Blog
Morrissey - Bootlegs
A few words on Morrissey bootlegs taking in: The Smiths, Wolverhampton Civic Hall, Dublin’s National Stadium, The Stone Roses at Spike Island, FM broadcasts, cassette bootlegs, New Order, The Jesus and Mary Chain, Lollapalooza 1992, vinyl bootlegs, DVDs, and “art vs. the artist”. Today is the 33rd anniversary of Morrissey’s second solo gig. His 27 April 1991 National Stadium show was his first solo outing since the December 1988 Wolverhampton Civic gig and the opening night of the European leg of his Kill Uncle tour.
Colin Blunstone and The Zombies
Colin Blunstone: “The Zombies were a school band really.” An archive interview with Colin Blunstone taking in: The Zombies; recording Odessey and Oracle in Abbey Road; 40th Anniversary celebrations of the album; recording his first solo singles in 1969 under the name Neil MacArthur; his first three solo albums (One Year, Ennismore and Journey); working on 1972’s ‘I Don't Believe in Miracles’ with arranger Christopher Gunning; good song-writing; taking care of his voice; the rights to The Zombies’ recordings and much more.
Julian Cope’s Postcards
Julian Cope’s Postcards taking in: Krautrocksampler, Cope’s Notes, Julian Cope and Donald Ross Skinner’s Rite, Faith magazine, 1993’s The Acoustic Tour, bootleg tapes, John Cooper Clarke, The Modern Antiquarian, Royal Kilmainham Hospital, Vinyl Dublin, stone circles, Gaulstown Dolmen and The Heavy Camel Corps of the Sudan campaign of 1885. There are only a handful of artists that I’ve stayed the course with; Julian Cope is one of them. I’ve been a fan for a long time - The Teardrop Explodes are one of my favourite bands.
Sonic Youth and Nirvana - Sir Henrys 1991
A few words on Sonic Youth and Nivana taking in: Sir Henrys in Cork; disposable cameras, Traci Lords; Brendan Behan; Issac Bells on Patrick’s Quay; old-school printing techniques and Kathleen Hanna and The Punk Singer. Last Friday, 05 April 2024 was the 30th anniversary of Kurt Cobain’s death. I was lucky enough to see Nirvana play with Sonic Youth in 1991 at Sir Henrys in Cork, a legendary gig that has been mythologised over the last 33 years. I even contributed to that mythology when I was interviewed about the gig on its 30th anniversary by my old Cork Campus Radio colleague Justin McCarthy for RTÉ Radio 1’s This Week programme.
Werner Herzog in Ireland
A few words on Werner Herzog, taking in: Skellig Michael and Skellig Bheag; Ballinskelligs, Co. Kerry; Reek Sunday; Croagh Patrick; Popol Vuh; Joy Division; Ian Curtis; Factory Records; dead wax inscriptions; Fitzcarraldo; Aguirre; the Wrath of God; Heart of Glass; The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser; cinema lobby cards and secondhand records. I watched my first Werner Herzog film in 1990. I was enrolled on a Bachelor of Commerce in UCC but I spent more time in the Boole Library watching films than I did attending lectures. I watched Aguirre, the Wrath of God (1972) over and over. It remains one of my favourite films. Herzog’s films led me to the music of Florian Fricke and his band Popol Vuh. Fricke was a friend and longtime collaborator of Herzog’s composing music for five of the director’s films.
Rollerskate Skinny – Interview
“We don’t need luck, we need hits” - Ken Griffin. Another archive interview. This one is with Rollerskate Skinny’s Ken Griffin and it was broadcast on Cork Campus Radio back in late 1996. Ken chats about the critical response to Horsedrawn Wishes and the band’s plans for a third album. In the interview Ken is quite frustrated by the business side of the industry and particularly the lack of promotion by Warner Bros. for the album.
The Box Tops – The Letter
‘The Letter’ by The Box Tops is one of my all-time favourite songs. It’s 1 minute and 53 seconds of greatness and still sounds absolutely amazing. I never tire of this track no matter how often I play it. My own copy of this 7'' is a 1974 French pressing of ‘The Letter’. But it’s not my only copy of the single.
Richmond Fontaine – Radio Session + Interviews
I recently remembered that Willy Vlautin and Dan Eccles from Richmond Fontaine had recorded a radio session for Songs To Learn And Sing, my radio show on 103.2 Dublin City FM, back in 2010. I found the session on an old hard-drive and then found two other old interviews with Willy on an old mini-disc.