November Update: We are Paul Lynde Influencers, Apparently

Hello darlings,

A wise philosopher named Steve Urkel once asked, "did I do that?" and I have to wonder if we are personally responsible for the recent surge in interest regarding The Paul Lynde Halloween Special. I'm at a loss to explain why, but the 45-year-old special seemed to hit the zeitgeist particularly hard this year -- just days after I posted a video on the subject, in response to frequent viewer requests.

Was it everyone's demand for a Paul Lynde YouTube video that got everyone talking? Who knows! But let's say yes, yes it was all our doing. We are Paul Lynde influencers now. Lyndefluencers.

Lyndefluencing aside, October was a super busy month -- in case you missed any of it, here's a quick rundown of everything you made possible:

New Videos! October's videos touched on the Barney Miller gay couple that defeated network censors, Paul Lynde's Halloween special, and Elvira's witchy wonderment. As always, every new video starts with a livestream chit-chat on YouTube, and it's such a delight to have that time to catch up with folks.

Bonus Videos! Patrons at $2+ got a whole bunch of exclusive bonus videos with extra stories from weird queer pop culture history, including some of Paul Lynde's best Hollywood Squares zingers, how Mister Magoo helped steer the direction of American television for decades, and the unearthing of a saloon in space. I'll have a new bonus video about Elvira's many unlikely appearances in the next day or two.

Upcoming videos! I've just started poking around in the queer history of Power Rangers, so if you've got any fun morphin' clips I ought to know about, please send them my way! (Sidenote: Did you know that the wife from Priscilla played Rita Repulsa in the Power Rangers movie? And the villain from the first Indiana Jones movie was Ivan Ooze? WEIRD.)

Sewers of Paris! A fascinating mix of guests on the Sewers of Paris podcast last month: I spoke to a David who's just starting out in Hollywood and a David who's made it big; and also the author of what appears to be the first gay romance novel written by an Indian author and set in Mumbai.

Also! Just a quick reminder that I've got a weekly newsletter that you can sign up for at mattbaume.com. And! you can browse a selection of queer history t-shirts over on my Teepublic store.

I've also got a few other bits and bobs happening at The Stranger that you may enjoy: I interviewed John Waters about about Christmas sex, scary carolers, and why he won't get on Grindr. I've got weekly comic book reviews; and a very gay review of Eternals coming later this week.

As always, huge huge huge thanks to you for being a part of this Patreon thing! I couldn't make all those videos and podcasts and livestreams and whatnot without you, and I'm so delighted to have you along for this ride.

Matt