diff --git a/headphones/request.py b/headphones/request.py
index fba15baf..23594a31 100644
--- a/headphones/request.py
+++ b/headphones/request.py
@@ -47,7 +47,7 @@ def request_response(url, method="get", auto_raise=True,
 
     # Disable verification of SSL certificates if requested. Note: this could
     # pose a security issue!
-    kwargs["verify"] = headphones.CONFIG.VERIFY_SSL_CERT
+    kwargs["verify"] = bool(headphones.CONFIG.VERIFY_SSL_CERT)
 
     # Map method to the request.XXX method. This is a simple hack, but it allows
     # requests to apply more magic per method. See lib/requests/api.py.
@@ -235,4 +235,4 @@ def server_message(response):
         if len(message) > 150:
             message = message[:150] + "..."
 
-        logger.debug("Server responded with message: %s", message)
\ No newline at end of file
+        logger.debug("Server responded with message: %s", message)