L.A. Confidential
With the unpleasant tabloid scrutiny she’s been under recently, it’s easy to forget that Sinéad O’Connor is one of Ireland’s most powerful creative musical forces. Her soon-to-be-released new album, How About I Be Me (And You Be You?), already has critics purring with delight. When Sinéad travelled to the City of Angels to perform at a pre-Golden Globe event, Olaf Tyaransen went with her to report on the latest chapter in her remarkable life.
Olaf Tyaransen, 08 Feb 2012
Sinéad has been inside the store for at least 20 minutes, poking fruitlessly at the ATM, splashing coffee all over the aisles, and gathering armloads of toiletries (our luggage has travelled to LA without us).
I’ve tried to get her out twice already, but there’s no stopping the woman in the middle of a minor shopping spree. “You can’t buy any of this stuff back home,” she keeps insisting. Still, she seems to be in better form.
The cab fare comes to $30 – painful given that the Hyatt is practically within walking distance of the terminal.
The night manager is an Irish-American named Katy, and she couldn’t be more delighted to see us. Well, to see Sinéad. “Oh my God,” she gushes. “Miss O’Connor, I am such a massive fan of your work. I used to have your posters all over my bedroom.”
Sinéad may not have had a big chart hit in years, but she’s still massively famous and utterly distinctive. Everywhere she goes, she is recognised. “The best thing about being me is that I get lots and lots of hugs from complete strangers,” she tells me. Having escorted us up to our floor, Katy gives her a friendly squeeze too. “I’m so happy to meet you. Anything you want, you just call down and ask for me.”
We have two rooms booked, but hole up in mine to see out the night. Sinéad falls asleep in the bath, but seems fully alert when she finally emerges. The pills have obviously finally worn off. “Are you up for some talking?” she asks.
Yes, I am.
Over the past few weeks, more than one Irish journalist has called me to ask is there any truth in the rumour that Sinéad O’Connor and I are lovers. Actually, we’re involved in a far more intimate relationship than that. I’m currently working on her official biography. It’s half the reason I’m accompanying her on this trip. Aware that there’d be plenty of downtime, we figured that we could get a lot of interview sessions done for the book.
I hit the record button and we talk intensely for a couple of hours. Sinéad tells me about her childhood and teenage years, holding nothing back. We cover some pretty harrowing ground before I finally push the stop button. “I know it’s tough to hear, but you need to know all of this in order to understand where I’m coming from,” she insists. “You don’t have to use it in your book, but you have to be aware of it.”
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