Anthony John Clarke Getting Our Irish Up By Richard Cuccaro During preparations for the 2010 Huntington Folk Festival, Acoustic Live was sending invitations to all performers in its email showcase folder. We hadn’t filled all of our slots for the unplugged afternoon showcases at our booth and were accepting suggestions for newcomers. We got an email from Sibyl Moser of the Huntington Folk Society highly recommending someone who we thought was British, Anthony John Clarke. We said “Sure,” always seeking new voices, new talent. The day of the festival arrived and our showcases got under way. Somewhere halfway through, an older balding gent resembling a Shakespearean actor began his set and got our riveting attention. He was engaging, funny, charming and brilliant — everything he was touted to be. We’d just been introduced to the Irishman transplanted to British soil, Anthony John Clarke. After our showcases ended, we had a brief chat and found that he intended to visit the States in the fall of 2011. I decided, then and there, I’d be writing a feature article about him in support. When August 2011 rolled around, diverted by a year’s worth of other featured performers, I’d forgotten exactly what I’d seen last summer. However, I knew I’d earmarked September 2011 for Anthony and I knew it was for a very good reason. A few clicks later I was looking at one of the many YouTube videos of Anthony and it all came back to me. The first one I watched was a rendition of “Tuesday Night Is Always Karaoke,” perhaps his most requested song. Anthony’s introductions open the window to his personality. Anthony said, “This is for my friend John Griffin. He came to a gig one night and said ‘Why didn’t you play it?’ I said, ‘I played it last night.’ He said, ‘Play it every night.’” Anthony also said there wouldn’t be any accordion accompaniment for this number, so “It’s open season” [to add in anything else, I guess]. As the song begins, the lyrics portray a folksinger looking for a gig on a rainy night in a town full of tourists: The wind blew so cold on the west coast of Ireland / Rita would not go into the water / Picture the scene: mothers, fathers, ice creams, huddled round their little sons and daughters / Well the rain it cut right though me / It started pouring down / I found myself a hotel bar on the harbour side of town / I said I’d play for nothing since the tourist was in town / But Tuesday night is always karaoke … Anthony stepped away from the mic at the title line, turned his head slightly, saying “What night was it?” encouraging audience response, and they didn’t disappoint. They never do. A resounding “Tuesday night is always Karaoke!” burst forth.The Brits love their sing-alongs and they love their Anthony John Clarke. Over and over, as often as they can get him — the folk clubs, the festivals and over the years, the pubs. The song winds its way through a kaleidoscope of odd characters (A wee Sligo Suzanne Vega sang “Marlene” … A Welshman murdered “Vincent” and “American Pie”), including a nun, whose habit is less than pure: … Sister Mary Joseph, she’s still the biggest drunk of all / Those singing nuns just love their Karaoke. Then, with an assist from an inspired co-written add-on, things really spin out of control … She lifted up her skirt, she grabbed the nearest priest, she began to flirt …She got on stage to strut her “Londonderry Air”… There’s nothing like a little irreverence to reach the heart of a folk audience. Like any good spinner of contemporary tales, Anthony can move his audience with more serious material. Another video, for “The Broken Years,” found him standing in front of a banner on which “Folk Club” could be read on the right side. The left side was out of the camera frame, so we don’t know what town or organization it belonged to. The audience readily joined in on the chorus and seemed to know the words well. No doubt, Anthony had been in front of them many times before or they had listened to his albums over and over. In characteristic fashion, the sing-along again appeared to come naturally. We might envision the same thing happening over and over again in the many pubs throughout England. The song depicts a grave situation during “The Troubles,” as the IRA fought the British in Northern Ireland, Anthony’s childhood home. It focuses on the divided state of mind between Catholics and Protestants and a wish for a coming together, a communion of souls. I want to eat at the same table / Break the same bread / March down the same streets / Hear the same bands / Sing the same songs / Say the same prayers / Together we can mend the Broken Years. Even though his childhood was marred by the rending apart of the population, he managed to inject some humor into his repartee. Over rolling fingerstyle guitar, he sarcastically recounted the remarks of North Ireland’s iron-willed leader, Ian Paisley about “sharing power with representatives of the south over ‘his dead body.’” Paisley, of course, would eventually capitulate and north and south Ireland would achieve a truce. Beginnings Anthony was born in Northern Ireland in 1956. He grew up in Belfast and was in school there from the start of the struggle between Northern and Southern Ireland. Most of what follows is directly quoted from Anthony via an email Q & A. When I asked how “The Troubles” affected him, he replied, “I was affected mostly by living in a society without any sense of real community or togetherness and I hated that. I made the decision to leave Ireland in 1974 when there was a nationwide strike and no one trusted anybody. I felt very uncomfortable and had had enough of the rhetoric and politics and sectarianism from all those around me.” To the question of early musical influences, he answered, “My earliest feel for music came from the radio which was always on and the old record player which was always used in the house. I remember Ray Charles, Jim Reeves and some classical stuff, old 78s like Phil Harris’ ‘Woodman Spare That Tree’ and fun stuff like that. “The fact that my schoolteachers all seemed to really love music and teaching us songs in school had an impact. I still hear songs sung in folk clubs in the UK that I learned in school in the 1960s like, ‘Leaving of Liverpool,’ ‘The Gyspy Rover,’ ‘Whiskey In The Jar,’ ‘Spinning Wheel’ and ‘She Moved Through the Fair.’ From time to time I perform them. The radio was where I discovered not only the billboard charts and the Hit Parade. It was the mid-sixties and I devoured it all: Kinks, Small Faces, Beatles, Stones, Beach Boys, Mamas and Papas and Dylan. I loved British pop and American pop The Monkees were massive too and Creedence Clearwater as well.” However, one form of folk music found its way to him via radio. “I also was able to listen to the early Mike Raven Blues shows [an offshore, ship-based pirate radio show]. This music was brand new to me but really interesting and a whole new range of characters were introduced to me.” Anthony’s family also played a role. “My mother’s brothers all seemed to play instruments, such as accordion and fiddle, and it seemed magical to me. I wanted a guitar when I heard Barry Maguire singing ‘Eve of Destruction’ and I loved the seriousness of the lyrics without fully understanding what it was about. So the protest element in that song and others by traditional singing groups like the Dubliners and the Clancys was highly influential to me and very important. I still listen to all these songs and performers and have been lucky enough to meet some of them in my own life.” A Late Bloomer There were obstacles, both financial and emotional, to overcome for Anthony in the process of becoming a performing songwriter. “The yearning to actually write songs and perform them arrived early but sadly not the confidence or ability to do so, even though I had played guitar and piano from the age of 13. I loved the guitar and hated the structure of the piano lessons but glad I stuck at it. Guitar playing for me was the joy. I watched what people did and sneaked off to practice, practice, practice. I am OK now but not brilliant. Better than many, worse than loads. I was nearly 30 years of age before I felt that I was good enough to perform for a fee. I had watched a lot of local acts in Belfast (and then Liverpool where I moved to) who I thought were not properly cooked [fully developed] and attempting to go too early into the paid shows. “I also had four sons, so I had to earn a living for them which I did as a teacher. [Anthony graduated from Oxford Brooks College and taught English for a living.] My musical career early on was turning up at folk clubs and asking for a two- or three-song [open mic-type] slot. That was [the extent of] it. I still see performers (usually with lots of confidence) going out too early with an uncooked show. I suppose that’s a mixture of impatience and ambition and clearly a sign of the times.” The Career Blossoms Once Anthony gained the respect of others in the folk arena and the support of music business professionals, he was able to quit teaching and sing for a living. “The decision to turn professional was just a development from being semi-professional. As a teacher, it was possible for me to perform some evenings and still work in school during the day, but if one wants to expand and travel to shows, then it becomes too hard to do both. “The break came for me when I had interest initially in three of my songs, ‘The Only Life Gloria Knows,’ a tale of a homeless girl in Belfast; ‘The Broken Years,’ a comment on the Northern Ireland Troubles; and ‘Tuesday Night Is Always Karaoke,’ a comedy song about the Karaoke phenomenon that stormed the UK in the ’90s. That seemed to change the scene’s response to me. I had a very diligent agent at this time who sent my material with handwritten letters to all the radio shows and it grew from there. My song ‘The Broken Years’ became a favourite on BBC Northern Ireland and I got invites to do things and a few TV shows. I got lots of gigs. I then started to believe that the craft was working for me and I still play those songs at most if not all of my shows. Ironically, it was other people believing in my work that made me believe in it more.” Tales From the Road “I have performed in thousands of places. I used to travel all the time to Europe and busk. I played support tours and shows with names like the Dubliners, Fairport Convention and so on and learned the business over many years. Lots of odd things happened. Lots of nice things, too. “Oddest night was having to sleep in a barn with a load of Alsatian dogs because the accommodation was messed up. “In Norway one time I was touring and had CDs and coffee mugs and T-shirts to sell. A man bought twenty T-shirts and no CD. I asked him why and he said he owned a factory and employed twenty women who gutted and cleaned out salmon and he liked to get them all the same thing as a gift. “I also had a death threat from a listener on a radio station who disagreed with the content of a song I wrote entitled ‘Irish Eyes.’ When I contacted the authorities they told me not to worry as he was always threatening people about eveything. I felt sort of deflated in a funny way. “I also remember being in Copenhagen playing at the Buskers festival and a beautiful woman came up to me after my show and whispered in an unusual accent that she would die for me. She asked everyone in the foyer to move and did 4 somersaults. I was shocked and deflated. I had misheard and she had actually said she would DIVE for me. Funny old world we live in.” Recorded Output There are six albums still in publication listed for sale on Anthony’s website. I got Songs for Anton from him when he played the Huntington Folk Festival and downloaded Sing A Chorus With Me from eMusic (the only one they had at the time). The latter contains all the audience favorites and was a great help in writing this article. Also enormously helpful was a copy of Anthony’s songbook, An Acquaintance, containing 50 songs, loaned to me by Sibyl Moser. Another six albums are out of print, but Anthony states on the website that he will provide copies upon request for a reduced price. Not a bad career output for a late-blooming English teacher. The Video Songbook One of the most rewarding ways to get acquainted with Anthony is to stream the instructional videos titled “Anthony John Clarke Songbook” on YouTube. Sitting in what appears to be a room at home, with plants in the background, he affably expounds on the motivation behind his songs and demonstrates guitar chords and fingerings for anyone who wants to learn the songs. The videos shift from a sepia-toned grayscale to full color during the instructional part, suggesting added updates. Giving Props “I am so grateful to all the clubs and organizers in the UK who booked and still do book me for shows every year. I just love this way of living my life. Any chance to travel abroad is the icing on the cake and my shows in Manhattan and Maryland this September on the way to my New Zealand tour are a joy for me. “I also have great people supporting me, great family, great friends, great technical support and expertise, great musicians and such inspirational and wise people around me. I trust them and they trust me.” From his website: “I remain an apprentice for life. It’s compulsory and there is no escape. In 1984 I stopped playing for a couple of months. I was fed up and getting nowhere. I left the guitar in the case and worked, played poker, tried squash and read the paper worrying about Thatcherism. But there was no escape. I was at a friend’s house one evening and he put on Jackson Browne’s album The Pretender. I listened transfixed without speaking a word. He followed that with Russians and Americans, the Al Stewart masterpiece, and we finished the evening off with John Martyn’s Solid Air, which to this day is still the greatest living collection of songs. “The prodigal son had returned. How dare I think that I could stay away from such beauty. So whether it’s a passing fancy or a lifetime’s work, one thing is for sure. Once you let a song under your skin it’s harder to remove than a tattoo.” We’re fortunate that Anthony John Clarke’s brief tour in the U.S. includes a stop at Music Over Manhattan on Sept. 25, the only show in our region (see listings). It’s an intimate house concert and I plan on being one of the lucky few to see him again. Late Addendum: Unfortunately the show mentioned above has been cancelled due to a change in Anthony’s USA tour schedule. Website: anthonyjohnclarke.com

Getting Our Irish Up

By Richard Cuccaro

During preparations for the 2010 Huntington Folk Festival, Acoustic Live was sending invitations to all performers in its email showcase folder. We hadn’t filled all of our slots for the unplugged afternoon showcases at our booth and were accepting suggestions for newcomers. We got an email from Sibyl Moser of the Huntington Folk Society highly recommending someone who we thought was British, Anthony John Clarke. We said “Sure,” always seeking new voices, new talent.

The day of the festival arrived and our showcases got under way. Somewhere halfway through, an older balding gent resembling a Shakespearean actor began his set and got our riveting attention. He was engaging, funny, charming and brilliant — everything he was touted to be. We’d just been introduced to the Irishman transplanted to British soil, Anthony John Clarke. After our showcases ended, we had a brief chat and found that he intended to visit the States in the fall of 2011. I decided, then and there, I’d be writing a feature article about him in support.

When August 2011 rolled around, diverted by a year’s worth of other featured performers, I’d forgotten exactly what I’d seen last summer. However, I knew I’d earmarked September 2011 for Anthony and I knew it was for a very good reason. A few clicks later I was looking at one of the many YouTube videos of Anthony and it all came back to me.

The first one I watched was a rendition of “Tuesday Night Is Always Karaoke,” perhaps his most requested song. Anthony’s introductions open the window to his personality. Anthony said, “This is for my friend John Griffin. He came to a gig one night and said ‘Why didn’t you play it?’ I said, ‘I played it last night.’ He said, ‘Play it every night.’” Anthony also said there wouldn’t be any accordion accompaniment for this number, so “It’s open season” [to add in anything else, I guess]. As the song begins, the lyrics portray a folksinger looking for a gig on a rainy night in a town full of tourists: The wind blew so cold on the west coast of Ireland / Rita would not go into the water / Picture the scene: mothers, fathers, ice creams, huddled round their little sons and daughters / Well the rain it cut right though me / It started pouring down / I found myself a hotel bar on the harbour side of town / I said I’d play for nothing since the tourist was in town / But Tuesday night is always karaoke …

Anthony stepped away from the mic at the title line, turned his head slightly, saying “What night was it?” encouraging audience response, and they didn’t disappoint. They never do. A resounding “Tuesday night is always Karaoke!” burst forth.The Brits love their sing-alongs and they love their Anthony John Clarke. Over and over, as often as they can get him — the folk clubs, the festivals and over the years, the pubs. The song winds its way through a kaleidoscope of odd characters (A wee Sligo Suzanne Vega sang “Marlene” … A Welshman murdered “Vincent” and “American Pie”), including a nun, whose habit is less than pure: … Sister Mary Joseph, she’s still the biggest drunk of all / Those singing nuns just love their Karaoke. Then, with an assist from an inspired co-written add-on, things really spin out of control … She lifted up her skirt, she grabbed the nearest priest, she began to flirt …She got on stage to strut her “Londonderry Air”… There’s nothing like a little irreverence to reach the heart of a folk audience.

Like any good spinner of contemporary tales, Anthony can move his audience with more serious material. Another video, for “The Broken Years,” found him standing in front of a banner on which “Folk Club” could be read on the right side. The left side was out of the camera frame, so we don’t know what town or organization it belonged to. The audience readily joined in on the chorus and seemed to know the words well. No doubt, Anthony had been in front of them many times before or they had listened to his albums over and over. In characteristic fashion, the sing-along again appeared to come naturally. We might envision the same thing happening over and over again in the many pubs throughout England.

The song depicts a grave situation during “The Troubles,” as the IRA fought the British in Northern Ireland, Anthony’s childhood home. It focuses on the divided state of mind between Catholics and Protestants and a wish for a coming together, a communion of souls.

I want to eat at the same table / Break the same bread / March down the same streets / Hear the same bands / Sing the same songs / Say the same prayers / Together we can mend the Broken Years.

Even though his childhood was marred by the rending apart of the population, he managed to inject some humor into his repartee. Over rolling fingerstyle guitar, he sarcastically recounted the remarks of North Ireland’s iron-willed leader, Ian Paisley about “sharing power with representatives of the south over ‘his dead body.’” Paisley, of course, would eventually capitulate and north and south Ireland would achieve a truce.

Beginnings

Anthony was born in Northern Ireland in 1956. He grew up in Belfast and was in school there from the start of the struggle between Northern and Southern Ireland. Most of what follows is directly quoted from Anthony via an email

Q & A.

When I asked how “The Troubles” affected him, he replied, “I was affected mostly by living in a society without any sense of real community or togetherness and I hated that. I made the decision to leave Ireland in 1974 when there was a nationwide strike and no one trusted anybody. I felt very uncomfortable and had had enough of the rhetoric and politics and sectarianism from all those around me.”

To the question of early musical influences, he answered, “My earliest feel for music came from the radio which was always on and the old record player which was always used in the house. I remember Ray Charles, Jim Reeves and some classical stuff, old 78s like Phil Harris’ ‘Woodman Spare That Tree’ and fun stuff like that.

“The fact that my schoolteachers all seemed to really love music and teaching us songs in school had an impact. I still hear songs sung in folk clubs in the UK that I learned in school in the 1960s like, ‘Leaving of Liverpool,’ ‘The Gyspy Rover,’ ‘Whiskey In The Jar,’ ‘Spinning Wheel’ and ‘She Moved Through the Fair.’ From time to time I perform them. The radio was where I discovered not only the billboard charts and the Hit Parade. It was the mid-sixties and I devoured it all: Kinks, Small Faces, Beatles, Stones, Beach Boys, Mamas and Papas and Dylan. I loved British pop and American pop The Monkees were massive too and Creedence Clearwater as well.”

However, one form of folk music found its way to him via radio. “I also was able to listen to the early Mike Raven Blues shows [an offshore, ship-based pirate radio show]. This music was brand new to me but really interesting and a whole new range of characters were introduced to me.”

Anthony’s family also played a role. “My mother’s brothers all seemed to play instruments, such as accordion and fiddle, and it seemed magical to me. I wanted a guitar when I heard Barry Maguire singing ‘Eve of Destruction’ and I loved the seriousness of the lyrics without fully understanding what it was about. So the protest element in that song and others by traditional singing groups like the Dubliners and the Clancys was highly influential to me and very important. I still listen to all these songs and performers and have been lucky enough to meet some of them in my own life.”

A Late Bloomer

There were obstacles, both financial and emotional, to overcome for Anthony in the process of becoming a performing songwriter.

“The yearning to actually write songs and perform them arrived early but sadly not the confidence or ability to do so, even though I had played guitar and piano from the age of 13. I loved the guitar and hated the structure of the piano lessons but glad I stuck at it. Guitar playing for me was the joy. I watched what people did and sneaked off to practice, practice, practice. I am OK now but not brilliant. Better than many, worse than loads. I was nearly 30 years of age before I felt that I was good enough to perform for a fee. I had watched a lot of local acts in Belfast (and then Liverpool where I moved to) who I thought were not properly cooked [fully developed] and attempting to go too early into the paid shows.

“I also had four sons, so I had to earn a living for them which I did as a teacher. [Anthony graduated from Oxford Brooks College and taught English for a living.] My musical career early on was turning up at folk clubs and asking for a two- or three-song [open mic-type] slot. That was [the extent of] it. I still see performers (usually with lots of confidence) going out too early with an uncooked show. I suppose that’s a mixture of impatience and ambition and clearly a sign of the times.”

The Career Blossoms

Once Anthony gained the respect of others in the folk arena and the support of music business professionals, he was able to quit teaching and sing for a living.

“The decision to turn professional was just a development from being semi-professional. As a teacher, it was possible for me to perform some evenings and still work in school during the day, but if one wants to expand and travel to shows, then it becomes too hard to do both.

“The break came for me when I had interest initially in three of my songs, ‘The Only Life Gloria Knows,’ a tale of a homeless girl in Belfast; ‘The Broken Years,’ a comment on the Northern Ireland Troubles; and ‘Tuesday Night Is Always Karaoke,’ a comedy song about the Karaoke phenomenon that stormed the UK in the ’90s. That seemed to change the scene’s response to me. I had a very diligent agent at this time who sent my material with handwritten letters to all the radio shows and it grew from there. My song ‘The Broken Years’ became a favourite on BBC Northern Ireland and I got invites to do things and a few TV shows. I got lots of gigs. I then started to believe that the craft was working for me and I still play those songs at most if not all of my shows. Ironically, it was other people believing in my work that made me believe in it more.”

Tales From the Road

“I have performed in thousands of places. I used to travel all the time to Europe and busk. I played support tours and shows with names like the Dubliners, Fairport Convention and so on and learned the business over many years. Lots of odd things happened. Lots of nice things, too.

“Oddest night was having to sleep in a barn with a load of Alsatian dogs because the accommodation was messed up.

“In Norway one time I was touring and had CDs and coffee mugs and T-shirts to sell. A man bought twenty T-shirts and no CD. I asked him why and he said he owned a factory and employed twenty women who gutted and cleaned out salmon and he liked to get them all the same thing as a gift.

“I also had a death threat from a listener on a radio station who disagreed with the content of a song I wrote entitled ‘Irish Eyes.’ When I contacted the authorities they told me not to worry as he was always threatening people about eveything. I felt sort of deflated in a funny way.

“I also remember being in Copenhagen playing at the Buskers festival and a beautiful woman came up to me after my show and whispered in an unusual accent that she would die for me. She asked everyone in the foyer to move and did 4 somersaults. I was shocked and deflated. I had misheard and she had actually said she would DIVE for me. Funny old world we live in.”

Recorded Output

There are six albums still in publication listed for sale on Anthony’s website. I got Songs for Anton from him when he played the Huntington Folk Festival and downloaded Sing A Chorus With Me from eMusic (the only one they had at the time). The latter contains all the audience favorites and was a great help in writing this article. Also enormously helpful was a copy of Anthony’s songbook, An Acquaintance, containing 50 songs, loaned to me by Sibyl Moser. Another six albums are out of print, but Anthony states on the website that he will provide copies upon request for a reduced price. Not a bad career output for a late-blooming English teacher.

The Video Songbook

One of the most rewarding ways to get acquainted with Anthony is to stream the instructional videos titled “Anthony John Clarke Songbook” on YouTube. Sitting in what appears to be a room at home, with plants in the background, he affably expounds on the motivation behind his songs and demonstrates guitar chords and fingerings for anyone who wants to learn the songs. The videos shift from a sepia-toned grayscale to full color during the instructional part, suggesting added updates.

Giving Props

“I am so grateful to all the clubs and organizers in the UK who booked and still do book me for shows every year. I just love this way of living my life. Any chance to travel abroad is the icing on the cake and my shows in Manhattan and Maryland this September on the way to my New Zealand tour are a joy for me. “I also have great people supporting me, great family, great friends, great technical support and expertise, great musicians and such inspirational and wise people around me. I trust them and they trust me.”

From his website: “I remain an apprentice for life. It’s compulsory and there is no escape. In 1984 I stopped playing for a couple of months. I was fed up and getting nowhere. I left the guitar in the case and worked, played poker, tried squash and read the paper worrying about Thatcherism. But there was no escape. I was at a friend’s house one evening and he put on Jackson Browne’s album The Pretender. I listened transfixed without speaking a word. He followed that with Russians and Americans, the Al Stewart masterpiece, and we finished the evening off with John Martyn’s Solid Air, which to this day is still the greatest living collection of songs.

“The prodigal son had returned. How dare I think that I could stay away from such beauty. So whether it’s a passing fancy or a lifetime’s work, one thing is for sure. Once you let a song under your skin it’s harder to remove than a tattoo.”

We’re fortunate that Anthony John Clarke’s brief tour in the U.S. includes a stop at Music Over Manhattan on Sept. 25, the only show in our region (see listings). It’s an intimate house concert and I plan on being one of the lucky few to see him again.

Late Addendum: Unfortunately the show mentioned above has been cancelled due to a change in Anthony’s USA tour schedule.

Website: anthonyjohnclarke.com