Irish Blood English Heart
Second Generation Irish Musicians in England
Publication Year: 2011
Published by: Cork University Press
Cover
Acknowledgements
I have benefited enormously from the support and advice of many people while researching and writing this book. In particular, I would like to acknowledge the musicians who gave so generously of their time in interviews: Shane MacGowan, Johnny Marr, Kevin Rowland...
‘Dwellers on the Threshold’: A Prologue to the Book
The dominant forms of popular music in most contemporary societies have emerged, notes Simon Frith, ‘at the social margins – among the poor, the migrant, the rootless’.4 Th is has certainly been the case in Britain, where, as one high-profile magazine put it, a ‘potent shebeen of...
1. ‘Here is a Protest’: Intervention and Recovery in Dexys Midnight Runners
In the closing moments of ‘The Waltz’, the final track on Dexys Midnight Runners’ third and final album, Don’t Stand Me Down (1985), the group’s lead singer, Kevin Rowland, emits a striking gesture of unambiguous dissent. Mixed to the fore of the track’s sparse sound (comprising guitar...
2. The Importance of Being (London) Irish: Hybridity, Essentialism and The Pogues
In 1988, at the height of Th e Pogues’ commercial success, the late Irish journalist Bill Graham offered a compelling account of the group’s appeal, arguing that their oeuvre equipped Ireland’s exiles with a means by which to ‘reclaim and reorder their inheritance’.4 This succinct...
3. ‘Oscillate Wildly’: Ambivalence, Elusiveness and The Smiths
In December 2004 Morrissey concluded his most successful worldwide tour for several years with a concert at Dublin’s Point Depot. Adorned in the vestments of a Catholic priest, the singer made a series of playful references to local places (showing his affinity with Ireland) before...
Coda: From the Margins to the Centre
This book has addressed the diverse ‘routes’ pursued by second-generation Irish musicians, exploring three high-profile projects in the 1980s. Its account of Rowland, MacGowan and Morrissey/Marr illumines the different means by which Irishness was engaged by Irish-descended figures...
E-ISBN-13: 9781908634092
E-ISBN-10: 190863409X
Print-ISBN-13: 9781859184615
Print-ISBN-10: 1859184618
Page Count: 272
Publication Year: 2011
Edition: 1
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