I hope you’ll excuse the slight twist in the usual format of this ‘Meeting with the G-Fans’ blog series, but since the release of Rory Gallagher: The Later Years last October, I’ve received numerous messages from people curious to learn more about who I am. So, as April is a quieter month in terms of Rory anniversaries from the 1985-1995 period, I thought it would be the perfect time to flip the script.

A few weeks ago, I gave you all a chance to submit questions to me – whether about Rory, music in general or anything else that was on your mind. A huge thank you to everyone who sent in questions! I’ve selected a range of them to answer below. I hope you enjoy reading my responses.

What’s your earliest musical memory?

I was exposed to all kinds of music from a very young age. My parents have always been huge music lovers, although their tastes couldn’t be more different! My mum is all about Donny Osmond, Cliff Richard and 60s/70s pop more broadly, while my dad’s love for classic rock and heavy metal shaped much of my own musical preferences. My maternal grandfather was a huge Frank Sinatra fan, and that music was instilled in me from a young age, while my paternal grandparents introduced me to traditional Irish music and country tunes. But my earliest musical memory is very clear. I must have been about 2 years old, dancing around the dining room with my mum to Cliff Richard’s ‘Bachelor Boy’! I wish it was something cooler, but there you go!

In interviews you’ve mentioned being a fan of Thin Lizzy and Tom Petty, who could arguably be put into the same broad vein as Rory. Which musicians do you enjoy that people might be surprised about?

Great question! I’m not sure if this would surprise people or not, but I’ve always been a huge fan of The Darkness. They were my gateway to classic rock when I was 12 years old. I’ve often heard my dad and his friends talk about that moment they first saw David Bowie on Top of the Pops and how it blew their minds. Well, that was exactly how I felt when I first saw the video for ‘I Believe in a Thing Called Love’ back in 2003. Prior to that, I had only listened to boybands, and I remember rushing home from my friend’s house, throwing out all my albums and posters, such was the impact The Darkness had on me. I also listen to a lot of music in Italian and Spanish – Ligabue, the Italian rocker, is one of my all-time favourite artists. But I also have a soft spot for the rather cheesy pop of Antonello Venditti. If you want a good folk metal band, then you can’t go wrong with Mago de Oz.

Tough one, I know, but what’s your favourite Rory song and concert/performance from each line-up?

Oh gosh, okay, I’m just going to go with my gut instinct or I might be here forever! In the Wilgar period, I’d go for ‘For the Last Time’ and the Beat Club sessions. For the Lou and Rod years, it has to be undoubtedly ‘A Million Miles Away’ and Rockpalast ‘77. If I’m allowed to include solo performances though, then it would be Rory’s acoustic set for RTÉ’s Me and My Music. During the time with Ted, ‘Overnight Bag’ and Montreux ’79 are my picks. The Brendan era is tricky because it spans so many years, but my gut says ‘Easy Come Easy Go’ and the Cork Opera House show in ‘87. And if we can include the time with David and Richard too, then it’s definitely Montreux ‘94.

What’s the most memorable concert you’ve ever been to?

I can honestly say that I’ve never been disappointed by any concert I’ve attended, but the most memorable, simply because it was when I was first getting into rock music and it absolutely blew my head off, was Whitesnake in 2004 at what was then the Bristol Colston Hall. I was only 13 at the time and went with my dad. I remember having a drink in the bar before the gig, and a guy was saying to his friends, ‘I hope Coverdale’s still got it’. We went in, made our way to the front row and within a second of the band stepping out on stage, Coverdale proved he more than had it. He kicked into Deep Purple’s ‘Burn’ followed by ‘Stormbringer’. The band was incredible – Doug Aldrich and Reb Beach on guitar, Tommy Aldridge on drums, Marco Mendoza on bass and Tomothy Drury on keys. If they’d left the stage right after that 12-minute opening extravaganza, I would have felt it was worth every penny! They released the Hammersmith concert on DVD and it perfectly captures my own experience, with great camera shots that make you feel like you’re right there. I love rewatching it and reliving that night. But in terms of historical significance, the most memorable is probably the Phil Lynott statue unveiling in Dublin in 2005. I was so lucky to be there when Eric Bell, Gary Moore, Scott Gorham and Brian Robertson all played together. It was mindblowing! At the time, I didn’t fully realise just how momentous that concert was.

What’s your favourite album of all time?

That would be Tom Petty’s Wildflowers. Every track is an absolute masterpiece in songwriting. It really showed a different side to Tom and established his reputation as one of the great American storytellers, on par with the likes of Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash and Woody Guthrie.

Inspired by your recent blog post, do you have a personal favourite Rory lyric, as well as a lyric from another artist that resonates with you?

Absolutely! It’s always been the lyrics about tenacity and defiance that really speak to me as I live with a long-term health condition that can sometimes feel overwhelming. So, ‘I hit the floor and I got up on the count of nine’ from Rory and ‘Most things I worry about never happen anyway’ from Tom Petty inspire me. And pretty much the whole of Thin Lizzy’s ‘Do Anything You Want To’ reads like a personal mantra.

Do you play any instruments?

Yes, I’ve been playing bass for around 9 years now. I did dabble with electric guitar as a teenager but could never get to grips with it. My hands just wouldn’t move the way they needed to! With the bass, though, everything clicked, and it felt much more natural. Phil Lynott was naturally my big inspiration for picking it up, and I’ve got a Fender Precision that I customised to resemble his, which I only use for Lizzy stuff. I also have a Fender Jazz for everything else. From ages 6-10, I played the accordion but gave it up because it wasn’t considered ‘cool’. I kind of regret it now as I don’t remember anything at all and it would be awesome to play Geraint Watkins’ bit from ‘King of Zydeco’ on it. I bought a new accordion during lockdown, but I just couldn’t get back into it sadly. Maybe one day…

You’ve produced such a wealth of Rory research in recent years, but I’m curious… when you’re not researching Rory, what other research do you do?

So, my Rory research is just something that I’ve gradually managed to shoehorn into my academic work, but I am primarily a historical sociolinguist. In my case, this basically means that I research visual and material culture from the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries – everything from advertisements and postcards to book inscriptions and greeting cards. But over time, I’ve increasingly worked on more contemporary visual and material culture, particularly music memorabilia and ephemera. It’s probably no surprise that I’ve also written quite a bit on Phil Lynott and Tom Petty. In fact, I just recently had a piece published in Americana about place attachment and grief in the lyrics of Tom Petty, which you can check out here if interested.

Thanks to you and Rayne for Rory Gallagher: The Later Years. It’s a beautiful piece of work that I thoroughly enjoyed reading. I’m wondering whether you have a particular favourite chapter that you researched and wrote in the book?

Yeah, I do. So, initially, I was really worried about the chapter on Rory’s Hungarian and Yugoslavian tour, simply because I wasn’t familiar with the context at all, and I knew that sourcing documents would be difficult. But the challenge ended up making it one of the most enjoyable aspects of the research. I dug into online archives from across Hungary, Slovenia, Bosnia, Serbia and Croatia without speaking a word of the language and relying on some very helpful archive staff to help me source and translate documents. It was incredibly exciting as the pieces of the puzzle started coming together, and I realised a cool narrative was developing. As for writing, it was definitely the Fresh Evidence one – that came right from the heart, and I hope it comes across that way. It’s something I’ve felt very passionate about for years as Fresh Evidence is my favourite Rory album and I felt it was a real misjustice to focus on it solely in terms of illness and death. On top of that, I’m a big Gary Moore but have always felt frustrated that Still Got the Blues gets all the credit while Fresh Evidence doesn’t. So, that chapter kind of wrote itself.

Firstly, I commend you on a much-needed tome regarding Rory’s latter years – a fabulous read. My question is two part. Apart from lockdown boredom, how did Rory Gallagher enter your sphere, being a younger person who would never have experienced a live performance? And why did you decide to get so involved? (BTW – I’m so happy, as an older and lifelong follower, that you have).

I actually became a Rory fan long before lockdown. I first discovered him through Thin Lizzy’s Live in Cork bootleg when I was a teenager. Philo gives a shoutout to him during ‘Sugar Blues’, which really piqued my curiosity. I remember adding the Big Guns compilation to my Amazon wishlist, but it was always out of stock, and I couldn’t find it in record shops at the time either. So, it wasn’t until 2016 that I finally managed to pick up an album – Rory’s debut solo record. I was immediately struck by the range of styles and the depth of the lyrics. But it wasn’t until a few months later when I ‘took a chance’ on a DVD of Rory’s 1987 Cork Opera House gig, which I found for just £1 in a secondhand shop, that something really clicked. That started my affinity with his later years in particular. And then, as I read more and more about him and learnt what an incredibly kind, sweet man he was, I became well and truly drawn in.

As for why I got so involved, his music quite literally saved my life. I’ve struggled with an anxiety disorder since I was a kid, but around the time I ‘rediscovered’ Rory’s music, I was going through a particularly rough time. I had effectively given up, and my days had become endless cycles of panic, sadness and loneliness that I just couldn’t see a way out of. But Rory’s music, his voice, his whole essence gave me the strength to keep going and find the courage to pick myself up. At the same time, I could see all the negativity on social media whenever photos or videos from Rory’s later years were posted. I felt so much empathy for him, knowing firsthand what he was going through, and it made me angry to see how so-called ‘fans’ treated him. That frustration sparked a desire to do something, to show the world everything he still achieved despite poor physical and mental health, which led to Rewriting Rory. And it all just snowballed from there. Earlier this year, when I was doing some research at the Oh Yeah! Music Centre in Belfast, the director jokingly said, “You Rory Gallagher fans don’t do things in halves, do you?” And she was right! Rory is such an integral part of my professional and personal life now, and I wouldn’t want it any other way.

Do you have a favourite film?

That would be Cinema Paradiso. It’s an absolutely stunning Italian movie about the beauty of cinema and the power of friendship that never fails to make me cry. It has such a beautiful soundtrack by Ennio Morricone too.

I used to think Rory may have been a type 4 on the enneagram of personality types. Now I think he was a type 9. What do you think?

I’m not super familiar with the Enneagram system, but I just took a look at the two types you mentioned—‘The Individualist’ (Type 4) and ‘The Peacemaker’ (Type 9)—and I can certainly see aspects of both in Rory. Type 4’s sensitivity, introspection and desire to express individuality through creativity really resonate with how Rory approached his music and his identity as an artist. At the same time, the calm, grounded nature of Type 9, along with the tendency to avoid conflict and seek harmony, also aligns with how people like Dónal have described him, especially in terms of his gentle demeanour and discomfort with the more aggressive side of the music business. I think Rory always seemed to move to his own rhythm, and perhaps that’s why no single type quite captures the complexities and depth of his unique personality.

Have you ever met anybody famous?

I’ve had the chance to meet quite a few over the years. The most famous would probably be Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, who I actually met when I was at school and taking part in a national technology competition! But what meant far more to me was meeting Scott Gorham and John Sykes when I was 14 years old backstage at the Bristol Academy. I met Scott again 15 years later at a HMV event and brought the old photo to show him! The most random encounter was last year on my birthday. I was staying in a Travelodge in the middle of Wales, and I bumped into Eric Bell, who was staying in the room next door. Talk about the best birthday present ever! I was so stunned that I never even thought to get a photo or autograph.

I remember you telling me that you were also a big Tom Petty fan. Have you read Mike Campbell’s book Heartbreaker?

Yes! I bought it the day it came out and read it in record time. It is easily the best music autobiography I’ve ever read. Having read so many books about Tom over the years, it was refreshing to get a different perspective, especially from Mike, his longtime sideman and dear friend. I really liked the fact Mike didn’t shy away from discussing the challenges of working with Tom or his character flaws, but what ultimately shone through was the absolute love, respect and awe he had for the man and his very many talents. I could hardly read through my tears over the last 60 pages or so. I really recommend it, even to those who aren’t fans of Tom Petty as it’s so well written and a great story.

Can you tell us a random fact about yourself?

I moved to a small town in the middle of Sweden for my postdoc purely because I had always been a big fan of the band Europe. Talk about a leap into the unknown! Yet it all worked out, and I’ve been working for the university ever since!

If you could go back in time and see any Rory concert, which would it be?

Oh man, that’s such a tough question and something I’ve thought about many times. You know what? I’d kind of like to go right back to the Fontana or Impact years and see the very young Rory at the start of his career, with all that lay ahead of him. Watching that spark of talent ignite before me for the first time would be incredible. Later on, I think it would have to be any of the Ulster Hall gigs, just for what they represented and the magical atmosphere within.

What are you currently spinning?

Dreams on Toast by The Darkness and Who Believes in Angels? by Elton John and Brandi Carlile – my two favourite albums of the year so far.