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Susan Boyle is raw, gritty and real

By
Niall O'Dowd

Published Sunday, November 8, 2009, 8:04 AM
Updated Sunday, November 8, 2009, 1:06 PM


True Grit: Susan Boyle is the real thing
True Grit: Susan Boyle is the real thing

Susan Boyle's interview in the Daily Mail is just the latest example of how subversive a force she has become in the modern media world.
 
The interview is above all honest - a remarkable quality in a major star. There is no talk of glitz, glamor, botox or beautiful people.

She shares her broken heart when her mother died, her loneliness as a school kid bullied by others, her dream of making it big when all around laughed.

The searing honesty of her account of fleeing to the Priory and suffering a mental collapse after the incredible spotlight of "Britain's Got Talent" is also a highly personal account by a bona fide superstar.

What is most interesting is that there is no manufactured self, no public face just for the adoring fans. There is a raw Scottish honesty and grit that is very compelling. She addresses the issue of childhood loneliness, of playing alone with her dolls and making a safe place in her bedroom for her to fantasize about being a singer despite the "Susie Simple" taunts

Usually celebrity interviews are as bland as custard. Not this one. Susan is taking us to the dark places too, the loneliness of her mother's death and the silent house she returns to, the sad childhood and the secret sneers of school mates.

Her honesty is her best trait. Even her playful aside about her cheeky soft spot for Piers Morgan, one of the judges on "Britain's Got Talent" rings very true. She dreamed a dream in more ways than one.

Think about yourself if you went from utter obscurity to the day after "Britain's Got Talent," when you wake up to media hordes outside your door, thousand screaming your name, kids demanding autographs, millions watching you on You Tube.

How would you handle it? Fame is a double-edged sword but Susan Boyle appears to have a handle on it that few famous people have.

Is was the same with Irish writer Frank McCourt when he became famous almost overnight for "Angela's Ashes."

Up to then he was a school teacher, part-time actor with big dreams and almost 60 years of age.

Because it happened late enough in life he kept a true compass,understood what was important and stayed that course.

Susan Boyle understands the same things. The friends and family who got her to this point are still with her.

She will spend Christmas among them she is not abandoning her home in Blackburn.

She understands that fame is fleeting but family and friends are not.

Fame could not have happened to a better person.
 

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Susan Boyle is raw, gritty and real | Irish News | IrishCentral


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Posted by winship1716 on Nov 17, 2009, 10:16 PM EST
i think susan boyle is a very rare person there will never be another one like she is truely a great lady ,i hope she always has her dreams come true. she deserves everything good in life!!!!we all love her
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Posted by jbright9 on Nov 15, 2009, 09:26 AM EST
Loved reading Susan's interview and your take on it. She is lovely, honest and refreshing. I am also enjoying watching the videos on her official fan site in which she is answering her fan's questions. Her answers are honest, direct and show her wonderful sense of humor.
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Posted by polison on Nov 14, 2009, 10:27 AM EST
Niall, you play a crucial part is Susan success.
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Posted by polison on Nov 14, 2009, 10:25 AM EST
Thank you Naill, I was very moved by your good article on Susan. You are a part and parcel of Susan's success...
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Posted by shalom59 on Nov 13, 2009, 11:49 PM EST
Methinks Buster Brown is softening up!! Come on BB...lET YOURSELF GO. You'll soon find that you love Susan as much as the rest of us do! XOXO
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Posted by cathymarch on Nov 12, 2009, 09:34 PM EST
Susan has made this planet a far, far better place. Her honesty and dignity are inspirational. I agree with alloops: please let Niall O'Dowd pen her biography!






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