The nekkid civil servant

May 8, 2006 12:06 AM

The Quentin Crisp Archives. Includes a selection of letters , and memories of his early career as a life model.
posted by Rumple (6 comments total)

Wonderful, thank you Rumple. I was hoping there might be some pictures of him when he was young, there are so few around.
posted by tellurian at 12:59 AM on May 8, 2006

A marvellous find, Rumple. I have to go to bed now, and this will cheer me up tomorrow.
posted by i_am_joe's_spleen at 3:13 AM on May 8, 2006

He lived on my block on east 3rd st, also known as the "Hell's Angel's Block". I used to see him walking around all the time.

from Monk Magazine: "When I take my laundry to the laundry on First Avenue, I pass between their house and their row of Harleys. I pass with bowed head to show I accept their supremacy, and they've never murdered me."
posted by bhnyc at 5:49 AM on May 8, 2006

At least two songs have been written about the man: "Englishman in New York" (written by Godley and Creme, also performed by Sting) and "No GDM" by German proto-electroclash outfit Gina X Performance (GDM stands for Great Dark Man, a figure which Crisp was obsessed about).
posted by Herr Fahrstuhl at 7:46 AM on May 8, 2006

Great post. I've been a Quentin Crisp fan since I saw The Naked Civil Servant. (John Hurt was amazing.) These letters are wonderful and show Quentin's wit and the English propensity for understatement.
posted by shoesietart at 11:32 AM on May 8, 2006

Cool! Thanks.

And tellurian, that picture: My Gosh!
posted by hackly_fracture at 3:24 PM on May 8, 2006