Now & Then, There’s A Fool Such As I

I often like to watch TV3 News for the laugh. While watching it tonight, I nearly fell off my chair. At first I thought it might be an April Fools joke, but it’s still only March 31st. Apparently, this dude is the spokesperson for taxi drivers in Cork. It turns out that they’re refusing to allow non-nationals join their union. You can check out a clip here [UPDATE: Unfortunately, TV3 has removed the clip]. Mr Coughlan agreed that this was the case and it was because their constitution only allows drivers from Cork to join! This guy’s views on integration are obviously as outdated as his hairstyle. This one’s for you, dude

A Fool Such As I – Elvis Presley

The Joke’s On Me

Mar31

Today’s the last day of March and this is always a sure sign that April Fools Day isn’t too far away. It is a day beloved of practical jokers and hopefully, because of the current economic climate, tomorrow will be no different. We’ve already had a bit of practice in Ireland in recent weeks, but not everyone joined in the fun. My own reaction to the incident has changed somewhat since I posted it, and can be read in the responses at the end of that post.

But, how did the first of April come to be known as April Fools Day and when did the practice of playing jokes on each other begin? Well, the simple answer is – there is no simple answer. There are a number of theories that have been put forward over the years, but none of these can be substantiated. While trawling through the Net for information I came across a site with the rather authoritative title of The Museum of Hoaxes. This site is no joke and, lo and behold, it contains a page that discusses the debate surrounding the origins of April Fools Day. My favourite theory concerns the people of France, fish and their changing of the calendar in the sixteenth century. They put it quite well, so here is what the museum people have to say in their own words:

In 1564 France reformed its calendar, moving the start of the year from the end of March to January 1. Those who failed to keep up with the change, who stubbornly clung to the old calendar system and continued to celebrate the New Year during the week that fell between March 25th and April 1st, had jokes played on them. Pranksters would surreptitiously stick paper fish to their backs. The victims of this prank were thus called Poisson d’Avril, or April Fish—which, to this day, remains the French term for April Fools—and so the tradition was born.

This is certainly a great story. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem to be true. The writers go on to chronicle the confusion and inconsistency that led to how calendars were put together all over Europe at that time. It claims that these changes had been gradually occurring in France during the preceding century and this makes it unlikely that this is where the origins of the day begin. The article goes on to look at possible literary origins for April Fools Day beginning with Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales in the late 14th century, as well as in other works of poetry and prose over the following centuries. Again, none of these offer any proof as to how April 1st came to be known as Fools Day.

Whatever its origins, you can be sure that newspapers and the TV news will throw in a few stories that possess even less truth than normal. To get you in the mood, I’ve put together a few songs that celebrate fools and jokers. Remember, practical joking and tomfoolery are not just for April Fools Day. They’re for the whole year

I first came upon Sister Josephine by Jake Thackray when it was chosen by The Guardian as one of that week’s picks in their Readers Recommend series. Sister Josephine is not a practical joker, but the singer tells us that Josephine is “a bloody funny nun”. Josephine is very different to the other sisters and, while this becomes very clear to the listener at an early stage, poor old Jake can’t quite seem to put his finger on what that difference is. Josephine certainly fools all the other nuns as well as Jake, but doesn’t manage to fool the police. A very funny song that was first released in 1972

Sister Josephine – Jake Thackray

In a fair world, Dublin’s Power of Dreams would have been bigger than U2. Unfortunately, Ireland’s version of the Walker brothers, Keith and Craig, only made three albums in the early 90s. They received a lot of critical acclaim and a little commercial success, but they haven’t been heard from in over a decade. The Joke’s on Me is the opening track on their wonderful debut album, Immigrants, Emigrants and Me (1990)

The Joke’s on Me – Power of Dreams

The dodo was a flightless bird found on the island of Mauritius until it became extinct sometime in the latter half of the 17th century. I saw a stuffed dodo when I once visited the British Museum and I remember that it made me feel quite melancholy, despite the fact that the bird has a comical look. The Dodos are an American duo composed of Meric Long and Logan Kroeber. Fools appears on their album, Visiter (2008), and was released as a single in the same year. It doesn’t make me feel melancholy

Fools – The Dodos

More Foolish Tunes at Star Maker Machine

Talkin’ Bob Dylan Facebook Blues

Mar31

If I ever had to go to that hypothetical island and I could only take one album, one book, and one film, I have a fair idea what they would be. The album I would take would be Biograph by Bob Dylan. It’s not my favourite album by him, but it’s a three-cd box set that includes around half a century of songs that span the first twenty years of his recording career. I think that if I was on a desert island and I had only a collection of around a dozen songs to listen I might get tired of them after a while, even if that album was Blonde on Blonde or Blood on the Tracks. The book I would take would be his first collection of lyrics called Writings and Drawings. And, you won’t be too surprised to read, the film I would take would be DA Pennebaker’s documentary of Dylan’s 1965 English tour, Don’t Look Back. The observant reader will have gathered by now that I am not impartial to a bit of Bob Dylan.

A few weeks ago, I read a story about Dylan in The Guardian that raised a smile on my face. It concerned a complaint from one of his neighbours in Malibu regarding an unpleasant odour emanating from Mr Zimmerman’s residence. Apparently, his security guards use a portable toilet that is also situated close to the home of his nearest neighbour. Her complaint is that it is causing a strong smell to drift into her backyard and this smell gets worse if it’s misty at night. I think her husband put it quite poetically when he commented: “Mr Civil Rights is killing our civil rights.” It seems that the local council is checking out the situation. According to The Guardian, it’s not the first time they’ve had to pay him a visit: “When the guardhouse was built in 1989, inspectors realised that it did not have disabled access. Dylan’s solution was to promise that he “would not hire any handicapped persons” to work in the guardhouse.”

At the end of next month, Columbia Records will release Together Through Life, Dylan’s first new collection since Modern Times in 2007. He had been commissioned to write a song for a new film by a French director called Oliver Dahan and ended up writing and recording a whole album. Apparently, its style has been influenced by the music that emerged from Sun Records in the 50s. If you’d like to hear a sneak preview, you can download a free mp3 of Beyond Here Lies Nothin’ from the new album that’s available on his site. Click here to take you there

UPDATE: The free download is no longer available

Finally, an acquaintance of mine has set up a Facebook group called Bob Dylan fans from Ireland. He has kindly asked me to give him a hand and, always eager to help, I’ve offered both of them. This is how Keith puts it so succinctly and so eloquently on the home page: “This is for all the Kats living in Ireland that dig Bobby D. I want us to get together every now and again and celebrate his music…jamming, drinking, storytelling, painting…whatever you want to do.” So, if you’re on Facebook and you’re a Bob Dylan fan from Ireland (or even if you have any connection to the auld sod) head on over and join up. Keep on keepin’ on

World Leader Pretend

Mar30

The recent controversy surrounding the nude paintings of Brian Cowen has led to quite a bit of discussion in the international media and online. If you want to sample some of this discussion, a comprehensive alphabetical list that links to dozens of online articles can be found at cearta.ie. With April Fools Day approaching, I enjoyed the artist’s prank, but was less convinced by the paintings’ satirical qualities. Of course, our Taoiseach is not the only international leader who has found himself in such a position. The incident reminded me of the far greater amount of public invective levelled at the former leader of the USA, George W. Bush. The release of Oliver Stone’s latest film on DVD gave me an opportunity to see how this American director would depict him in his biopic, W.

W. represents the third time that Oliver Stone has used an American president as the subject matter for a film following JFK (1991) and Nixon (1995). Bush was also the main subject of Michael Moore‘s documentary, Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004). Moore’s documentary was both successful and controversial as he critiqued the then US President and his policies. Stone has also garnered controversy due to his choices of subject matter and his blending of fact and fiction in his films concerning real people and events. Unlike Moore’s film, which portrayed Bush negatively, Stone’s film provides a more rounded version of the former American President.

The structure of the film is divided into a storyline set in the present intercut with flashbacks that chronicle the younger Bush’s formative years. The scenes set in the present deal with a single episode that takes place during Bush’s presidency: the war on terrorism that followed September 11. In particular, we see Bush in constant meetings with the other cabinet members, including Rice, Powell and Chaney, as they engage in lengthy discussions about how best to handle this situation. Much humour occurs in these scenes, but the humour is subtle and not as caustic as in Moore’s documentary, much of it targeted at Bush’s religious beliefs as well as at American foreign policy.

It is in the scenes that follow Bush’s formative years where Stone presents us with a character who is vulnerable and unsure of his place in the world. We see the tensions between him and his father, his struggles with alcohol, his becoming a born-again Christian, and his attempts to find some meaning in his life and career. The Bush we see here is an ordinary guy, an everyman, and is a million miles away from the familiar image that we have come to know. Now, I’m not saying that Stone’s film me change my opinion about Bush, but it certainly made me ponder the type of man he was prior to becoming President.

Throughout, Bush is played superbly by Josh Brolin, whose excellent performance in No Country For Old Men was overshadowed by the that of Javier Bardem. In W., he plays the younger Bush like a modern-day cowboy who struggles to live up to the pressure of being the son of George H Bush. His turn as President Bush resembles the one with which we are most familiar and he looks, walks and talks like the man himself. Brolin’s is just one of a many fine performances in the film, including James Cromwell as Bush Sr, Richard Dreyfuss as Dick Cheney, and Jeffrey Wright as Colin Powell.

Overall, W. is a finely acted film that portrays George Bush the man as an ordinary American and reserves its more satirical moments for George W. Bush, the President. However, this is a subtle form of satire that often goes unnoticed. It is usually underscored by a hint of patriotic music that frequently plays in the background during significant moments and speeches. It is quite possible, however, that I see this as slightly mocking because of my particular political and personal beliefs. It is also possible that a viewer with a different outlook will see this as an affectionate portrayal of their President. And perhaps satire that leaves a little to the imagination is better than that which reveals a bit too much

World Leader Pretend – REM

When the President Talks to God – Bright Eyes

If a Song Could Be President – Over the Rhine

The Damned Omniplex

Mar29

David Peace‘s novel The Damned Utd is one of my favourite novels. The book is a fictionalised account of Brian Clough‘s brief tenure as the manager of Leeds United in 1974. We also get flashbacks to his playing days with his hometown club Middlesborough, his early retirement due to injury, and his earlier managerial spells at Hartlepool and Derby. The Brian Clough presented in the book is a fictional version of the man who died in 2004, but Peace researched the book quite well and it was difficult for me not to take what I was reading as fact

This approach has caused controversy because it portrays Clough as a man who was beset by alcohol problems and by certain obsessions, mainly to do with the football world. This depiction seems at odds with the man that football fans saw on television, a man who seemed to be extremely confident and even arrogant. Of course, football fans never saw the “real” Clough either, whoever he might have been. I’ve always admired Brian Clough, the football manager, both for his part in the success of his teams on the pitch and for his outspoken attitude off it. I’m still amazed that he brought League titles to Derby County and Nottingham Forest, two sides that had never tasted success before his arrival and that will most likely never achieve such success again. More amazingly, he also brought two successive European Cups back to Nottingham

So, when I heard that Peace’s book was being turned into a film I was a bit ambivalent about what kind of film it would be. There are far more failed attempts at making films about football than ones that attain even a modicum of success. Another favourite book of mine is Nick Hornby’s Fever Pitch. The film version of that is so far from the book that it’s really a travesty that it possesses the same title. Additionally, it’s quite difficult to turn any novel into a successful film because literature and film use different methods to tell their stories. And one of my favourite aspects of this book was the way the reader was privvy to the main character’s thoughts and this is the most difficult part of any book to adapt for the screen

Nonetheless, when I heard the names of some of the people who would be making the film I was pleasantly surprised. Peter Morgan was signed on as the screenwriter and I’ve really enjoyed some of his recent work such as The Queen and Frost/Nixon. Michael Sheen played the main character in both of those films and I knew he’d make a good Clough. The film also has some other fine actors in it, particularly Colm Meaney as Don Revie and Timothy Spall as Clough’s sidekick, Peter Taylor. It’s been receiving some good reviews as well, so I was looking forward to going to see it this weekend

Except that my local cinema isn’t showing The Damned United this weekend and, most likely, I’m going to have to wait until it’s released on DVD

I must admit that I wasn’t surprised. My local cinema, which is only a five minute walk from where I live, is the Limerick Omniplex. Over the years, many films have failed to turn up here and I’ve had to wait until they came out on DVD before I was able to see them. As a result, my visits to the cinema have slowed down considerably over the last few years, even though I love film and I love watching them on the big screen. I used to go to the cinema two or three times a month. Now, I go three or four times a year

The Omniplex has twelve screens and it puts the newer films on the bigger screens. Now, it could easily keep the smaller screens for more “obscure” films like The Damned United. Instead, it holds onto these former blockbusters for months and puts them on in the smaller screening rooms.Perhaps this safe option is a more commercially viable option for the business as they are guaranteed that a few more people will watch a popular film that’s been out for a few months rather that take a chance on one that may be more challenging for the audience. Perhaps it’s also possible that the audience for this type of film would prefer not to watch it at a cineplex. There is also a cinema on the other side of Limerick. The Storm Cinema at Castletroy has eight screens and its choice of films is even more limited and less imaginative than that at the Omniplex

For many years, the tastes of Limerick’s more discerning film fans have been catered for by the Belltable and its seasonal Film Club. I saw many great films from all around the world there but, lately, I would have already seen most of them on DVD prior to their screening as part of their film season. The possibility of a dedicated city centre cinema that would show new releases that were not available elsewhere in the city now looks a long way off. And it looks like I’m going to have to wait for the bloody Damned United to be released on DVD before I get to see it. In the meantime, here’s a song about Brian Clough’s son, Nigel, and one about sneaking into a film without paying for a ticket

The Sultans of Ping FC were a Cork band best known for their minor hit about the loss of an outer garment called Where’s Me Jumper? Like distant Irish relations of Half Man, Half Biscuit their songs addressed important issues of the day. Give Him a Ball (and a Yard of Grass) appears on their debut album, Casual Sex in the Cineplex (1993). You can hear a Peel session version of the track as well as a 2FM version of Where’s Me Jumper? at the wonderful Football and Music site. The site also has a recent post about Cloughie and another one featuring a Limerick band and their brilliant song about a guy who played with Leeds United

Give Him a Ball & a Yard of Grass – Sultans of Ping FC

Darren Hanlon’s Don’t Want to Pay appears on his seven-track mini-album Early Days (2000). The song chronicles the Australian singer’s successful attempts to get past the cinema ushers and into the cinema without buying a ticket. He doesn’t do it because he can’t afford the ticket, but “because I get a thrill, I just take one seat that Hollywood couldn’t fill.” I’m sure that Brian Clough would have approved of this “rebel without a ticket”

Don’t Want to Pay – Darren Hanlon

Who Knows Where the Time Goes?

Mar28

Salvadore Dali‘s The Persistence of Memory (1931)

Tomorrow is the last Sunday in March which means the beginning of Irish Standard Time, British Summer Time and Daylight Saving Time in most of Europe. Effectively, this means that all clocks in Europe will go forward by one hour at 1.00am on Sunday morning and this will last until October 25th. It’s a form of daylight saving time and its purpose is to add an hour of sunlight to the evening and to remove an hour of sunlight from the morning. While it means that you’ll have an extra hour in bed in October it also means that you’ll have an hour less in bed in the morning. Unless, of course, you forget to move your clocks forward and you’ll be an hour late for your first appointment of the day. Here are a some timely tunes to make you rock around the clock

Booker T & the MGs were the house band for many of the hits that came out of Stax Records in the 60s and 70s. They can be heard on hits by Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett and Sam & Dave, amongst others. They also had a number of hits in their own right of which Green Onions is their most famous. Time is Tight is also well-known and is a nice example of Booker T Jones’ trademark organ-playing. I saw the band perform in the 90s when they backed Neil Young on one of his tours. And Booker T has been joined by Neil Young again as well as by the Drive-Bt-Truckers for a new album that will be released in a few weeks and it’s called Potato Hole

Time is Tight – Booker T & the MGs

I’ve also seen Richie Havens on a couple of occasions and I was fortunate to hear his marvellous renditions of songs by The Beatles and Bob Dylan. I really like his reading of Dylan’s The Times They Are A-Changin’, which originally appeared as the title track of Bob’s album from 1964. This song has been covered many times by everyone from Simon & Garfunkel to The Byrds to Nina Simone. It was quickly taken up by the civil rights movement in the USA throughout the sixties. In 1994, however, Richie Havens’ version was used by an accounting firm for its advertising campaign. More recently, Dylan’s original was used quite brilliantly over an opening montage from the film, Watchmen

The Times They Are A-Changin’ (Bob Dylan cover) – Richie Havens

Dylan also wrote Tomorrow Is a Long Time, which was first recorded by Ian & Sylvie in 1964 and also by Odetta in 1965. Apparently, one of Dylan’s favourite versions of his songs is the one by Elvis Presley, who recorded it for his 1966 film, Spinout. Dylan’s original version of the song would not appear on an official release until 1971

Tomorrow is a Long Time (Bob Dylan cover) – Elvis Presley

My Favourite Waste of Time is the title track of Freedy Johnson’s recent covers album. The song was originally recorded by Marshall Crenshaw, although most people remember it as a hit for Owen Paul in 1986. The Glaswegian singer reached number three on the charts but never attained this level of success again. I’m sure he won’t see it as time wasted, though

(You’re My) Favourite Waste of Time (Marshall Crenshaw cover) – Freedy Johnson

I first came across Sheffield-born Richard Hawley in 2006 when his album Coles Corner (2005) was one of the contenders for that year’s Mercury Music Prize. It was won that year by his fellow Sheffielders, The Arctic Monkeys, who introduced their acceptance speech by proclaiming, “Someone call 999; Richard Hawley’s been robbed.” Hawley had previously played with the bands Longpigs and Pulp. It was at Jarvis Cocker’s insistence that Hawley recorded his own material and in 2001 seven of his songs appeared on his eponymous mini album on Setanta Records. Time Has Made a Change is one of those tunes and it’s a fine example of his trebly guitar style and baritone voice

Time Has Made a Change – Richard Hawley

I Like You So Much Better When You’re Naked

Mar27

Last week, Irish thoughts were distracted from the economic recession by the rugby team’s Grand Slam success. This week, Irish minds have been occupied by a couple of paintings of Brian Cowen that depict the Taoiseach in a less than flattering light. This “controversy”, which will surely be dubbed Cowengate, arose on Monday. RTE News carried a report about the erection of two different portraits of Mr Cowen that mysteriously appeared in two Dublin art galleries earlier that day. Apparently, both had been put up by an individual who simply entered each gallery and nailed the paintings to the walls. Neither painting stayed up too long and it is not known whether or not they were well-hung. On the next night’s news, RTE apologised to the Taoiseach and his family for the manner of their reporting of the incident. It has since emerged that the person behind this prank is a teacher and artist named Conor Casby.

Now, I’m all for constructive criticism of the government and its leadership. I’m glad that we live in a country where we can criticise and make fun of those in charge and not fear the consequences. I’m only too aware that for many years art, literature, film and music had been subject to censorship because the State did not want to subject impressionable minds to what it perceived as pornography. The long arm of the mass media means that content that would have previously been unavailable is now easily accessible. The internet has also made it easier for the public to get its voice heard without the assistance of regular media outlets.

Nevertheless, I disagree that Casby’s paintings could be construed as satire. I fail to see the satire in Casby’s paintings. In my opinion, both of them exhibit crudeness and toilet humour at the expense of anything remotely witty or humorous. In one of the paintings, a caricature of Cowen is seen with a large pot-belly, holding a pair of underpants in his hand. In the other, he is seen naked on a toilet bowl, holding a roll of toilet paper in his hand. How is this satirical? What deeper meaning can be construed from these images? I believe that the current government should have the piss taken out of it. But, I’d like to see it done with a bit of wit and intelligence. In the meantime, here are a few tunes for your perusal

I Like You So Much Better When You’re Naked – Ida Maria

Naked, If I Want To (Moby Grape cover) – Cat Power

Naked As We Came (Iron Wine cover) – Katherine Donovan

Running on Empathy

Mar25

Last night, I was part of the audience at a wonderful gig that took place at the Olympia in Dublin. The American singer Jackson Browne came on stage to a warm reception just after 8.00pm and, apart from a fifteen minute break, he played until just after 11.00. He was backed by a wonderful band with a tight rhythm section, a no-frills keyboard player, two female backing vocalists, and a versatile and accomplished guitarist. Browne himself is a brilliant frontman and musician and the quality of his singing and his energy throughout was amazing for a guy who turned 60 last year. And, to put the icing on the cake, the sound and even the visuals were top notch and contributed to a great night’s entertainment.

To be honest, I hadn’t heard a lot of the songs before as I’m mostly familiar with his 70s stuff. My friend John told me that he played seven songs from his current album and I quite liked many of them, particularly the one about going to Cuba. John also commented that the quality of the sound meant that Browne’s vocals were clear and so it was easy to make out the lyrics. This is important for someone who writes such great lyrics. For me, the highlights were the final two songs just before the encore: The Pretender and Running on Empty. The whole band pulled out all the stops and they certainly went out on a bang. Throughout the gig, he had expertly fielded requests from the audience, sometimes even changing the setlist following a frantic run around the stage to inform the rest of the band. A few songs into the gig, he asked how many people had been there the night before and the response he got suggested that many had come back for more. They certainly got their money’s worth.

After the gig, we met John’s neighbour from Kerry, Fred, and his friend, George. They also enjoyed the show and were amazed by the performance of everyone on stage. We thanked Fred for buying us dinner earlier (Thanks again, Fred!) We left them at the hotel and John drove me back to Limerick in time for a cup of tea and a sit down. On the way we were accompanied by the music of Van Morrison, Bruce Springsteen and the spirit of John Martyn. Fortunately, John had filled up the tank and his iPod, so we weren’t running on empty

Looking out at the road rushing under my wheels
I don’t know how to tell you all just how crazy this life feels
I look around for the friends that I used to turn to to pull me through
Looking into their eyes I see them running too

Town Full of Losers

Monthly Archives: March 2009