Sinead O'Connor: C/D?

Excellent work Alfred!

Here's the link: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/03/arts/music/popcast-sinead-oconnor.html

So sad to hear about Sinead O' Connor; thee definition of fearless. I once got punched by someone when DJ'ing in the early 90s after going from some mad UK hardcore track into her version of "I am Stretched on your Grave" (so much for PLUR!). Will try that again this weekend!

— Optimo (Espacio) (@JDTwitch) July 26, 2023

Alfred, your crushing this ep of NYT Popcast!

*you're

I think I made too many obvious points but thank you! I appreciate it.

Great conversation. Really enjoyed the discussion on cover versions and Sinead’s approach to them. I lost the thread fairly early in her career, so the points made here, and on today’s pod, are making me eager to dig back into her catalog

I think I made too many obvious points but thank you! I appreciate it.

One can never be too obvious for New York Times readers/podcast listeners.

lol

Great episode, superb guest. Gave Sinead the historical weight she so deserves.

Thank you!

and good morning!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hNAqVfCvr-I

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1hj4370BMCE

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CvMQ0hqtz6D/?igshid=MTc4MmM1YmI2Ng==

(Sinead doing "Princess of the Posse" with Latifah on her talk show#

Love that so much because it's 100% being done because Sinead loves that song, it's not like that is a song most people even remember

I finally got a chance to listen to the podcast. Alfred, you were brilliant. The host was pretty insufferable.

thanks, jimbeaux :)

Is there a link to the podcast that doesn't require me to login/create an account?

Try this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRz2XiwgHoo

Listened this morning: really good stuff, Alfred!

enjoyed listening alfred! especially nice that you helped steer the convo past the usual pope/nothing compares stuff, the b52s cover was a really great surprise

A very touching poem from her brother that was read at the funeral yesterday.

https://www.irishtimes.com/ireland/2023/08/09/blackbird-in-dun-laoghaire-a-poem-by-joseph-oconnor/

The London Inner South Coroner's Court has issued a statement that says O'Connor died from natural causes. The court added that they have now ceased their involvement in O'Connor's death.

Yep.

"Mere hours before her cause of death was shared on Tuesday, it had been announced that a special tribute concert to O’Connor and the late Pogues frontman Shane MacGowan will be taking place at Carnegie Hall in New York in March. Irish singers Glen Hansard, David Gray, Dropkick Murphys, Cat Power and Amanda Palmer are among the musicians taking part, with more to be announced."

Apologies to Cat Power but I may have to bomb this.

The Irish singer died by natural causes

Is this going to change the narrative that everyone seems to have adopted, based on certain assumptions?

Because that linked yahoo article (and the term "natural causes") are still pretty ambiguous, here's a more unambiguous statement from WaPo:

Most deaths from natural causes are not reported to any coroner but if a coroner found natural causes it would never be a suicide.” If someone dies of “natural causes,” this means that they did not die by suicide, or in an accident, or by a drug overdose, he said.

So what then was the cause of death? Presumably this means she had some kind of sickness, but what was it?

xxxp that carnegie hall tribute show includes a $20,000 "nothing compares 2u" package where you get to weigh in on the order of the songs being played? https://citywinery.com/new-york-city/events/nothing-compares-2-u-wjs0ta

aren’t coroners different in every state? I think there was a Frontline about that. Natural causes may be more or less ambiguous depending on the locality.

I bet the boys of the NYPD choir don't even be there (especially since there's no such thing)

https://consequence.net/2024/07/sinead-oconnors-cause-of-death-disclosed-by-her-family/

O’Connor’s death was initially ruled as the result of “natural causes,” but the death certificate provided specific details on the reasons behind her passing. It specifically cites an “exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and bronchial asthma together with a low-grade lower respiratory tract infection.”

so she didn't kill herself?

did you assume she had?

i am reading Rememberings right now and it is so delightful.

(xp) No she didn't but I can't imagine smoking like a chimney all her adult life helped.

i totally did assume she had yes

i hated that most coverage seemed to take that for granted. rip

! figured it was a body malfunction, potentially aggravated by her choices while alive but I did not think she ended her own life.

I think when someone famous has experienced a lot of public trauma and their death is reported without a clear cause, a lot of people will assume it was suicide whether it's reported that way or not

Yes

I remember Jon Jost (interesting filmmaker, but a problematic asshole to put it mildly) blasting the media for not reporting it as a suicide even though most reports did mention her personal struggles, basically suggesting it as a strong possibility. The responses against his rant listed all the reasons why that would've been irresponsible and why there were good reasons not to if the family wanted to keep it private, but he just spewed a bunch of arrogant and even paranoid nonsense. (He tried to draw parallels to how the news media in the 1960s covered the Vietnam War of all things.)

they announced a while ago that it was a health condition and not suicide and I was myself very surprised.

Her son killed himself in January 2023 and she was hospitalised a little later after threatening to "follow him" - which will have affected a lot of people's reading of her death.

https://edition.cnn.com/2022/01/14/entertainment/sinead-oconnor-hospital-intl-scli/index.html

Sorry, January 2022 was the date!

Just saw a panel of writers that contributed essays to a Sinead book, each essay about one specific song. It was a good talk, followed by a performances, but the performances were tough. There's no real "covering" Sinead, or even interpreting her. She was such a singular force and interpreter herself.

Anyway, now I'm going to listen to a bunch of her music.

I like the one cover by Chris Cornell of her covering Prince but yeah

I think she can be covered well! I’ve heard it done well. But it is an Everestian task. Same with Nina Simone

Her reggae album was a big revelation for me in the past year. Her version of "Curly Locks" is exquisite.

Wait what?

Need to listen to that pronto

Reggae album's not on Spotify for whatever reason. But it's here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SgAZTSekgFw

The reggae album is sooooo good. She even toured wit Sly & Robbie for it.