Episode 1 Other Voices

Hello and welcome to Other Voices.

Yes, we have left behind the cosy confines

of St James' Church in Dingle

and travelled North to Derry-Londonderry,

this year's UK City of Culture, where for the next four weeks

we'll be anchoring proceedings from The Glassworks,

over there on Great James Street. And I will be helped out

on these onerous anchoring duties

by none other than Miss Bronagh Gallagher.

Hello, Aidan. I can't believe that Other Voices has come to Derry

because this is my home town.

Not only will we be here in Derry we will also, for the Other Voices fans,

be going back to Dingle. How could we not? And we'll also

be going to the Wilton's Music Hall in London

because this year's Other Voices is all about the Musical Journey,

Dingle, Derry, London.

So enough has been said, somebody sing.

# Take the National Express

# When your life's in a mess

# It'll make you smile

# All human life is here

# From the feeble old dear

# To the screaming child

# From the student who knows

# That to have one of those

# Would be suicide

# To the family man

# Manhandling the pram

# With paternal pride

# And everybody sings

# Ba, ba, ba da ba, da ba da

# Ba, ba, ba da ba, da ba da

# Ba, ba, ba da ba, da ba da

# Ba, ba, ba da ba, da ba da

# We're going where

# The air is free

# On the National Express

# There's a jolly hostess

# Selling crisps and tea

# She'll provide you with drinks

# And theatrical winks

# For a sky-high fee

# Mini-skirts were in style

# When she danced down the aisle

# Back in '63

# But it's hard to get by

# When your arse is the size

# Of a small country

# And everybody sings

# Ba, ba, ba da ba, da ba da

# Ba, ba, ba da ba, da ba da

# Ba, ba, ba da ba, da ba da

# Ba, ba, ba da ba, da ba da

# We're going where

# The air is free

# Tomorrow belongs to me

# When you're sad and feeling blue

# With nothing better to do

# Don't just sit there feeling stressed

# Take a little trip on the National Express

# The National Express

# Yeah

# Oh, yeah

# Take it away, Tom! #

APPLAUSE

# La, la, la la la

# La la, la la la

# La la la la, la la la la

# La la, la la la

# If I think about young childhood days

# And how things used to be

# I always think about the summers

# They're my favourite memories

# I was always dreaming about something

# Like how my life could be

# Full of music, girls and clothes

# I dreamed about beauty

# And it was good but there was always

# Disturbance in my mind

# Pretty soon it was obvious

# I was lost inside

# I was so lost

# I was lost inside

# I was so lost

# I was lost inside

# I tried to hide it from the world

# And all of my family

# I couldn't exist in the world

# Like there was something wrong with me

# But now you're grown and you understand

# How things are meant to be

# And it's time you stopped the dreaming

# Faced up to reality

# Oh, I am so lost

# I'm lost inside

# I am so lost

# I'm lost inside

# I don't admit this to the world

# What would they think of me?

# If I show them that I'm soft

# Well they'll take the piss out of me

# I am so lost

# I am so lost

# I am so lost. #

APPLAUSE

One thing that has been a constant through Dexys' different styles,

or looks, or through the records, or whatever

is in your writing an examination of your identity

as second generation Irish or Irish, or whatever you want to call it.

It really seems to me that it's been a driving force

from the first track on the first album right up until now.

Is it?

It's been a big thing, not so much now

but it was definitely a big thing.

I had three years in Ireland from the age of one to four

and then the rest of the time here

and my dad was kind of ambivalent about it.

On the one hand, he wanted us to be...

and on the other hand, he didn't.

He wanted us to be, cos the Irish at that time in this country were poor

and underprivileged and he was very ambitious

and he wanted us to do well at school and all that

and he was very torn, he was very mixed up about it, actually.

It was a big thing, really, and also there was Irish jokes going on here.

The Troubles were going on, it was a weird time.

Say with, for instance, Searching For The Young Soul Rebels,

which, outwardly when you look at it first you go,

oh, it's like a soul record or whatever, you know.

You look closer and the picture on the front is a kid in Belfast

and the lyrics of the first song, it's such a statement.

How did the rest of the band feel about that?

We wouldn't really talk about the words much,

but I would have a little secret smile to myself

because I felt then, at that time,

it was almost like sneaking stuff in

about my roots and my heritage because it wasn't popular

and that was in Birmingham as well

and it was like four years after the pub bombings

and it was like sneaking it in and when I said to Pete Barrett

for the artwork I said, "look."

He was designing the cover for the album.

I said 'look, have you got somewhere there was civil unrest,

"that's what we want on the front cover,"

and when he came back with that one,

the fact that it was Ireland, I was like, brilliant, that's the one.

# Back in '68 in a sweaty club

# Oh, Geno

# Before Jimmy's Machine and The Rocksteady Rub

# Oh-oh-oh Geno-o

# On a night when flowers didn't suit these shoes

# After weeks of flunkin' and bunkin' my school

# The lowest head in the crowd that night

# I was practisin' steps and keepin' outta the fights

# Academic inspiration

# You gave me none

# But you were Michael the lover

# You were the fighter that won

# But now just look at me

# I'm looking down upon you

# I'm not bein' flash

# Its just what I was built to do

# That man took the stage

# With his towel swingin' high

# Oh, Geno

# This man was my bombers, my Dexys, my high

# Oh-oh-oh, Geno-o

# The crowds they all hailed you

# And chanted your name

# But they never knew like we knew

# Me and you, we're the same

# And now you're all over

# Your song is so tame

# Brrrrr, you fed me, you bred me, I'll remember your name

# Academic inspiration

# Geno, you didn't give me none

# You were Michael the lover

# The fighter that won

# But now you got to look at me, Geno

# I'm looking down upon you

# I'm not bein' flash

# It's just what I was built to do

# Geno Washington

# Ge-eno Washington

# Geno Washington

# Oh, Geno

# Oh-oh-oh, Geno-o

# Oh, Geno

# Oh-oh-oh, Geno-o. #

APPLAUSE AND CHEERING

In this week's Other Room we have a man who shared the stage

with Gary Lightbody, Django Django and me.

This is Eoin O'Callaghan, Best Boy Grip.

# You're in love with him

# He's got money

# I ain't got none but I'm funny

# I won't make you cry in the rain

# You're in love with him

# He's good-looking

# He stands naked as he's cooking

# White powdered medicine for his pain

# And I guess I'll take the blame for it all

# Never should have left you alone

# He fought 45 men in a war

# And I can't remember the last time I swore

# But I'd fight for you

# If you'd let me

# You're in love with him

# I ain't bitter

# He broke Angel when he hit her

# He's bad company, that's for sure

# And I guess I'll take the blame for it all

# Never should have left them alone

# He'll come home and he'll kick down your door

# And he'll abuse you

# He calls you his whore

# And I'd mess him up if you'd let me

# You're in love with him

# Fact stays with me

# Eats my heart out, lost my empathy

# Earth, wind, fire and the monster and me

# And I guess I'll take the blame for it all

# Never should have left you alone.

# You're in love with him

# Ah-oh

# You're in love with him

# Ah-oh

# You're in love with him

# Ah-ah-ah-oh. #

OK, here we go, here's Palma Violets.

# You drive my car

# Around the bend

# It never ends

# It never ends

# You're on the bed

# But I got it made

# You're in the road

# Just step it up

# On me, yeah, yeah

# All the cool cats

# Said you must lie on me

# You're on the bed

# But I'm still here

# You're in the road

# Better run, run, run

# Run, run, run

# Run, run, run

# You had me dancing in the sun

# You got me dancing in the sun

# You got me dancing in the sun

# You got me dancing in the sun

# You got me dancing in the sun. #

APPLAUSE AND CHEERING

I'm very excited now about the next singers we're going to meet,

somebody I've admired for a long time, Beth Orton and Sam Amidon.

And we're going to hear them now in the Central Bar

and then we'll see them tonight in The Glassworks so it's very exciting.

# I was angry with my friend

# I told my wrath, my wrath did end

# I was angry with my foe

# I told it not, my wrath did grow

# And I watered it with fears

# Night and morning with my tears

# And I sunned it with smiles

# And with soft deceitful wiles

# With soft, deceitful wiles

# And it grew both day and night

# Till it bore an apple bright

# And my foe beheld it shine

# And he knew that it was mine

# Into my garden stole

# When the night had veiled the pole

# Into my garden stole

# When the night had veiled the pole

# Into my garden stole

# When the night had veiled the pole

# Into my garden stole

# When the night had veiled the pole

# He has cast me in shade

# Night and morning have I prayed

# Even turned their blood in me

# Oh, those of little loyalty

# I have watered it with fears

# Night and morning with my tears

# I have sunned it with smiles

# And with soft deceitful wiles

# With soft deceitful wiles

# And it grew both day and night

# Till it bore an apple bright

# And my foe beheld its shine

# And he knew that it was mine

# Into my garden stole

# When the night had veiled the pole

# Into my garden stole

# When the night had veiled the pole

# Into my garden stole

# When the night had veiled the pole

# Into my garden stole

# When the night had veiled the pole

# I was angry with my friend

# I told my wrath, my wrath did end

# I was angry with my foe

# I told him not, my wrath did grow

# Into my garden he stole

# When the night had veiled the pole

# In the morning, glad I see

# My foe outstretched beneath the tree

# My foe outstretched beneath the tree. #

In Irish music I grew up with a lot of traditional Irish singers

and Irish musicians and they would always talk to me

about the tune and the air of a tune

and when they would hear about someone that had a tune,

the new tune or a new tune, they would travel on their bike,

should it be halfway across the country,

they would get on the bike because Begley had a tune

or somebody had a tune.

That's such a beautiful story though, I like that.

Your stories are sort of like that in Norwich.

What are my stories like?

Similar intensity to how people felt about their music there.

True. I grew up in this small town called Norwich.

You know, like, it's not much...

Growing up, everyone had a passion for music, but it was punk.

It was mainly punk and it was like late '70s,

very early '80s and it was like,

which side are you on?

Tribal.

But there was a lot of different music.

There was a whole dub scene, then there was...

And in my household as well it was very passionate about music,

but for me, I guess it was a melody.

I would hear a melody and hear words

and I never studied music or anything,

but I did go deep into other people's songs, I really did.

I can get them caught in my head

and I really studied words as well.

I love words, so that's a similar thing, but I love that idea,

because I think that's almost lost

but that's what you do, you collect songs.

You collect old songs and a lot of people do and it seems

that there's this huge reappraisal now of music

and people kind of coming in and... What do you think? Is that true?

You're better at speaking about this.

That's incredibly eloquent, it's beautiful...

That's about it for this week.

Next week from Derry we'll be joined by Marina And The Diamonds

and Bridie Monds-Watson, aka SOAK.

SOAK also appeared in Dingle and in London, the only artist

to grace all three stages, and also appearing, Damien Dempsey.

Until then, we've just about enough time for one more song

-from Beth Orton.

-See you next week.

# Dawn breeze brushed my cheek and I knew what I had to leave

# Dawn chorus came on glorious all wrapped up in your sheets

# Beneath the noise there was silence

# And what was left was ours to surprise us

# And you could say that you could say that you could say

# That it was my knowing

# But I never knew, no I had no clue, no I never knew

# Where this would be going

# All the stories people tell

# And all the tales I heard from myself

# It's best you know or else get told

# The soft flesh that beats 'neath your breast

# Beneath the noise there's always silence

# And what is left

# Comes round to surprise us

# And I could swear that I could swear that I could swear

# That it was my knowing

# But you never knew, you had no clue, no you never knew

# Where this would be going

# I was lonely as the moon who longs for the sun to come by

# I'd wait and wait and wait and wait

# But never seem to share the same sky

# Beneath the noise

# There's always silence

# And what is lost comes on to surprise us

# And I could swear that I could swear that I could swear

# That it was my knowing

# But you never knew, no you had no clue, no you never knew

# Where this would be going. #

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd