Quentin Crisp

QUENTIN CRISP
1908-1999

In 1975 I noticed that in the area of East London where I lived and thrust my sexuality into the faces of all and sundry, as many newly out gays tend to do, the general term of abuse shouted at me by louts was 'Quentin Crisp'. This only lasted a couple of years but was the direct result of Thames Television's audacious televising of Crisp's autobiography, The Naked Civil Servant, starring John Hurt.
This book had been floating around since 1968, the eve of decriminalisation, when it had sold a respectable 3,500 copies on publication and garnered several favourable reviews. Being a book it had not attracted the attention of the uneducated masses and had passed most people by. Television exposure put paid to that ignorance.
After having been heard on radio reading extracts from it Crisp was approached by Thames TV who dramatised the book and broadcast it in 1975. The rest, as they say, was history.
Suddenly being 'discovered' at the age of 67, Quentin (née Denis Pratt) took to showbiz like a duck to water. A popular guest on the chat show circuit Crisp had just one philosophy for making successful appearances. 'All you have to do' he maintained 'is look pleased to be there. It's like a party.'
A trip to America for promotional purposes resulted in Crisp moving there and becoming 'A Resident Alien' and inspiring Sting's hit 'An Englishman in New York'. He still travelled all over the world with his one-man show, An Evening With Quentin Crisp and appeared in a variety of film and stage shows. He played Lady Bracknell in Wilde's Importance of Being Earnest and Queen Elizabeth in Orlando as well as many roles as himself. His literary output didn't stop at The Naked Civil Servant (a reference to his days as a nude model working for the Council). Several tomes of his eclectic outpourings on a variety of subjects have sold well along with several volumes of autobiography. He also earned a regular living writing reviews for Christopher Street Magazine and New York Native.
Many will say that Quentin Crisp put back the cause of gay liberation by 50 years when he portrayed gay men as limp wristed, purple haired and out to capture any straight man within striking distance. While this may be true, he should be given credit for at least bringing to the public's attention the very subject of inequality and prejudice. He has been labelled by some as a spokesman for the gay community. Nothing could be further from the truth. Most gay men would run a mile at being confronted by the apparition that was Quentin Crisp in the flesh, and most would be reluctant to admit that he did their cause any good at all, especially when he called homosexuality an illness.
In many ways Quentin Crisp was the Oscar Wilde of the late 20th century; witty, admired (but only from afar) and best thought of in the abstract. He was, without doubt, a singular person, the like of which we will never see again. He leaves behind him legacy of wit which will brighten many a day.
Quentin Crisp died on 21st November 1999 from a heart attack mid-way through yet another tour of his one man show.

First published on Gay UK Net
© Paul Towers 2/12/2000