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Thursday, June 14. 2007

Heartwarming Story of the Week

Humble Brit cell phone salesman takes the stage at the UK's version of American Idol. Story and video at Anchoress.

(Wolf Flywheel of The Shelf notes in our comments that this fellow, Paul Potts, is not exactly a newbie. He studied with Pavarotti, has toured in Italy. Oh well, still a good story, and I suspect the guy can quit his day job now.)

Comment from The Barrister: The moral of the story (or should I say "narrative"?) is that we listen to too much lousy pop music. When we hear the real thing it makes a big impression.

Posted by Bird Dog in The Culture, "Culture," Pop Culture and Recreation at 07:11 | Comments (14) | Trackbacks (0)

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It's not a it appears. He's Paul Potts. Scroll down to read his bio.
#1 Wolf Flywheel (Link) on 2007-06-14 07:39 (Reply)
I found this man interesting enough to find out all I could about him and wish him well in the future. I will be buying his CD's when they come out and following his career.
#1.1 Jimmy Porter on 2007-06-15 01:00 (Reply)
Sorry, here's the link. My html didn't take for some reason. http://www.bathopera.co.uk/Past%20Productions/Aida/aida_biographies.htm
#2 Wolf Flywheel (Link) on 2007-06-14 07:58 (Reply)
I agree that the audience recognized a true gift here. I am so happy for this man and I hope he can live his dream. This is a wonderful inspiring story.
#2.1 Viola Jaynes (Link) on 2007-06-14 09:36 (Reply)
Some of the best of all time....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCvomDZykvk
#3 Habu on 2007-06-14 10:29 (Reply)
Some of the best of all time....not quite Beethoven's "Air on a G string but darn good.


youtube.com/watch?v=wCvomDZykvk
#4 Habu on 2007-06-14 10:31 (Reply)
Re: the moral of the story...

That is so true. It brings to mind all those recordings Pavarotti has done with 'friends', like Clapton and Sting and Sinatra and Bon Jovi. For the most part, I find those duets really painful to listen to.
#5 Patina on 2007-06-14 10:53 (Reply)
yeah but whadya think of dueling banjos? neat huh
#6 Patirno on 2007-06-14 11:45 (Reply)
Annnh. I was all moved and covered in horripilations until I read he studied with Pavarotti. So this was a joke? Kind of a scam?

His humility was faked at the end?

Oh rot. Oh well - it was great.
.
#7 Phoenix on 2007-06-14 13:05 (Reply)
Not to be evoking Rathergate here, but something's off about that Bath Opera page. Potts' picture shows borders like a badly scanned photograph instead of being a head shot like the others, plus the name of his character is not italicized like all the other entries.
#8 Roxanne D on 2007-06-14 16:32 (Reply)
Brit Hume showed the whole clip at the end of his broadcast this evening. Brit was clearly moved by it as was his panel. It made me wonder if their producer checked it out and found it to be real. I don't know. Sure like the story and wish it was real.
.
#9 Phoenix on 2007-06-14 21:50 (Reply)
Bath Opera is an amateur opera company! It's community theater with a better band! (See the "about us" section.)

Furthermore, having taken a masterclass means one has paid to take a class where you sit in the audience and listen to the opera singer talk about singing and demonstrate things. (Think "In the Actor's Studio" with more acting.) That doesn't mean you've "studied with" him. It does mean that you're crazy enough about opera and singing to be that interested; but unless you get very lucky and get picked to get worked with personally for a moment, you're still just a face in the crowd.
#10 Maureen on 2007-06-14 22:10 (Reply)
PS -- My church choir has "toured in Germany". That didn't mean that they got paid, that they played to hordes of adoring fans, or that anybody even remembers them. They went to various free venues and sang concerts.

You can tour with amateur opera all you want, even in foreign countries, but it doesn't give you any advantages. It makes you a music geek who's willing to spend more of your time and income on your hobby than most.
#11 Maureen on 2007-06-14 22:15 (Reply)
That is correct, Maureen. Paul seems to be an advanced amateur, more or less.
#11.1 Bird Dog on 2007-06-15 11:56 (Reply)

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