The shat
he first time I spoke to Bette Bourne he asked me “Are yott a friend of l)orothy'.’". and the reply I gave. “Dorothy who'l". uttered while adjusting my recording device. provided he and writer Tim liountain with a good deal of ribald fun at
my expense. This was on the eve of their fringe hit of
2002. Resident :llien. an evening with Quentin (‘risp. a piece that proved to he a hit of the festival. The two are combining anew for what looks like the highliglit of (ilasgay. Deep Rimming in Poplar. a title with. you must admit. a certain ring to it.
But the capacity of (ilasgay to shock through a closer examination of sexuality than the average straight likes to think about might have paled over the years. as the atmosphere of homophobia and repression in which the event was formed has abated. Are there taboos left to be broken‘.’ Well. yes actually. but they‘ve changed. as liottntain‘s story of an older gay couple. one of whom strays from lidelity with a much younger man. aims to show.
It's no surprise that humour is at the centre of the piece. but the area it explores — the sexuality of a man in his 60s — is still a touchy area. ‘When we discuss older men. or women. sexuality and sexual drive becomes something that‘s not discussed.‘ he says. Sexuality. instead. becomes the province of the young: ‘()ld people can have absolutely filthy sex. which is wonderful: it‘s a really dirty show. The discussion of sexuality coming from an older man is
often quite shocking and really quite unusual. A lot of
people talk about sexual stuff in private. but it‘s not
66 THE LIST 21 Oct—J Nov 2001
‘OLD PEOPLE CAN HAVE ABSOLUTELY FILTHY SEX, WHICH IS WONDERFUL'
est of ton ues
Can gay culture still be sPocking for a straight audience. Actor BETTE BOURNE, star of Deep Rimming In Poplar, assures Steve Cramer that it can be.
really up for discussion out there. When you open (iiiv 'I'iines. it‘s all about muscle marys under 2r». So we‘ve got a few surprises in store.’
The humour. and its underlying humanity. is all in the detail. according to Bourne: ‘()lder queers. they ‘re not supposed to have sexuality. It‘s like women‘s sexuality after a certain age: it's supposed not to be there. But it very definitely is. It’s about the acrobatics of the boudoir if you like. what actually goes on. The young boy's got to get a hard on. my characters got to get him hard. or he won't come back. He's not a hooker. it's not about money. so as well as how younger and older people can relate. it‘s about the nitty gritty. which can be very funny.’
But there’s a more shocking element than this. that of class and sexuality: ‘These are two very working
class men‘. he explains. "They're not politicos or
educated at university or anything like that. One is a butcher. and the other is a gardener. It‘s not about college educated people with sophisticated gay liberation talk. ()ld working class queers are not
something that people love: it frightens the shit out of
them. Quentin (‘risp came from a very upper middle class family and was extremely eloquent. It‘s very different for working class men. It‘s quite a tough thing to be out at work as a butcher or gardener.
Still out to shock tts alter all these years‘.’ Boume certainly is: ‘And are you a friend of Dorothy. Steve‘.’ .\'o'.’ Well there‘s still time. dear...‘
Citizens’ Theatre, Glasgow, Tue 2—Sat 13 Nov.
.Z: Die Mommie Die Glasgay! kicks off With a quality kitsch caper as Charles Busch plays an on the rocks singer in Hollywood who is plotting the demise of her hubby while reliving past peaks through the attentions of Tony Parker (Beverly Hills 902 70 '3 Jason Priestley. pictured). A sassy mix of 50s melodrama and 008 silliness. GFT. Glasgow Mon 1 Nov. Deep Rimming in Poplar See preview. left. Citizen '3 Theatre, Glasgow, Tue 2—Sat I3 Nov. 2:: 7:84 & Our Story Scotland Real life tales from real people in the LGBT community in Scotland. Some poignant. some touching. but all posing the question of whether the gay community has found freedom in Scotland. The Arches, Glasgow. Wed 3 8 Thu 4 Nov. .1 Penny Arcade’s Bad Reputations The queer anti- nero who made her name as a product of Andy Warhol's Factory. Penny draws on her own life experience to bring us a tale of what it's like to be “queer and pushed out of society'. The Tron, Glasgow, Wed 3 8 Thu 4 Nov. '-" Alan Carr More quality stand-up from the ‘rnan who does ads for fabric conditioner' (he said it, not us). There's more to him than clean laundry. Go find out exactly what as the regular gay night Oot! makes a welcome return. The Stand. Glasgow. Wed 3 Nov. 4 Gold Fish Memory Nothing cures a broken heart better than getting laid. and that's just what happens over and over and over. Present day Dublin is the setting for this sweet and fun rom-com. GFT, Glasgow. Tue 2 Nov. :5: Wild Side It's not all happening in the Weeg. y’know. Try this tremendous French tale in which a transexual goes back to her home town in Normandy to tend to her sick mother. Director Sébastien Lifshitz and actor Stephanie Michelini host a 0&A after the screening. See preview. Fi/mhouse. Edinburgh, Fri 29 Oct.