Quite extra-ordinary, brought tears to my rheumy eyes. I watched a subsequent clip and she had been made-over by cosmetic, beautifying stylists and had rather lost her elfin charm. Nonetheless, she is a tour de force. Where is she now?
Yes, I know what you mean - it was a bit like Susan Boyle suddenly appearing in a leather jacket after her intial burst of success. A singer tells me that singing opera at that age destroys the vocal cords - I suppose time will tell whether it's had any ill effects on her. Female pop singers who start young - e.g. Lulu, who began singing with a band at 13 and country star Tanya Tucker, who was 13 when she had her first big hit with "Delta Dawn" - both went on to enjoy successful adult careers. Maybe classical music is different?
This post reminded me of our very own Lena Zavaroni, Bonnie Langford and Millie "My Boy Lollipop" Small when they first appeared [the first two on "Opportunity Knocks" with "Uncle Hughie"]. And they were not at all irritating.
Nice touch of irony, SDG. Also on my not at all irritating list, little Jimmy Osmond, Pickettywitch, and the entire works of Andrew Lloyd Webber.
On the latter, may I recommend to a part-Scotsman the tribute to the music of wee Andy Webber by Mr Dean Park, which may be found on Youtube? It leaves a lasting mark and might prompt the Blogmeister to return to the subject of records that are actually quite funny.
ex KCS - do you really cite Pickettywitch in the same ironical vein? 'I just get the Same Old Feeling' is one of those splendid tunes that just makes me smile - or perhaps you had noted an earlier inclusion of this bit of cheerful bubblegum in one of my earlier comments and were just rattling my cage. Nonetheless, I hope this notoriety makes other readers of the blogmeister's tireless work reach out to Spotify and become converted....
There's an old saying, Riley - "He who has admitted to a fondness for Prefab Sprout has forfeited the right to criticise those who admire Pickettywich - or anyone else for that matter".
I think ex-KCS knows who I'm referring to. At the same time I must commend his recommendation - Dean Park's Wee Andy Webber (aka Sir Andrew Lloyd-Webber) tribute is excellent: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3etu0gUvAxg
"Words are trains for moving past what really has no name", as the great Paddy McAloon puts it. I did try "Same old Feeling" again, Riley. I think it probably has a greater resonance if you have spent two hours out in the rain outside the Ursuline Convent, waiting for a glimpse of the girl who smiled at you on the upper deck of the 200 bus.
And take care, Gronners. I still recall the post, you cad, where you listed LPs in your collection and then tried to blame some of your less defensible choices on girlfriends with bad taste.
Time spent in the rain outside any girls 'school, in my case Wimbledon High, was never wasted. Those hours proved to be great investments, particularly when I learned the power and authority of an umbrella. Even now, I still recollect that same old feeling.
Well at least it is one of the rare pop songs that starts with the chorus. And Polly Brown could sing and deserved better. The KCS choir used to join up with the Wimbledon High School girls once a term which was some compensation for being in the proximity of Wally Taylor and Nobby Long. I was far too shy to wait outside for them. But thanks for the umbrella tip. Sadly, it's about 40 years too late.
Wally Taylor - I still shudder. Did our parents really have no idea of the boiling under-current of supressed homosexuality of the public school system or was it just accepted as being the norm?
Polly Brown(e) was acknowledged as having a good voice and just now and again, when she moved from the bubble-gum stuff, it had a slightly raunchy quality. I don't think she was helped by those soppy chaps sharing her stage.
Umbrellas did wonders for John Steed and even if you think it's forty years too late, he died aged 94, dash out and invest in an old-fashioned, decent gent's model, none of those auto-erecting gadgets. The brand you should seek is Fox of London.
On your first point, I suppose it depended on the seriousness of the approach. I remember when I was about eleven one member of staff inviting me round to "swap stamps" (no, honestly). As he'd described this as a his "stamp club", I had assumed there would be others present, but discovered I was his only guest. He sat next to me on the sofa as I leafed through his albums, and put his arm around me and clumsily hugged me. Saying nothing, I pulled away from him and announced that I had to go home. I don't remember being particularly scared. It wouldn't have occurred to me to tell anyone: I suppose it might if he'd gone any further (and he might have with other pupils - I have no idea: I heard that he was later dismissed as the result of parental complaints, but that was years later). I suspect there was a lot of that sort of clumsy, pathetic groping and fondling going on, as opposed to full-scale assaults, and that's why these wretches got away with it for so long. I've never been good at undercurrents, so I was only ever aware of two wrong 'uns in my time at school, though, for some inexplicable reason, I seemed to attract the bastards like flies outside it.
Quite extra-ordinary, brought tears to my rheumy eyes.
ReplyDeleteI watched a subsequent clip and she had been made-over by cosmetic, beautifying stylists and had rather lost her elfin charm.
Nonetheless, she is a tour de force. Where is she now?
Yes, I know what you mean - it was a bit like Susan Boyle suddenly appearing in a leather jacket after her intial burst of success. A singer tells me that singing opera at that age destroys the vocal cords - I suppose time will tell whether it's had any ill effects on her. Female pop singers who start young - e.g. Lulu, who began singing with a band at 13 and country star Tanya Tucker, who was 13 when she had her first big hit with "Delta Dawn" - both went on to enjoy successful adult careers. Maybe classical music is different?
DeleteThis post reminded me of our very own Lena Zavaroni, Bonnie Langford and Millie "My Boy Lollipop" Small when they first appeared [the first two on "Opportunity Knocks" with "Uncle Hughie"]. And they were not at all irritating.
ReplyDeleteMillie was incredibly cute: my eleven-year old self was utterly smitten!
DeleteNice touch of irony, SDG. Also on my not at all irritating list, little Jimmy Osmond, Pickettywitch, and the entire works of Andrew Lloyd Webber.
ReplyDeleteOn the latter, may I recommend to a part-Scotsman the tribute to the music of wee Andy Webber by Mr Dean Park, which may be found on Youtube? It leaves a lasting mark and might prompt the Blogmeister to return to the subject of records that are actually quite funny.
ex KCS - do you really cite Pickettywitch in the same ironical vein?
ReplyDelete'I just get the Same Old Feeling' is one of those splendid tunes that just makes me smile - or perhaps you had noted an earlier inclusion of this bit of cheerful bubblegum in one of my earlier comments and were just rattling my cage. Nonetheless, I hope this notoriety makes other readers of the blogmeister's tireless work reach out to Spotify and become converted....
There's an old saying, Riley - "He who has admitted to a fondness for Prefab Sprout has forfeited the right to criticise those who admire Pickettywich - or anyone else for that matter".
DeleteI think ex-KCS knows who I'm referring to. At the same time I must commend his recommendation - Dean Park's Wee Andy Webber (aka Sir Andrew Lloyd-Webber) tribute is excellent:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3etu0gUvAxg
"Words are trains for moving past what really has no name", as the great Paddy McAloon puts it. I did try "Same old Feeling" again, Riley. I think it probably has a greater resonance if you have spent two hours out in the rain outside the Ursuline Convent, waiting for a glimpse of the girl who smiled at you on the upper deck of the 200 bus.
ReplyDeleteAnd take care, Gronners. I still recall the post, you cad, where you listed LPs in your collection and then tried to blame some of your less defensible choices on girlfriends with bad taste.
Time spent in the rain outside any girls 'school, in my case Wimbledon High, was never wasted. Those hours proved to be great investments, particularly when I learned the power and authority of an umbrella.
ReplyDeleteEven now, I still recollect that same old feeling.
Well at least it is one of the rare pop songs that starts with the chorus. And Polly Brown could sing and deserved better. The KCS choir used to join up with the Wimbledon High School girls once a term which was some compensation for being in the proximity of Wally Taylor and Nobby Long. I was far too shy to wait outside for them. But thanks for the umbrella tip. Sadly, it's about 40 years too late.
ReplyDeleteWally Taylor - I still shudder. Did our parents really have no idea of the boiling under-current of supressed homosexuality of the public school system or was it just accepted as being the norm?
ReplyDeletePolly Brown(e) was acknowledged as having a good voice and just now and again, when she moved from the bubble-gum stuff, it had a slightly raunchy quality. I don't think she was helped by those soppy chaps sharing her stage.
Umbrellas did wonders for John Steed and even if you think it's forty years too late, he died aged 94, dash out and invest in an old-fashioned, decent gent's model, none of those auto-erecting gadgets. The brand you should seek is Fox of London.
On your first point, I suppose it depended on the seriousness of the approach. I remember when I was about eleven one member of staff inviting me round to "swap stamps" (no, honestly). As he'd described this as a his "stamp club", I had assumed there would be others present, but discovered I was his only guest. He sat next to me on the sofa as I leafed through his albums, and put his arm around me and clumsily hugged me. Saying nothing, I pulled away from him and announced that I had to go home. I don't remember being particularly scared. It wouldn't have occurred to me to tell anyone: I suppose it might if he'd gone any further (and he might have with other pupils - I have no idea: I heard that he was later dismissed as the result of parental complaints, but that was years later). I suspect there was a lot of that sort of clumsy, pathetic groping and fondling going on, as opposed to full-scale assaults, and that's why these wretches got away with it for so long. I've never been good at undercurrents, so I was only ever aware of two wrong 'uns in my time at school, though, for some inexplicable reason, I seemed to attract the bastards like flies outside it.
Delete