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.
Queer Dark Souls (Ep 351 - Dark Souls/Illusory Wall)
The Luckiest Little Homosexual in the World (Ep 350 - The Tonys/Jeffrey Masters)
In my Own Way I'm a Doomsday Prepper (Ep. 349 - Phuong/Drag Race)
Tough on the Outside, Nice on the Inside (Ep 348 - Pokémon/José)
A Little More F'd Up (Ep 347 - Six Feet Under/Scott)
The Devil's Name is on All my Paychecks (Ep 346 - Fran Tirado/Greek myths)
My Cat Makes Me Laugh (Ep. 345 - Bette Midler/H. Alan Scott)
Good Luck, Kid (Ep 344 - Beatrix Potter/Carl Bishop)
Always Dreaming (Ep 343 - The Brady Bunch Movie/Stan Zimmerman)
Really Stupid and Delicious (Ep 342 - Desperate Housewives/Benji Carr)
The Lone Wolf Doing Theater (Ep 341 - Ravi Roth/Broadway)
We Were Too Busy Being Gay (Ep. 340 - Stonewall/Tree)
A Pride Omnibus (Ep 339 - X-Men/Joe Glass)
Glamour Rampage (Ep 338 - Justin Vivian Bond)
Misfits and Aliens (Ep 337 - Lypsinka/Gypsy)
If You Can Survive it, do it (Ep 336 - Gay New York in the 70s & 80s/Mark Finley)
Camp is like Pornography (Ep 335 - Eurovision/Jānis)
Beauty in Trash (Ep 334 - Bruce Vilanch/Bette Midler)
It Was All There in One Album (Ep 333 - Bette Midler/James Sie)
My Life Was a Game of Survivor (Ep 332 - School of Rock/Brian Falduto)
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
The Modern West
LGBT Bar NY Podcast
Out Loud: LGBT Stories of Faith
Lez Represent Podcast | A queer LGBT social
Making Gay History | LGBTQ Oral Histories from the Archive
Nancy