Grayson Perry, interview
Artist Grayson Perry – a national treasure in the making – talks to James Walton about class, frocks and Damien Hirst
By James Walton
7:00AM GMT 12 Nov 2012
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/9652416/Grayson-Perry-interview.htmlThe publicity for this year's Grierson Awards refers to them as "the most prestigious in the documentary world" – and to their presenter Grayson Perry as "Britain's second most famous ->-bleeped-<-". That first claim is hard to dispute, but the second seems surprisingly cautious for a PR company. Presumably, Eddie Izzard is still considered the market leader. Yet there's a strong argument to be made that Perry – award-winning ceramic artist and acclaimed television presenter – has now reached number one in the British ->-bleeped-<- charts.
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Another sign of Perry's status – now heading perilously close to national-treasure levels – is how little fuss his chosen outfit causes in the West End hotel where we meet. "I call it my ladies-who-lunch look," he says, referring to a lace-over-satin two-piece number with pussy-bow accessory. "It's the kind of outfit that on a woman would go with a facelift." Any version of Perry in full drag is routinely referred to as his "alter ego Claire" – but, as he points out, "the alter-ego thing is overdone. I hate to disappoint anyone, but it's just me in a dress." (Should you be interested, incidentally – and I'm afraid I was – Claire goes to the gents.)
