Talking to Joe - Joseph O'Connor Interview

“I remember thinking, ‘Jesus, he’s sitting there! The man who wrote ‘Waterloo Sunset!’. At the end when he sang it, I almost lost it.”

The last time Hot Press encountered Joseph O’Connor was on the occasion of his public interview with Kinks legend Ray Davies. A die-hard music fan, the author was the obvious choice for what was one of the highlights of Dublin Writers Festival.
In his latest literary outing O’Connor gets to indulge this passion. The Thrill Of It is the story of a fictional band that comes to prominence in the UK in the 80s. The book, which is replete with trivia and knowledgeable references, is obviously not just the work of a casual fan but someone who followed music with a religious zeal from an early age.
“I remember the day I bought Horses in Freebird Records,” he says.  “I hadn’t heard of Patti Smith. I bought the record because of the extraordinary cover, the amazing iconic photograph by Robert Mapplethorpe. From the moment I put the stylus in the groove the world just became a better place. And I played that record over and over. I mean I can hear every track still downloaded into my consciousness.”
Ms. Smith actually makes an appearance in the book, which touchingly is dedicated to the late, great Philip Chevron.
“I absolutely loved Philip, I think he was such a unique artist,” notes O’Connor. “It’s very difficult to think of anybody who achieved the things that Phillip Chevron did and was universally loved and respected too. He went on an extraordinary journey: from being in probably the first Irish punk band, through cabaret and European theatre and poetry and musicals – which he loved – and all the way to the Pogues. I think he gave them a dimension that made them a really important band. He was a such a gentle, honest man.”
The book is not all glitz and glamour. Far from it: the reader experiences the band’s highs and lows with them. Interestingly the four members all experienced trauma or loss in their childhood. Is O’Connor alluding to the redemptive qualities of music perhaps?
“Well I think it often seems to be true,” he nods. “Certain events in your childhood can almost put cracks in your consciousness and result in a slight brokenness. And if you’re a bookish kid or a musical kid, you approach words and music in a very intimate way because they become key to your survival. You build an ark from songs and records and poems and novels.
“I think a lot of people who love music would identify with that,” he continues. “Music touches us and heals us in a way that no other art quite does. I love writing, I love literature, but there’s nothing as direct as music. I hope my own children are not artists, because I would much prefer them to be happy. They can be tribunal barristers and look after me when I’m old and poor!”
The book is written from the perspective of one of the band members and conveys a depth of insight that suggests an insider knowledge. Did Joseph call on his sister for some tips?
“I actually didn’t ask her about it,” he says. “When a beloved member of your family is in the music business for a long time I suppose you notice certain things. The biggest distinction is that this is a book about a band and that dynamic. Sinéad is a solo artist.
“It’s not consciously in any way a portrait of Sinéad but I’ve probably picked up stuff from being backstage at gigs. I’ve worked a lot with musicians over the last four or five years in different ways also.”
In one particular section, the band are doing a Dublin show and the detail on preparation and backstage goings-on is impeccable.
“I did do a bit of research on that,” he admits. “I spent a day in the O2 from 7am watching the stage being built, seats being put in, the local roadies and road crew arriving. It was an Eric Clapton gig. The power-play between the local roadies and the road crew was very interesting! It’s amazing the way you feel the atmosphere begin to change over the course of the day, the crackle of electricity as the place begins to fill up. So it was very helpful. I was the first there and the last to leave.”
Did Joe himself ever have any aspirations to follow in the footsteps of his musical heroes?
“No, I didn’t,” he smiles. “I do, however, play the guitar badly, which my children know well. But to me, to be a great listener is as important. I always tell people to be a great reader is much better than to be a writer: what the reader does is far more creative. What the writer does is provide the sheet music, what the reader does is bring the novel to life.”
So has his bad guitar playing ever been brought to the masses?
“Well, I have a small stage show that I do with my friend Philip King, who’s a great musician and knows lots of wonderful people. We perform with special guests, so I have actually played guitar onstage with Paul Brady and Camille O’Sullivan. It’s a very jammy life that I lead!”
In addition to his writing and occasional musical adventures, O’Connor is about to add another string to his bow as he has just been appointed Professor of Creative Writing in Limerick University
“I’m really looking forward to it,” he enthuses. “I think that all practitioners should teach a few times throughout their career because it brings you back to the wellspring of why you wanted to do it yourself.
“I’ve taught somewhere every four or five years since I’ve started to write. You learn so much by teaching, become a better writer yourself. It’s a new department, so I just couldn’t resist the temptation of being involved in setting up the kind of writing course that I would have loved to do.”
So what words of wisdom will Professor O’Connor be dispensing?
“Obviously you can’t teach people talent or hard work. You can teach them not to make certain mistakes,” he says. “You can teach them to know the end of a story before you embark on chapter one; you can teach them how to make a character more convincing, how to use dialogue and language and how to hook the reader in and to know what the reader wants. All sorts of craft things.
“Writing is an art, but it’s craft too. I can’t teach you to be Anne Enright, because there’s only one, wonderful Anne Enright, but I hope that everybody at the end of the year will be a better writer and a better reader than they were at the start. I’m really looking forward to that.”

The Thrill Of It is out now published by Harvill Secker