By Heller and Meyers (Part 1).
The epoque of Art, Paintings, Entertainment, Music, PR, Communication and helping others.
Communication wizard Lord Sydney Ling was raised in several countries and originally from a mixed European family and one of a kind. A natural in all senses who speaks in a combination of at least 12 languages, a light being with different talents and a boy who knew exactly as where he was going in life at a very early age. It was on the magic island of Ibiza in the nineteen sixties where he first started using all his amazing talents. First as a young communicator between artists, celebrities and other legendary individuals in 1968.
A year later in 1969 at the young age of nine years old he organized his own private monthly meetings between artists, bohemians and other elite members of society. The young Sydney was giving advise to the rich and famous and those who needed him. He was fully accepted by the bohemian artists and other legendary personalities,he was not only a young expert in public relations and communication but, also in re-pairing mis-communications and in finding solutions.
As a young artist Sydney made hundreds of drawings and paintings during his youth apart from representing other artists and painters on Ibiza by selling their work and helping them to survive .Today his works are to be found in several international private collections. Sydney's first Ibiza manager and owner of the Ibiza bullring Curro De Utrilla asked him to start doing shows as a mock-bullfighter and as a flamenco performer in the Plaza de Toros. Singing pure 'cante jondo' like a gipsy as never heard before, Sydney had four different gipsy voices while singing
in seven languages and Sydney's way of playing gipsy guitar rumbas also became a personal style on its own. A few weeks later Sydney also directed the weekly shows for tourists in the Plaza de Toros at the age of nine and also produced and directed his own late night downtown Ibiza shows at La Marina for privileged clients at that same age. Motivated by himself, his incredible energy and by writer friends Steve Seley, Leen Valkenier, Alain Teister and TV pioneer Erik De Vries the young Sydney started writing songs for artists. He also wrote pure flamenco songs for leading flamenco singers and would later also promote the post movement of the rumba catalana as well as the music from his friends Peret, Ramonet, Los Reyes, the gipsy kings and other groups. Orson Welles who admired him told him to finish school first before starting in the movie business but, the young Sydney told him, that life is much too short for all that. Orson agreed and said; You are right, just follow your feelings.
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Sydney directed his first small documentary at the age of eight and only a bit later he was also able to find money for other producers who needed it and he started introducing the right people to the right people,always trying to help out.
Sydney's old friend Lord Lew Grade told him later to do as he did and present his projects as Lord Sydney Ling presents. Sydney wanted to stay modest as he was already being called and named the young master adviser by his elite and intellectual friends and artists but, his other old friend producer Alexander Salkind also told him to present everything from now on as Lord Sydney Ling presents and Elliott Kastner couldnt agree more. Sydney was indeed the youngest promotor and also one of the most skilled and best connected advisers and supervisors behind the scenes of the international entertainment industry and invented and re-invented quite a few efficient production and distribution concepts for the industry. Sydney founded his first Home of the Stars concept on Ibiza where he lived in i.e. a real old finca in the campo where one could see not only the real stars in the sky but, also around Sydney's round table,this boy had more quality contacts than anyone.This same place also became his first base to receive inflying Hollywood and the rest of the world, Sydney was always surrounded by the American and European film, music and art circles but,most of all with the leading families of the world, he knew how to keep the two apart or mix when appropriate. At age nineteen he gave up most of his self-producing skills and, said "Been there, done that" He would still package deals or sell films for leading producer friends and distributors as he had all the relationships in the world. The young Sydney now continued using his amazing talents in finance and industry and in creating instant solutions for leading individuals, families and companies.
In the meanwhile Lord Sydney expanded his private consultancy boutique and communication base for the third time in 39 years - where he guided and supervised the rich and famous and, some of the greatest minds in the world with once again, their personal problems and wishes. He became once again the wizard of solutions, now adding a few new flavors like producing instant last minute rescue operations and other unique services which are not to be found anywhere else. His unique way of guiding and supervising member clients in finance, industry and other businesses is a real pleasure for everyone working with him' as Wardour street tycoon Frank Green once said' Sydney makes your life 70% easier in all senses, also if I had known him before, I would probably still have my fortune. Don Cesar d'Arques said 'he has put me in touch with those I could only dream about', Elizabeth Taylor said' this is the man a world as ours need. De Rothschild calls him the King.
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Lord Sydney never forgot about his old friends and partners in the international art and entertainment business in Hollywood and Europe. He kept on doing them favors and helping people backstage, giving them jobs and relationsships and using his amazing contacts to make it happen. Helping distributors, agents, managers, promotors, helping moving projects from Michael Jackson to selling projects for the Salkind family, from re-promoting the old pioneers of Rock N Roll to re-promoting many others and bringing people together again an not just the leading players but, also helping out the new generation, Sydney helped many and, all that in between managing his other activities,services and adventures. Lord Sydney is also an art collector apart from his own world memorabilia collection and his own art.The young Sydney from Ibiza has been helping,promoting and guiding many people from all over the world with their wishes, their business and with their problems one way or another and many people owe him another 'thank you' for starting their careers or giving them a few chances. One phone call from Lord Sydney could move mountains or change your life instantly if he wanted to. A young boy who already knew at a very early age what he wanted to do, guiding those who are unable to get what they want or what they need. The youngest promotor and supervisor in the world became the favorite fixer expert in excellence. A bohemian and a 'bon vivant' with not only a great knowledge and cultural background but, a great brain in general and with an eye for quality and selective when it comes to people. Known for his discipline and for being precise. His way of living has been a personal choice, half in the spotlight and half in the background where his background communication plays an important role. The main reason for doing what he has been doing was always to help others and making them live and feel the joy of the moment and the progress of their art or business and life in general. Because of his different talents and skills it was only natural that he diversified into several directions with the most important one,that of helping other people.
As a child he expressed what he wanted to do and now it is all about helping others and guiding and supervising them, apart from painting and music. As writer/journalist Peter Kinsley said; The real pleasure starts when you ever have the chance to meet him personally and experience him during a drink or a lunch (and this will stay with you forever) you will hear, see and feel that there are indeed real natural and amazing beings in the world and in this case as real as can be. I must say, he is the only one I have ever met with whom I could really have a good conversation. Lord Sydney seems allergic to stupid,limited and greedy people, he is someone who cares more about others than himself. He does everything naturally because he is a natural. If he ever has a dollar left in his pocket he will buy you a coffee. An amazing young boy who knew what he wanted and that is helping others getting somewhere.
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A few questions and answers with Lord Sydney.
By Peter Kinsley.
Q.. Sydney, I have known you since the age of eight years old on Ibiza, your first speciality was communication with and between people, what was your first love communication, art, music, film or helping people with their daily problems?
A.. Sydney; Well...helping people was my first call and of course that comes with communication, the rest just followed...-Q.. As a child you were very knowledgeable and knew what you wanted to do and you wanted to promote others,make music and films and paint but, you also organized events and brought people together in your monthly meetings where I and many of our other friends attended and were able to discuss many interesting items between us, this was quite unusual for a young boy of your age to organize this.
A. Yes, I am aware that it was quite unusual but, as you know Peter, communication and solving problems and creating solutions was my thing, just as natural as I did my gipsy and flamenco music,it was all part of me.I was also partly brought up in Spain and it was the music we did with the gitanos and with part of the family, painting as well as making my own artisanal handmade movies as a child all started on Ibiza, a great place to get inspired as you know and also because I lived between the old Hollywood people and european artists of the 1960's, later when they started expressing their problems, obstacles and needs to a little boy like me, I started filling those needs with my communication skills, the rest is history as you know.
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Q..I know you were the youngest private fixer, consultant and relations wizard and the youngest in quite a few other things as well, I also remember that you were able to combine many things and worlds at the same time as a boy and that you knew everyone who was anyone, the question is, how did you combine all your talents in for instance art, advising people, music, shows, pr and your other activities at that time, timewise?
A..All I can say is that I always knew how to combine all I did, I did what I wanted to do during my youth and what I felt like doing, same thing with helping others finding what they wanted or needed. There was no real time or timing, it all came naturally, I just did it and in time, way before any deadline thats all .I stopped making my own productions when I was 19 years old, also because my first clients and members needed me on another level to fix and organize things, also I had no real need or wish to continue making my own projects, specially after a few film negatives were stolen from a van in Barcelona including original music tapes, etc.I hate repeating the same thing. I have lived the period of doing everything artistically myself. I did continue helping other artists and filmmakers with making their own films in the following years as well as promoting other producers, distributors, sales companies and entities with setting up their projects in the world, after all I was a promoter with good relationships or became a promoter because they needed someone to help them and they always wanted me to do this. Selling their movies to the world, packaging their projects, casting them in productions and co-productions but, as for me it stopped after my childhood, whatever people invented and wrote after this is mainly based upon my activities during my childhood.
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Q..You can not say that you were not a special child, I mean you knew everyone and you were able to move anything with your talents, contacts and communication. For instance , I remember I walked into the San Telmo Restaurant a few times and saw you as a boy having lunch and advicing some of the leading people from the USA and europe of that epoque and I also remember other regular Restaurant clients were quite jealous sometimes that they could not be part of your lunch table. I have seen you in action in the bullring of Ibiza with bulls and with your amazing gipsy flamenco shows and how you were representing leading people at that time and they all came to see you from all over the planet to talk to you and asking for help. I mean which child could do this?
A.. I am aware of that Peter and I was also aware of what I was doing at the time as a boy but, when I was nine years old I was already 45 years old or maybe much older, in a way of speaking but, my main thing was helping other people with their wishes and trying to assist them with their lifes, ventures and projects, their art or their business or personal problems. You know just as well as I do that Ibiza at the time was a diffferent place and some of the world's leading people where either living there or spent time there and I just became their confidential and personal fixer, this is how I build up my first consultancy base. Ibiza was my best school in life. Maybe, because of my different talents as a child I soon became something of a 'superlative' without wanting or knowing, I just expressed a lot of energy and followed my feelings and was able to help out in some cases.
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Q..What I also and always appreciated in you is you saving the lifes of the Ibiza street dogs from the dog catchers during the old days, not to speak of quite a few people on the island. Do you still think about those moments today?
A..Yes, of course I do..The Ibiza street dogs were my great friends, I spent many years with them and they followed me for many years and apart from saving them more than once from the dogcatchers we lived many great adventures. When it comes to saving people, yes.. I saved a few and in all senses as you may remember.
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Q..As you told me a few months ago it is sometimes hard for some people to understand or imagine what you are able to do or what you have lived and have experienced in your life so far, specially for non artists and for those who do not have your vision and experience, I mean I have followed quite a few of your amazing activities in the old days but, children and people like you dont come by every day and are hard to find in this world, do you feel lonely sometimes being different?
A..I know what you are saying, the answer is yes and no. I do not feel lonely or alone but, with all my experiences and the worlds I have lived in I can feel lonely sometimes because I live on another frequency compared to most others but, I do not mind this, this is me. Sometimes it happens that people can not imagine or understand or wonder how a boy like me (at that time,in the old days) could have known so many extraordinary people and did what I did. Hey! we are all different in this world and so am I.
I just had a whole different life compared to most other children or adults and a whole different way of living and experiencing things, I started very young and did it my way, whatever way that was or is. I also believe the magic sixties and seventies added to this apart from the fact that I was brought up in several countries with different cultures and on a magic island like Ibiza. As for me (and you know me) I am a natural in all I do and in all I have been doing, you may say that the story of Lord Sydney has no beguining and no end it has been a continuing story and it has always been there. My activities as a private adviser today has not so much to do with the personality of Lord Sydney Ling from the childhood years or older days but, more with guiding and serving members and clients on other levels. Lord Sydney Ling is or better say was a young conscious boy with a strong personality who understood life very quickly and who was not only a young boy with ideas and a young artist but, a problem solver for others during the good old days.
A..Lol! funny..that reminds me of Charles Evans when we were at the Dorchester hotel in London I told him about my activities and he said, why dont you do just one thing you are good at. Well, there may be some truth in there but, if one is good at doing something or several things one should keep that going. Anyway, I did drop a few side activities but, the others I kept and are still there and are splitt between different worlds and on different levels, the thing they have in common is that they all still guide, promote, help and serve people as you mentioned before, which has always been my priorty and main goal. It was never so much about me but, more about you and the others and yes, I stopped most services in 1998. Everyone needs a bit of help or a little push or some motivation sometimes and if I can add a bit of that, than why not. All the rest should just be joy, life is to be enjoyed while you are alive..!
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A. You are so right again!
ABOUT PETER KINSLEY click below
http://www.journallive.co.uk/culture-newcastle/theatre-in-newcastle/2004/09/17/wordsmith-s-legacy-61634-14651964/
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Lord Sydney Ling has stopped his services in 1998.
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The Lord Sydney Ling museum and memorabilia exhibition.
