Inspiration: sport or stage?

This weekend in the UK saw two major wins for two individuals above all others. Cyclist Chris Hoy, 3-times Gold medal winner in Beijing, took the Sports Personality of the Year 08 and Alexandra Burke, the 20-year ordinary girl with a beautiful voice, won X Factor.

Personally I am moved, inspired by any form of great achievement, in sport, business, entertainment, politics and personal life. The selection of an individual over all others by the general public is surely the greatest “I am OK” message that we all – to some extent --crave.

But what is truly inspirational? Does the combination of years of hard training, blisters where you don’t want them and the mental strength of a warrior beat the guts, the beauty and the talent of a singer? The answer is subjective, and opinions vary hugely. My wife wants to outlaw X-Factor but cried the whole way through SPOTY. My daughter would probably donate a limb to meet/snog/talk to some of the male X-Factor finalists but Olympic victory? Whatever.

And is it about inspiration? Is it not more about deep-seated national pride and the need to lead in the world vs the celebrity-obsessed cash machine that is Simon Cowell? Wait – Alexandra Burke is a no-one (a beautiful and talented no-one) who came from the wrong side of town to find herself duetting with Beyonce Knowles. That IS the stuff of dreams. Chris Hoy seems like an ordinary guy, a Scottish strong man with the determination of a Viking – but when the Union Jack rises over the podium and the national Anthem plays, can any British national not want to blub? I know I have to wipe a tear now and then at such times.

It’s impossible to judge the worthiness of dreams. Are my business goals less or more worthy than my friend Beate’s spiritual goals? Of course not.

Yet there is a difference that I believe we can quantify. I have been as moved by entertainers as I have by sportspeople. Even my wife agreed that seeing Brooke Shields and Luba Mason on Broadway in Chicago was a truly inspirational moment, that the power of the dancing, singing, the show, were uplifting in ways that no business or sporting event could be. The one trap that the X-Factor wannabes all fall into – every year, every contestant – is that their dreams are based on “it’s all I’ve ever wanted” and that one act wants it more than all others, which in itself is a flawed argument.

The equivalent would be for me to go the chairman of the company I am currently advising and saying “Hi John, I’ve always wanted to make a killing out of a start-up’s IPO, please give me 5% of the company. I want the money more than the other guy” and expecting him to say “OK Nick here you go”.

Whatever happened to changing the world? You have, I know, experienced musical life-changing moments. Everyone has. I will never forget being in the front row of a Bowie gig in the early 80s and thinking that his performance of Star was probably equivalent to the biggest drug high of all time. When I missed my tube connection this morning, my iPod pulled Bjork’s Wanderlust, the Mark Herbert remix that just drives power and meaning through my brain (I forgot to mention that these musical life-changing moments are intensely personal). Yet none of the X-Factor contestants have this quality. They don’t see that their version of song A or the tune B that they may pen in a few years time could affect a listener, somewhere, in a way that changes the world, in however large or small a way. I wonder if when Dolly Parton wrote “I Will Always Love You” she knew just how many broken hearts she would help to mend? (Probably she did – and had a dollar value attached – Dolly Parton is the apotheosis of emotion, inspiration and bottom line value of the music industry, end of story).

This lack of regard for the good that music can do in the world is the reason why I have to side with my wife on this debate. When Rebecca Adlington teetered onto the stage at last night’s SPOTY – the twice gold-winner in the pool at Beijing 2008 is clearly more elegant in goggles than high heels – the words “Please vote for me it’s all I’ve ever wanted” were not top of mind. Her message? “I came from a small town in the north. I am an ordinary girl. I train at 5am every day. I have a long term plan for London 2012. I never thought I would win. Thank you”. This is British humility, British class irony, British power and British eccentricity all rolled into one. The still gorgeous Sharon Davies was in the audience. Mediatized and glamorous yes, Olympic champion - no. The Brits love Beccy: she’s an ordinary girl with a northern accent and a big nose but man can she pedal in the pool.

This year’s X-Factor brought out some real talent. Many people myself included thought Laura White would win. Half way through the contest, the JUDGES voted her off – not the public, the judges. Why? Her “survival” performance was “Somewhere over the rainbow” dedicated to her grandfather. There you go again Laura, it’s all about YOU, not about US. I (and clearly Simon, Dannii. Cheryl and Louis too) don’t want to hear a song from the Wizard of Oz and as lovely as your grandfather presumably was, we don’t care about him. We want you to sing Landslide or something like that that makes our heart race faster, that makes the hair on our neck stand up. Or even if it just makes you smile and want to leap around, which happens when I hear Fluorescent Adolescent - great! I don't love it because the Arctic Monkeys want me to. I love it because it's just a brilliant something.

Whoever on the X-Factor 2009 understands this simple concept of us not them will get my vote. Until then, when I get up at 5am to start my business day, and I need inspiration to keep seeing where I am headed, I’ll call Rebecca, not Alexandra.