The importance of Irish music-making in England is the subject of Sean Campbell's 'Irish Blood English Heart: Second Generation Irish Musicians in England' (Cork University Press, May) which uses case studies of such musicians as John Lydon, Shane MacGowan and Morrissey to highlight the ways in which second-generation Irish have contributed to popular culture in the UK.
Amazon Product Description -
"This is the first full account of second-generation Irish music-making in England. Individual musicians covered include Shane MacGowan, Cait O'Riordan, Kevin Rowland, Morrissey and Johnny Marr. The book challenges the current invisibility of the second-generation Irish in accounts of ethnicity in England. It explores the complexity and diversity of second-generation Irish identities and experience. Previous accounts have tended to view this generation as an indistinguishable part of the host population. This book takes a more nuanced approach, locating the English-born offspring of Irish migrants in a hyphenated 'Irish-Englishness' that cannot be reduced to either dimension, and which facilitates a flexible identification with both. The book draws attention to the productivity of second-generation Irish creative figures, highlighting the diverse ways in which this generation has helped shaped popular music in England. Existing accounts have neglected to consider this generation's cultural agency, stressing only the impact of the host culture on the migrant group, and thereby overlooking the highly creative ways in which the second-generation have acted upon the host culture. The book explores the creative work of second-generation Irish musicians, drawing on original interviews that the author has conducted with Shane MacGowan, Cait O'Riordan, Kevin Rowland and Johnny Marr. A vast amount of literature has been published on these musicians. However, there has been scarcely any consideration of their work from a specifically second-generation Irish perspective. The book develops innovative analyses of these musicians, presenting their work as a set of interventions and negotiations within the Anglo-Irish interface."
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Is there a single point to this book? (Score:0, Flamebait)
(User #23316 Info)
What about Ian McCulloch, Gallagher bros, etc ... (Score:0)
Who gives a shit? (Score:1, Funny)
An education (Score:0)
bullshit (Score:2, Insightful)
(User #22638 Info)
Typical (Score:1, Informative)
There have been some pointless books over the years (*cough, David Bret*) but equally there've been many which have contained either previously unknown information about Morrissey or thought-provoking theories about the meaning of his work.
For what it's worth, this sounds like an interesting socialogical pop study and the fact that Johnny Marr has given an interview is in itself a point of interest since he has always spoken about how his and Morrissey's shared Irish ancestry was important to the formation of The Smiths.
There's no need for all this negativity. If the book proves to be good, buy it, if not then ignore. And if it really upsets you then try and write one yourself and get it published (a la "It should have been me... everybody knows, everybody says so...")
P.S. I am not Sean Campbell.
Funny (Score:1, Insightful)
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA, what a load of crap.
Doesn't mean much (Score:0)
A message to all the idiots above... (Score:1, Insightful)
Excerpt from Morrissey interview, Hot Press 1984
His voice is soft with an almost imperceptible light North of England flatness. He is a second generation Irishman, Manchester born and raised. "I find Ireland fascinating. Maybe I shouldn't say this," he laughs, considering the fact that he's going to be quoted in an Irish paper. "Oh, I'll say it anyway, it's one of the most Catholic countries in the world but it's also one of the most repressed, and I think it's quite sad. But to me it's an immensely attractive place, obviously, with having Irish parents as everyone in the group has, we're all deeply imbedded there. I mean most of the people that I ever cared about in literature came from Ireland, for some totally unfathomable reason."
Strange Coincidence? (Score:0)