Web of the Week - 21st April 1996

Polari Page

Chris Denning’s Polari page is a homage to the now almost dead gay language/slang that grew up around the fear and mistrust amongst homosexuals before decriminalisation in the late sixties.

Polari is said to have developed amongst theatre folks and gypsy’s (especially those who made their living from carrying goods up and down the waterways by barge). The language was used extensively in the early to middle part of this century in London, at a time when socialising homosexuals fell into two distinct categories that now blur, the East end Queens and the West end queens.

Though virtually no-one uses Polari in its entirety these days some of the words used have passed into common usage, notably camp, mince and butch. This is due in part to the harmonisation of the gay and straight "communities" but some thanks must go to the "Julian & Sandy" sketches on the tremendously popular sixties radio comedy series "Round the Horne". In these sketches Kenneth Horne (butt of all jokes) struggled to be heard over the hugely camp Julian (Hugh Paddix) and Sandy (Kenneth Williams). For pre-decriminalisation sixties radio this was all "very bold".

Well go on, troll in and ‘ave a varda... that’s your actual Polari.

NOTE: IF YOU WANT TO HEAR POLARI IN LONDON THESE DAYS YOU REALLY HAVE TO GO AND SEE A DRAG QUEEN, MANY F THEM KEEP SOME OF THE TRADITION GOING, ESPECIALLY THE OLDER ONES. AND I’LL TELL YOU THIS FOR NOTHING, YOU’LL NEVER MEET A MORE HONEST PERSON THAN A MAN WEARING HIS MOTHERS CAST-OFFS AND CHAIN SMOKING CAPSTAN FULL STRENGTH.