Debauchery, remorse, pointless feuds, self-delusion, but above all the Shannon Matthews case. What can I obsess about now it's over?
Music
Punk, disco, electro, Jayne County, Klaus Nomi, Amanda Lear, Yma Sumac, B-52s, Kraftwerk, Diamanda Galas, Donna Summer, Supremes, Shangrilas, Ronettes, Crystals, Smiths, Morrissey, David Bowie, Lou Reed, Nina Simone, Sophie Tucker, Hermine, Nico, Kinks, Kate Bush, Rufus Wainwright, French chanson, Dalida, Barbara, Leo Ferre, Juliette Greco, Jacques Brel, Edith Piaf, Mistinguett, Charles Aznavour,
Grace Jones, Kitchens of Distinction, The Heroine Twins, Hot Chip, four-on-the-floor remixes of just about anything
Movies
Now Voyager, The Wizard of Oz, Cabaret, Female Trouble, Hairspray, Serial Mom, Valley of the Dolls, Jubilee, Sebastiane, City of Lost Souls, Bram Stoker's Dracula, Andy Warhol's Trash, George Kuchar, Mommie Dearest, Volver, Beyond the Valley of the Dolls, Showgirls, Carmen Jones, Poltergeist, City of Lost Children, Bright Young Things
Television
Rock Follies, Rock Follies of 77, Footballers' Wives, I Love Lucy, Tom and Jerry, Revelations, EastEnders, Eldorado, French and Saunders, Acorn Antiques, Kath and Kim, Absolutely Fabulous, Green Wing, The Book Group, Celebrity Big Brother, Doctor Who, Bleak House, Rome, Dead Set, Summer Heights High
Books
Myra Breckinridge, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Valley of the Dolls, Vile Bodies, Scoop, Decline and Fall, Queen Lucia, and all Lucia novels by EF Benson, Augustus Carp, Earthly Powers, Little Me, Diary of a Nobody, Confederacy of Dunces, City of Night, Confessions of a Justified Sinner, Salem's Lot, My Antonia, A View of the Harbour, anything by Agatha Christie, The War of the Worlds, Parents Worry
Heroes
Quentin Crisp, Klaus Nomi, David Bowie (you never grow out of some things), Vera Hruba Ralston, Jayne County
Lindsay Kemp, John Waters, Peter Wildeblood, David Hoyle
I'm a writer of books (fiction and non-fiction), journalism and screenplays. My work has appeared in loads of publications including the Guardian, Independent on Sunday, Gay Times, Radio Times, LA Times and even THE Times.
The fiction divides into two camps: "Rupert Smith" writes contemporary comic novels about showbiz, gay urban life and so on, titles include I MUST CONFESS, FLY ON THE WALL and SERVICE WASH.
Then there's the disreputable "James Lear" who writes what we shall call "adult fiction", which sells in large quantities all over the free world. Titles include THE BACK PASSAGE, THE PALACE OF VARIETIES, HOT VALLEY and the brand new one, THE SECRET TUNNEL. You can get to know Mr Lear in my Top Friends, below. STOP PRESS September 2008 James Lear named "WRITER OF THE YEAR" at the Erotic Awards in London.
I've written or co-written books about punk legend Jayne County, physique photographer John S Barrington, Strictly Come Dancing and EastEnders. Yes, I have range.
I live in central London with Marcus, my beloved partner of many years, and our two cats, Nell and Bess.
Who I'd like to meet: I also put on events exploring and celebrating gay history, both as part of the House of Homosexual Culture (see top friends, below) and on my own. In July, I programmed a series of events at the London Literature Festival at the South Bank Centre, with Paul "Polari" Burston. Watch this space for details. Here's a short video of our first Literature Festival event, DIRTY BOOKS. Thanks to Simon @ Homovision.
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Calendar of events:
13 December: HAPPY CRISPMAS! Celebrating the 100th birthday of Quentin Crisp with David Hoyle, Bette Bourne, Paul Bailey and many more. Purcell Room, 7.45pm. Details and booking here
19 December: IN FROM THE COLD, following on from the smash success of summer's Dorothy Nights, we're back in the Festival Hall for a night of free cabaret with Ida Barr, Ryan Styles, Celine Hispiche and Timberlina. Clore Ballroom, 10pm. Details here .
30 January: LEEE BLACK CHILDERS. Rock and roll photographer, intimate of Warhol and Bowie, returns to London for an evening of unseen photos and untold stories. A must for all glam/punk fans! Purcell Room. Details here .
My Dear Rupert, I do hope you are well, I am looking forward to getting out of the salon soon and making a return to polite society... Much love Dexter x
Online Now!
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