The Sewers of Paris

My guest this week is writer Christopher Tradowsky [https://christophertradowsky.com/], who loves nothing more than to slip into the sanctuary of an old-fashioned movie palace, to commune with strangers all indulging together in whatever escape is unspooling up on the screen. These days, those great vintage movie houses are getting harder to find. But Christopher’s extending an invitation to discover that magic through his new book, Midnight at the Cinema Palace [https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Midnight-at-the-Cinema-Palace/Christopher-Tradowsky/9781668057261], a novel about three friends — or maybe more? — whose love of film draws them into a 1990s-era film noir. We’ll have that conversation in a minute. First, if you’re enjoying The Sewers of Paris, I hope you’ll consider supporting the show on Patreon [http://patreon.com/mattbaume]. You may also enjoy my YouTube videos [http://youtube.com/mattbaume] about the making of iconic movies and TV shows — I have a new video about the magic of Star Trek’s Lwaxana Troi. And check out my weekly livestreams on Twitch [http://twitch.tv/mattbaume], my book Hi Honey, I’m Homo! [http://gaysitcoms.com], and my free email newsletter. There’s links to all that in the episode shownotes, and at MattBaume.com [http://mattbaume.com]. Also -- if you're in Seattle, come grab a signed copy of my book, Hi Honey, I'm Homo!, hang out and chat about great queer comedy, and pick up some freebies next Sunday June 8 [https://www.mattbaume.com/events] -- I'll be at Northgate Barnes & Noble, signing books & showing my favorite sitcom clips. It's right off the Northgate light rail stop -- see you there!

My guest this week is filmmaker Peter McDowell [https://www.petermcdowell.com], whose documentary Jimmy in Saigon [https://jimmyinsaigon.com] is a sort of detective story that follows Peter’s attempt to unravel into the strange death of his brother … and also an unspoken love story that had been hidden for years. Peter didn’t expect to find himself making this documentary, and for a long time didn’t even think of himself as a filmmaker. It wasn’t until recently that he decided to spend his entire savings trying to unravel a mystery that had hung over his family for decades. We’ll have that conversation in a minute. First, if you’re enjoying The Sewers of Paris, I hope you’ll consider supporting the show on Patreon [http://patreon.com/mattbaume]. You may also enjoy my YouTube videos [http://youtube.com/mattbaume] about the making of iconic movies and TV shows. And check out my weekly livestreams on Twitch [http://twitch.tv/mattbaume], my book Hi Honey, I’m Homo! [http://gaysitcoms.com], and my free email newsletter. There’s links to all that in the episode shownotes, and at MattBaume.com [http://mattbaume.com].

My guest this week is Alexis Langlois [https://www.instagram.com/rikiki_nabote/], director of the film Queens of Drama [https://www.alteredinnocence.net/queensofdrama] — a musical love story about two performers who enter a forbidden romance behind the scenes of a pop-star competition. Alexis has been making films with a troupe of irregulars for years, inspired by John Waters’ Dreamlanders and the recurring actors in the films of David Lynch. His style is scrappy, independent, political, and very queer … so you can imagine his surprise when he was invited to present his latest work at Cannes. We’ll have that conversation in a minute. First — if you’ve been watching the latest season of Drag Race All Stars, you’ve seen Bosco and Irene the Alien absolutely stealing the show with great looks, funny banter, and a mischievous friendship. And you can get even more of that Irene and Bosco magic — having an absolute riot playing Dungeons & Dragons. A couple years ago Bosco and Irene joined me and my partner James for a D&D adventure, and we just posted the full audio for you to check out. Over six hours of these two drag stars on a fun, chaotic fantasy romp. You don’t need to know anything about D&D to listen — it’s basically like an audiobook that you can put on to enjoy while you’re doing something else. I think you’ll love it — Here’s a link: https://youtu.be/rD8tJTtAMYA [https://youtu.be/rD8tJTtAMYA]  And if you’re enjoying The Sewers of Paris, I hope you’ll consider supporting the show on Patreon [http://patreon.com/mattbaume]. You may also enjoy my YouTube videos [http://youtube.com/mattbaume] about the making of iconic movies and TV shows. I have a new video out now about the British sitcom Vicious, starring Ian McKellen and Derek Jacobi. And check out my weekly livestreams on Twitch [http://twitch.tv/mattbaume], my book Hi Honey, I’m Homo! [http://gaysitcoms.com], and my free email newsletter. There’s links to all that in the episode shownotes, and at MattBaume.com [http://mattbaume.com].

My guest this week is Pete Crighton, whose debut book The Vinyl Diaries [https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/745935/the-vinyl-diaries-by-pete-crighton/] comes out next week on May 13. It’s a memoir and a disocography, based on a journal that Pete kept of his various hookups with men over the years and the soundtrack of each encounter and relationship. We’ll have that conversation in a minute. First, if you’re enjoying The Sewers of Paris, I hope you’ll consider supporting the show on Patreon [http://patreon.com/mattbaume]. You may also enjoy my YouTube videos [http://youtube.com/mattbaume] about the making of iconic movies and TV shows. I have a new video out now about the British sitcom Vicious, starring Ian McKellen and Derek Jacobi. And check out my weekly livestreams on Twitch [http://twitch.tv/mattbaume], my book Hi Honey, I’m Homo! [http://gaysitcoms.com], and my free email newsletter. There’s links to all that in the episode shownotes, and at MattBaume.com [http://mattbaume.com].

A new film called Lavender Men [https://www.instagram.com/lavendermenfilm/] comes to theaters this month, and streaming in June — it’s about a theatrical stage manager who daydreams about her connection to Abraham Lincoln through queer romance. I’m chatting with two of the folks involved in the film this week: Lovell Holder [https://www.instagram.com/lovell.holder/] directed the film, and Roger Q. Mason [https://www.instagram.com/rogerq.mason/?hl=en] is the writer and star. They’re longtime collaborators, going back to college when Lovell was entranced by Roger’s performance in Romeo and Juliet as the Nurse. And this film is just one step in their plans to change the world. We’ll have that conversation in a minute. First, if you’re enjoying The Sewers of Paris, I hope you’ll consider supporting the show on Patreon [http://patreon.com/mattbaume]. You may also enjoy my YouTube videos [http://youtube.com/mattbaume] about the making of iconic movies and TV shows. I have a new video out now about the British sitcom Vicious, starring Ian McKellen and Derek Jacobi. And check out my weekly livestreams on Twitch [http://twitch.tv/mattbaume], my book Hi Honey, I’m Homo! [http://gaysitcoms.com], and my free email newsletter. There’s links to all that in the episode shownotes, and at MattBaume.com [http://mattbaume.com].