Eoin Butler: writer, journalist and Mayoman of the Year

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Miscellaneous Amusing Items I’ve Come Across #23

dempsey hope
On the wall of that pub opposite Bus Aras. Context anyone…? I gotta admit, the singer in question is a troubling one for me. On the one hand, he’s as raw and unstylized as a Grandma Moses picture or something. On the other, his analyses of every social issue he’s tackled (and, boy, he’s tackled practically all of them) have abeen incredibly naive and simple-minded.

Now I’d have no problem pointing out as much if he was from Dundalk or Drumshanbo. Is there some reason I should pretend not to notice this just because he’s from Donaghmede?

January 21st, 2010.

16 Responses to “Miscellaneous Amusing Items I’ve Come Across #23”

  1. Andrew Says:

    No, there’s no reason to pretend not to notice at all. I wonder sometimes if his career is largely built on the more patronising tendencies of a lot of music fans. Giving out about the way things are doesn’t automatically make you the irish Bob Dylan.

  2. Morrissey Says:

    you could put down damo gives me dope,i dont want to be associated with this,i’m not gay either,also my best album is called “best of the smiths”.we’ll say no more.

  3. Eoin Says:

    @ Andrew – agreed. Everyone took the piss out of Dolores O’Riordan’s take on Northern Ireland when Zombee came out. But this guy piles on about the Great Gaels of Ireland and being Cursed with a Brain and all you hear are patronising plaudits.

    @ Morrissey – you’ve a Dublin IP address. After some consideration, I’m gonna come right out and say this. Dan, Dan, Dan, Dan, Dan.

  4. damo Says:

    Bloggers criti soizin me
    Has been happenin since i was tree
    Why can dey not see
    Da hort its causin me
    Its a pain in de gee
    Oh yes siree

  5. Eoin Says:

    That might be your best yet Damo.

  6. alison Says:

    Personally I’ve always loved Damian’s music, enjoyed listening to his albums and seeing him in concert. Just because he isn’t Irish Times material doesn’t take away from the fact that a lot of people get a lot of pleasure from listening to this fantastic artist.

  7. alison Says:

    Also worth noting that you criticise Damian Dempsey while you idolise Bob Marley. How typically Irish.

    http://www.eoinbutler.com/home/bob-marley-still-rocking-after-sixty-years/

  8. Eoin Says:

    @ Alison – unless you can point out the contradiction between criticising Damien Dempsey and praising Bob Marley, I’m not even bothered replying to you there, I’m afraid.

  9. stu Says:

    I tried, really hard now, to like Damo, but I kept hearing the lyrics. If he could avoid coherent sentences completely, like kurt cobain did (no disrespect to kurt, I’m a big fan), then it would be much easier to like his stuff. he does give it loads.

  10. Eoin Says:

    @ Stu – it’s the same in any field. Speak vaguely/blandly and no one has a problem with you. Say what you actually think and people hate you.

    But I don’t think that excuses Damien Dempsey, whose mission statement (according to his website anyway) is to “teach [Irish] kids about their history”, that he seems to have gotten all of his out of some sort of An Poblacht children’s Christmas annual or something.

    He’s 35-years-old, would it kill him to read a book?

  11. Seánaí Says:

    How about this gem…

    “Flying o’r the sea,
    My guitar and me.
    Thirty thousand feet,
    What a brilliant feat.”

    Now i don’t mind if things don’t rhyme, but if you decide to go down that road, there are certain criteria you have to fill out.

  12. Lauren Says:

    I love when people are defending a musician they love and start off normally, but end the sentence sounding like something from a JML ad. “Damien’s brilliant, so he is…… check out this fantastic artist. Yours for only 99.99” etc.

  13. Eoin Says:

    @ Lauren – yes I’m familiar with that school of logic alright!

    So why do you love Westlife?
    Cos they’re brilliant.
    And what’s brilliant about them?
    They’re just the best.

  14. Phogg Says:

    The essence of folk music is simple themes but in a rousing manner. That might be Damien Dempsey but when He released that single of covers of old Dubliner songs, well I thought, “for f*ck’s sake he’s just looking for album sales now” and I still think I’m right.

    For folk music of the day, that guy from Dublin who sings in rap style with a guitar would be a much better bet, he’s got a plurality in his name, can’t remember.

    By the way I also like this photo, an enjoyable half an hour to be had on that website.
    http://www.maserart.com/projects.php?name=02_The Locals:Damien Dempsey&index=6

  15. Phogg Says:

    Link not working but it’s the sign in the jacks saying “Don’t speak with your mouth full, of SHITE.”

  16. Eoin Says:

    I dunno about that Phogg. I think folk songs like Dominic Behan’s Patriot Game (covered by the Dubliners among others) can be extremely ambiguous in their commentary. Is the singer calling Fergal O’Hanlon a hero or a stooge?

    Contrast with Damien Dempsey’s Great Gaels of Ireland which possesses about as much nuance as a piece of North Korean propaganda and, frankly, could have been written by an eight year old child.

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