Hip hop is in crisis, what we need is a new soldier to rise from ghetto streets to tell it like it really is, someone to do justice to the legacy of NWA and… well stop if you’ve heard this one before. It certainly feels like this isn’t the first time I’ve sat down to write this review. Indeed, it seems like I can hardly escape Eminem, 50 Cent, Obie Trice or the rest these days. So are we to hope that The Game actually is capable of offering something different? The signs aren’t good.
Computer games have been one of the remarkable growth areas of recent years in home entertainment. Colm O'Hare looks at developments in this intensely competitive field and predicts that – with so much mazooma at stake – it could become a veritable battle zone over the coming twelve months.
Having been shot five times and survived a coma in his previous life as an LA gang member, hip hop sensation The Game has been offered a reprieve courtesy of Dr Dre's patronage and a deal with Interscope Records. But is the 25-year-old star already succumbing to his own hype?
It's Friday, May 22. The votes haven't even been counted yet, but already a succession of post-ballot parties are taking place. Your prime location is the Mandela Hall at Queens University Belfast, where a few hundred groovers will congregate around an event organised by those feverish tykes from the local music magazine, Blank. The name of the game is 'Keep Ulster Brattish' and admission is a mere quid.
It's Friday, May 22. The votes haven't even been counted yet, but already a succession of post-ballot parties are taking place. Your prime location is the Mandela Hall at Queens University Belfast, where a few hundred groovers will congregate around an event organised by those feverish tykes from the local music magazine, Blank. The name of the game is 'Keep Ulster Brattish' and admission is a mere quid.
A former drug dealer, he’s been shot at nine times and lived to tell the tale, emerging as one of the most controversial and uncompromising figures in rap. But there's more to 50 Cent than the popular legend suggests. For a start, there’s a new commercial edge to the music, as his US and Irish number one album The Massacre demonstrates. Plus, as one of the new faces of Reebok’s ‘I Am What I Am’ campaign, he’s taken to the role of cultural icon with considerable zest. Oh, and besides, he’s a bit of a wow with the ladies.
Irish legend, Arsenal loyalist and now manager of Champions League surprise package Leeds United, DAVID O'LEARY knows the game of football inside out. Here he talks to STUART CLARK about money, agents, Après Match, Eircom Park, Man Utd., Robbie Keane, Mick McCarthy, his rows with Jack Charlton and Brian Kerr, and why he definitely wants to manage Ireland - at 50!
For close to twenty years, MARTIN CAHILL led the forces of law and order a merry dance. Known as the General, he was suspected of masterminding virtually every major crime committed in Ireland – but for as long as matters, the Gardai had been unable to pin anything on him. And when he was brought to court on petty charges, he posed outside for press photographers, dropping his trousers to reveal a pair of Mickey Mouse boxer shorts. Last week, however, the game was cut brutally short when Cahill was blown away within 100 yards of his South Dublin home by an IRA hit squad. Report: NEIL McCORMICK.
With Kanye West supplanting him as the hottest hip-hop producer on the scene and N*E*R*D no more, Pharrell Williams needs to do something special to put himself back into the game. ‘Can I Have It Like That’ is an uninspiring, tuneless dirge, in sharp contrast to West’s vibrant wall of sound. And getting Gwen Stefani to repeat four words a few times is hardly going to help matters.
After a shaky start with Volume One, Rod Modell and Steve Hitchell raise the game on this wonderful 12”. ‘Abraxas’ is more quality, crispy dub techno, but the real delight is ‘Empyrean’: a reggae refix, like it’s being viewed through a frosty Berlin window, with unexpected warmth thanks to some classic organ work. Fantastic.
DUNGEONS & DRAGONS
Directed by Courtney Solomon. Starring Justin Whalan, Marlon Wayans, Thora Birch
The inevitable cinematic spin-off of the phenomenally successful ‘role-playing’ fantasy/adventure game of the same name, the only real surprise about Dungeons & Dragons is how long it took to become a movie, the game having been around since the late Seventies.
I stopped playing football at the age of eighteen and stayed away from it for twelve years. By then I had a son, and it was kicking ball with him, and witnessing his unselfconscious enthusiasm for the game that first re-awakened the sense of magic that football had held for me during my own childhood and teenage years.
Ghosts sprinkle a touch of originality – but little more. Their music makes for a pleasant listen, but the four piece from London don’t seem to be in the game of challenging.
From child actress to Emmy and Oscar-winning veteran, Helen Hunt exhibits Streep-like intelligence and versatility. She's now about to make her directorial debut with Then She Found Me.
Steve Cummins undergoes a poker masterclass courtesy of two of the game's most renowned tutors, Al Alvarez and Roy Houghton. Photography by Cathal Dawson.
He's the David Beckham of world rugby – but what does All Black star Dan Carter think of Ireland's historic Grand Slam and Leinster's dramatic Heineken Cup victory?
He mightn’t have the blonde streaks, but Lee Carsley gets through twice as much work in 90 minutes as David Beckham and Cristiano Ronaldo put together.
They say that there are no
characters in snooker any more, but ronnie o sullivan is an exception. A true people s champion and natural talent in the mould of Alex Higgins and Jimmy White, he s made determined efforts to curb his own excessive tendencies and is now being tipped by many to claim the world title in Sheffield this month. Interview: Nick Kelly.
Before head-butt infamy finished off his career, the world’s greatest living midfielder served as an unlikely muse to the documentary maker Philippe Parreno. Ahead of the film’s Irish premier, the director talks about the making of Zidane: A 21st Century Portrait.
With the Five Nations Championship up and running again, Paul O’Mahoney discusses the state of the union game with Scotland’s straight-talking captain, Gavin Hastings.
In the first instalment of a regular new column for Hot Press, former Irish international PAUL McGRATH remembers Italia 90 and looks forward to the season ahead
You know them as heartfelt songwriters. But when they’re not mucking about in the studio, Neil Hannon and Thomas Walsh enjoy nothing more than a game of cricket. And they’re not just in it for the cucumber sandwiches, either.
NIALL STANAGE sees GERRY ADAMS and EAMON DUNPHY fight out an honourable draw. Pix: Peter Matthews
They've been talking about it for weeks. Now the moment of truth has finally arrived. The sense of anticipation that has been building up over the past few weeks, around the impending clash of these two old adversaries, has been immense. It's been billed as the clash of the titans, the battle of the giants, the mother of all matches and even, extraordinarily, as the rumble in the mumble. Now the house-full signs have gone up, the touts are out in force and there's an air of
expectancy you could cut with a knife.
NIALL STANAGE sees GERRY ADAMS and EAMON DUNPHY fight out an honourable draw. Pix: Peter Matthews
They've been talking about it for weeks. Now the moment of truth has finally arrived. The sense of anticipation that has been building up over the past few weeks, around the impending clash of these two old adversaries, has been immense. It's been billed as the clash of the titans, the battle of the giants, the mother of all matches and even, extraordinarily, as the rumble in the mumble. Now the house-full signs have gone up, the touts are out in force and there's an air of
Nope, 1990s are not the infamous Cork band, they're a red hot Scottish act that evolved from the wonderfully named Yummy Fur, who also spawned half of Franz Ferdinand.
Despite sub-standard displays against Israel and the Faroes, Tony Cascarino remains confident that the Republic of Ireland will qualify for Germany 2006. Even if Clinton Morrison can't get to grips with the offside rule!
By taming Celtic in their own back yard, St Patrick’s Athletic showed how far Irish club football has come in recent years. But as STUART CLARK discovers, when he meets manager PAT DOLAN, not everyone in the National League is heartened by their progress.
To DECLAN LYNCH in Foul Play it's "bogball" but to GERRY McGOVERN it's a thrilling sport "created out of the imagination and genius of the Irish people." Here he writes in praise of gaelic football and declares: "I'm a bogman and proud of it."
After the heroics which marked the finish of last year‘s International Championship, Irish rugby was brought back to earth with the defeat by France a fortnight ago. In a match that was closer than the twenty-point difference in the scoreline suggested, Eric Elwood notched up all of Ireland’s fifteen points. Paul O’Mahony talks to the cool Number Ten about rugby, sacrifices – oh, and Manchester United.
The Republic of Ireland's pallid 2-0 defeat by Argentina in last week's international friendly showed that
MICK McCARTHY's time and resources are becoming increasingly limited, as Yugoslavia and Croatia loom
over the horizon in the Euro 2000 qualifiers. NIALL STOKES asks: "What is to be done?"
Thanks to medical advances, horrendous injuries, such as the one suffered by Mancester United's Alan Smith, need no longer spell the end of a footballer's career.
Ever feel like chucking your job and doing something completely different? John Bishop did. The result is Stick Your Job Up Your Arse, the comic's journey from the corporate to the comedic world.
Impartial, level-headed Offaly supporter BARRY GLENDENNING chronicles the good, the bad and the downright Bizarre in this year’s All-Ireland hurling championship and predicts that the Liam McCarthy cup is, once again, bound for the Midlands.
Despite the continued absence of Phil 'The Power' Taylor, the Embassy World Darts Championship at Frimley Green made for essential viewing. BARRY GLENDENNING reports.
"Ireland to win at home and then draw in Turkey," LIAM BRADY is confident that Mick McCarthy's men can qualify for Euro 2000 - and given this man's footballing credentials, who's to argue? EAMON DUNPHY, perhaps? Interview: STUART CLARK.
Ahead of next Sunday’s All-Ireland final, Tara Brady talks to former Kerry multi-medal-winner-turned-controversial-tv pundit Pat Spillane about Kerry fans, Northern sensitivites and fatherhood.
NIALL STOKES on the tactical and personnel blunders that left MICK McCARTHY with few legitimate excuses for Ireland's failure to qualify for Euro 2000.
The Great Chat-Show War didn’t quite turn out to be the promised Mother of All Battles. Although in some ways it did: like Saddam’s first war, it was all over in less than a 100 days.
I don t believe in horoscopes. At all. They just don t make sense. How could the stars influence our lives? It seems so utterly improbable. But there s a lot of credulous people out there. First page they ll turn to in a magazine. They must answer some fundamental need, some vacant space in people s lives.
In the wake of Steve Staunton’s sacking as Ireland manager, Eamon Dunphy welcomes Craig Fitzsimons into his Ranelagh home and offers some characteristically forthright views on the state of Irish football.
British director Bernard Rose hit paydirt over decade ago with Candyman, but his uncompromising single-mindedness has made him a virtual Hollywood pariah. However, Snuff Movie looks like putting him back in the game.
Have you ever wondered about the diminutive character who keeps the Irish soccer team supplied with clean jerseys, hard balls and, er, all sorts of other footballing paraphernalia? That's Charlie O’Leary, kit man to the Republic of Ireland squad. Here he talks about;the secrets of his behind-the-scenes trade, the players’ bizarre likes and dislikes and the controversies of USA ’94 to Paul O’Mahony.
Not only do the FAI's own figures show that they do not need the Sky TV money but relying on television revenue to develop football in the current climate is a risky strategy
Flying winger Denis Hickie is one of Ireland and Leinster's leading stars. But when he takes off his boots, it's music he turns to for inspiration – from Nick Drake, through Mark Lanegan and Hem to Athlete (but of course!). Interview by Steve Cummins. Photography by Cathal Dawson
When it was first published, very few people would have predicted the extraordinary, best-selling success of Fever Pitch. Now, NICK HORNBY s winning story of a chronic football obsessive has been elevated to the big screen. But, in a world of bungs, bootboys, bandwagon-jumpers and the relentless hype of Sky Sports, is he still in love with the (sometimes not so) beautiful game? Interview: CRAIG FITZSIMONS.
When it was first published, very few people would have predicted the extraordinary, best-selling success of Fever Pitch. Now, NICK HORNBY s winning story of a chronic football obsessive has been elevated to the big screen. But, in a world of bungs, bootboys, bandwagon-jumpers and the relentless hype of Sky Sports, is he still in love with the (sometimes not so) beautiful game? Interview: CRAIG FITZSIMONS.
A spell in jail and another working in the music biz helped push Ollie Byrne in the direction of running a football club. The colourful Shelbourne chairman offers some typically forthright views on Dunphy, Racism, the FAI and the National Stadium as the new domestic season gets under way.
Hot Press has teamed up with Gohop.ie to offer Irish punters the chance to visit Hungary's premier music extravaganza, the Sziget festival. Duan Stokes has the details.
There have been a lot of musicians, but only one Beethoven; there have been a lot of artists, but only one Michelangelo; and there have been a lot of footballers, but only one Pelé.
LIAM MACKEY meets the Brazilian soccer legend who really does deserve to be called “the greatest”.
John Walshe talks to Irish rugby captain and Munster stalwart Keith Wood ahead of the most important game in Munster s history, and hears his views on the media, sex before a game and his love for bellybuttons and pregnant women.
Pictures: DECLAN ENGLISH
Since making it's debut in 1964, Match Of The Day has become a national institution watched by an average six million football addicts a week. Paul O'mahony goes behind the scenes at the BBC's longest running sports programme and discovers that the people piecing it together are every bit as commited to the 'beautiful game' as those on the terraces.
Tanya Sweeney catches up with Ireland’s hardest partying rockers Snow Patrol to discuss on-the-road hi-jinks, the band’s hallowed status in the Scottish and Irish music scenes, and also bears witness to that long-awaited footie showdown with Thomastown under 15s.
The end of the Republic of Ireland’s World Cup qualifying campaign was deeply unimpressive, not so much for the poverty of the results as for the manner in which they were achieved. And just when everyone was breathing a collective sigh of relief at the whisker-fine nature of our qualification, worse was to follow with the news of Niall Quinn’s critical knee injury. So what is the best way forward for Jack Charlton’s embattled troops? Analysis: Niall Stokes
Well, absolutely, as anyone who's seen the gifted young Manchester United midfielder crack home a patented 30-yard rocket will testify. But off the pitch, as Jonathan O'Brien discovers, it's that little bit harder to get DAVID BECKHAM overly excited about anything. With the possible exception of discount designer clobber!
He may have stopped smoking superhuman amounts of weed, but otherwise it’s business as usual for Ghostface Killah as he continues to spread the Wu-Tang gospel.
jasper carrott's days as a director of Birmingham City FC may be long gone, but despite having some 20 successful years in the comedy business behind him, there are still some people out there who haven't forgiven the Brummie for his 1975 single 'Funky Moped'/'Magic Roundabout'.
Interview: Barry Glendenning.
Ahead of the European Championships in Portugal, the England and Arsenal full back on another great year for the Gunners, discipline and indiscipline, football scandals, money and, of course, Roy Keane.
The Netherlands has long been a byword for liberalism in relation to cannabis. But the Calvinist attitudes of the current administration there look set to change that.
Three-in-a-bed romps! drunken footballers on the rampage! and they’re just the questions! however, given that the interviewee is Ireland’s most beloved player Damien Duff you won’t be surprised to learn that the answers are rather more down to earth – including why, with hindsight, he can now chuckle at being on the inside track for the Roy Keane saga in Saipan. “I’m just a big kid at heart,” he tells Barry Glendenning, as he prepares to play a man’s role in Ireland’s crunch game against Switzerland
Ireland and Munster out-half, Ronan O’Gara, has a pivotal say in this country’s rugby fortunes. As what is potentially the most important season in Irish rugby history moves into its most competitive phase, he takes time out to reflect on the demands of being a big time rugby star, the cult of celebrity, his taste in music, Roy Keane’s infamous Saipan walk-out – and Ireland’s chances of Six Nations glory in 2005.
While the senior team have been stumbling their way through the World Cup qualifiers, the Ireland Under-20s have been making back-page headlines for all the right reasons.
In an interview that's guaranteed to ruffle blazers in Merrion Square, youth supremo BRIAN KERR tells Jack Charlton exactly where he can stick his long-ball and outlines his masterplan for future international glory. Slight groin-strain: STUART CLARK.
Forget Oxegen or U2 at Croke Park – the biggest shows in town this summer are the All Ireland Championships. With the crowning of the provincial championships, the season is entering its most competitive stage.
When Mick McCarthy became manager of the Republic of Ireland, he enjoyed a honeymoon period as one of the Irish media s favourite subjects. But it didn t last long. Results fell below the grandiose expectations of a nation grown accustomed to success under Jack Charlton and McCarthy became a somewhat embattled figure. Now the team is fighting back and the manager is beginning to relax again, confident in his own ability to deliver. Interview: Stuart Clark. Main pix: The Star
Artist Michael Landy - this year's favourite for the Turner Prize - tells Kim Porcelli about the two-week process of destroying all that you can leave behind
At 21 years of age Roy Keane is potentially Ireland’s most expensive ever footballer. Growing in stature at International and Club level, his increasing profile has also brought media attention of a type that hasn’t always been welcome. Here, he talks of his mistrust of the tabloids, coping with fame, his fairytale breakthrough to the top and his ambition to play in Italy at some stage of his career
We should be asking questions about Catholicism's warped teachings on sexuality, rather than wasting time on John Charles McQuaid's alleged homosexuality, writes NELL McCAFFERTY.
A series of spooky coincidences led to the formation of Marble City guitar-slingers Saving J.. Having garnered a huge local following, they’re ready to make the step up to the next level.
A win next week and we're there - but what lies in store for Irish supporters if Big Jack's men do qualify for America? Long suffering England fan Stuart Clark was in the States this summer for US Cup '93 and found that if the dress rehearsal is anything to go by, the World Cup Finals should be a sporting event to savour. Main pix: Simon Parry.
Padraig Harrington talks about gay golfers, stalkers on the tour, the potential of Rory McIlroy and the death of his father. And, he says, his Open win was just the beginning.
MARK KAVANAGH reports on the continuing controversy over the awarding of Dublin's dance radio licence, while, below, EAMON SWEENEY, looks at the still- vibrant world of pirate broadcasting.
MARK KAVANAGH reports on the continuing controversy over the awarding of Dublin's dance radio licence, while, below, EAMON SWEENEY, looks at the still- vibrant world of pirate broadcasting.
Ireland’s last-gasp Grand Slam win over Wales will go down as one of this nation’s greatest sporting achievements. It was both a much needed shot of good news for a country gripped by economic despair, and vindication for a group of players who had been tagged the ‘nearly-men’ of world rugby.
While Zinedine Zidane's return makes the task considerably more difficult, Ireland have both the players and mental strength to beat France in next week's crucial World Cup qualifier. That's the verdict of our panel of celebrity fans who tell Killian Murphy why they're looking forward to another night of international footballing glory.
In Istanbul as a "curious neutral observer" of the Champions League Final, Ed Power was unimpressed by the Irish contingent’s putatively genuine support for Rafael Benitez’s Liverpool side.
The fact that it's just over ten years since Pac-man was wowing the world's computer buffs, shows the vast leaps that the gaming industry has made since. Hot Press investigates the cult of the console.
LET'S GO SHOPPING
Gerry McGovern embarks on a mission to steer you through the sea of software.
And you will know him by the trail of defenders... almost as elusive off the pitch as he is on it, the 23-year-old from Ballyboden is being tipped by many to be one of the sensations of the forthcoming World Cup. But away from the pitch, you're unlikely to find 'the duffer' turning up in the pages of Hello. Though you may bump into him at a u2 gig...
EAMONN DeBARRA is the Young Traditional Musician of the Year. He tells SIOBHAN LONG why he isn t strictly trad and why it s important to play the #20 gigs
Is there a technique to picking up a member of the opposite sex – or does it just happen? Feeling that he could do with a little bit of help in that department, journalist Neil Strauss hooked up with a cult community of Pick Up Artists and set out to learn the secrets of the trade. With all those Christmas parties looming, his advice might just come in handy.
With Man Utd, Arsenal and Chelsea all in Champions League action last week, Tony Cascarino takes a look at how English clubs might fare in Europe this season.
The hype parade doesn't interest Carlow's finest, 79 Cortinaz. Whether it's cold-calling record stores or hand delivering CDs, they'd rather take a grassroots journey to the top.
Phil Udell meets a Coral disenchanted with their Hotpress review, but gains Brownie points for recognising that they're NOT - repeat NOT - from Liverpool.
Nationalism is still alive and well at least on the walls of toilets. Then again, football and genitalia seem just as popular. Last issue, we looked at the writing on women s walls; this time STEPHEN ROBINSON finds out what men are scrawling in their own convenience. Pics: Paul Connell
BARRY FRY is to football management what Keith Moon was to hotel rooms. During his spells at Barnet, Southend United, Birmingham City and now Peterbough, he s turned upsetting people into an art form. STUART CLARK shares a half-time Bovril with the man who once used 46 different players in a season and is proud to include ticket-touting for Johnny Giles in his C.V.
Main pix:
Cathal Dawson
He’s made the Man U and Ireland right-back positions his own this season, and is playing what he admits is the best football of his career as a result. As the Republic gears up for a play-off crack at World Cup qualification, JOHN O’SHEA talks about life under Trapatonni, and reflects on another successful year at Old Trafford.
Art with a capital ‘F’ or the real, raw thing? In London, Phil Udell strolls among – and at one point nearly falls over – an exhibition of controversial, cutting edge, headline-grabbing work from Hirst, Emin et al. But is it, like, y’know, any good?
Cathy, Ciara, Kelly and Tara are collectively known as BELLEFIRE and are Westlife
manager Louis Walsh’s latest project. STEPHEN ROBINSON investigates Louis’ angels
In the definitive life of two halves, GEORGE BEST has been both the supreme footballer and a raddled alcoholic . With a new paperback biography just published and a movie version of his life on the way, LIAM MACKEY reflects on the genie who got trapped by the bottle.
It is every boy's wildest fantasy (bar, perhaps, Brett from Suede) to make a living playing with a fantastically successful football side. Craig Johnston was there, saw that and quit while he was ahead. But he has continued to make his dreams real. Gerry McGovern meets the kangaroo who won't be tied down, sport.
An Irish human rights campaigner travelled to Colombia recently – and returned with an alarming picture of a society where activists face the constant risk of murder by paramilitary gangs.
Barely out of school, Dublin sister duo Heathers are already turning heads with their melodic punk-pop. They talk about what it's like being one of the country's buzzing newcomers.
Fresh from masterminding yet another historic victory – this time, Laois’ first Leinster championship in 57 years – gaelic football legend Mick O’Dwyer recalls famous days with Kerry and offers his customarily forthright views on professionalism, soccer at Croker, drink sponsorship, booing the Taoiseach and a changing Ireland. All this plus the little-known Louis Walsh connection!
Nog Nog Noggin ON HEAVEN’S DOOR
Come with us on a fantastic voyage to the mythical kingdom of Gibletland in the wondrous empire of Sallynoggin where sex, drugs and rock'n'roll rule and where your decadent host is, eh, Dustin the Turkey. DUSTIN THE TURKEY!!!
Read on but beware of fowl play.
Your demented guide: LIAM FAY.
The ace bass in the STONE ROSES and PRIMAL SCREAM, MANI is the living embodiment of the concept of largin it . In Ireland to dee-jay and hang out, he sinks a few beers and offers his uniquely colourful thoughts on music, Man U, drugs, Thatcher, Reagan, Blair and Bill Clinton s blow-jobs. Interview: EAMON SWEENEY.
Stuart Clark talks to Everton star-turned-analyst Andy Gray about Ireland’s chances of qualifying for the World Cup, why HOtpress is his favourite music publication, and his remarkable lack of bitterness over Archie Gemmel’s goal being used in the shagging scene in Trainspotting.
Music journalist-turned-publicist KEITH ALTHAM has spent more than 35 years behind the scenes with the likes of The Who, Rolling Stones, Small Faces and Van Morrison. His new book reveals (almost) all. Interview: GEORGE BYRNE.
With a huge world-wide No.1 album to their credit, Green Day are among the hottest bands on planet earth right now. Their visit to The Point in Dublin was widely anticipated. But would they live up to the promise? Hot Press’ teenage rock aficionado Rolo Black went along to find out…
He was soccer s hardest man. Now he s in the process of becoming a genuine Hollywood star. Here VINNIE JONES talks to STUART CLARK about being mates with Madonna and Brad Pitt, his years with the Crazy Gang, and why he dislikes Johnny Giles
As the FAI's chief executive and the public face of Irish football, John Delaney has come in for savage public criticism over the last couple of years.
Or perhaps that's 27 under the present squad numbering system. JEFF KENNA may be living in Garry Kelly's international shadow but that doesn't mean the former Palmerstown Rangers full-back isn't one of the Premiereship's brightest prospects and a genuine contender for the Ireland team as the Green Army advances towards the European Championships. Interview and bollocking from Jack Charlton: STUART CLARK
Pix: COLM HENRY
Colin Carberry meets Darren Smyth and Pete O’Neill, the men behind Fortune Cookie Music, the leftfield promotional company who continue to bring a range of America’s foremost alternative artists to perform in Belfast. And in Meg White’s case, to crash in their gaff!
Difficult second album syndrome has no place in the Clap Your Hands Say Yeah vocabulary. Not that the blogger faves are exactly busting a gut to have a hit.
An Irish football legend shoots from the hip: the highs and lows of the World Cup, the pain in the ass of being 'Saint Niall', the reason players get fed-up with the FAI, why Kevin Kilbane would make a good husband, and where to now for Mick McCarthy, Roy Keane and Ireland after that disastrous start to the European Championship.
On a bright, crisp, autumn day in 1975, the attention of the universe was focused on St Mel’s Park, Athlone and a UEFA Cup clash between The Town and A.C. Milan...
He may have just re-launched his stuttering acting career with a charming Ken Loach rom-com but that’s not to say Eric Cantona has lost any of his zen instructability.
Ross Fitzsimons goes to Portugal’s Euro 04 in search of the beautiful game and the perfect bowl of cataplana, and discovers more than he bargained for – including the ribbon of death.
owen O Neill almost drowned a promising comedy career in drink. Now, with the bottle firmly corked, his harrowing experience of alcoholism is fuelling his most powerful one-man show to date. Interview: barry glendenning.
We love ’em and we hate ’em but ads have a bigger impact on our lives than we might ever care to admit. Billy Scanlan hears a defence of the mart sell from award-winning ad creator Des Creedon.
Spraycan and scaffolding at the ready, the culture jammers are going to work on a billboard near you. james kelleher (words and pictures) investigates the world of ad busting
Dark circumstances surrounding the making of her new album and the everyday hassles of fame notwithstanding, Macy Gray assures Paul Nolan that, for her, the thrill has definitely not gone
FRANCIE BARRETT rose to public acclaim in 1996 when he became the first member of the travelling community to represent Ireland at an Olympic Games. Now a documentary, Southpaw, has been released which relates the Galway boxer s story. CRAIG FITZSIMONS met him and was impressed.
Is it curtains for Ireland’s World Cup chances now that we’ve been drawn against the, on paper at least, far superior French? Also, fair dinkum to Cork hurling keeper Dónal Óg Cusack for doing the unthinkable and actually penning an interesting sports autobiography
As the countdown to the 4th Hot Press Bacardi Unplugged final continues,
JACKIE HAYDEN speaks out against those who would protray band competitions as irrelevant anachronisms.
NEVER MIND share prices and gross national products. If you want to gauge how tigerish an economy is, take a look at what people are shoving up their noses.
The emergence of The Boomtown Rats inspired a new generation of in-your-face Irish bands who re-energised an Irish music scene that has become moribund and predictable.
They are a hunted species, forced to live out their lives in covert(s) under constant threat from marauding hounds and their society masters. You’d imagine that a fox would know something about what it feels like to be gay in ’90s Ireland but not johnny fox, the independent TD for Wicklow. Here, he unleashes an unrestrained attack on homosexuality, the practice of which he believes should never have been decriminalised in this country. For good measure, he also has a go at the government’s ‘liberal agenda’, the European Community, Bord Fáilte and the standard of refereeing at GAA football matches. Interview: Liam Fay.
Pics: Cathal Dawson
Technology has changed the way in which prostitution works in Ireland – and both the Gardai and organisations like Ruhana are struggling to cope. Meanwhile, Irish sexual mores are also changing.
It’s the title of his new album, his first on the legendary jazz label, Blue Note. it’s also an apt introduction to an interview in which Van Morrison talks freely about his work, his background in Belfast, his brushes with the music industry – and about what made him what he is.
"Hope is a scarce commodity in the Inner City," writes Gerry McGovern. Here, he hears from Paul Hansard, who has lived in the Inner City all his life, about the many and varied injustices aimed at the working class, the frustration of never rising above the level of subsistence and about trying to wish for better for your children
From Dublin to Hollywood and from hanging around in Ballykissangel to hanging out with Al, Bruce and Tom, actor Colin Farrell is making the most of life as 'the next big thing'. "I'm a lucky bastard," he tells Craig Fitzsimons
That was the original headline, back in November 1985, when Tony O'Donoghue - now best known as a presenter on RTE radio - spoke to Joe O'Herlihy (sound engineer with U2, we called him) about the torturous life of the roadie for the following year's Hot Press Yearbook. This is what went down . . .
If not reinventing the wheel, Arctic Monkeys are certainly giving the spokes a good polish. Stuart Clark takes his place in the moshpit for their recent Dublin show.
Well, not this man perhaps. He s EGIL OLSEN, the new manager of Wimbledon, which means he ll most likely to as much of a spectator as the rest of us, as the new Premiership football season gets into its stride. Our Foul Play columnist, JONATHAN O BRIEN, presents his annual eve of the campaign form guide.
They may have a combined mental age of 12, but that hasn't stopped Goldie Lookin’ Chain from infiltrating the grown-ups' singles chart. Phil Udell talks bad heavy metal, secretarial work and burnt nipples with Newport's most notorious hip hop crew.
Now happily settled in the west of Ireland as commercial manager of Eircom League side Galway United, 38-year-old Londoner Nick Leeson will forever be remembered as the 'rogue trader' who brought about the collapse of Barings Bank in Singapore. He talks frankly, and affably, to Jackie Hayden about his long, strange trip.
His novel "Atomised" was a controversial pornographic parable and its follow-up platforme led to him being denounced by Muslims and going into hiding, while his wife endured a nervous breakdown. Notoriously difficult, the County Cork-based French author here discusses – between pauses – monogamy, open marriages, drugs, politics, literature, the World Cup and his desire to be a wolf
In the second and final part of an extensive interview, MIKE SCOTT discusses inspiration and influences, recalls his difficult solo years and explains the death and resurrection of THE WATERBOYS. Interview: PETER MURPHY
First she learned to pout - then she learned to kick butt. from Revlon to Resident Evil, Milla Jovovich explains how a girl from the Ukraine conquered the world. In Prada boots, of course
In the week in which he finished up his radio show, Ireland’s most (in)famous broadcaster/journalist has the last word On Roy Keane, Mick Mccarthy, John Giles, Kevin Myers, Vincent Browne and a whole lot more.
Five years after the collapse of The Irish Press Group, CON HOULIHAN suffered a fall of his own. Here, he reflects on broken hips, broken dreams and the road to recovery. Interview: SIOBHAN LONG
Occasionally, music from Derry effects the wider scheme of things with spectacular results. This year, the fun centred on the use of D:Ream?s ?Things Can Only Get Better? as a Labour Party anthem. The touchy-feely, get-off-your-arse-and-participate message of the song was just what Tony Blair wanted for his born-again campaign theme.
JOHN WALSHE talks to top Irish 400m hurdler Susan Smith about what it means to devote yourself completely to athletics and her need to challenge for gold at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney. Pix: COLM HENRY.
Widely recognised as the best sports writer in Ireland, Tom Humphries became a key player himself, this time last year, when his interview with Roy Keane led to the departure of the Corkman from Ireland’s World Cup squad. Here, Humphries discusses sports journalism, club versus country, soccer in Croker, the Michelle Smith scandal and, of course, Roy Keane, his part in his downfall. [Pics Mick Quinn]
Recent postings of dubious merit have plunged the Internet site YouTube into controversy, prompting many to wonder if it’s fulfilling its potential for positive, stimulating and innovative broadcasting.
Comedian of the moment Andrew Maxwell talks about his recent car-crash gig in Dublin, in which he staggered on stage drunk and promptly blacked out, the controversy over Tommy Tiernan's comments on the holocaust and his love/hate relationship with Ireland. Plus, why we're to blame for our current economic crisis and how going to the same school as U2 helped turn him into ther performer he is today.
How much of the 50 Cent phenomenon is for real and how much for effect? Danielle Brigham meets the mainman and his crew in Dublin and attempts to make sense of the shootings and the sales figures.
With the return of Sean's Show to Channel 4, Ireland's most successful funny man (he'll love that - Ed) is back in the spotlight. But behind the obsessive, neurotic, insecure, angst-ridden exterior of the show's central character, is there an obsessive, neurotic, insecure, angst-ridden individual? Here Sean Hughes worries over religion, dreams, sex, drugs, family and ... Christmas (aaah!). Interview: Joe Jackson.
The success of The Frames, Juliet Turner and Damien Rice, amongst others, has inspired a new do-it-yourself attitude among Irish musicians and bands, who are no longer prepared to wait for the imprimatur of a major label to get their records made. Here, Hot Press presents a step by step guide to becoming a DIY record magnate
The success of The Frames, Juliet Turner and Damien Rice – amongst others has inspired a new do it yourself attitude among Irish musicians and bands, who are no longer prepared to wait for the imprimatur of a major label to get their records made. Here Hot Press presents a step by step guide to becoming a DIY record magnate. Words: Tanya Sweeney. Additional reporting: Jackie Hayden
The success of The Frames, Juliet Turner and Damien Rice – amongst others has inspired a new do it yourself attitude among Irish musicians and bands, who are no longer prepared to wait for the imprimatur of a major label to get their records made. Here Hot Press presents a step by step guide to becoming a DIY record magnate. Words: Tanya Sweeney. Additional reporting: Jackie Hayden
“Crossover” may be a favourite buzz-word at the moment but as rap and the rock mainstream strike an uneasy alliance, it’s clear that a huge gulf still exists between black and white culture.
Cast by certain sections of the media in the role of villain, Ice-T has spent the past decade pounding home the message that unless America is willing to accept a major race war, something has to change.
Here, the Iceman talks to GERRY McGOVERN about censorship and the politics of rap and gives him an exclusive preview of his Return Of The Real album. Pix: CATHAL DAWSON.
It’s no rest for the wicket, as Stuart Clark gets bowled over by the DUCKWORTH LEWIS METHOD. Musical odd-couple Neil Hannon and Thomas Walsh explain why they decided to record a musical homage to cricket and talk about hanging out with Blur’s Damon Albarn, the Governor of the Bank of England and Sir Tim Rice.
As U2 gear up for the release of No Line On The Horizon, they meet HP to talk about the creation of their latest masterwork, meeting world leaders, the way they’re perceived in Ireland, the current state of the music business and their future plans.
To mark World AIDS Day, JOHN M. FARRELL reports on the continuing socio-political discrimination against those living their lives under the shadow of the deadly virus, and talks to a number of people – mostly teenagers – who fall into the high risk category. This is their story . . .
He began working in music as a drummer, but Dave Pennefather's greatest success has been as MD of Universal Music. Hot Press looks back over the life and times of a man with a larger than life reputation.
No, it's not the overworked Hot Press subs finally snapping beneath the strain of a hectic production schedule but a finely argued debate by our finest writers on the phenomenon of naff. What is naff? Are you naff and if so how do you go about rectifying matters? Read on and be saved . . .
With the release of their debut album, My German Lover, Hada to Hada's tenure as one of Ireland's best-kept musical secrets may well be over. Siobhán Long talks to Keiran Duddy and Belinda Morris about the craft of song-writing and the dedication
that made the album possible.
The reclassification of cannabis in Britain was a good day for the UK’s estimated five million users. But not a great day. A drug that is much less damaging than alcohol or tobacco remains illegal in most parts of the world, including Ireland, a situation which criminalises the user and benefits only the criminal gangs. It’s high time for a change, argues Olaf Tyaransen.
A STRANGE sound can be heard in L.A. late at night, when the traffic has finally begun to die down, Mickey Rourke has parked his Harley, Bruce Willis has turned off his 1,000 megawatt speakers and the denizens of the Dream Factory are getting ready to embrace the great unconscious.
Republic Of Loose are one of the most exciting bands to emerge from Ireland during the last decade with one of the most charismatic lead singers ever to bestride a stage in the country.
Never has a leader of a government so suicidally snatched defeat from the jaws of victory as Albert Reynolds has. BILL GRAHAM mulls over the reasons why.
Live on your TV and your wireless, 2TV will be broadcasting all summer long. JACKIE HAYDEN goes behind the scenes on the show that shakes up Sunday mornings.
From Taxi Driver and Raging Bull to The Last Temptation Of Christ and his latest leftfield masterpiece The Walker, Paul Schrader has gifted us a succession of Hollywood’s finest moments. Here he talks to Tara Brady about the changing face of film, lying to the FBI and his admiration for the late Ingmar Bergman.
SEAMUS HEANEY once described Ireland as a country that went from the medieval to the post-modern in a generation. More than any other native band, Horslips embody that idea. Over their ten-year career, the band lurched back and forth from neo-classical Irish chamber music to progressive rock to acoustic folk to psychedelic pop to glam rock; here was one combo capable of going from Carolan to Caravan in a single bound.
The second day of the Music Show brought together James Bond composer David Arnold, Enya producer Nicky Ryan, Christy Moore, Sharon Corr and... The Blizzards
They toured the world throughout the ‘70s, earning rave notices from Bono, The Edge and Melvin Bragg, upsetting the clergy, terrifying the American public in the company of Blue Oyster Cult and the J Geils Band and out-glamming even Bowie with their flamboyant sartorial taste. With a new DVD on the way and much speculation about a possible tour, legendary Celtic rockers Horslips here talk to Hot Press about a decade of adventure, decadence and great music.
A MAN U DON'T MEET EVERY DAY
Oui, c'est Eric Cantona: le nouveau enfant terrible de la Premièreship or ze man vu
'stud up' zu de football yobs? Mise-en-scène: Neil McCormick.
On March 12th eight Irish teams of songwriters and performers will contest the National Song Contest, their enthusiasm fired by the possibility of eventually winning the Eurovision Song Contest and all the fame and fortune that one assumes accompanies victory in what is probably the biggest song competition in the world. But is even an outright Eurovision triumph all that it is cracked up to be, even in the land that has provided six winners, including an unprecedented three in a row? JACKIE HAYDEN talks to one half of last year’s victorious Rock’n’Roll Kids duo, PAUL HARRINGTON, and discovers a man bewitched, bothered and bewildered by the entire experience.
Sex and sanctity, grit and glitter, penthouse and pavement, God and the Devil, and all conical points in between!
PETER MURPHY dials M for ADONNA, the pre-eminent pop icon of this and every other year
In a remarkably honest interview, which directly preceded the death of his mother, Jonathan Rhys Meyers reflects on his spells in rehab and discusses life as one of Hollywood’s hottest young actors.
Sex & Death & Rock 'n' Roll
With The Divine Comedy's new album Casanova, the dreamily romantic Neil Hannon has come over all carnal. "I felt I had to get an awful lot of real shit out of my system", he tells Niall Crumlish. "Sometimes you've got to get a bit scummy".
Teach Shinanna, in Shanraw, County Leitrim is the place where pagans go on their
holidays, an adventure
playground for all manner of
earth-worshipper and Celtophile. Liam Fay hears all about it from its founder
Chris Thompson and an
imposing gentleman known as The Fluid Druid.
Pix: Michael Quinn
The Mexican-Canadian Dark Angel starlet Jessica Alba gets all grown up with a lasso and leather bra in the Rodriguez/Tarantino directed film adaptation of Frank Miller's neon noir Sin City.
PHIL COULTER is far from the muzak-producing bore of caricature. Here, he talks to JOE JACKSON about family tragedy, northern politics, drink binges, having songs covered by Elvis and his experiences working with stars like Van Morrison, Siniad O Connor and Luke Kelly. Portraits: MYLES CLAFFEY
During the late eighties, Aslan were among the most celebrated of Irish rock acts, immensely popular at home and signed to EMI, a major multinational label, on which they released their debut album, Feel No Shame. And then it all came unstuck, amid squalid tabloid accusations of drug addiction, egotism and recrimination. Now they re back, older, wiser and more resolute but with their musical batteries recharged, a new contract with BMG under their belts and that old emotional band intact. Report: Liam Fay (with additional reporting by George Byrne).
In advance of his latest movie, From Hell, in which he plays a policeman investigating Jack The Ripper, American superstar JOHNNY DEPP is adopting a low-key profile. Here, however, he talks extensively about on-set pranks, the lure of acting, sobriety versus excess and how movies, movie stars and moviegoers might cope with the world after September 11.
Words: JANE GARDNER with additional input by EARL DITTMAN
During the late eighties, ASLAN were among the most celebrated of Irish rock acts, immensely popular at home and signed to EMI, a major multinational label, on which they released their debut album Feel No Shame. And then it all came unstuck, amid squalid tabloid accusations of drug addiction, egotism and recrimination. Now they’re back, older, wiser and more resolute – but with their musical batteries recharged, a new contract with BMG under their belts and that old emotional band intact. Report: LIAM FAY (with additional reporting by GEORGE BYRNE). Pix: MICK QUINN
On the eve of the release of their latest album, Martin Hayes and Dennis Cahill shoot the breeze about on-the-road partying and incorporating non-folk influences into their songbook
It’s a different world than it used to be! In this special extended birthday column, The Hog takes a necessarily selective – and typically colourful – look at the 30 most important influences on the process of change that has brought this country all the way from there to… well, where else but here?
The idea for Home, an album of Irish songs, has been on the agenda for The Corrs for a number of years. But its release marks an important stage in the evolution not just of the band, but of lead singer Andrea Corr – who has been exploring new ways of expressing herself as an artist with increasing poise and confidence.
As suede prepare for their headline slot at Dublin Castle next month, their stock has never been higher, thanks mainly to the success of their fantastic third album Coming Up. craig fitzsimons talks to singer brett anderson about it and invites him to take stock of the last few wildly successful months.
In the second and final part of an extensive interview, director Jim Sheridan discusses his troubles with Gabriel Byrne and Noel Pearson, explains why he could marry Daniel Day-Lewis but would fail to measure up against Richard Harris, and suggests the best way forward for the embattled Irish film industry. Plus: the ouija board prophecies which seem to have shaped his life. By Joe Jackson.
Christy Dignam of Aslan has never been one to pull his punches and, as a result, controversy has dogged the band with every new public utterance. Now as their debut album Feel No Shame nestles at the top of the Irish charts, in an in-depth interview he attempts to set the record straight, on his attitude to U2, poverty, drugs, groupies, his personal life and the macho implications of the band s image and music. Sceptical Eye: Cathy Dillon
U2 manager Paul McGuinness is among the most powerful players in the music industry. To coincide with the DVD release of U2’s classic ZOO TV Live From Sydney, he talks candidly about his relationship with the band and their controversial decision to move part of their business empire to the Netherlands in order to lower their tax burden.
To mark the occasion of the release of a near definitive punk compilation, GEORGE BYRNE fondly recalls the days when pogo was go-go and gabba gabba was hey.
JOHNNY ROGAN didn't write just any old biography - he wrote a book about MORRISSEY which brought down a virtual pop fatwah on his head, with his subject declaring in public that he hoped the author would die a grisly death. Now, with the paperback version just published, the 'controversy' seems to have been given a new lease of life. It's not by any chance a publicity scam, is it? CATHY DILLON puts Johnny Rogan on the spot.
Jerry Fish – or if you prefer, Gerry Whelan – is what you might call a happy man right now. In fact, if the guy were any higher, the boys in blue would probably stop him on the street and ask him to piss into a cup. Not only is he preparing to close on his most successful professional year in a decade, he’s also received a rather momentous early Christmas present. Some 28 hours before our meeting, the singer’s partner Niki had given birth to a baby boy, their second child. Mr Fish, as you can imagine, is coasting on cigars and brandy and goodwill to all men.
Most cities and towns have their trouble spots and their danger zones, but Limerick's have been given more than their unfair share of publicity. Such a focus on the negative has tended to detract attention from the positive aspects of this resurgent city, with its vibrant music scene, its buzzing university, the warmth and friendliness of the people, its obsession with rugby, and er, Ryan Turbidy.
When The Wind That Shakes The Barley, Ken Loach’s dramatisation of the Irish War of Independence, won the Palme D’Or at Cannes last month, it triggered a vociferously hostile response from right wing British pundits, who branded the director as a terrorist-sympathising Commie. Few of them, however, had actually seen the film.
At the end of an exciting, painful and earthshaking year, Bono reflects on the political and the personal – from drop the debt, September 11, Afghanistan and Genoa to the death of his father Bob, the birth of his son John and the enduring friendship which underpins U2’s music and career. Interview: Niall Stokes
[this interview originally appeared in the spectacular Hot Press Annual 2002 - used in the pictures below - a very limited number of this unique collectors item will shortly be on sale - email u2@hotpress.ie to reserve a copy]
The Make Poverty History marches in Dublin and Edinburgh were among the biggest political demonstrations in years. Rory Hearne kept a diary of an inspiring week on the barricades.
Fetishised in film and song, suicide has become part of the everyday language of pop culture. So why are schools so afraid even to talk about it? There is always a better way.
Cameron Crowe's Almost Famous offers a pleasant and almost innocent view of the life of a rock hack - sort of Little House On The Road. The reality, as PETER MURPHY explains, is rather different. Certain names in this harrowing saga have been changed to protect the guilty - and the author's delicate bone structure
JEAN BUTLER was at the very heart of the Riverdance phenomenon, as the original Eurovision interval set-piece was transformed into the most successful dance stage-show ever. Now, for the first time, she tells her side of that extraordinary saga. In a blistering broadside, she accuses her co-star MICHAEL FLATLEY of rampant egotism and argues that she's never been given the credit she deserves for the show's sensational impact. And then there's the question of money...
Interview: JOE JACKSON
That, according to Shane MacGowan, will be the title of his next, and exceedingly long-awaited album. in the meantime there’s Sean Nós, the war, his dad, drink and Celtic football legend Jimmy Johnstone to be going on with.
WITH THEIR LONG AWAITED SECOND ALBUM *JUNK PUPPETS* ABOUT TO HIT THE STREETS AN EMOTIONAL FISH ARE BACK ON THE ROAD AND READY TO TAKE THE WORLD BY STORM. BUT FIRST, THERE'S THE SMALL MATTER OF A TRIP TO THE WILDS OF WEST CORK, DURING WHICH THE BAND CAN RELAX, REFLECT, INGEST LARGE QUANTITIES OF LIQUID REFRESHMENTS-AND PLAY THE ODD STORMING GIG. A TIRED AND VERY EMOTIONAL LORRAINE FREENEY REPORTS.
Stuart Clark, whose middle name is “Intrepid”, recently spent 48 hours on tour with PET LAMB, grindpopcore merchants extraordinaire. His liver and tympanic membranes survived intact, and after a mere six weeks recuperation, he filed this report.
lthough left broken-hearted by the demise of the Irish Press, CON HOULIHAN s latest collection of prose, Windfalls, confirms that his pen, like the Castle Island colossus himself, is still mightier than the rest. Now, at 71, a novel is in the works. SIOBHAN LONG embarks on a long night s journey into day with the legendary journalist.
Pix: COLM HENRY.
lthough left broken-hearted by the demise of the Irish Press, CON HOULIHAN s latest collection of prose, Windfalls, confirms that his pen, like the Castle Island colossus himself, is still mightier than the rest. Now, at 71, a novel is in the works. SIOBHAN LONG embarks on a long night s journey into day with the legendary journalist.
Pix: COLM HENRY.
lthough left broken-hearted by the demise of the Irish Press, CON HOULIHAN s latest collection of prose, Windfalls, confirms that his pen, like the Castle Island colossus himself, is still mightier than the rest. Now, at 71, a novel is in the works. SIOBHAN LONG embarks on a long night s journey into day with the legendary journalist.
Pix: COLM HENRY.
Over the past twenty-five years, attitudes and experiences in the North’s two biggest cities, Belfast and Derry, have been markedly and vitally different. To understand why may help us to define both the opportunities for and the obstacles to peaceful change. Report: BILL GRAHAM
Re-telling the story of September 11 with a measured hand and lightness of touch hithertoo unhinted at, director Oliver Stone proves a more serious thinker than his paranoia-soaked canon would suggest. Here, he explains how his experiences as a soldier in Vietnam framed his outlook on life and art.
Er, perhaps not, but after 25 years of waxing, back-combing and tottering around on six-inch heels, Mr. Pussy has certainly earned the right to call himself ‘Ireland’s Most Misleading Lady’. LIAM FAY gets a lesson in cross-dressing from the man who’s stripped Bono to the waist, offered solace to Charlie Haughey and stuck a hairy appendage under Ringo Starr’s nose. PIX: Colm Henry
As his singular contribution to the birthday party, guest writer Elvis Costello offers a handful of stories from his ten years on the beat, which serve to illustrate why, in his own words, “I’d rather be a folk music fan than a teen idol.”
Following the sudden death of his girlfriend in the early ’90s, traumatised US writer Bill Carter took off for the unlikely destination of war-torn Sarajevo. Whilst there, he established a series of satellite link-ups with U2’s Zooropa tour, which still rank among the most divisive and controversial moments of the band’s career. Despite the subsequent media fallout, an unconsummated affair with an indian supermodel, and several brushes with death, Bill Carter has lived to tell his extraordinary tale.
. . . Or not, as the case may be. In this extremely revealing interview with peter murphy, henry rollins speaks frankly about relationships, violence, depression, squaring up to Al Pacino and the problems that come with a life lived on the road
Formula One's plucky outsider Eddie Jordan talks about motor sport's party-hard reputation, jamming with Bryan Adams and winning to the British national anthem.
Currently the hottest female property in music, Alicia Keys has come a long way from the little girl whose first record was kermit's 'it's not easy being green'. Admittedly, she's had some serious assistance from heavy friends - including music biz mogul Clive Davis - but mainly she can thank her own prodigious talent and spirit of independence. Matt Diehl hears how Alicia Keys came to share the grammy limelight with U2
The latest wave of right-wing attacks on US musicians is likely to have a knock-on effect here, with the words and actions of our own artists coming under increased scrutiny. In a special hotpress report, Ed Power enlists the help of Marilyn Manson and a number of major Irish players to pick his way through the censorship minefield.
Never mind figgy puddings and partridges in pear trees, there’s some serious seasonal business to be done as the annual HP-7 summit gathers in the crucible of cultural discourse that is The Central Hotel’s Library Bar.
The wild rise and fall of the coke-snorting, heavy boozing, rampantly horny music biz mogul who knew Dylan, Jagger, Jackson, Springsteen and Streisand better than most. And now he’s ready to tell all.
He s the editor of Private Eye, a regular on one of television s most populAr shows and he got his big career break from Peter Cook. Notwithstanding all those bruising court battles, IAN HISLOP has more reasons than most to be cheerful. Interview: BARRY GLENDENNING.
. . . by regular Hot Press contributor
HELENA MULKERNS, is one of nineteen short stories by young Irish writers collected together in Shenanigans, a compendium of darkly humorous end-of-the-century fiction.
The recent murder of
the notorious b.i.g., following the killing of Tupac shakur six months ago, has been linked by many to the prolonged East Coast-West Coast feud which threatened to tear the US hip-hop community apart. jonathan o brien reports on how life
chillingly imitates art in the gangsta rap wars.
The publication of EMILY O'REILLY's Veronica Guerin: The Life And Death Of A Crime Reporter, has stirred up a hornet's nest in Irish media circles, with journalistic heavyweights such as Paddy Prendeville, Vincent Browne and Gene Kerrigan queueing up to take pot-shots at the author. Here, she takes the opportunity to answer her critics.
Interview: OLAF TYARANSEN. Pics: COLM HENRY
He may well be RTE s only living intellectual but ANDY O MAHONY, host of The Sunday Show, will long be remembered by many as the man who asked Deirdre Purcell if she ever did the bold thing with Gay Byrne. JOE JACKSON gets the self-styled closet determinist to come out of the closet. Pix: Colm Henry
With Cameron Crowe s Almost Famous putting rock hackery on the silver screen, no less, Peter Murphy wonders if Seventies rock journalism is the new rock n roll. Helping him with his enquiries: PAUL MORLEY and GREIL MARCUS
When the offer came to produce the new Rolling Stones album in Dublin what answer could Don Was give but a resounding ‘Yes’. Mick, Keef & Co. are the latest in a long and impressive list of the man’s studio credits which includes Bob Dylan, The B-52’s, Willie Nelson, Bonnie Raitt and Paula Abdu. But throw in the small matter of the career of Was (Not Was) and the musical rehabilitation of errant Beach Boys’ genius Brian Wilson and we’re talking major industry player here. Bill Graham takes up the story . . .
The technology which drives home entertainment is changing, and it's changing fast. Colm O'Hare takes a close-up look at what's happening in hi-fi, television, video and home cinema technology and discovers that the future has already arrived.
Upwards of two million people do it in Ireland every Sunday - and yet little or nothing is ever written about it in the media. So we asked ourselves a few questions: Why do so many people attend what is by any standards a very strange ritual? Do they enjoy themselves? Is the performance a good one? What do they get from it? And are the sound and lighting really up to the international standards? That's right, a crack Hot Press team of reporters attended Sunday mass recently - this is what they found.
MIKE SCOTT once fronted the greatest rock n roll band in the world, but before the world got a chance to wake up to the fact he had gone west and invented raggle taggle. Now with a new Waterboys album, A Rock In The Weary Place, just released, Scott takes time out to reflect on his strange but true adventure. By PETER MURPHY
Shane MacGowan interviews Sinead O’Connor for hotpress, with Olaf Tyaransen acting as referee. On the day, Victoria Clark also sat in. What followed turned into a wide-ranging and often hilarious exchange of almost Beckettian dimensions.
Johnny Ray invented rock ’n’ roll. Elvis Presley marked the beginning of the downfall of popular music. The Beatles only ever wrote one great song. Cranky stuff maybe, but when the speaker is Tony Bennett – the man Sinatra called “The best singer in the business” – you have to listen. Joe Jackson does and, in this exclusive interview, hears how a Jewish-Italian New York kid grew up to be a musical legend, a respected painter and a man who, at 67, can still kick ’90s rock off MTV.
Of course the advantage with dead rap acts is that you can store their phone messages, pizza orders, laundry lists and interviews, then underdub all manner of rhythm tracks until kingdom come, or the fans decide they’ve had, or been had, enough. It’s time to let the ol’ bastard rest in peace.
Talent will always be the most important prerequisite for a career in music, but you’ll find the going a lot easier if you understand what makes the industry tick. Colm O’Hare looks at the specialist music courses which have helped the likes of Sinéad Lohan, The Thrills and Mundy to steal a march on the competition.
The glory days returned to Irish soccer with a terrific away performance in Bari – and a well deserved draw. At this rate, we’re well positioned for at least a second place finish in our World Cup qualifying group. Plus, why Dunphy's just an attention-seeking bore.
Changes to the start date of the Doggyfizzle Tour have forced the Snoop Dogg concert in the RDS on February 22 to move to The Point Theatre on Friday February 25.
Innovation in computer games isn't the sole preserve of American designers, as Anne Sexton discovered recently when she played Blowaway, the new game from a group of final year DCU students which has been designed to appeal to women as much as to men.
Our columnist feels that the press furore over Ashley Cole’s recent arrest was much ado about nothing. Plus: an assessment of Brian Clough’s legacy ahead of the release of The Damned United.
It’s a case of “been there/done that/snogged someone I shouldn’t have to this track on Saturday night” – and by and large the scene is starting to collapse in on itself.
The Georgia game showed that Giovanni Trapattoni has succeeded in making Ireland a tougher team to score against, but more difficult challenges lie ahead.
Tony Cascarino: Jose Mourinho’s ability to out-psych Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger is one of the reasons why Chelsea will win the Premiership. Another is Thierry Henry’s lack of application in big games.
30th Anniversary Retrospective: An Irish team had never qualified for the finals of a major tournament in 1977. It took another 11 years for that dream to be realised – and there’s been a few memorable campaigns since. Tony Cascarino fills us in.
The general wretchedness of the play notwithstanding, heartiest congratulations are nonetheless due to the Republic of Ireland for the businesslike way in which they put Cyprus to the sword at the weekend.
Cast your mind back a year to the release of Warm Leatherette, one of 1980's most misunderstood albums. The critics who scoffed, were looking at the intriguingly ridiculous cover rather than listening to the hot and heavy dance music on the record.
THERE’S A wealth of talent these days in Irish music, much of it difficult to harness for one reason or another, however, Lúnasa seem to have the magic formula – four superb musicians who complement each other in both music and temperament, great tunes which are well arranged, and the ability to surprise and hold the listener from beginning to end.
IT is all highly entertaining. In men s athletics, the traditional dominance of white athletes was overturned a long time ago. At first it was the Kenyans and the Ethiopians displaying a prowess in long-distance running that required the wholesale rewriting of the record books. Then black American, British, Canadian and Jamaican athletes began to come through in the sprints. Then gradually a bunch of middle-distance runners followed on, to fill in the gaps.
"Like Ronan Keating before them, Ireland will do well to get out of the group". Our resident football expert tells you all you need to know about the forthcoming World Cup
Annual article: The votes are in, the golden envelopes have been delivered, the nominees are sweating in their tuxedos. Yes, it’s time for HotPress’ annual Casa Awards
While the great unwashed will be familiar with the voice of Eddi Reader from the Fairground Attraction radio staple and TV-commercialised 'Perfect', more learned students will have gloried in her contribution to Donal Lunny's Coolfin album.
It may have been Ronaldo & co. who ultimately covered themselves in glory, but Ireland did their bit to make Japan/Korea 2002 the greatest football show on earth
As EURO 2000 gets into full swing, your TV-addicted correspondent finds himself entertained by the diverse charms of Big Ron, Bill O Herlihy and Eamon Dunphy
Never trust anyone who tells you they're honest‚ as la mère Porcelli used to say. Advice like that might give one pause when listening to Black Eyed Peas' sophomore foray into Keeping Hip-Hop Real For The Masses.
Despite their phenomenal achievements west of Galway, success on this side of the pond continues to elude the Dave Matthews Band. Their seventh studio album, Stand Up is unlikely to have any impact on such a change.
As Foul Play writes, the public houses of London, Dublin and Oslo are in euphoric uproar following yet another jammy last-minute winner for the long-distance lags of Manchester United.
Bigotry is alive and kicking in 21st-century Ireland – in the form of anti-traveller discrimination. Plus: why croquet is more genuinely Irish than Gaelic football.
Like most of Smith’s music, the album sounds on occasion like the work of a man carrying out a war in his own mind, yet is also tinged with calm and life-affirming joy.
Many songs reflect his usual mix of hope, frustration and weary resignation to life’s injustices.
The return of Zidane, Thuram and Makelele may have given France a boost - but it is all to play for at Lansdowne Road. So let's make it hot for the visitors...
Let us call them the Birmingham Four. It is a collective description with many overtones of the Irish abroad, battling with the British system.
The Birmingham Four are, of course, Paul McGrath, Steve Staunton, Ray Houghton, and now Andy Townsend, who has joined in solidarity with his Republic of Ireland colleagues at Aston villa.
Ireland's new boss is receiving a lot of flack over his selection policies. But as long as he continues to get the right results, there's no reason why he should bow to his critics.
Superficially, director Olly Blackburn’s debut conforms to the morality play template - somewhere in the low budget murk, there’s a neat little boat thriller.
Despite her vaguely rebellious image P!nk is really a true purveyor of middle-of-the-road pop tunes. But contrary to my rather downbeat expectations, the momentum gathered throughout her 90-minute set.
THOSE OF us who watched the highlights of Shelbourne's victory over a Ukrainian outfit in the European Cup-Winners' Cup, were wondering if perhaps we had stumbled onto the wrong channel.
Of course, there are some prime Wu-Tang tunes here.....But this listener misses the sheer force of character of ODB or Redman, an ill not even guests like Flavor Flav and Ron Isley can remedy.
The last thing we want to see is a forlorn Steve Staunton walking along with a parrot that talks on his shoulder, wondering if John Delaney will pick him out again.
If Avram Grant wants to stay at the Chelsea helm he needs to bring home some silverware this season. But are the Londoners really capable of winning the Premiership or Champions' League?
While the media may be baying for Steve Staunton’s blood, the manager continues to enjoy the support of his squad. But will that be enough to deliver the results we desperately need?
There isn’t the slightest possibility that Avram Grant will get the best out of the players at his disposal at Chelsea. In fact, he’ll be gone by Christmas.
The Tuscan town of Siena –at least until its tiny football team gatecrashed Serie A last year – has for several centuries been chiefly renowned (if at all) as the setting for an annual 80-second horse race known as the Palio
Nas arrived in Dublin immersed in the sort of controversy for which rappers are renowned. At a London gig earlier in the week, three bullets were fired during his set at the Brixton Academy, bringing an abrupt halt to the concert while a worried Nas scurried off the stage. Once again hip-hop grabbed the headlines for all the wrong reasons.
Everywhere I Go The Kids Want To Rock. Trouble is, they’re turning in droves to punk-pop-by-numbers bands like Blink 182, Limp Bizkit, Ween, and now Wheatus, for teenage kicks.
As you might have twigged by now, The Panic Room is not the most original movie ever - but if the base material lacks originality, Fincher's treatment of it is novel enough to compensate
LORD ALMIGHTY, exactly how boring was Payback? It's difficult to quantify. I could probably write a book about how boring it was, but it wouldn't be very interesting and it probably wouldn't sell too many copies.
SingStar fans can now do karaoke versions of their favourite Delorentos tracks, as three of the band's songs have been made available to download for the game.
I'd like you all to get comfortable first. Pull up your favourite chair, take the phone off the hook, make yourself a nice cup of tea or whatever beverage you prefer when in a mode of relaxation.
Whether or not the world needs a new wave of tributes to John Hughes' teen-Bratpack films of the '80s must be a matter of opinion, but it seems we might have to brace ourselves anyway.
Dervish have been on the road for ten years now, and theirs is a joyful synthesis that has long since been amply demonstrated on live recordings like Live In Palma
THE UGLY scenes concerning Shamrock Rovers and Shelbourne over the transfer of players and bad vibes all round, are symbolic of a recurring syndrome in League of Ireland football.
I forgive Esther Rantzen for That s Life. Not many people can reach into their souls and find such forgiveness possible, but for me it s suddenly been made easy. She s produced an excellent documentary series on BBC1, Prostitute.
Sol Campbell has been one of the Gunner's best performers, but that doesn't excuse his recent disappearing act. Meanwhile, things could finally be looking up for Ireland fans. The Republic have every chance of qualifying for Euro 2008.
With Jim Carrey having decided to go all serious, and Adam Sandler presumably next to follow, it has fallen to Saturday Night Live refugee Rob Schneider - writer and star of the infernal Deuce Bigalow - to assume the position of America's cinematic King of Smut.
Gathering together Dublin maverick Stano’s work from his first recording, ‘Room’ in 1982, to the title track, recorded this year, Reverse Presence is an absolute gem of a collection and a must-have for alternative muso lovers.
An absolute feast for the eyes, The Matrix is a hugely expensive and inordinately flashy virtual-reality filmic experience that has to be seen to believed.
Played one, lost one. No, it s not the bald statistics of Foul Play s recent unsuccessful foray into the world of badminton, but the statistically exemplary record that Howard Wilkinson seems destined to leave the England job with, following his team s horror-show against France at Wembley last week.
“ANOTHER great night for Swedish football” was the verdict of controversial rock critic George Byrne on the European demise of Manchester United at the hands of IFK Gothenburg, last seen being thrashed to within an inch of their lives by a League of Ireland selection.
His appointment may have surprised some observers but there s a simple explanation why, for the first time, a rock journalist has been appointed manager of the England football team
Could this, you wonder, actually be the record that sees Eminem the artist match Eminem the personality? The opening seconds of ‘Puke’ – the sound of, yes, someone puking – sadly answers the question.
If the mere mention of the word 'art' generally has you reaching for either the remote or the revolver, I'm with you all the way - and as movie premises go, it might seem that the tale of a bohemian New York photographer's struggle to retain her 'artistic integrity' is one best left to the poseurs.
THOUGH directed by Robert Rodriguez - the maverick Texan semi-genius responsible for El Mariachi and Desperado - The Faculty is, in essence, a Scream 3 in all but name, with a bonus blitz of sci-fi special effects.
81,394 punters, the majority decked in the blue and navy of Dublin, made the pilgrimage to the GAA Mecca of Croke Park for the Leinster Senior Football Final. Lifelong Blues supporter John Walshe was one of them.
They're one of the tastiest sides in the UK, but Arsenal's relatively low standing in the league shows there's little use in stringing fancy passes together if you can't mix it up when the going gets rough.
The sense of shock about what happened when football-related violence erupted at Lansdowne Road for the first time during the Ireland v. England game still lingers, almost a week on.
Even before I’ve opened the PR release, I know the reference points to expect: Dylan, Petty, The Byrds and The Band with a more than-is-strictly-necessary side order of Tonight’s The Night-era Neil Young.
There's a new star in the charts tonight, and throughout the land there is much rejoicing (especially in some of the more fashionable areas of London). One of punks more pathetic jokes, Adam Ant, forsakes his past of seedy night clubs.
NOW THIS is more like it: a flashy, testosterone-drenched, visually extravagant, Oliver Stone-directed two-and-a-half-hour movie about American Football, starring Al Pacino as the team's rugged, single-minded coach . . . let's say I was sold practically before the credits rolled, and was not disappointed in the slightest.
Just because older women have a bit of experience under their belts doesn’t mean they have a license to start fondling twenty-something blokes when they're on the town.
The Dail all-party committee on abortion issued its report last week. If it wasn't such an important and emotive issue, it might have been enough to make you laugh. The report was surprise, surprise, completely and utterly predictable. In fact, there was no agreed response, with each of the major parties drawing completely different conclusions from the information and evidence that had been furnished to them.
If that sounds nostalgic, well, it’s meant to. Jonathan O’Brien looks back over the marvels of France 98 and reflects on what this frequently wonderful World Cup says about the state of the beautiful game.
They're back. With a bang. Never ones to do it colour by numbers, The Cranberries waited 'til their third trip to the studio before encountering the difficult album syndrome.
Now dressed in school uniforms, Sara and Julie remained bent over the chairs throughout the second session, and first received 24 hand slaps and then another 24 with implements from each individual spanker (I used a worn slipper and a leather tawse, if you’re interested).
European champions Spain's adventurous, attacking play shows it is possible to win major tournaments without going negative. But there's no reason why, with the right management, Ireland shouldn't be able to hold their own against the Continent's top sides.
Whilst Ireland’s hopes of a first grand-slam win in 55 years were being unceremoniously dashed in Lansdowne Road, your correspondent jostled for viewing space in a crowded D4 hostelry.
He may have been a mere whippersnapper when the punk wars erupted in London- but Stuart Clark hustled his way into the Roxy when it was all happening, and survived. At least, we think he did!
It gives your reviewer great pleasure to report that on this album the singer has quite literally cut the crap and created a vibrant and inventive urban variation on an old school R&B set (that’s R&B as in rhythm in the beats and blues in the voice rather than rhinestones and baubles).
BARRY GLENDENNING s escapades in the UK capital continue. This issue one good gig, one bad gig, a gag about masturbation and a visit from a controversial rock critic.
A BLOOD-CURDLING howl of violent white rage that looks set to reverberate around the world for some time to come, Fight Club is an almighty, disturbing, monstrous motherfucker of a movie which power-drills its way into the viewer’s head like few films since the heyday of Martin Scorsese.
Football fans in North Korea enjoy a good deal more freedom than many might have suspected. Plus: The story behind John Hume and David Trimble’s decision to bring arms manufacturer Raytheon to Derry and why Skruf are one of the bands to look out for in 2005.
In an unusually frank interview, Dave Clarke talks legal wrangles, crap trance, techno survivalism and government sponsored drug conspiracies. Richard Brophy listens in amazement.
We're not promising that it will bring untold riches and a ready supply of willing
bedmates, but this 10-step plan may just stop your band becoming the next Gay Dad.
The death has occurred of Joe Strummer, one of the most important British musicians of the punk era. As lead singer and chief lyricist and ideologist with The Clash, he was central to making some of the finest music of the late ‘70s and early ‘80s.
At the time of writing, the “framework document” on Norn Iron is about to be published. It is a time of great expectation, of high tension, of fearful imaginings, for all parties involved in the Northern conflict, and, of course, for Sam Snort.
An online petition has been launched to oppose the introduction of On The Spot Fines and Anti Social Behaviour Orders in Ireland.
[to sign petition go here ]
Gil Scott-Heron has been making albums for years, combining radical rap with fearless funk and jive-ass jazz. So why does an album released late last year take so long to reach either the music papers or the retail outlets?
Comedian Brendan O Carroll brings his new stand up show to Dublin s HQ in November.
Here he talks to Stephen Robinson about comedy, criticism and, uh, starting his own airline. Pics: CATHAL DAWSON.
In the countdown to the general election, Apres Match member Risteard Cooper is aiming to revive Irish political satire with his new series of spoof documentaries, The State Of Us.
The bandwagon rolls on, as Foul Play yet again picks the winner of one of the major races on the calendar.
This time it was The Irish Oaks at the Curragh, and the horse in question was the mysteriously-named Wymes Bight, partnered by the less mysteriously named Pat Eddery.
IF YOU don t know who Neil McCann is right now, you ll become familiar with him in the coming months. McCann is, quite simply, one of the finest young players Scotland has produced in years, and it is to their eternal shame that they opted not to take him to the World Cup finals last summer.
Back in his native Dublin after another successful stint in the US, magician Keith Barry is a young mage in a hurry. But what’s this about being arrested for driving while blind-folded?
Sports correspondent Barry Glendenning reports on exciting new developments in cricket and enjoys a day at the races – purely with the intention of, er, studying the field, of course
Even divorced from the poignant circumstances of his death, a Greek tragedy for our time, the essential wonder of Marvin Gaye’s troubled mysticism ensures that What’s Going On, an album first released in 1971, will remain both relevant and thrilling for generations to come
Blessed with total recall, Craig Fitzsimons relieves the most glorious Irish sporting achievements of the past 30 years – and some that we’d all rather forget.
Sinéad O'Connor's records don't necessarily reveal themselves speedily. I know that, on the first hearing, 'The Lion and the Cobra' seemed to me an ill-fitting match of various discordant styles. I didn't really crack it 'till its sixth time round my turntable.
The Music Show was a huge success, with people from all aspects of the music industry coming together to participate in an event which, as well as showcasing all the latest instruments and equipment, was rich in ideas, information and, above all, great music
Keyboards at the ready, modems on standby: here it is, a quick-fire tour of some of the entertainment websites from the north that matter. In theory, we were going to give you the definitive A-Z guide, but we couldn't find anything beginning with a Q or an X . Neverthless, here we go . .
Croke Park is to open its gates to "foreign" games, despite the intransigence of Ulster delegates. Meanwhile, new Criminal Justice legislation runs counter to Human Rights concerns.
Have you got a ticket? The way things are looking, that's going to be the question of the year. U2 played Slane Castle as one of the support acts when Thin Lizzy topped the bill there in 1981. Since then they have gone on to become the biggest band in the world.
As the dust settles, we can say a couple of things for sure: the first is that the opinion polls generally got it spectacularly wrong; the second is that the pundits fared even worse, in terms of their attempts to call the result in advance
D UNBELIEVABLES are probably the most popular comics in Ireland. As preparations continue for the opening of their new show, Olaf Tyaransen talks to the duo about rural Ireland, negative press, and whether they have yet made their fortune.
Why do so many gay men find it difficult to honestly express their feelings towards their partners? And would the introduction of gay marriage really change anything?
The equine casualties of the IRA’s Hyde Park bomb of 1982 (pictured) have never been forgotten – but none of the names of the human dead have achieved iconic status. plus: computer war games.
Is it credible that the man who commanded the British Army in Iraq never voiced his misgivings about the war to the British Prime Minister, Tony Blair?
He was the underclass delinquent who almost became a chess grandmaster and then stumbled into literary acclaim. John Healy looks back upon a life less ordinary.
Why Derry city fans can no longer stand up to be counted; why the rich are so disgusting; and why we haven’t heard much about the British-Al Qaida plot to kill Gadafi.
It has taken a long time, but at last a really clear picture is beginning to form of the involvement of the Catholic Church in child abuse - specifically in covering up and colluding in the abuse perpetrated by its priests and brothers
While the rest of you were off stuffing your faces with turkey, here at HotPress we were busily polishing our crystal balls in readiness for our annual gaze into the future. S
Rev. James Porter was a Presbyterian Minister who wrote savage satirical tracts for the United Irishmen's newspaper in 1798 - and was hanged for his efforts. There's a lesson in his story, 200 years on, for Catholic, Protestant and dissenter alike.
The first day of The Music Show saw some hot debates, great music and Glen Hansard in stirring form.
Reporting: Peter Murphy, Celina Murphy, Niall Stokes, Stuart Clark and additional Hot Press reporters
Unfortunately, it may mean the US getting into a huddle with "rogue states" but the important business of keeping women and gays in their place has seen the creation of an unlikely Islamic-Christian alliance
This coming Saturday, Belgium play Sweden in the opening game of EURO 2000. But don t panic things will rapidly improve after that. In a Foul Play special, JONATHAN O BRIEN tells you all need to know about this year s crop of contenders
From U2 to The Frames and Sinead O’Connor to Damien Rice, music has helped put this country on the map. So why is the government so slow to back the music industry?
It hasn’t been an easy time to raise political arguments. I was on UTV’s Counterpoint programme the Thursday after the Greysteel massacre and had sharpened my thoughts in advance for cut-and-thrust interplay with ex-UDA chief Glen Barr, Gregory Campbell of the Democratic Unionists and Mark Durkin of the SDLP.
RTE2 have plenty of live music action to keep us placated for the next few weeks - here's the line up of bands and when to catch them. For more about the Other Voices series, click on the link at the very bottom.
The Irish were out in force at MIDEM, the annual music industry bash held in Cannes, in the south of France last week. With Irish music’s international stock running high and the Minister for Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht Michael D. Higgins on hand to lend his support, it proved to be a very interesting year. Report: Niall Stokes.
All Write Now, we said. And boy did you follow instructions! The entries poured in from all over Ireland, and further afield, in their thousands. We were snowed under – but, as the song says: That’s the way, uh huh, uh huh, we like it…
Olaf Tyaransen travels to london to find out why spanking is as quintessentially english as roast beef and yorkshire pudding. “i’m not saying what we do at our parties is normal but it&#
