Dungeons and Drag Queens: Greg Scarnici's new collection of essays charts his hilarious and absurd forays into Fire Island
Comedic writer, director, producer, actor, DJ, musician, and all-around talent Greg Scarnici has made comedy videos that have been viewed more than 10 million times on YouTube.
His impressive work has also been featured on MTV, VH1, Fox News, and CNN.
When it comes to acting, Scarnici has made appearances in hit TV shows such as '30 Rock', 'Nick Cannon: Short Circuitz', and even had a role in the Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga film 'A Star Is Born'.
He currently works as an associate producer at 'Saturday Night Live' and has a few books to his name that will leave you in splits. The books Scarnici has written include his debut collection of hilarious essays, 'I Hope My Mother Doesn’t Read This', as well as 'SEX IN DRAG' - a parody of Queen of Pop Madonna's infamous SEX book - that was shot entirely on Fire Island.
In his second collection of essays, 'Dungeons & Drag Queens' subtitled 'Fire Island through the eyes of its worst drag queen', Scarnici writes about some of his most absurd and wonderful experiences over the 25 summers that he has spent on New York's Fire Island.
The essays include those about tea dances in Fire Island Pines right up to the drag competitions in neighboring Cherry Grove. The book spectacularly paints a vivid picture (even for those who have never been there) about what a regular summer on the island is like.
'Dungeons and Drag Queens' is literally Motley Crue's biopic 'The Dirt,' but the drag version. Scarnici doesn't mince words when spilling all the deets right from riding the ferry in full drag with hundreds of other drag queens to the annual Fourth of July Invasion, to his many adventures in the notorious Meat Rack part of the island. Every essay in the collection highlights a different (and hilarious) part of Fire Island through the eyes of the author.
In his first collection of essays, Scarnici wrote about his early childhood right up to the point where he truly embraced drag only after starting to visit Fire Island.
When MEA WorldWide (MEAWW) asked the colorful queen about what his mother thought of Fire Island, he said: "My mother and father come to visit me on Fire Island every summer! At first, they were a little taken aback by the nudists on the beach, but nowadays, they smile when they see four naked bears frolicking in the waves."
It was definitely not an easy task to come up with so many different, yet important, stories to add to the book. Scarnici said: "As I was writing the book, I wanted to make sure to include a story about each of the major events that take place during a typical summer in Cherry Grove. I also wanted to relay some of the absurd and ridiculous things I have encountered there in order to let readers know what they might expect if and when they come to visit."
Levonia Jenkins is Scarnici's drag alter-ego who made her debut in the essay titled "Suffolk Cunty Realness". The bearded drag queen (who is pictured on the cover of the book) has now had the honor of being crowned "the worst drag queen in Cherry Grove" four times.
This just goes to show that brilliance comes from anywhere and out of any experience.
When asked what his next book would be about, Scarnici said: "I'm currently bouncing around two ideas for my next book. The first is tentatively titled 'I Was Born A Gimp' and is a humorous take on all of the bizarre health issues I've experienced, and the second is currently called, 'Keeping Up With The Kids' and would focus on what it's like to be an almost-50-year-old trying to stay on top of all the changes in our fast-paced digital world."
Scarnici had some interesting advice to give to current and future drag queens who wish to create a "Republic of Drag"-kind of place just like Fire Island in today's day and age and stresses that "anywhere!" is just fine.
He said: "Drag is so mainstream now, you can go pick up your Truvada at your local pharmacy and have it rung up by a cashier wearing a full beat and lace-front wig!"
Dungeons and Drag Queens by Greg Scarnici is available on Amazon and at select bookstore retailers.