Elaine's outburst is a little insensitive but cuts to the heart of the matter, which is reality television makes stars out of people whose level of fame is disproportionate to their talent.
Susan Boyle has been a huge fan of Elaine Paige most of her life and these comments must come as a blow to the allegedly already fragile mental state of Miss Boyle.
But what Elaine said at the 'South Bank Awards' is only what all true artists are thinking.
Those who have had to work for their art most of their adult lives and taken the time to understand the dynamics of the stage and performance are bound to feel a little miffed if someone leapfrogs over their heads just because their voice is pretty good.
It's like a house built on sand.
One comment that Elaine made really stands out and that is " She is a girl with no experience of theatrics, the music business, or art in any way" and she has no "Pride" for what she has achieved.
Many of Susan's fans will be frothing at the mouth at this comment but it is true and it is the same for nearly every star made by one of these Simon Cowell reality talent/singing shows which are little more than tripe glorified karaoke competitions or freak shows.
The quick fix fame brought to Susan Boyle must have been a very traumatic experience and Elaine herself says that she admires the way that Susan Boyle dealt with that thrust into the limelight.
Elaine Paige had 15 years of experience before fame hit her with Evita, so Susan's handling of fame has been commendable in the eyes of Elaine. As well as anyone else whose heart has not been turned to stone by the infestation of reality television numbing us into brain dead thickos like in the film 'Idiocracy' that satirises the implications of the dumbing down of society.
Susan Boyle must be viewed for that which she is.
She has a good voice and has been the epitome of the the underdog having her day and it is a moving story. But is she one of the great artists of her time?
No she is not.
I enjoyed her album and it has sold unbelievably well, but it is not original and moving the arts forward in any shape or form. And this is the case for all reality television stars who are void of the artistic background that makes them yearn to create and not emulate or translate other people's hard work.
Simon Cable from The Mail covered this really well so it's worth reading his original story from which this article is sourced.
If Ms Paige's comments are as reported, she is conveniently ignoring Ms Boyle's 20 plus years of singing in smoky bars, karaoke, contests, choirs, any place she could be heard. Yes YouTube made Susan famous, but why didn't it make anyone else famous? It had been big for 4 years before Susan came along. Only she has had this dramatic impact.
As for the tired refrain about Susan Boyle's alleged fragile mental state – watch the video of her the day after her house was broken into. "No one is going to push me out of my home." Susan Boyle is strong and determined. She is stubborn – but not fragile. That probably has a lot to do with her never giving up on her dream. And that has a lot to do with her current fame.
Great talent in and of itself is not enough to make someone beloved by so many. Whatever Susan has, however you choose to describe it – it is clearly 'enough'.
A PERSONAL STATEMENT FROM ELAINE PAIGE:
“I was dismayed to read the remarks attributed to me today in the Daily Mail which were incomplete and misinterpreted.
I am a huge supporter of Susan Boyle and admire what she has achieved; she has handled the extraordinary situation of being catapulted to worldwide stardom with tremendous strength, charm and dignity and I thoroughly enjoyed working with her on the ITV special we recorded together only last month.
I have always said it’s very hard for someone to be fast-tracked to stardom without any prior experience â€" I know this as it happened to me when ‘Evita’ opened and I found it extremely difficult in the beginning; today, of course, it’s much harder with the phenomenon of the internet â€" Facebook, YouTube etc â€" it seems it only takes minutes for fame to spread around the world â€" and that’s why I used the word ‘virus’! I wasn’t referring to Susan herself; I was referring to the speed of her fame spreading as fast as a worldwide viral marketing campaign.â€
When you were born with a learning disability and were often verbally bullied by your peers, and without any friends, that must hurt very much. Then you turn yourself into singing , you tried in many competition and have never been recognised. Remember the 7 year old yang Peiyi was not allowed to sing at the opening ceremony of the Summer olympicsin Beijing because Chinese officals judged her to be not good looking enough . Instead a cute 9 year old Lin Miaoke lip-synched Peiyi's pre recorded vocal performance and was quickly being held as an instant star-at least until the truth emerged. Susan Boyle choosed the song" I dreamed a dream " and seemed telling us her story . She may not have the beautiful look but she did have a beautiful voice . It touched million people's heart. I never knew Elain Page until now. Without Susan Boyle, how many people in the world will know Elain Page? Susan's story is to tell the common people never to give up their dream. Give her a chance!
It was about April 2009 that Liz Hunt wrote in the Telegraph an article titled: „Elaine Paige, let Susan Boyle dream her dream alone!“ What a lucid woman.
Miss Paige, a musical-singer who does not compose nor text comes to the defense of the arts. That is really a good one. It gets even better: The 61 old singer boasting with her 40 years of experience in the music-business gives an interview to the press, ignoring the first rule of artists in dealing with the media: Never talk negatively about another artist to the press! It will get you into trouble!
She is so worried!
Does she take any umbrage in the Lady Gagas or the Britney Spearses of the world? No, she does not mind those experienced artists. She is worried for that „Girl“, Susan Boyle, isn't that sweet!
That girl, who is 48 years old and singing „her“ songs, and singing them so well, that she sold worldwide eight million copies of her cd in just three months.
†She is a girl with no experience of theatrics, the music business, or art in any wayâ€. Anybody any doubts who the real expert is, when it comes to drama, business or ,ahem, art? Well at least that „girl“ has a great talent, only small ego-problems and keeps her mouth shut when it comes to badmouthing other artists.
„The quick fix fame brought to Susan Boyle must have been a very traumatic experience and Elaine herself says that she admires the way that Susan Boyle dealt with that thrust into the limelight.“ There are experts, professionally dealing with that, and some of the 5 million Susan Boyle made in 3 months will be enough to occupy one â€" expert, no hypocrite.
Want more: Miss Paige advised Susan Boyle in a Larry King interview not to change her image, because she was a „country girl“, spoken by a woman who probably had plastic surgery to the limits.
Nobody knows, when fame fades, Miss Paige, but to me it seems you gave yours just quite a good kick. A friendly phone-call to Susan Boyle, telling her about your worries and offering her a helping hand would perhaps have been quite nice. Using the tabloids to transport your rant deletes all your personal credibility.
To the author of this article in a presumably financial newspaper who aks himself so thoughtfully:
„Is she one of the great artists of her time?“ and offers the answer so quickly himself „No she is not.“
Maybe, I really hope, you ask yourself that question concerning the singers I mentioned in the beginning , too.
Besides, choosing that picture for your article does not show any class. So from looking at this „photography“ there was no doubt, what would be offered here â€" bad style. Seems some media are giving their unsolicited part in the dumbing down of society.
Those who listened to Susan Boyle interpreting „Wild Horses“ and enjoyed the sound of an intense voice of remarkable beauty will not easily be brainwashed when it comes to Susan Boyle singing.
@The Dancer.
You raise some interesting points.
I agree with you when it comes to Elaine Paige and other artists who copy the work of others then lecture on the arts….it is entirely hypocritical. I am 100% of the belief that an artist creates not mimics.
As for the trashy image I made up on photo shop to accompany this article I have this to say. The Image is supposed to be without class and this is for good reason….
This section of The Economic Voice called 'Tripe' is dedicated to the less interesting and trashy aspects of our society that seems to take up most of the media's attention and I enjoy emulating those aspects yet pointing out the faults within as part of my war on the culture less oaths who grace our screens and tabloids.
What gives an author such a right? you may ask.
We all have opinions and I am of the opinion that the dumbing down of society needs to pointed out but unfortunately you must go down to the level of the gutter press to be effective through satirical and cynical portrayal and heavily biased reporting.
However I still stand by the thrust of this article. Susan Boyle is not a great artist and as I said "Yes" I enjoyed the album on a certain level but it is not art.
These days unfortunately success is no measure of an artist's ability just the marketing and media machines running together in unison coupled with the sort of exposure that can only come from many people viewing a television program then posting on you tube.
Why is it that Susan Boyle only became famous after appearing on television in front of millions of viewers and not in any of the many small talent competitions she attended before hand?
I know of many what I will call true artists who are composing great works of ORIGINALITY and yet are eclipsed by people such as Susan Boyle.
Anyway great to see some thoughtful and intelligent comments here and not the usual dirge of insults towards the individuals written about.
Many thanks
Richard Henley Davis