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Irish Examiner
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Examiner
Jason Manford on his Irish roots, and how humour kept him out of trouble in Manchester
Jason Manford likely got the performing bug from his mother's side of the family. His maternal grandparents, a folk-singing duo called The Peates, emigrated from Dublin to Manchester in the 1950s. Later, they jumped on the showband wagon. As a kid, Manford, now 44, remembers his grandmother, Nora, playing in Irish bars on Sunday afternoons in the 1980s. 'My memory of those afternoons is sitting under the pool table with me brothers eating crisps hearing my nana singing, Grace or The Fields of Athenry. At some point, my parents worked out that I was able to sing. Nana took a shine to me because of that. As soon as I was able to sing, I'd get up and sing a few songs with her. 'I think, always, I had an idea of what might be funny. From an early age, maybe eight, I used to sing In the Ghetto by Elvis, which is not a funny song, but obviously it's funny because an eight-year-old is singing it. I would try and do a bit of an Elvis impression – the karate kick, a lip curl and shaking the hips. I remember it used to make people laugh. 'My Uncle Michael, the eldest, probably the only one of my uncles and aunties born in Ireland, and the only one with an Irish accent, was hilarious. I loved watching him because he was such a funny performer. He was talented. He did everything – he sang, he played the guitar. He could properly yodel, which is such a funny thing to do. That classic Irish thing where almost the talking between the songs is as entertaining as the songs.' During summer months, Manford came over to Ireland for a couple of weeks' holidays, running amok with his cousins around Templeogue, Dublin. His father is 'very English', so religion wasn't a big part of their lives growing up. He was shocked by how long mass lasted in a Catholic church. 'In C of E, you're in and out,' he says. 'In 25 minutes, he's said his thing. Off you go. In Dublin, it was a case of, 'Are we still here?' It felt like everything in Ireland was a little bit stricter because of the religious element. There were a lot more rules – 'You can't do that,' 'you can't say that' kind of thing. Back in Manchester, things felt a bit more feral.' Jason Manford grew up in Moss Side, near Manchester City's old Maine Road stadium. (Photo by) He adds: 'It's funny, in the UK when I'm on tour, a cousin somewhere or an uncle will occasionally get in touch, and go, 'Oh, Jason, I know you're in Preston this week. I wondered if it's possible to get two tickets. I don't mind paying.' Then I come to Dublin, and I get a phone call from some cousin I've seen three times in me life: 'Jason, can I get 40 tickets?' They ask for all sorts. 'Can you do a meet-and-greet with my girlfriend?' They're not shy about coming forward in Ireland.' Manford grew up on Moss Side, part of inner-city Manchester, home to Manchester City's old stadium, Maine Road. It was a tough neighbourhood, notoriously dubbed 'The Triangle of Death' because of gang violence. Many of Manford's classmates are either dead or in prison. He used his knack for humour as a survival tool. 'Humour was massive for me during my childhood – learning to have a laugh,' he says. 'Learning to laugh at yourself is the most important thing you can learn as a human being. If you don't take things seriously, you're not quick to snap if someone says something provocative. You've always got a way of getting out of things with words rather than actions or being physical. 'If you're funny at school, you can have a laugh with everybody, whether it's the nerds or the bullies. You can get away with things. Bullies didn't pick on me necessarily because I always had something to say, I might be a bit mouthy. Generally, bullies are not good with their words so they wouldn't go toe to toe with you when it comes to arguments, certainly in front of other people or girls. Humour kept me out of trouble. 'Comedy was always something I was interested in. Being witty meant grown-ups noticed me more. The odd teacher noticed me and thought of me for certain things. When I got to high school, our deputy head teacher, Mr. Wiley, if there were any presenting things he needed doing, he would often ask me. Obviously, that's part of the reason my life has shaped the way it is because of someone like him.' Manford was still a teenager when he first did live stand-up in 1999. He was working at a comedy club in Manchester as a glass collector when a comedian booked to perform failed to show up. Manford stepped into the breach and never looked back. He's built an impressive career on the stand-up circuit and is a regular on UK television light entertainment shows. In 2012, Manford made his West End debut in a musical; he's performed lead roles in several musicals, including Jack in Jack and the Beanstalk and Prince Charming in Cinderella. He hasn't yodelled on stage yet, like his Uncle Michael, but his quick-fire comedy chops are always on hand to get him out of a jam if needed. He recalls an incident on stage in Northern Ireland a few years after a 1996 Provisional IRA bombing of city-centre Manchester, close to a shopping centre. 'I remember one of my very early gigs was in Belfast,' he says. 'Belfast now is very different to Belfast around the time coming out of the Northern Ireland Peace Process. We were one of the first sets of English comics to go over and play in the centre of Belfast. There was a guy on, from London before me, and the audience ruined him. I went on, and I said, 'I'm from Manchester.' A guy made a heckle, 'Did you enjoy the bomb?' The whole crowd were like, 'Ooh, that's too far.' I said, 'Well, nobody died, and we got a new NEXT.' That helped to diffuse the situation.' Jason Manford is on a nationwide tour, including Cork's The Everyman, Friday, July 25. See: Jason Manford – Five of his jokes 'Today a man knocked on my door and asked for a small donation towards the local swimming pool. I gave him a glass of water.' 'I spent two years in therapy for my Phil Collins addiction, but I did it. Against all odds. Just take a look at me now.' 'Me and my wife decided we don't want kids. So, if anyone wants them, we can drop them off tomorrow.' 'I don't hate ginger people. Don't get me wrong, I like ginger people. They were the only people who stopped me from getting bullied at school.' ''Do not touch' must be the worst thing to read in braille.'
Daily Record
11-06-2025
- Daily Record
How crime boss Jamie Daniel's death led to fresh violence in long-running Lyons feud
Crime Reporter Norman Silvester's series on the history of Scotland's notorious gangland war today examines the death of crime boss Jamie Daniel and how it led to a fresh wave of violence. In July 2016, feared Glasgow crime boss Jamie Daniel died following a four-year battle with cancer. From humble beginnings shoplifting, loan-sharking and stealing car wheels he had become one of Scotland's most powerful and wealthy underworld figures with criminal connections across the UK and even further afield. But that empire like Jamie was coming to an end. His death, at the age of 58 seriously weakened the Daniel family with no obvious replacement in sight. Their bitter rivals the Lyons had murdered Jamie's enforcer and son in law Kevin "Gerbil" Carroll six years earlier. They had also forged an alliance with the powerful Irish Kinahan organised crime group, now based in Dubai, with global connections in the drugs market. Among the mourners on the day of Jamie Daniel's funeral at Clydebank Crematorium was his 26-year-old son Zander Sutherland, who was then serving a 13-and-a-half year term for heroin dealing. He was allowed out of prison under guard to help helped carry his father's coffin into the crematorium. Six months earlier at an appeal hearing in Edinburgh Zander Sutherland asked for his sentence to be cut, claiming he was born into a life of crime and had been brought up by a criminal family. He also claimed he had been under pressure to join the "family business", so wasn't entirely to blame for his actions. Sutherland claimed he was only at director level in the operation and not the Chief Executive. His appeal was rejected and Sutherland told his 13-year term for heroin dealing was "reasonable". However appeal judge Lord Carloway added:"The appellant raised an interesting point about the effect of an offender coming from a criminally oriented family." On the day of his father's funeral Elvis Presley 's classic hit In the Ghetto was played as the 600 mourners packed the crematorium. They included Daniel's 41-year-old wife Debbi, his three brothers, son Francis "Fraggle" Green and daughter Kelly Green. The 30-minute non-religious service, carried out by a civil celebrant, made no reference to Daniel's criminal past but instead described him as a loving family man who had fathered 10 children. A scrap metal dealer who enjoyed bungee jumping, hunting, jet skiing, playing pool and supporting Rangers The celebrant added: "He was someone who liked to be in control and was usually two steps ahead of everyone else. "You either loved him or hated him. But Jamie liked it that way." Jamie Daniel's underworld dominance had remained secret until January 2003 when our sister paper the Sunday Mail named him as the number one criminal in Scotland in their award winning Crime Inc series. Then his criminal empire was said to be worth £16 million a year. Over the years Jamie Daniel earned a reputation as someone not to be crossed. Two doorman who had attacked a family member at a Glasgow nightclub were said to have had their cars blown up. And in 2000, Daniel was linked to the murder of drug dealer Frank McPhie, a career criminal who was shot in the head by a sniper outside his home in Maryhill, Glasgow. McPhie was said to have assaulted a Daniel family weeks earlier. The murder to this day remains unsolved. At the time of his his death Daniel's main business was believed to be cigarette smuggling, earning up to £1million a month. Apart from a four-year sentence for heroin dealing in 1983, and 12 months for a road rage attack in 2010, Daniel was always one step ahead of the law. In August a 2019 Channel Five TV documentary claimed he had used contacts with a Scottish Asian family to ship large quantities of heroin from Pakistan into Scotland. Former Detective Inspector David Moran who had investigated the murder of Kevin Carroll six years earlier added:"He had the reputation of being one or two steps ahead of the police and pretty much untouchable" The Lyons responded to Daniel's death with a brutal campaign of violence and intimidation, which included five attempted murders in five months. In December 2016 a nephew of Jamie Daniel. who cannot be named for legal reasons, was attacked in house in Robroyston, Glasgow, and hit on the back of the head with a machete and seriously injured. A month later a 31 year old Daniel associate suffered a fractured skull after he was set apon in Glasgow's Cranhill. The next victim, Gary Petty, was attacked outside an Italian takeaway in Maryhill, Glasgow on March 2017. A Ryan Fitzsimmons, 34, was attacked and seriously injured by a masked gang the following month outside his home in Clydebank. His only crime was that his older brother Martyn had been charged with shooting Lyons associate Ross Monaghan. The most savage attack was on Steven "Bonzo" Daniel in May 2017 - also Jamie Daniel's nephew. He was chased through Glasgow by two cars after attending a Rangers game at Ibrox Daniel's car eventually crashed on an off ramp of the M8 in the Port Dundas area. He was subjected to a horrific attack with machetes and knives which left him with facial wounds so severe that police initially thought he had been shot. In May 2019 six associates of the Lyons family were jailed for a total of 104 years at the High Court in Glasgow after being found guilty of the five murder plots. The judge, Lord Mulholland, told the gang: "You sought to turn Glasgow into a war zone for your feud. "There is no place for this type of conduct, retribution or the law of the jungle." Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. Graeme Pearson saw the rise of the two factions during his time as Director General of the Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency between 2004 and 2007. At that time organised crime groups like the Lyons and Daniel families were increasing their wealth by purchasing drugs directly from Europe rather than traditional sources south of the border in cities like Liverpool and London. Mr Pearson, who is also a former Labour MSP and party justice spokesman, saw how their operations began to resemble the boards of large companies with directors and chief executives. He said:"Anyone who knew anything about criminals in Glasgow knew there was an ongoing feud and ill will between the two families. "The local police were getting information and they were getting evidence and and they were convicting people. "What changed was the sheer wealth that came into play when the drugs business went to a new stage. "They discovered that the European market was an easy place to do business." Mr Pearson believes one way of stopping the never ending violence is more cops on the beat disrupting the day to day activities of gang members. He would also like to see tougher Proceeds of Crime Laws to target their illegal earnings Mr Pearson added:"If you allow dirty money to infect clean money you take it all. "That's where you really hurt them." Mr Pearson also wants the UK Government working with the authorities in Dubai to prevent organised crime groups like the Lyons and Daniels operating there. Senior members of both factions are currently behind bars where the violence has continued. Prison officials have been forced to keep the rivals in separate jails. Since March there has been a string of attacks in Edinburgh and Glasgow on Daniel family members and their associates with police making more than 40 arrests in a crackdown codenamed Operation Portaledge. The violence is said to have been orchestrated by Dubai based ex-Rangers ultra and Union Bears leader Ross McGill, as a reprisal against Edinburgh Daniel associate Mark Richardson over a £500,000 cocaine deal allegedly paid for with fake money. Lyons crime boss Steven Lyons has also been based out in the UAE for a number of years where he has strengthened links with the Kinahans. In the latest development on May 31 two members of the Lyons crime clan Ross Monaghan and Eddie Lyons jnr were shot dead at an Irish bar owned by Monaghan in the Spanish holiday resort of Fuengirola near Malaga. Lyons was in the resort on a golfing holiday with fellow members of Dullatur Golf Club in Cumbernauld and had taken them to the bar to watch the Champions League Final. Eddie Jnr was short first then the killer turned his gun on Monaghan before escaping in a waiting getaway car. Mr Pearson said of the long running Lyons-Daniel feud:"Their people are sitting in our prisons and they are a threat to the prison system. At the same time they are reaching out into the communities from within prison and trying to maintain their power. "On the back of that you have the new first division coming through who are saying these old guys are in the jail, we don't need to bother with them, we'll do our own thing and that creates the violence we now witness." TOMORROW: The tangled web of friends and enemies of the gangland kingpins shot dead in the Costa Del Sol.
Forbes
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Return Of The King: A Special Elvis Presley Concert Event In Las Vegas
Las Vegas attracts the biggest acts in music, but few have made as big an impact as Elvis Presley, ... More who still spawns impersonators worldwide Residencies by musical stars are all the rage in Las Vegas, and Canadian superstar Celine Dion is credited with kick-starting the current wave. But while frequent repeat performances in Las Vegas actually date back to the Rat Pack and Frank Sinatra, it was the King, Elvis Presley, who pioneered the concept of the residency. Now you can once again catch Elvis Presley in Las Vegas--sort of. Elvis exploded onto the music scene in the mid-Fifties, and for many years he was the biggest act in the world. But in the Sixties he spent more time in Hollywood then performing and recording music, rolling out a series of largely underperforming movies and slipping from the public consciousness, even as rival rock acts such as the Beatles rose in prominence. By 1968 Elvis was considered past his prime by many in the entertainment business, but a televised 'comeback special,' was a huge success that changed all that and put him back firmly in the national spotlight. The next year he released a wave of new hits that brought in an even bigger audience, including In the Ghetto, Kentucky Rain and mega-hit Suspicious Minds. This set the stage for his legendary love 1969 comeback concerts in Las Vegas. Elvis Presley on his famous 1969 comeback tour in Las Vegas Elvis was booked to perform 57 shows over four weeks (unlike today's stars he often did two performances a night) in the 2,000-seat theater of the new International Hotel, the biggest, shiniest thing in Las Vegas at the time. At one point the largest hotel in the world, it was the work of airline executive Kirk Kerkorian who would later develop MGM Resorts, now the biggest casino hotel player in Vegas. The International opened with Barbara Streisand as headliner, but on July 31,1969 Elvis took over. His initial run broke all Vegas entertainment records and was extended again and again until he had been at the International for seven years and 636 consecutive shows—every one of them sold out. This part of his career was showcased in the recent biopic movie Elvis directed by Baz Luhrmann. By the end of his career, Presley sold more than one billion records worldwide and received 14 Grammy nominations and three wins. Today the International is the Westgate Las Vegas, and it is still a key part of Elvis Presley history and his legacy, with a prominent bronze statue of him in the lobby, which fans still adorn with flowers and gifts. His original dressing room beneath the stage, complete with private bar, has been partially preserved (part of it is now for current long-term Westgate musical resident Barry Manilow), as was his 30th floor residential suite. The Westgate offers historic Elvis tours and an annual 3-day King of Las Vegas Elvis festival every summer. The Westgate Las Vegas, home of Elvis Presley's legendary sold-out record breaking residency But this year Elvis would have been 90, and the Westgate, which has long been the main keeper of the Elvis historical flame in Sin City, is running a calendar of special events, anchored by the one night only 1969 Live Concert: The King Returns, on Thursday, July 31, 2025 the same date as his iconic 1969 debut concert. Internationally acclaimed Elvis tribute artist Travis Powell will historically recreate the show from the night Elvis made his triumphant return to live performances. With nine back-up singers and an eight-piece band, numbers that exactly replicate the original concert, the cast will deliver an identical setlist to the night 56 years ago that turned the music scene on its head and made Elvis into the original Las Vegas headliner in residence. Songs include Suspicious Minds, Love Me Tender, Jailhouse Rock, Heartbreak Hotel, Can't Help Falling in Love, Blue Suede Shoes, All Shook Up, In the Ghetto, and Are You Lonesome Tonight? Obviously, Elvis Presley himself will not be back on stage, but for fans who never had a chance to catch the historic show—less than two weeks after man walked on the moon for the first time—this is about as close as you can get. I would love to be there for this one-time historic reenactment, which I am sure will capture the feel of a concert I was too young to attend more than half a century ago. Unfortunately, I have a conflict and will miss the event, but maybe they will reprise it in a decade for Elvis' 100th. Las Vegas has a long history of tribute shows. impersonators and carrying on epic musical legacies, including high profile shows such as Cirque Du Soleil tributes to the Beatles and Michael Jackson, and most recently singer/guitarist John Mayer subbing for late Grateful Dead front man Jerry Garcia with Dead & Company at the Sphere. I previously wrote a story about the Sphere, the huge new Las Vegas attraction and most technologically advanced concert venue on earth, here at Forbes. By modern concert tour standards and especially for Las Vegas, the special one-night show is practically free, with tickets from $10-$45. Immediately following the concert, the Westgate will open its Cabaret Theater for a late-night encore that is actually free, and from 9:00 PM to Midnight, guests can enjoy complimentary non-stop performances from another acclaimed Elvis tribute show, The King Comes Home.
