While some may only have become aware of Fire Island when the gay rom-com came out last year, the popular queer mecca actually has a long and rich history.
The untold stories of this formerly-sleepy beach town turned gay party spot is the subject of Finding Fire Island, a new podcast by the Broadway Podcast Network.
The series was created, executive produced and narrated by Hot Takes & Deep Dives host Jess Rothschild, who was also one of the founding writers of Autostraddle, and boasts interviews with Fire Island costars Margret Cho, Joel Kim Booster, and Matt Rogers
Finding Fire Island will take listeners on a journey through the history of Fire Island, from the hamlets of Cherry Grove and The Pines to drug fueled parties and moments of queer joy.
“We’re going to take you behind the curtain of the mystique, the legends, and the lore of the island told by those who’ve witnessed it’s evolution from the 1950s to today,” Rothschild explains in the trailer for the podcast series.
“It’s important to create art about Fire Island which really memorializes the history and the important figures,” Cho said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter. “There are so many stories to tell from the island as this legendary queer mecca.”
Rogers added, “The thing about Fire Island is, it itself is such a story, but when you go, it becomes part of your story.”
The host started this project years ago by collecting true accounts from people who have lived through the history of Fire Island. Interviews will include 10-year resident Fire Island DJ Lina Bradford, screenwriter Paul Rudnick (Sister Act, The First Wives Club), writer and Real Housewives expert Brian Moylan, former editor-in-chief of The AdvocateZach Stafford, and cabaret director Ben Rimalower.
“As a native New Yorker, Fire Island was intrinsically formative to my identity as a gay person,” Rothschild said. “As my obsession with the history and culture of Cherry Grove and The Pines intensified over the years, I began collecting interviews with notable Fire Island figures, past and present while working on this project, I realized that this is one of the rare pieces of media about Fire Island from the perspective of a woman.”
Finding Fire Island premiers on July 7 and can be found at The Broadway Podcast Network or wherever you get your podcasts.
Ariel Messman-Rucker is an Oakland-born journalist who now calls the Pacific Northwest her home. When she’s not writing about politics and queer pop culture, she can be found reading, hiking, or talking about horror movies with the Zombie Grrlz Horror Podcast Network.
Ariel Messman-Rucker is an Oakland-born journalist who now calls the Pacific Northwest her home. When she’s not writing about politics and queer pop culture, she can be found reading, hiking, or talking about horror movies with the Zombie Grrlz Horror Podcast Network.
