His opinions have earned him a sniffy reaction from the opera establishment, but Alfie Boe is happy to please fans … and himself.
Boe, the youngest of nine children, grew up in Fleetwood, a seaside town near Blackpool. Interested in football and rock music (he still lists Led Zeppelin as one of his favourite bands) at the age of 17, Boe was working in a local car factory spending his days singing along to the radio as he worked. One day a customer heard him and suggested that he try out for the D’Oyly Carte opera company, which happened to be holding auditions the next week. Boe decided to give it a go and he was successful….but as he says, it took time and work.
He was interviewed recently by Claire Black in The Scotsman. See: