Welcome back to the Sewers of Paris. Thanks for your patience during the brief pause in the podcast during the month of June — and now I’m delighted to get back behind the mic for more conversations about the entertainment that changed the lives of queer people. On tonight’s episode:
My guest this week is Manuel Betancourt, whose new book of essays about hunks, heartthrobs, and what pop culture taught him about men — and the desire for them. Manuel’s found his way through a series of re-inventions, moving from Colombia to Canada to New York and California, each time deciding to try out a new life as he zeroed in on the one that fits best — one that, it turns out, includes naked garden parties.
We’ll have that conversation in a minute. But first — you may have heard that I too 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 — and continues to play to this day. 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 if you’re a fan of queer culture, and I’m sure you are, don’t forget to swing by my YouTube channel for my videos about film and TV history. That’s at YouTube.com/mattbaume — and I’ve got a new video premiering this weekend all about Norman Lear that I think you’ll love. You can also subscribe to my email newsletter for weekly dispatches, and join me every Sunday for livestreams over on Twitch at twitch.tv/mattbaume — on the last livestream, we watched clips from a bunch of my favorite failed TV show pilots, and there’s lots more to watch on the next one.
Oh and one more thing — I’ve added two new free features to my Patreon. The first is a free tier that gets monthly Q&A videos where I respond to questions and clips sent in by folks like you. And the second is a free trial, so you can watch hundreds of Patreon-exclusive bonus videos for a week, and then decide if you want to stick around. You can check out the Patreon at patreon.com/mattbaume.
Gay Guy Seeking Lesbian to Live a Lie (Ep 429 - Big Valley/John)
Stripping Floral (Ep 428 - Margaret Atwood/Kevin)
The Eight-Year Audition (Ep 427 - Into the Woods/Alexis Michelle)
My Favorite Fairy (Ep 426 - Fairy tales/Trip)
The Fantasy That They Sold Us (Ep 425 - International Male/Jesse)
Talking About Pleasure (Ep 424 - Madonna/Shantel & Trevor)
Tough on the Outside, Nice on the Inside (Ep 422 - Pokémon/José)
All of Your Passions Together (Ep 421 - Max Miller/Tasting History)
Comrades and Bedfellows (Ep 420 - Walt Whitman/Andrew)
Enemies to Lovers (Ep 419 - Christopher Rice/Gay romance novels)
Where the Action Was (Ep 418 - Harvey Brownstone/Making Love)
Excited and Scared (Ep 417 - Ari Shapiro/Stephen Sondheim)
Punks Versus Hippies (Ep 416 - David/FM Radio)
It Was Completely Weird (Ep 415 - David/Grateful Dead)
West Coast 60s Psychedelic Culture (Ep 414 - David/Jimi Hendrix)
Never Saying No to Anything (Ep 413 - Andrew/Monty Python)
The Sewers of Paris Holiday Special Special
Fandom Acts of Kindness (Ep 412 - Kaela Joseph and Tanya Cook)
Hiding out in a Theater (Ep 411 - JP & me/Phantom of the Opera & Harriet the Spy)
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