A Return to the Queer 90's

About this episode

The episode explores the queer techno scene of the 90s through the lens of literature and personal history.

Medaya Ocher and Kate Wolf are joined by French writer Ann Scott, whose cult novel, Superstars , was just translated into English. Superstars depicts Paris' queer techno scene—the music, the fashion, the drugs, as well as the passionate love affairs. Scott talks about that era and how she turned heartbreak into art. In the second half of our show, Eric Newman speaks with queer historian Hugh Ryan about his new memoir, My Bad: A Personal History of the Queer Nineties and Beyond . Eric and Hugh discuss queer representation in mainstream media and why we're all feeling nostalgic for those analog, offline times.

People in this episode

Hosts: Medaya Ocher, Kate Wolf, Eric Newman

Guests: Ann Scott, Hugh Ryan

Topics covered

• queer culture
• 90's nostalgia
• literature
• music
• fashion
• queer history

Keywords

• queer 90's
• techno scene
• Ann Scott
• Hugh Ryan
• Superstars
• My Bad
• queer representation
• nostalgia

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Superstars, My Bad: A Personal History of the Queer Nineties and Beyond

More episodes of LARB Radio Hour

• Suzy Hansen's "From Life Itself" · May 8, 2026 · 55 min
• Lucrecia Martel "Nuestra Tierra" · May 1, 2026 · 37 min
• Patrick Radden Keefe's "London Falling" · April 17, 2026 · 53 min
• Karan Mahajan's "The Complex" · April 10, 2026 · 53 min
• Reynaldo Rivera's "Propiedad Privada" · April 3, 2026 · 49 min
• Hyperpolitics · March 27, 2026 · 52 min