Camp is one of those gay codes that’s difficult to explain to a non-aficionado, but perfectly clear to those in the know. It’s a mixture of knowingness and innocence; it’s kitschy but also sincere; it’s tacky, yet steeped in grandeur. Camp is corny and ironic, but can also be read as heartfelt and real.
On the eve of the Eurovision Song Contest, perhaps one of the greatest modern monuments to camp entertainment, we take a look at some of the greatest camp acts of all time.
1. John Waters
The cult film director has built a career on camp through films such as Pink Flamingos, Hairspray, Female Trouble and Polyester and his support of larger than life stars such as Divine. Edie Massey and Ricki Lake.
2. Frankie Howerd
The king of the raised eyebrow, Howerd took the double entendre to new heights and then stretched it further with catchphrases such as “Oooh, no missus!” and “Titter ye not!”
3. Dolly Parton
Self-deprecating, devastatingly talented and with a look that’s all her own, Ms Parton is a camp icon. Beloved by drag queens the world over, she’s been quoted as saying: “It takes a lot of money to look this cheap.”
4. Liza Minnelli
Given her substance abuse problems, her ferocious stage presence, her Hollywood royalty parentage, her marriage to a gay man and that David Gest episode, Minnelli is to camp what bread is to butter.
5. John Inman
Although he’s never been explicit as to the true nature of his own sexuality, Inman’s portrayal of the queeny Mr Humphries in the long running television sitcom Are You Being Served? stands out as a classic of camp innuendo.
6. Julian and Sandy
Kenneth Williams and Hugh Paddick flapped and flounced their way around, spouting Polari as they went, back when homosexuality between men was still illegal in the UK. The straights didn’t understand them, but the gay listeners certainly did.
7. Keith Harris and Orville
Children’s entertainers are as camp as a row of pink tents, and these two – a slightly creepy, smiley man and his giant, sad and idiotic ventriloquist’s dummy - are about as camp as it gets.
8. Julian Clary
The make-up, the lap-dog, the fisting joke and the limp-wristed faggyness make Clary, who also happens to be one of the country’s top entertainers, a dead cert for camp superstardom.
9. Kylie
Could you ever see Madonna dancing around on a giant flip-flop? Or laughing at an earlier bubble-haired incarnation of herself? Or bravely going public with breast cancer? No. This is why Kylie is the current lady queen of camp. Plus, she can act.
10. Liberace
The King, the Elvis of campery, Liberace (who of course was not gay at all, oh no…) dressed himself in furs, jewels and mascara, he played lite versions of classical music on jewel-encrusted pianos, he lived in Las Vegas and was beloved by housewives who refused to see the truth of the man. There is nothing else to say.
Love camp entertainment? Then head to the motherlode and get The Eurovision Song Contest: The Official History by John Kennedy O’Connor. Buy online and save money.