The Joe Jackson Interviews

Another uncut clip from the audio tapes that led to Boyzone No Matter What. The revelation of the series to many viewers seems to be that manager Louis Walsh was the "villain" of the story. I believe there is more to it than that. But these tapes were part of the research for the series, and here's Keith in 2001, ripping into Louis, whom he says he loves nonetheless. Keith told me the same thing at the premiere of the series recently. 

The tensions between members of Boyzone may be new and news to the millions of people watching the Sky Documentary Boyzone No Matter What, but they are not to me. The documentary originated in my archive of tapes. Here's a clip that didn't make the final edit. Me and Keith back in 2001. 

The new Sky Arts documentary No Matter What originated in my archive of 1,400 celebrity interviews. I also wrote the book Boyzone Our Story and interviewed the lads in-depth from 1994-2002. Here is the first set of interviews I did with lads when all, apart from Mikey, were still in their teens. I warmed to some more than others from the start, and when I met Shane, Ronan and Keith at the recent premiere of No Matter What, my feelings remained the same. Fame changes people, sadly

As I say in the intro to this podcast, hastily put together on 'the evening of the day' I heard Marianne had died, she was one of the most fascinating women I met, in, or beyond the world of celebrity interviewing. She also was an infinitely superior artist to certain rock stars with whom she was endless compared and who I won't name.  

I love this phone chat I had with Leonard. It was our third interview and showed me and - when published in The Irish Times - that Cohen had a great sense of humour. But I am guessing that Bono doesn't like what he said. Lighten up, man!

It's coming up to forty years since I, as a Cohen fan, and writer, not journalist, conned my way into meeting Cohen by getting a commission to interview him for a rock magazine. It left me feeling so transcendent I decided to become an interviewer! Incidentally, the editor in question said it was crap and that I should have asked Leonard more about "sex and drugs and rock 'n' roll." Yawn! Cohen told me he thought it was "a great interview" then added, "Thank you, man." I was only a kid!

It's been. more than thirty years since I did this phone interview with Joan Baez. I'm reposting it because of the release of the movie A Complete Unknown. I'd prefer to listen to the real Joan Baez, telling her own story and touching on her time with Bob

Boy George telling me to tell Bono that if he still hadn't found what he was looking for, he should look behind the drum kit, was just a quip. But the quote made it around the world thanks to MTV news. It's just a bit of fun. We talked abut it years later

Tommy Tiernan is now an interviewer who aspires to do in-depth interviews on TV. I commend his aspiration.

Here is part of an in-depth interview he did with me. 

Am I kidding about any of this? 

You decide!

Imagine falling love with a song when you are 16, the, later in life meeting the guy who sang it and who asks yo uto write his life story! This is a tiny section from the chapter about Macarthur Park, from my book Richard Harris: Raising Hell and Reaching for Heaven.