#16 – Child Prostitution, Addiction, Supernatural Experiences and Homophobia with Bobby Bastos

Bobby Bastos tellus us a harrowing account of his life as a 13 year old involved in Child Prostitution in the streets of LA and his recovery from a Meth addiction.

Leaving home at a young age, Bobby’s early life took an unexpected turn as he entered the world of child prostitution, finding guidance from communities of the street. Years later, the tragic loss of his mother became a turning point, propelling him toward a renewed commitment to sobriety. Battling addiction, he achieved 16 years of sobriety, only to relapse during the pandemic. Overcoming this setback, he embraced a fresh approach to recovery, all while challenging norms in the comedy industry.

Bobby’s recent experience of surviving a homophobic assault has ignited a fire within him to advocate LGBTQ allyship even more passionately. He emphasizes that true support goes beyond acceptance—it requires active and vocal advocacy for equality

Today we talk about child prostitution, paedophilia, addiction, supernatural experiences and Bobbys recent homophobic attack which left him hospitalised..

Nowadays, Bobby is a comedian, storyteller and drag queen going by the name Snortella de Line and he has a huge impact in the Barcelona performance scene. He is crass, crude and unafraid to say what is on his mind and we love him for it.

To find Bobby online check @snortelladeline on social media

I hope you enjoy our conversation as much as I did.

PODCAST INFO:

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Topics/Chapters Discussed in this Episode

  1. Introduction: Who is Bobby Bastos? [00:00:00 – 00:03:40]
  2. Behind the Name “Bobby Bastos” [00:03:40 – 00:09:46]
  3. A Journey of Sobriety and Comedy [00:09:46 – 00:30:17]
  4. Bobby’s Backstory: Struggle and Survival on the Street [00:30:17 – 00:40:41]
  5. Battling Addiction Head-On [00:40:41 – 00:54:44]
  6. Bobby’s Turning Point: Navigating Loss and Love [00:54:44 – 01:17:50]
  7. Life on the Edge: Bobby’s Life as a Prostitute [01:17:50 – 01:32:19]
  8. From Drag to Public Speaker: Seduction Beyond Sex [01:32:19 – 01:45:34]
  9. Legacy in the Making: Bobby’s Two Stories of Survival [01:45:34 – 02:04:01]
  10. Battered But Unbroken: Surviving a Hate Crime [02:04:01 – 02:14:07]
  11. Allies, Assemble! Bobby’s Call for LGBTQ Advocacy [02:14:07 – 02:29:15]
  12. To Wrap It Up [02:29:15 – 02:34:17]

Resources Mentioned

Other insightful and inspiring resources mentioned in this podcast episode:

  • Ten Drugs: How Plants, Powders, and Pills Have Shaped the History of Medicine by Thomas Hage (2019)
  • The Stroll a film directed by Kristen Lovell and Zackary Drucker (2023)
  • All About My Mother (Spanish: Todo sobre mi madre) a film written and directed by Pedro Almodóvar (1999)
  • Pride a film written by Stephen Beresford and directed by Matthew Warchus (2014)

Insightful Quotes

  • “You gotta remember, it’s not easy, it’s never gonna be easy. But don’t monitor, don’t be overly proud of how many days you have, just be proud that you’re sober today, that you’re clean today and that’s it.” – Bobby Bastos
  • “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over expecting different results.” – Albert Einstein
  • “My revelation came after my mom died…” – Bobby Bastos
  • “And how do you stop that (sexual abuse) from happening then?” Conor asked, “Finding your family on the street.” Bobby Answered
  • “That’s one thing I really love about being around gay people is that there’s a lot less bullshit with them. Because I think they’ve spent so long trying to understand themselves, but then finally they do understand themselves.” – Conor Monaghan
  • “Seduction is how you seduce yourself first. And how you present yourself to other people makes you seductive. It’s how you talk to people.” – Bobby Bastos
  • “The legacy that you leave behind, Mr. Conor, is the idea that you are producing yourself to be a better person.” – Bobby Bastos
  • “One thing I gotta say is that if you’re an ally of people of color or an ally of the LGBTQ community, that you can’t just be an ally. You have to aggressively be an ally. You can’t just be anti-homophobia. You have to fight with us.” – Bobby Bastos
  • “First of all, empathy is important. Always, I know it’s really, it’s a good word to hear. A lot of times people say that they’re empathic or they value empathy, honesty, communication, but how often do you do it?” – Bobby Bastos



Thank You!

Thank you for listening to The Quest for Wisdom Podcast with your host Conor Monaghan. If you enjoyed the episode and would like to support the show then please like it, subscribe and leave a review on whichever platform you are using. This small act is a massive help and hugely appreciated.

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I would like to thank the Comedy Clubhouse in Barcelona for allowing us to record here and for their ongoing support. If you are ever in Barcelona make sure to check it out for daily shows of comedy and performance art in English.   

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