‘Phil Lynott: Songs For While I’m Away’ Honors The Late Thin Lizzy Frontman, One Of Ireland’s Proudest Sons

by 24britishtvMarch 18, 2023, midnight 32
-

Carved 1,000 feet up into the cliff face of Benbulbin in County Sligo are the faces of four of Ireland’s proudest sons. They include: the medieval king Brian Boru who beat the pants off the Vikings and drove them from the “Emerald Isle,” Irish republican James Connolly who commanded the Dublin Brigade at the ill-fated Easter Rising of 1916, acclaimed writer Brendan Behan who was the first person to say the word “fuck” on British television, and Phil Lynott, bass-wielding singer-songwriter for the hard rock band Thin Lizzy. It should be noted that like the mythical hero Cú Chulainn, all four died tragically before their time. It should also be noted that, in fact, none of their faces are carved into the side of a mountain in Ireland.

Though preceded by Van Morrison’s Them and contemporaneous with the brilliant guitarist Rory Gallagher, Irish rock gets no more Irish and rocks no harder than Thin Lizzy. Heroes in their homeland and the British Isles, their lone U.S. hit, “The Boys Are Back In Town,” is a barroom standard and regularly played at sporting events yet only scratches the surface of a 12 album discography stuffed with tough rockers and tender ballads. As a lyricist, Lynott drew from Ireland’s rich literary tradition, from the myths of antiquity to the poets and playwrights of the modern era, often delivered in a conversational manner, as if you were sitting next to him down the pub. The 2020 documentary Phil Lynott: Songs For While I’m Away lovingly examines his life and work and is currently available for rent on a variety of streaming services, including Amazon Prime Video.

Philip Parris Lynott was born in England in 1949 to Philomena Lynott, a 17-year-old Irish immigrant, and Cecil Parris, who hailed from British Guiana. “In those days if a girl had a baby without a ring on her finger she was soiled goods and I got battered and beaten because I was the mother of a black baby,” says Philomena, who died in 2019, in an archival interview. It’s one of the few times we hear from her, which is surprising since following her son’s death she became the guardian of his legend, often giving interviews in his place. Though Philip spent his early life in Manchester, his mother sent him to live with her parents in Dublin when he was 7.

Though Lynott landed in a large loving household, he faced prejudice being, “the only black kid in Ireland,” in the words of Lizzy guitarist Scott Gorham. His uncle Peter was close to him in age and they were raised as brothers. He says they often got into fights at school, where his nephew was called “Blackie.” After a few weeks of fisticuffs, the name-calling stopped. Racism would follow Philip to London where he relocated to secure a record deal and landlords posted signs in their windows that said, “NO IRISH NO BLACKS NO DOGS,” to ward off unwanted renters.

Thin Lizzy first hit the charts with 1972’s “Whiskey In A Jar,” a remake of a traditional Irish song their manager convinced them to cover. Their ascent, however, was sidelined by the sudden departure of founding guitarist Eric Bell. He was replaced with not one but two lead guitarists, Scotsman Brian Robertson and American Scott Gorham. The hippy vibes of their early work were traded in for hard-edged hard rock and their dueling single string work would be copied by legions of metal bands to come. Gorham would remain with the band until its end while the second guitar spot would be filled by numerous others through the years, including the great Gary Moore and future Whitesnake axeman John Sykes. “We had some great players over on the right-hand side,” says Gorham with chagrin.

“The Boys Are Back In Town,” from 1976’s landmark Jailbreak album, would be Thin Lizzy’s breakout hit in America. It might be played out but also encapsulates everything that made them great, from the anthemic guitars to lyrics that are plain-spoken and poetic, sentimental and full of swagger, rejoicing in an inflated machismo long before anyone called it toxic. Sadly, bad luck and bad behavior would make it their only hit in the States, though they remained a popular live attraction.

Even with the bar set high in the 1970s, Thin Lizzy had a reputation as hard partying trouble makers. Gorham says their drug use started recreationally but got worse with both success and failure. He would quit the band as a means of survival, leading to their breakup. The rock n’ roll lifestyle would also take its toll on Lynott’s marriage, despite his devotion to his two young daughters. By the mid ‘80s, he would find himself without a band and without his family. He died in 1986 from heart failure and pneumonia as a result of sepsis. He was 36 years old.

Directed by fellow Dubliner Emer Reynolds, Songs For While I’m Away pays tribute to its subject with care and artistry. Visually lush, with interesting yet tasteful editing choices, and loads of performance footage, it uses Lynott’s songs to help tell his story and craft a narrative of natural-born talent and star-crossed fate. In a sad irony, Thin Lizzy seem more popular than ever. You hear their songs in movies and at sporting events, their musical hallmarks reverberate throughout rock and Lynott himself has become an archetype of cool.

Benjamin H. Smith is a New York based writer, producer and musician. Follow him on Twitter:@BHSmithNYC.

-

Related Articles

HOT TRENDS

Could assisted dying be coming to Scotland?

by 24britishtvMarch 28, 2024, 4 p.m.2
HOT TRENDS

Larry Lloyd | 1948 - 2024

by 24britishtvMarch 28, 2024, 4 p.m.2
HOT TRENDS

Happy Easter in a plastic egg •

by 24britishtvMarch 28, 2024, 4 p.m.2
HOT TRENDS

Thames Water boss says bills need to rise by 40%

by 24britishtvMarch 28, 2024, 3 p.m.2
HOT TRENDS

A closer look: can right whales and offshore wind safely coexist?

by 24britishtvMarch 28, 2024, 2 p.m.2
HOT TRENDS

Richarlison had dark thoughts after World Cup

by 24britishtvMarch 28, 2024, 2 a.m.2
HOT TRENDS

Gogglebox star George Gilbey has died aged 40

by 24britishtvMarch 28, 2024, midnight2
HOT TRENDS

Households with washing machine told to stop using two temperatures

by 24britishtvMarch 27, 2024, 11 p.m.2
HOT TRENDS

Professor T review — Ben Miller’s jailed sleuth evokes Paddington 2

by 24britishtvMarch 27, 2024, 11 p.m.2
HOT TRENDS

Former England captain Houghton to retire

by 24britishtvMarch 27, 2024, 11 p.m.2
HOT TRENDS

Professor T, series 3, review: a show as awkward as Ben Miller’s sleuth

by 24britishtvMarch 27, 2024, 10 p.m.2
HOT TRENDS

Gogglebox's George Gilbey, 40, dies after fall from height

by 24britishtvMarch 27, 2024, 10 p.m.2
HOT TRENDS

Enhanced Melanoma Vaccine Offers Improved Survival for Men

by 24britishtvMarch 27, 2024, 10 p.m.2
HOT TRENDS

Melanoma and the Wrong Site

by 24britishtvMarch 27, 2024, 9 p.m.2
HOT TRENDS

STOXX Licenses First Crypto Blue Chip Index

by 24britishtvMarch 27, 2024, 9 p.m.2