Category — Events

Courtney Love introduced the Virgin Prunes at the ‘Gavin Friday and Friends’ event in Carnegie Hall on October 4th. She did so eloquently and passionately, explaining how she came to know of them and what they meant to her life. What follows is a close approximation of what she said and it includes a brief introduction by U2’s manager Paul McGuinness:

Paul McGuinness

Good evening ladies and gentlemen. I’ve known Gavin and his band the Virgin Prunes for as long as I’ve known U2 and for quite a while in the early days the Virgin Prunes were the obligatory opening act for U2, so I saw them many times. Perhaps more often than I liked. And on one occasion… the Virgin Prunes had some extreme theories: Dada, Theatre of Cruelty, things like that, which didn’t always mix with the… the rock and roll. But on one occasion I do remember after the performance, excellent performance, given by the Virgin Prunes, Bono arrived in time for the U2 gig and he said to me: Why are the audience in such a bad mood? And I said: Well, Bono, it might have something to do with the fact that your friend Gavin has just been throwing pigs entrails over them. They were a very unusual band and one of their earliest fans was Ms Courtney Love…

Courtney Love

Hi. I’ve never actually even been inside Carnegie Hall. I wasn’t asked to do this show, I demanded to do this show.

I didn’t expect the task of introducing one of the most important precious figures and bands and siren call that framed my rock and roll life for better or for worse. Nor do I have any idea of who I am speaking to, so I will just simply speak my truth about Virgin Prunes and about Gavin Friday.

Continue reading Courtney’s speech

Gavin will be taking part in the ‘Music in film – the new key to succes?’ seminar at The Music Show, a music event organised by Hot Press, Ireland’s music magazine.
He will be joining John Carney (writer and director of ‘Once’) and Ken McHugh (Autamata) to talk about films, television and advertising as an additional outlet for songwriters’ work.
‘Music and film – the new key to succes?’ takes place at the RDS on Saturday October 4th at 4pm.
Tickets are available from Ticketmaster.
More info at dublinks.com.

Gavin introducing designer Sean Osborne, June 2008.

Poster promoting the 2004 Dublin Rejoyce festival, celebrating the Bloomsday centennial.
Click the image to download a pdf of the image.

From the Irish Independent, dated Tuesday 17 June:
“Actress Elizabeth P Moynihan’s reading of Molly’s soliloquy went down a storm, while Gavin Friday’s Nighttown song, accompanied on the kazoo, was the highlight for many. “Beautiful, sinister, melodic, whispering”, enthused Senator David Norris.”

Gavin and Guggi started their DJ set in Lillie’s Bordello on April 30, 2003 with an Aidan Walsh tune and some classy 30’s/40’s music. Raising some 10000 Euro for charity, they ended up DJ’ng for most of the night, playing tracks like the start of Also sprach Zarathustra (from 2001 — A Space Odyssey), Prince’s Sexy MF, The Smashing Pumpkins 1979, some Madonna, Take That’s Back For Good, and they dedicated Christina Aguilera’s Beautiful to “Alison Stewart”. Gavin and Guggi ended their set with Sinead O’Connor’s Nothing Compares 2 U. The two DJs took to the dancefloor, waltzing together while the crowd looked on in awe.
Sunday Mirror, May 4, 2003, Sunday
THERE was much wailing and gnashing of teeth at Lillies Bordello on Wednesday night after the raffle for the exclusive painting by Guggi and Gavin Friday.
The two lads were holding a Celebrity DJ night to raise money for the After Schools Education & Support Project at Sheriff Street and as part of the event they raffled off a painting by Guggi and Gavin with each ticket costing EUR10 a go.
Not a bad bargain, considering Guggi’s paintings sell for around EUR20,000 a time so everyone at the event was desperate to get their hands on the coveted prize, art lovers or not. But it was a little more than luck that led to Mairead Egan, wife of Lillies owner Dave, winning the painting.
Our perfectly placed source told us: “Mairead was delighted when she won the painting – it features The Child Of Prague which is a favourite symbol of hers.
“And although her luck was in when she won the painting, she had actually bought around EUR400 of tickets – probably more than anyone else who was at the event.”
Irish Footballers Shay Given, Ian Harte, Robbie Keane, Robbie Keane, Ray Houghton, Frank Stapleton and Colm Healy came along to show their support for the fundraising night after their 1-0 win over Norway.
Although the boys were attracting many admiring glances from the ladies in Lillies, they were intent on having a lads night out, shunning female advances to stick to having a few drinks with their mates.
Bono’s wife Ali was in fine fettle on the dance floor, strutting her stuff to some of Guggi and Gavin’s original tune selection with the Edge’s wife Morleigh.
But the award for dance divas of the evening was definitely held by Hothouse Flowers man Fiachna O’Braonain and Lorraine Keane’s new brother-in-law Colin Devlin who proved that they have fascinating rhythm by the bucketload.
24/7 had a wonderful time hanging out in what became known as the Other Voices corner for the evening where the lovely Paddy Casey and band member Declan, Jerry Fish and Mundy were holding court.
Jerry Fish – whose real name is Ger Whelan – revealed that it was the second time he’d been hanging out in Lillies in a few days.
The swampadelic singer, who releases his new single Upside Down on Friday, found himself hanging out in the exclusive club with none other than grand dame Danny LaRue after his show at the Ambassador last Friday … well that’s what he told us anyway.
Also at the bash were artist Jim Fitzpatrick, film director Neil Jordan and his wife Brenda and Popstars judge Bill Hughes.
And the end result was that Gavin, Guggi and the gang managed to raise over EUR5500 for the Sheriff Street project.
Top marks all round.

In the Evening Herald on June21st, Senator David Norris wrote the following on Gavin’s 2002 Bloomsday appearance:
“Gavin Friday produced a real gem, having discovered a 1928 recording of a previously undiscovered song which had a direct bearing on the text of Ulysses. It gave me great pride in Joyce and his city to see Gavin and his pal Adam Clayton of U2 mingling unselfconciously with the crowd of revellers.”