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Roll Yourself in Glitter - (Ep. 118: Justin Sayre)

My guest this week is Justin Sayre, whom you may know from the excellent Sparkle and Circulate podcast, or his delightful live show The Meeting of the International Order of the Sodomites. He always knew there was a big queer community out there, but he never quite felt a connection with it, so he decided to do something about that: by appointing himself its chairman.

Watch clips of stuff we talked about this week: http://SewersOfPar...

I Was a Teenage Theater Tyrant (Ep. 117 - Pee-wee Herman)

Have you ever proved yourself wrong? My guest this week is actor Tom Lenk, who appeared as Andrew on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Tom was convinced for years that he lacked the skills that seemed to come naturally to other actors -- and so he was terrified when cast in a show that demanded more of him than he thought he could deliver. Facing that challenge changed the course of his career -- thanks in part to confidence he absorbed at an early age from the most beautiful woman in Puppetland.

By t...

Queer Desire Has Always Been There (Ep. 116: Kurt Cobain)

This Week's guest: Hamed Sinno

What did you rebel against when you were a teenager, and are you still rebelling today? This week's guest is Hamed Sinno, whose Lebanese upbringing afforded him only brief glimpses of gay culture and queer voices in pop culture. In college, he formed a band with some friends and discovered to his surprise that his defiant songs resonated with other folks. But with that heightened visibility came new risks -- particularly when he came to ...

Sewers of Paris: Impersonating Dinosaurs (Ep. 115: Jurassic Park, Queer as Folk, and Weekend)

How do you make up for lost time after spending years in the closet? My guest this week is journalist Adam Smith, who avoiding coming out for years because he felt that he needed to maintain a sort of sexual neutrality for the sake of his family. Now that he's finally experiencing the world as an out gay man, there's lots to explore -- which has meant shedding his inhibitions, and occasionally, all of his clothes.

Watch clips of stuff we talked about: 2017-05-25 13:00:01 +0000 UTC View Post

Failed Mystics (Ep. 114: Buffy, X-Men, He-Man, and Lwaxana Troi)

Have you ever been lucky enough to enjoy the sensation of villainy? My guest this week is Anthony Olivera, who you might also know for his incisive tweeting as Meakoopa. Anthony's always felt a sympathy for monsters and villains -- or at least, the figures assumed to be monsters and villains -- even before he was old enough to realize that he might be considered one himself.

Watch clips of stuff we talked about at http://SewersOf...

I Was About to Lose my Mind - (Ep. 113 - Dave Holmes)

My guest this week is Dave Holmes, who you might know from the podcast International Waters, or his articles in Esquire, or his book Party of One. I first saw Dave on MTV, in a proto-reality show competition to become a VJ back in the late 90s. On screen, it was clear that Dave was the most qualified, most knowledgable, and most engaging contestant, with an encyclopedia knowledge of music and an infectious passion for talking about it. But what nobody who was watching could know was that for Dav...

Beauty in Trash (Ep. 112 - Bruce Vilanch)

Have you ever surprised yourself with what you were able to get away with? This week's guest is writer and comedian Bruce Vilanch, who's been slipping sly queer jokes into our entertainment since before some of us were even born. Starting out as a writer for great divas of the 1970s and then moving on to variety shows, the Oscars, and a notorious holiday special, Bruce provided a subtle queer infusion into American showbiz for decades. And this week we'll talk about how he managed to get away wi...

I Made 30 Rock my Home (Ep. 111 - Talk Shows & Game Shows)

Last week's guest was Jeffery Self, a relatively young actor and writer who's broken into the entertainment industry often on his own terms. This week, I'm speaking with Randy West, an industry veteran whose experience was vastly different. From sweet-talking his way onto sets to chasing big breaks with a single-minded determination, Randy learned to play the game at a time when the rules were very unforgiving.

Watch clips of stuff we talked about at 2017-04-27 13:00:27 +0000 UTC View Post

Serial Killers Shake Things Up (Ep. 110 - Torch Song Trilogy & Steel Magnolias)

Do you have an inner performer lurking just below the surface -- or has your inner performer burst above the surface, resolutely refusing to ever be ignored? My guest this week is the fantastic Jeffery Self, who has for his entire life been every inch an entertainer -- whether forming a rebel theater troupe as a teen in his small southern hometown; testing his capacity for sass in the various TV roles where you've probably seen him; and creating the books and shows and circle of friends that he ...

I Walked on Coals (Ep. 109 - Gordon Bellamy)

If making others happy makes you happy, what do you do when their happiness puts you in danger? My guest this week is Gordon Bellamy, one of the kindest and friendliest people I've ever met. For years, he went to great lengths to get along with people, even when he was sure those people would reject the real him. But of course, true friendship and love only came once he'd working up the nerve to be truly honest ... with the help of a song or two.

And by the way, Gordon and I will be on a panel...

This is the Story of a Homosexual (Ep. 108 - Twin Peaks)

How much thought have you given to what your secret identity would be if you were a superhero? My guest this week is Glen Weldon, host of NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour -- a lively chat about books, music, movies, TV, and more. As host, Glen's renowned for his encyclopedic knowledge of heroes and comic books. But for a long time, that comic geek was just one of his secret identities.

By the way, Pop Culture Happy Hour is coming to Chicago next week for a live show on April 12. You can go to Harr...

You Can be Sad or You Can be Gay (Ep. 107 - Guy Branum)

Why is "gay" the word that the world seems to have picked to describe us? My guest Guy Branum has some thoughts on the topic, and on many more. You can see Guy as the host of "Talk Show the Game Show," debuting April 5 on TruTV, where celebrities compete to be the best guest on a talk show. There could be no better environment for Guy, a brilliantly funny comedian with a superpower for first breaking rules, and then reassembling them into something far more fascinating. 

Watch clips of st...

A Giraffe Gynecologist (Ep. 106 - Opera)

Longtime listeners may remember way back in episode 4 of The Sewers of Paris, my guest Greg talked about picking up copies of an unofficial queer opera zine called Parterre Box in the men's room of the Metropolitan Opera. The publisher of that zine is this week's guest. James Jorden always wanted to direct, but when he first moved to New York the closest he could get to the stage was in a low-paying job sweeping up bobby pins. That's when he had a a stroke of inspiration: if his career wasn't ad...

I Always Wanted to be the Pretty one (Ep. 105 - Miss Universe)

How do you know when you're home? Is home a place you find, or a place you make? My guest this week grew up in the US, but never quite felt like he belonged. That all changed after a chance film screening, a lucky visit to a chat room, and a surprise visit to Ireland. After a lifetime of trying to figure out where he belonged, Ben took a gamble on international romance -- and won.

Watch clips of stuff we talked about on this episode at 2017-03-16 13:00:44 +0000 UTC View Post

This Week's Guest: Stephen Oremus

My guest this week started his musical career at a neighborhood friend's piano, hanging out and playing showtunes. These days he's doing pretty much the same, but he's accompanying Broadway stars and winning Tonys. Stephen Oremus worked on The Book of Mormon, Avenue Q, Frozen, and 9 to 5, among many others, and was music director for the 87th Academy Awards -- a role that became a little tense when one of the winners had an unexpected message to deliver from the stage. 

Watch clips of stu...

A Weird Thing From Outer Space Having a Love Affair (Ep. 103 - RISK's Kevin Allison)

Imagine this riskiest thing you could do -- and then imagine what would happen if you did it. My guest this week knows something about taking a chance -- Kevin Allison is the host of the Risk podcast, a show where people tell true stories about the times they put everything on the line. It's a concept that came to him after he'd spent too many years playing it safe, from tiptoeing around his sexuality to his mild-mannered persona on the sketch comedy show The State. It was on the advice of his f...

Where's the Coming-Out Advice for Somebody in a Chair? (Ep. 102 - Narnia)

Most gay men have had the experiencing of needing to decide just how open and honest we're going to be about our lives, even when that openness is difficult for some people to hear. This week's guest makes openness about difficult topics his life's work. Andrew Gurza is the host of the podcasts Disability With Drew and Disability After Dark, in addition to being one of the organizers of a recent accessible sex party in Toronto. His mission: to demolish cultural taboos around disability and sex -...

I Met my Husband in Divinity School (Ep. 101 - The Hours)

How do you cope when everything seems sad? And how do you move on and find happiness? My guest this week is Jason DeRose. His background in divinity school taught him pastoral care, and his career as a journalist taught him how to look difficult news unflinchingly in the eye. It can be tempting to let dark feelings become overwhelming, to let them control us, or simply to run from them. But whether counseling people or reporting the news, Jason's challenge has been confronting those dark emotion...

My Life is Drama -- Make me Laugh (Ep. 100 - Dan Savage)

This Week's Guest: Dan Savage

If, like me, you are a huge fan of Dan Savage's work, you've probably heard him speak at length about sex and love and news and politics -- but this conversation is going to be a little different as we dive into 8-track tapes, secret bike rides, family arguments, and a rule-breaking theater troupe where Dan honed his sense of shock and showmanship long before he was known for dispensing Savage Love.

"Album covers in the 70s ... helped me figure out ...

Lies That I Felt too Queasy to Tell (Ep. 99 - Game Shows)

To what lengths are you willing to go to prove yourself? My guest this week is Caleb Nelson, who's had a lifelong fascination with game shows as a way to prove mastery and skill. As he got older, he discovered that despite always working hard to prove himself to others, he faced a far greater challenge when it came to believing in himself.

Watch clips of ...

Poll: Time to Change the Sewers of Paris Logo?

Hi Sewers of Paris patrons! Thanks once again for keeping the show going -- it means so much to me that you believe in the show and support it.

I'd like to get your thoughts on something pretty important: the show's logo. We're coming up on episode 100, and I'm thinking about changing the logo to a very cute croissant image  as drawn by Levi Hastings (2017-01-30 22:26:41 +0000 UTC View Post

Screaming on the Outside, Placid on the Inside (Ep. 98 - Chris Schleicher)

How will you make it on your own? This week's guest is Chris Schleicher, who moved to a big city all by himself with some dreams, some talent, and a determination to stop living for other people. He started his career inspired by sitcoms like the Mary Tyler Moore show, and now he makes sitcoms as a writer on The Mindy Project. Season 5 starts February 14 on Hulu, and you can catch Chris on episode 513, playing "Nurse Chris."

2017-01-26 08:01:50 +0000 UTC View Post

Going to the Beach with John Waters (Ep. 97 - Peaches Christ)

My guest this week is Joshua Grannell, but you may know him as Peaches Christ -- the host of San Francisco's wild midnight mass shows and creator of outlandish drag exploitation films. Even as a kid, Joshua orchestrated elaborate halloween shows that his whole family got in on. And as an adult, he's crafted an entire media empire dedicated to exposing the uneasy frights that hide just below the surface of suburbia.

You can see that media empire at work on the west coast -- Joshua has an upcomi...

A Big Purple Man in a Loin Cloth (Ep. 96 - Gargoyles)

How far up your family tree would you have to go before the way your family lives became unrecognizable? My guest this week is Fazaad Feroze, whose parents grew up in shack in Guiana before moving to the United States. As you can imagine, assimilation into American culture wasn't always easy.

Also, check out the podcast Polygamer -- I'm on the episode posted Wednesday, January 11th, sharing stories ab...

A Need to be Doused in Black Culture - (Ep. 95 - Sonari Glinton)

When you look back on your life, who are the adults who were wiser than you realized at the time? My guest this week is NPR's Sonari Glinton. He grew up in Chicago, surrounded by amazing artists and curators who managed to steer him in the directions that were exactly what a little queer kid needed.

By the way, check out the podcast Polygamer -- I'll be on an episode coming out Wednesday, January 11th, sharing stories about my queer...

The Best Gay Entertainment of 2016

Hello friends, and welcome to a special year-end edition of the Sewers of Paris. On this episode, I've invited some of my favorite gay podcasters to recommend their favorite entertainment of the year, from Lemonade to Difficult People and Moonlight and Reba. If you've been feeling down in the dumps about 2016, now's the time to take a deep breath and remember that it's actually been a great year to enjoy some amazing art and culture, and the next few years could be even more fertile.

Watch vid...

A Telemundo Reaction

Have you ever experienced a Christmas miracle? My guest this week has. His whole life, Jose longed to experience a magical snowy wonderland like he saw on American TV specials -- not exactly an easy thing to find in Venezuela, where the one snowball he ever saw was scraped together from a frosty puddle and carefully passed from person to person.

But that all changed on a on a trip to New York, where in the span of just a few days he  went on his first date with a boy, grew closer to the d...

That Really Felt Like Christmas Magic (Ep. 92 - Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer)

This Week's Guest: Jonathan Renteria-Elyea

Growing up as in atheist home, December was the closest I ever came to having a religious experience -- not because of actual religion, but the beauty of the snow and gifting and carols and lights just overwhelmed and transported me, years before I had any inkling that there was any kind of churchy component.

My guest this week came to Christmas from the other side of the looking glass. Jonathan grew up in a deeply religious family, and...

Tragically Ludicrous and Ludicrously Tragic (Ep. 91 - Reality Shows)

How do you think you'd come across if someone made your life into a reality show? My guest this week is Ross Semple, who grew up in a sort of fishbowl where the presence of family was constant and privacy didn't exist. And so naturally the round-the-clock surveillance of reality shows resonated with him, particularly as the medium evolved and the term "reality" became euphemistic.

But as young as the genre may seem, Ross eventually discovered that hysterics, outlandish costumes, and the ludicr...

Don't Ask Me Out Again Until You've Written Chapter Two (Ep. 90 - Tootsie)

When it comes to costumes, some of us have a greater-than-average appreciation for layering. My guest this week is writer Steven Rowley, whose debut novel Lily and the Octopus is touching and familiar and funny. It is also one of the gayest stories he's ever told, after a career spent in what was a sort of disguise, writing rom-coms about heterosexual relationships. But by the time his deeply personal book was complete he knew that he was done de-gaying his stories. So he told his ...