tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20885622.post3090637089651078962..comments2023-04-28T09:34:02.241+00:00Comments on Jones Is Dying: Rory Gallagher - Sinner BoyChris Joneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02108337196370083674noreply@blogger.comBlogger19125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20885622.post-74541530154602768102020-05-27T08:28:43.521+00:002020-05-27T08:28:43.521+00:00The last part ...Rory was single minded , he was...The last part ...Rory was single minded , he was with his brother, who sorted him out after the concerts , for down time .. Rory was not a cheap-man he treated women with respect and so did Donal .. an old fashioned ' respect' that is rare to experience at the best of times, if ever these days .. In a time of excess and temptation , Rory stood next to a young innocent lady by choice says everything about him , that he rejected the trash culture laid on a plate for him as he toured the world , however , he had no allies much in the end as he took to self-medication to cope .. that is what I 'regret' ,we could have been his friend , but , his fame and my sister's fear got in the way when it should have not.. Lets face it the back drop of the time was IRA in the UK , and pop stars using girls . So her concerns were valid in some respects , but Rory and Donal broke the mold they were totally none threatening in reality . <br /><br />So I feel compelled to share a glimpse of lovely quiet and gentle man Rory Gallagher I met . To show he was really a decent gentle and kind man , during all the fame stuff swirling around him .. indeed, passionate about his craft, the top of his game , still the best guitarist in the world to this day , no one is better , all these gifts he had no ego and did not play the corporate music industry game (and he would never have betrayed his mates for a quick buck! . If Rory had 'sold out' to THE Big Corporate Music Industry they would indeed have made him a huge star , but he did not want that, he did not want to divert from the path of being an authentic artist , one with integrity , he wanted to remain free of the burden and the trappings of vacuous fame.<br /> He could have been a pinup boy too .. I mean, can you imagine that ? but he stood his ground , because his music was worth more than that , so he shunned fame to live a life he could , keeping his principles , and now he has produced timeless music that is relevant today as it was then .<br />Rory is a Guitar Legend that should never be forgotten , a normal man too, with vulnerabilities just like any other man when with women for the first time. Rory Gallagher was first and foremost a total gentleman and a wonderful human . in my company anyway, he was. <br /> I do feel sad I did not get to know him more because so much was unsaid , even though a lot was communicated between us through body-language and silences too , we could have had a lot more to say ……given the chance .<br />Thank for writing such a great article .. You captured something special . Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08501382467812292567noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20885622.post-306216090371557492020-05-27T08:26:43.944+00:002020-05-27T08:26:43.944+00:00continued: Wish I could turn the clock back and d...continued: Wish I could turn the clock back and do it all again. It is a special memory to carry through my life meeting Rory and Donal Gallagher and I have only recently thought about it in detail because of the many ;You Tube links online now , and there is so much limited information available about him personally as much of this kind of thing has been over looked or lost.<br /> <br />I am no expert , Rory up close was indeed private so I only got an impression of his personality, much has been written about his hedonistic ( no drugs ) Alcohol lads nights out , or his excessive later in life drinking alone , even questions have been raised if he was autistic , gay , anti- women? because he did not flaunt his relationships. All these comments are really cruel and unproven, so I feel really strongly about it all enough to blow my cover and tell the truth. <br /> <br />What I did witness I liked and awful lot , Rory was everything and more than can be imagined . He had like a warm center to his being , that could be defined I suppose as star dust.. He was a religious man I believe , going to mass every week too.. so he maintained a kind of personal dignity with his God. It is believed , cause I have no proof of this . However, all this video information takes me right back which has got me thinking , and recently I spoke to my sister to help jog the memories just in case I had dreamt them up, to find out it is all real!! it was a few years ago , and it all happened spontaneously and without warning we were literally swept off our feet , we could have so easily rolled with the punches that night .. Sadly , so much negative stuff is being written now about Rory , people want all the dirt on Rory, which is insulting as he was such a private person in life , especially as he is not here to defend himself this makes all this interest about him quite negative as that is what is being push forward as a narrative , when we all should be looking to find the real man he was and respect what he left behind for all to still enjoy now. <br /><br />Some young people are finding his music for the first time, who never got chance to see him perform in concert , because they were not alive before he died, which , is amazing really how he lives on , and will remain as such, forever … <br /><br />However, sadly , his friends are betraying him right now , to write trash and there is little out there to balance out the general tabloid version of Rory Gallagher and in time when we are gone , all that will remain is what has been published about him which is really sad , because he will then be lost in time … What is in print now is more than disappointing , much of it maybe even exaggerated stories been written to ride on the crest of the wave of Rory's talent, hard work and success to make a quick buck!! Very sad , as Gerry McAvoy , who I did meet that night , has written a book , I have not read , that is worth between £500/1000 new online ..these books are rare, and very much in demand . <br /><br />McAvoy signed with his other band mate the ticket I have too, they did it before Rory as they all sat in a different place. to Rory in that Entrance Hall at the University after the gig had finished that night .. but , when we got to meet Rory , don't know how long we were speaking to him? everyone had packed up and gone, we were alone in the Hall … when we turned around there was just Donal there .. which to me speaks volumes , this means Rory did not mix with his Band mates socially , after the gig was over.<br /><br /><br />Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08501382467812292567noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20885622.post-18556846222787663162020-05-27T08:08:20.464+00:002020-05-27T08:08:20.464+00:00Continued : Meeting Rory Gallagher was a privileg...Continued : Meeting Rory Gallagher was a privilege and humbling , he still had the time for people after playing like a maniac all night. Difficult one really what a dilemma, I wanted to socialize with them, for nothing more than I liked them. I felt safe in their company. We were not a risk at all from these two gentlemen . And we made a mistake leaving.. as Donal went with us to the car asking us one last time to change our minds ….as Rory looked on , I gave a final wave of regret. Which haunts me to this day , cause Rory did look disappointed to see us leave as any young man would do, witnessing unattainable girls depart, says everything about this sensitive romantic soul. I never saw them again as I got older , I never had chance to give my side of the story and apologize . <br /><br />Rory seemed younger in real life , and his eyes were soulful , thoughtful , he spoke economically he seemed to communicate with Donal telepathically they were indeed very close . I was also mesmerized by the brothers Irish accent and choice of words they used as they reverted back to Southern Irish twang in their conversations which , is rarely shown in interviews , a beautiful 'accent' from Cork, almost singing as they spoke , totally different it was, to the Yorkshire Dialect I was accustomed too. <br /><br />Rory Gallagher touring the world over 25 years as a solo act after leaving TASTE, for most nights , he must have met thousands of girls and women, one can only imagine how many were invited to spend time with them both? , all left with a very lovely impression of a beautiful man and family . Makes him special indeed and what a loss ……. I still feel bereft<br /><br />However, what struck me then and now ; the overriding memory of that night , is the brother's close bond. They took to us being sisters and them being brother's , my sister and I remember this above everything else , this was innocent stuff, which is a lovely memory for us both to keep from our time with them ....very human indeed!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08501382467812292567noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20885622.post-78477451149292655032020-05-27T08:07:55.967+00:002020-05-27T08:07:55.967+00:00Continued : I mean, all this misinformation relea...Continued : I mean, all this misinformation released after Rory's death , that he did not like women falls on it's face don't it ? everywhere it is written that he did not want a relationship , not saying that is what they wanted, it was most likely that they welcomed a bit of female company and friendship in the respect , of something to do , after the 'gig' , in one lonely city for one night , we will never know now because my older sister bottled-out , and I had no choice but to go along with her in the pre booked Taxi, that took ages to arrive ; As the two brothers remained in our company and waited and stayed with us as a duty of care. And hard as I try , I can not remember everything that was discussed and we never took photos either so I have no proof of this amazing and surreal encounter . <br /><br />I am no expert , I would never claim to be , but it has to be said because I did get up close, I gained an essence of Rory through his performance on stage and then our meeting soon afterwards, and his close relationship with his brother too , as a family dynamic which, was essential for the Rory Gallagher music success.<br /><br />This myth around Rory created in the media , that he did not have access to women by choice, in actual fact, it is clear he just never discussed his desires and experiences publicly with anyone, keeping his private life, 'private'!<br /><br />And if we had gone on to spend quality time that evening, in their company, I would not disclose a thing … Does not take a lot of imagination to understand this beautiful boy , just read his lyrics of his songs , you will see Rory was no stranger to love and heart break and he was also an incurable romantic poet , displayed for all to see in his songs. <br /><br />Both brothers, that night wanted to spend time with us, not as groupies but, as friends, granted , doing the asking for us to change our minds and not leave, was Donal , Rory's right hand man, they clearly worked together to try to convince us to stay in the most charming way, before we left homeward bound … It is really sad I think now, we had no excuse to leave ..and I had no confidence or alternative means to challenge my sister, as I did not live in the City because I was a visitor, staying over with her. My verdict now ?? we were insane , we should have taken up the offer to spend the evening with them ..I mean what could have happened ? What a regret !! .. <br /><br />WE could have had a great time going out being their tour guides around the city to find the best food, after having a drink with them, I was in pubs all the time , I did not have to drink alcohol , how could us girls refuse ?? <br /><br />But , it was NOT to be.<br /><br />Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08501382467812292567noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20885622.post-47507442806643615832020-05-27T08:06:17.982+00:002020-05-27T08:06:17.982+00:00Continued : When my sister and I , found ourselves...Continued : When my sister and I , found ourselves in the company of Rory and Donal Gallagher they to me were the same coin , but , the opposite sides, one extroverted the other introverted but speaking the same voice, interestingly they could read each other without saying a word such as; their close bond was . I can hardly believe it myself how that evening unfolded , however, I think I am more star struct now than I was then !! … Rory was a private person, however he was charming and polite and really fascinating and Donal, had the gift of the gab, and if we had gone out with them Rory would have opened up an awful lot more .. saying that , I was almost 17, I was painfully shy too and given chance I would have relaxed more in their company as the night progressed . <br /><br />I was ignorant of much of this fact of Rory Gallagher's international fame at that time , although I had seen him on TV shows such as The Old Grey Whistle Test and I had heard some of his albums. <br /><br />Meeting Rory in a friendly setting was insightful , there was no security , no promoters , no bouncers , no barriers at all between us and him. He certainly had star dust, but , I was not rendered helpless in the moment because he was so human, and he did nothing to exploit his status, it was as if we were speaking to 'the boys next door feeling and we could have potentially become great friends.<br /><br />Rory was shy, which is well documented but , I had no access to this information at the time so , these words I say are my observations of that night: as Donal did most of the talking as Rory chose to stand close to me at my side . He was so close to me I could touch him , I was made aware of this fact how close indeed he was , when he spoke as I turned to look at him , seeing he was in my personal space. We must have been with them both for over an hour . <br /><br />My sister and Donal were chatting, anyway Rory chipped in occasionally, and I turned to look directly at him as he spoke as he was stood at my side throughout , and I was captivated by his good looks, he looked younger in real life, he was stunningly beautiful . This verbal interaction I have discovered recently was normal for the two brothers; Donal did a lot of chat and Rory was reserved; before and after gigs , coming back to life later after the adrenalin had stopped kicking in. <br /><br />However , they must have liked our company because then we were invited back to where they were .<br /><br />Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08501382467812292567noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20885622.post-1787535637135133362020-05-27T08:04:56.361+00:002020-05-27T08:04:56.361+00:00Rory was sitting down at a table at first when we ...Rory was sitting down at a table at first when we met him. He was wearing a check shirt , denim/ cord cream jacket and black jeans , long hair and I mean, he was beautiful and in his prime. To this day I remember my encounter with Rory Gallagher, it was unforgettable really got to see the man everyone wants to know , as crystal clear as ever these memories have remained , clearly he had a big impact on me at the time. <br /><br />I still have his autograph he gave me to this day , the signed concert ticket . I remember distinctly now him asking me my name , and repeating it in full with a smile on his face with his bright shining eyes, looking straight at me as he said it ( what a charmer) !! Rory was rather shy in real life , but really approachable. My older sister and I, met him after standing in the , after gig autograph queue with many others , he must have attended thousands of times, at his concerts , meeting millions of people in his career as an after concert ritual I expect , we were the last ones to see him in the queue that night .. .. and when everyone had gone and we were more or less alone with Rory, out of nowhere Donal, his brother and manager ; appeared and instantly started chatting …...engaging with us to stay around a lot longer ….and asking us outright to join them for a drink ? <br /><br />All these years have past , and still I remember that night. My first 'gig' too, it was small and an intimate venue, 'NO DRINK OR DANCE HALL' , they played at . The audience was politely sitting down as Rory came out on stage , he fiddled with the tunings for a few seconds as we all looked on , for what would happen next. Then he hit the first cord on his guitar as the room exploded into 'Cradle Rock'!! <br /><br />I spontaneously stood up in shock ! looked around and the whole audience had done the same thing , then all the audience simultaneously leapt out of their seats and like a tsunami we made our way through to the stage and there we stayed all night , dancing non stop for almost 3 hours, was more than magic at York University .. The bouncers gave up in the end , there was no chance that anyone was going back to their seats , we were totally in the moment listening to Rory's Band performing in the power of three. Rory took the path of resistance in all aspects of his career , he was not there for the money or fame , just wanted to create and play music and get the respect. This challenged his musical skills and he became the best guitarist' in the world!! even eclipsing his song writing. His live performances can not be captured, on film or tape sadly , being there was something else , the likes of which we will never see again . <br /><br />Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08501382467812292567noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20885622.post-52234504790893719512020-02-20T14:32:13.325+00:002020-02-20T14:32:13.325+00:00Great great article!
Still I have to disagree abo...Great great article!<br /><br />Still I have to disagree about his "horribly artificial" sound in the eighties. <br /><br />Did you mean in the studio or live? <br />Cos' apart from his (to me) abusive use of the Octavider in the Nineties, I really love his live sound through the eighties. Not artificial to my ears at all.<br /><br />And I absolutely love Jinx and Defender. Songs and sound equally!<br /><br />Anyway, I'd love to know what you meant by sayin that ;)<br /><br />Again, congratulations for such an accurate insight of the man!!<br /><br />Antoine<br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20885622.post-20345015977829703702016-10-26T17:19:42.595+00:002016-10-26T17:19:42.595+00:00Thanks for the kind comments, guys. And keep liste...Thanks for the kind comments, guys. And keep listening to Rory, of course...Chris Joneshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02108337196370083674noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20885622.post-83255844373532753562016-10-26T17:04:17.439+00:002016-10-26T17:04:17.439+00:00Superb article!Superb article!chris big man robelouhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08082714557919118498noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20885622.post-46328523617436518302016-10-26T16:36:26.916+00:002016-10-26T16:36:26.916+00:00Excellent article and on the button. A good insigh...Excellent article and on the button. A good insight to Rory. Thanks so much. DerekDereknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20885622.post-19590195481849274032015-08-19T09:36:39.908+00:002015-08-19T09:36:39.908+00:00Live in Europe. All the way. Best album I'v...Live in Europe. All the way. Best album I've ever bought <br />Rory at Greyhound Croydon <br />Rory at Sundown Edmonton <br />Rory at Dominion Tottenham Court Road ( ten years later) Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20885622.post-61981369127512772802015-03-16T08:38:18.793+00:002015-03-16T08:38:18.793+00:00Many, many thanks for the kind words.Many, many thanks for the kind words.Chris Joneshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02108337196370083674noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20885622.post-8016781480040029862015-03-16T05:18:17.197+00:002015-03-16T05:18:17.197+00:00Chris, thank you. You eloquently said everything I...Chris, thank you. You eloquently said everything I try to say when talking about my favorite musician. Shylotushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10303544588585336770noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20885622.post-24347322525061801862014-05-27T13:18:53.608+00:002014-05-27T13:18:53.608+00:00Excellent article, you really caught what Rory was...Excellent article, you really caught what Rory was.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20885622.post-55611497601756184692014-05-26T17:44:54.745+00:002014-05-26T17:44:54.745+00:00Mr. Jones, you in a few excellent paragraphs, dist...Mr. Jones, you in a few excellent paragraphs, distilled Rory's greatness where others would take pages and pages to accomplish. Well done Sir.Joe S.https://www.blogger.com/profile/07046103139217090938noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20885622.post-48532535482369627372014-05-14T15:10:19.860+00:002014-05-14T15:10:19.860+00:00Many thanks for reading Mike - Rory was pretty muc...Many thanks for reading Mike - Rory was pretty much the most 'to the point' guitarist I ever saw!Chris Joneshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02108337196370083674noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20885622.post-90281145285175709262014-05-14T13:47:50.152+00:002014-05-14T13:47:50.152+00:00Chris that was by far the most descriptive and ...Chris that was by far the most descriptive and 'to the point' piece of writing about Rory I've ever read. Great stuff and thank you.<br />Mike Goonan, AberdeenAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12790130451694042350noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20885622.post-81231815273309832992014-05-14T10:36:09.522+00:002014-05-14T10:36:09.522+00:00Thanks, Milo!Thanks, Milo!Chris Joneshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02108337196370083674noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20885622.post-66847217201761943112014-05-14T10:32:23.710+00:002014-05-14T10:32:23.710+00:00Well said, Chris!Well said, Chris!milohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11460624281145741240noreply@blogger.com