mattbaume posts
Posts: 896
Files: 2311
Sewers of Paris: It's F*cking Tough to be Reasonable (Ep. 274 - Carlos Maza/Suikoden 2)
For this week’s episode, we’re diving into the Sewers of Paris archive to revisit a chat with the wonderful Carlos Maza. You may know Carlos from the brilliant videos he’s produced, analyzing news and media. Or you might know him from the big queer fuss he caused last year when he shone a spotlight on the rampant harassment and discrimination problem faced by YouTube. Carlos and I spoke back...
Cozy Pants 51: Pavaratti's Provolone
We're back with another Cozy Pants podcast! This week we're diving into the sexy lore of Disney's Slue-Foot Sue (but not too deep, because we don't want to die in the vacuum of space). We play a little what's-her-name with someone named Vonda, which honestly sounds like a name I'd make up. The topic of mermaids comes up, as it often does; as well as very tidy sewers. And of...
Sewers of Paris: Horror is a Comfort (Ep. 273 - classic horror/Lee Gambin)
My guest this week is Lee Gambin, who always knew he had a place in the world of cinema. An obsessive collector of VHS tapes as a kid, he grew up to host raucous film screenings and to write extensively about his great love — classic film and particularly horror. Despite his favorite films being full of frights, he’s never found them scary. Instead, he’s embraced the comforting power of mons...
Sewers of Paris: Magic Horses & Middle School (Ep. 272 - Fantasy novels/Hugh Ryan)
Hugh Ryan is a writer, researcher, speaker, and also the subject of a recent episode of The Sewers of Paris. You might remember a few weeks ago when my guest Michael mentioned Hugh’s book, When Brooklyn was Queer, and Hugh was kind enough to sit down for a chat about his own favorite books — pulpy sci-fi novels, which filled his middle school days with magic horses. Growing up, be became a sor...
Cozy Pants 50: Horrible Pictures for Children
Well, I've completely misunderstood the difference between a beloved Agatha Christie mystery, a board game from the 80s, and a slapstick comedy starring Nathan Lane. But who can blame me? This week on Cozy Pants, we talk a bit about Mars Attacks -- not the movie, but the collectible card phenomenon. We develop a new card game based on werewolf feet. We speculate about why people feel so strong...
Sewers of Paris: I Wanted to be a Rock Star (Ep. 270 - David Bowie/Scott Shoemaker)
My guest this week is Scott Shoemaker — you heard his partner Freddie on the show last month. Like Freddie, Scott’s great passion is live weird theater, such as his ongoing series where he plays a boozy pill-popping version of Ms Pac Man, or his annual Christmas show where he finds new ways every year to ruin and then hastily repair the holidays. Growing up, Scott dreamed of being a rock star ...
Cozy Pants 49: Be the Way
Hello hello, we're living our fantasy on this week's Cozy Pants with a tiptoe through the classic fantasy film Willow. Surprise, it has a lot of problems! (And also a few very very good things, all of them women.) I also engage in an excruciating round of What's-Her-Name, and reflect on what little Disney's Robin Hood has in common with actual Nottingham. And of course, there's...
Sewers of Paris: I Embrace Being High-Strung (Ep. 269 - Jeopardy!/Louis Virtel)
You might’ve seen that the show Jeopardy just invited three of its greatest winners of all time to participate in a championship showdown this week. And I thought it would be a good time to dig back into the Sewers of Paris archives for a chat with the contestant I consider the greatest Jeopardy player of all time, Louis Virtel, revisiting our 2016 chat about game shows, Clue, and great actresse...
Cozy Pants 48: Alistair Phlegmbottom
On this week's Cozy Pants podcast, we're tossing coins at The Witcher -- which we agree is better than Game of Thrones, at least at the end! It manages to make a fantasy world that feels surprising and new, and also rewards regular viewing in a way that Game of Thrones... well, kind of punished the fans for. Cats are also on our minds, and Goop's startling new candle scent. I share som...
Sewers of Paris: Becoming a Library Gay (Ep. 268 - Tales of the City/Michael)
What kind of gay are you, and how many different kinds have you been? My guest this week is Michael, a San Francisco library-gay who’s also been a ballet gay, a nightclub gay, a rowing gay, and various other flavors with probably many more to come. Michael grew up around queer people, with progressive parents and a childhood passion for dancing in the Pennsylvania ballet, where he had some momen...
January Update: Hopeful New Year!
Hello friends!Well well well, looks like 2020 is actually happening. TBQH I wasn't sure we were actually going to go ahead with this whole "new year" thing, but it looks like we're committed to it so let's see what happens!Here's what you can look forward to getting from me this month: Livestreams! Come say hello, share your recommendations for stuff to watch, and make frie...
Cozy Pants 47: The UpriXing
On this week's Cozy Pants podcast, we've got the HOT GOSSIP about Kathleen Turner in The Graduate. James indulges in some filthy speculation about holes, and we have a little classy literary talk about the book A Confederacy of Dunces, which we love despite it having QUITE a few problems. (But oh boy, does it ever manage to nail the gay lifestyle in that one party scene.) James re-introduc...
Sewers of Paris: Feeling Like a Woman, Looking Like a Man (Ep. 267 - Josephine Baker/Shawntae Arnette)
My guest this week has had a lot of families — some good, some bad. Shawntae Arnette dreamed of being a performer all their life, after seeing a documentary about the famous dancer Josephine Baker. But there were roadblocks to that dream, from unsupportive biological family, to a period of homelessness, to a chosen family that turned toxic. Drifting and aimless, Shawntae joined a job program and...
Cozy Pants 46: Don't Ape on my Parade
On this week's Cozy Pants podcast, we're spending some time with Marvel. James and I are catching up on some of the superhero movies we missed in theaters, and now a lot of the flying around and pew-pew makes a lot more sense. We're speculating about what we might do for New Year's Eve (kissing!) and also trying desperately remember to the name of Hugo Weaving in an impromptu game ...
Look at Everything You Helped Make Happen in 2019!
Hi friends!Holy geez, what a year. And what an honor and a joy to be wrapping up 2019 with you! Thanks to your support here on Patreon, I've been able to produce dozens of episodes of The Sewers of Paris, nine new Culture Cruise videos, and tons of livestreams and Weekly Debriefs. I've sent out lots of books and stickers and bookmarks and postcards to backers all over the world, and even m...
Sewers of Paris: Excited and Terrified (Ep. 266 - Edward Gorey/Jordan Christianson)
Do clothes cover you up, or reveal who you really are? My guest this week is Jordan Christianson, a Seattle artist and designer who creates incredible one-off costumes for many of your favorite Drag Race stars. He’s also a big nerd, whose work is influenced by the futuristic fashions of Star Trek and Dune, as well as giant anime robots and eye-catching classic cars. Jordan’s always used clothi...
Cozy Pants 45: Friends, Lovers, and Cats
Cats. That is basically all that we discuss on this week's episode of Cozy Pants. We have seen the film, and our review is: I am apparently now a Cats gay. Yes yes yes, you've seen all the news about the weird CGI and the patch sent to theaters, but we are here to tell you that this was the single greatest moviegoing experience we have ever had. It is everything I could possibly have wante...
Sewers of Paris: On My Own (Ep. 265 - Willy Wonka/Gus Lanza)
My guest this week had to figure out a lot on his own. After dropping out of high school and moving across the country at the age of 15, Gus Lanza had no idea how to finish school, how to find a career, or what he was meant to do in life. Figuring that stuff out involved a lot of listening to himself — and also finding others who could help him along the way. As time passed, a unique chosen fami...
Cozy Pants 44: Not Your Mother's Comic Book
On this week's Cozy Pants podcast, we're girding our loins for the new Star War while also casting our minds back to the absolutely BONKERS details of the prequels -- and also appreciating the very fine work of the Emperor. I've got a bit of a sniffle and my remedy is, for some reason, greasy tea. We review the sexiest of the Donkey Kong characters, and appreciate the attempted-gothery...
Sewers of Paris: What You're Shown and What You Discover (Ep. 264 - Pink Flamingos/Freddy)
My guest this week has a single-minded determination when it comes to entertaining, parties, and filling everyone’s lives with joy. Freddy Molitch is a Seattle playwright and DJ who also goes by the name DJ King of Pants, and he’s on a mission to bring happiness to audiences through theater and music and very weird nightlife. He came of age in 90s Seattle, when grunge and disaffection were at ...
Cozy Pants 43: Cast Lizard, You Towel
On this week's Cozy Pants podcast, James shares his HOTTEST TAKE YET on the nearly 20-year-old Star Wars prequels, and we delight in the most recent wonderful guest stars of The Mandalorian. There's more timely commentary on Henny Youngman and Georgia O'Keefe, and Skeletor flirts with Beastman. We invent a new cartoon villain named Herlock Flumm (possible goat), and James TRICKS me int...
A Writer's Job (Ep. 263 - Wicked/Gregory Maguire)
My guest this week is Gregory Maguire, author of the novel Wicked among many other works. Though I’m sure you’re familiar with his book and the Broadway musical adaptation, you may not known the extent to which Gregory’s childhood was infused with elements of fairytale — from the fantasy novels he devoured, to the family tragedy that led to his time in an orphanage.We’ll have that conver...
December Update: Jingle Those Bells Please
Hello friends!Well here we are in holiday season, a.k.a. the most RELAXING and STRESS-FREE time of the year. I hope you're able to find some comfort and joy however you celebrate -- personally, I like to mark December by huddling under as many blankets as I can possibly acquire and watching the Pee Wee Christmas Special. Oh and also, of course, by working on all the videos and podcasts and liv...
Cozy Pants 42: She-EOs, He-EOs, and They-EOs
Hello hello hello! On this week's Cozy Pants podcast we reminisce about Thanksgiving turkeys, and the overabundance thereof. We've been watching more Mandalorian and have more ~opinions~ plus some thoughts on the toys and movies of the 80s as brought to us by Netflix. We speculate about a modern-day retelling of Home Alone starring Joan Cusack called "Joan Alone." Tyra's got ju...
Sewers of Paris: There's More of us Than I Thought (Ep. 262 - Tomb Raider/Jackie)
My guest this week is artist, animator, and globe-traveling adventurer Jackie Wu. He grew up in Hong Kong, playing video games with family and idolizing figures like Lara Croft in Tomb Raider. As he grew older, he knew he needed to venture out into the world and explore, seeking treasure of a different kind. And that’s how a quiet, unassuming artist found himself traveling to the UK to reinvent ...
The Weird Family (Ep. 261 - Conor/Calvin & Hobbes)
My guest this week is Conor Olmstead, a photographer and video producer, and also my co-adventurer in a Dungeons & Dragons campaign. In addition to being an accomplished nerd, Conor is also deeply imaginative, and has a gift not just for noticing beauty in the world around him, but also capturing it through a camera’s lens.We’ll have that conversation in a minute. First a big thanks to everyon...
Cozy Pants 41: The Nubile Hands of J. Alfred Prufrock
This week on the Cozy Pants, we're speculating about the royal family's fursonas, why one must never pass the jelly, and what could have possessed Eddie Furlong to release a christmas song. We also discuss the Disney+ experience and our delight that the Mandalorian is actually good, as well as Kathleen Turner's oddly wide stance. All that plus some new information about what Modelland ...
The Cool Person I Could Be (Ep 260 - Pokemon/Cody Shipman)
My guest this week is my friend Cody Shipman, a graphic designer and artist here in Seattle whose work illustrates better than any I’ve ever seen why the Pacific Northwest feels like cozy home. Cody’s most famous piece depicts a bear and a lumberjack sitting down for tea together, and his other art features men cuddling in onesies, relaxing in steam rooms, and flirting in singlets. Cody’s al...
Cozy Pants 40: Voulez-Vous Poulet Avec Moi
We're doing the French Mistake on the Cozy Pants podcast this week, with James' attention still fixed solidly on Les Miserables, and mine on the tattered shreds of my high school French classes. We discuss the new extremely weird Death Stranding game, and also Outer Worlds, in which I play a taciturn Spockish character. I share a memory of the world's worst flirtation, and James discov...
November Update: Thanks to You!
Hello friends!Okay, BRRRRR, how is it this cold already? We're solidly into indoor-weather these days, which means a lot more time for me to hunker down and write, record, and edit stuff for you -- and also to send you backer-rewards! I'm attaching a pic of me at the post office sending out the latest round of care packages.I know it's been a while since the last Culture Cruise, but oh...
