Cal (1983) by Bernard MacLaverty

On Wednesday 4 March 2020 we discussed Nick’s Northern Ireland themed selections:

Reading: Cal (1983) by Bernard MacLaverty

Nick is fascinated by Northern Ireland and has family connections there

“It’s a really odd place”

Nick is also interested in the Troubles and had heard good things about Bernard MacLaverty and judged Cal an unsentimental and powerful novel

Roland likened it to Kes in terms of its bleak portrait of a community, this time a young Catholic man who lives with his father in a Protestant area, and on the fringes of the IRA after participating in political violence. Roland also praised the erotic content. “More sex please”  he demanded

Hamish (yes Hamish, back for one night only, or maybe more?) felt Cal built nicely and liked Marcella

Keith observed that Cal’s attempts to distance himself from the IRA seemed nigh on impossible. 

Robin thought it was fan-blimmin-tastic. Cal performs the remarkable feat of describing both a doomed love affair, and the impossibility of living, with no chance of redemption. 

Nigel concluded that Cal is a short and powerful novel but its abrupt ending left him wanting more. He heartily recommended Anna Burns' Milkman which makes even more of similar material. 

Tristan described Cal as a bleak novel with a flicker of lyricism running through it. A bit like the sun shining through the shattered windows of a ruined church.

Nick 8 / Tristan 7.5 / Nigel 7 / Keith 7 / Roland 7 / Robin 9 / Hamish 8

Listening: Astral Weeks (1968) by Van Morrison

Nick finally broke through with Astral Weeks on the third listen

Sadly memories of this part of the discussion are a little hazy and so what follows may be somewhat inaccurate

Nigel loved its jazzy, folky, melancholy, stream of consciousness, oblique vibe - it’s about everything and nothing. Unique and magical. You breathe in, you breathe out, you breathe in, you breathe out…

Roland felt Astral Weeks plus Moondance are Van's masterpiece. Whilst not as accessible as Moondance, AW introduced Van's more mystic, jazzy/trippy side. 

Robin prefers Moondance

Robin prefers the Moondance-type LPs (Into The Music, Tupelo Honey, Wavelength …)

Hamish is more of an Astral Weeks type (Veedon Fleece, Common One, No Guru ...).

Some prefer AW types others the Moondancey vibe. Blessed are those who love both.

Astral Weeks is a timeless masterpiece which doesn’t seem to relate to anything which came before and not much that came later (though John Martyn and a few others took their cues from it). A weird mix of great songs and improvisation. Recorded really quickly, with top session players and all the better for that speed. It made Van’s reputation and despite a stellar career he never again recaptured the magic of this record.

Watching: Good Vibrations (2013) directed by Lisa Barros D'Sa and Glenn Leyburn

We all dug Good Vibrations. A warm hearted movie about Terri Hooley, Belfast's chaotic godfather of punk. In the 70s, Hooley defied the tribalism of the Troubles by opening a record shop in the middle of the city, quixotically called Good Vibrations. This tiny store became the indie record label that put out the Undertones' Teenage Kicks. It was also the base from which Hooley could cultivate his entrepreneurial genius. Richard Dormer is great as Hooley, and the moment when he is first converted to punk - in the middle of a pogoing crowd – is a joy. Jodie Whittaker, Karl Johnson and Ruth McCabe all offer splendid support as Terri's long-suffering wife, dad and mum.

Endorse It

Derry Girls (TV)
Parasite (Film)
Uncut Gems (Film)
Attura Morph panier rucksack (Bag)
Brompton bike bag (Bag)
Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland by Patrick Radden Keefe (Book)
London Calling (Exhibition about The Clash)
Murder 24/7 (Documentary)


Next time

Next time out Tristan has decreed that we will be discussing….

Theme: The Big Easy?

Reading: A Confederacy of Dunces (1980) by John Kennedy Toole*

Listening: Spotify playlist still under development
Watching: Beasts of the Southern Wild (2012) dir by Benh Zeitlin 

*A book which would never have been published if John Kennedy Toole's mother had not found a smeared carbon copy of the manuscript left in the house following Toole's 1969 suicide, at 31.