Continuing our tribute to iconic drag actor Harris Glenn Milstead, more famously known as Divine.
You may know Nancy Paine Stoll better as Mink Stole, who made a name for herself appearing in such underground classics as Female Trouble, Pink Flamingos and Hairspray. Cliff Joannou spoke to the American actress about her memories of the cult screen legend that is Divine…
By Cliff Joannou
When did you first meet Divine?
I met him at a party, probably in 1966. He was ‘Glenn’ then, not Divine. Nobody ever called him Harris [his first name]. And I was Nancy. I tell people this, and I think it’s true, I think I was on acid. I’m not 100% sure, but I was taking a lot of it at the time and I would take a lot at these parties I would go to. He was very imposing. Neither of us had done any acting, but he had done a lot of drag competing and he was a very grand, large imposing presence. I was shy around him. I wasn’t wary of him in that he would hurt me, but I was a very insecure kid and very unworldly and pretty naïve. I had just spent a summer in Provincetown in ’65 where I had met John [Waters] and was just exposed to a heavily gay culture. I grew up in rather conservative suburbs and this was my first exposure to a completely other side of the world and I was fascinated and thrilled. Coming to Baltimore and meeting this crew of people that were so much more sophisticated than I was, I was a bit in awe of them. I mean Divine was perfectly lovely to me, but I was just a little kid. He and I became Divine and Mink fairly soon after that.
Was he ‘Divine’ in and out of make-up?
He was very different. As a person he was much quieter. When you are on stage you are throwing out a lot of energy. If you had to live like that all the time you’d be exhausted. No stage persona is like the off-stage persona. It can’t be.
At what point did his character supersede his real personality?
I know that for him, being Divine was both a blessing and a curse. Had he not become Divine, had he not had this beginning, he would not have been known by anybody. With John, the two were such a team that they fed each. They were absolutely vital to each other’s early careers. But after a while, when Divine wanted to play more serious roles and male parts and he wanted to stop being thought of as a drag queen, it was very hard because people would look at him as the drag queen that ate dog shit. Doing that made him famous, but he couldn’t get away from it.
Do you think he resented it?
I think he did. But he acknowledged that without it he wouldn’t have his fame. It was a paradox.
Did Divine appreciate the iconic look that he created?
I think he knew that he was going way past the bounds of traditional female impersonation.
It was really challenging at the time from the conventions of guys dressed in glittery dresses and big feather boas that we had in London.
Here too. We had the Cockettes in San Francisco that were combining beards and glitter and embracing the entirety of their sexuality as opposed to trying to conceal one with the other. He knew that he was breaking ground. There was no way for anybody at the time to appreciate the impact that this was going to have on people. It could easily have gone the other direction where people laughed at him.
Was it intended to shock from the outset?
All the motivation came out of John. I think that they agreed. Divine wanted to be famous and John wanted to be famous and this was what they were going to do. An enormous statement had to be made. I wasn’t present for the conversation, but I kinda have a feeling it went with John saying, “Are you game?” and Divine saying, “Yes!”
What is his greatest legacy?
He was such an inspiration to young, confused people. Men in particular. I can’t tell you how many people. He gave hope to outsiders that there was a place for them in the world. They didn’t have to be hidden. They could come out and be something.
• I Am Divine is in cinemas on Friday 18th July (Peccadillo Pictures)
• QX magazine and Peccadillo Pictures present Divine Bingo and Screening at the ICA (The Mall, SW1Y 5AH) on Friday 18th July. Alternative cabaret performer Meth and Ruby Wednesday host a screening of ‘I Am Divine’ with performances, Divine Bingo session and added entertainment. Limited availability!
Tickets: 020 7930 3647 and www.ica.org.uk
Your ticket also gives you free entry to Carpet Burn ‘We Are Divine’ at Eagle London (Eagle London, 349 Kennington Lane, SE11 5QY). on Saturday 19th July.
Read the full interview at: qxmagazine.kinsta.cloud/feature/divine-part-2
