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Interview with Paul Cleary December 11, 2013

Posted by irishelectionliterature in Uncategorized.
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With The Blades Friday and Saturday night gigs fast approaching….. Come Here to Me have posted a great interview with Paul Cleary  

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1. 6to5against - December 11, 2013

You know I was thinking recently that the Blades are one eighties band whose CDs I still play regularly, and I don’t do it with any sense of nostalgia or of reliving the past. I play them because they produced really fine, witty songs that have always stayed with me, the killer brass section really brought something special to the production, and the politics resonates now just as it did then.

I hope they keep the brass for the live acts next week – I don’t think they were ever an integral part of the band, but they were there the few times I saw the band play live.

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2. Eamonncork - December 11, 2013

Great interview. And good to get a reminder of how politically aware Cleary was and how, unlike at least one media figure hymning his return in recent weeks, he hasn’t embraced right wing ‘realism’ as he’s got older.
There’ll be a fair representation from the CLR at these shindigs. Proper order.

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crocodileshoes - December 11, 2013

I’ve never had a better time in my life than I did at those Magnet gigs, or at the Olympia Ballroom gig referred to in the interview. But I won’t be going this week – not in spite of the above sentence, but because of it.
Cleary’s a genius songwriter. I’d love to see him have a Roddy Frame- style solo career: him, a guitar and some songs where he can really stretch out and explore his lyricism.

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WorldbyStorm - December 11, 2013

Is anyone else going on Saturday night?

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irishelectionliterature - December 11, 2013

I’ll be there Saturday Night 🙂

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WorldbyStorm - December 11, 2013

Me too!

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3. Brian Hanley - December 11, 2013

There’s a bit of a crossover with Joe’s post on Dunnes Stores. Was at a Blades gig in Limerick during 1985 when Paul Cleary called for support for the strikers just before launching into a great version of ‘Young, Gifted and Black’. I remember a fella we used to know as ‘Bob’ wearing a ‘Labour Youth-fighting for socialism’ t-shirt giving a clenched fist and a couple of Limerick Mods (who picked up bad habits in London) half-jokingly giving nazi salutes.
First time I saw the Blades they were playing on a bill at the Crescent Hall in Limerick with some local metal band who got dogs abuse, The Groove, who were a soul outift (and later won a competition to support Bowie at Slane) and Jon Kenny, who became half of the Dunbelievables with Pat Shortt. I remember being bemused by Kenny’s set.
Last time was December 1985. They’d announced they were breaking up and I was desperate to see them. Problem was we often got stopped at venues because we were so young (14-16). That night the bouncers were adamant that there was no way I was getting in. Hanging around outside I got talking to the band’s van driver and hearing my tale of woe, he said he’d ask about getting me in. Brian Foley, the Blade’s bass player, arrived at the door, told the bouncers that I was a friend of the band (not true) and that they would ensure I wouldn’t drink (not true either) and in I went. Great gig and afterwards with all the sincerity and seriousness that 15 year olds possess I shook Paul Cleary’s hand and wished him well for the future. He had the grace not to laugh at me and just said ‘thanks.’
Never thought they would reform and can’t wait for Friday night.

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4. sonofstan - December 11, 2013

Flying home tomorrow for Friday’s gig. Nervous as if I were playing it myself.

Like Mr. Shoes up there, and the Catholic Church, I don’t normally do reformations, but this is somehow way different. They are by a fair distance the band I’ve seen live most often – in school halls, every college in Dublin, Larks in the Park, all over the country, hitching to gigs, and, at least once, being picked up by the band…… first couple of times the Stars played to more than a few dozen family and friends was supporting them in the TV Club, even as Venner told us off for being sloppy drunk and we’d never amount to anything 🙂

One of my happiest moments being in a band was when Paul joined us for Downmarket in the Project one night – and we found out we’d been playing it slightly wrong 🙂

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WorldbyStorm - December 11, 2013

That’s great… who was more surprised?

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5. crocodileshoes - December 13, 2013

Almost forgot to take you down memory lane…A review, please, SofS, at your convenience.

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6. This Weekend I’ll Mostly Be Listening to… The Blades | The Cedar Lounge Revolution - December 14, 2013

[…] Its mad to think that this time tomorrow night I’ll actually (along with others from this realm) be in The Olympia watching The Blades. Some of you may well be there on the Friday night …. and indeed I’d imagine theres quite a few going to both nights. The Blades reforming is incredible, they were the one band I would have loved to have seen but never got to. There’s a whole generation like myself who just missed out on them and got into them after they had split. It will be interesting if the demographic at the gigs is all forty plus….. 6to5against put it very well here in comments the other day […]

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