Mr Pussy’s Cafe De Luxe on 21 Suffolk Street, Dublin was a cafe and restaurant dreamed up by Jim Sheridan, Gavin Friday, and Bono and hosted by old-school female impersonator Mr Pussy (Alan Amsby).

It opened in May 1994 in the same spot where Bono’s brother, Norman Hewson, had previously run Dillon’s restaurant. Restaurant by day, Mr Pussy’s Cafe stayed open late and became “the night club that broke all rules”.

There was a police raid in the first week of opening, for serving alcohol after hours and having (male) nude entertainment. Dublin wasn’t quite ready for the experience.

At one point, a ‘customer’ entered the restaurant with a tiger on a lead. He had been hired by the owners to perform.

Norman Hewson: “It was madness, totally off the wall. I can’t see myself ever having as much fun as the two years with Mr Pussy’s.”

The TV was on all the time, showing highlights of the Oscar ceremonies, The Wizard of Oz and The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Chips and eggs and sausages, Pussy Pies and Pints of Pussy (a glass of milk) were on the menu and the restaurateurs cheekily served alcohol from tea pots in a decor that was a cross between greasy spoon and bordello. There was a stage and a ‘royal box’ for special guests. Naomi Campbell’s knickers and other kitschy memorabilia were on display in a glass case while the stairs down to the toilets were lined with pink fur penises.

In Gavin’s words: “Mr Pussy’s story became a song and the song became a cafe”.

The cafe quickly became the place to go for late night revellers and hosted record launches and after show parties for the likes of Van Morrison, Ronnie Wood, Christy Turlington, Mel Gibson, Michael Stipe and Jean Kennedy Smith.

While Mr Pussy’s was popular at night, the ‘night club’ stamp the press had given it meant it was unable to draw enough customers in the day time. Unable to obtain a drink license, Mr Pussy’s Cafe De Luxe eventually closed in April ’95.

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The Irish Director Jim Sheridan rose to international prominence with his 1989 debut, his adaptation of Christy Brown’s “My Left Foot” (starring Daniel-Day Lewis) which earned five Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay.

After leaving University College Dublin with a degree in English and Philosophy, Sheridan founded The Projects Arts Centre which became the focal point of alternative theatre in Ireland. Here Sheridan gave the Virgin Prunes some of their first gigs, including one on September 18, 1978 when they share the bill with U2, and the 24-hour-non-stop Dark Space festival in February ’79, which also featured The Mekons, Throbbing Gristle, Public Image Ltd and local bands among which The Atrix, Berlin, Rocky de Valera and D.C. Nein.

Sheridan emigrated to Canada, and later New York in 1981, where he became artistic director of the Irish Arts Center. Still in New York, he was approached by Dublin Theatre producer Noel Pearsan with the idea of “My Left Foot”, which he eventually directed. His next film was “The Field”, which earned its star, Richard Harris, an Oscar nomination.

Gavin and Jim kept in touch over the years. His response to the soundtracks of Sheridan’s two earlier films had been tepid, so when work on “In The Name Of The Father” started, Sheridan asked Gavin and Bono for advice. Gavin emerged as the more regular consultant.

The soundtrack of Jim Sheridan’s 1993 film “In The Name Of The Father” incorporates an original score by Trevor Jones as well as new songs by Gavin Friday, Maurice Seezer and Bono: the title track and first single “In The Name Of The Father“, “Billy Boola” and the second single “You Made Me The Thief Of Your Heart” featuring vocals by Sinead O’Connor. Gavin Friday also acted as music consultant for the movie.

Sheridan went on to direct “The Boxer” in 1997 and “In America” in 2003. Both films were scored by Gavin Friday and Maurice Seezer. Two years later Sheridan directed 50 Cent’s “Get Rich or Die Tryin’” for which Gavin and Maurice wrote incidental music in collaboration with Quincy Jones.

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In the Name of the Father is a 1993 biographical film directed by Jim Sheridan. It is based on the true life story of the Guildford Four, four people falsely convicted of the IRA’s Guildford pub bombings.

In the Name of the Father won the Golden Bear at the 44th Berlin International Film Festival and was nominated for seven Academy Awards, including Best Actor in a Leading Role (Daniel Day-Lewis), Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Pete Postlethwaite), Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Emma Thompson), Best Director, Best Film Editing, Best Picture and Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium.

The songs In The Name Of The Father and You Made Me The Thief Of Your Heart, co-written by Gavin Friday, Bono and Maurice Seezer were released as singles.

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The Boxer is a 1997 film by Irish director Jim Sheridan starring Daniel Day-Lewis and Emily Watson. Day-Lewis plays Danny Flynn, a boxer and former IRA man, who is trying to stay straight after his release from prison.

The Boxer was nominated for three Golden Globes in the Picture, Actor (Daniel Day-Lewis) and Director (Jim Sheridan) categories. It also competed for the Golden Bear at Berlin Film Festival in 1998.

Gavin Friday and Maurice Seezer composed the score of The Boxer and wrote two songs for it: In The Shadow Of A Gun and Everything’s Gonna Be Alright.

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In America is a 2003 film directed by Jim Sheridan. The semi-autobiographical screenplay by Sheridan and his daughters Naomi and Kirsten focuses on an immigrant Irish family’s efforts to survive in New York City, as seen through the eyes of the elder daughter.

The film was nominated for three Academy Awards including Best Original Screenplay for Sheridan, Best Actress for Samantha Morton and Best Supporting Actor for Djimon Hounsou.

The score, composed by Gavin Friday and Maurice Seezer was nominated for Best Original Film Score in the 2004 Ivor Novello Awards.

Time Enough For Tears was nominated in the 2003 Golden Globe Awards for Best Original Song, The Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Song, and won the Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best Original Song.

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First single from the soundtrack to Jim Sheridan’s In The Name Of The Father, nominated for an Ivor Novello Award.

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Second single taken from the soundtrack of Jim Sheridan’s In The Name Of The Father, with vocals by Sinéad O’Connor.

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This BBC Weather ‘Be One Step Ahead’ trailer which has been running on BBC television for the last couple of months features the track “All our troubles have flown away” from the Friday/Seezer soundtrack for Jim Sheridan’s movie ‘In America’.

The soundtrack CD is available from:
Amazon.co.uk
Amazon.com

MP3 downloads from:
iTunes (USA)
iTunes (UK)
Amazon.co.uk
Amazon.com

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‘Irish Renaissance man Gavin Friday and his musical partner Maurice Seezer, [who] have landed the prestigious contract to work with living legend Quincy Jones on the soundtrack for the new 50 Cent movie, Get Rich or Die Tryin”m (directed by Jim Sheridan). The pair will skip the country for LA to start work on the new project which will “be along the lines of Eminem’s huge smash-hit movie”, an insider tells me. The film, which goes on release in December, will also coincide with silver-tongued Gavin Friday’s silver-screen debut with Irish actor Cillian Murphy in Neil Jordan’s Breakfast on Pluto (starring Liam Neeson). Gavin first met 50 Cent in May in Toronto. In June, Gavin had a meeting with Quincy Jones in New York. It obviously went well because last weekend Quincy came to Dublin to “seal the deal”.’

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“Quincy Jones has signed on to compose the original score for Paramount’s ‘Get Rich or Die Tryin’,’ his first film score in the two decades since ‘The Color Purple.’ Jones, who has been nommed for seven Oscars, will be working with composers Gavin Friday and Maurice Seezer, director Jim Sheridan and Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, who’s toplining and writing songs for the film. Story, penned by Terence Winter, centers on an orphaned street kid who makes his mark in the drug trade, then leaves the violence behind to pursue a career in rap. Jones has penned 33 film scores, including “In the Heat of the Night,” “In Cold Blood,” “The Italian Job,” “Cactus Flower,” “The Wiz” and “The Color Purple,” which he also co-produced. He also wrote “Soul Bossa Nova,” the “Austin Powers” theme.”

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