THE FACE, NO.53, SEPTEMBER 1984

DIVINELY YOURS

It could only happen now. After the rise of Boy George, the demise of Marilyn and the decline of the West spearheaded by Frankie Goes To Hollywood Babylon, it seems only natural (ha ha) that we should see Divine shaking it up, all 300 jelly-like lbs of it, resplendent in his silver lame Zandra Rhodes 'dress' on Top Of The Pops. And it was inevitable that, following his (extremely subdued) appearance, the BBC switchboard was jammed for three hours with complaints from horrified viewers. Michael Hurl, producer of Top Of The Pops, informed Divine's record company with deep regret that Divine could not appear in person on BBC television because people found him upsetting. The single, however, would continue to receive airplay. Hurl's message was a direct command from the head of light entertainment, James Moyer, who had obviously failed to note the lyrical content of the record.

Although "So You Think You're A Man" is a national hit, anyone acquainted with the Boystown sound will know that it is pretty dismal example of Hi-Energy. Divine's previous gay disco hits - "Shoot Your Shot", "Jungle Jezebel" and "Love Reaction" were all churned off Bobby O's production line and contained every disco cliche in the book, but they were far more worthy of chart success than this mediocre anthem to poppers, checked shirts and Levis. It's interesting to note that the song was written by Geoff Deane (front man for the excellent Modern Romance during their "Everybody Salsa" and "Aye Aye Aye Moosey" days) who also devoted a music column in THE FACE to a golden tribute to Hi- Energy and, in passing, Divine. But, like I said, the time is right, Divine's prime time is now. For those who want to miss his fifteen minutes, duck and cover ...

"I don't understand those gay clubs that ban women. It infuriates me actually ... I think women are wonderful for what they have to put up with from all those awful macho men who pinch their asses and stuff. Even when I'm dressed as a woman, I get hands up my dress and touched all over, so I know what you have to go through. Some men are such pigs. I feel really bad about being a man sometimes."

Surprisingly feminist sentiments from the Quicksilver Queen himself, aka Glen Harris Milston by day, Divine by night. With a waistline in the mid-fifties and 66D-cup falsies, Divvy (as he is known to his friends) is sitting cross-legged on a low-slung sofa in Zandra Rhodes' house, his place-to-stay when in London. Sans maquillage and balding, he looks like a bored little buddha as he reaches for yet another Gypsy Cream and quietly relates the story of the creation of Divine.

Contrary to popular belief, Divine has not always been an "outrageous", "shocking", "disgusting" transvestite, although he has always been fat. From an American upper-middle-class background, he moved to Baltimore from Florida with his parents who i owned several nursery schools. Even though he was constantly picked on at school, he claims that the playground is not where he learnt the quick-fire comeback and vulgar repartee which is an integral - and the most entertaining - part of his stage act.

His parents' method of dealing with their only child's problems does not bode well for the running of their schools. "When I was 17 they sent me to a psychiatrist," he sighs. "That was when I first realised that I was attracted to boys as well as girls, which they thought was strange. They used to lay such heavy trips on me. I thought if you touched a girl with your finger she got pregnant!"

After embarking on his own business ventures with the financial aid of his parents (he opened a hair salon and later a thrift shop), Glen was drawn towards cabaret and acting, which led to his star roles in a series of infamous John Waters movies. At the same time, a friend of Glen's, Van Smith, an in-house illustrator for Harpers, decided to to create the most outrageous cartoon woman possible which was soon transferred from paper to flesh in the shape of Glen, whom Smith christened Divine. It was Van Smith who drew the Divine paper-doll book which contains two dolls and 15 costumes from the films, also designed by him.

But it was John Waters who made Divine a star. Waters became known as the most tasteless film-maker ever, and Divine as the fattest, trashiest Z-movie queen who would stoop to anything for fame including - in Pink Flamingoes - eating dogshit, which can get a girl a bad reputation and bad breath. Of course it worked, and Divine became a household name not to be mentioned. Fame has its price, however, and Divine's parents refused to speak to him for ten years although there was a recent attempt at reconciliation.

At 38, Divine has been a regular visitor to England since he co-starred with Fiona Richmond seven years ago in Women Behind Bars, a 'play' written and produced by Ms. Richmond. After a popular run, he decided to try to achieve success on his own terms and began taking his truly outrageous act on the road, performing mainly in clubs as a disco and cabaret artist. Now, with chart hits in Britain, Holland, Germany, Belgium and Africa ("they love me in Cape Town and Johannesburg") and a platinum disc from Mexico (?!), Divine feels he has at last reached that ultimate yet elusive goal - fame.

At one seventh of a ton, Divine might find it hard to keep the last part of the prize. He dismisses my concern with a podgy wave: "I'm perfectly healthy. I have a physical every six months and my doctor is satisfied.

Amazing as it sounds, I don't eat a lot, it's when I eat, which tends to be after a show at about three in the morning. Besides, the image of Divine is fat, so the last thing I want to do is lose weight."

For someone with the loudest and largest profile in the music business at the moment, Divine is a quiet, polite and civilised man off-stage, leading a fairly sober life: "I consider myself to be very puritanical. When I wipe my make-up off, I wipe Divine off. I'll only go to clubs if I'm paid between £1500 to £2000 to go in. I'm sick of them, they're strictly business."

Sadly, Divine says he's never experienced the joys of being in love. "It's too scary although I've had relationships with both men and women. It's hard to have a relationship when you're travelling all the time. I get very lonely on the road."

He reveals his secret horror of mirrors. There are none in his apartment at Key West, Florida - "just a small one for shaving is all I can bear and I refuse to have any photographs of myself in the house." All mirrors are removed from any hotel room he stays in.

A lover of classical music, especially Wagner ("I can't stand all this electro break dancing stuff"), he dotes on his 16-year-old godson whom he intends to take on the road next year as a travelling companion. Divine doesn't feel that constant contact with screaming drag queens and heavy leather clones could be unhealthy for the young boy.

"Look - I'm not just a fat transvestite. In fact I'm not really a transvestite at all, it's just a role I play. I'm an all-round entertainer. Of course, I don't expect everybody in this business to like me - I mean some people don't like Diana Ross, to some people she's just a skinny nigger with a big mouth but I think she's a great actress and a great singer. It's the same with Frank Sinatra - some people just think he's an old fool who knows the mafia but I happen to think he's a great entertainer. And I hope that's what I am."

Although Divine insists that the emphasis should be placed firmly on his acting abilities (on screen soon in Lust In The Dust), obviously it is his image as an overweight, over made-up, overwigged drag queen that has brought him success and world-wide notoriety. Does he fear the competition?

"I was a fan of Boy George's because I think he looks quite good and I like his songs but one day I was watching Good Morning America and they asked him what he thought about the American transvestite star Divine and he said I was fat, ugly and disgusting and all I wanted to do was shock people. I was so taken aback! I'm not bragging but I'm sort of the original Boy George. I was doing what he's doing twenty years ago. I think people like George and me should stick together."