Music Legend Bryan Ferry Inspires Students
Bryan Ferry (CBE) has been a force in British music since the early 1970s. As frontman of the wildly original Roxy Music, alongside his fellow bandmate Brian Eno, only Bowie and punk had more of an influential impact on the generation of 80s musicians that followed.
After Roxy Music disbanded, Bryan launched a hugely successful solo career, making many standards his own and building on a unique blend of distinctive vocal restraint and slick imagery that has been imitated countless times since. He has won multiple awards and his most recent solo outing saw him record with Nile Rodgers, Marcus Miller and Johnny Marr.
It was always going to be a special occasion when Bryan agreed to come to BIMM Brighton for a Masterclass. Music Journalism Course Leader Jacqui Swift hosted the Q&A session in which Bryan travelled all the way back to his childhood in Washington, County Durham, where he fell in love with music and art from a young age.
From the formation of Roxy in 1970 to his CBE in 2011, Bryan delved into the past to share his journey with BIMM, touching on his use of design and imagery that has always been an integral part of his artistic output. Bryan likened his own time at university to an experience like BIMM, saying, ‘There must be a lot of creative forces within, and it’s great fun to be inside all of that.’
Bruce Mendes, BA2 Guitar, called the masterclass,
“An insightful journey into the mind of one of the most influential artists in pop culture.’ Joe Dexter, Music Production BA1, called it, “Truly inspiring! What an honour it was to shake hands with rock n roll royalty.”
Host Jacqui Swift also gave us an excited appraisal of Bryan’s appearance:
“It was an honour to have such a legend like Bryan Ferry come to BIMM and share his stories and artwork with the students. He gave carefully considered answers and a revealing insight into his life pre- and post- Roxy Music up to the current day. He also said he thoroughly enjoyed it and thought BIMM students were a special bunch. Special – and very lucky I’d say!”
