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Sunday World
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Sunday World
BP Fallon on how a film has captured his incredible life in music
The music legend's life is documented in new film about his life and famous pals Both Shane MacGowan and Sinéad are sadly no longer with us, but both are surely there in spirit in a new documentary about the author and musician who's worked with a host of famous names. 'BP Fallon: Rock'n'Roll Wizard' had its world premiere at the Galway Film Fleadh yesterday, with a veritable who's who featuring in the documentary. Among those talking about their dealings with the Dubliner are Debbie Harry, Adam Clayton, Donovan, Imelda May, Iggy Pop, Bob Geldof, Robert Plant, President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins, Joe Elliott, Dr John Cooper Clarke, Glen Matlock, Alan McGee, Louis Walsh, and many more. BP with Willie Nelson The documentary is directed by Dubliner Alan Leonard, produced by Níall Carver for Speed Of Life Films with Alan Leonard and Fiona Graham also producing for Single Cell Films. 'The impetus was Neil Carver, I met him in the Shelbourne by appointment for afternoon tea, and he said he'd like to do a documentary 'on you as a musician',' explains BP, whose initials stand for Bernard Patrick. 'I said, 'Thank you, I'm in'. People would ask me about doing a documentary every couple of weeks. I always said no. But I said yes to this one, because my music would be in it.' Read more 'With this movie I've given them complete access to my photo archive, which is enormous.' Although born in Dublin, BP was schooled in Yorkshire and moved to London in the early 1960s where he got a job in Apple records and was thrust to the epicentre of the musical revolution. Sinéad O Connor and Shane MacGowan He then became a confidant and creative catalyst for some of rock's most iconic artists. At Apple Records, he worked alongside The Beatles before becoming publicist to T. Rex and a key member of Led Zeppelin's legendary inner circle. 'The first time [he met the Beatles] was 1963 in Liverpool. The drummer and the bass player. The bass player [Paul McCartney] signed my Cavern Club membership card and then in put in brackets 'The Beatles' in case I forgot the name of the group he was in. The first time I saw them play was in The Grafton Ballroom in Liverpool, they did two half-hour sets — it was August 1963.' He even got to star on Top of The Pops as part of John Lennon & The Plastic Ono band. 'I mimed bass on Instant Karma and played tambourine on Instant Karma, on two separate occasions,' he smiles. 'What I most remember about John was that he and Yoko were very kind.' BP moved back to Ireland in 1980 and remembers a young U2, who he would later go on tour with and write a book about. 'They were very ambitious,' he recalls. BP with Debbbie Harry On his BF Fallon Orchestra show on RTE Radio 2, which ran for five years in the 1980s, he had a number of firsts. 'I was the first person to play Sinéad on the radio; I was the first person to ever interview her on the radio actually,' he says. 'I was the first person in the world to play Fairytale Of New York on the radio, I was the first person in the world to play The Pogues on the radio.' BP turns 80 in August next year, but is still dreaming up plans. 'I'm putting out another album, putting out a book, lots more things to do,' he says. 'Thank God for life.'
Sunday World
06-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Sunday World
American-born singer Galia Arad reveals how Shane MacGowan changed her life
American singer never gave up trying to get MacGowan involved in her recording Chasing her dream of having MacGowan write the liner notes for her second album at the start of her career in 2009, Galia, who now lives in Ireland, reveals that she phoned his manager every day from New York. After several months, it ultimately led to the Fairytale Of New York singer offering to produce her album in Dublin. But on the day of the recording, Galia feared that Shane was going to be a no-show and her dreams were going to be crushed — after he turned up 10 hours late for the recording. Galia with Shane Although she has no family connections in Ireland, Galia had dated an Irish guy when she was 20 and wrote an entire album about their relationship called Ooh La Baby. Connection 'Since the album was about an Irish person, I was thinking about who would be best to write the liner notes,' Galia tells the Sunday World as she releases a new single, This Close. 'Back then I shot for the stars and thought Shane MacGowan would be perfect… and I just didn't stop until I got him. My older sister had a Pogues album and they were a big influence on my music. 'At the time I had a day job in New York working as a PA in a financial company. Through a lucky connection I got a number for Shane MacGowan's manager Joey Cashman. Galia worked with Shane in the studio 'I called Joey on the company phone and he was abrupt with me, but he told me to call back the next day. I called the next day and he was like, 'oh f**k off, call me tomorrow.' 'Every time I would call I would say, 'Hi, this is Galia calling, the liner notes girl.' It was so ridiculous and so embarrassing. My sister, to this day, calls me Galia The Liner Notes Girl,' she laughs. 'But because Joey gave me the impression there was a chance, I would force myself to call him every day. 'And then one day I got a phone call from my boss saying, 'For some reason there's a call to Ireland every day lasting one minute long.' But he was OK about it. 'And then, finally, Joey said, 'send over your stuff, I'll give it to Shane, we'll have a listen to it.' 'Some months later I was sitting in my shoe box apartment in New York when I got the phone call I'll never forget. It was Joey — the first time he had ever called me. 'He said, 'So we listened to the demo and Shane doesn't think it's sh*te. He would like to possibly produce a couple of the songs if you are coming to Ireland.' Galia asked Shane to write liner notes 'It so happened that at that time I had booked a tour to Ireland with my friend, blues musician Kirsten Thien, to play a few gigs in Dublin.' In the meantime, Galia received Shane MacGowan's hand written liner notes for her album. 'I've never felt so out of control of something that I've wanted more than these f**king liner notes,' she laughs. 'It was very stressful for me because I wanted them so bad. 'But I had got the liner notes in seven different pages, written in capital letters, and they were crazy but perfect. It was just one of the happiest moments of my life. 'Before the recording, which Joey set up, he organised for me and Kirsten to support Republic Of Loose at the UCD Fresher's Ball. Nervous 'Joe said, 'I'm going to bring Shane to see you.' 'They arrived in after we started performing, Joey in his motorcycle gear waving frantically at the front, and then I spotted Shane slipping in at the side. 'That night I drank way too much and got very sick, probably the sickest I've ever been. That is the price you pay for having the craic with Shane MacGowan.' When it came to the day of the recording, Galia feared the worst when there was no sign of MacGowan. Galia has been doing gigs with Jools Holland 'Shane didn't turn up and as the hours slipped away it looked like it wasn't going to happen. Everything felt so precarious,' she says. 'I was so nervous it wasn't going to happen. 'But he came 10 hours late, and then in the studio I couldn't understand what he was saying when he was giving me direction and that was also quite stressful. Galia asked Shane to write liner notes, right, for her album, and he also worked with her in the studio Today's News in 90 Seconds - July 7th 'But he was very kind and I didn't feel uncomfortable.' MacGowan ended up singing on a couple of the tracks, including one called Four Leaf Lover Boy, as well as producing them. Galia now tours with Jools Holland and she reveals that is another gift from MacGowan. 'Shane got the gig to support Jools and included me, and then he had to pull out of that tour,' she reveals. Gigs 'They said 'we'll still have Galia.' And since then I've been doing Jools Holland gigs and it's all thanks to Shane. And he's the reason, along with Joey, that I've made Dublin my home.'
Sunday World
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Sunday World
Shane MacGowan's sister and widow delighted by Bob Dylan's cover of Pogues' classic
Fans have shared clips of the performance online with one describing it as "the most beautiful thing I've ever heard' Shane MacGowan's sister Siobhan and his widow Victoria Mary Clark have both hailed Bob Dylan's cover version of The Pogues' classic 'A Rainy Night in Soho' that he performed live this week. Dylan took to the stage during the opening night of Willie Nelson's Outlaw Music Festival Tour, which the American rocker was co-headlining. The iconic singer and song-writer sat down at the piano at the close of his gig at the Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre in Phoenix, Arizona, on Tuesday, IrishCentral reports. It was the first time he performed the song, which was originally written by MacGowan, who died in November 2023, live. Fans have shared clips of the performance online – with one describing it as "the most beautiful thing I've ever heard." Bob Dylan News in 90 Seconds - May 16th A delighted Siobhan posted on social media that it would have meant the world to her brother. "When I was a kid I listened to the constant sound of @bobdylan playing in Shane's room," Siobhan wrote. Victoria Mary Clark said her husband "spent hours and hours and hours listening to Dylan and watching footage of him and he was very grateful for the mutual respect." The US star had invited The Pogues to open for him during his North American tour in the autumn of 1989 but MacGowan infamously collapsed at London's Heathrow Airport, leaving the rest of the band to fly out to California without him. We need your consent to load this Social Media content. We use a number of different Social Media outlets to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review your details and accept them to load the content Rolling Stone reported afterwards that MacGowan missed all the Dylan shows but was forgiven when Dylan last played in Dublin in November 2022 when MacGowan was special guest at the concert at the 3Arena. During the gig, Dylan only addressed the crowd once, to send a greeting to "one of our favourite artists', Hot Press reported. "We hope he makes another record soon," Dylan said, adding: "'Fairytale Of New York' is close to all of our hearts and we listen to it every Christmas..." MacGowan joined Dylan and his entourage at the InterContinental in Dublin after the gig as, according to friend and manager Joey Cashman: "Bob was very keen to meet up with Shane when he was in Dublin and his people were on a fair bit trying to set it up. "There's a lot of respect there and Dylan was the one who booked the Pogues to open for him back in the day, even though Shane didn't actually make it,' he told the Irish Sun at the time. "I have a theory that Dylan didn't realise Shane never made it out to the States because the band were so good without him. "That tour was crazy and I became good friends with Dylan's son Jesse along the way. "Dylan had his people get in contact and Shane was reluctant because he wasn't feeling well but then he decided he wanted to go, he couldn't miss out on the chance. "We went to the hotel and let reception know that Shane had arrived. Bob was downstairs within ten minutes. "So we had a meal in his hotel on Sunday. It turned into a late one." Last year, the Bob Dylan Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma, hosted the "They Gave The Walls A Talking" exhibition, which was on loan from EPIC: The Irish Emigration Museum in Dublin. Dedicated to the legacy of The Pogues and MacGowan, it was the first time an exhibit dedicated to someone other than Dylan was featured.
