Every Gay Bar Was Owned by Mafia (Ep 390 - Stonewall/Tree)

Welcome to June, listeners. Every year for Pride month, I like to revisit my conversation with a man whose tales of old queer New York are absolutely captivating. He earned the nickname Tree thanks to his six-foot-five stature, and he’s been a part of New York’s gay community going back to the fifties, when he didn’t even know a community existed. Tree’s been a member of Brooklyn street gangs, worked with the mob, and counted among his friends Buddy Holly, Bea Arthur, and Rock Hudson. We talked back in 2020, as we were all heading into a lot of uncertainty around COVID, quarantines, and the future. The start of Pride month is a particularly apt time to reflect on Tree’s stories of endurance and liberation.

We’ll have that conversation in a minute. First, a reminder that I’ve got a weekly newsletter where I write stories about queer pop culture and also link to cute animal videos —  subscribe to that at mattbaume.com. Also take a look at my YouTube channel for videos about film and TV history — I just posted a video about Will & Grace and I’ve got one coming up about the behind-the-scenes fight over the gay couple on Modern Family.

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