Brit author and journalist Mark Simpson is credited/blamed for ‘fathering’ the metrosexual in the UK’s Independent newspaper in 1994 (and also his hairy-backed anti-thesis the retrosexual).
Compounding his crime, Simpson is also the man who introduced his insufferably pretty offspring to the US in 2002, naming David Beckham as the prime exemplar and starting the current global epidemic of metrosexmania.
Both the New York Times and the London Times recently 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’.
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.
Simpson’s outing of the real love story of Top Gun - that between flyboys Iceman (Kilmer) and Maverick (Cruise) - in his (March 1994) book Male Impersonators seems to have influenced Quentin Tarantino who later popped up in the movie ‘Sleep With Me’ making a very similar argument.
Simpson often appears on UK TV, usually saying unpleasant things about famous people he’s never met. He also appears in peculiar documentaries: he was a large presence in a recent doc titled ‘The World’s Biggest Penis’ (as a commentator rather than demonstrator).
He has written for far too many magazines and newspapers around the world. He is currently Senior Contributing Editor at the world’s leading men’s fashmag, Arena Hommes Plus, despite his own lesbosexual style tendencies (when he isn’t dressed as D’Arcy he has a weakness for sportswear).
Simpson is the author of lots of dusty books:
Male Impersonators: “Brilliant” - Jonathan Keates, Observer.
It’s a Queer World: “You’d have to be a chronic depressive not to laugh’” - Peter Tatchell, New Statesman
Anti-Gay (Ed.): “The year’s most controversial book” - BBC Radio Five
The Queen Is Dead (with Steve Zeeland): “A masterpiece’”- Roger Clarke, Independent
Sex Terror: “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
Saint Morrissey: “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’
What the world press says about mischievous Mr Simpson:
“A SKINHEAD OSCAR WILDE, SIMPSON’S BON MOTS ARE BOTH ALARMING AND AMUSING, GETTING UP PEOPLE’S NOSES AND INSIDE THEIR TROUSERS WITH EQUAL APLOMB” - Philip Hensher, Independent
“I ALMOST HATE TO AGREE WITH ANYTHING HE SAYS” – London Review of Books.
“AN AMUSED, DETACHED VOLTAIRE” - Independent on Sunday
“THE GAY ANTI-CHRIST” – Vogue
“ERUDITE, INCISIVE, SASSY… FRESH, HILARIOUS” - Publishers Weekly
“ONE OF THE BRIGHTEST WRITERS AROUND” - Time Out
“SIMPSON WRITES WITH ENOUGH PANACHE TO MAKE MOST OF HIS PEERS TOSS THEIR LAPTOPS INTO THE WASTE DISPOSAL AND WEEP” - Indy on Sunday
“BRILLIANTLY BUCCANEERING” – Spectator
“SERIOUSLY FUNNY” - Scotland On Sunday
“SPUNKY’” - Lambda Book Report
“ONE OF ENGLAND’S MOST ELOQUENT AND SARDONIC COMMENTATORS”
– Bay Windows
“DANGEROUS” - Gay Times
Many thanks to pal o’ me heart Dermod Moore for encouraging me down the blogging path and helping set up this site