Thank you for sharing, RSA. I didn’t know that about the national anthem. I wonder if she did that for all her shows. She was such a bold artist, I wouldn’t put it past her.
Shooting the messenger was and is nothing new. The idea that biting the hand society is using to pull you up with is a classic dramatic theme. Think about Brando refusing his Oscar to protest the depiction of Native Americans by Hollywood. There are countless examples of being ahead of your time -but society says time’s up for you. I was never a huge fan of Sinead, although I did have her first album- “The Lion and the Cobra” -which I recently Iearned comes from a Bible verse.
I was raised Catholic, went to Catholic school and had no real problem with my treatment by them -except I do recall our Irish Nun eighth grade teacher being pretty cold, not very engaging, and a bit boring. That being said, I still have much love for Irish musicians like Shane MacGowan and Van Morrison. I have dear Irish friends.
To separate Catholicism from Ireland is pretty difficult. To look the other way when abuse has happened would have been wrong. She used her platform but really to blame the Pope is like blaming the President- they are figureheads and of course they matter- but it’s who and what they are representing that must be challenged. Can you say Vietnam was all Nixon’s fault? Johnson’s fault? No, they were doing the will of powerful people behind them- the Masters of War, as it were. The latest Pope did his best to be a better leader, but it’s still the Catholic Church- who persecuted Copernicus and burned many women accused of Witchcraft. It has a complex history and it has an entrenched following. Like my mom, who prays mass every day still with a televised mass. It’s the largest religious concern going. To attack the figurehead was brave but really it wasn’t going to be anything other than career suicide. Poor Sinead took it on but in this case the Goliath triumphed over Joan of Arc. If she thought it would win her respect- it is only begrudgingly in the hindsight of history because shooting the messenger has always been sadly-more satisfying than listening to them.
Thank you for your thoughtful answer, Owen. I think you’re right about most people preferring to shoot the messenger. Though it’s interesting to imagine how different the world might be if more of us ‘pulled a Sinéad’ and less of us stayed complacent. Then again, people tend to have more immediate concerns. And not everyone can summon up the wherewithal to fight.
Great change of pace. You have great scope in your posts. I was aware when that happened although I must confess that Sinead has never been on my playlist. The song I always identified her with was the Prince song. Other than that I’m not sure I could identify another. The incident that I identify more with her was the incident with Prince. From Phoenix I moved to the Minneapolis area and interacted superficially at times with people who were involved with him.
Thanks, Daniel! I try to mix it up now and then. I treat the newsletter like it’s an actual jukebox, meaning I don’t want all the ‘songs’ to ‘sound the same’.
I don’t know much of Sinéad’s work either. The Prince song you’re referring to, of course, is her massive hit Nothing Compares 2 U.
I’m a huge fan of Prince, by the way. So if you’ve got stories, I’ve got time. 😊
I think the problem with protest moments like this one, and like Prince writing "slave" on his face when he was feuding with WB, is that at that point in time, it was really difficult to know the full context of why they were doing these things. Without the proper context, Sinead testing up that picture of the pope on TV was interesting but didn't make a whole lot of sense unless you knew about her abuse and trouble with the church.
Conversely, now it's easy to get the full story on moments like these, but with such a tidal wave of information coming at everyone on the daily, they don't make much of an impact beyond the artist's core audience, assuming artists are even doing this at all beyond performative moments that are relatively inoffensive to anyone.
Thank you for taking the time to read and comment, AJ.
Regarding the incident, nobody knew at the time why she did what she did. But she explained herself soon after and it made zero difference. People either didn’t believe her or didn’t want to believe her.
So far as today goes, I’m not sure what it would take to generate a similar impact on society. Audiences are so fragmented these days, given the tidal wave of information you mention, that it would have to be something extraordinary to cut through all the noise.
It didn't help that at the point in time she did it, criticizing Christianity was still pretty edgy territory.
Chappelle Roan made some waves when she refused to endorse Kamala Harris. Her reasoning was really good too, I had to give her a lot of credit. It's a shame there aren't more artists with well thought out positions like her who are willing to speak up.
I remember how shocking that was when it happened, and feeling confused because I didn’t understand why she had torn up the picture of the pope. I’ve always enjoyed her music, I still have a 45 of “Mandinka.”
Sonny, that was an excellent article, very well presented and very well written. I appreciate your writing, and that you cover a wide variety of music.💕
I was watching the show with a bunch of friends and we stared at each other like WTF happened. Of course everybody was talking about it the following day.
Thank you so much for your kindness, Sheila. I don’t know what I’m doing half the time and your encouragement goes farther than you might expect. 💕
Kris Kristofferson was the only person with the stones to support Sinead after this incident. I always liked Kristofferson, but I admired him all the more for that. I remain outraged that others, everyone it seems, kept mum. I attribute this to attitudes towards women at that time. If a man had torn up the photo, it would have offended some, but it would have been seen as "rock and roll". I love Sinead's music. She was a monumental talent who struggled through a difficult life wrought with mental illness. This incident may have derailed her career but I am so grateful for the treasures she gave us. I think that she shaved her head must have caused consternation to many also. Sinead was genuinely a trailblazer and I applaud her courage. Her song, Black Boys on Mopeds, wow. She was courageous and a brilliant artist. I am sorry for the turmoil in her life, which must have been difficult for her children but she was a product of child abuse meted out by institutional violence in the Catholic Church and her mentally ill mother. My father was sent away to Catholic boarding schools as a child and he was intractably damaged, as was his brother. HORRIBLE institution. I maintain Sinead would have had allies if she were a dude. I do think being a woman and one with an unconventional appearance heightened the outrage. Thanks Sonny, for another trip down memory lane. Coincidentally, a few months ago, my partner was revisiting Sinead's music, doing deep dives into her canon, which renewed his respect for O'Connor as an activist and a kick ass musician.
While I didn’t care for her music, I agree that she was a trailblazer and loved her rebellious spirit. I also agree that she wouldn’t have been treated anywhere near as horribly had she been a man. The inequality is real.
I can only imagine the ordeal your poor father and uncle went through. Those boarding schools caused such unfathomable pain.
Thank you very much, Steve!
Thank you for sharing, RSA. I didn’t know that about the national anthem. I wonder if she did that for all her shows. She was such a bold artist, I wouldn’t put it past her.
Shooting the messenger was and is nothing new. The idea that biting the hand society is using to pull you up with is a classic dramatic theme. Think about Brando refusing his Oscar to protest the depiction of Native Americans by Hollywood. There are countless examples of being ahead of your time -but society says time’s up for you. I was never a huge fan of Sinead, although I did have her first album- “The Lion and the Cobra” -which I recently Iearned comes from a Bible verse.
I was raised Catholic, went to Catholic school and had no real problem with my treatment by them -except I do recall our Irish Nun eighth grade teacher being pretty cold, not very engaging, and a bit boring. That being said, I still have much love for Irish musicians like Shane MacGowan and Van Morrison. I have dear Irish friends.
To separate Catholicism from Ireland is pretty difficult. To look the other way when abuse has happened would have been wrong. She used her platform but really to blame the Pope is like blaming the President- they are figureheads and of course they matter- but it’s who and what they are representing that must be challenged. Can you say Vietnam was all Nixon’s fault? Johnson’s fault? No, they were doing the will of powerful people behind them- the Masters of War, as it were. The latest Pope did his best to be a better leader, but it’s still the Catholic Church- who persecuted Copernicus and burned many women accused of Witchcraft. It has a complex history and it has an entrenched following. Like my mom, who prays mass every day still with a televised mass. It’s the largest religious concern going. To attack the figurehead was brave but really it wasn’t going to be anything other than career suicide. Poor Sinead took it on but in this case the Goliath triumphed over Joan of Arc. If she thought it would win her respect- it is only begrudgingly in the hindsight of history because shooting the messenger has always been sadly-more satisfying than listening to them.
Thank you for your thoughtful answer, Owen. I think you’re right about most people preferring to shoot the messenger. Though it’s interesting to imagine how different the world might be if more of us ‘pulled a Sinéad’ and less of us stayed complacent. Then again, people tend to have more immediate concerns. And not everyone can summon up the wherewithal to fight.
Great change of pace. You have great scope in your posts. I was aware when that happened although I must confess that Sinead has never been on my playlist. The song I always identified her with was the Prince song. Other than that I’m not sure I could identify another. The incident that I identify more with her was the incident with Prince. From Phoenix I moved to the Minneapolis area and interacted superficially at times with people who were involved with him.
Thanks, Daniel! I try to mix it up now and then. I treat the newsletter like it’s an actual jukebox, meaning I don’t want all the ‘songs’ to ‘sound the same’.
I don’t know much of Sinéad’s work either. The Prince song you’re referring to, of course, is her massive hit Nothing Compares 2 U.
I’m a huge fan of Prince, by the way. So if you’ve got stories, I’ve got time. 😊
I think the problem with protest moments like this one, and like Prince writing "slave" on his face when he was feuding with WB, is that at that point in time, it was really difficult to know the full context of why they were doing these things. Without the proper context, Sinead testing up that picture of the pope on TV was interesting but didn't make a whole lot of sense unless you knew about her abuse and trouble with the church.
Conversely, now it's easy to get the full story on moments like these, but with such a tidal wave of information coming at everyone on the daily, they don't make much of an impact beyond the artist's core audience, assuming artists are even doing this at all beyond performative moments that are relatively inoffensive to anyone.
Thank you for taking the time to read and comment, AJ.
Regarding the incident, nobody knew at the time why she did what she did. But she explained herself soon after and it made zero difference. People either didn’t believe her or didn’t want to believe her.
So far as today goes, I’m not sure what it would take to generate a similar impact on society. Audiences are so fragmented these days, given the tidal wave of information you mention, that it would have to be something extraordinary to cut through all the noise.
It didn't help that at the point in time she did it, criticizing Christianity was still pretty edgy territory.
Chappelle Roan made some waves when she refused to endorse Kamala Harris. Her reasoning was really good too, I had to give her a lot of credit. It's a shame there aren't more artists with well thought out positions like her who are willing to speak up.
great post - and I have way more appreciation and respect for Sinead now than ever before. Have you heard here song "Drink before the War?"
I included it in this post playlist
https://open.substack.com/pub/riclexel/p/war-peace-kabuki-fallacy?r=bcx26&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false
Thanks, Ric. I do too. Yes, I've heard that song before. Will be sure to listen to the playlist ASAP.
it's an amazing song and the lyrics are so powerful - esp now it seems
I remember how shocking that was when it happened, and feeling confused because I didn’t understand why she had torn up the picture of the pope. I’ve always enjoyed her music, I still have a 45 of “Mandinka.”
Sonny, that was an excellent article, very well presented and very well written. I appreciate your writing, and that you cover a wide variety of music.💕
I was watching the show with a bunch of friends and we stared at each other like WTF happened. Of course everybody was talking about it the following day.
Thank you so much for your kindness, Sheila. I don’t know what I’m doing half the time and your encouragement goes farther than you might expect. 💕
My family were big Sinead fans and we stood by her. I always thought she got a rotten deal.
Kris Kristofferson was the only person with the stones to support Sinead after this incident. I always liked Kristofferson, but I admired him all the more for that. I remain outraged that others, everyone it seems, kept mum. I attribute this to attitudes towards women at that time. If a man had torn up the photo, it would have offended some, but it would have been seen as "rock and roll". I love Sinead's music. She was a monumental talent who struggled through a difficult life wrought with mental illness. This incident may have derailed her career but I am so grateful for the treasures she gave us. I think that she shaved her head must have caused consternation to many also. Sinead was genuinely a trailblazer and I applaud her courage. Her song, Black Boys on Mopeds, wow. She was courageous and a brilliant artist. I am sorry for the turmoil in her life, which must have been difficult for her children but she was a product of child abuse meted out by institutional violence in the Catholic Church and her mentally ill mother. My father was sent away to Catholic boarding schools as a child and he was intractably damaged, as was his brother. HORRIBLE institution. I maintain Sinead would have had allies if she were a dude. I do think being a woman and one with an unconventional appearance heightened the outrage. Thanks Sonny, for another trip down memory lane. Coincidentally, a few months ago, my partner was revisiting Sinead's music, doing deep dives into her canon, which renewed his respect for O'Connor as an activist and a kick ass musician.
While I didn’t care for her music, I agree that she was a trailblazer and loved her rebellious spirit. I also agree that she wouldn’t have been treated anywhere near as horribly had she been a man. The inequality is real.
I can only imagine the ordeal your poor father and uncle went through. Those boarding schools caused such unfathomable pain.