Exactly, because most of those who sing them are both lacking in the background knowledge and social awareness to make an informed decision on the reason they sing these songs. Certain people, like yourself, are singing them for entirely legitimate reasons and I'm sure most rational Celtic fans see that. My problem is, and always has been, with the ****wit who sings these songs because they don't know any better. Keep the songs about Celtic, because ultimately that's who we're there to watch. I don't know of any Scottish team called IRA Football Club
well I'll wait to see what these lads have to say about their reasons before I comment any further. As for IRA FC, don't you know that we are the sporting arm of the IRA?
as long as there is enough material to pull the shirt just over the nose whilst simultaneously allowing the wearer to imitate holding a sub machine gun, I am happy
Dev if you took your son on his 21st birthday I have to hand it to you you are older than me. But you mst have been at it very early, a child dad, are you sure you haven't got your son's 21st as wrong as the rest of the post. I never took the bovril at Celtic Park. It was and is a taste I cannot acquire, I sampled it years after I started going in the mid 60's but nae I don't like it.
Superhoops - You might be on to something here! Think about it. If Dev was "at it very early" say, even at, 15, he'd have been about 36 in 1967. What age does that make him now.....36 + 44 =.......Octogenarian! (and I hope that's not an offensive word!!) No wonder he's so grumpy about some of the songs being sung at the Celtic games!!!! Come on Dev - spill the beans!!! LOL!!!
I'm revisiting this after a year and a half in the wilderness. I was out on saturday and there were a bunch of lads from Glasgow at a gig by a balladeer who sings songs of rebellion. He's a Glasgow singer and is in my mind amongst the very best at this style type of song. For the last number of years he had kind of strayed away from the real rabble rousing tunes. I don't think he had a choice on saturday. The crowd wanted them and that is the way it had to be. These Glasgow guys had come to Derry for the Bloody Sunday commemoration so were not ignorant of the situation. It was a pay to get in thing, so they knew what they were there for. But they had been drinking since Glasgow. For the first time I thought that maybe those guys had gotten it a little bit askew. These singers have generally moved on in terms of the songs and styles they are singing. Maybe it is me getting a bit older, maybe my tastes are changing or maybe those singers have a better handle on the zeitgeist. i don't know. I wont say I was uncomfortable with it because I was still singing along but I was very conscious that this is not the type of thing to which i have become accustomed. I am aware that has nothing to do with Celtic but I can see how the same guys in a different week may be acting in the same fashion in a Celtic jersey. it was a real 90's throwback of an evening and I have noticed that the songs the support sing have changed even since we last discussed this. Revisiting it showed me how much protest songs and singers have changed and as a result there will have been organic changes within our support. Yes there will always be the numbskulls and the folk who know what they are talking about but are too pissed to be more eloquent about it but I think we are moving the right way.....in spite of what I just said. The other side of it is that I was chatting to the band that were on earlier before things got messy. They changed a lyric to a song. I asked them why and they gave the explanation and said that every time they play it people ask that question adding "It is pointless singing it if we aren't educating people too" I guess that is still the point of it all. there is an interview with Gary Og here who is able to articulate the position better than I http://www.spreaker.com/user/tunesfortims/interview_with_gary_og I think it is worth a listen. At the start of the night I asked him to sing a ballad. At the end of the night I told him I understood why he didn't. Has anyone else seen a change or are we still at an impasse?
I just read through all of this thread, Rebel – excellent, really, when you think about it – and then listened to that radio interview you linked to at the end. Not bad, he says grudgingly, and the guy's certainly pretty articulate (once he warms up) and well able to get his points across, you’re right. Any potential good work was undone, however, by his cover version of that Bob Marley song. Jesus help me. My prejudice against Bob Marley is total - and I eagerly renew these vows of antipathy just about every time I have one of his wretched songs forced upon me. (You’ll need to blame this aversion, amongst other things, on the fact that the people in my school who liked this sort of music very generally stank of rotting herbs and were prone to staring at the sky with inarticulate wonder ("Wow - I mean, just wow") and insisted on calling me – no, everyone - “brother”. It very nearly forced me to put down my algebra book, loosen my tie somewhat, remove my cap to a place of safekeeping and then biff-bash them quite fiercely in the ****s.) This happily indefensible prejudice also extends towards anything that may loosely be described as “reggae”. I can’t shake it. (Slight sidenote: one of the most atrocious sights in all fields of human endeavour is that of a white man sporting dreadlocks. I’m anti guns right up until this point.) Did this thread (above) unfold before we had our own gloriously prolonged – and as yet unfinished – discussion on Celtic songs, by the way? I think it would have helped me as a reference point. (Or maybe I've read it before and simply forgot? Onset of senility.) Anyway, it’s probably one of the best threads I’ve seen in this place, all things considered. I was sort of hoping someone might attempt to answer this for you......
I think this one came before ours. I just remember Venom making that point and I couldn't remember if it was on this thread or t'orher one. I accept it too. It is hard to argue against it. I do see these folk as fertile minds though. They aren't always going to be pissed and their arseholery might only be a temporary state. I'm not a massive fan of Marley. An old flatmate moved to Australia and left his CD collection behind and told us to take what we wanted and give the rest to charity. At that time every man and his dog was buying the best of Bob Marley. This guy had all the other stuff, so I took that.... I think now it was an attempt to appear cool. There is a reason thr best of Bob Marley did better than the rest.... The rest aint that good. I did like 'the best of' and I do like Gary Og's version... But that may be because I am predisposed to liking his stuff anyway. I would also like to know what others think. I do percieve there to be a shift. I just wanted to know the blanket "no" camp see similarly.
Thanks, Rebel. That's got to be the hope..... Super lol and painful recognition smileys [insert as necessary]. I used to occasionally try to act cool, as well; offbeat, refusing to follow the herd, a magnetic loner with worldly concerns etc â which is v. hard to do when you're into Bach, cricket and chess and fully respect your motherâs instruction to be home by 9pm, latest - but I gave up. The manky Bob Marley boys may very well have enjoyed the company of girls who would have sex at the drop of a crusty hat and I may very well have had to endure talking about Jane Austen and the romantic poetry of Shelley for weeks on end before getting my hands anywhere near a bra, true, but I never let this fact utterly enrage me or lead to furious bouts of revenge-based masturbation. You must petition the blanket NO camp and demand answers. We deserve to know.
I have worn them down Psycho. They have grown weary of me.... Can't blame them tbh. That is the "blanket no brigade".... Not the girls. They love my impressions of UK apache and General Levy. Incredible. Even if I do say so myself. Girls are icky psycho. You were as well off. They hardly know about football at all and have too small a pair of hands to carry 3 pints of lager at one time.
I just read the first 3 pages and can only wonder why my grammar is so atrocious - in 2011. Does anyone ever look back at older versions of themselves and think 'hah, old me was a ****** and newer more recent me is almost certainly much improved'..?
Old me used to use appraised instead of apprised every time he used it.... I wish someone had apprised foolish me earlier.
I just re-found this thread again while meandering. I think New Me is going a very definite pale shade of green - I'm not sure I'd even call myself an Irish Republican any more, and I'm not sure I'd still make the same arguments I did at the start of this thread <MidLifeCrisis>. I think several years of living away from home had me remembering the more romantic notions of nationalism, but after spending the last 3 years commuting to Belfast every week and dealing with 'us' and 'them' the absurdity of the entire situation has really started to grate on me. For the most part I just can not be annoyed bickering with other humans over tribal differences any more, in relative peacetime it is all so banal.
