To say that Quentin Crisp was controversial is actually putting it mildly. While the English writer, actor and artistic polymath was initially known for being one of the first openly gay celebrities (in 1930’s London he was already out of the closet and sporting purple hair), but as his profile grew in the 70s and 80s and the gay liberation movement became more mainstream, his love of controversy often came across as callous. Aside from calling Princess Diana “trash” and accusing her of “swanning about Paris with Arabs,” he most famously angered queer communities when he jaw-droppingly described AIDS as a “fad,” and homosexuality a “disease.”

Though it’s widely believed he was joking, (especially since such inflammatory statements were not out of the ordinary for Crisp’s sardonic wit, and because he donated quite a bit of money to AIDS research), many people distanced themselves from him. In his later years, many in the mainstream gay community thought him a self-loathing gay, or at least a bitter old queen, perhaps desperate for attention.

Regardless, Crisp was absolutely a pioneer. Living out loud, without shame, in a virulently homophobic time and place, took an enormous amount of bravery. As you can hear in the interview below from Canadian televison, he eschewed moving to a more more gay-friendly city in his younger years, choosing instead to assert himself right where he stood, refusing to let homophobia shape where he lived or how he behaved. Moreover, some of his insights are dead-on. He talks about “boredom,” believing that liberation would be achieved for gays when homosexuality becomes positively mundane to the public.

One wonders if it was frustrating at times for Crisp, expected to be a “respectable” gay after being disrespected (to say the least) for so much of his life. Moreover, to be lauded for his open sexuality, but often not his enormous talents probably wore thin. Queerness may some day become old hat, but Quentin Crisp could never be anything less than electric.