Memorial Day weekend on Fire Island is officially the start of summer — and this week on Trigger Warning, Adam and I are recording live from the legendary Ice Palace in Cherry Grove.

We kick things off with some classic Fire Island banter: wigs, chaotic past parties, rainy holiday vibes, and yes — thoughts on the Kylie Minogue Netflix documentary.

But there real meat and potatoes, folks is our extra special guest. This week we welcome one of my all-time favorites to the show: the incomparable Dina Martina.

Dina and I talk about her recent run at Café Carlyle in New York, her long-standing Memorial Day tradition of performing at the Ice Palace, and why Fire Island audiences hit differently than Provincetown crowds. She shares an unforgettable story about the late Chita Rivera praising her work — a full-circle moment that says everything about Dina’s singular brilliance.

And yes, Dina shares what triggers her too!!!

It’s camp, it’s chaos, it’s Fire Island — and it’s the unofficial kickoff to Summer season 2026.

If you love LGBTQ comedy, queer nightlife, Cherry Grove history, and behind-the-scenes stories from iconic performers, this episode is for you.

@triggerwaringnyc

@redeye_ny

@pridehousemedia

Write to us at: Questions@TriggerWarningPod.com

YOUTUBE DESCRIPTION:

@triggerwaringnyc

@redeye_ny

@pridehousemedia

Write to us at: Questions@TriggerWarningPod.com

Part two — and we’re going even deeper.

In this episode of Trigger Warning, Adam and I bring back Animatronic to dive into the real history of queer nightlife — from the global legend Bricktop to stewarding Fire Island’s iconic Ice Palace.

If you don’t know Bricktop, buckle up.

She was a Black saloon singer and hostess from West Virginia who became one of the most powerful nightlife figures in Paris, Mexico City, and Rome. She introduced the Charleston to Paris. She hosted royalty, writers, jazz icons. Her life feels like it should be an HBO anthology series — and yes, we pitch that too.

Then we shift to home.

We talk about the Ice Palace — open continuously since 1970 — one of the most important queer disco venues in history. Before it was the Ice Palace, it was the Boom Boom Room, the Bat Cave, Tiffany Au Go Go. There were fires. There were rebuilds. There were actual laws preventing same‑gender dancing — which led to counting men and women separately on the ramp.

That history matters.

Today, we see ourselves not as owners — but as stewards. Restoring it. Protecting it. Evolving it. Keeping it alive for the next generation.

This episode is about honoring the past while building the future of queer nightlife.

Because clubs aren’t just parties.
They’re archives. They’re sanctuaries. They’re survival.

🎧 Listen or watch wherever you get your favorite podcasts
🔥 Part 1 is also live — so maybe start there- or don’t.

@triggerwaringnyc

@redeye_ny

@pridehousemedia

Write to us at: Questions@TriggerWarningPod.com

Welcome to Trigger Warning — my intentionally chaotic NYC nightlife podcast.

Adam and I kick things off in our new Summer “studio” at the Ice Palace where we sit down with the iconic Ana Matronic — DJ, Scissor Sisters legend, and self-proclaimed “pop star with the soul of a librarian.”

And yes… we go there.

What We Get Into:

✨ Broadway diva lore (Patti, Liza, Carol — obviously)
✨ Scissor Sisters blowing up in the UK before the U.S. caught on
✨ Fame and “upward dehumanization”
✨ “Let’s Have a Kiki” and dance-floor history
✨ Motown mixtapes & Ana’s DJ origin story
✨ Queer roots and nightlife legacy
✨ Regine and the invention of the modern discotheque

We also talk about Ana’s podcast Part-Time Sallies, where she dives into nightlife history and icons like Regine and Brick Top.

BUT- this was such an iconic conversation we decided we HAD to do it on two parts.

So if you love:
NYC nightlife, queer culture, DJ history, Fire Island, Scissor Sisters, or Broadway legends — this one’s for you.

@triggerwaringnyc

@redeye_ny

@pridehousemedia

Write to us at: Questions@TriggerWarningPod.com