Episode 24- “The Dark Side of Disney” with Leonard Kinsey

It’s known as the Happiest Place on Earth. Whether you bleed mouse ears or cringe at the thought of all that joy in one spot, it’s undeniable that there’s something, dare we say it, magical about Walt Disney World.

Leonard Kinsey has been a Disney-lover for the majority of his life. He’s visited the parks hundreds of times and has a vast knowledge of all things WDW. He knows things most guests would never discover no matter how many times they visit, that is, until Leonard started writing books.

Leonard and his publishing company, Bamboo Forest, is dedicated to books that explore alternative and off-beat tales of Disney. Focusing on both fiction and non-fiction, readers can dive into Disney realms never explored before, including Disney erotica. More on that in later interviews.

We sat down to talk to Leonard himself and to focus primarily on his book The Darkside of Disney. This “not your mother’s travel guide” goes deep into tips and tricks for navigating the parks in ways most visitors don’t explore.

For example, where’s the best place on property to get your happy ending on? Interestingly, there are a lot of spots to steal away. He even names the best place to go if the mood strikes and you have to get it on immediately. Curious? We know you are. You’ll have to listen to the interview or read the book for that intel.

The book also offers a ton of self- guided pub crawls that go far beyond the tried and true drinking around the world at Epcot. Some of the best of these are actually very easy to do and involve very little planning effort or pixie dust to pull off.

He also dabbles in where and if there’s a way to score drugs on property.

The book is interesting even if none of these things is your bag. At the very least it can be a map of places to avoid if you don’t want to encounter a bunch of wasted mouseketeers.

Talking with Leonard it’s apparent his love for Disney is real. He makes it very clear his book is not designed to disparage the park, nor does he want anyone to do anything to ruin fellow fans’ visits. In fact, he mentions it repeatedly in the guide and in our interview.

We spoke about why he would choose to build a career around his experiences there and how he’s managed to avoid a lawsuit from corporate or a late-night scare from a frozen Walt.

Our interview with Leonard was fun and nostalgic. We all reminisced about our favorite Disney haunts of yore. We virtually poured one out for the Adventurer’s Club on Pleasure Island crying, “Kongaloosh!”  Luke may or may not have shed a tear for the long-gone Horizons at Epcot while Heidi imagined a world frolicking with Figment.

Whether you’ve been back recently or haven’t set foot in the park since you had a bowl cut and wore knee high tube socks, we think you’ll enjoy this wild ride of an interview.