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Making Gay History | LGBTQ Oral Histories from the Archive

MGH & Studs Terkel: Episode 4: Quentin Crisp

Making Gay History | LGBTQ Oral Histories from the Archive

Making Gay History

Sexuality, Personal Journals, Health & Fitness, History, Society & Culture

4.71.5K Ratings

🗓️ 12 November 2020

⏱️ 26 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

From a young age, Quentin Crisp was determined to be himself—makeup, painted nails, dramatically dyed hair, and all—even if it consigned him to a life of poverty and isolation. Hear the author, raconteur, and provocateur in a 1970 conversation with Studs Terkel before he found late-in-life fame. Visit our episode webpage for background information, archival photos, and other resources. For exclusive Making Gay History bonus content, join our ⁠Patreon community⁠. ——— To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0

I history

0:02.0

Eric here

0:03.0

A few months ago we launched Making Gay History's Patreon channel

0:06.0

a place where we're sharing new video interviews

0:09.0

Never Before Heard Clips from my archive

0:11.0

that didn't make it into the episodes and more.

0:14.0

If you're not a member of our Patreon community yet, I hope you'll join today.

0:18.4

Just $5 a month gets you access to these Making Gay History extras, and you'll support us as we work to bring LGBTQ history to life

0:26.1

through the voices of the people who lived it.

0:28.7

Find out more at patreon.com slash Making Gay History.

0:32.4

Or go to making gay history

0:33.8

and click on the link in our home page banner and thank you so much You're going to. I'm Eric Marcus and this is making gay history. This season we're reaching

0:59.5

beyond my own collection of interviews to bring you voices from the Studs-Turkey Radio Archive.

1:05.0

The Archive holds more than 5,000 programs that the pioneering oral historian and broadcast legend

1:10.3

recorded for W.F.M.T. Radio in Chicago between 1952 and 1997.

1:16.0

And that's where we found a half century old interview with Quentin Crisp,

1:20.0

a writer and performer who was known above all for being unapologetically himself.

1:25.0

Quentin was born Dennis Pratt on Christmas Day 1908

1:30.0

and grew up in suburban London.

1:32.0

In his early 20s he left home, changed his name,

1:35.0

and began to cultivate a dramatic personal style

1:38.0

that provoked both curiosity and hostility

...

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