The Sewers of Paris

Jan 30 2025 298 ep. 52 mins 2.6k
The Sewers of Paris Podcast artwork

Revealing stories about the books, movies, tv, music and more that have changed the lives of gay men. Each week, a guest plucks a piece of entertainment from their past, and answers the question: how did it change your life?

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The Entire Planet Was Paying Attention (Ep 504: The Real World/Judd Winick)

Jan 30 2025 50 mins  
Cast your mind back, if you will, to the 1990s, when reality TV was new. Though the genre was young, many had already written off shows like The Real World as trash. But one young man saw an opportunity, and thought that maybe there was a way he could use television to save lives. His name was Pedro Zamora, and his work wound up changing the course of more lives than he could have

Gay by May (Ep 503: Snow White/David)

Jan 23 2025 35 mins  
My guest this week is filmmaker David Beck. His childhood love of theater led him to a life as an actor — and also a difficult struggle to keep his head above water in a career where work was unpredictable and fiercely competitive. After coming out of the closet with the help of a few illicit substances, a chance offer from a friend led to a reinvention behind the camera. His new

The Moment Where I Lost It (Ep 502 - E.T./Andrew)

Jan 09 2025 53 mins  
This month sees a rerelease of the classic ‘80s film The Goonies, which is about to turn 40. In honor of that milestone, we’re heading into the Sewers archives to hear my 2018 chat with Andrew Putschoegl, whose childhood mirrored that of ‘80s films where groups of neighborhood kids are thrown together into unstructured days of outdoor exploration. In those movies, each kid te

I Accidentally Found Myself on MTV (501: The Real World/Danny Roberts)

Jan 02 2025 55 mins  
My guest this week is Danny Roberts, one of the stars of Real World: New Orleans, which originally aired on MTV in 2000. Danny was planning to become a teacher and wound up on the show through a series of coincidences, accidents, and last-minute changes of plan, so he was a little unprepared for the fame that he soon found thrust upon him. To say nothing of the weird — and someti

The Sewers of Paris 500th Episode Q&A Spectacular!

Dec 26 2024 55 mins  
It's the 500th episode of the Sewers of Paris, and to celebrate James and I are doing a special Q&A with questions sent in by listeners! Huge thanks to everyone who sent questions, and let me know if you'd like to hear more episodes like these! And as requested by patron David, there's a list of some of my favorite early episodes (for anyone who wants to get started with the podca

From Mormon to Drug Lord (Ep 499 - Last of the Mohicans/Sean)

Dec 19 2024 44 mins  
My guest this week is Sean Hemeon — an actor, writer, painter, and former Mormon drug dealer. Sean’s currently working on a memoir that details just how deep he fell into a violent, and at times deadly world of dealing crystal meth. And how an arrest, a lucky break, and a love of acting helped pull him out. We’ll have that conversation in a moment. First, if you’re enjoyin

Stories Only I Could Tell (Ep 498 - Chasing Chasing Amy/Sav Rodgers)

Dec 12 2024 37 mins  
My guest this week is director Sav Rodgers, whose new film is Chasing Chasing Amy. It began as an exploration of the origin of the infamous ‘90s rom-com, but in the process of making the documentary, interviewing folks, and digging deeper into the movie’s message, Sav uncovered some surprising truths about himself — ones that he was reluctant to include in the documentary, bu

The Glamour Injection I Needed (Ep 497 - Disco/Frank DeCaro)

Dec 05 2024 49 mins  
My guest this week is pop culture writer Frank DeCaro, whose latest book is Disco: Music, Movies, and Mania under the Mirror Ball. Frank grew up in disco’s heyday, which he experienced through teenage disco parties in the New Jersey suburbs. He also experienced the anti-disco conspiracy that sent the genre into a sort of musical witness protection program for the following decade

Gay Men's Catnip (Ep 496 - The Wizard of Oz/Josh)

Nov 28 2024 55 mins  
Before we get to this week’s episode, I have a question for you. And that question is … do you have any questions for me? I ask because we’re coming up on the 500th episode of The Sewers of Paris next month, and to celebrate I’m going to be doing a special Q&A episode where I answer questions from listeners. So if you have anything you’d like to ask — whether it’s abo

I Didn't Have Anything to Lose (Ep 495 - daytime TV/Antony)

Nov 21 2024 41 mins  
My guest today has experienced reality TV as both a viewer and a participant. Growing up in Australia, Antony’s window to the world was watching American daytime talk shows like Oprah and Ricki Lake, where he’d occasionally catch an episode with queer guests. But it was after he moved to Hong Kong that he discovered a queer community that felt like home — and then when a frie