Testing Glen Hansard’s Music Knowledge

Alright, before we start the music, introduce yourself. Hi, I'm Glenn Hansard, a singer from Ireland. Alright, I'm going to play some songs, and you just have to tell me who the artist is. Oh, okay. It's not about getting the song right, it's about telling me a story. Okay, find a story in the song. That's it, well, I'm Irish, right? Well, here you go! ♪ Standing on the water, can't hear me on breath ♪ Ah, Joker man, I'm here for the house. I'll be there. Now, this tune, Slime Robbie, I'm basing guitar, my Androms, something about this, I was 15 years old, my girlfriend's Big Brother gave me a cassette. I was in a kind of a tough spot, and like, sorry, I'm sure we talked about this. I was kind of in a funny spot, I was getting into trouble, I was, you know, beginning to steal car. I just, I was in that spot, you know? My girlfriend's Big Brother gives me a cassette. Bob Dylan, more Bob Dylan's greatest hits. I put it on, I went into my bedroom for two years, I learned how to play that guitar. I set sail for this man, and you couldn't have given me a better opening song, thank you. So, tell me about that song in particular. Oh man, and that record. It's just, it's mystical. Sometimes in rock and roll, you get this thing that happens where it's the marriage of the bass, the drums, the vocal, the guitars, whatever they're doing, and then it sets up this kind of space. Van is good at it. It's irrepeable. You know, have you ever seen the footage of him doing it on Letterman, but like a young van? Yeah. I bet that's the only time it ever happened. I recorded it in the same studio that this was recorded in, and I stole a patch lead from the control desk and put it in my pocket because maybe it's something that's a little magic. A little Bob magic here. Right. Okay, now you're one for one. Oh, you got me. Sam Cook. Close. Wilson? No. Come on, as a member of the commitments, I should notice. Yo, it's Otis. Ah. Sorry man. All in that same universe. We got that. I have a connection with this whole genre because I was in a film called The Commitments in 1991, and we were covering all of this story. How old were you? Well, I was 19 when we made the movie, and I was like 21 when we went into The Commitments. It was an amazing period. But my only real experience with this music before that was my mom's record collection, and then The Quadrofiniah Soundtrack, as I had a scooter, and I'd have my scooter up on the kitchen table listening to The Quadrofiniah Soundtrack, and night train by James Brown -That was my kind of entry into this universe when the film offered, because I showed up. I'd been up smoking weed at my best mate all night, and he was going for the role in this film The Commitments. I just went along with him. We'd been up listening to Music all night, and I fit the bill. I'd red hair, and I played the guitar, and the guy was like, there's a character called Outspan Foster, he's red hair, he's from the Northside, he pays guitar. I'm all those things. I read a couple of lines, and I got the part, and it threw me deep into this music. It threw me deep into all of this. One of the fascinating things was we came out here on a press run, and Wilson Pickett almost shows up in the movie, but never does in the band's third up. So when we were out here, Wilson Pickett came and played with us every night, and we had this incredible time. So I boom, they didn't catch that. That's a bummer. I know that you are my young, damn payment blues, HGC. When I was a kid, my best friend in school, I was like eight years old, he came to me at two pins in his hand, and he was cool, he was a cool kid in school, my mate, but he was much cooler than I was. Yeah, two pins, one was sex pistols, never mind the bollocks, and the other was a picture of a guy with a guitar going through his stomach, and a singer singing around his thing. And that was the ACDC badge. And I picked the ACDC badge because it looked more kind of wild and violent. I put the badge on. What kind of jacket are we talking about? Little denim jacket. And then went and figured out who this band were, and I just thought it was a cool guy. That was a great badge. That's so interesting. Had I picked the other badge, I might have a different career. Who knows? At least a different haircut. Exactly, exactly. Exactly. My confirmation name is Angus. Confirmation is the thing you do in Ireland when you turn a certain age, pick your own name. It's a religious right. I did it too. Oh, you did it, okay. So I took Angus, and when we went up to the bishop at the morning of my confirmation, the bishop was like, "Hello, what name did you choose?" And I said, "Angus." You know, really enthusiastic, and the bishop was like, "Okay, Angus, there was the same tag you saw." Right? Then I'm not sure there was the same tag. It's a good, just an interesting choice. And my mother said, "Without missing a bee, it's the fella on the cover I'll highway to hell with the horns." He's really into this band, and the bishop was like, "Oh, okay." Next, next, next. You're supposed to be on the highway to heaven, at that point. I loved it, man. I drew that man. I just obsessed with him, my whole look. Okay, let's keep going. Yeah, Eddie Vedder. I know this record inside out. We've toured so much together. I know all the songs, but I just-- I, uh-- What can I tell you about Eddie Vedder? I was in a really, really, really shitty spot. Someone had killed themselves on my stage. A young man commits suicide. He was trying to make a point to his girlfriend. His girlfriend liked my band. He hated my band. He killed himself. In front of 4,000 people. Couldn't be more horrible. This situation. Eddie was young kids in the crowd. It was one of these open air, all ages situations. Guys dead, next to me. But it was just the most traumatic. And we were like, should we cancel the tour? Should we go home? Like, if we didn't know what to do? We were just like, you know, this kid was dead. Like, feel terrible because his family would watch it. Watch this or whatever. I want to pay respect to him. His name was Michael Pickles. He was a confused young man. He has my respect, but it was a very sad-- Yeah, of course. --very, very sad event. And I got a phone call the next day. It was like, hello, you don't know me. This is Eddie Vetter from Pearl Jam. I just want to reach out and say that I feel you. And can you talk? And I was like, wow, man, that is so kind. We spoke for an hour on the phone. He said, do you mind if I call you tomorrow? I hung up. I just said to the lads in the band. I just spoke to Eddie Vetter for an hour. And he's going to call me tomorrow. Call me the next day. We spoke for an hour. For five days, he called me every day. At the end of the five days, he said, look, this is my number. If you're ever in Seattle, I'd love to hang out with you. I'm really-- I'm sorry for what happened. I feel you. I went to Seattle a few months later with the frames, and we were playing a show at the showbox. And I was like, do I call him? Am I not-- should I call him? You know, am I pushing my look? He was very nice to me. He told me to. So I sent him a text and said, look, I'm in town. My band tomorrow night. And if you're-- he says, it's perfect. Perfect timing. I'm in the studio. Come over to the studio. Here's the address. Come around 2 o'clock. I'll see you tomorrow. So I went to over and I met him. And he gave me a big hold. We made a cup of tea. We sat down. He said, I want you to sing a song with me. And I want you to put everything into it. And I want you to think about that boy. I want you to think about him. I want you to put this away. And I'm going to think about the kids from "Ruskilder." And we're going to sing this song together. And we're going to put it in that song. Can we do that together? And I was like, fuck. I was in bits. We sang the song. The song was recorded. It's on the record. It's on the ukulele. It's sleepless nights. It's an all-everly brother's tune. Through the sleepless nights, I cry for you. The song record went out. And then he calls me a few months later and says, I really loved hanging with you. Do you want to come on tour? And that was it. That was the beginning of a now 15 year, very, very close friendship with this beautiful man. He's your therapist. My friend. It's amazing. Which is even better. Yeah, it's free. But just to do that, it just shows you something. That's the well of human kindness and human decency. He is all heart. I call him the heart, man. And he's a strong man. And he doesn't even suffer fools. He's not like that. Yeah. He just understands when it's important. [MUSIC PLAYING] Same old blues. Captain B. Vart. Tell me about this guy. Well, I mean, this record. This is Moonbeams and Blue Jeans. This is kind of one of his, like, probably slightly less respected records. 1974. A great year for albums on the beach. Captain B. Vart. I always found it hard to get into him. And I tried. Couldn't get in. This is more accessible. One day I was in France with some mates. And we were having a few beers. They put on this record. And I just went, what? I knew it was him because his voice is unmistakable. And of course, I'm a Tom Weitz fan. And I would always have seen the correlation. Or they're seeing the line. But, you know, same old blues. Actually written by JJ Kale. I've never heard JJ Kale's version. But this version is just. This is the shit. It's as good as it gets. Oh, what else we got on here? [MUSIC PLAYING] Oh, man. Curtis. Curtis. The makings of you. Yeah. [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] A great big expression of happiness. This record, Curtis. It's like Miss Black America. Those songs. What a beautiful man. Kind, good, deep, caring, amazing songwriter. Yeah. Curtis Mayfield. Adoram. I got a few more. [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] Of course, I love this band, and the more you get to know this band, the more you love them. Sonically, it's an endless meander into beauty and strangeness. But when Jim O'Rourke joined the band, which is around this period, New York City Ghosts and Flowers, this record, it's almost like the production on this is comparable with something like, wish you were here. Because Sonic Youth have always been a car crash. And I love this band on flights. Why on flights? Like, if there's turbulence, I love this band. Because they're more turbulent than the turbulence. So it can kind of just-- it's something about the chaos of it. I love chaotic music. It calms me. Not chaotic about this. This music's incredible. It actually heartened me to know that when they toured, they tend to toured the album. They just made. Because how could they remember the other records? And how can you even do it over and over again? It seems almost right. It's like jazz. Yeah. He's just the greatest drummer in the world. The person and what he does, Kim. I mean, what they do, what they do is a band. It's just absolute-- oh. It's like, you know, and it's so easy to just be like, ah, whatever, a kind of noisy punk. But no, no, no, this is deep part. I heard this song the other day. You know that we-- You take away Is a sneaky one You got me man. What is it? It's the rolling stones say it's Keith's key. Oh my god This is rough bar. This is from Buddha lounge It's you said Tom weights and I was like that's a Tom weights. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah So you're just gonna love energy to it. Yeah, it has a Joker man kind of energy to it and the sound like I knew whoever it was That it's crazy, right? Yeah, yeah, it's so unique It's just like man crazy like some of those ones you hear like what is it something? Yeah, well, it's got that waiting for a call from you. I mean that's like classic rolling stones lyric. Yeah, so good I'll check that out. Thanks for coming. Thank you. So great to meet you great to me. Thanks for having me on [BLANK_AUDIO]