Tuesday 26 February 2008

Prick up your ears (and your mouse)



A website dedicated to the life and times of the icon of all gay sluts Joe Orton has been launched.

I have always taken inspiration from Joe's life. His bold and unabashed mission of sexual conquest is a fascinating story indeed - "any time, any place, anywhere" appears to have been his motto as far as casual sex with men was concerned. Amen to that!

His plays - including Entertaining Mr. Sloane, Loot and What the Butler Saw - are regarded (quite rightly) as classics. He specialised in parodying traditional farce by adding some very perverse twists indeed, and was greeted with a degree of incredulity by the straight-laced critics of the day.

His infamous diaries inspired John Lahr to write Joe's story - Prick Up Your Ears - later to become a fantastic film, one of my favourites of all time.

It seems appropriate, during this LGBT History Month 2008, to remind ourselves just how uncompromising and bold Joe Orton was - years before homosexuality was even decriminalised he set the tone of queer freedom for a generation of gay men.

Joe Orton online

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