English author and journalist Mark Simpson is credited/blamed for coining ‘metrosexual’ in an essay titled ‘Here come the mirror men’ in the UK’s Independent newspaper in 1994.
Compounding his crime, Simpson introduced his insufferably pretty offspring to the US in 2002, outing David Beckham as the prime exemplar and starting the current global epidemic of metrosexmania. Simpson is also attributed with introducing us to the ‘retrosexual’ (in the sense of the anti-metrosexual).
In 2010 the global cool-hunting/trend-spotting website Science of the Time described him as ‘the world’s most perceptive writer about masculinity’. The Times of India included ‘metrosexual’ in their review of the most important words of the last thirty years, commenting:
“Much has been written about metrosexuals, but no one has done it as well as the man credited with coining the term, Mark Simpson.”
In December 2008 GQ Russia listed him topless and oiled up in their top ten Things That Changed Men’s Lives, above Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sigmund Freud — and even Biotherm Homme.
Both The New York Times and The London Times acclaimed his saucy new concept of ‘Sporno’ (‘the place where sport and porn meet and produce a spectacular money shot’) as one of their ‘Ideas of the Year’.
Simpson has written for far too many publications around the world, including The London Times, Salon.com, Arena Homme Plus, Dutch Playboy, Out, the Independent, the Seattle Stranger, the Guardian, Vogues Hommes International, Attitude and Details.
Books by Mark Simpson:
”“Wildly intelligent and terrifyingly funny, his outlandish predictions on the fate of mankind have all proved unnervingly prescient. I dread to think what he might come up with next. Read him at your leisure but ignore him at your peril.” – Jake Arnott, author of ‘The Long Firm’
“Funny, clever, honest, irreverent and egotistical: Simpson is quite the match for Morrissey. More biographies should be written this way.”
- Independent on Sunday ‘Books of the Year’
“Brilliant” — Observer
“Magnificent… Open Simpson’s book anywhere you like as often as you like and you’ll find gem-like sentences Zadie Smith would give her white teeth for” — Suzi Feay, Independent on Sunday
It’s a Queer World
“You’d have to be a chronic depressive not to laugh’” — New Statesman
Anti-Gay (Ed.)
“The year’s most controversial book” — BBC Radio Five
The Queen Is Dead
(with Steve Zeeland)
“Something of a masterpiece’ — Independent
What the press says about Mr Simpson:
“SIMPSON WRITES WITH ENOUGH PANACHE TO MAKE MOST OF HIS PEERS TOSS THEIR LAPTOPS INTO THE WASTE DISPOSAL AND WEEP” — Simon Price, Independent on Sunday
“THE GAY ANTI-CHRIST” – Vogue
“I ALMOST HATE TO AGREE WITH ANYTHING HE SAYS” – London Review of Books
“AN AMUSED, DETACHED VOLTAIRE” — Independent on Sunday
“ERUDITE, INCISIVE, SASSY… FRESH, HILARIOUS” — Publishers Weekly
“ONE OF THE BRIGHTEST WRITERS AROUND” — Time Out
“BRILLIANTLY BUCCANEERING” – Spectator
“SERIOUSLY FUNNY” - Scotland On Sunday
“SPUNKY’” — Lambda Book Report
“ONE OF ENGLAND’S MOST ELOQUENT AND SARDONIC COMMENTATORS” – Bay Windows
INTERVIEWS WITH MARK SIMPSON
Follow @marksimpsonist on Twitter
Twitter
Facebook
