Diversions and Delights

I realize that I tend to view the world pretty starkly in either black or white. I'm quick to hate something so much I want to disembowel it, set it on fire and piss on it, but easily as quick to passionately love something else.

But just because I spout out my loves and hates on a regular basis doesn't mean you should take them with a grain of salt (well, maybe sometimes, like when I'm talking about Vin Diesel). Now, for instance, I am dead serious. Recently, I was reading about Vincent Price, who, for the record, is on my top ten list of most favorite people EVER. I don't know how I didn't already know about this, but he apparently starred in a one man show called "Diversions and Delights," which is a long monologue where Price stars as OSCAR WILDE. If you didn't take a hint from the caps lock, Oscar Fucking Wilde is another person on my top ten list.

Lovelovelovelovelovelovelove. If I could get a hold of him (alive or dead), I would be like the tree in THE LAST UNICORN:

At any rate, if you like Wilde or Price, I highly recommend checking this out. As far as I can tell, no one had enough foresight to record it on video, but you can listen to the whole thing in two parts.

Part One. Part Two.

I don't know why Price as Wilde never occurred to me, but he is marvelous and apparently the role was one of his most beloved. The play began in 1977 and Price fell so much in love with it that he toured with it as long as possible and took it worldwide. It was written by John Gay and directed by Joe Hardy and covers the most depressing period of Wilde's life - his final year, when he was worn down by prison and pining over his unfortunate love for Lord Alfred Douglas. Bosie was such a scoundrel. If you enjoy this recording and need a hefty tome for some winter reading you will also likely enjoy Richard Ellman's excellent Wilde biography.

Randomly, if you want to buy the original script with Price's notes, happy bidding.