Eoin Butler: writer, journalist and Mayoman of the Year
Tripping Along The Ledge
irish times
“As adept with the long pause as he is with the awkward silence…”*
Compiling the singles reviews for The Ticket, I must admit, is one of the easiest and more pleasurable of my weekly chores. But I do sometimes approach the Irish releases with some trepidation. Mediocre music is mediocre music. So even if I once queued behind the bass player for service at the bar in Whelans, it doesn’t exactly sweeten the deal for me. Read the rest of this entry »
Rocks Off (1972)
“The sunshine bores the daylights out of me…” Listened to this today for the first time in a long time. It’s even fucking better than I remembered it. My favourite rock n’ roll track of all time. Easy.
Miscellaneous Amusing Items I’ve Come Across #32
“Better broken Irish than clever English…” Not since the Russian anarchist Mikhail Bakunin, who decreed that ‘the impulse to destroy is also a creative impulse’, have I come across any activist stupid enough to highlight precisely the weakest strand in their own argument and turn it into a catchy slogan.
Well, I’ll be a son of a gun!
Spotted John Rocha on Exchequer Street, Saturday morning. He was wearing clogs and holding an enormous cigarette holder. Someone told me RTE are doing a countdown of the all-time greatest Irishmen. Well, I’m gutted J.R. didn’t make the cut. Because we are nation of chancers and bullshit artists. And this guy is beating us at our own game. Read the rest of this entry »
Weekend 2
B’ah. I’ve worked on stupid articles all weekend and missed most of the sun. So, weather permitting, I’ve decided to make Monday and Tuesday my alternative weekend. Activities may include (but are not limited to) ice cream-eating, stone-into-pond throwing, dog-befriending and unabashed sandal wearing.
Any of my friends currently unemployed, or willing to call into work sick, are more than welcome to join me. It’s going to be a regular jaunt. Yeah, I’m gonna make the real weekend look bunch of amateurs.
This Isn’t Funny
The wasted life and tragic death of Mitch Hedberg, who died five years ago this week. See Mitch at his best here.
It’s the last ever outing for this column
“By the way, Butler’s paying for everything,” says Aidan, before we sit down. “Why the hell am I paying?” I ask. “I’ve given you enough material over the years,” he says. “You’re lucky I haven’t sued for commission!” I suppose, the man has a point. Read the rest of this article here.
The Bull & Castle
It’s the last outing for this column. Aidan and I are celebrating at the Bull & Castle in Christchurch. We’re joined by our friend, Johnny, briefly home from the States. “Butler pays for everything, by the way,” says Aidan, as we take our seats. “Why?” I ask. Aidan snorts. “I’ve given you enough fucking material,” he says. “You’re lucky I don’t sue ya for commission.”
He has a point. Read the rest of this entry »
Student hack bites back!
If there’s one thing this blog is fond of doing, it’s recycling old material. And the hardiest of hardy perennials in that respect is this wildly inaccurate perhaps-not-entirely-definitive profile of me written, in 2005, by a young student journalist from DCU. No matter how many times I post it, it never fails to raise a chuckle. But now the hapless anonymous author has stepped forward to answer his critics. Read the rest of this entry »
So I hear you’re a racist… Is this the new thing?
“Ah Christ… Who told you?”
“I met Tina in Tescos the other night.”
“For fuck’s sake… He was a Malaysian fella in a Malaysian restaurant wearing a black shirt… Anyone could have made the same mistake.” Read the full article here.