Queerguru’s (esteemed!) Editor keeps impressing on us all that there are actually some very definite advantages of being an old (er) Brit . For example he got to see the legendary queer eccentric raconteur Quentin Crisp perform on more than one occasion in the 1970s’, Born at the beginning of 20th Century, Crisp was not only unashamedly public about his homosexuality, but he loved to tell his outrageous stories of being a rent boy in his teens
He then spent thirty years as a professional model for life classes in art colleges. This became the basis for more of all his flamboyant tales which he later wrote in his best selling memoir The Naked Civil Servant.
The interviews he gave about his unusual life attracted great curiosity, and he was soon sought after for his personal views on social manners and the cultivation of style. His ‘outlandish’ appearance—he wore bright make-up, dyed his long hair crimson, painted his fingernails and wore sandals to display his painted toe-nails—may have got him banned from serving in the Army when WW2 started. It however certainly did not deter him ‘servicing’ the numbers of willing sex-starved American GI’S passing through London.
In 1940, he moved into a first-floor flat at 129 Beaufort Street, Chelsea, a bed-sitting room that he occupied until he emigrated to the United States in 1981. In the intervening years, he never attempted any housework famously saying “After the first four years the dirt doesn’t get any worse.“
In a world that is too often so both grey and homophobic, Crisp’s wickedly funny wit was a joy to revel in. He was by no means perfect as he was so opinionated and his views on AIDS and also Princess Diana didn’t sit well with many of us.
Having said that there is a new event “An Evening of Quentin Crisp: A Celebration of Life in His Own Words” in NY that we wouldn’t miss for the world. It is to commemorate his legendary life on the 25th anniversary of his passing,
Presented by Crisp’s estate executor, Phillip Ward, it will feature special guests including Jennifer Barton, Cynthia Carr, Jorge Clar, Peter Cramer, Brian Edward, Peter Hale, Cynthia Powell, Jack Waters, and Laurence Watts, and also Crisp’s great-niece, Michèle Goycoolea Crawford, reading excerpts from Crisp’s books. There will also be two short movies by filmmaker and author Steven Watson and Phillip Ward, and a rare Alternative Queen’s Message viewing.
Its at the Gene Frankel Theatre at 24 Bond Street on Thursday, November 21, at 7 p.m. FREE!
Tickets are on a first-come, first-served basis.
Donations to The Gene Frankel Theatre and 24 Bond Arts Center are appreciated.
