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Steve McQueen

Kirsty Young's castaway is the artist and film-maker Steve McQueen.

Kirsty Young's castaway is the artist and director Steve McQueen.

These days his talents are well recognized - his art has won The Turner Prize and his most recent movie, "12 Years A Slave" scooped an Academy Award, a Bafta and a Golden Globe. He wasn't always as lauded: at school in West London he was "shoved to one side" in the belief that the best he could hope for was to earn a living as a manual labourer. Instead he portrays the extremes of what human beings put themselves and others through. Expression is where his heart lies - he describes it as "dancing with ghosts".

Along with reaching the top of two professions he has also managed to please the diverging demands of his parents - his father wanted him to get a trade, his mother urged him to do what he wanted.

He says, "I want to make films that are essential. We're all going to die and we haven't got a lot of time on this planet. Life goes very quickly, so we might as well make films people will go to see because they need it or want it."

Producer: Cathy Drysdale.

Available now

45 minutes

Last on

Fri 26 Sep 2014 09:00

Music Played

  • Michael Jackson

    Rock With You

    • Off the Wall.
    • Epic.
  • Prince

    Raspberry Beret

    • The Very Best of Prince.
    • Warner.
  • The Specials

    Too Much Too Young

    • 25 years of Rock 聭n聮 Roll - 1980.
    • Connoisseur.
  • Castaway's Favourite

    • Miles Davis

      Blue In Green

      • Kind of Blue.
      • Columbia.
  • Tricky

    Hell is Round the Corner

    • Tricky vs Gravedigger: The Hell EP.
    • Island.
  • Johann Sebastian Bach

    Aria (from Goldberg Variations)

    Performer: Glenn Gould.
    • Great Performances: Glenn Gould.
    • Sony Classical.
  • Kate Bush

    This Woman's work

    • The Sensual World.
    • EMI.
  • Ye

    Power

    • My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy.
    • Mercury.
  • Book Choice

    • The Fire Next Time - James Baldwin

  • Luxury Choice

    • Compass

Credits

Role Contributor
Presenter Kirsty Young
Interviewed Guest Steve McQueen
Producer Cathy Drysdale

Broadcasts

  • Sun 21 Sep 2014 11:15
  • Fri 26 Sep 2014 09:00

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