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Sinead O’Connor has died

irishtimes.com

161–170 of 308 posts

Re: Sinead O’Connor has died

#161
post #143

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Wow! The thing that surprised me most about this was it’s a Bob Dylan tribute concert? I’m shocked religion still had such a hold on the kind of people attending that type of concert at that point in time. The volume is insane. Incredible strength to be able to stand and take such abuse and continue to perform.

The audience are terrible, but as a child I would have taken part in that. We identified as a group, with a set of beliefs our parents had chosen for us, and thought anyone that attacked our leader was attacking us. Years later I grew up and apologised to Sinead O Connor on Twitter for thinking this way. But a lot of people never did grow up, not just Catholics but also people from other conservative religions. Peopl…

> A crowd of people booing Sinead O Connor 30 years ago is very similar to people attacking Charlie Hebdo in 2015

Erm. I don't think it's that similar.

Re: Sinead O’Connor has died

#162

> She refused the playing of US national anthem before her concerts, drawing further public scorn. Was this a thing?! A good episode of "You're Wrong About..." covers the controversy of her: https://open.spotify.com/episode/265qKOV5C7XBqlyXMjp7VF https://podcasts.apple.com/at/podcast/sin%C3%A9ad-oconnor-wi...

I used to refuse to stand for the pledge of allegiance in high school and get threatened with being beat up, I guess it was a thing at the time.

[flagged]

Re: Sinead O’Connor has died

#163

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Wow! The thing that surprised me most about this was it’s a Bob Dylan tribute concert? I’m shocked religion still had such a hold on the kind of people attending that type of concert at that point in time. The volume is insane. Incredible strength to be able to stand and take such abuse and continue to perform.

I think it speaks less to people's religious feelings and more towards the rather apolitical and apathetic alternative music culture at the time. If I recall the atmosphere at the time it was less "how dare she say that about the Pope?!" and more "how dare she co-opt the public stage for controversial/'political' speech?!" I also don't recall the outrage at her SNL performance even being particularly or especially by…

> "how dare she co-opt the public stage for controversial/'political' speech?!"

i don't know if the religious or the apolitical/centrists are worse.

Re: Sinead O’Connor has died

#164

I am deeply saddened by her passing. Her performances always featured powerful vocals driven by equally powerful emotion. But her version of Pink Floyd's "Mother," performed live in Berlin in 1990 with Roger Waters, Rick Danko, Levon Helm, and Garth Hudson, was Sinead at her most vulnerable and in my opinion, a full expression of her soul. Audio with onstage video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRbKXACBaoc High qua…

My favourite song too, heartbreaking knowing the abuse she suffered at the hands of her own mother.

Re: Sinead O’Connor has died

#166

The first time I heard the song -- and saw the video -- to "Nothing Compares 2 U" and the screen is nothing but her face and at one point there are tears, and she blares that unreal voice, I think I stopped breathing. She will be missed.

At the risk of being obvious, see also Dreyer's 1928 La Passion de Jeanne d'Arc (https://vimeo.com/169369684).

Re: Sinead O’Connor has died

#167

She'll be missed. As a youngster growing up in Ireland she not only gave a voice to all of us who wanted to reject the influence of the church, which had only become more entrenched throughout the conflict, but also to the women of this island who had been previously silenced for centuries. If anyone is interested more in feminist voices from the conflict in Ireland I can highly recommend the 1981 film Maeve. The ide…

Anything covering Magdalene laundries or other catholic institutions in Ireland are pretty relevant too. She did spend a bunch of her childhood in one.

Re: Sinead O’Connor has died

#168
post #138

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In honor of Sinead’s death it seems appropriate to tear to shreds the image of John Paul II. You are on the wrong side, morally speaking, in this Dang.

It's simply the practical question of what type of site HN is trying to be. We want curious conversation, not people bashing each other, which is what flamebait leads to. Commenters who get too sure of their moral positions tend to do a lot of this. I'm not saying the moral positions are wrong (I probably agree a lot of the time, certainly Sinead did a courageous thing, etc. etc.). But the quality of discussion this…

I mostly like the moderation on this site, but I think you're missing the mark on this one.

The man - and the institution - facilitated and covered up the abuse and rape of countless children. Calling him a bastard seems pretty small potatoes for you to start clutching your pearls over.

Re: Sinead O’Connor has died

#169
post #39

The first time I heard the song -- and saw the video -- to "Nothing Compares 2 U" and the screen is nothing but her face and at one point there are tears, and she blares that unreal voice, I think I stopped breathing. She will be missed.

Nothing Compares 2 U reliably induces frisson/goosebumps in me. Rare that a cover can match a Prince original: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nothing_Compares_2_U

Chris Cornell's cover is way up there too.

Re: Sinead O’Connor has died

#170

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It always confused me how, at least in Boston, many many priests (but not the most egregious one or two) avoided prosecution for child abuse.

Same in Ireland, some high profile cases were prosecuted- but not the majority, and nothing happened the nuns - especially the evil that ran the mother and baby homes. 300+ babies discarded in a septic tank.

And similarly in Canada as we are finding the unmarked graves of children at the former sites of the Residential "School" system.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_Indian_residential_sc...

O'Connor was right.

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