A man of many hats, Alex Crumbsnatcher is a rapper, Marc Jacobs specialist, and writer based in Los Angeles, California. Known for his hilarious and raunchy rap lyrics, Crumbsnatcher goes by the stage name MC Crumbsnatcher and has a cult following, performing all over the country.
Late last year, Crumbsnatcher released his first book, a Memoir about growing up gay, depressed, and abused in the middle-of-nowhere Illinois. Entitled "Crumby," the book is honest, powerful, and eye-opening. I was fortunate enough to sit down with him as he traveled to promote his memoir.
'Crumby' why read it?
When Crumbsnatcher sat down at my table, I complimented him about how beautiful and honest "Crumby" is. His response was surprising, "Thank you, but the story is actually about revenge."
I was intrigued as Crumbsnatcher explained that he was constantly in trouble at his conservative Illinois school for being gay. He had "Homo A Gogo" stickers on his discman, painted his nails, and partook in a variety of other means of self-expression. This kind of behavior was anything but acceptable to his administrators and family, so he wrote "Crumby" as if to say, "This is who I am and who I always will be."
"It was so gratifying to be able to take something that was once a moment of oppression in my life and turn it into something great.
I figured that if I could write a book about my own queer oppression and isolation, then I could turn it into something that would make queer kids feel empowered and less alone," Crumbsnatcher said as he leaned back in his chair.
He claimed that most of his family refuses to read "Crumby." While the book contains graphic sex scenes, it also talks about Crumbsnatcher's relationship with his abusive mother.
He explained, "They have already gone through the trauma and have no interest in reliving it."
'Crumby's' cry for acceptance
At thirteen, Crumbsnatcher's mother had just given up her waitressing job at a fine dining restaurant, taking a job at a place at the local mall that was only open for brunch. Working significantly less hours, his mother would be home when Crumbsnatcher and his brother would get back from school.
He remembered that she would sit down at the kitchen table with a cigarette and a Pepsi, going through her mail, and, every day, he would sit down across from her and beg for acknowledgement, detailing how lonely he was and how he craved suicide. She would respond by saying, "Do I need to lock you back up in the psych ward?"
The first time he was in overnight psychiatric care, Crumbsnatcher had pretended to bite a staff member's arm at a group home. He started cutting but was also smart enough to get help. When he returned home, Crumbsnatcher would continue to sit at the kitchen table where his mother was sitting and plead to use the phone to call self-help hotlines or a psychiatrist. There was never a word of comfort or sympathy, and she would never look up from the outdated paper that she was reading.
Crumbsnatcher would scream until his voice grew horse until eventually, he would slump into his room, crying until he fell asleep.
"She wanted me to be someone else. Putting me into the psych ward was a way for her to punish me for being different, and it was a way for her to keep the situation from getting better so I would stay the bad guy and she could get pity," he said slowly.
'Crumby,' a revelation
If the reception of the book is any indication, Alex Crumbsnatcher will have a very successful writing career. Readers have laughed, cried, and been unable to put it down. He said that some people write to thank him for his vulnerability and others call him disgusting. Regardless of the opinion, Crumbsnatcher said that he "takes all of those things as compliments because they felt something."
He urged fans of his writing and music to laugh at life, saying "It's a way of winning, and it's a much better way to live."
Alex Crumbsnatcher's magnificent memoir "Crumby" is available for download and purchase on Amazon.
