This is fascinating. I’d never heard of Polari before reading this and had no idea this is where so many gay slang terms originated. Thanks for sharing!
I think most of us in the UK found out about Polari from the Julian and Sandy characters in Round The Horne (some episodes seem to be on YouTube). Risque at the time, and still funny. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julian_and_Sandy
Thanks for the primer on Polari. I only recently learned about it when further researching Morrissey as one of his tracks will appear on an upcoming installment of my playlist series Alphabet Soup.
And thanks for your editor’s note. Morrissey has indeed become noxious and I struggled a bit on whether to include him on my playlists. Never let your heroes grow old indeed! But I absolutely adore his work with The Smiths and his earlier solo work - they both bring much joy - so I’ve chosen not to let his current political views affect my enjoyment of his music.
Excellent Post! I really miss the image and sounds of the Morrissey of the 1990s. People do grow (or grow small), and that is life. But the song above, and others are really magnificent.
This is fascinating. I’d never heard of Polari before reading this and had no idea this is where so many gay slang terms originated. Thanks for sharing!
I think most of us in the UK found out about Polari from the Julian and Sandy characters in Round The Horne (some episodes seem to be on YouTube). Risque at the time, and still funny. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julian_and_Sandy
Polari has literally been hiding in plain sight and I didn't know it. Thanks for enriching my understanding of the origin of these slang terms.
Polari- the Esparanto of homosexuals...
Thanks for the primer on Polari. I only recently learned about it when further researching Morrissey as one of his tracks will appear on an upcoming installment of my playlist series Alphabet Soup.
And thanks for your editor’s note. Morrissey has indeed become noxious and I struggled a bit on whether to include him on my playlists. Never let your heroes grow old indeed! But I absolutely adore his work with The Smiths and his earlier solo work - they both bring much joy - so I’ve chosen not to let his current political views affect my enjoyment of his music.
Excellent Post! I really miss the image and sounds of the Morrissey of the 1990s. People do grow (or grow small), and that is life. But the song above, and others are really magnificent.