This year saw the return of the silver-screened Quentin Crisp in the guise of John Hurt, who once again played the colourful Englishman who gave Sting a hit tune in 1987 with An Englishman in New York, incidentally also the title of the movie. A sequel to 1975’s The Naked Civil Servant, the new movie follows Quentin Crisp in happy exile, far away from his loathed England.
Quentin Crisp was always an outcast. That is until he moved to America, where he spent his time lunching with whomever wanted to buy him lunch. But during most of his life he just did what he was best at: Cultivating his own persona.
While people might look at him and see an original dresser, or a man with purple hair and makeup, the greatest achievement of Mr. Crisp was of course his fabulous personality and wit, as evidenced in his books and interviews.
Quentin was always a ardent supporter of leading a life where one had to work as little as possible. ”If at first you don't succeed, failure may be your style,” he quipped while not even bothering to clean his apartment (”There is no need to do any housework at all. After the first four years the dirt doesn't get any worse.”).
As one of the first out gay men in the UK he faced constant derision and even violence and at one point he was tried in court – and later acquitted. One man in the audience explained it succintly: ”’e can’ ‘elp it.” How could the judge find fault with a person who wasn’t responsible for his actions?
Only at one point did he love London: during the war. He could even travel by bus! he claims in his autobiography. Quentin was therefore crushed when the Americans left and British prudery swooped back in.
Dressed in lovely colours and feminine materials he continued a tradition from before gay liberation when homosexual men feminised themselves in a way that can still be seen in some other parts of the world. And in that he was not only brave, his androgynous eccentricity still influences fashion designers and stylists – John Galliano’s menswear collection for spring/summer 2009 was full of Quentins.
And for all you fashion people out there Quentin had one final advice: ”Fashion is what you adopt when you don't know who you are.” Quentin sure found out who he was, and never apologised for it.
Written by Daniel Björk
