Many people took the time to assist me in other ways: setting up interviews, passing on contact information or forwarding material of interest. Their goodwill is much appreciated. Thank you to Mark Addis, Duff Battye, Nick Clark, Ted Cummings, John Foyle, Martin Foyle, Barry Keevins, Aisling McKone, Andrea O’Hara, Ken Sweeney, Ace Trump and Phillippa Watson.
To everyone who provided personal effects and memorabilia, in particular Ted Carroll and Brian Tuite, sincere thanks. I am indebted to Chalkie Davies and Roy Esmonde for being so generous with their wonderful photographic archives.
I am grateful to Simona Vezzoli for her expert assistance on the subject of migration from British Guiana; to Emory University, Atlanta, GA, and to Morningside Library, Edinburgh; to Lola Smith-Welsh for transcribing a number of interviews so diligently; to Howard Watson for his assiduous copy-editing and making many improving suggestions; and to Nick Hasted for access to his Geldof tapes.
Many thanks to my editor at Constable, Andreas Campomar, to Claire Chesser and Linda Silverman – and to my agent, Matthew Hamilton, at Aitken Alexander. I’m particularly grateful for the input of Caroline Taraskevics and her family, who offered the support of the Lynott Estate without imposing any caveats or conditions.
Finally, heartfelt thanks to my family, particularly to my mother, who went to see Thin Lizzy at Inverness Ice Rink in 1981 and reported back to her curious young son with infectious enthusiasm; and above all to my wife Jen and our three children for their love, patience, advice and support.
Notes
All quotations are from interviews conducted by the author unless credited otherwise in the text or noted here. A handful of interviews – including those with Philomena Lynott and Brian Downey – were conducted originally for a feature which appeared in the February 2011 issue of Uncut. The vast majority were conducted in 2014 and 2015.
Introduction
1 Roddy Doyle, The Commitments (London, 1987).
Chapter 1
1 Philomena Lynott with Jackie Hayden, My Boy: The Philip Lynott Story (Dublin 2011).
2 Lynott with Hayden, My Boy.
Chapter 2
1 Peter Silverton, ‘Thin Lizzy: Joints’, Sounds (16 December 1978).
2 The Rocker: A Portrait of Phil Lynott, directed by Shay Healy (1996).
3 Niall Stokes, Philip Lynott: Still in Love with You (Dublin, 2014).
4 Chris Salewicz, ‘Thin Lizzy: A Peep into the Soul of Phil Lynott’, New Musical Express (10 September 1977).
5 Ibid.
6 Salewicz, ‘Thin Lizzy: A Peep into the Soul’.
7 Hot Press (1 April 1983).
Chapter 3
1 Ibid.
2 Harry Doherty, ‘Thin Lizzy: Lizzy Break ‘Em Up’, Melody Maker (3 April 1976).
3 Interview, Dave Fanning Show, RTÉ Radio 2 (April 1980).
4 The Rocker.
5 Salewicz, ‘Thin Lizzy: A Peep into the Soul’.
6 Stokes, Philip Lynott.
7 Ibid.
8 Mark Putterford, Phil Lynott: The Rocker (London, 1994).
9 Harry Doherty, ‘Thin Lizzy: The Thin Man’, Melody Maker (24 April 1976).
Chapter 4
1 Jon Young, Trouser Press (July 1978).
2 Keith Altham, ‘Thin Lizzy: And Now a Drop of the Real Hard Stuff’, New Musical Express (10 March 1973).
3 Interview, Dave Fanning Show.
4 Salewicz, ‘Thin Lizzy: A Peep into the Soul’.
5 Woman’s Way (December 1969).
Chapter 5
1 Jan Etherington, Titbits (22-8 January 1976).
2 Chris Salewicz, ‘Thin Lizzy: Who Needs Springsteen When You’ve Got Johnny Cool?’, Creem (November 1976).
3 Pete Makowski, ‘Thin Lizzy: Buzy Lizzy’, Sounds (27 March 1976).
4 Tony Visconti, Bowie, Bolan and the Brooklyn Boy (London, 2007).
5 Harry Doherty, ‘Thin Lizzy: The Irish Question’, Melody Maker (20 December 1975).
6 Makowski, ‘Thin Lizzy: Buzy Lizzy’.
7 Ibid.
8 Interview, Dave Fanning Show.
Chapter 6
1 Harry Doherty, ‘Deutschland Liebt Lizzy’, Melody Maker (16 June 1979).
2 Stokes, Philip Lynott.
3 Harry Doherty and Scott Gorham, Thin Lizzy: The Boys Are Back in Town (London, 2012).
4 Ibid.
5 The Rocker.
Chapter 7
1 Ibid.
2 Doherty, ‘Thin Lizzy: The Thin Man’.
3 Ibid.
4 Stokes, Philip Lynott.
5 Salewicz, ‘Thin Lizzy: A Peep into the Soul’.
6 Interview, Dave Fanning Show, RTÉ Radio 2, April 1980.
7 Makowski, ‘Thin Lizzy: Buzy Lizzy’.
Chapter 8
1 Hot Press (1 April 1983).
2 Stokes, Philip Lynott.
3 Makowski, ‘Thin Lizzy: Buzy Lizzy’.
4 Etherington, Titbits.
Chapter 9
1 Makowski, ‘Thin Lizzy: Buzy Lizzy’.
2 Interview, Dave Fanning Show.
3 Altham, ‘Thin Lizzy’.
4 Hot Press (1 April 1983).
5 Interview, Dave Fanning Show.
6 Makowski, ‘Thin Lizzy: Buzy Lizzy’.
7 Stokes, Philip Lynott.
8 Irish Times (26 April 1973).
9 Young, Trouser Press.
10 Interview, Dave Fanning Show.
Chapter 10
1 Doherty, ‘Thin Lizzy: The Irish Question’.
2 Interview, Dave Fanning Show.
3 Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times (February 1977).
4 Salewicz, ‘Thin Lizzy: A Peep into the Soul’.
5 Hot Press (4 May 1984).
6 Salewicz, ‘Thin Lizzy: Who Needs Springsteen’.
7 Pete Makowski, ‘Thin Lizzy Rule at Reading OK?’, Sounds (27 August 1977).
8 Salewicz, ‘Thin Lizzy: A Peep into the Soul’.
9 Doherty, ‘Thin Lizzy: The Irish Question’.
10 Interview, Dave Fanning Show.
11 Stokes, Philip Lynott.
12 Ibid.
13 Putterford, Phil Lynott.
14 Doherty, ‘Thin Lizzy: The Thin Man’.
15 Interview, Dave Fanning Show.
Chapter 11
1 Hot Press (4 May 1984).
2 Garry Bushell, ‘Thin Lizzy: The Liz’, Sounds (14 April 1979).
3 Salewicz, ‘Thin Lizzy: A Peep into the Soul’.
4 Hot Press (1 April 1983).
5 Doherty, ‘Deutschland Liebt Lizzy’, Melody Maker (16 June 1979).
6 Doherty, ‘Thin Lizzy: The Thin Man’.
7 Interview, Dave Fanning Show.
8 Salewicz, ‘Thin Lizzy: A Peep into the Soul’.
9 Harry Doherty, Melody Maker (17 July 1976).
Chapter 12
1 Etherington, Titbits.
2 Doherty, ‘Thin Lizzy: Lizzy Break ‘Em Up’.
3 Makowski, ‘Thin Lizzy Rule’.
4 Snowden, Los Angeles Times.
5 Susan Whitall, Creem (January 1977).
6 Charles Shaar Murray, ‘Thin Lizzy: Gobi Gobi Hey!’, New Musical Express (17 December 1977).
7 Makowski, ‘Thin Lizzy Rule’.
8 Murray, ‘Thin Lizzy’.
9 Makowski, ‘Thin Lizzy Rule’.
10 Salewicz, ‘Thin Lizzy: A Peep into the Soul’.
11 Interview, Dave Fanning Show, RTÉ Radio 2, April 1980.
12 Putterford, Phil Lynott.
13 Doherty, ‘Thin Lizzy: Lizzy Break ‘Em Up’.
Chapter 13
1 Hot Press (4 October 1979).
2 U2 with Neil McCormick, U2 by U2 (London, 2005).
3 Salewicz, ‘Thin Lizzy: Who Needs Springsteen’.
Chapter 14
1 Doherty, ‘Deutschland Liebt Lizzy’.
2 Bushell, ‘Thin Lizzy: The Liz’.
3 Paul Du Noyer, New Musical Express (5 July 1980).
4 Hot Press (1 April 1983).
5 Interview, Dave Fanning S
how.
6 Hot Press (25 April 1980).
7 Du Noyer, New Musical Express.
8 Hot Press (4 May 1984).
9 Du Noyer, New Musical Express.
10 New Musical Express (7 April 1979).
11 Interview, Dave Fanning Show.
12 Hot Press (4 May 1984).
Chapter 15
1 Garry Bushell, ‘Thin Lizzy: Lizzy’s Last Stand?’ Sounds (12 March 1983).
2 Hot Press (1 April 1983).
3 Bushell, ‘Thin Lizzy: Lizzy’s Last Stand?’.
4 U2 with McCormick, U2 by U2.
Chapter 16
1 Monsters of Rock Show, Sky (May 1985).
2 Hot Press (4 May 1984).
3 Good Morning Britain (13 October 1984).
4 Ibid.
5 Kerrang! (June 1984).
6 http://www.trcjt.ca/ap960/lizzy2/HLNalive.html.
7 Music Box TV (11 June 1985).
8 Stokes, Philip Lynott.
9 Music Box TV (11 June 1985).
Epilogue
1 Hot Press (4 May 1984).
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