My intros to these pieces generally involve me roasting the artist slowly over a gentle heat. There’s always something I can tease apart about them for a cheap laugh (What, you thought this was a high-brow view into someone’s inner psyche?). But Irish Mythen has stymied me with one short sentence – on her Twitter profile she states (amidst the guff about music and story telling), ‘Collects books and music’. Sorry everyone, but there is no way on earth that I can criticise a fellow book collector. So here then are the firsts of the utterly perfect Irish Mythen…
FIRST RECORD YOU EVER BOUGHT
Brothers in Arms Dire Straits
FIRST PERSON WHO MADE YOU WANT TO BE A MUSICIAN
Chrissy Hines
FIRST GIG YOU EVER SAW
Tracy Chapman and The Hothouse Flowers, okayed The RDS and I still have the ticket stub
FIRST PERSON YOU FELL IN LOVE WITH
Bruce Lee
FIRST THING YOU THINK ABOUT IN THE MORNING
Yoga and I have to pee
FIRST PERSON YOU’D INVITE TO A PARTY
Mavis Staples
FIRST THING YOU’LL BUY WHEN YOU MAKE YOUR FIRST MILLION
More guitars and another house
FIRST THING YOU’LL ABOLISH WHEN YOU RULE THE WORLD
Men having rights over a woman’s body, like piss off already 🙄
FIRST ALBUM YOU’D SAVE IF YOUR HOUSE WENT UP IN FLAMES
Dire Straits Brothers in Arms
FIRST PERSON YOU’D SEND ON A ONE-WAY TICKET TO THE HEART OF THE SUN
….I live in Canada so our neighbour across the border
FIRST THING YOU EVER PERFORMED IN PUBLIC
The good ship lollipop – I was 4 it was my auntys wedding
FIRST SONG YOU’D HAVE PLAYED AT YOUR FUNERAL
You are not alone – and then haunt everyone I know
FIRST INSTRUMENT YOU EVER OWNED
A Yamaha F16 my Mam bought it for me when I was a kid. Best gift any one has ever given me
FIRST PERSON YOU’D RAISE FROM THE DEAD
Well me if I’ve just had my funeral song played, but other than that Anthony Bourdain
FIRST PLACE YOU’D VISIT IN A TIME MACHINE
1960’s Ireland and hang with my parents because they were, and remain, the hippest people I know
FIRST TRACK ON YOUR APPLE MUSIC OR SPOTIFY MOST PLAYED LIST
William Prince, Breathless
FIRST TRACK ON YOUR IMAGINARY ALBUM OF YOUR OWN GREATEST HITS
When I took over the world that time
FIRST PERSON YOU’D ASK TO JOIN YOUR ALL-STAR BAND
Mavis Staples
FIRST THING YOU’D LIKE TO CHANGE ABOUT YOURSELF
My temper
FIRST ARTIST YOU’D BOOK TO APPEAR AT YOUR OWN UNLIMITED BUDGET FESTIVAL
Mavis Staples