From iconic shots to private snaps these are Alexander McQueen’s defining moments. A Life in Ten Pictures s2e4: Alexander McQueen, BBC 2024
Lee Alexander McQueen was born in London in 1969, the son of Joyce, a housewife, and Ron, a tax driver; he was the youngest of six children raised on a housing estate in London’s east end. ibid.
Aged 16, Lee left school with one O-Level and started an apprenticeship at a traditional tailors in London’s Savile Row. ibid.
Isabella [Blow] purchased Lee’s entire graduate connection using her industry connections to launch him as Britain’s next fashion star. ibid.
‘She’s shrewd. She’s a business-woman. She’s a survivor.’ A Life in Ten Pictures s2e5: Ella Fitzgerald, BBC 2024
Ella Jane Fitzgerald was born in 1917 and grew up in Yonkers, New York. Her mother died when she was 15 years old. At age 17 Ella made her stage debut. ibid.
She focused on live music performances across America. ibid.
‘My dad wore a mask. He had to wear the mask and control his emotions.’ A Life in Ten Pictures s2e6: Nelson Mandela
Nelson Mandela was born 18th July 1918 in South Africa’s Transkei land, 900 miles south of Johannesburg. ibid.
They are an anomaly. The Sparks Brothers, admirer, Amazon 2021
They don’t really look a band. They do look like people who’ve been let out for the day. ibid.
They’re otherworldly. ibid.
The best to come out of America. ibid.
There are 25 Sparks albums. ibid. Russell
How can Ron and Russell Mael be successful, underrated, hugely influential and overlooked all at the same time? ibid. commentary
We made our first appearance on American Bandstand … ‘Can I get approval for these poor guys in aisle six.’ ibid. band present food stamps
Old Grey Whistle Test: The presenter Bob Harris didn’t like Sparks. ibid. admirer
They literally were thrown out of England. ibid.
Being a British band was a lifetime dream of ours. ibid. Ron
You won’t believe what’s on the television. Mark Bolan is playing a song with Adolf Hitler. ibid. John Lennon call to Ring Starr, anecdotal
Sparks: Kimono My House. ibid. 1974 album
People went their separate ways … Art for Art’s Sake. ibid band splits
Our film project with [Jacques Tati] is like that cake … just fallen to bits. ibid. Russell
Lyrically, they just go mental. ibid. admirer
A punk sensibility to it. ibid. Ross
‘Where is that Yankee ingenuity? …’ ibid. Big Surprise tonight lyrics
Sparks 1979: Beat the Clock. ibid. caption
The apogee of electronic pop music. ibid. admirer from Heaven 17
May 1982: Anst in My Pants. ibid.
The things we wish to convey is a sense of joy. ibid. Ron
Sparks are a lot of things Americans don’t care for. ibid. commentator
They recorded every day. ibid.
They had saved for that rainy day … They were working so hard … They never tried to dumb it down. ibid.
Bloody hell, they look amazing. Have they not aged? ibid.
The best Olympian we have ever had in the UK. Daley: Olympic Superstar, Seb Coe, BBC 2024
Jurgen was built like a god, you know. ibid. Daley
We lived in a council house. We shared bedrooms. ibid.
There was a problem back in London and my dad had been killed. ibid.
I just wanted to be the best at something. And I started doing athletics. ibid.
My mum never came to watch me compete. ibid.
Montreal 1976: When you’re 17 doing your A-levels and then four weeks later to be doing the Olympic Games. ibid.
Moscow 1980: The greatest athlete in the world, the Olympic champion. ibid. UK commentary
Life did change. There was a lot of media interest. ibid. Daley
Los Angeles 1984: My three biggest rivals are all from Germany. ibid.
Seoul 1988: He still believed he could win even with injury. ibid. coach
He was only 22 points short of a bronze medal. ibid.