An Englishman In New York

I don't drink coffee I take tea my dear

I like my toast done on one side

& you can hear it in my accent
 When I talk

I'm an Englishman in New York

See me walking down Fifth Avenue

A walking cane here at my side

I take it everywhere I walk

I'm an Englishman in New York

I'm an alien

I'm a legal alien

I'm an Englishman in New York

I'm an alien

I'm a legal alien

I'm an Englishman in New York

If, "Manners maketh man"
 As someone said

Then he's the hero of the day

It takes a man to suffer ignorance
 & smile

Be yourself no matter what they say

I'm an alien

I'm a legal alien

I'm an Englishman in New York

Modesty, propriety can lead to notoriety

You could end up as the only one

Gentleness & sobriety
 Are rare in this society

At night a candle's brighter than the sun

Takes more than combat gear
 To make a man

Takes more than a license for a gun

Confront your enemies,

Avoid them when you can

A gentleman will walk but never run

If, "Manners maketh man"
 As someone said

Then he's the hero of the day

It takes a man to suffer ignorance
 & smile

Be yourself no matter what they say

I'm an alien

 I'm a legal alien

I'm an Englishman in New York

I'm an alien

 I'm a legal alien

I'm an Englishman in New York

Sting

1987

Born On This Day- December 25th... Denis Charles Pratt

When I arrived in NYC in the late summer of 1976, I didn’t even know how to get from the airport into Manhattan. I was 22 years old & one of another hundred people who just got off of the plane, ready to become a Broadway star & recording artist. I ended up taking a taxi into the city to the Tudor City Hotel, which I had chosen to make a reservation because it was in the same area as Truman Capote’s apartment. My room at the hotel was the size of the bathroom of my L.A. apartment & had one tiny window that looked at an air shaft.

I checked in & immediately headed down 42nd street to Time Square to imagine my name in lights. This was Time Square of the mid-1970s, so very different than the Disney-ized Manhattan today. I was so overwhelmed to find myself alone with 2 pieces of luggage & my dreams, but no plan, that I called the only person I had any connection to in the city. My mother’s cousin- Michael, whom I had met when I was 10, lived on Central Park West at 80th Street. I called him & confessed that I was a bit freaked out at finding myself in NYC. He turned out to be a very handsome sweetheart of a guy & he invited me to stay in his apartment’s maid’s quarters until I could find my own place.

I took him up on the offer, but stayed my one already paid for room at the Tudor City for one night. I turned on the tiny black & white TV in the room & watched a moving & mesmerizing film- The Naked Civil Servant, starring John Hurt, about the early life of Quinton Crisp, of whom I knew nothing. The film was unlike anything that I had experienced. Like me, Crisp had arrived NYC not knowing a soul, but he arrived with a plan. Crisp was ready to become famous.

Quentin Crisp was born Denis Charles Pratt on this day in 1908. He was the author of the classic & flamboyantly eccentric coming-of-age memoir The Naked Civil Servant. The award-winning film version made him an instant international celebrity. Crisp also wrote many books & articles about his life & his opinions on style, fashion, & the movies. Crisp was famous for his concise, compact, & dare I say it, crisp witticisms.

He performed his one-man show- An Evening with Quentin Crisp, to acclaim in theaters around the world, all the while spreading his unique philosophy: "Never keep up with the Joneses; drag them down to your level. It's cheaper." During the second part of his show, Crisp answered questions from the audience & gave advice to audience members about how to find their individual style & live a happy life. I saw him twice in this vehicle, in the early 1980s & again in the late 1990s. He was always in the "profession of being."

Crisp was Oscar Wilde's perfect descendant. With his calculated caustic confabulations, open homosexuality & witty, winning obstinate opinions toward any kind of conventionality, Crisp caused a bit of a stir in the traditional Britain of the 1950s, 1960s, & 1970s. In 1981, Quentin Crisp moved to NYC, bringing along his familiar & witty remarks & his eccentricity. Quentin Crisp charmed the city & became the essence of the modern rebel.

During his 2 decades in Manhattan, Crisp wrote books, reviews, appeared in several movies, including playing a touching & dignified Elizabeth I in Sally Ann Potter's Orlando & The Bride, where, during filming, he became friends with Sting who was playing Dr. Frankenstein.

Crisp remained fiercely independent & unpredictable into old age. He caused controversy & confusion in the LGBT community by jokingly calling AIDS "a fad", & homosexuality "a terrible disease". Crisp commented after the death of Diana, Princess of Wales: "She could have been Queen of England & she was swanning about Paris with Arabs. What disgraceful behaviour! Going about saying she wanted to be the queen of hearts. The vulgarity of it is so overpowering." He was always in demand from journalists needing a sound-bite, & throughout the 1990s his commentary was always in demand.

He entertained publicly & privately with his inimitable decorum, dignity, dexterity, drollery & drive. Crisp spent his 90th birthday performing his show. He died on the eve of touring his one-man show in Manchester, England, a few weeks shy of his 91st birthday in 1999.

Crisp was the inspiration & subject matter of Sting’s song Englishman in New York. Crisp: “I had looked forward to receiving my naturalization papers so that he could commit a crime & not be deported." In l986 Sting visited Crisp in his apartment and was told over dinner, & the following 3 days, what life had been like for a homosexual man in the very homophobic Britain of the 1920s -1960s. Sting was both shocked & fascinated. The song includes the lyrics:

"It takes a man to suffer ignorance & smile, Be yourself no matter what they say."

Sting: "…it's partly about me & partly about Quentin. Again, I was looking for a metaphor. Quentin is a hero of mine, someone I knew very well. He is gay, and he was gay at a time in history when it was dangerous to be so. He had people beating up on him on a daily basis, largely with the consent of the public."

Essential Crisp: The Naked Civil Servant (1968), How To Have A Lifestyle (1975) How To Become a Virgin (1981) & The Wit & Wisdom of Quentin Crisp (1989).

November Song... If I Ever Loose My Faith

You could say I lost my faith in science & progress

You could say I lost my belief in the holy church

You could say I lost my sense of direction

You could say all of this & worse

If I ever lose my faith in you

There'd be nothing left for me to do

Some would say I was a lost man in a lost world

You could say I lost my faith in the people on TV

You could say I'd lost my belief in our politicians

They all seemed like game show hosts to me

If I ever lose my faith in you

There'd be nothing left for me to do

I could be lost inside their lies without a trace

But every time I close my eyes I see your face

I never saw no miracle of science

That didn't go from a blessing to a curse

I never saw no military solution

That didn't always end up as something worse but

Let me say this first

If I ever lose my faith in you

There'd be nothing left for me to do

Sting

1993

Tags: If I Ever Lose My Faith in You (From CMT Crossroads), Sting, Sting Videos

Sting was my #1 crush in the late 1970s- early 1980s. I was a peerless Police fan. I found them punky & rough & I was obsessed with the bass player, lead singer/songwriter. Now the kids at the place of my employment think that this is easy listening elevator music. I think this version is perfectly placed pop.

October Song... Moon Over Bourbon Street

There's a moon over Bourbon Street tonight

I see faces as they pass beneath the pale lamplight

I've no choice but to follow that call

The bright lights, the people, & the moon and all

I pray everyday to be strong

For I know what I do must be wrong

Oh you'll never see my shade or hear the sound of my feet

While there's a moon over Bourbon Street

It was many years ago that I became what I am

I was trapped in this life like an innocent lamb

Now I can only show my face at noon

& you'll only see me walking by the light of the moon

The brim of my hat hides the eye of a beast

I've the face of a sinner but the hands of a priest

Oh you'll never see my shade or hear the sound of my feet

While there's a moon over Bourbon Street

She walks everyday through the streets
 of New Orleans

She's innocent & young from a family of means

I have stood many times outside her window at night

To struggle with my instinct in the pale moon light

How could I be this way when I pray to God above

I must love what I destroy & destroy the thing I love

Oh you'll never see my shade or hear the sound of my feet

While there's a moon over Bourbon Street

Sting

1985

Hounds Of Winter

Happy Winter Solstice!... the longest night of the year. In honor of the day, here is a little Winter Sting:

Perfect For This Time Of The Year 2

Portland's own Chris Botti (Botti rhymes with hottie) & Sting, 2 musicians that I admire a great deal & I have many CDs by both, solo & together, in my music collection. I am crazy about this song & it seems perfect for this time of the year: Moon Over Bourbon Street. Beautiful, seductive & a bit scary:

Happy Birthday, Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner

What can I say? I tried to keep up with him, talented though I am. But when we got to the 5th hour of lovemaking & I had just had enough of this Tantric stuff & just wanted to have a shot of whiskey, a slice of pizza & watch some Project Runway. But, not with Sting. It was all health food, yoga & obscure 16th century songs with him. I had loved him since the first moment I heard The Police in 1978. He is truly one of the musicians that has influenced my life the most. His memoir- Broken Music is an amazing read (thank you, LJSM). He turns 58 today, but I just can't keep up doing the Tantric sex with him; I was willing to keep going as we started hour 5, but then he just had to try this weird variation on the downward dog as he whispered in my ear- "Steve, did you know that I have won 16 Grammys & sold over 100 million albums?"& I just felt like I was letting him down. I should never have offered myself up as his biggest fan.