'Who's that a-writing?'

well done to Peter Murphy, Hot Press journo and author of the very fine John the Revelator, just shortlisted for the Costa First Novel Award

On the turntable...

'What was there?' i asked Peter Murphy as he wrote and thought about his fine debut novel. Here's what he said:

'My top 10 Records Used as Inspirational Laxative During the Writing of John the Revelator'

The Soul of a Man - Blind Willie Johnson
Deserter's Songs - Mercury Rev
Slow Riot For New Zero Kanada EP - Godspeed You Black Emperor
Anthology of American Folk Music - Various Artists
'Tunic (Song for Karen)' - Sonic Youth
'Lake Of Fire' - Meat Puppets
'A Thing Called Love' - Johnny Cash
Funeral - Arcade Fire
Dead Man Soundtrack - Neil Young
Passio - Arvo Part

'Who's that a-writing?'

This is a cool promo/reading from Peter Murphy (the Hot Press journo's) debut novel, John the Revelator. Already acclaimed in the early Irish reviews as a modern day masterpiece, it's officially out tomorrow. All i'm saying is that the novel is every bit as great as the song...

Peter Murphy on 'Go Easy' Ryan Adams & the Cardinals

Compassion is a tricky emotion to get across in a rock 'n' roll song. Full on pheremonal lust or cavalier Jack Nicholson couldn't-give-a-fuckery or total apocalyptic heartbreak, no problem. But any expression of empathy or caring runs the risk of sounding sappy.
Ryan Adams & the Cardinals pulled off the improbable this year with a song called 'Go Easy' off their Cardinology record. I'd never paid Mr Adams much attention before. I recall playing Gold a lifetime ago and thinking that if I wanted to hear a melange of Neil Young & Crazy Horse, the Band and the Rolling Stones, I'd play them all in quick succession. My loss.
'Go Easy' plays like a letter to an ex-lover embroiled in some awful fix which the singer can do little about. When Adams sings,"I will always love you/So go easy on yourself" he sounds at once strong and sure and terribly vulnerable – you can tell he's still cut up about this person, even though the romance has burned off. He sounds powerless to intervene, but unable to not care. 'Go Easy' leaves us feeling that little bit more human than we were before we heard it. Which is about all we can ask of a piece of music.

Peter Murphy/John the Revelator Myspace

Cardinology