How to become a pop star: you must have humility
Brian Sommerville explains to the next pop sensation that they must have the right attitude
ONE of the biggest pitfalls of budding newcomers to the pop scene is that they are sometimes too full of themselves and too full of big ideas.
Never think because you “went down big” at the local dance hall at Chipping Sodbury that you’re going to conquer the West End and the disc biz overnight. A touch of humility is not only important, it’s VITAL.
If you have a basic talent, just keep plugging away be cause sooner or later a good manager, agent or recording executive will spot it. But to have too big an idea of yourself and to go bustling and blathering around can often lead to obscuring your real talent.
I know an up and coming artist like this right now who. through his push and blather is in danger of making a fool of himself. And he doesn’t have to do this because he does have real talent.
The trouble is he’s been so used to having to force himself upon people who couldn’t see his talent, he’s gone too far the other way.
Of course, you must project yourself when you audition. Don’t become too much of a yes-man or become too obsequious. that, too, is suspect and rather nauseating.
So many kids today think it’s a sign of weakness to show gratitude or even be polite, to say “please” and “thank you.” The finest artist in a show is often the one who goes to the compere when he’s sitting in his dressing-room waiting for his taxi home, and says: “I want to thank you very much for giving me such a wonderful introduction.”
Recently Godfrey Winn had Cliff Richard in a radio programme. Godfrey is under no illusion that by having Cliff in his programme he put up the listening figures fantastically and therefore could well be grateful to Cliff.
But what happened was that Cliff wrote a personal letter to Godfrey thanking HIM for having him on the programme. As Godfrey wrote to me: “That’s a sign of a great artist.”
Honest humility is very important. I remember when the Beatles were doing a show at the Finsbury Park Empire the Christmas before last, there was an electrical fault and the mikes and amplifiers went dead.
They were the greatest act in show business, yet they blushed and, in turn, each apologised to the audience.
I have known other artists in similar circumstances just walk to the back of the stage in a huff, get irritated with the technicians or just walk off the stage without a word
Recently I saw Susan Maughan get heckled by a drunk during a live show. She sang the song “A Man Called Bill” and this drunk in the audience happened to be called Bill and he became a nuisance
He started shouting and caused chaos in the audience but Susan stopped, laughed with them, joined in with the general merriment, then had another go. No prima donna tactics with Susan.
NEXT WEEK: I’ll tell you about fan clubs and why I think that up and coming stars should start a fan club