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This past month there have been massive renovations on the Kress Building block in downtown Tampa. Back in the 1990’s the Tampa International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival had a “Video Cabaret” and Festival Vendor Show here. We had a booth there. When they turned on the water after 10 years having been shutoff, all the pipes broke and were spraying water all over. There were 5 blue portable restrooms brought in. One Late night a little dizzy person came charging up to us demanding to know, “WHO IS IN CHARGE HERE!!!!” We said they had left and would be back later. Is there something we could help with? He actually said “Only one of those 5 toilets would flush!!!” He was serious!!! LOL LOL

    The featured film, at the Tampa Theatre, this festival was “The Naked Civil Servant” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Naked_Civil_Servant_%28film%29 an award film about the life of the famous eccentric Gay Icon Quentin Crisp http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quentin_Crisp . He had appeared in over 20 LGBT films. The day before at an art gallery in SoHo we had met Quentin & became friends instantly. That night he was the guest speaker and doing a question & answer after the film. The night the film was showing we ran into Quentin in the Video Cabaret. We offered to buy him a beer, which we found out he loved!!! After several beers we asked him if he needed to get over to the film. With a Quentin smile he said, “What for darlings, I know how the film ends. Let’s have another beer!!!” The film at the Tampa Theater ended & no Quentin & they couldn’t find him. OOOPS We caught hell for being too good of hosts that night!!! The best part was that we became life friends of Quentin. Who remembers the Sting song “Englishman in New York”? that was Quentin. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Englishman_in_New_York

Quentin Crisp

Dec 1908 – Nov. 1999