28 July, 2023

R.I.P. Sinéad O'Connor

Sinéad O'Connor died a couple days ago and I felt badly when I heard the news. While not a fan of her music, she was of my generation. She was older than me, but not that much older. "Nothing Compares 2 U" hit the charts when I was in my late teens. Her music may not have been my cup of tea, but I watched her career unfold, to one degree or another, in real time. From "Nothing Compares 2 U" to ripping up that photography of the Pope on Saturday Night Live to duetting with Peter Gabriel. Then she dropped off my music radar only to reappear occasionally when she changed religion or said something weird that made for good copy.

Of the tributes to her, Morrissey commented:

"There is a certain music industry hatred for singers who don’t 'fit in' (this I know only too well)," he wrote, "and they are never praised until death – when, finally, they can’t answer back. The cruel playpen of fame gushes with praise for Sinead today … with the usual moronic labels of 'icon' and 'legend'. You praise her now ONLY because it is too late. You hadn’t the guts to support her when she was alive and she was looking for you."

I don't know if O'Connor ever played in Madison or Milwaukee but there are recordings out there of various Chicago gigs. Here's one from 11 April 1988 at the Cabaret Metro. I'm really diggin' "The Value Of Ignorance".

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