Author Matthew Todd ("Pride"): "I Needed to Hear 'Express Yourself' When I Was 16"

Show Notes

All the way from London, author Matthew Todd joins Dennis via Skype to talk about his beautiful new coffee table book Pride: The Story of the LGBTQ Equality Movement. Matthew talks about how the book came about, some of the unsung heroes he writes about in the book, the similarities between the US and the UK in terms of the movement and how moments in pop culture like gay characters on soap operas and shows like Will and Grace helped move the mainstream culture forward. Matthew also talks about being profoundly moved by Princess Diana's AIDS activism as a teen, recalls how one journalist at the time called her "the patron saint of sodomy" and shares the power of the photo of Diana that appears in the book. Matthew also tells the story of how he was able to score Prince William for the cover of Attitude when he was editor there...and how and why William used the f-word on the record. Matthew and Dennis share what Pride month means to them and how that's changed over the years. Other topics include: the beginnings of P-Flag, the insane state of the world, writing about hot-button gay issues like chemsex and open relationships, Matthew's favorite memory of Elton John, how awesome Madonna was circa Blond Ambition, the British and American Queer as Folk, the sweetness of Love Simon, why the Spice Girls matter, the private George Michael mini-concert he got to attend, his favorite Pride dance song, and that time he drunkenly thanked Sir Ian McKellen for his activism while standing in the bathroom line at the gay bar Heaven. www.matthewtodd.net