Murray Hill reveals his ‘Showbiz’ life and its Boston beginnings

The 54-year-old has seen extremes in his personal and professional lives, paths that weaved together and led him to become Murray Hill, which is the main thread of the book. “I identify as a trans man in solidarity with and to support my community,” he writes. “But I would rather not constantly be asked how I identify and what my pronouns are.” When people ask how he identifies, he writes, “I’m just me, Murray.” Before he was Fred Rococo in “Somebody Somewhere” with Bridget Everett or Murray in “Life & Beth” with Amy Schumer, or hosting the “King of Drag” competition show on Revry network, or hosting cabaret shows around the world, he was a student at Boston University trying to figure out who he was. Murray Hill on "Somebody Somewhere" with Jeff Hiller in background. Elizabeth Sisson/HBOBorn in Franklin and raised in Connecticut in an abusive environment, he struggled with gender identity. His mother would try to force girly clothes on him, but he never felt feminine, which led to frequent fighting. There were no role models in his community or the media he was consuming from whom he could learn about queerness.