Blog
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.
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.