Lillywhite dishes

[DzM]

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ire ... 91478.html

Lillywhite (55) has been synonymous with U2 from the beginning having produced or co-produced almost all their studio albums. He also produced some of The Pogues’s best work and his late wife Kirsty McColl’s vocal was part of what made Fairytale of New York an all-time classic.

Lillywhite described Pogues singer Shane MacGowan as an “underachiever” who knows his best work is behind him.

“Shane MacGowan has not recorded a song recently because it wouldn’t be any good,” he said.

“He is one of the most talented people I’ve ever met, but he is also an underachiever. Sometimes such a fantastic natural talent means you don’t have to try so hard. Bono is the biggest overachiever I’ve ever met. His talent is not inconsiderable, but what sets him so far ahead of everybody else is his determination. “That determination to succeed is overachieving.”

[mmcilwee]

http://www.atu2.com/news/producer-admit ... ilure.html

Hope Shane has something up his sleeve if stories about new recordings are true...

[lavabe]

what lillywhite says sounds sad but true in my opinion. no album in more than 13 years.....13 years of "best of-live- sets" sounds not like an musician with ambitions.....looking forward to an new album though...but i expect nothing.

[in_the_morning]

I understand what Lillywhite means and to some degree I think he is right, but on the other hand, what Shane does is up to him. I hate the whole idea of being an "overachiever" or an "underachiever"...yes, I'm, sure that Shane could have done more, he could have written many many more brilliant songs (although I don't know how many greats he wrote that never saw the light of day) and it is a bit annoying that his last album was CoG in 1997. BUT so what? He wrote some masterpieces that won't be forgotten for a very very long time and it's up to him what he does and what he does not. Everybody's got the right to do or not do what they want with their talents and stuff. I personally still celebrate the stuff he did and I think I'll be celebrating it in the future, because it's sooo good. Of course I don't only celebrate him but the Pogues as an eight-piece band with all the individual talents and musicians. Always keeping in mind the talent and creativity of all the other Pogues as well and the work they've done to get Shane's ideas together and on tape...I hate people who don't recognise the brilliancy of the other bandmembers, they are as wonderful as Shane is. Excuse the bad english....anyway, if the story with the new album is true, that is something to really look forward to. But I don't believe it until I see it clearly and sober in my own hands.

[philipchevron]

I understand what Lillywhite means and to some degree I think he is right, but on the other hand, what Shane does is up to him. I hate the whole idea of being an "overachiever" or an "underachiever"...yes, I'm, sure that Shane could have done more, he could have written many many more brilliant songs (although I don't know how many greats he wrote that never saw the light of day) and it is a bit annoying that his last album was CoG in 1997. BUT so what? He wrote some masterpieces that won't be forgotten for a very very long time and it's up to him what he does and what he does not. Everybody's got the right to do or not do what they want with their talents and stuff. I personally still celebrate the stuff he did and I think I'll be celebrating it in the future, because it's sooo good. Of course I don't only celebrate him but the Pogues as an eight-piece band with all the individual talents and musicians. Always keeping in mind the talent and creativity of all the other Pogues as well and the work they've done to get Shane's ideas together and on tape...I hate people who don't recognise the brilliancy of the other bandmembers, they are as wonderful as Shane is. Excuse the bad english....anyway, if the story with the new album is true, that is something to really look forward to. But I don't believe it until I see it clearly and sober in my own hands.

Certainly, Steve Lillywhite absolutely recognized that the Pogues was very much an 8-piece concern and what made him a great producer, I think, is that he found ways to reflect this in the work. Lillywhite always felt he had failed to some degree if he had not coaxed the best out of each Pogue, but his genius was that he knew that there frequently had to be eight different and parallel ways of making this happen.

I think his point about underachievers and overachievers boils down to the idea that Shane is a great natural talent and Bono is a hard worker. Given more time to elaborate, I feel Steve would certainly qualify and moderate both positions. In any case, as he has only met Shane once in the past decade, and seen the Pogues - minus Shane - only once in that time, at a soundcheck, he is perhaps not best placed to be making such judgments at all.

[DzM]

In any case, as he has only met Shane once in the past decade, and seen the Pogues - minus Shane - only once in that time, at a soundcheck

Are you certain? I SWEAR I remember having to fight the urge to pester him at one of the Nokia shows in 2006. Not that it make any difference to your point, of course.

[philipchevron]

In any case, as he has only met Shane once in the past decade, and seen the Pogues - minus Shane - only once in that time, at a soundcheck

Are you certain? I SWEAR I remember having to fight the urge to pester him at one of the Nokia shows in 2006. Not that it make any difference to your point, of course.

OK, so he stayed for the show? I misremembered - my recollection is he had to hurry away after the soundcheck, but I'm happy to have the matter clarified by an actual witness.

[DzM]

In any case, as he has only met Shane once in the past decade, and seen the Pogues - minus Shane - only once in that time, at a soundcheck

Are you certain? I SWEAR I remember having to fight the urge to pester him at one of the Nokia shows in 2006. Not that it make any difference to your point, of course.

OK, so he stayed for the show? I misremembered - my recollection is he had to hurry away after the soundcheck, but I'm happy to have the matter clarified by an actual witness.

Well ... I can't promise that he was there. I don't personally know the guy. But there WAS a table on the stage-right VIP lounge (long story) with a sign on it that read "RESERVED STEVE LILLYWHITE" and there was a middle-aged blonde guy sitting at that table who looked vaguely as I'd imagine a Steve Lillywhite looking. And I totally wanted to pester him but resisted. Yay me. I couldn't swear that he was there for the entire show, but I'm nearly certain he was there for several songs.

[philipchevron]

In any case, as he has only met Shane once in the past decade, and seen the Pogues - minus Shane - only once in that time, at a soundcheck

Are you certain? I SWEAR I remember having to fight the urge to pester him at one of the Nokia shows in 2006. Not that it make any difference to your point, of course.

OK, so he stayed for the show? I misremembered - my recollection is he had to hurry away after the soundcheck, but I'm happy to have the matter clarified by an actual witness.

Well ... I can't promise that he was there. I don't personally know the guy. But there WAS a table on the stage-right VIP lounge (long story) with a sign on it that read "RESERVED STEVE LILLYWHITE" and there was a middle-aged blonde guy sitting at that table who looked vaguely as I'd imagine a Steve Lillywhite looking. And I totally wanted to pester him but resisted. Yay me. I couldn't swear that he was there for the entire show, but I'm nearly certain he was there for several songs.

He didn't remove the RESERVED sign? Now that's what I call drawing attention to yourself! I'm going with "overachiever" on that one.

[DzM]

Well ... I can't promise that he was there. I don't personally know the guy. But there WAS a table on the stage-right VIP lounge (long story) with a sign on it that read "RESERVED STEVE LILLYWHITE" and there was a middle-aged blonde guy sitting at that table who looked vaguely as I'd imagine a Steve Lillywhite looking. And I totally wanted to pester him but resisted. Yay me. I couldn't swear that he was there for the entire show, but I'm nearly certain he was there for several songs.

He didn't remove the RESERVED sign? Now that's what I call drawing attention to yourself! I'm going with "overachiever" on that one.

I don't think Ms. Moss removed hers either. A photo I have somehow tells me that the signs were in little metal frames on the tables, so maybe they felt it was going to be more difficult than it was worth to try to remove them.

I find it comforting to know that overachievers can be really lazy about other things.


EDIT: And now, actually checking the photo, tells me the signs were on those little wire stands with a spring-metal circle in the middle with a piece of folded paper jammed into the circle. So removal would be Slightly Less Hard, but I suppose it could have been done.

[philipchevron]

Well ... I can't promise that he was there. I don't personally know the guy. But there WAS a table on the stage-right VIP lounge (long story) with a sign on it that read "RESERVED STEVE LILLYWHITE" and there was a middle-aged blonde guy sitting at that table who looked vaguely as I'd imagine a Steve Lillywhite looking. And I totally wanted to pester him but resisted. Yay me. I couldn't swear that he was there for the entire show, but I'm nearly certain he was there for several songs.

He didn't remove the RESERVED sign? Now that's what I call drawing attention to yourself! I'm going with "overachiever" on that one.

I don't think Ms. Moss removed hers either. A photo I have somehow tells me that the signs were in little metal frames on the tables, so maybe they felt it was going to be more difficult than it was worth to try to remove them.

I find it comforting to know that overachievers can be really lazy about other things.

Joaquin Phoenix went a bit funny after that gig.

[DzM]

Joaquin Phoenix went a bit funny after that gig.

Funny you should mention Mr. Phoenix. I removed a sentence or two about him and his manager/handler/rough-neck from one of the posts above.

After all this latest "I'm Still Here" flap I found myself saying "Who is this Joaquin Phoenix guy? Beard. Sunglasses. He doesn't look familiar at all." I Googled up some images and suddenly flashed "Hey! That's that guy from that show! The one whose rough-neck forcefully let some drunk asshole know that his attentions were not appreciated by Mr. Phoenix!"

Turns out he (Mr. Phoenix) went nuts after that show, I guess. And then went un-nuts. It's hard to keep track.

[phro37]

the other day i was eating a sandwich and the plate it was on smelled like rotten egg. gotta do a better job of warshing them......

[FAY]

“He is one of the most talented people I’ve ever met, but he is also an underachiever. Sometimes such a fantastic natural talent means you don’t have to try so hard. Bono is the biggest overachiever I’ve ever met. His talent is not inconsiderable, but what sets him so far ahead of everybody else is his determination. “That determination to succeed is overachieving.”

I could have been someone. Well so could anyone.

[PaulMcC]

Steve Lillywhite may have a point regarding Shane. He's hardly been setting the music world alight with new songs. As much as I dream of new Shane/Pogues material, their recorded legacy is there for all to hear. It's their choice whether they wish to add to that.

U2, and too many other bands I can't be arsed mentioning, have recorded great material in the PAST. Yet, they insist on churning out mediocre albums every year or two.


Okay, that's my soapbox going back in the cupboard!