Reading to Reels: The Commitments

Back in 1991, charming Irish film was released. It was called The Commitments. Based on the 1987 novel of the same name by Roddy Doyle, The Commitments was about a band trying to make it the gritty and struggling city of Dublin, Ireland.

Meet Jimmy Rabbitte (Robert Arkins). Jimmy is on the dole and lives with his parents on the northside of Dublin. But that doesn’t mean he’s a total slacker who lacks ambition. He wants to manage a band, an no, this band won’t follow in the footsteps of their fellow Irish citizens like U2 or Sinead O’Connor (RIP). Instead, Jimmy wants the band to follow the 1960s’ soulful musical stylings of Black American singers and musicians.

At first, Jimmy puts an ad in the local newspaper asking for aspiring singers and musicians. He holds auditions in his parents’ parlor. Unfortunately, these auditions are not fruitful. Nobody can fill Jimmy’s soulful aspirations. Jimmy then looks to his friends to make the band, which includes lead singer Deco Cuffe (Andrew Strong), keyboardist Steven Clifford (Michael Aherne), bassist Derek Scully (Kenneth McCluskey), lead guitarist Outspan Foster (Glen Hansard), sax player Dean Fay (Felim Gormley), and drummer Billy Mooney (Dick Massey). Three local girls, Bernie McGloughlin (Bronagh Gallagher), Natalie Murphy (Maria Doyle), and Imelda Quirke (Angeline Ball) are brought onboard to be back-up singers. Jimmy soon meets an older man by the name of Joey “The Lips” Fagan (Johnny Murphy). Johnny has been playing music for decades and boasts about meeting many musical legends.

It is Jay who comes up with the band’s name The Commitments. But it is a long road before hit records and sold-out shows at famous arenas through out the world. The Commitments have a lot of work to do to reach musical greatness.

First the band has to procure musical instruments. Steven’s grandmother sells them a drum kit and a piano. And Duffy procures the rest of the instruments through some rather dodgy maneuvers. The Commitments find a rehearsal place to hone their musical stylings. The Commitments get their first gig at a local church’s community center. The band claims its a benefit to combat drug addiction (heroin was a huge problem in 1980s Ireland).

The Commitments draw a sizable crowd, but the gig doesn’t quite go as well as planned. Equipment malfunctions causing a power outage. And it doesn’t exactly help matters when Deco accidentally beams Derek with his microphone stand. Oops.

Though the Commitments are tight on stage, things aren’t exactly harmonious behind the scenes. Deco becomes an out-of-control diva. After one brawl between Deco and Billy, Mickah Wallace (Dave Finnegan), who had been acting as security for the band, takes over on the drums. Billy has had enough. And then there is also a scuffle when Jimmy is confronted about paying for the instruments he procured for the band. Mickah beats up Duffy, who is then escorted out of the gig. Meanwhile, Joey manages to woo and bed Bernie, Natalie, and Imelda. No, not at the same time. It’s not that kind of movie. But how do you think Joey “The Lips” Fagan got his nickname? Wink, wink.

However, despite all the backstage chaos and romantic shenanigans, The Commitments are gaining a considerable following and more and more gigs. They are local musical heroes. Then Joey tells them some interesting news when the band gets yet another gig. Joey tells his bandmates that the Wilson Pickett will be in Dublin for a concert, and because he and Joey are tight, Wilson can join The Commitments for a performance. Jimmy is so excited, he tells some local journalists this juicy tidbit and convinces them to come to this gig. It will be major. Will Wilson show up? Things do look doubtful, and Deco and Jimmy get into a row. And this also causes quite a bit of of protest amongst the audience, but they are placated once the band plays the Wilson Pickett classic, “In the Midnight Hour.” Things don’t go very well for the band after the gig. Big fights break out and thus, it looks like The Commitments are over when they are just beginning.

In the end, The Commitments don’t reach the musical heights they had hoped for, and the film ends with a montage narrated by Jimmy of where the band members are post-The Commitments. Imelda gets married and is forbidden to sing by her husband, but Natalie becomes a successful solo singer and Bernie is in a country band. Steven is now doctor. Outspan and Derek are street buskers. Dean formed a jazz band. Joey claims on a postcard to his mother that he’s touring with Joe Tex. Too bad Joe Tex is dead. Mickah is the singer of a punk band. And as for Deco, well, he got a record deal and is still a diva and a royal pain in the arse.

Directed by Alan Parker (who also directed the original Fame movie released in 1980), The Commitments wasn’t necessarily a huge hit when it was initially released in 1991. But since then, has become a beloved cult classic. The movie spawned two soundtracks that were big hits and introduced iconic soulful songs and sounds to a new generation. And the cast is still involved in acting and/or music. Glen Hansard is probably the best known. He was in another Irish charmer, Once, and one an Oscar for the song “Falling Slowly.”

I loved The Commitments. The cast has incredible chemistry, the music is fabulous, and Parker truly captures the grittiness of Dublin back in the day. The Colm Meaney nearly steals the show as Jimmy’s Elvis-loving father. The Commitments is a delight!

Book Review: Surrender-40 Songs, One Story by Bono

Single named rock and pop stars-Sting, Cher, Madonna- are rarely willing to stay in the background. They are often larger than life. And U2 frontman, Bono, is no different, despite being only 5;6″. There are many books about U2 front man Bono. Bono in Conversation by Michka Assayas is one of my favorites. But never has there been a book about Bono written by the man himself until now-Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story. In Surrender, Bono tells his life story by using 40 different U2 songs for each chapter, songs that will be familiar to any U2 fan.

Bono was born Paul David Hewson on May 10, 1960 in Dublin, Ireland. His father, Bob, was Catholic, and his mother, Iris, was Church of Ireland Protestant. This may not sound like a big deal today, but in Ireland 60 years ago, a mixed marriage was monumental. But it may have also inspired Bono (who was raised in his mother’s faith) to build bridges among different religions, opinions, and ideas.

Sadly, tragedy visited the Hewson family when Bono was a mere 14 years old. His mother died of a stroke she suffered at the funeral of her own father. Bono mentions she was rarely spoken of again, and the Hewson household was of three very angry men who could not quite articulate and comfort themselves in Iris’s heartbreaking absence.

Bono was on a bad path when two major things occurred. He started dating his lovely wife Ali (they’ve been married for over 40 years!). And he joined a little rock group that became U2.

Bono tells of U2’s early days, long before sold out stadium concerts, platinum records, and trophy cases filled with Grammys. U2 really had to struggle to get a record deal and gigs. Bono even shows a rejection letter from one record label. Hmm, I bet that label is kicking themselves these days.

Of course, U2 have gone beyond being a hugely popular band. Whereas many rock stars are happy to top the charts, play sold out gigs, and bang a few groupies, U2, and especially Bono, wanted something more. They wanted to change the world. As many people know, Bono has been involved in activism back in the 1980s when he was involved with the Band Aid single “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” and the Live Aid mega concert on behalf of the Ethiopian people. For Bono, activism is a megaphone. He knows being a celebrity can bring attention to important causes. And Bono has been very involved with issues facing the African continent for a very long time, issues like the AIDS crisis, debt relief, and fair trade. Yes, Bono has some naysayers, but I believe he’s truly a very committed person. Bono doesn’t need to “Shut up, and sing.”

And yes, like with any celebrity, Bono is quite the name dropper in Surrender. He’s met a lot of famous folks over the years-Johnny Cash, Frank Sinatra, Nelson Mandela. He talks about the band befriending supermodels like Helena Christensen, Christy Turlington, and Naomi Campbell (the latter being engaged to bassist Adam Clayton for a short time). But it was heartbreaking to learn about the tragic loss of one of his best mates, Michael Hutchence.

Let’s not forget; there is the personal side of Bono. Bono writes so highly of his lovely wife, Ali. And he’s a devoted father to his three children, Jordan, Eve, Elijah, and John. All of Bono and Ali’s children have turned out top notch, but Bono admits he always wasn’t a very present father between his work with U2 and his activism. But no matter what the Hewson family remains a team.

Throughout Surrender, Bono talks so lovingly of his U2 brothers, relaying stories that are both inspiring and some are that quite sad. U2 have faced their challenges, but remain strong. The way Bono writes about Larry, Adam, and the Edge is quiet heartfelt showing them as the humans they are.

Surrender is not a slim volume. It’s nearly 600 pages long. But this is Bono we’re talking about; he’s quite wordy and loquacious. And he has so much material to cover in his 60 plus years. However, I never felt bogged down while reading Surrender. I kept flipping from page to page wondering what Bono was going to say next.

I have to admit, being a U2 fan for decades, Bono’s life story is very familiar to me. But reading Bono’s life story in his own words is something else.