The Medusa Fora

Mr. C, first, I know it's been said countless times, but I wanted to thank you for simply spending time on this board. I dont post often but I check the board every day, and I think the fact that an actual member of the band is willing to come here and interact with fans is simply an amazing thing.

My question: Are you or have you been writing much lately, or in the past few years? I know you wrote some material for the Radiators record, but aside from that?
Also, since this is the Pogues forum, do you write or try to write music or songs in the "tradition" so to speak, along the lines of Thousands are Sailing?
I have a book called "The Irish in America"..kind of a "coffee table book" (never expected to end up on anyones coffe table, huh?)..... and in the section covering the Irish-U.S. immigration during the famine years, they have the lyrics to "Thousands" on one of the pages. I just thought that was the greatest thing, to have such a brilliant lyric mentioned in that book. That is possibly, the one single song that sums up the struggle, pain, heartache, hopes and dreams of a people in an eloquent way.
Again, thanks for your time. All the best.

paddywhacker wrote:Mr. C, first, I know it's been said countless times, but I wanted to thank you for simply spending time on this board. I dont post often but I check the board every day, and I think the fact that an actual member of the band is willing to come here and interact with fans is simply an amazing thing.

My question: Are you or have you been writing much lately, or in the past few years? I know you wrote some material for the Radiators record, but aside from that?
Also, since this is the Pogues forum, do you write or try to write music or songs in the "tradition" so to speak, along the lines of Thousands are Sailing?
I have a book called "The Irish in America"..kind of a "coffee table book" (never expected to end up on anyones coffe table, huh?)..... and in the section covering the Irish-U.S. immigration during the famine years, they have the lyrics to "Thousands" on one of the pages. I just thought that was the greatest thing, to have such a brilliant lyric mentioned in that book. That is possibly, the one single song that sums up the struggle, pain, heartache, hopes and dreams of a people in an eloquent way.
Again, thanks for your time. All the best.

Thanks for your kind words PW.

Not only has "1000s" ended up on people's coffee tables, but it is in several educational text books as well. I'm not sure how I feel about that except better it's me than Frank McCourt. I never went to college. Now that Martin Sheen is at Trinity, perhaps I'll join him. "1000s" was written very much in the form of an Irish-American vaudeville song of around 1903-1919 (George M Cohan, Nora Bayes, Billy Murray, Maggie Cline, Blanche Ring, Marguerite O'Farrell etc) and earlier (Harrigan & Hart) because I wanted the content to be echoed (partly) in the form, so there was an actual reason there for consciously writing "in the tradition".

By comparison, "Manhattan Moon" from my musical Jack Rooney: In Person (Kirsty MacColl's recording of the song is on her From Croydon To Cuba box set) deals with immigration themes from a more upbeat point of view and the music, in consequence, travels from East European kletzmer folk song to ragtime to jazz in quick succession, telling the story from a different angle I suppose. I have been writing the musical since 1996 but put it aside in 2001 (by which time I had written about 3/4 of it) to allow it to grow some more content. I'll probably return to it next year sometime.

I am always writing, it's in my bones. What I am NOT always doing is FINISHING. That's the bit where you have to impose order on your ideas and share them with the world. Much of the finishing of my 7 songs on the new Radiators album took place in the final week of recording/mixing, as though 28 years were not a sufficient deadline.

Mr. C wrote:
Who else here digs this fabulous crooner's music "1000s" was written very much in the form of an Irish-American vaudeville song of around 1903-1919 (George M Cohan, Nora Bayes, Billy Murray, Maggie Cline, Blanche
year sometime.

.

Billy Murray was great in "Groundhog Day" and "Rushmore"

I am always writing, it's in my bones. What I am NOT always doing is FINISHING. That's the bit where you have to impose order on your ideas and share them with the world. Much of the finishing of my 7 songs on the new Radiators album took place in the final week of recording/mixing, as though 28 years were not a sufficient deadline.

I kinda know what you mean. I guess it's the same for established writers as it is for someone like me who is unknown, writes "crap" , who has been writing for years but doesnt play in a band at the moment. I have notebooks of verses, lines etc. RARELY, for me anyway, does that material make it to a "final" form...the ones that just come out of nowhere and take 10 minutes to an hour or so are the only ones that really get completed.

Oi think oi have similar problem, seems oi wroite half of the song or so and oim pleased with what oi did, but oi can't finish it and adding additional loines just for the sake of having the song finished usually means oim not pleased with added loines... so oi wait and wait and wait for sth to come up sometoimes it does, but the best stuff from me point of view is when oi have the complete song in me head, then oi just run for the paper and in few minutes its done and oim pleased with it, the more simple it comes, the better it is oim sure, too much "working", "thinking" and "wroiting lyrics as a job" ruins the purity and spirit of the song.

Oim very very young and unexperienced in terms of wroting lyrics but so far me conclusion is that a good song comes natural, it must be pure, powerful, simple, its inspired by strong events or strong feelings and thinking. Oi guess thats the answer why the real deal is not "now oim gonna sit at me desk and wroite some lyrics", the best stuff comes almost loike by accident, by chance..

Get yourself a Muse Orish

Oi would.. but oim stuck in Serbia, oi don't wanna Serbian Muse

Billy Murray? Wasn't he a Ghost Buster?

There's nothing quite like a deadline to finish a song. I think there are a fair number of other things to remember, such as if you're any good other people will like your song more than you do. Also, you're the song writer, you can always change it later. Another is to show it to someone else, maybe they can finish it up for you and then you will have collaberated, which sounds very grown up and clever. Finally, no matter what you write someone in the world will hate it and someone in the world will love it, so finish the songs and play them for the people that love them.

Now if I could follow half that advice I'd be knocking out songs by the week.