The Sewers of Paris

Latest Episodes:

Lisa Loeb is Following Me (Reality Bites/Damian) Sep 23, 2026

Show notes

My guest on this week's Sewers of Paris is Damian Pelliccione, who started his career as an actor — if you watch closely, you can catch him on a 2005 episode of Gillmore Girls. Twenty years later, he’s in a very different role, as the co-founder and CEO of the streaming video service Revry. That service hosts an eclectic mix of queer-themed movies, shows, and original web series (including King of Drag, which just launched its second season). But despite having dedicated the last decade of his life to building this business, these days Damian feels particularly nostalgic for a time in his life when none of it would have been possible.

Also, a quick heads up that I’ll be a guest at the pop culture convention Ancient City Con in Florida this weekend, September 25, 26, and 27. I hope to see you there!

The Go-Out Girls (Ep 582 - Alaska Thunderf*ck/Rocky Horror) Sep 18, 2026

Show notes

Like everyone on Earth, I’ve been looking back at the work of both Dolly Parton and Tim Curry, in absolute awe of everything they gave us. For this week’s episode of The Sewers of Paris, we’re revisiting an interview that touched on both Dolly and Tim: My 2018 conversation with the drag performer who now goes by Alaska, and her longtime friend and collaborator Jeremy Mikush. We talk about all about their early influences, watching Rocky Horror together on a little laptop screen, and also the creation of the Alaska drag-sona, the time they sang Dolly Parton songs so loud the cops were called, and also how Alaska bombed her first audition for Drag Race.

We’ll have that interview in a moment. First a quick heads up that I’ll be a guest at the pop culture convention Ancient City Con in Florida next weekend, September 25, 26, and 27. I hope to see you there!

And! I have a new video up on YouTube about Dolly Parton’s surprising connection to the gay community… and I have a video coming this weekend about the many ways in which Tim Curry shaped our lives.

Watching Two Porcupines Mate (The Thomas Crown Affair/Mike) Sep 10, 2026

Show notes

My guest this week has a track record of going viral — whether he wanted to or not. Mike Aylesworth’s first brush with fame was as a teenager in the late 90s when he challenged the Boy Scouts’ ban on gay members… then in adulthood when he dreamed up an invention in the bathtub that changed his life, first for the better and then for the worse. He’s written about his work with the Scouts (and how that turned into work against the Scouts for awhile) in an upcoming book entitled Boy Pageant. As you’ll hear, Mike’s always been drawn to stories about strangers who are surprised to discover that they fit together, from the Golden Girls to art thieves to the crowned heads of Europe; those stories set the stage for the work he does now, helping young people figure out how they fit into the world.

We’ll have that interview in a moment. First a quick heads up that I have a new video on YouTube about Dolly Parton’s surprising connection to the gay community… and I have a video coming soon about the many ways in which Tim Curry shaped our lives.

I Came Out with the Latinos (Ep 580 - The Birdcage/Tony Rodriguez) Sep 03, 2026

Show notes

You might recognize the voice of this week’s Sewers of Paris guest — Tony Rodriguez plays Julio on The Simpsons, a role originated by Hank Azaria. This part didn’t come to Tony in the way you might expect. It was a combination of talent, training, taking some very bold initiative, and an intercession from the podcast Gayest Episode Ever. As you can imagine, being cast on The Simpsons was the opportunity of a lifetime … and it was fitting, since Tony’s initial inspiration to become an actor came from another, much earlier Hank Azaria role.

We’ll have that interview in a moment. First a quick heads up that I have a new YouTube video on YouTube about Dolly Parton’s connection to the gay community — including in ways you might not have heard about before. Also I hope you’ll join me for weekly livestreams every Sunday on Twitch — lately we’ve been watching and talking about the film 9 to 5. Check out my book Hi Honey, I’m Homo! at GaySitcoms.com; subscribe to my email newsletter at MattBaume.com, and if you’re enjoying The Sewers of Paris, support the show on Patreon at Patreon.com/mattbaume.

Horny is a Response (Ep 579 - Batman & Robin/Jack) Aug 20, 2026

Show notes

My guest this week is writer and historian Jack Shoulder. You might know him from his daily social media posts focusing on butts from across art history, or for his upcoming book Museum Hotties… which is about exactly what it sounds like. As a kid, Jack’s interest in classical sculpture was inspired, in part, by the muscular contours of superhero costumes… and much of his work today is an exploration of how that’s an interest shared by many folks over thousands of years. And sometimes, that means fighting against conservative forces in the art world who don’t want to admit just how queer art has always been. We’ll have that interview in a moment. First a quick heads up that I have a new YouTube video coming this weekend about a Broadway director responsible for bringing tons of queer characters to must-see-TV in the 90s. To catch that new video, make sure you’re subscribed at https://YouTube.com/mattbaume. Also I hope you’ll join me for weekly livestreams every Sunday on Twitch. Check out my book Hi Honey, I’m Homo! at GaySitcoms.com; subscribe to my email newsletter at MattBaume.com, and if you’re enjoying The Sewers of Paris, support the show on Patreon at Patreon.com/mattbaume.

Nasty Pig is Poetry (Ep 578 - Pink Floyd/David Lauterstein) Aug 13, 2026

Show notes

My guest this week on The Sewers of Paris is David Lauterstein, the founder and CEO of Nasty Pig. You probably know his company for their sexy fetish-infused street wear, so you might not expect that David’s background is in writing poetry. But the closer you look at his approach to designing clothing, the more it makes sense — using fabric to build a scene like a writer uses words. David recently published a memoir called Sodomy Gods, chronicling the early days of his company and how its origins lie in a surprisingly wholesome love story.

Southern Decadence (Ep 577 - James Baldwin/Jonathan) Aug 08, 2026

Show notes

This week marks the birthday of the author and activist James Baldwin, and to mark the occasion we’re heading into the Sewers archives for a conversation that touches on the expansiveness of Baldwin’s writing. In 2022, I spoke with a guest named Jonathan about how literature helped him discover a larger world — which led to a lifetime of eye-opening experiences, from a brief marriage to a woman to enduring the impact of Hurricane Katrina.

The Harlot's Progress (Ep 576 - Iain/composing opera) Jul 29, 2026

Show notes

My guest on The Sewers of Paris this week is Iain Bell, who made a career out of his personal passion for music. But he took a winding road to get there ... and could never have predicted that a job as a personal trainer would be a crucial step towards premiering an opera in Vienna.

I Owe My Life to Mariah (Ep 575 - Mariah Carey/Bisi) Jul 23, 2026

Show notes

My guest this week grew up in challenging circumstances — a gay kid in Nigeria with a religious family, Bisi couldn’t imagine anywhere on Earth he might belong. Especially after he came out on national television, and had to apply for asylum to escape his increasingly dire living situation. It took a lot of work to get himself to a much happier place — along with the support of his friends, and inspiration from music that helped keep him going.

And just a heads-up: This episode touches on some sensitive themes, including suicide, survival sex work, and abuse.

A Great Excuse for Touching (Ep 574 - Interrupting TV shows/Murray Edelman) Jul 18, 2026

Show notes

A few months ago, I came across an incredible video. It’s the early 70s, and a local Chicago talk show is interviewing a doctor who wrote a sex education book that millions of people across the country were reading … unaware that it was full of wildly incorrect and frankly homophobic claims about homosexuals. The interview is going smoothly until suddenly a man jumps up from the studio audience and does what nobody else had dared — he confronts the doctor about his misinformation and demands he explain himself. That man in the audience was Murray Edelman, and I’m very excited to say that he’s my guest this week on The Sewers of Paris.

Here’s the video — jump to 9:25 to see Murray’s interruption: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PChFM8kAjhw

A quick reminder that I have a new video up on YouTube about the long, messy fight for marriage equality, check that out at https://YouTube.com/mattbaume. Join me for weekly livestreams every Sunday on Twitch. Check out my book Hi Honey, I’m Homo! at GaySitcoms.com; subscribe to my email newsletter at MattBaume.com, and if you’re enjoying The Sewers of Paris, support the show on Patreon at Patreon.com/mattbaume.

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