Oscars: How drumming with spoons put a Market Drayton lad on the road to a Best Score nomination
A proud mother has been reflecting on how a pair of humble spoons provided a musical kick-start for her musically talented son on his journey towards Oscar and Bafta award nominations.
Helen Dent says she is "obviously incredibly proud" of her 28-year-old son Jerskin Fendrix after he was nominated for the BAFTA and now the Oscar for Best Original Score, for the Emma Stone film Poor Things.
Professor Dent said: "I have seen him win at the Venice Film Festival and then a Golden Globe, then the BAFTA nomination, and finally when the Oscar nomination came it was surreal."
Jerskin's family name at their home near Market Drayton is Joscelin Dent-Pooley, taking his mum and dad Roger Pooley's surnames in a hyphenated merger. Sadly his dad died two years ago but both he and Helen surrounded their three children with music from a young age.
"Jos was three when a jazz musician spotted his talent," said Helen. "He had a couple of spoons and was banging out a rhythm on the drums. The musician said he had a real talent and said we should get him some drums."
And since then Jos has been on an escalator to musical success which has taken him from Market Drayton via the leadership of the Shropshire Youth Orchestra in Shrewsbury to the bright lights of Hollywood.
But Helen says he still likes to come home to the silence of his bedroom where he can concentrate on his projects away from the hustle and bustle of London, where he now lives.
