Marina Hotel, Rhyl, 1994 / Rory's Health issues?

[Jay Jay]

I find it particularly ironic in that you call your band Sinnerboy. Have you ever read the lyrics?

Nick doesn't listen to the words he's too busy working out the chords to Rory's songs
Only joking mate lol.. I have actually seen him singing or mouthing (Sinnerboy too loud to hear Nick) along to some lyrics

Take a look here though Nick.. Roberta hit the nail on the head with the lyrics ..

City Streets and Rolling cars
The only sounds you can hear
BUT YOU KNOW YOU MIGHT BE WRONG
JUST LOOK RIGHT OVER HERE
BACK UP AGAINST THE WALL
HANDS ON THE BOTTLE
YOU’RE GONNA WALK ON BY
BUT THEN HE CRIES,
YOU GOTTA, GOTTA, GOTTA, GOTTA
GOTTA, GOTTA, GOTTA, GOTTA
TAKE THAT SINNER BOY HOME
WRAP HIM UP KEEP HIM WARM
HE WON'T DO YOU NO HARM

TAKE HIM HOME RIGHT AWAY
HE’S GOT NO PLACE TO STAY
LET HIM WALK RIGHT INSIDE YOUR HOME
GO ON AND ASK HIM HIS NAME
LET HIM TRY AND EXPLAIN
WHAT IN THE WORLDS DONE HIM WRONG
" TELL THAT MAN LIFT HIM UP, TAKE AWAY THE PAPER CUP, ONE MORE INSIDE HIM WON’T DO HIM GOOD "
SINNER BOY

Take that sinner boy home,
Wrap him up, keep him warm,
He won't do no harm.

Take him home right away,
He's got no place to stay,
Let him walk right inside your home.

Take that sinner boy home,
Wrap him up, keep him warm,
He won't do you, he won't do you no harm.

[SUBY1974]

I have wept openly as to what happened to him in the end and some people let him down. I want to celebrate his life, his music and achievement. That is what matters the most now in my opinion.

Some of those statements make my blood boil, and maybe I shouldn't post this, but hey, I was never one to worry too much about offending someone else if I have something to say. I read the entire post earlier, and I want to amend my earlier post because I just can't let it go, and I still have more to say. " how could Rory have replaced the great Gerry McAvoy with an unknown" The "great" Gerry McAvoy, by his own admission, left Rory.

Perhaps Rory was off his game that night BECAUSE HE WAS ILL. Dying, in fact. And, as far as the quality of the backing musicians, based purely on a certain book I read, whose author purported to have intimate knowledge of Rory's health issues, and was admittedly in a position to intervene to help on several occasions but had instead turned his back on the one he called his friend. Rory could have used a little help and support. In fact, purely based on the words in the book, the author in effect tossed an anchor to a drowning man, then went on his merry way.

" The other thing with Rory I know is he probably felt let down by people and preferred to be alone a lot ".

" A FRIEND IN NEED IS A FRIEND INDEED "

If you listen to The Rory Gallagher Story last night or before. You would have heard how Gary Moore visited Rory in his lonely hotel room at The Conrad in London. In his later years. Rory I know would have really appreciated this. This would have helped with his mental pain. There was also Mark Feltham I heard that he used to go talk or play his harmonica for Rory when he was in hospital.

But where were all the other so called "band of friends" in our beloved Rory's darkest hours?

This is one of the reasons why recently I turned down an offer of two free tickets to go see Gerry McAvoy's Band of Friends at The Robin 2.

Hey Suby..
I'll admit you're gone Rory .. but I'll admit also to weeping openly this year at The Rory fest. With tears of joy running down my face. Just seeing all the Rory fans coming together from all the four corners of this planet. Ask Helen Ellis from Canada if you don't believe a word.
Fans and " Friends " putting themselves out to respect and pay tribute to their beloved Rory

Rock (Hospital) On for Rory
Slainte, Jay Jay


PS. Nick the only one mistake I can see in your post. Is that you made the classic mistake that lots of folk make nowadays..
by over-using the word "great" for someone too easily.
PPS. Also buddy you asked for a response from the Rory lady fans /members on these boards and by golly you got a good one

Hi Jay Jay, Yes when I first learnt of Rory's life and music I did cry but now it is tears of joy. As Susie said once to me "When I see and hear Rory's music or see a photo of him everything in the world is alright again". I share those sentiments. I do believe you that you shed tears of joy at the Rory Festival! I will becoming next year to the festival. I am saving up for it and hope to book holidays in advance for it, so me and Susie hope to meet you all then. I think Ireland's a beautiful place! Subrata.x

I love the phrase "croc of horseshit". I just meant the phrase! It brought a smile to my face today!

[SUBY1974]

And one of the differences between men and women that I would like to point out, is that men will clam up and let their emotions churn and fester until something has to give before they will speak their minds, if they ever do, where a woman will know that something is amiss, know that there is something wrong, something that has to be said or done. But just try to drag it out of a man. It's usually easier to get blood from a rock. Men turn their pain and anger inward till it begins to cause damage that can't be repaired.

Hi Roberta, This is so true and is what we are going through right now with my brother. Subrata.x

[SUBY1974]

Hi Nick, Yeah we women analyse things a lot. I can't believe I much i wrote on this thread!! Well I am a writer after all. We really do let our emotions show! Subrata.x Sinnerboy rules!!!!

[Sinner Girl]

Hi Nick, Yeah we women analyse things a lot. I can't believe I much i wrote on this thread!! Well I am a writer after all. We really do let our emotions show! Subrata.x Sinnerboy rules!!!!

Ok , I read, the lyrics and I knew them, and make my nick Sinner Girl, Yee lyrics that words are a bit ironic, but because the guitar sound and voice songs is perfection. I agree with you completely Subrata, a lot of women analyze it with a lot of emotion, a lot more notice then man.

Sinnerboy band rules!!!!

[SUBY1974]

Hi Jay Jay, I did listen to Gary Moore's presentation of Rory's life last night on radio. You are right Rory would have appreciated company later in life. Subrata. x

[nickskelson]

Good evening Ladies and Gentlemen.
The best thing to come from this thread is definitely "crock of horse shit". What a damn good phrase Roberta.
Yeh - Sinnerboy is very, very apt with regard to this thread. Sinnerboy isn't my band though Roberta, Barry Barnes is Sinnerboy; just like Gerry McAvoy I am simply a hired-hand.
Those of you who know me know that I don't mince words, and I state my opinions in an honest way. I come from a Welsh mining village, and when I was growing up with long hair (just like Rory suffered), liking heavy-rock and blues music when everybody else was into that noise called Motown - I have always called a spade a spade. Too old to change and I am a founding member of the F*** Political Correctness Society anyway. I love debate, especially where it concerns Rory Gallagher -- the fact is however that not many of us here actually knew Rory. Flamenca and Mark were both people who did know him and they are probably in a better position than most of us to understand Rory.
I must get round to reading RS again. If the ridiculous silent war between Donal and Gerry could be sorted out man to man, then why isn't Donal or Gerry man enough to take the first step.
Enough is enough in my opinion - Gerry and Donal spent 20 years together working for the man. Doesn't the 20 years and the memory of the man who looked upon them both as brothers mean anything? If Donal wants an apology then why can't he speak to Gerry and tell him what he's done wrong?
To finish off, I'd like to repeat something I have said before -- the person who has the most right in the world to be playing Rory Gallagher's music is Gerry McAvoy. Donal Gallagher has no right whatsoever to deny Gerry the opportunity to make a living playing music he was a part of for 20 years. Why doesn't someone on this forum have the balls to start a "Get Donal and Gerry to Make-up" thread? You can't waste 20 years friendship (I assume that there was?) without talking man to man about it. Cant we try to get Donal and Gerry together to try to sort out this mess? Life is too short for this crock of horse shit!

[bluesmama]

Funny thing is, I don't think they were friends... I think on some level, at least Rory, kept most of the band at arm's length, you know, Donal has even admitted that he doesn't even think HE really knew his brother. They played together, drank together and travelled. Rod so much stated that in his article. Rory had a very unique birth chart (I know that sounds crazy) he truly contradicted himself. Rory waited 3 months to go to hospital in '95. In fact, Donal had to go so far as to ask, "do you want to die?" He had a lot of responsibility, supporting his mom, and everyone else. He suffered from depression and as he said in that memorable interview on rte's late late show, "When I play I become fit, much more so than when I'm not on the road, I want to play, and play everynite. He also had his share of denial or shame, He told Gary Moore that he was staying at the Conrad because there was a leak in the flat. Then Gary said, i found out he had been there for a year! As far as Gerry's concerned, he was just a stupid kid, you know, tell him he has a problem and then go to the bar with him! I think he's given way too much credit in thinking he was going to help Rory, I think he was jealous of him. I don't think he thought about much at all. Rory wouldn't have listened anyway. He was stubborn as hell...and a solitary man, much to his distress.

[RobertaSparrow]

[quoteGood evening Ladies and Gentlemen.
The best thing to come from this thread is definitely "crock of horse shit". What a damn good phrase Roberta.
Yeh - Sinnerboy is very, very apt with regard to this thread. Sinnerboy isn't my band though Roberta, Barry Barnes is Sinnerboy; just like Gerry McAvoy I am simply a hired-hand.
Those of you who know me know that I don't mince words, and I state my opinions in an honest way. I come from a Welsh mining village, and when I was growing up with long hair (just like Rory suffered), liking heavy-rock and blues music when everybody else was into that noise called Motown - I have always called a spade a spade. Too old to change and I am a founding member of the F*** Political Correctness Society anyway. I love debate, especially where it concerns Rory Gallagher -- the fact is however that not many of us here actually knew Rory. Flamenca and Mark were both people who did know him and they are probably in a better position than most of us to understand Rory.
I must get round to reading RS again. If the ridiculous silent war between Donal and Gerry could be sorted out man to man, then why isn't Donal or Gerry man enough to take the first step.
Enough is enough in my opinion - Gerry and Donal spent 20 years together working for the man. Doesn't the 20 years and the memory of the man who looked upon them both as brothers mean anything? If Donal wants an apology then why can't he speak to Gerry and tell him what he's done wrong?
To finish off, I'd like to repeat something I have said before -- the person who has the most right in the world to be playing Rory Gallagher's music is Gerry McAvoy. Donal Gallagher has no right whatsoever to deny Gerry the opportunity to make a living playing music he was a part of for 20 years. Why doesn't someone on this forum have the balls to start a "Get Donal and Gerry to Make-up" thread? You can't waste 20 years friendship (I assume that there was?) without talking man to man about it. Cant we try to get Donal and Gerry together to try to sort out this mess? Life is too short for this crock of horse shit!][/quote]

I stand corrected. I thought it was your band. And by the way, I like the "noise" they call Motown. It would be a very dull, boring world if there were only room for one kind of music.

As for speaking one's mind, well, I don't have much of a problem with that either. Most of us over here are a mix- mine is Mexican-American on my dad's side, and Swedish-French on my mom's. All four of my grandparents spoke English as a second language. The Hispanic side is probably where the emotional part of me lives, and I'm not averse to speaking my mind if I think it's needed. I was a kid when men with long hair became a cause for fighting, though we girls at that time thought guys looked pretty good that way, and that was probably why the guys with the buzz-cuts had a problem with long hair on men. If you ever saw the movie Easy Rider, well that's a pretty close view of the cultural climate over here at that time.

Just to be clear, I don't doubt that you saw Rory at his worst that night. And I wasn't calling you a liar, I believe that is how you saw him. But I disagree that Rory was old, or that he was, how did you phrase it? already gone? No, I disagree. He was an alcoholic, he was very ill, but as I said, he was still Rory Gallagher, the same heart within him, the same spark in his playing. And where you apparently saw, how did you phrase it? a shell of his former self, i saw the same man that I saw at the Whiskey in Los Angeles. It's in his eyes. Yes, there is sadness and pain there, and I don't think there is a person here that wouldn't give anything to be able to go back and do something to help him if that were possible. Try to take away the pain. He was ill, yes, he was an alcoholic. But even then, he could still have been helped. Yes i see him as he was, and it's very painful, because there's not a damn thing that I or anyone else can do for him, but I don't look away, because it was much worse for him. By the same token, I will admit your description of him made me see red. Hence the response.

Now as for the Gerry situation. Why he wrote that thing, I'll never understand. And had you not mentioned it the way you did I never would have responded with it at all. My own opinion is that he was trying to explain why he did things the way he did. Was it supposed to be a mea culpa? Was he looking for some kind of absolution? If that's the case, take it to the confessional, settle it in private. Or even better, make his apology in private to Rory, even now he could do that. Rory has probably already forgiven him anyway. But Gerry put it in a published work, with his name on it, for all the world to see. What did he expect would be the response? Most of the people who read that book at the very least were Rory's fans, and that was the target audience, although it was presented as Gerry's autobiography. People loved Rory, he deserved better.

Again, I don't know the parties involved, only what I have read and seen. But if Gerry were to go to Donal in private and make a sincere apology, my guess would be that he would accept it. Because those are the rules.

I doubt that Rory would mind if Gerry continued to play his music. Rory probably does mind that his brother has been hurt. And Rory only had one brother. Rory and Gerry may have been friends, even best friends, but brothers are of the same blood. And that was another really stupid thing to put in the book. First place, I doubt that Rory said it, and second, even if he did say it he obviously didn't mean it, and third, why in God's name would Gerry put that in a book? How is that relevant to anything in Rory, Gerry, or Donal's life? No matter how close Gerry was to Rory, it is folly for him to try to come between two brothers. Again, Rory and Donal were of the same blood.

But then that isn't really the point. Gerry has fences to mend.

[Jay Jay]

Funny thing is, I don't think they were friends... I think on some level, at least Rory, kept most of the band at arm's length, you know, Donal has even admitted that he doesn't even think HE really knew his brother. They played together, drank together and travelled. Rod so much stated that in his article. Rory had a very unique birth chart (I know that sounds crazy) he truly contradicted himself. Rory waited 3 months to go to hospital in '95. In fact, Donal had to go so far as to ask, "do you want to die?" He had a lot of responsibility, supporting his mom, and everyone else. He suffered from depression and as he said in that memorable interview on rte's late late show, "When I play I become fit, much more so than when I'm not on the road, I want to play, and play everynite. He also had his share of denial or shame, He told Gary Moore that he was staying at the Conrad because there was a leak in the flat. Then Gary said, i found out he had been there for a year! As far as Gerry's concerned, he was just a stupid kid, you know, tell him he has a problem and then go to the bar with him! I think he's given way too much credit in thinking he was going to help Rory, I think he was jealous of him. I don't think he thought about much at all. Rory wouldn't have listened anyway. He was stubborn as hell...and a solitary man, much to his distress.

I doubt that Rory would mind if Gerry continued to play his music. Rory probably does mind that his brother has been hurt. And Rory only had one brother. Rory and Gerry may have been friends, even best friends, but brothers are of the same blood. And that was another really stupid thing to put in the book. First place, I doubt that Rory said it, and second, even if he did say it he obviously didn't mean it, and third, why in God's name would Gerry put that in a book? How is that relevant to anything in Rory, Gerry, or Donal's life? No matter how close Gerry was to Rory, it is folly for him to try to come between two brothers. Again, Rory and Donal were of the same blood.

But then that isn't really the point. Gerry has fences to mend.

Welcome on the boards Bluesamama and thanks for adding to this intriguing topic.

As I mentioned in an earlier post Mark Feltham went to visit Rory in hospital a few times.Within the 3 months of the last days of Rory's life. Does anyone know any other band members that went to visit Rory. Most of them I believe still lived in London and were all in touch surely??