Lost Spaces: Memories from Gay Bars, Lesbian Clubs, and LGBTQ+ Parties

Not many people can say they owe their entire career to their local gay bar, but for comedian Sam See, that’s exactly the case!

His first brush with comedy happened while prepping for a talent show at Play Club in Singapore.

Performing in front of a queer audience gave him the spark to pursue comedy full-time.

We dug into what it was like growing up queer in Singapore, how his queerness shapes his comedy, and his experiences at an all-boys school (and yes, I think you know where that conversation goes!)....

I really got a lot out of this conversation, mostly because Sam and I have such a different perspective on things, and so much of what he reflected really resonated with me, and I think you'll really enjoy his stone-cold pragmatism.

If you haven’t already subscribed to my newsletter, Queer Word, you’re missing out! It’s where I promise to help you get a little queerer in under five minutes each week. This week, in Sam’s honour, I’ll be including some Singaporean queer slang, so make sure you sign up by Friday to catch it. Sign up here - https://queer-word.kit.com/3bf4af59cc

Follow me

Instagram: ⁠⁠www.instagram.com/lostspacespod⁠⁠

Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.facebook.com/lostspacespod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

I would never wish the years of uncertainty, overthinking, and isolation on anyone navigating their queerness.

But, there's something magical about the person who comes out at the other end of all that.

And one of the best parts of Lost Spaces is getting to speak with people who have reached that place of self-assuredness, and who are so confident in who they are and the path they’re meant to be on.

But for this week’s guest, Jane Postlethwaite, who is a stand-up comedian and host of All the Terrible Things: A Paranormal Queer Comedy Podcast, it was a pretty long road. She didn’t realise she was a lesbian until well into her 30s,

And it was, in part, thanks to the warm, welcoming audience at the Indigo Club, a comedy night in Brighton, England, that she began to put the pieces together about her true self.

Find out more in the episode.

Follow me

Instagram: ⁠⁠www.instagram.com/lostspacespod⁠⁠

Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.facebook.com/lostspacespod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

I've just realised that, for a podcast that is for mostly about queer clubbing and nightlife, we don't actually talk all that much about drugs, drug-taking and the impact of that.

That's not a good or a bad thing, per se. It's just a little odd.

Which isn't to say that that is a huge part of this week's chat, but it struck me because, for this week’s guest, drugs were a key factor in helping her connect with others and, more importantly, with herself.

And who is this mystery guest that I'm referring to?

Why, it's Sinn Sage, who is an adult film star, and host of the Sage Advice podcast, where she interviews fellow performers about their experiences in the industry.

We caught up to chat about The Masterdome, a club in San Bernardino, California, and along the way, we touched on everything from Sinn’s experience of coming out in high school, crushing on 90s film stars, and rebelling against your small-town conservative roots!

Other episodes about lost Californian spaces

When I first moved to London I had this friend who I would go to bars and clubs with. And, he was totally, 100% a friend of convenience. In fact, the only reason we spent any time together is because neither of us had any other friends.

But I always look back on that friendship with a great deal of affection — and I think that one of the gifts of being queer is that you end up making friends with people you'd never otherwise meet, and that can open up your world in surprising ways. It can push you to do things you wouldn't have otherwise done, like going to places that you wouldn't choose to go to.

Which brings us to this week’s guest—Nick Baker is co-host of the Incomplete Geeks podcast, a show for all your gay geeky needs, from TV shows to comics.

But many years ago he too was new to London and he too had a friendship of convenience, which led him to a club he wouldn’t have gone to on his own.

At the time he was into the fizzy, frothy pop of mainstream gay places like G-A-Y and Heaven, but this friendship exposed him to the much cooler Ghetto (honestly, I'm not exaggerating when I say that - if you speak to queers of a certain age in London, Ghetto was THE place to be).

Other episodes featuring lost London spaces

You may have had some wild clubbing nights in your life, but were any ever as wild as obliviously walking around with a shit-stained t-shirt thinking that you were fabulous?

No, probably not.

But, that's exactly what this week's guest, Santana Sexmachine, managed to get up to in her lost space, Berlin's Greece-muller. (i hope I said that correctly. Sorry if you are German and I just slaughtered your language).

Now, you might know Santana best from her time as a contestant on Sweden's Drag Race, but before this she was a plucky 23-year old who moved from her hometown of Stockholm to Berlin to run away and become a new person.

And it's here where the adventure begins....

Other episodes with Drag Race alumni