Crest of A Wave? or, The Slaughter of Innocents ;)

Doing a PhD is definitely not for the faint-hearted. Have been chipping away for the last 6 months on various elements of the doctorate, and it is coming together. Still have some way to go to get it done and dealt with, and the road will not be easy. On the positive side, the structure is now definitely in place. Chapters are: general introduction and lit. review; definitions and historical survey; hybridity and Irish rock; space, place and Irish rock, identities, and a conclusion linking first wave and contemporary Irish rock music. It's been a rocky road paying for this thing myself, and it's hard to see how it's rewarding, to be honest. I suppose I haven't really thought about where to go with the qualification, but there is no point in thinking that far ahead. For now I just want to get it finished. I'm probably jumping the gun a bit - I should be trying to enjoy it more. The truth is that I do - and when the research is going well, the ideas are flowing and a leap is being made it can feel so rewarding. I'll stick with it and drive on!I've certainly expanded my knowledge of Irish rock, and a whole lot more besides, and I am grateful for that.

A further leap

The project's main supervisor has declared himself happy with the second chapter, and the news that there are only minor edits to be made gladdens the heart. A bit weary at this point, so nothing major will be done for a few days. Having said that, have been indulging in some interesting scholarship edited by Richard Middleton. Sean Cubitt's reading of 'Maybellene' , the Chuck Berry song has excited my interest. I think his concept of challenging hegemonies through the lack of a central vocal line is critical. I am also excited by Peter Webb's analysis of the 'Bristol Sound' and the cultural politics of location embodied in it. Both are applicable to Irish rock. Was in Dublin meeting with the great Paddy Gibbons, studio engineer who worked with Phil Lynott in Skid Row and later in Orphanage. He was extremely helpful and contributed a massive interview regarding recording, technology and production of popular music in Ireland in the 1960s, plus a few gems about Phil Lynott himself. Cheers to Kevin the Biker, Bunse, Bairbre, Jean and The Bull Hannigan for making it a relaxing and enjoyable few days.

Right, more work done. Many thanks to Mr Barry Devlin and RTE for helping out in various ways. Have work done on contextual chapter, which needs to be revised again before submission. I took all Dr O'Brien's comments and changed the paper's structure accordingly. It's a lot better now. Getting time to do all the work necessary to make this project really work is a stress. Still, work continues apace. One the contextual chapter is done, I'll move on to the academic paper. No harm in writing a few short articles on various topics, as they come to mind.

Getting On With It

The next thing to be done is to rewrite the contextual chapter. I have two weeks to do it. Co-supervisor's comments very useful. The problem is that there is so much info out there, that it's hard to concentrate on drawing sound academic conclusions without referencing it all. Still, I will work away. I also want to write up the Cha Haran interview asap. Have gotten the go-ahead to stage a one-day academic conference at Mary Immaculate College, University of Limerick, on May 19th. That will also take a bit of work. Have to organise flights for the San Diego conference, which I will do this week, and that paper will have to be written soon. Have compile d a list of journals for publications, but sent nothing out just yet. Also began editing the Rory Gallagher page over on Wikipedia. About 20 edits done.

Have been working hard in a few different directions. Firstly, have been putting the contextual chapter together, looking at various aspects of the Irish rock inustry circa 1960s and 1970s. Happy enough with aspects of pgoress, but it needs work before I can submit it to supervisor, and it's due in about a week. Have been accepted to give a paper in San Diego, and that's the next item on the agenda. Haven't had a chance to even think about it yet, but it will need to contain elements from various aspects of the research. I have gotten the go-ahead to plan a small conference in Mary I in late May, so that's some good news. Another one to work on in the coming weeks. Am trying to fit all this in on top of working and teaching piano and guitar. Enjoyed an artistic collaboration during the week, performing 'Walkin' Blues' down at the Westlands, Limerick for a multi-media work which is focusing on Irish musicians and the blues, and raising awareness about loneliness.

Progress -

Just discovered an unofficial fan's blog for Van Morrison, available at www.vanmorrisonnews.com. Interesting angle there on Van and the literary tradition in Ireland - a point worth making. In additional news, it might be time to make a wee trip to Beal Feirste to have a look around. The main thing I want to see is a newspaper archive and a photographic archive. Could spin up before Christmas as I have a few days to do things this side of the holiday. Van playing soon at the Albert Hall - £200 per ticket. The letters I sent up to Ballyshannon didn't turn up anything of significance about RG's early life there. Some reports say he moved away at eight, others at three. One thing I do remember someone saying to me is that Ballyshannon had a lot of foreigners in it, due to the electricity plant that was built there. Just listening to 'Johnny The Fox' there again today. Very impressive songwriting for a man who was in the throes of jaundice, and in some ways more pointed than 'Jailbreak'...as though Lynott had a story to tell. I have written the first draft of the contextual chapter, focusing on the industry in Ireland. I am starting into hybridity now, which will be the third chapter. I was accepted to give a paper at the International Association for the Study of Popular Music Conference over in San Diego in May of this year, which is a big boost. Will be a lot of work getting it together. Have set myself the target of finishing by Christmas this year, which means a chapter every two months. That's achieveable, if challenging. Working away on other musical projects, various collaborations with Limerick Creative Music, Sticky Fingers and Lost and Found on the go at the minute. Got great help from a few good heads in Limerick regarding the PHD - more about that later.

King's Call

Cold breeze blowing around Limerick this weekend. Have been working away on two fronts: tracked down Essays on Music by Adorno, ed. Leppert. It's a BIG BOOK, so garnering perspectives will take a lot of reading. I will start with the essay 'On Popular Music' and go from there. Still working through the Iain Chambers. Read Negus' chapter on geographies, which didn't go into geographies per se, but looked at the idea of imperialism transmitted through music. Learned 'King's Call' last night on piano and guitar. Excellent video.