Big Think Interview with Gavin Friday | Big Think
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- Опубликовано: 5 авг 2024
- Big Think Interview with Gavin Friday
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A conversation with the Irish musician.
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Gavin Friday:
Gavin Friday was born in Dublin on October 8, 1959 and founded the band Virgin Prunes in 1977. In 1986 Gavin briefly abandoned music to paint, which culminated in the 1988 exhibition entitled ‘I didn’t come up the Liffey in a bubble’ at Dublin’s Hendriks Gallery. From 1987 to 2005 Friday composed and performed with pianist Maurice Roycroft (The Man Seezer). ‘Each Man Kills the Thing He Loves’ (1989), their compelling moody debut produced by Hal Willner, explored the world of Brel (whose song ‘Next’ is covered on the album), Piaf, Brecht and Weill. The follow up was 1992’s ‘Adam ‘N’ Eve.’
In Summer 1999, Gavin travelled to Kosovo on behalf of the charity Concern, to film a documentary highlighting to plight of Kosovan refugees. ‘Artists for Kosovo’, a slide-show of work by renowned Irish artists set to Friday/Seezer music opened in Dublin’s Temple Bar. Later that year the video documentary ‘Three Wishes For Kosovo’ was completed and Gavin’s children’s charity project for Kosovo, ‘Muc the flying piggy bank’ was launched. The project encouraged kids in schools around Ireland to set up their own collections for the charity.
Gavin Friday's film work includes the songs written with Bono for the popular 1993 film ‘In the Name of the Father’. They recorded the title track as well as the Sinead O’Connor sung hit ‘You Made Me the Thief of Your Heart’. In 1996 Friday and Seezer contributed the song ‘Angel’ to the ‘Romeo + Juliet’ soundtrack and wrote their first piece of score for the Australian film ‘Angel Baby’. His subsequent film scores have included ‘The Boxer’ (1998), ‘Disco Pigs’ (2001) and ‘In America’ (2002). In late 2005, Friday and Seezer teamed up with legendary producer Quincy Jones to score the Jim Sheridan directed 50 Cent biopic ‘Get Rich or Die Trying.’ Gavin also performed the surreal and personal one man show ‘I Didn’t Come up the Liffey in a Bubble’ at the Dublin Fringe Festival.
Gavin Friday is currently working on his fourth solo album with writing partner Herb Macken
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TRANSCRIPT:
Question: What was it like growing up in Ireland?
Gavin Friday: Well I was born nearly 50 years ago, so I was a child of the '60s basically, which is a real blank. I really started growing up, I think, in the '70s. I'm a glam-rock kid. But Dublin, Ireland in those days was a very dark place, as in it was a very poor, almost third world. Economically, the whole world is going through a recession at the moment. In the '60s, '70s, and the '80s in Ireland was a real recession. It wasn't a pleasant place. It was massive unemployment, we had huge political problems with the north and it was dull and gray. So I formed a band and tried to escape it all.
So it's a great country; a really beautiful, great country, but it's had its troubles. The last 15 years we had one of the biggest economic booms. We became -- overnight, we became almost the wealthiest country in Europe. And last year, the bubble burst. But I think a few bubbles have burst in a few countries. So we are all going through the same things. But let's say Ireland, in the '70s and the '80s was tough, but if you grow up with a tough background it makes you strong.
Question: How has Irish Catholicism influenced you and your work?
Gavin Friday: One of the biggest problems I found with Irish politics and the economic thing was after the war, after World War II, most of the European countries started to develop economically and socially, but whatever way the Catholic church they took a grip and they almost governed the country. I mean, we were almost like a dictatorship. There is good and bad, but we experienced an awful lot of bad, especially from the institutions that taught children the Christian brothers, etcetera. All those stories are all coming out now; not just in Ireland, in Canada, and all over the world. So it was pretty intense. The Catholic church [was] like our Edgar J. Hoover if you know what I mean. They ruled the roost. But it had a huge profound influence on me in that as you get older you realize that you can't blame everything; that there is good and bad, and things get misdirected. So I would call myself a black Catholic. I still have this attraction to it because all religions I'm not a fan of. I'm a fan of sort of belief in spirituality. So I would be into Christ rather than the Catholics
Question: What were your main influences as a child?
Read the full transcript at bigthink.com/videos/big-think...
It 's often surprising how these "extravagant" artists appear to be so nice and mentally healthy, when so many people living much more classical lives often hide quite a bit of real lunacy :-) Tends to show that living your childhood dreams is the best option in life....against all parents' advice :-)
great comment, it should be taught to students in schools
Gavin your an Irish treasure... A true artist... Love u
What a lovely, humble, down to earth bloke. Really enjoyed this interview. Thanks for posting.
What a gem, thank you for sharing this interview! Gavin's album with Maurice "Shag Tobacco" is one of the greatest pieces of music I've ever experienced. "Catholic" is beautiful. What a unique artist and voice, he's made a big impact on me artistically.
And his voice is so very expressive and versatile !
Enjoyed this thank you for sharing your story. Caruso is one of my favorite songs so is the collaborative version of Cosmic Dancer it gets me teary eyed. 🕊️
Thank you for this inspirational interview with Mister Friday.
Great interview of a great person and performer !
Thanks for posting. Greetings from Portugal.
I'm a black catholic too. I love Ireland for making you the way you are.
he's so articulate Gavin, so entertaining, he should have his own show
Big fan of Gavin Friday!! Great upload!!
Ms. Tonia Morgan u
Gavin , looking well , nice to see !
Great guy.
He is a genius writer !
Insightful Thanks so very much Gavin
Great songs you have
I don't understand how people hated the virgin prunes I thought they had a masterpiece
Nice one Gavin.
That's my godfather! Love you Gavin
Regina Manuel he is my son's godfather. Your in good hands
fair play...🙏🙏🍀🍀🍀
Interesting man could listen to him for hours ☘️🤗
fair play....🍀
A really interesting interview. He seems to be a quite polifacetic person.
Angel brought me here
I have the same birthday as Gavin 😊
saw in Holland , shake tobacco , great album ,
Shag tobacco is a really good album.
Lovin' all that he's done. Where is he now? Time for Virgin Prunes reuinion?
dommage pour moi je suis français et dommage plus de v p no gog zik beck romuald ...
What the ?
Ar3 you still aliv3 }?{\\\\\\ ?
Coucou
Iranian Persian Not Arab
Persians are actually Asians.
Stop mentioning Bono every second sentence You don`t need to your better than that
Jack kaden Yeah, Gavin, stop occasionally mentioning your lifelong best friend ... especially in the context of your childhood and the special concert event that Bono organized for your 50th birthday which is the purpose behind the interview in which you mention him 6 times in 30 minutes! Jeez...
Benjamin McCarty Pistorius Are you directing this comment towards me and if so what are you talking about ?
Jack kaden They're best friends from 15 years of age. He's not mentioning whatever idea of "Bono" you have, he's mentioning his friend.
Yeah, Gavin gave Bono his name! Gavin, Guggi, Bono, The Edge, Dik and the rest of the Prunes all hung out in their imaginary 'Lypton Village'. Great to hear they're still in touch!