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| Hard to Beat |
We know him as the man behind Good Vibrations, the Belfast label that spawned the great Undertones, who brought them to the attention of John Peel, who played Teenage Kicks, and loved the song so much that he played it a second time on air, right after the first. I've discussed the amazing confluence of events in a prior post about the Undertones DVD. Hooley was a great promoter of local bands in Belfast--he saw that the rest of the UK viewed the area as a musical backwater, and he helped a lot of bands get heard through the release of singles on his label. Bands like Rudi, Protex, The Moondogs, Victim, Xdreamysts, and The Outcasts. From his earlier days in the folk scene, the hippie years of the 60's, and through the excitement of the punk rock explosion, he displayed a great love of good music and a deep healthy hatred of the music business.
The book is filled with great descriptions of the era, loaded with anecdote after anecdote. I don't really want to elaborate on them too much--I don't want to spoil the fun. Because Hooley by all accounts is a one of a kind guy, a fun loving mischievous guy who isn't afraid to speak his mind and stand up for his convictions. As you will find out in the book, he probably is not the greatest businessman. Owning a record store was almost a front for everything else he did. He was someone who got involved in music the arts, who DJed, ran record stores, a music label, managed bands, even did pirate radio. And this was happening in what was a pretty miserable place at the time. It seemed that punk music was one of the few outlets for young people that was able to bridge the sectarian gap. At least in the clubs...the long walk home at night was apparently an entirely different story.
In addition to Hooleys anecdotal reflections, you have short chapters in the book written by some of his friends, musicians and writers who have kind and amusing things to say about Belfast's Godfather of Punk.
On the back of the book there is a great quote from Gary Lightbody of Snow Patrol. "a drunken lunatic, a lucid guru, a hilarious storyteller, a cuddly bear, and many more things besides." He even had a #1 hit on the charts with his rendition of Sonny Bono's "Laugh at Me". There are great descriptions of the club scenes of the day, like The Harp, and The Pound. The biography is loaded with pictures and promotional photos in addition to the many stories. Though I was most interested in learning about the Northern Irish Bands that recorded on Good Vibrations, I enjoyed reading about his encounters with Dylan, The Rolling Stones, John Lennon, Bob Marley, and Phil Lynott of Thin Lizzy. My only wish would have been that it included a disc full of songs Good Vibrations catalog. But hey, I guess you can't have everything. Hopefully this vibrant punk scene will eventually be more accessible to the public some day soon.
But believe me, if you love music you will love this book. Hooley is a real charmer---somehow I feel like I'm reading this and being schmoozed by him, and he is accomplishing this from an ocean away. His story is definitely worth documenting though, and this year they are filming a biopic about this life entitled Good Vibrations, the Terri Hooley story.
A story that will make you laugh and cry--and think. As a fellow music lover your heart will beat a little faster with each and every page turn. His enthusiasm and zest for life is contagious. More people could use such infection!
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