'It's obviously an exaggeration, but it's born out of enthusiasm," says artist Scott King of his proposal to erect a 300ft-high gold statue of Dr Feelgood's singer Lee Brilleaux in Southend-on-Sea. The statue – or at least the proposal for it – is King's contribution to Thames Delta, an exhibition at the town's Focal Point Gallery from 16 April aiming "to reflect the growth, variety and development of popular music in the Southend-on-Sea, Canvey Island and Basildon area since the late 40s".
King says the idea is in equal part a tribute to the late frontman of the legendary Canvey Island R'n'B band, and part protest at what he calls "idiot-sized Anish Kapoor and Antony Gormley public art works that we're now suffering". "I don't necessarily believe that putting public money into huge scale public art works has cured anything, it's not cured the post-industrial problems of areas like Middlesborough. What happens is they build these things, there's an element of regeneration, but what seems to happen is that vintage shops and latte cafes spring up around primary industrial sites. They get rebuilt as places for middle-class people to go on a Sunday."
There is an online petition for the statue to be built, with supporters already including Neil Tennant of the Pet Shop Boys and artist Wolfgang Tillman, as well as Dr Feelgood's manager Chris Fenwick. But what do the people of Southend make of it? "I think they are very into the idea. People are a bit perplexed by the size of it, for obvious reasons, I guess there's some kind of confusion about whether I'm joking or not about it. I'm not joking at all. If there was some kind of memorial to Brilleaux at the end of this, I'd very grateful, even if it's 10ft tall. Obviously, if it's 300ft tall, that would be brilliant."
