Golden Oldie

WE LIVE in a frenzied age of fast food, tilting trains and entertainment on demand – but when it comes to music, the public knows what it likes.

When word got out that I was to interview self –proclaimed ‘King of romance’ Engelbert Humperdinck, it was like Thursday night at the bingo hall.

As memories of parents’ record collections flowed forth and choruses of ‘Release Me’ echoed round the office, it became clear that ‘the hump’ is a golden oldie in a sea of preening pop stars.

Humperdinck, 71, is indeed a fascinating personality, a kind of cartoon character you wouldn’t believe really exists in the flesh. Born in Madras, India and raised in the rather less glamorous surroundings of Leicester, he has acquired an American demeanour over years of exposure to the Hollywood lifestyle.

He scoffs when described as a crooner – “I am a contemporary singer, a stylised performer” – but accepts that while he has a novelty appeal to the masses, his loyal fan base lies in the older generation.

“The music business has changed since I was young, and I’ve had to adapt to that”, he says. “In the 60s, with the likes of The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and Elvis, people made lasting material. The songs we wrote were evergreens, they lasted for years. In today’s world, you’re lucky if a song lasts 6 months before it is dismissed.”

Nobody can say Humperdinck hasn’t earned the right to his opinion. Breaking into the music business in the late 1950s under the name of Gerry Dorsey, he contracted Tuberculosis at the age of 25. While Elvis Presley was busy topping the charts on both sides of the Atlantic, Humperdinck was out of action for the whole of 1961.

“My voice is my lifeblood as a singer, and that was a scary time for me. Back then people thought T.B was a horrible disease and didn’t want to be anywhere near you.”
It is perhaps the memory of this traumatic time that keeps Humperdinck going. As he embarks on a gruelling world tour, including a date at the London Palladium on November 4, his enthusiasm is undiminished.

“After I turned 70, I said I wanted to return to playing 120 dates a year, and that’s exactly what I’m doing”, he says. Surely that must take its toll on a man in the autumn of his career?

“I’m still as energetic as I ever was”, he says. “I jump around on that stage like I’m a forty year-old!”

Humperdink admires fellow artists who appear to go on forever, but accepts that it is rapidly becoming a young man’s world.

“I don’t try to be young, I know my limits”, he says. He marvels at modern technology – “People can just sit down at a computer and connect with me!” – but remains nonplussed by the rapidly changing landscape. “It’s a funny old world right now. Some of it’s good, some of it’s bad.”

He comes across as a man who doesn’t dwell on the past. Does he have any regrets?
“If I could edit my past, I’d get a good manager and get my future secured at an early age”, he says. “Of all the money I’ve earned in my life, management has taken almost half.”

He praises the current team of masterminds behind his enduring popularity, and insists that he has no plans to hang up his microphone any time soon.
“On the day my new record came out, I was back in the studio recording new songs”, he says. “As long as the demand is there, I’ll keep churning them out!”

And with that, the Hump signs off, on his way to another L.A show, to entertain another few thousand adoring fans. Not bad for a golden oldie.

“It has been a wonderful journey”, he says. “I hope it never ends.”

Engelbert Humperdinck plays The London Palladium on November 4. For tickets call: 0870 890 1108.

Mayor backs cause close to home

THE Mayor of Epsom and Ewell has revealed the reason behind her support for a charity – she suffers from a potentially serious medical condition.
Cllr Jean Steer, who has named Surrey Association for Visual Impairment as one of her chosen causes to support in 2007/08, has been diagnosed with age-related macular degeneration, a disorder predominantly found in elderly adults, which can, in extreme cases, result in blindness.

Fortunately, she has only a mild strain of the condition in one eye. “It does not cause me any problem, so I can still read, drive and watch TV with no problem,” she said. “Hopefully it will not get any worse.”

The condition, which can attack people as young as 50, has inspired her to support SAVI, based in Leatherhead. She said: “They provide all kinds of help and equipment to people so that they can lead independent lives.”

Cllr Steer has named Mid Surrey Alzheimer’s Society and The Stroke Association as her other two chosen charities, a decision also influenced by personal reasons.
“I chose the Stroke Association because my husband died of a massive stroke, as did my mother and one of my sisters,” she explained.
“The Alzheimer’s Society are a tremendous help to carers and families of people with the problem and they need all the help they can get. I am trying to raise the profile of this association locally to get the Government to fund the cost of treatment for Alzheimer's, which is not available to everyone.”

The mayor will be raising money throughout her year in office by holding charity events and attracting sponsorships from businesses.

So far, events have included a charity golf day and a garden party. Many more are planned, including a fashion show and a concert in Epsom Playhouse.

Cllr Steer hopes to raise up to £15,000 in the year until May. For details of forthcoming events, visit www.epsom-ewell.gov.uk


Sam Blackledge

Pollution threat to high street

INCREASED pollution in Ewell is caused by too much traffic, say villagers.
Two years ago, the high street was found to have particularly high readings of nitrogen dioxide in the air and a subsequent report recommended that an Air Quality Management Area be declared. This would involve placing sophisticated air monitoring equipment at either end of the street.

Lorraine Cliffe, 42, and Andy Turner, 40, believe the situation is now at a critical stage.

"Putting up new traffic lights at the end of the village has made it worse" said Andy. "The congestion is terrible. If you go outside in the afternoon, when the kids get out of school, the traffic goes all the way down the high street. It’s just solid. I never drive through here any more."

Lorraine added: "Ewell Village would be better off they closed the road to cars. I think the council would get a lot of support for it."

Cllr Clive Woodbridge, of Epsom and Ewell Residents’ Association, admits it will be some time before any improvement is seen.

"The air quality management area in itself will not provide a solution to the problem, as it basically allows the council to take better measurements of air quality", he said.

"Once the more accurate readings have been taken, it will be possible to tell if there is a significant problem, and from there the local and county councils will have to work together to find the best solution. The AQMA is a necessary first step."

Cllr Woodbridge urged residents to contribute to the fight against pollution by using public transport where possible. "There is too much traffic going through the village, and congestion is a problem with frequent jams and tailbacks", he said.

"This is the basic cause of the pollution in the village. We all use our cars too much, so getting people to make better use of public transport, cycling and walking would help."

However, shops and businesses are wary of pedestrianising the area.

Pat Stanford, who works in the Party Land shop in the High Street, said: "If they stopped cars coming down here it would cause tremendous problems, and you’d lose a huge amount of trade."

Oliver Nelson, head of the environmental health team, says the pollution will not cause significant risk to residents but it might be a problem for some people.

"Those who suffer from an existing respiratory condition may find their symptoms are worse if they have spent a long time in this area," he said.

The environmental health team aims to have the AQMA in place by the end of this year.

Residents, businesses and other interested parties can make their views known to the council at www.epsom-ewell.gov.uk or call 01372 732 000.

Sam Blackledge

It's fashion week time

Never mind Prada and Gucci - pop stars pledging to save the world seems to be the latest fashion trend. Soon to be performing in Kingston, X factor reject Chico Slimani, 36, has joined the debate on size zero models as fashion week hits the capital. "I like my girls swervy, curvy and shaped like an hour glass" says Chico, whose forthcoming single 'Curvy Cola Bottle Body' addresses the issue of female body image.

The argument that London should ban ultra-skinny models from the catwalk continues to rage, with fears that they could encourage eating disorders among fashion fans, particularly young girls. The recent 'size zero' phenomenon, an American term which translates as a U.K size four, provides a target for campaigners to rally against. Chico insists he has a strong belief in the issue, and that is the driving force behind the single. Some may accuse him of jumping on the bandwagon occupied by the likes of Bono and Chris Martin, who regularly use their profiles to raise awareness of important global issues, but he insists this is not the case. "Money is the last thing I'm after”, he says. “I'm just trying to change lives". The smooth singer may seem an unlikely ambassador for this sensitive issue, particularly when he comes out with phrases like "God must love curvy women, because he made so many of them", but his heart is in the right place. He is involved with Beat, a charity which provides help and support for people with eating disorders. Beat's press officer Mary George says: "Chico is concerned about the issues, and we welcome anyone with a high profile supporting our cause."

Whoever they come from, the facts are hard to ignore: the majority of catwalk models have a body mass index of less than 18, which is the World Health Organization's minimum healthy standard. Spain and Italy have already barred models with a BMI of less than 18 from their catwalks after the deaths of 2 young models earlier this year. The British Fashion Council, the organising body responsible for London Fashion Week, says: "We believe that regulation is neither desirable nor enforceable. What will make a difference is the commitment of the fashion industry to change attitudes through behaviour and education."

Wednesday 3 October: Chico at McClusky’s, Thames Street, Kingston. 9pm. £5 (£3 with flyer or N.U.S card). See: www.mccluskys.com

© Sam Blackledge for The London Informer September 2007

Welcome wanderers

Hello. My name is Sam, I am a 22 year old drama graduate of Hull University, about to start an NCTJ postgrad course in newspaper journalism. I have a music blog over at www.meeting-in-the-aisle.blogspot.com, and I have created this blog to post my articles and pieces of 'serious' writing.

Here is my first offering, an article I wrote today on Boris Johnson's first speech in his campaign to be Mayor of London. Enjoy and feel free to respond.

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Boris Johnson issued a rallying war-cry to Londoners in the fight against crime today. The Conservative candidate for London Mayor urged the public to take a vigilante stance against thugs and petty criminals in a typically idiosyncratic speech.

Mr. Johnson’s flair for a memorable sound bite was in evidence as he referred to buses as “glorified getaway cars for thieves and vandals”, insisting that he would be “wholeheartedly on the side of the active citizen” and would “focus more on getting the job done”. However, for all his media-savvy poses and promises, Mr Johnson offered little in the way of specific solutions. He identified that crime, housing and transport are the main issues which need addressing in the capital, but his analysis of the congestion charge was that it simply “isn’t working”.

The former editor of The Spectator added that he senses “a sense of resignation” in Londoners, a judgment which may be sailing a little too close to his ill-judged comments on other cities. Just ask the people of Portsmouth, which he described earlier this year as "one of the most depressed towns in Southern England, a place that is arguably too full of drugs, obesity, underachievement and Labour MPs".

Although public opinion of Mr Johnson seems to be split at this stage, there is an increasing feeling that his clown-like image may betray a shallow knowledge of the real problems at the heart of London. This speech contained a handful of flippant comments, which may both worry and hearten his rival Ken Livingstone in equal measure. Mr Johnson marvelled at the improvements to the city over the past 20 years, citing the availability of mango juice at his local newsagent and the creation of Frappuccinos, the cold coffee drink sold by Starbucks. Light-hearted irony, or simple buffoonery?

One of the most startling aspects of Mr Johnson’s speech was his call for members of the public to be more willing to intervene when they see youngsters making trouble. After the recent high-profile death of Gary Newlove in Warrington, who was attacked after confronting a gang of youths who damaged his car, this is a controversial stance from Mr Johnson. Urging the public to “take a risk” and tackle a thug may not be the most diplomatic approach, but we have come to expect nothing less from this colourful character.