May Update: Getting Back to Normbal

Hello Patreon friends!

Look out, there's less than a month left to gird your loins for Pride month -- whatever that's going to look like this year.

In my wanderings through old newspaper archives (you know, where I spend approximately 97 percent of my time) I came across an old op-ed by Armistead Maupin about how exhausting Pride month is -- written in 1981!!! Oh, if only he knew what lay ahead.

"June is a hectic month for brides and homosexuals," he begins, a phenomenon that is only exacerbated by the fact that a person can now be both. Ugh!

I kid, though; after the year of lockdown that we've had, I'm ready for June to be hectic again. Start painting your protest signs and building your giant puppets, everyone, I expect to run into you out in the streets next month, spooking the horses. But only the homophobic horses, not the ally horses.

Anyway! In the mean time! I've been chugging away on various delightful projects, from videos to interviews to livestreams and panels and more. And of course, I couldn't do any of it without your wonderful support. Here's some stuff that you've made possible in the last month:

• YouTube Videos! I've got two new YouTube videos you may enjoy! One is about how Friends straightened out the character of Chandler Bing; the other, which just came out last weekend, is about the queer magic of The Nanny. Patrons at $10+ get ad-free access to both!
• Bonus Videos for Patreon! Patreon backers at $2+ get exclusive sneak peeks, video clips, and fun stories that don't appear anywhere else! Here's some neat stuff that I found while researching my video about The Nanny, including the wild story about how the show came to exist in the first place.
• The Sewers of Paris! Recent episodes of the podcast include a chat with voice actor James Sie about the vital importance of Bette Midler; an interview with School of Rock's Brian Falduto about what it was like to be typecast as "the gay kid" at a young age; and a great conversation with Kristin Russo from the Buffering the Vampire Slayer podcast.
• Livestreams! I've started hosting livestreams before each of my new YouTube videos go live -- thanks to everyone who pops by for those, I love hanging out with you and chatting about our fond TV memories! And I also livestream on Twitch every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday -- we hang out, talk queer culture, and play some chill videogames. This month, I'm planning to put on some nice soothing Stardew Valley while we share some TV & movie nostalgia. And I might do some knitting tutorials because folks seem interested in that?
• Cozy Pants! A sometimes-treat podcast just for Patreon backers! Join me and my partner James for a fun affectionate chat about the cultural comforts that are lighting up our lives. The next one is going to be all about Knives Out, can you believe it's taken us this long to get obsessed with that film?

And maybe I'm counting this chicken before it hatches, but who cares: I'm starting to plan some live in-person events for later this year, with my fingers crossed that we can get together in person soon. I'll be announcing more details about that as things come together, but I'm hoping that by the end of June everyone will be able to safely do Pride stuff face-to-face (to say nothing of other body parts).

Oh! One more thing! In case you didn't know, I have a weekly newsletter that features goofy little stories, nifty tidbits that I've turned up in my research that I think you'll enjoy, and cute animal videos. Sign up at mattbaume.com.

And as always, a tremendous thank you for making my work possible. It's such a huge pleasure to be able to make videos and podcasts and livestreams for you -- I love listening to your feedback about what you like and what you want more of, and then serving it up. Please don't hesitate to let me know if there's stuff you think I should cover! 

Now let's go get ready to look fierce this Pride, and by fierce I mean terrifying.

Matt

PS: If you haven't already, join me over on Twitter and Instagram!