For those who ever see a person in darkish glasses strategy somebody enjoying a public piano and he asks, ‘Thoughts if I’ve a go? Um, the place’s center C?’, do not be fooled.
It might be boogie woogie virtuoso ‘Dr Ok’ – actual title Brendan Kavanagh – who has been entertaining passers-by at prepare stations, airports and outside venues round London for the previous few years.
One among his favorite (foot)-stomping grounds is St Pancras station, the place he might be discovered sitting at a piano donated by Elton John.
The daddy-of-three, 54, from Norfolk, is usually in disguise and has carried out whereas dressed as a Covid marshal, workman, plane pilot, physician and even in full hazmat go well with.
He instructed MailOnline: ‘Individuals miss stay “uncooked” music in a world that has turn into immersed in digital actuality and digital music.’
‘Dr Ok’ – actual title Brendan Kavanagh (seated) – is a boogie woogie virtuoso who has been entertaining passers-by for a number of years at prepare stations, airports and outside venues round London. He’s seen above at St Pancras station the place he dupes a bystander into believing he is a novice
Spreading sunshine in the course of the pandemic (Devonshire Sq, London)
Mamma Mia, right here he goes once more (enjoying Abba in St Pancras station)
Though his ardour is boogie woogie (a type of blues with a powerful, uptempo beat), he’s additionally adept at different types together with classical and rock ‘n’ roll.
‘My musical inspiration was watching Jools Holland enjoying on Channel 4’s anarchic stay pop programme The Tube. That was the place I first heard boogie woogie.
‘I later had classes with the late, nice boogie woogie participant [William] ‘Hammy’ Howell – he performed with Seventies’ doo-wop band Darts – who I used to be launched to after I performed in pop bands round London after I was a teen. Hammy died again in 1999 earlier than the web took off.
‘I used to be additionally impressed by Holocaust survivor and live performance pianist Professor Nelly Ben-Or who taught me classical piano for a couple of 12 months in my early twenties.
‘It was additionally cool that Nelly did not thoughts me enjoying boogie woogie on her Steinway. That was cool, I assumed, for a live performance pianist.’
Amongst his requirements are You Are My Sunshine, Swanee River, Fur Elise, Batman Boogie and music from Mary Poppins, together with classical and up to date improvisations.
Dr Ok, who’s initially from North London, has garnered greater than a billion views on social media, totally on YouTube and Fb.
Na na na na na na na na? Sure. Batman Boogie (King’s Cross Tube)
Wait a minuet… what’s that? (Canary Wharf Tube station)
Hardly workmanlike: A up to date improvisation (St Pancras)
In some movies, he pranks unwitting passers-by. If he sees somebody enjoying, he would possibly declare to be a newbie and ask them to slowly educate him the piece.
He’ll then hesitantly faucet the keys earlier than revealing his true expertise.
However one specific bystander didn’t take kindly to his energetic enjoying – a silver-haired, well-spoken lady who rebuked him for ‘bashing the piano’.
‘The one heckler I’ve ever had [while performing] stay was the “Do not bash the piano” woman, which became a traditional comedian second and birthed the Do not Bash The Piano meme.
‘I discover hecklers are extra on-line trolls quite than in actual life. I’ve by no means had a nasty expertise stay, other than somewhat run-in with safety at Canary Wharf [when he turned up at the station dressed in police uniform].
‘Boogie woogie tends to cheer folks up, not wind folks up. Reactions are at all times nice. The worst is that folks ignore you as a result of they’re busy or having a nasty day,’ he provides.
Brendan Kavanagh (pictured) first heard boogie woogie aged round 17 when he noticed Jools Holland carry out on Channel 4’s The Tube. For a number of years, ‘Dr Ok’ labored as an English and Latin instructor earlier than changing into disillusioned with the ‘rising forms and pointless testing’
Dr Ok has contemplated going to America, the place he has an enormous fan base, however the pandemic has made it troublesome.
‘I might think about going to the US however the present international scenario doesn’t lend itself to me going there,’ he says.
‘A lot of bands and musicians have needed to cancel gigs if somebody exams constructive for Covid, so I’m not planning to tour.’
He additionally lamented the decline in entry to public pianos.
‘Loads of the general public pianos in London have disappeared throughout lockdown, particularly those in Canary Wharf and Tottenham Courtroom Street Tube, and so they haven’t been put again.’
As for the Dr Ok moniker, he actually is a health care provider – of philosophy.
He obtained a PhD in English Literature at College Faculty Cork, the place his thesis was on ‘WB Yeats and Japanese Mysticism’.
For a number of years, he labored as an English and Latin instructor earlier than changing into disillusioned with the ‘rising forms and pointless testing’.
However academia’s loss is the world of music’s acquire.