium in which he’s given a lot of thought to whether he identifies as a fighter or a healer? In his videos, Carlos puts up a strong verbal fight. But offscreen, the role in which he's most at home is that of caretaker, looking after others and supporting the well being of those around him. But as he's found, that doesn't always leave time for taking care of himself.  We’ll have that conversation in a minute. First I want to let you know about a whole bunch of live shows that I’m hosting in Seattle, Portland, and San Francisco. You’ve probably heard me mention my live comedy show and podcast Queens of Adventure, which features drag queens playing Dungeons & Dragons. We’ll be taking the stage at Re-Bar in Seattle on March 12, and then at Emerald City Comic Con on March 13; then we’re doing two in Portland at the Siren Theater on March 18 and 19; and then even more at Oasis in San Francisco on March 25 and 29. Our Queens of Adventure live shows are a ton of fun, basically a big queer improvised comedy story powered by unpredictable dice rolls and a rowdy audience. Tickets are now on sale at QueensOfAdventure.com — I hope to see you at those shows!

My guest this week is Lee Gambin, who always knew he had a place in the world of cinema. An obsessive collector of VHS tapes as a kid, he grew up to host raucous film screenings and to write extensively about his great love — classic film and particularly horror. Despite his favorite films being full of frights, he’s never found them scary. Instead, he’s embraced the comforting power of monsters and gore. We’ll have that conversation in a minute. First I want to let you know about a whole bunch of live shows that I’m hosting in March. You’ve probably heard me mention my live comedy show and podcast Queens of Adventure, which features drag queens playing Dungeons & Dragons. We just announced an upcoming live show at Re-Bar in Seattle on March 12, another at Emerald City Comic Con on March 13; then two in Portland at the Siren Theater on March 18 and 19; and then more shows at Oasis in San Francisco on March 25 and 29. Our Queens of Adventure live shows are a ton of fun, basically a big queer improvised comedy story powered by unpredictable dice rolls and a rowdy audience. Tickets are now on sale at QueensOfAdventure.com — I hope to see you at those shows!

Hugh Ryan is a writer, researcher, speaker, and also the subject of a recent episode of The Sewers of Paris. You might remember a few weeks ago when my guest Michael mentioned Hugh’s book, When Brooklyn was Queer, and Hugh was kind enough to sit down for a chat about his own favorite books — pulpy sci-fi novels, which filled his middle school days with magic horses. Growing up, be became a sort of explorer — mild mannered academic by day, rowdy party monster by night, after a series of adventures, including one in which he moved into another person’s life, Hugh found a calling in creating informal pop-up museums of queer history. Big thanks to everyone who makes the Sewers of Paris possible with a pledge of support on Patreon! Click “support the show on Patreon” to check out the rewards for backers. And just a reminder that The Sewers of Paris is on Twitter and Facebook — I post clips of the stuff that we talk about on each episode. Also I hope you’ll join me for our next fun friendly livestream on February 8. It’s a laid back brunch-time chat about the books and movies and music and shows that are bringing you joy right now. There’s a link at the top of the Sewers of Paris twitter feed. And by the way, if you like LGBTQ podcasts you may enjoy my other show, Queens of Adventure, a comedy-adventure podcast that stars drag queens playing Dungeons & Dragons. That’s at QueensOfAdventure.com.

My guest this week moved to New York straight out of college with stars in his eyes and big dreams of making it on stage and screen. David Merten landed in the big city with just a handful of luggage and some change, sleeping on couches, working odd jobs, and feeling totally alone in a city of 8 million. But bit by bit he’s been climbing the acting ladder and now the kid who grew up in a tiny town surrounded by corn and meth is booking gigs — and forming a family of folks like him. Big thanks to everyone who makes the Sewers of Paris possible with a pledge of support on Patreon! Click “support the show on Patreon” to check out the rewards for backers. And just a reminder that The Sewers of Paris is on Twitter and Facebook — I post clips of the stuff that we talk about on each episode. Also I hope you’ll join me for our next fun friendly livestream on February 8. It’s a laid back brunch-time chat about the books and movies and music and shows that are bringing you joy right now. There’s a link at the top of the Sewers of Paris twitter feed. And by the way, if you like LGBTQ podcasts you may enjoy my other show, Queens of Adventure, a comedy-adventure podcast that stars drag queens playing Dungeons & Dragons. That’s at QueensOfAdventure.com.

My guest this week is Scott Shoemaker — you heard his partner Freddie on the show last month. Like Freddie, Scott’s great passion is live weird theater, such as his ongoing series where he plays a boozy pill-popping version of Ms Pac Man, or his annual Christmas show where he finds new ways every year to ruin and then hastily repair the holidays. Growing up, Scott dreamed of being a rock star — and as it turns out, dressing his friends in goofy costumes and taking them on the road to sing and dance and tell jokes is oddly close to a super queer version of rock stardom. Big thanks to everyone who makes the Sewers of Paris possible with a pledge of support on Patreon! Click “support the show on Patreon” to check out the rewards for backers. And just a reminder that The Sewers of Paris is on Twitter and Facebook — I post clips of the stuff that we talk about on each episode. Also I hope you’ll join me for our next fun friendly livestream on January 25. It’s a laid back brunch-time chat about the books and movies and music and shows that are bringing you joy right now. There’s a link at the top of the Sewers of Paris twitter feed. And by the way, if you like LGBTQ podcasts you may enjoy my other show, Queens of Adventure, a comedy-adventure podcast that stars drag queens playing Dungeons & Dragons. That’s at QueensOfAdventure.com.

You might’ve seen that the show Jeopardy just invited three of its greatest winners of all time to participate in a championship showdown this week. And I thought it would be a good time to dig back into the Sewers of Paris archives for a chat with the contestant I consider the greatest Jeopardy player of all time, Louis Virtel, revisiting our 2016 chat about game shows, Clue, and great actresses of the 1970s. When he was on Jeopardy, Louis captured the nation’s attention with an earth-shattering snap after he triumphed in a Daily Double. But you might also know him from his YouTube show Verbal Voguing, his podcast Keep It, or for being the very reason we have Twitter. In addition to being hysterically witty, Louis has a fascination with game shows that exists for him on deep personal level as a form where he’s free to channel everything that he cherishes about himself. We’ll have that conversation in a minute. First a big thanks to everyone who makes the Sewers of Paris possible with a pledge of support on Patreon! And just a reminder that The Sewers of Paris is on Twitter and Facebook — I post clips of the stuff that we talk about on each episode. Also I hope you’ll join me for our next fun friendly livestream on January 25. It’s a laid back brunch-time chat about the books and movies and music and shows that are bringing you joy right now. There’s a link at the top of the Sewers of Paris twitter feed. And by the way, if you like LGBTQ podcasts you may enjoy my other show, Queens of Adventure, a comedy-adventure podcast that stars drag queens playing Dungeons & Dragons. That’s at QueensOfAdventure.com.