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Music bosses tried to keep us going with huge new album offer but we feared for Christy Dignam's life, Aslan star admits
Music bosses tried to keep us going with huge new album offer but we feared for Christy Dignam's life, Aslan star admits

The Irish Sun

time3 days ago

  • Entertainment
  • The Irish Sun

Music bosses tried to keep us going with huge new album offer but we feared for Christy Dignam's life, Aslan star admits

ASLAN ignored pleas from record company bosses to stay together at the height of Christy Dignam's heroin addiction, believing that doing so would risk his life. The 5 Aslan ignored pleas from bosses to stay together fearing doing so would risk Christy Dignam's life Credit: Stephen McCarthy / SPORTSFILE 5 They were on the brink of superstardom when the frontman succumbed addiction Guitarist Joe Jewell has opened up on Joe had already suffered his own family tragedy when they felt they had to sack his former school mate Christy. He said: 'During the early Eighties, the devil came to Ireland and it killed a lot of people, a lot of kids, including my own kid brother. 'So I had a lot of experience of it, and it devastated families.' Read more in Showbiz Listen to Fields Of Dreams on , Dignam was busted during a Joe said: 'Sometimes I ask, did I try hard enough? But we did. We did everything, absolutely everything. 'We're signed by EMI, the biggest record company in in the world, and if you sack the singer it's suicide for 'So we didn't do it for us, because you would have said, 'Look, it's grand!'. We were offered like, 'Oh, he can travel differently, and we can put him on a bus'. Most read in The Irish Sun 'At the time Chris Thomas was a big producer who I adored, and Bob Clearmountain was the big mixer at the time. He did all the INXS stuff. 'Capital (EMI's US subsidiary) promised us, 'If you get back together we'll get you Chris Thomas to produce the album and Bob Clearmountain to mix it', and even then we refused. Aslan release first new single since Christy Dignam's death 'We didn't do it for us. I think that's proof enough. 'He would have killed himself — not through his own fault, but just the demon. The devil would have taken complete hold.' The band DIZZYING RISE Elsewhere, Hothouse Flowers star Fiachna O'Braonain has told how his band went from busking, to impressing In a dizzying rise to fame, the Dublin band's singer, Liam O'Maonlai, went from paying his rent with his Grafton Street busking to performing to millions in the US on David Letterman's show. Fiachna said: 'I was still living at home, and the phone call came through to my parents' landline number. Rolling Stone magazine want to do this feature on you. 'That also coincided with both Melody Maker and NME being in Dublin doing a profile with Bono on Dublin bands, and we were featured in that. 'HOTTEST UNSIGNED ACT IN THE WORLD' 'And that's when we first met, and then Rolling Stone magazine picked up on that, and we were called the hottest unsigned act in the world.' In episode three of the Fields of Dreams podcast, we chart It was a long way from when they were schoolboys in the 1970s and their manager asked ex-Horslips star Barry Devlin to help them put together a demo. Devlin said: 'Larry Mullen's dad arrived at about one o'clock in the morning and said, 'I have to take this lad home, he has exams in the morning'. 'NEVER FORGIVEN THEM' 'And I went pleading, 'But, Mr Mullen, I haven't finished with Larry's bass drum yet'. And he said, 'Ah you have', and took Larry away.' 'He would have killed himself — not through his own fault, but just the demon. The devil would have taken complete hold.' Joe Jewell Devlin went on to work closely with the band for decades and was the brains behind the video for I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For — even if he did miss out on a gong for it. He said: 'The only thing I've never forgiven them for was the first MTV Awards, and they weren't interested. They got rung up by MTV where they had five nominations, including People's Choice for Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For. MTV AWARDS 'They rang up and said, 'If you come over, if you are given the award, we're thinking of giving you the award. Will you come over?'. They decided not to go. 'Michael Hutchence (from INXS) had four nominations. INXS said 'Yeah, we'd love to come over and pick them up'. 'So they came over and picked them up, and the next year, you know, U2 would have done anything to get the MTV Award. 'In fact, I think they got their MTV awards. But I'm deeply resentful of the fact that I don't have a funny white spaceman (on my mantlepiece).' INTERNATIONAL BUZZ U2's global domination created an enormous international buzz around what was happening in Ireland, which had thriving music scenes in The US media were always looking for the next U2, and in 1988 thought they had found it with Hothouse Flowers. Liam and Fiachna met at a bus stop in south Dublin as nine-year-olds and honed their extraordinary talents throughout their teens. By 1985/86 they were drawing in huge crowds on Dublin's Grafton Street. BUSKING FAME Fiachna said: 'We kind of quickly realised that the way to make a few quid busking is to attract as big a crowd as you can, and then pass the hat around to everybody. 'And that's literally the economics of busking. Or get as much attention as you can. 'We used to dance together and move around each other and create this big audience very quickly before we got moved on. This was before busking became regulated. So then we'd be moved. 'Back up to Grafton Street at around five o'clock to get the people going home and build up a big crowd again. The gardai would come. They'd watch for a while, and then eventually go 'Right, lads, come on', because the crowd literally would block the street quite often. 'WE CERTAINLY MADE ENOUGH' 'And then we'd take ourselves and our big bucket of change off to Tobin's or to the Coffee Inn and get a bowl of pasta and go for a pint afterwards.' He added: 'We certainly made enough to be fed and watered, and for Liam to put a roof over his head. 'There was times where he'd go, 'God, the rent is due tomorrow. We really need to do a bit more busking today'. And we would.' All the club bosses wanted them to play, and they took a Sunday night slot at Risk nightclub, where they were spotted by Bono, who invited them to do a single with U2's Mother Records. Not long after, they were number 2 in the Irish singles charts with Don't Go, which became an international smash on the equally huge People album. 'We kind of quickly realised that the way to make a few quid busking is to attract as big a crowd as you can, and then pass the hat around to everybody." Fiachna O'Braonain Letterman, Saturday Night Live and Arsenio Hall followed as the band, for a time, threatened to follow in the footsteps of Bono, Adam, Larry and The Edge. Elsewhere, promoter Peter Aiken opens up about seeing some serious stars up close thanks to his dad Jim, even if Jim didn't quite understand how one of the biggest ones might be gay. Peter said: 'Elton John came in in '83, '84, did four nights in the King's Hall. Incredible. ELTON'S GIFT 'He came to our house for dinner and mum made these steaks. 'He gave the auld fella a Cartier watch that was flown in from England. And then somebody told the auld fella that he only gave it to his boyfriends.' 'It came with an inscription - 'To Jim, love Elton'. 'And the auld fella, being from Jonesborough in Co Armagh, 6ft 1in, big, it took him 20 years to get his head round that.' The first three episodes of Fields Of Dreams are available on 5 Joe Jewell opened up on the Irish Sun's Fields of Dreams podcast about the crisis Credit: Harry Scott/Redferns 5 Christy died in 2023, aged 63 Credit: Independent News5 Liam O'Maonlai went from paying rent by busking to performing to millions Credit: Paddy Cummins/

Aslan star Billy McGuinness recalls hilarious performance for Henry Mountcharles
Aslan star Billy McGuinness recalls hilarious performance for Henry Mountcharles

Sunday World

time7 days ago

  • Entertainment
  • Sunday World

Aslan star Billy McGuinness recalls hilarious performance for Henry Mountcharles

It took place a decade ago as Billy was camping in front of Slane Castle with his wife, Adreena, and their two sons, Jake and Liam, now 21 and 26 ASLAN star Billy McGuinness once supported David Bowie in front of 80,000 fans at Slane with the band, but today he recalls another hilarious performance at the castle for an audience of one – owner Henry Mountcharles. It took place a decade ago as Billy was camping in front of Slane Castle with his wife, Adreena, and their two sons, Jake and Liam, now 21 and 26. 'We had got permission from the Slane groundskeeper to set up camp and we had the guitars out and I was singing ballads – The Wild Rover, Whiskey In The Jar, all that sh*te – and we were drinking cans,' Billy tells the Sunday World. 'Our tent was pitched in front of the castle and the next thing we saw Henry's wife, Iona, coming towards us. Aslan with new frontman Lee Tomkins Today's News in 90 Seconds - July 6th 'I went, 'oh balls, we're in trouble now!' I said, 'this is Henry's wife, she's coming down to stop us and tell us to take the tent down.' 'But she said, 'Henry is up in the bedroom, he has the window open and he's listening to you singing. Can you sing a bit louder he's really enjoying it? So, of course, I said that was no problem. 'We had a box of wine and we said, 'Do you want a glass of wine?' She said, 'Yes, I'd love one.' She sat down with us for the night and she got stuck into the box of wine…absolutely brilliant.' Billy struck up a friendship with Henry Mountcharles through the years and says he was deeply saddened to hear of his death last month at the age of 74 after a long illness. 'The first time I met him was when Aslan were supporting Bowie at Slane in 1987,' he recalls. 'Henry poked his head around the door of the dressing room that day and he said, 'I love that song, This Is.' He was passionate about music. Henry and Iona Mountcharles 'I live in Bettystown and I met him a few times out in Slane. One time I was out there in the bar and Iona said, 'Henry is in the snug, will you go in and chat to him. We had a great chat and I discovered that he was so knowledgeable about music. 'Henry put Slane on the map. I know you had Lisdoonvarna, but there were never gigs like Slane. He got the ball rolling to have a real rock venue outdoor and it was in a natural amphitheatre. 'So many fans have seen the biggest bands in the world at Slane and have such great memories from those days thanks to Henry. 'He'll be missed big time and I hope his son, Alex, keeps the buzz going. It would be great if he keeps the gigs going in Slane.' Aslan, who will next Friday release a stunning new single called A Hand To Hold, have re-established the legendary band and are enjoying a new wave of success since losing their much-loved iconic songwriter and frontman Christy Dignam. With their new singer Lee Tomkins (39), the band will head out on tour to Australia this coming week and have a string of UK and Irish shows taking them up to Christmas. 'We're going 43 years this year, so Lee wasn't even born when Aslan formed, which is making me feel very old,' Billy laughs. 'But Lee has fitted in and has now taken control of the band. The big test for Lee when we came back from Australia last year was getting up with Coldplay. Aslan's new single 'I said, 'Is Lee going to be able for this?' But I was more nervous than he was. I was bricking it going on stage. He took it in his stride. He's fearless. 'Aslan played with Bowie and with Elton John and so many brilliant artists over the years, so it was great for Lee to experience the biggest one – Coldplay.' Lee, a native of Finglas, said he's been working as a singer with different bands for more than two decades. 'It's not a case I was on the streets and they picked me up,' he tells me. 'I've been around the block a few times so you just know what to do. 'I remember going to see Aslan playing in Finglas and the places would be crammed. 'I was watching them and thinking how great the band were, but I never thought I would be singing with them now. That's one of them chances life gives you.' Aslan's new single, A Hand To Hold, will be released on all music platforms next Friday.

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