From Matt Cain's panegyric in The Guardian:
Lily Savage could be abrasive and her form of drag was anarchic and disruptive. As the punk rock of its day, it was the perfect fit for his rebellious political views. These weren’t just limited to queer culture – in 2010, he delivered a famous rant against Tory austerity. He had a passion for social justice, and from an early age was fired up by ignorance and prejudice.
First and foremost, though, he was a gay activist. And his work on this front began when increasing visibility was key.
Lily Savage was a pioneer for drag in the mainstream, way before RuPaul’s Drag Race. With a spot on The Big Breakfast and a hosting role on Blankety Blank, O’Grady may have cleaned up his language but he didn’t tone down his act.
This meant that when he retired Lily Savage and began presenting TV shows as himself, it had a huge impact. It showed the mainstream public that gay people could be just like them. And it showed gay people that it was possible to be embraced by society without having to sanitise certain of the less “respectable” elements of our culture. O’Grady may have been embraced as a national treasure, but the British public knew exactly who they were embracing.
From rebellious and sometimes law-breaking working-class boy (and father of a child while in his teens) to waiter at a brothel in Manila, social worker, dive bar drag act, BAFTA-winning chat show interviewer (in and out of drag), "inmate" in Prisoner Cell Block H: The Musical, prime-time-telly-show-host (Blankety Blank and Blind Date), pantomime dame, gay rights campaigner, "Miss Hannigan", close friend of Cilla Black, Barbara Windsor and even (reputedly) HM The Queen, renowned dog (and every other kind of animal) lover, genial and hilarious radio show presenter, national treasure - Paul O'Grady was loved by everyone, in whatever "role" he played.
For one man to receive tributes from the likes of Dame Elton John, Queen Consort Camilla, Russell T Davies, stalwart rights campaigners including Peter Tatchell, politicians, journalists, charitable bodies, numerous drag performers, and myriad names from the world of showbiz including Sandi Toksvig, Eddy Izzard, Ken Bruce, Carol Vorderman, Susan Boyle, Tom Hardy, Lorraine Kelly, John Barrowman, Vanessa Feltz, Joe Lycett, Zoe Ball, Jeremy Vine, Gaby Roslin, Amanda Holden, Rob Brydon, Les Dennis, Paddy McGuinness, and thousands more is quite an eye-opener.
There was seemingly no end to his talents as a true humanitarian. It was, however, to his acid-queen alter-ego (despite the fact he retired her in 2007) "Our Lil" Lily Savage to whom we turn to pay due homage...
...and whoever knew she released a Hi-NRG song?!
RIP, Paul James O'Grady MBE.
There will never be another.
Thank goodness we have this footage.
ReplyDeleteThank goodness I have my memories of seeing Lily live - and filthy! - at the Colston Hall in Bristol way back in the mid-1990s. Tears streamed down our faces then, as they have today for different reasons. Jx
DeleteWhat an unforgettable experience for you, Jon.
DeleteIt was indeed. I and my late partner took our friend - who happened to be a Reverend Canon of the Church of England - along to the show, and he roared at all the filthy banter!
DeleteLily Savage was peerless. Jx
Smiling here. I lost a glorious 103 yr old friend last summer whose name was Lil Savage. She was a brilliant teacher & wonderful human & she would've loved that there was a famous drag queen with her name.
ReplyDeleteI bet she would! And I know for a fact that if Paul O'Grady had known about her, he would have made contact with her - he was adored by the grannies. Jx
DeleteI've been binge watching Lily Savage clips since yesterday.
ReplyDeleteVery much worth bingeing on! Jx
DeleteExcellent tribute, Jon,
ReplyDeleteSx
Thanks, dear. He deserves every praise. Jx
DeleteLoved it when it sang with the Vernons Girls on his show..."Funny All Over" and "You Know What I Mean". So sad hearing the news.
ReplyDeleteHe had a knack of grabbing the most unlikely people for Lily to team up with - Sonia playing "her daughter Bunty"; Bella Emberg, June Brown and Gabby Roslyn playing strippers; duets with the likes of Lesley Garrett, Anita Dobson, Liz Dawn and even Madeline Bell; and there was that running joke that her "floor manager" Janet Street-Porter had a hidden past in dodgy Scandinavian porn. And, of course, Gail Tuesday! It was a superb TV show. Jx
DeleteWhat a slice of gay history. Raybeard has written something on Lil, too. https://raybeard.blogspot.com/2023/03/my-cold-wordless-exchange-with-lily.html
ReplyDeleteI found it to be quite a nice read.
I've just popped over for a look, and left a comment. He and I may disagree on "Our Lil", but hey ho. We both mourn Paul O'Grady. Jx
DeleteSuch a great loss. After listening to him on the radio for so many years I almost feel like I knew him personally. I didn't but the loss still feels personal.
ReplyDeletePossibly the saddest loss of what felt like a member of the family since Victoria Wood died. I was genuinely upset by the news. Jx
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