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Green Suede Shoes
by Larry Kirwan
A fascinating memoir by the leader of Black 47.
Larry Kirwan is the leader of Black 47, a band that achieved a level of fame in the 1990s with audiences who took to the fusion of rock and Irish music. Kirwan’s impressionistic memoir ‘Green Suede Shoes’ weaves together scenes of his early years growing up in Wexford, Ireland and his years in America, to which he moved as soon as he could. The book veers from rollicking hilarity, to grim descriptions of Lower East Side drug culture, to vivid glimpses of the music world-- with dollops of Irish politics and history thrown in for good measure.
I don’t fully comprehend string theory, but I’m beginning to believe that Larry Kirwan and I lived for a time in parallel universes. I had a timid toe in the New York Irish music scene in the 1970s and 80s, where Kirwan landed like a cannonball at the other end of that pool. We probably we played on the same nights in different Bronx bars. As portrayed in this book, Kiwan’s life in those years was footloose and adventurous.
Personalities ranging from writer Frank McCourt to Cyndi Lauper populate Kirwan’s story. Malachy McCourt, who also has a cameo role here, has said that he never lets the truth get in the way of a good story, and one occasionally feels that Kirwan has taken McCourt’s words to heart. With the amount of alcohol and various controlled substances the author seems to have ingested, one wonders how he remembers much at all. But while Kirwan was living the somewhat unreal existence playing in various bands, his life seems relatively sane compared to those of some of his compatriots, a number of whom come to sorry ends. There are echoes here of ‘Angela’s Ashes,’ ‘Midnight Cowboy,’ Frank O’Connor’s ‘My Father’s Son,’ and perhaps a bit of James Joyce’s ‘Dubliners.’
What trumps all other subjects in this book is Kirwan’s professional life—as a band member, songwriter, playwright, and novelist. Although Kirwan says that success in the rowdy world of rock music is part luck, ‘Green Suede Shoes’ shows him to be determined and dedicated to whichever project with which he was currently engaged. At least twice Kirwan’s groups seemed poised as the edge of superstardom, only to have record companies pull the rug out from under their feet. Despite disappointments and some personnel changes, however, Black 47 has persisted and still tour regularly, playing their particular brand of music. Kirwan notes that his desire for privacy was among the reasons Black 47 did not rise to the pinnacle of commercial success. This may also explain why, though he marries and has children, his wife and kids play a relatively small part in the story. The author’s love for his adopted city comes through in his moving accounts of the September 11 attack on the World Trade Center and the efforts of New Yorkers to recover from this tragedy.
Larry Kirwan knows how to write, and there’s nary a dull page here. Fans of Black 47 will devour the details of the group’s ups and downs, but anyone interested in life in New York or the complex reality of the music world will also enjoy this fascinating tale.
Title: Green Suede Shoes
Author: Larry Kirwan
Publisher: Thunder Mouth Press
ISBN: 1560256443
Review written by: William Keogan
Reviewer's Rating:9
Reader's Rating: 0
Reader's Votes: 0
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