A New Heyday For Mic Christopher

Fans and friends of the late Mic Christopher were thrilled to hear the music of one of his most popular songs ‘Heyday’ being used in the current Guinness television advert entitled ‘Quarrel’. The ad opens in a Dublin home when Christopher’s ‘Heyday’ comes on the radio. The chief protagonist immediately departs on a journey to the Cliffs of Moher, dives into the sea and swims to New York City. He finds a person he quarrelled and fell out with in a Manhattan bar, says sorry and as the pair embrace, ‘Heyday’ is reprised, concluding the commercial on an upbeat and life-affirming note.

“If we were to use his music for anything it had to be the right thing, but as I say he is still making money for Guinness!,” laughs Mic’s sister Maureen Christopher. “I’m sitting here at the moment looking at a photograph of him with a pint of Guinness in his hand. He would be fussy about who would be using his music, but I think we’re totally safe on this one!”
“The new campaign is about Guinness and the things that matter,” explains Damian Devaney of Guinness. “The first ad of that campaign, ‘Quarrel’, is about friendship and the creator was Nick Kelly. The ad shows the strength of character a person has to resolve a quarrel. So a simple idea was told very dramatically. The whole journey is a metaphor for what people will go through to resolve issues.
“Music is obviously an important part of advertising and particularly Guinness advertising,” Damian continues. “The idea to pick ‘Heyday’ was down to Nick who used to be the lead singer in The Fat Lady Sings and has a huge breadth of knowledge of the Irish music industry and music in general. The reason he picked ‘Heyday’ was that he wanted something that was emotional but not downbeat. The second thing was that he wanted a rhythm from the start, so from the very start of the ad you have motion.”
Already, the ad has proven to be a hit and has been the subject of a Gift Grub sketch on Today FM featuring Ronan Keating and Boyzone. The Boyzone lads jet off to New York for a holiday, but don’t invite Ronan because they’ve had a row. Ronan is sitting at home with Yvonne when ‘Heyday’ comes on the radio. Upon hearing it, he departs for the Cliffs of Moher, swims the Atlantic and gets decked by the lads when he apologises to them in a New York bar.
“A funny thing is that my mother is from Tyrone and everyone from there thought that it was actually written about Mic’s life story because we were both born in New York,” Maureen Christopher adds. “But that’s got no connection whatsoever to do with the storyline, even though I could totally see him in the pub just barging in there!”
The Heyday EP itself will be re-released on January 16. The Skylarkin’ album is still selling steadily with increased interest since the advert resulting in the record going Gold just before Christmas. The album launch benefit gig on the first anniversary of Mic’s death in November 2002 raised a total of €15,929.62, which was distributed amongst the Lucena Clinic in St John of God’s, the Music Therapy Unit in Cheeverstown House, the Christina Noble Children’s Foundation and the Jack and Jill Foundation. The money was also used to purchase computers, video equipment and tools used in the area of speech therapy for children and speech therapy sessions for a number of children in particular need.

Mic Christopher’s Heyday EP is back in the shops on January 23