My Dear, Sweet Self

From 1972 to 1998, New York City's gay theater troupe the Hot Peaches astonished audiences on both sides of the Atlantic. In this refreshing memoir, Jimmy Camicia, the company's founder, playwright, director, and reluctant star, exposes the improbable path that led from Elizabeth, New Jersey, to the glamorous, gritty stages of international alternative theater and his outrageous band of collaborators. The Hot Peaches celebrated, chronicled, and sometimes led the way through the highs and lows of the gay revolution. Camicia's scripts attacked the issues head-on with humor and pizazz, from life-in-drag to outing to the AIDS crisis to "Chicks with Dicks," one of his songs for "The Fall of the Wall Revue." In this frank account, illustrated with performances photos and punctuated with lyrics to his songs, he introduces the unique characters who inspired him and sometimes broke his heart and shares the pleasures and rewards of the creative life.