The Joe Jackson Interviews

Dermot Morgan a repost on the 25th anniversary of his death. R.I.P

I notice today that RTE is marking on social media the 25th anniversary of Dermot's death. I hear him laughing somewhere, ironically. In this podcast, which I first posted a few years back, he explains why he had to go to the UK to make Father Ted and so on. He was a great guy, I loved doing this interview, and I hope he rests in peace. 

Burt Bacharach Tribute 2 by Joe Jackson. Painted from Memory radio review 1998

I say in this interview that I don't particularly like Elvis Costello. That, with apologies to his many fans and the man himself, if it would concern him in the slightest, applies to the interviews we did and his music. But I love the music of Burt Bacharach, particularly when he worked with the truly poetic lyricist Hal David. Burt died this week. This is the second and last of my two podcasts celebrating the man and his music. 

A Burt Bacharach tribute from Joe Jackson. Joe reads his 1998 Bacharach interview.

I love Burt Bacharach's music. Simple as that, though I wish more people would similarly celebrate the work of his greatest lyricist, Hal David. Either way, Burt died this week, and in this, the first of two podcast tributes I want to upload, I read an interview I did with the man over the phone in 1998. My one regret is that we never did a face-to-face interview. And, by the way, after I told him I had a bootleg of Elvis's recording session for Any Day Now, he asked me to send him a copy, and I did. 

Joe Jackson reassuring a ”tentative” Richard Harris during a 2001 phone call.

"This man seems to have a bottomless well of things he wants to tell you," said one of my editors, Madeleine Keane, while reading the last interview I did with Richard in 2001. When I told him that, he said, "tell her she's right!" It's a great quote. But it's not in my latest book, Richard Harris: Raising Hell and Reaching for Heaven. Why is it not? Becuase, as I say in the introduction to this podcast, I didn't discover the long-lost tape until after I finished the book. I also say that hearing the tape for the first time in 2023 saddens me because it reminds me that Harris and I were friends and that I still miss the man. 

Richard Harris: A Poem, Tears and his Primal Pain. A tale of fathers and sons from Richard Harris Raising Hell and Reaching for Heaven.

At the heart of my best-selling Richard Harris biography is a tale that tells of the seminal bond between Richard Harris and myself - and it is a tale with which many fathers and sons, and mothers and daughters, will relate. Sadly, this aspect of Harris's life, soul, and psyche was not an area of exploration in the released version of the 2022 film The Ghost of Richard Harris, of which I was an associate producer and that used my tapes to voice the 'ghost.' It was part of an earlier cut that included the poem Richard recites in this podcast, On the One-Day Dead Face of My Father, but is not in the final cut. The poem brought me to tears when I first heard it in 1972. And reading it for me in 2001 left Richard in tears. Some wounds never heal. My book, Richard Harris: Raising Hell and Reaching for Heaven, is nearly sold out in hardback, so grab it while you can, if you want. 

Christy Dignam 2004. The Music That Made Me radio show with Joe Jackson. A repost hopefully to help cheer up Christy

I am reposting this 2021 podcast right now, in February 2023, hoping that Christy will hear it during a difficult time for him, his family, and his fans, and thinking that it just may make us all smile for a while. This is me and Christy talking about something we both love - music, which, in and of itself, can be transcendent and help our spirits rise above everything that sooks to oppress us. I wish Christy well and pray he gets well soon. 

Joe Jackson and Marty Whelan chat about Richard Harris, Jimmy Webb, and Joe’s biography of Harris

This is the second of maybe three podcasts based on interviews I did in late 2022 and early 2023 about my book Richard Harris: Raising Hell and Reaching for Heaven - the first hardback print run of which is nearly sold out I am happy to say

Here is a half-hour chat - minus music which I can't use for copyright reasons - I had with the ever-effusive Marty Whelan, a legend in Irish broadcasting who works for RTE, a station I worked for between 1989 and 2018. Looked at from another angle, you could say this is two Richard Harris and Jimmy Webb fans chatting as they would over a pint in a pub. I thank Marty. We had great fun that day. 

How Baz Luhrmann, as with Colonel Parker, betrayed Elvis. Repost pre Oscars

I made this podcast when the movie Elivs was released in 2022. Now that it is nominated for Oscar awards, many of which it deserves - happily however Baz wasn't nominated as a director or as a screenplay writer - but I stand over my assertion that the movie ultimately betrays the soul of Elvis Presley. His real story is infinitely more fascinating and too deep for Baz to explore. This podcast has led to me being attacked verbally by many of my fellow Elvis fans. So be it. I say what I believe. 

Richard Harris Duelling with Death to Have an Affair with Mia Farrow

My podcasts are now available on Audible. So, I am putting free on Audible, which usually charges listeners to hear authors read their own work, and on other podcast servers, a podcast of me reading a section from a chapter in my book, Richard Harris: Raising Hell and Reaching for Heaven. It's part-memoir, because Haris was my friend, and this is a chat we had about Richard's nearly deadly affair with Mia Farrow. By the way, the book became available in the US on January 10th 2023

Joe Jackson’s tribute to David Crosby. R.I.P. A conversation with David circa 1990

Ninety or so minutes ago, here in Dublin, heading towards midnight, I read that David Crosby had died. As someone who came of age and fell in love for the first time during the early 1970s, the songs of Crosby, Still and Nash, particularly their debut album, meant so much to me. I also later in life became an interviewer and got to interview Crosby, Stills and Nash during one session circa 1990. I haven't listed to the tape since then. I didn't listen to it tonight. But I wanted to share with fellow rock fans, David's friends and family, and anyone who cares, this wonderful and provocative and funny conversation I had with Crosby. May his soul rest in peace.