Played is a 2006 crime film produced by Caspar von Winterfeldt, Nick Simunek and Mick Rossi, executive produced by John Daly, co-produced by Nigel Mead and Lenny Bitondo, written by Sean Stanek and Mick Rossi and directed by Sean Stanek. The film stars Val Kilmer, Gabriel Byrne, Vinnie Jones, Patrick Bergin, Joanne Whalley, Bruno Kirby (in his final film), Anthony LaPaglia, Roy Dotrice, Patsy Kensit, Andy Nyman and Mick Rossi.

Originally intended to be a short, the film was shot without the use of a scripted screenplay and the director (Sean Stanek) allowed the actors to improvise a majority of dialogue as he shot the scenes. The picture was shot on location in London and Los Angeles and took three years to complete.

Plot[link]

The story opens in Los Angeles with Dillon (Val Kilmer) who receives a phone call from Ray Burns (Mick Rossi) who has just been shot and desperately needs help. Dillon is a cleaner for a gangster named Eddie (Gabriel Byrne) and has been sent to assist Ray should he require it. After a colorful opening title sequence which follows Dillon's drive to the house, he finds Ray almost bleeding to death on a sofa. Removing all of the evidence, Dillon leaves carrying Ray to his car but not before he torches the house, destroying any evidence of Ray's presence. As Dillon and Ray drive away, Dillon struggles to keep Ray conscious and relates to him a story of a humorous encounter with a Mexican auto mechanic, which coins one of the catchphrases of the film: "I'm not gonna taco".

The story then flashes back to eight years earlier and introduces Riley (Patrick Bergin) as he admires some artwork in a London gallery. He receives a call on his cell phone from the crooked Detective Brice (Vinnie Jones), who informs Riley that there is a shipment of heroin coming in, and that he wants Riley to get a team together and steal it for him. Riley agrees to the job and tells Brice that he has just the man to do it, a petty thief named Ray Burns. Riley gives a menacing stare to the gallery attendant (Caspar von Winterfeldt) in one of the films funnier moments before leaving to meet with Ray.

After they discuss the details of the job at hand, Ray agrees to do the job and meets up with his team, which consists of Nathan (Sean Power) and Terry Rawlings (Trevor Nugent) son of infamous moblord Jack Rawlings (Roy Dotrice) and Terry's girlfriend, Cindy (Patsy Kensit). Together they begin plotting the heist: Nathan will go up to the roof and act as lookout while Ray and Terry break into the warehouse to steal the heroin. Unfortunately, during the heist, Nathan loses his footing and tumbles to his death, falling through a skylight and triggering an alarm, alerting the guards. Ray and Terry manage to escape with the drugs, but lose contact with each other.

Shortly thereafter, Brice calls Riley to inform him that the heist went terribly wrong, and that Nathan is dead. To cover his own tracks, he tells Riley to find a scapegoat, and Riley immediately names Ray. Meanwhile Ray, who has gone into hiding, tries to call Terry but doesn't get an answer. He turns to Riley to find out what happened. Riley tells Ray that Nathan is dead and that Scotland Yard is looking for him, omitting the fact that Terry has handed over the drugs and that Brice is behind the whole heist. Ray decides he needs to disappear for a while and attempts to go underground, but before he can do so the police pick him up on an anonymous tip from Brice. Ray is convicted for the robbery and the manslaughter of Nathan, and is subsequently sentenced to eight years in prison.

Ray serves his time, but has no contact with the outside world, denying even his closest lover and girlfriend Maggie (Joanne Whalley) a visit. He also learns by reading the paper that Terry has died of a drug overdose. Saddened by the news, Ray vows to get revenge on Brice and Riley as soon as he is free.

While Ray is serving time, Riley and Brice continue their crooked ways, and Brice informs Riley that he has an incriminating video tape of London Charlie (Steve Jones) that could be worth some cash. He dispatches Riley to Los Angeles to blackmail London Charlie. Riley arrives in Los Angeles along with his girlfriend Samantha Fay (Sile Bermingham) in order to pick up the cash from Brice. Meanhwile Ray is released from prison and contacted by London Charlie, who realizes that the only way he can escape his dilemma is to have Riley terminated. He knows Ray is out to avenge his time in prison and so pays him $100,000 to come to Los Angeles. Brice, aware of Ray's release and suspicious that he may be up to something, instructs an underling, Danny, (Andy Nyman) to keep an eye on him and find out what he can about his plans. Danny confronts Ray in a busy London street and brings the situation to a head when he makes a comment about Ray's former girlfriend Maggie, whom Ray has not seen since he went to prison. Ray angrily headbutts Danny, telling him to leave him alone. Danny reports this back to Brice, who still believes Ray is up to something.

Ray is soon contacted by Jack Rawlings, Terry's father, who beckons him to come and visit. The two have a long talk about Terry and Ray tells Jack how sorry he is for Terry's death. Jack feigns compassion and tells Ray that he wants him to go after the guy who set them up, namely Riley, and gives him a contact in Los Angeles, Eddie, who can help him with the job. Ray is to pick up $100,000 at Jack's club from Big Frankie (Adam Fogerty) and then get on a plane to Los Angeles to hunt Riley down.

Upon arrival, Ray immediately goes to London Charlie's house (which is revealed to be the one seen in the beginning of the film) to meet with him. Ray is told that there is $100,000 in a bag that he is to take to Riley and use to recover the tape. Once he has the tape, Ray is to kill Riley and bring the tape back to London Charlie. Ray leaves and begins to cover his tracks by checking into two separate motels. He then makes a call to Eddie to pick up a car for use in Los Angeles. That night he picks up the car and meets Eddie, who is waiting for him in the back seat. Eddie tells him there is a pistol in the glove box and that he doesn't want to get involved in any of the nasty business. Ray acknowledges the request and takes off into the night.

The next day, Riley is waiting to meet with London Charlie. He is surprised by Ray, who shows up at his door carrying a bag of cash. Ray has hidden the pistol outside of the apartment and so is clean when he is frisked by Riley. The two have a heated discussion about what happened eight years ago and Riley makes light of Terry's death, much to Ray's chagrin. Ray gives the bag of cash to Riley, who angrily informs him that the amount is only half of what he and London Charlie had agreed to, and ordering him to get him the rest if he wants the tape. Ray exits the apartment, retrieves his pistol, then goes back inside and demands the tape from Riley at gunpoint. Riley refuses, and Ray shoots him once in the chest, then once in the back of the head, killing him.

Ray searches the apartment for the tape, but only finds a key to a room at a nearby hotel. Ray returns to his first hotel to wash Riley's blood off of himself before he goes to check out the other hotel. Meanwhile, police are investigating the shooting death at Riley's apartment. Detective Allen (Bruno Kirby) arrives on the crime scene and discovers that there is a link to a nearby hotel—the same hotel Ray is also heading to. Detective Bartow (Mark Siciliani) and Officer Chris Anders (Aaron Gallagher) are dispatched to investigate. At the hotel they find Samantha Fay, who is startled by their appearance. When the officers inform her that there has been an incident and they need to take her to the station to answer some questions, she reluctantly agrees. Officer Anders escorts her out, leaving Detective Bartow to search the room. Ray arrives as they are leaving, running into Bartow as he attempts to enter the room. Ray attempts to keep his cool, especially when Bartow tells him he is a police officer. He questions Ray as to how he knew Riley, and Ray innocently says they recently met and that they had arranged to grab a drink. Bartow is suspicious and asks Ray if he would have any objections to coming down to the station for some questioning. Ray has no choice but to agree, and they leave together.

At the station, Ray and Samantha are questioned for hours and hours by Detective Allen and Detective Drummond (Anthony LaPaglia). The situation is tense, and they both have a tough time keeping calm. Eventually they are both let go, but not before Samantha is told that Riley is dead. Both leave the station within a couple of hours of each other and head in different directions, Ray to pick up his things at the second motel, and Samantha to pick up the tape and a gun which Riley had left in a safety deposit box earlier that day. Samantha then heads to London Charlie's house to square things away with him and avenge Riley's death. She shoots London Charlie dead in his pool just as Ray arrives to say goodbye. Ray and Samantha have a Mexican stand-off. The now-useless tape is thrown into the pool, and Samantha slowly backs out of the house, leaving Ray to sort out the mess. As Ray sits to contemplate his next move, he doesn't notice Samantha sneaking back inside, who shoots Ray in the back. Samantha leaves and Ray is left in a pool of blood, but still alive. The scene from the film's opening replays as Ray picks up the phone to call Eddie and reaches Dillon, who comes to clean up his mess.

Dillon finally gets Ray to a secure location, and Ray pays him off so that he can return to London, where he recuperates for several days in the care of Maggie. Ray thinks quickly about what he should do when he receives a phone call from Eddie, telling him that Jack Rawlings wants to see him on the rooftop of a car-park in Chinatown later that evening. After Eddie hangs up, he anonymously calls Brice and tells him about the meeting. Brice is confused, but eager to settle the score with Ray. He calls Danny to tell him that he should follow Ray to the meeting and kill him.

While Danny circles the streets of London in an attempt to find Ray, he stumbles on Maggie and follows her back to her flat. Ray, meanwhile, is visiting with Cindy, whom he had rescued from the streets prior to his departure to Los Angeles and had given shelter to while she attempted to recover from her drug habit. Danny forces his way into Maggie's apartment and, after roughing her up, takes Ray's remaining money and returns to his place. When Ray returns, he grabs Maggie and they head over to Danny's flat. Ray breaks in and finds Nikki (Meredith Ostrom) clutching the bag of money and Danny jamming on drugs. Ray also hears a recording on Danny's answering machine of Brice telling Danny to kill him. Ray kills Danny, then takes the tapes from the answering machine and the bag of money. He and Maggie then leave to head to the rendezvous in Chinatown.

Brice arrives at Danny's place a little later after Nikki has called the police, and finds Danny dead. Brice also notices that the tapes from the machine are missing and now has no choice but to show up on the car park rooftop for the inevitable showdown.

Cast[link]

Development[link]

Played came about through a series of bizarre circumstances. Mick Rossi was working as a writer in Hollywood at the time and was having no luck in selling or producing his scripts. He was desperate to put some of his ideas on film and with the collaboration of his friend and partner Sean Stanek, the two embarked on shooting a short film to break the ice and display some of their talents. Gabriel Byrne was a close friend of Rossi's and agreed to do some filming with the two young filmmakers.^[1]

As Rossi describes in an interview after the film was made:

References[link]

External links[link]

• Played at the Internet Movie Database

This article may contain original research. Please improve it by verifying the claims made and adding references. Statements consisting only of original research may be removed. More details may be available on the talk page. (May 2008)

Safri Duo
Back: Uffe Savery. Front: Morten Friis, Clark Anderson.
Background information
Origin	Copenhagen, Denmark
Genres	Electronica World Music Contemporary classical Dance Instrumental Trance
Years active	1990–Present
Associated acts	Clark Anderson Michael McDonald Aqua
Website	safriduo.com
Members
Uffe Savery Morten Friis

Safri Duo is a Danish percussion duo composed of Uffe Savery (born April 5, 1966) and Morten Friis (born August 21, 1968). Initially classically oriented, by 1999 they were discovered by a label executive working on classical music. After being signed, a track mixing both tribal sound and modern electronica was set to be released in 2000. The result was the popular "Played-A-Live (The Bongo Song)", that became one of the most popular songs in Europe in 2001. The single and subsequent album, Episode II each sold one million units worldwide, making Safri Duo the most internationally successful Danish act since Aqua.

History[link]

Early years[link]

Uffe Savery and Morten Friis met in 1977 while attending the Tivoli Garden Boys' Guard, and later, during their time at the Royal Danish Conservatory of Music, formed an experimental duo, called Safri Duo, whose name originated from the first letters of their respective surnames. Several albums were recorded and released through Chandos Records, on which the duo performed pieces by both famous classical (a.o. Bach, Mendelssohn, Ravel, whose works were arranged by Savery and Friis for two marimbas, or for marimba and vibraphone) and contemporary composers (a.o. Reich, Nørgård, Ter Veldhuis). Their performances of, especially, Ter Veldhuis' Goldrush, Ravel's Alborada del gracioso and Anders Koppel's Toccata for vibraphone and marimba are often labelled as small milestones by fellow percussionists^{[citation needed]}, as well as other musicians or people related to the world of classical music.

Mainstream success[link]

Earlier in 2000, a track named "The Bongo Song" started appearing on club's playlists. Produced by Michael Parsberg, it soon got airtime on MTV Europe. The mix between tribal drums over trance proved to be a success, and it ended the year as one of the best selling singles in Europe in 2000 as well as featuring prominently in the opening ceremony of the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney. This resulted in Safri Duo guesting along with Danish pop group Aqua during the interval of the Eurovision Song Contest 2001 held in Copenhagen. "The Bongo Song" was featured prominently during the 2002 Commonwealth Games held in Manchester, England. The album, named Episode II, hit the market on 4 June 2001, nine tracks long, all featured the same percussion-electronica combination, except "Adagio" that kept the former classic line of the duo. A reissue added a second remix-only CD and the single "Sweet Freedom" recorded with Michael McDonald was released on 30 September 2002. Two more tracks from Episode II were released as singles, "Samb-Adagio" and "Baya Baya". The Bongo Song became the anthem of the world famous Coco Bongo super club in Cancun, where it is the party opening song every night.

3.0[link]

In 2003 the new album 3.0 was released. It featured Clark Anderson as vocalist on several of the tracks, including "All the People in the World", "Agogo Mosse" and "Laarbasses". The single "Rise" became a huge success^{[citation needed]} and later they released a new version called "Rise (Leave Me Alone)" which featured Clark Anderson on vocals. In 2004 they released a remix album of 3.0 called 3.5 - International Version. It included the new version of "Rise" and several other tracks with Clark Anderson as vocalist and remixes of the already known tracks.They also played in the concert of Jean Michel Jarre (AERO Concert) on his famous track Rendez vous 4.

Origins[link]

Safri Duo's latest album Origins was released on 17 November 2008.^[1]

Discography[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• Safri Duo on Myspace

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (December 2010)

This article includes a list of references, related reading or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations. Please improve this article by introducing more precise citations. (September 2008)

Eric Bogle AM (born 23 September 1944, Peebles, Scotland) is a folk singer-songwriter. He emigrated to Australia in 1969 and currently resides near Adelaide, South Australia. On 25 January 1987, he was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia for his work as a singer-songwriter. In May 2001 the Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA), as part of its 75th Anniversary celebrations, named his song, "And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda", as one of the Top 30 Australian songs of all time.

Early years[link]

Eric Bogle was born on 23 September 1944 in Peebles, Scotland. His father was a woodcutter who played bagpipes.^[1][2] Bogle started writing poetry when he was eight-years-old.^[2] After attending school until 16-years-old, Bogle worked in various trades: labourer, clerk and barman.^[2] In 1969, Bogle emigrated to Australia and initially lived in the capital, Canberra, where he worked as an accountant.^[1] He had an interest in politics and by 1980 had moved to Queensland before settling in Adelaide.^[1]

Career[link]

Eric Bogle taught himself to play guitar and joined a skiffle and rock band.^[2] He was the leader of Eric and the Informers in Scotland.^[1] His early influences were Lonnie Donegan, Elvis Presley and Ewan MacColl.^[2] He turned to folk music prior to emigrating to Australia – his first written songs concerned his parents.^[1] When living in Canberra he joined the local folk music scene and performed occasionally.^[2]

Several of his most famous songs tell of the futility or loss of war. Prominent among these is "And The Band Played Waltzing Matilda", written in 1971. The lyrics tell of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) experience fighting in the Battle of Gallipoli. It has also been interpreted as a reaction to the Vietnam War. Another of his best-known songs, "No Man's Land", is also World War I-themed. This song is commonly known as "The Green Fields of France", a title it was first given by The Fureys, and which has subsequently been used in many further cover versions. The song refers to the traditional Scottish song "Flowers of the Forest" being played over the grave of a World War I soldier. This song has been remade by Alec Beaton (with a Scottish soldier from "The Water is Wide"), Plethyn ("Gwaed ar eu Dwylo" (Blood on their Hands), sung in Welsh from "Blas y Pridd"), and Hannes Wader ("Es ist an der Zeit" (It is the Time)). American folk singer Charlie Zahm also has a version on his album Festival Favorites, as does American Folk Singer Robert Marr on his 2011 album "Celticism".

Another notable song on a similar theme, but with a more contemporary setting, is the Troubles-inspired "My Youngest Son Came Home Today", with its tale of a young man killed during factional fighting in Northern Ireland. Notably, the song does not take sides in the conflict; it does not mention whether the title character is Irish or British.

Bogle's songs cover a wide range of subjects and themes, including comedic songs ("The Aussie Bar-B-Q"), satires ("I Hate Wogs") protest songs and serious songs about the human condition such as "Now I'm Easy". His song "Safe in the Harbour" is an homage to Stan Rogers. "Katie and the Dreamtime Land" is a tribute to American folk singer Kate Wolf, who died from leukaemia in 1986. Other well-known songs, with lighter subject matter, include two homages to departed pets, "Little Gomez" and "Nobody's Moggy Now" and an acknowledgment of his folk music fans with "Do You Sing Any Dylan?".

Touring[link]

Bogle has undertaken an extensive concert tour of the UK (sometimes including dates in Europe as well), every three years since 1985. These tours have usually included a supporting cast of Australian-based singers and musicians, most regularly John Munro and Brent Millar. Bogle said that his 2009 tour, with John Munro, would be his last. This featured a Saturday Night Special on 27 June with Martyn Wyndham-Read, Johnny Collins and Les Sullivan in Watford, the only London venue.

Bogle was a prominent artist at the National Folk Festival in Canberra over Easter 2011.^[3]

Tributes[link]

On 25 January 1987, Eric Bogle was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia, "In recognition of service to the performing arts as a song writer and singer".^[4]

Many of Bogle's songs have been covered by other artists; including John Schumann, June Tabor, The Men They Couldn't Hang, The Clancy Brothers, The Dubliners, John McDermott, Liam Clancy, Mike Harding, The Pogues, Robert Lawrence, De Dannan, Dropkick Murphys, The Corries, Billy Bragg, The Bushwackers, Slim Dusty and John Williamson. In May 2001 the Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA), as part of its 75th Anniversary celebrations, named his song, "And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda", as one of the Top 30 Australian songs of all time.^[5]

In 2000 a five CD collection was released called Singing The Spirit Home. His first and only live performance DVD was released in May 2009.

Notes[link]

External links[link]

• Official site
• Eric Bogle discography at MusicBrainz

Liam Clancy
Liam Clancy (right) with singer Odetta in 2006.
Background information
Birth name	William Clancy
Born	(1935-09-02)2 September 1935
Origin	Carrick-on-Suir, County Tipperary, Ireland
Died	4 December 2009(2009-12-04) (aged 74) Cork, Ireland
Genres	Folk, traditional Irish
Occupations	Musician, actor
Instruments	Vocals, guitar, concertina
Years active	1955–2009
Associated acts	The Clancy Brothers, Makem and Clancy
Website	http://www.liamclancy.com/

William "Liam" Clancy (2 September 1935 – 4 December 2009) (Irish Liam Mac Fhlannchadha) was an Irish folk singer and actor from Carrick-on-Suir, County Tipperary. He was the youngest and last surviving member of performing group The Clancy Brothers. The group were regarded as Ireland's first pop stars.^[1] They recorded 55 albums, achieving global sales of millions and appearing at a sold-out Carnegie Hall, New York and the Royal Albert Hall, London.^[2][3]

Liam was regarded as the group's most powerful vocalist.^[4] Bob Dylan regarded him as the greatest ballad singer ever,^[1][3][5][6] whilst Gay Byrne described him as one of the “most famous four Irishmen in the world”.^[2] He was a central figure during the 1960s folk revival,^[3] on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean.^[7] Shortly before his death in 2009 The Irish Times said Clancy "does seem a little like a figure from the Pleistocene era":^[8] upon his death the newspaper said his legacy was secured.^[7]

Biography[link]

As a child he was known as William or Willie.^[9] He displayed an artistic disposition at an early age, while growing up in Carrick-on-Suir, County Tipperary. Born there he was in 1935 as one of eleven children of Robert Joseph Clancy and Joanna McGrath.^[2] The first song he learned was "The Croppy Boy".^[4] He received a Christian Brothers education before taking a job as an insurance man in Dublin.^[2] Whilst there he also took night classes at the National College of Art and Design.^[2]

However, while still in his teens, Liam explored writing and painting, though he was particularly drawn to the theatre. In his early performing days, he began to call himself Liam rather than William or Willie. Before he was twenty years old, Liam had founded the local dramatic society now called "Brewery Lane Theatre and Arts Centre", and had produced, directed, set-directed, and starred in John Millington Synge's The Playboy of the Western World. Liam also performed at the renowned Gaiety Theatre in Dublin.^[10] He encountered Diane Hamilton Guggenheim when she came to his hometown to visit his mother, and set off on a tour of Ireland alongside her.^[2][3] During her 1955 trip to Keady, Clancy encountered Tommy Makem for the first time.^[2] He would later pursue Guggenheim to the United States.^[3] He referred to Greenwich Village as "the island for people escaped from repressed backgrounds".^[7]

Clancy began singing with his brothers at fund-raising events for the Cherry Lane Theatre and the Guthrie benefits. The Clancy Brothers & Tommy Makem, began recording on Paddy Clancy's Tradition label in the late 1950s. Liam Clancy played guitar in addition to singing and also recorded several solo albums. They recorded their seminal The Rising of the Moon album in 1959, giving live performances in the American cities of Boston, Chicago and New York.^[2] A record-breaking sixteen minute long performance^[9] on American TV's The Ed Sullivan Show on 17 March 1961 launched the group into stardom.^[2][3] They were supposed to only play two songs but the main act cancelled at short notice.^[11] There were international tours, which included performances at Carnegie Hall (a sell-out in 1962)^[11] and the Royal Albert Hall.^[3] Their trademark attire was Aran geansaí—these were sent across the water by Mrs Clancy for her boys to wear against the unforgiving American climate.^[3] The quartet recorded numerous albums for Columbia Records and enjoyed great success during the 1960s folk revival. Liam was a close friend of Bob Dylan when they both were going out with two sisters in New York. He performed live for United States President John F. Kennedy.^[12] Liam Clancy was the last surviving member of the original Clancy Brothers; Tom Clancy died on November 7, 1990, Patrick Clancy died on November 11, 1998 and Tommy Makem died on August 1, 2007. Liam said of his status as last known survivor,

“There was always a pecking order, especially when you’re working with family. But they all died off, and I got to the top of the pecking order, with nobody looking over my shoulder. There’s a great sense of freedom about that”.^[2]

After The Clancy Brothers split, Liam had a solo career in Canada.^[3] He made several television performances both in CBC's National television variety show, The Irish Rovers Show from Vancouver and in Calgary, Alberta.^[2] He had a hit with "The Dutchman" and presented his own television show in Calgary, also appearing on the CBC concert series Summer Evening in 1976.^[13] In 1975, he was booked to play a festival in Cleveland, Ohio, USA, where Tommy Makem was also playing.^[2] The two played a set together and formed Makem and Clancy, performing in numerous concerts and recording several albums as a duo, until 1988.^[2] The whole ensemble also got back together in the 1980s for a reunion tour.^[2][3] After the death of Tom Clancy in 1990, Liam came together with Paddy and Bobby Clancy and nephew Robbie O'Connell.^[2] He also performed alongside his Fayreweather Band and the Phil Coulter Orchestra.^[2]

In later life, Liam maintained a solo career accompanied by musicians Paul Grant and Kevin Evans, whilst also engaging in other pursuits. He lived in County Waterford at this stage.^[3] He had a recording studio in Ring, County Waterford.^[2]

In 2001, Liam Clancy published a memoir titled The Mountain of the Women. He also was in No Direction Home, the 2005 Bob Dylan documentary directed by Martin Scorsese.^[2]

In 2006, Clancy was profiled in a two-hour documentary titled The Legend of Liam Clancy, produced by Anna Rodgers and John Murray with Crossing the Line Films, and screened on the Irish channel RTÉ. In February 2007, this documentary won the award for best series at the Irish Film and Television Awards in Dublin. In 2008 Liam performed in a filmed concert titled Liam Clancy and Friends, Live at The Bitter End which featured the last filmed performance of his friend Odetta, as well as songs from Tom Paxton, Shane MacGowan, Gemma Hayes, Eric Bibb, and Fionn Regan as well as members of Danú.

The same director Alan Gilsenan went on to direct a full length biography of Liam Clancy, The Yellow Bittern: The Life and Times of Liam Clancy.^[5] This was released at the 2009 Dublin Film Festival and went on to have a theatrical and DVD release in Ireland the UK. The film includes appearances by Pete Seeger, Jean Ritchie, Bob Dylan, Odetta, and many others^[12] as well as much unseen archive such as The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem at Newport Festival. The Irish Times praised the film and director Gilsenan who it said had "tracked down an impressive number of secondary sources, and his use of other performers’ music is often inspired".^[8]

His final album The Wheels of Life was released in 2009: this included duets with Mary Black and Gemma Hayes as well as songs by Tom Paxton and Donovan.^[2]

Liam was an ardent proponent of political views and often outspoken on matters of social injustice right up until his death.^[14] He criticised both Gulf Wars and the grim, harsh economic climate which gripped Ireland during his last months alive.^[4] He told The Irish Times in September 2009 that he was on his “last legs”.^[15] He had already given his final performance, at the National Concert Hall the previous May, during which he recited the Dylan Thomas poem "And death shall have no dominion".^[15] He was unable to perform a full-length show on the final night of a two-night sold-out run but put in a 40-minute appearance nonetheless.^[16] His manager described it as “a very profound moment. He expressed his fear of dying, but he did it with great dignity”.^[15]

Death[link]

Liam Clancy died from pulmonary fibrosis on 4 December 2009, in Bon Secours Hospital in Cork, Ireland. Bobby Clancy died of the same disease seven years previously^[5] and is buried in the new cemetery in Ring, Co. Waterford, where he spent the last number of years of his life, owning a successful recording studio. Clancy was survived by his wife, Kim, and their four children, Eben, Siobhán, Fiona and Donal, as well three previous children Sean, Andrew and Anya.^[3][5] His son Eben was in the process of coming over from the United Kingdom and he had had a chat with his son Donal who was in the middle of a tour of California.^[16] The other three sat beside him as he died.^[3] Liam had intended to give another interview at the time but succumbed to the disease before this was possible.^[16]

The leader of Fine Gael, Enda Kenny, mourned the loss of a "brilliant musician".^[5] Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism Martin Cullen said, "Liam Clancy was a nationally and internationally renowned folk singer and was an example of an absolutely dedicated artistic craftsman. This generous and life-giving person enriched all of our lives with memorable songs and was part of the fabric of Ireland’s proud traditional music culture".^[17] Alan Gilsenan described the death as the "end of an era".^[5]

The American city of Boston was said to be in shock at the news as his influence there is "inescapable".^[18] Radio disc jockeys in New York paid tribute to the man who, according to the New York Daily News, "played a major role in defining how Americans heard Irish popular music over the last half century", with one DJ saying The Clancy Brothers had "broke down a wall that was long overdue".^[19] Christy Moore, on a prescheduled appearance on The Late Late Show aired live on the night of Liam's death, said, "I would have been listening to Radio Luxembourg and rock 'n' roll as a young fellow and then I got to hear of the Clancy brothers, when I was 16 I came to Dublin to hear them in a concert. It was about 1962, I think it was the Olympia, it was the most exciting concert I had ever attended. It was Irish, it was rock 'n' roll, it was funky and it was even sexy".^[20][21]

Clancy's lunchtime funeral at St Mary's Church in Dungarvan on 7 December was attended by hundreds of mourners, including both the Aides de Camp of the Taoiseach and President of Ireland, Minister Cullen and various musicians and artists.^[22] He was later buried in Ring.^[22]

Discography[link]

Solo recordings[link]

• 1965 – Liam Clancy – Vanguard LP/CD

*re-released with bonus tracks as 'Irish Troubadour' on Vanguard CD

• 1974 – Farewell to Tarwaithie – Plainsong LP

*on Shanachie CD as "The Dutchman"

• 2007 - Yes Those Were The Days: The Essential Liam Clancy Dolphin Records
• 2008 - “The Wheels of Life”, Dolphin Records
• Kerrygold Cheddar Cheese – special edition 45rpm – unknown year

Guest recordings[link]

• 1955 – The Lark in the Morning – Tradition LP/Rykodisc CD
• 1956 – The Countess Cathleen – Tradition LP
• 1989 – Phil Coulter: Words and Music – Shanachie CD
• 1992 – Phil Coulter: A Touch of Tranquility – Shanachie CD
• 1994 – Joanie Madden: Whistle on the Wind – Green Linnet CD
• 1999 – Cherish the Ladies: At Home – RCA CD
• 2000 – The Boys Won't Leave the Girls Alone – Windham Hill CD
• 2002 – Danú: All Things Considered – Shanachie CD

Clancy Brothers & Tommy Makem[link]

Tradition Records

• The Lark in the Morning – Tradition LP/Rykodisc CD – (1955)
• The Rising of the Moon (or Irish Songs of Rebellion) (1956, 1959 second version)
• Come Fill Your Glass with Us (or Irish Songs of Drinking and Blackguarding) (1959)
• The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem (self-titled) – (1961)

Columbia Records

• A Spontaneous Performance Recording (1961)
• Hearty and Hellish! A Live Nightclub Performance (1962)
• The Boys Won't Leave the Girls Alone (1962) – 2 stereo issues (one includes alternate mixes)

*the last two albums were issued on now out of print Shanachie CDs

• In Person at Carnegie Hall (1963) – also on Columbia CD
• The First Hurrah! (1964)
• Recorded LIVE in Ireland (1965)
• Isn't It Grand, Boys (1966)
• Freedom's Sons (1966)
• In Concert (1967) – also on Columbia CD
• The Irish Uprising (1967)
• Home, Boys, Home (1968)
• Sing of the Sea (1968)
• The Bold Fenian Men (1969)
• Reunion (1984) – Released on Blackbird LP/Shanachie CD
• Luck Of The Irish – Columbia/Sony compilation. Contains 1 new song (Wars Of Germany) and 3 new performances of previously released songs: (Home Boys Home, The Old Orange Flute and They're Moving Father's Grave To Build A Sewer) (1992)
• Bob Dylan 30th Anniversary Concert Celebration (1992)
• Irish Drinking Songs (1993) – contains unreleased material from the Carnegie Hall album
• Ain't it Grand: A Collection of Unissued Gems (1995) – unreleased material from the 1960s era

The Clancy Brothers (Liam, Tom, Pat, Bobby)[link]

• Christmas – Columbia LP/CD (1969)
• Flowers in the Valley – Columbia LP (1970)

Audio Fidelity Records

• Welcome to Our House (1970)

Lou Killen, Paddy, Liam, Tom Clancy[link]

Audio Fidelity Records

• Show Me The Way (1972)
• Save the Land! (1972)
• Live on St. Patrick's Day (1973)

Vanguard Records

• Clancy Brothers Greatest Hits (1973) – Vanguard LP/CD

*This was reissued as 'Best of the Vanguard Years' with bonus material from the 1982 Live! album with Bobby Clancy and Robbie O'Connell.

Liam Clancy and Tommy Makem[link]

Blackbird and Shanachie Records

• Tommy Makem and Liam Clancy (1976)
• The Makem & Clancy Concert (1977)
• Two for the Early Dew (1978)
• The Makem and Clancy Collection (1980) – contains previously released material and singles
• Live At The National Concert Hall (1983)
• We've Come A Long Way (1986)

Bob Dylan[link]

• The 30th Anniversary Concert Celebration (Pat, Liam & Bobby Clancy sing "When The Ship Comes In" with Tommy Makem and Robbie O'Connell)

The Clancy Brothers (Tom, Pat, Bobby) and Robbie O'Connell[link]

• Mini CD (3 inch disc)

The Clancy Brothers (Liam, Pat, Bobby) and Robbie O'Connell[link]

• Older But No Wiser – Vanguard (1995)

Clancy, Evans, and Doherty[link]

• 1996 – Shine on Brighter – Popular CD

Clancy, O'Connell & Clancy[link]

Helvic Records

• Clancy, O'Connell & Clancy – (1997)
• The Wild And Wasteful Ocean – (1998)

Filmography[link]

• 1984 – The Story of the Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem – Shanchie
• 1984 – Reunion Concert: Belfast – Shanachie
• circa 1985 – Pete Seeger's Rainbow Quest (1965) – Central Sun / Shanachie (reissue)
• 1997 – Farewell to Ireland – Pinnacle Vision
• 2007 – Yes...Those Were the Days: Liam Clancy – Live at the Olympia, Dublin – unknown distributor

*originally released in 1992 as "In Close Up: Volumes 1 and 2"

• 2007 – The Best of 'Hootenanny' – Shout!
• 2009 – The Yellow Bittern: The life and times of Liam Clancyhttp://www.liamclancymovie.com/

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official site
• Liam Clancy at the Internet Movie Database
• Liam Clancy on Tubridy Tonight (22 March 2008)
• Obituary at The Irish Times
• Obituary in The Daily Telegraph
• Obituary
• Sineád Crowley, RTÉ Arts & Media Correspondent, looks back at the life and career of folk legend Liam Clancy (Video)
• Troubadour who didn't do justice to his talent- Saturday, December 12, 2009, The Irish Times
• Clancy Brother's Festival
• The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem
• The Yellow Bittern - The life and times of Liam Clancy (Documentary)

Mary Anne Hobbs
Born	(1964-05-16) 16 May 1964 (age 48) Preston, Lancashire, England
Show	Mary Anne Hobbs
Station(s)	Xfm
Time slot	19:00 - 22:00 Saturday 20:00 - 23:00 Monday - Thursday
Style	DJ (dubstep, grime, hip hop, drum and bass, techno, experimental)
Country	United Kingdom
Website	Mary Anne Hobbs

Hobbs in 2010

Mary Anne Hobbs (born 16 May 1964 in Preston, Lancashire, England) is an English DJ and music journalist from Garstang, Lancashire. She launched a new Primetime show on Xfm on 9 July 2011.

Early career[link]

In the 1980s, Hobbs lived on a bus in a carpark in Hayes, Hillingdon with the hard rock band Heretic before becoming a journalist for Sounds Magazine at age 19.^[1] She later went to work for the NME before going on to help found Loaded Magazine. While with the NME she served as a freelance U.K. music news correspondent in Canada on CBC Radio One, filing a weekly report for a program called The Beat. This contributed to her big break in radio with BBC GLR, working alongside Mark Lamarr.

She then worked at XFM before being headhunted by BBC Radio 1 after a confrontational interview on XFM with Radio 1's Trevor Dann.^[2] She shot a TV series about global biker culture 'Mary Anne's Bikes' in Japan, America, Russia, India, and Europe for BBC Choice & BBC World in 2003, and presented the World Superbikes series 2005 for British Eurosport. She also compèred the Leeds Festival between 1999 and 2003.

Radio shows[link]

A fan of rock, metal (and with a love of motorbikes) from an early age, Hobbs fronted the Radio 1 Rock Show and the experimental / electronic Breezeblock on BBC Radio 1 for fourteen years. In September 2006 the Breezeblock name was dropped for the title 'Experimental'. Most recently, Hobbs has been a notable champion of the dubstep and grime genres. Her 2 hour special 'Dubstep Warz' on BBC Radio 1 in January 2006 is considered the global tipping point for the dubstep sound. She released a groundbreaking dark electronic compilation album on Planet Mu records entitled Warrior Dubz in October 2006, drawing the sonic parallels between dubstep, grime, dark dancefloor, techno, d&b and hip hop. In June 2007, Hobbs curated the UK Dubstep showcase at the Sónar festival with Skream, Oris Jay and Kode9, taking the sound out of club environments and onto an international festival stage in front of 8,500 people for the very first time. On 7 February 2008 the "Dubstep Souljahs" documentary she made for BBC Radio 1 aired inside Pete Tong's In New Music We Trust show.^[3] Her second compilation album, Evangeline, was released on 16 June 2008 on Planet Mu records.^[4] This coincided with her second Sonar Festival Stage featuring Shackleton, Flying Lotus and Mala from Digital Mystikz. In 2009 she returned to the festival with Joker, The Gaslamp Killer and Martyn, and in 2010 again with Flying Lotus and also with new British producers/DJs Roska and Joy Orbison.

On 23 July 2010 Hobbs announced on her Myspace page that she was leaving the BBC. She spent a year mentoring students at University of Sheffield Union of Students.

Mary Anne Hobbs returned to radio in the primetime slot (7-10pm Saturdays) she always covered on 9 July 2011, broadcasting from Xfm in Manchester. On 5 September 2011 she began hosting the relaunched "Music:Response" show across the xfm network, Monday to Thursday from 8-11pm.

Hobbs is mentioned in the Half Man Half Biscuit song 'Nove On The Sly' from the album 'Trouble Over Bridgwater'.^[5]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• Mary Anne Hobbs at BBC Programmes
• Mary Anne Hobbs on Myspace
• Mary Anne Hobbs on Twitter
• Mary Anne Hobbs's channel on YouTube
• Mary Anne Hobbs interview @ VeryVeryMuch