36: Cruising

from 99 Cent Rental · host Bryan and Dave White

As our Pride series continues we drop the first 99 Cent Rental episode looking at the extremely complicated history of William Friedkin's gay leather giallo Americano, Cruising (1980), starring Al Pacino. Dave's research and history expertise about this period of urban gay culture comes in handy as we contrast Friedkin's attempt to provoke and shock against the reality of gay night life at leather bars, BDSM bars, and the cruising scene in the days before apps and the internet made casual encounters in the park obsolete. We also look at the organized movements to protest Cruising and convince theaters not to show the movie, explore whether or not Friedkin was exploiting the gay BDSM scene for cheap shocks, and whether or not this is a good movie. Did Cruising do more harm than good? Does it get anything right? The answer, as always, is: it's complicated.Join the Bring Me The Axe Discord: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://discord.gg/snkxuxzJ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Support Bring Me The Axe! on Patreon: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://patreon.com/bringmetheaxepod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Buy Bring Me The Axe merch here:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.bonfire.com/store/bring-me-the-axe-podcast/⁠⁠

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Jun 9, 2025

Embed this episode

Attribution link and audio player

Ready to play

36: Cruising

0:00 2:36:42

1×

No transcript for this episode yet

We transcribe on demand. Request one and we'll notify you when it's ready — usually under 10 minutes.

Share this episode

Similar Episodes

No similar episodes found.

Similar Podcasts

Shat the Movies: 80's & 90's Best Film Review Shat on Entertainment What are the The Best 1980s & 1990s Movies? Do you find yourself asking if the movies we loved while growing up were really that good? Have you caught yourself thinking, "why don't make movies like they use to?" Can you still remember spending your Friday Nights searching for the perfect movie rental at Blockbuster Video? Do you know what Blockbuster Video is? If you answered yes, then this is the podcast for you!Website: https://shatpod.com/movies/Email: [email protected] Explicit The Confused Breakfast Cloud10 A nostalgic journey back to the movie rental store era and the amazing movies from our childhood that we all know and love. With the benefit of 20+ years of hindsight, we revisit and dissect these classic movies to see if they still move us the way they did as kids. Full movie review episode released every Thursday. Bonus Brunch episode every Monday. Explicit WHOO'S House Podcast Podcast Playground WHOO’S HOUSE PODCAST WITH DJ WHOO KIDThis isn’t just a podcast. It’s Whoo’s House—and you never know who might walk through the door.Before social media could make an artist famous overnight, DJ Whoo Kid was moving music through the streets, breaking records on mixtapes, and helping turn underground momentum into worldwide movements.As a pioneering force behind the legendary G-Unit Radio mixtape series, 50 Cent’s longtime tour DJ, a core member of the G-Unit family, and the man behind Shadyville Entertainment, Whoo Kid didn’t simply witness one of hip-hop’s most explosive eras—he helped create its soundtrack. His mixtapes became events, his drops became unmistakable, and his voice became woven into the DNA of an entire generation of hip-hop.Now, the doors are open.WHOO’S HOUSE PODCAST brings Whoo Kid’s unpredictable world directly to the audience. Hollywood stars pull up. Hi Explicit

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is this episode of 99 Cent Rental?

This episode is 2 hours and 36 minutes long.

When was this 99 Cent Rental episode published?

This episode was published on June 9, 2025.

Can I download this 99 Cent Rental episode?

Yes. Use the download control on the episode player to save the publisher-provided media file.

URL copied to clipboard!