by Joey Guerra
Entertainment Editor
With the re-release of John Water's gross-out camp classic Pink Flamingos, a new generation of cult-film lovers has been introduced to the king of midnight movies. Long before moviegoers did the "Time Warp" with Rocky Horror, and decades prior to current 12-o'-clock-cinema faves like Lost Highway, Scream and Crash, Waters provided plenty of laughs with an offbeat style all his own.
Also enjoying a newfound fame is Waters' prize player, Harris Glenn Milstead, known to most as Divine, the central figure in films like Polyester and Pink Flamingos. Even though Divine died in 1988, his/her spirit lives on through a number of impersonators, including Houston's own Simply Divine.
"It's basically my career," admitted Simply Divine over the phone from his home in Houston. He works at Rich's nightclub, where he hosts a weekly show on Friday nights called Klub Kamp. The show features a number of other female impersonators, and Simply Divine called the cast "extremely versatile."
While the entertainer said he dolls himself up in Divine drag most of the time, there are a number of other celebrities he impersonates. "I've done Judy Garland, Cher, Marilyn Monroe and other characters that I've invented."
Simply Divine admitted, though, that Waters' big-screen muse is the one that gets the most attention.
"A lot of people know who Divine is," said Simply Divine, who adds that many people will come up to him and share stories about the legendary drag queen.
Whereas he said he sees the real Divine as a bit intimidating, Simply Divine called himself very approachable. "I've met tons and tons of fabulous people from all over the country. There's never any negative attention to it at all. Driving down the freeway, I get a thumbs up or a peace sign."
As for his own fascination with the character, Simply Divine said he was attracted by the sheer outrageousness of the persona Divine presented. Divine took it to another level, he said, shaving off his eyebrows and going completely over the top. "Divine, as I feel, was an actor," he said. "It's a complete, 100 percent exaggeration of a woman."
As for the current hoopla over the actor who created such memorable roles as Dawn Davenport, the troubled youth turned criminal who only wanted a pair of cha-cha heels in Female Trouble, and Edna Turnblad, Ricki Lake's loving mom in Hairspray, Simply Divine seems a bit surprised.
"It hit me so quick," said the entertainer, regarding the onslaught of requests for appearances. Although he said he had seen on television that Pink Flamingos would be getting a re-release, he was not expecting it so quickly. "All of a sudden it was like, 'Wham, here it is,'" Simply Divine said. "If Divine couldn't be there, I'll be there for him."
One of the most interesting developments is an upcoming homage to the drag diva titled Divine: Portrait of a Sex Goddess, which will open soon at the Theatre of Instant Gratification in the Heights.
The show features a John Waters character reminiscing about his experiences with Divine. Simply Divine then appears, as the real Divine in a dressing room, which then cuts into a nightclub act where the entertainer performs disco hits from a singing career that began in 1978 and spawned 11 international dance singles and two compilation albums.
So, the immortal queen of Waters' warped fairy tales lives on, and Houston audiences can see for themselves why, after all these years, she is still Simply Divine.
For information on showings for Pink Flamingos, call 524-2175. For more on Divine: Portrait of a Sex Goddess, call 880-1230.