If you happen to be in Toronto this weekend, you may want to find your way down to Massey Hall on Saturday night for a one-night-only performance called Och and Oy!, starring actor Alan Cumming and NPR correspondent Ari Shapiro. Their collaborative show is a mix of cabaret and storytelling, and to mark its debut, I’m diving into the Sewers archives to revisit my 2018 conversation with Ari Shapiro, who was then as now one of the hosts of NPR’s flagship show All Things Considered. As a journalist, Ari primarily tells other people's stories, but his own story is considerably is more winding than you might expect -- behind his calm voice is a man who spent time as an undocumented immigrant, who carried mace for protection in high school, and who might never have found his place on the radio if a gay icon hadn't intervened on his behalf.
We’ll have that conversation in a minute. First, a reminder that I’ve got a book coming out this May about the history of queer characters on sitcoms, from Bewitched to The Golden Girls to Friends. It’s called Hi Honey, I’m Homo. Pre-orders are open — and those pre-orders are so important, so if you’ve been meaning to get one in, now’s the time! Head over to gaysitcoms.com to reserve your copy.
And if you like pop culture history, check out my YouTube channel for tales from behind the scenes of iconic movies and TV shows! I just posted a video about the movie The Birdcage and its long winding journey to the screen, and I’ve got another coming soon about a gay couple that transformed the way television depicted queer people in the 1970s — and the psychiatrist who tried to stop them. Check those videos out at YouTube.com/mattbaume.
How Much Can We Get Away With? (Ep 452 - David/The Muppets)
I Live My Life Like Performance Art (Ep 451 - Dean FM/That's So Raven)
Everything but the Snakes (Ep 450 - Joseph/Worship songs)
It's Worthwhile to Fall in Love (Ep 449: Jin/Tales of the City)
The Sewers of Paris: Best of 2023
I Wanted to be a Rock Star (Ep 447 - David Bowie/Scott Shoemaker)
A Dream I Didn't Know I Had (Ep 446 - Justin Randall/Girls)
Brave Families (Ep 445- David & Melinda/Ordinary People & Wings of Desire)
Sissy Diva Worship (Ep 444 - Lucas/Cyndi Lauper)
Underground Culture (Ep 443 - Walter & Matt/The Smiths & To Kill a Mockingbird)
Why Do People Live Like This? (Ep 442 - Eric/Kennedy Center Honors)
Playing With Toys All Over Again (Ep 441 - Tim/Transformers)
I Stopped Praying and I Became an Actor (Ep 439 - Ray/Barney Miller)
The Girl that Wasn't Supposed to be Famous (Ep 438 - Karel/Barbra Streisand)
Something More Than Just a Secret (Ep 437 - Wilson/Will & Grace)
People Wearing Masks (Ep 436 - Hocus Pocus/Rantasmo)
I Can't Believe We Pulled This Off (Ep 435 - Happy Days/Frank)
A World of Wolves (Ep 434 - The Little Mermaid/Scott)
Is What We Do Homosexual? (Ep 433 - Hemmingway/Tate)
Meatpacking Dance (Ep 432 - Donna Summer/Frankie)
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