1931 Young Musician of Year and Boy George

09.00 16th May 2010.There has been great joy and much satisfaction over the past days and yet a great sadness suddenly gripped me. I was thinking about a Wallander episode seen last night after and equally sad drama documentary on aspects of the life of Boy George. The highpoints were England’s win in the 20 20 World Cup Final against Australia and the Young Musician of the Year Final 2010.

The drama about aspects of the life of Boy George Alan O’Dowd was revealing as although I enjoyed the Culture Club records and was aware of his notoriety subsequently I had no knowledge of his background. He was one of six children of an Irish family although born in Bexley in 1961. There was limited information about how George became an ultra feminine homosexual and was able to join a London squat in Kentish Town with other similar orientated beings including, Marilyn (Peter Robinson) who is portrayed in the film as a feminine homosexual. In the Wikipedia notes on Marilyn it appears that he and George did not move into the squat until after they had met at the Blitz club- an establishment mainly catering for homosexuals and bisexuals who dressed up ostentatiously with extraordinary hair styles, flamboyant makeup and clothing. The film portrayed the young men in their late teens and early twenties, although I suspect many in the circle would have been younger, promiscuous and drug taking, some running away from care and other earning money as rent boys. While those able to perform as rock, punk and the new romantics quickly had the means to fund their lifestyle, it was not made clear how those like George were able to afford the clothing make up, club entrance drugs and food during the early years.

What quickly emerged in the film is that George wanted to be allowed to be himself in the world he made for himself and to be loved by one individual which eluded him. His father appears to have never given up on his son although he did not understand the whys and wherefore’s. George is said to have become a cloakroom attendant at the Blitz Club in order to survive but was sacked after the manager, Steve Strange, suspected George of stealing from the paying guests who included many notables of the day, including David Bowie and Spandau Ballet. George appears to have taken over the job when Marilyn left London for a time.

All three men have had colourful lives. In the film Marilyn goes off at one point with a wealthy young Scotsman but this relationships ends in tears as appears did the relationships of Boy George. It is known that Marilyn also worked as a cloakroom attendant at the Blitz club and possibly George took over the job when he left London for a time.

According to Wikipedia Marilyn went to live in Los Angeles in the early 80’s but then had a successful career as a solo singer after record companies tried to cash in on the popularity of Culture Club, David Bowie and such like, he became friendly with George’s brother Kevin, and he and Kevin appeared in court in 1986 charged with a heroin offence. He struggled to restart his career and after appearing in a few TV programmes about the era is said to be living quietly with his mother in North London admitting to health and financial problems.

Steve Strange born Steven John Harrington in South Wales became a singer with the group Visage but his name has remained more known for his involvement with trendy nightclubs commencing with the Blitz Club where Richard Egan was the DJ and reported to have exercised considerable influence over the creation and development of the New Romantic musical movement in the early 1980’s. Other names involved included Adam Ant, Ultra Vox, Duran Duran, the Human League with Brian Eno and Roxy Music also having an important influence.

Steve worked for Malcolm McLaren, the clothes designer with his partner Vivienne Westwood and who became the manager of the Sex Pistols and Adam Ant. At one point in the film George persuaded McLaren to give him a job as a singer in a new group but the group then persuaded McLaren to fire George before going on tour. Strange, as he liked to be called, formed Visage with Rusty Egan and Midge Ure and the band had considerable success in the early 1980’s and after leaving Blitz he and Egan ran the Camden Palace nightclub for a couple of years and then the Playground which was not successful when public and commercial interest in the New Romantics and glam rock changed. He then moved to Ibiza to become part of the early Trance club development and hosting what Wikipedia describes as exotic parties for such celebrities such as Sylvester Stallone. A heroin addict Strange suffered a nervous breakdown and over the last decade has published an autobiography and appeared on TV programmes.

While the drama concentrated on the years before the success of Culture Club there are scenes showing how his intense emotionality affected his life as a major performer and recording star. Culture Club was renamed from Sex Gang Children to reflected the English Transvestite, Jamaican-British, Jewish and Anglo Saxon mix of the band. Do you really want to hurt me was one of the early hits featured in the Drama with Karma Chameleon perhaps the most successful. Drugs commenced dominated George and his circle leading to an arrest for possession with a keyboard player dying from an overdose at George’s home The programme shows one moment of reconciliation with his father who remain steadfast in trying to help in son overcome his difficulties. He continued to record without success, wrote songs, created a fashion line, presented a radio programme became a DJ visiting continents, countries and more than thirty cities. In 2005 George was arrested while in New York and was sentenced to five days community service, a fine and ordered to attend a drug rehabilitation programme. The more recently he was found guilty of having imprisoned a male escort in his home and served fourth months of an 18th months sentence before being tagged and placed on a curfew for the balance of his sentence which is due to end over the next month or so I was left with the impression that George has rarely been happy in his life and then for only short periods which I find sad.

On Saturday evening I watched the five group winners repeat their 20 minute performances to gain a place in the final shown on Sunday. There was in fact a three month gap to enable three successful participants to prepare to perform a concerto of their choice with a full orchestras. Anna Doulas18 years had won the Brass competition and played Strauss Rondo from Concerto no 2, Saint Sans Romance in E and a piece by Krol. I thought she was good but was not in my top 3. Lucy Landymoore aged 17 years impressed me greatly with four pieces Zappa The Black age, Corea Children‘s Song no 1 Freidman Texas Hoedown which caught the attention of the audience most and Zivkovic- to the Gods of Rhythm. I was disappointed that she was unable to perform in the final under the new system although I was not unhappy that that her place went to the Flautist Emma Halnan 17 years who played In Ireland by Harty, the Largo from Bach’s Concerto in G Minor, the Spiral Lament of Clarke and 3rd movement of Suite Trois by Goard.

This brings me to two young musicians who I thought were exceptional exceptional and that one would be the winner. Callum Smart was the youngest in the final at 13 and his violin playing was not only technically perfect but he showed an emotional understanding and maturity beyond explanation. He played only two pieces Tzigane by Ravel and the Sonata no 3 by Brahms 1st Movement. He is also in this year’s final of the Yehudi Menuhin competition being held in Oslo.

And there was Lara Omeroglu playing Beethoven’s Sonata in B Flat, and Etude by Chopin and a Suite by Ginastra. It is difficult to put into words the impact this young woman has on an audience. She becomes, completely, intensely, emotionally engaged in what she is doing showing every feeling in her face and physical movement and she also immediately and totally engages the audience. In the keyboard final she faced the young individual in the competition the group finals Yuanfan Yang another prodigy destined to become a soloist and composer. He was awarded the special prize for the most outstanding competitor.
Because of the cricket on Sunday evening I decided to watch Lewis immediately following and the Young Musician on Monday morning. I enjoyed the Lewis which featured Alan Davies as a harmless conman who arranged quiz weekends at Oxford Colleges and posh nosh hotel for £500 with a prize money of £2500 which always was allegedly won by students or other employed for a fee to whom he provided the answers in advance of the various rounds of the competition. There were several red herrings and it was not possible to work out the murderer in advance other by guessing.

Previously, probably before the trips to Leeds and Nottingham, I started to watch New York New York, the 1977 Martin Scorsese film with Liza Minnelli and Robert De Nero. I was attracted because De Nero plays a jazz musician and while there was some early swing band music it was quickly evident that the jazz was not going to be at the level I had hoped in this two and half hour epic to merit staying up late.

Now the final of the Young Musician of the year which I will be listening to again and again over the remaining days when it remains available on the BBC i player as well as the semi final. KI heard the keyboard final on Monday evening. Callum Smart opened the final with the well known Violin Concerto in E minor opus 64 by Felix Mendelssohn. This is a familiar work which I have though Callum played as well as anyone two and three times his age. Clearly he has yet to have sufficient life experience to communicate emotions with a passionate intensity although he did demonstrate considerable maturity and well as technical brilliance.

However there was no inhibition about the playing of Lara Omeroglu who brought one judge to rears with her playing in the section final. To say her playing is awesome is an understatement, In fact I have no words to explain and express what happens when this young woman takes the stage. On Sunday night she performed the second piano concerto in G Minor, opus 22 by Camille Saint-Sains. Its is not a work I know I would have rushed out to buy had I listened to beforehand, or since, if it had not been for performance of Lara. She clearly has a remarkable mother who has brought up her two daughters alone since the break up of her marriage and where the elder daughter is also an accomplished Pianist attending college and has become her sister‘s biggest fan, shrieking in delight at the announcement of the winner. I was stuck how she had the same electrifying impact as Jacqueline Du Pres although hopefully not the same emotionally challenging life or tragic young ending.