Grayson Perry attention seeker or genius?

[Owethemnowt]

I was disgusted by him when I first saw him on T some years back but only in equal parts to the TV programme that seeks to shock us constantly. It has reached a point where normal people aren't shown on TV in preference to a parade of freaks. A man in a frock, worse, in children's clothes, is not the norm. Hence, normal.

 

The cross dresser is merely a victim of society. He couldn't get his art recognised without cross dressing in order to draw attention to him. Without the CD part he is perfectly normal, intelligent and worth listening to. But I can not accept that he sold out by way of his garb in order to get some recognition.

 

He's not alone. Gary Rhodes now stuck in a time warp with his punked hair style is another example of chef with gimmick. As a chef he is run of the mill. Add the hairstyle and he became controversial, therefore interesting, colourful ergo .... put him on tv.

 

In that single genre we had a drunken Floyd, a kid that cooks, imported Frenchmen, fat women on motor bikes, now fat men on motor bikes, greenie odd balls bopping it on the head, a fat woman who laughed more than she spoke: the list is endless. And every single one each had a gimmick. Pure gimmick required to get them on TV because we, the great viewing public, are, or, are thought of, as being so stupid if it isn't a circus act we won't watch it.

 

Weather girls start out all slim, super good looking and sexy before either moving on to presenter roles or getting old, fat and dumped. A bit like the girl friend then.

 

Contrast that with men who get old, fat and craggy and they get promoted, anchoring TV shows forever.

 

We don't just get extremes on TV we get the extreme of the extreme. Gays are shown as being limp wristed screamers. How well does that sit with the well rounded reality that someone just happens to be gay and behaves normally; quiet and dull. But that won't placate the insatiable intent to distort our living room reality that colourful characters are found along every High Street as the BBC would have us believe.

 

Personally, I haven't found any men dressed as primary aged school girls popping into Screwfix of late. I did see a builder in sandals though. Neither have I found any screaming dance instructors piroeting their way to the cash out in Tescos. I have seen someone wearing ear phones and tapping their feet as they waited for a price on toilet rolls. Reality then falls a long way short of what the flat screen shows me.

 

Yet if I bother to suffer watching the One Show they will surely crop up regularly. Even This Morning TV has a clique of its own Circus de Freak by way of male dancers, fashion experts and all manner of rent a gob couch potatoes who not only tell us how to live our lives but do it with their sexuality thrust in your face at 11 a.m. Advice from multi millionnaires [ Loose Women anyone?] on where to shop I don't need thanks. Neither do I cherish being told to combine crushed purple velvet bell bottom trousers this summer with an open neck shirt in lurid pink and a loosely tied scarf - green! - to top it off. I expect my customers wanting their oil and filters changed swiftly would be slightly concerned I get oil on my rather fetching over-alls.

 

You see there's a real world as we find it and then there's a TV executive trying to keep their job at any price. And reality gets distorted as a consequence.

 

Yes we've come along way with tolerance. And that is a good thing too. But there is a clear difference between distorting and exploiting minority groups to suit an agenda; and, accepting people for who they really are.

 

TV, for one, clearly distorts that reality and, sadly, individuals further that distortion in pursuit of wealth, fame and power.

 

Grayson is first and foremost an artist. Secondly, he may be a cross dresser. Thirdly, he is no fool.

[Rupert_Baehr]

I don't see a problem with people wearing non-standard clothing.

 

When I was a little younger, 'Vicar and Tart' parties were very popular.

 

I bought a dress from Oxfam (fitted perfectly, apart from around the boobies) borrowed a bra from my ex-wife (46 DD), got a wig, had her do my make up and got some quite interesting offers.

 

(It was probably the shoes that did it - I couldn't find ladies dress pumps in my size, so a pair of size 10 flying boots had t make do.)

 

I must've been a 'somewhat attractive youf'. A couple of years later (new wife) I was down in Shepherd's market and an extremely attractive young lady said to me: "Would you like something different?"

 

I said: "Why, lady - what've you got? Typhus? - Hang on a minute and I'll ask my wife."

 

I wasn't even in drag.

[Manlinose]

what sort of role model does he represent to his daughter?

 

that it is fine to be different?

 

that you don't have to conform to other people's definition of normality?

[Anna B]

Having actually listened to what Grayson Perry has to say, he comes across as an intelligent, interesting person and rather a good sort.

 

So he's a bit eccentric, and lives his life his way. What's wrong with that?

[Mister M]

I thought he came across very well in the three-part series he did on class in the UK. Really interesting, non-judgemental perspective.

 

I watched this Olive and I agree it was interesting. He brought with him a different perspective that was thought provoking.

 

Pity we don't have more television like this

[Boothybabe]

Grayson Perry attention seeker or genius.....bit of both me thinks.

[Stan Tamudo]

 

Up the Blades.

[Boothybabe]

 

Up the Blades.

 

Fantastic