THE singer Johnny McEvoy has just celebrated his 80th birthday.
He has marked the milestone with a new album entitled Both Sides — 14 songs and six audio stories recorded and read by the singer.
This week he took time our to talk to the Irish Post...
Johnny McEvoy has released a new albumWhat are you up to?
I’m writing poems, short stories, songs and I'm still touring.
Which piece of music always sends a shiver down your spine?
There is one piece that does it: Beethoven’s Emperor Concerto. It was featured in a 1975 Australian movie called Picnic At Hanging Rock which is actually one of my favourite movies.
Which musician or singer has most influenced you?
There are two: Hank Williams influenced me a lot in my early years followed by the best of them all in my opinion, Liam Clancy. I believe he was the best singer and storyteller, the while being also very theatrical.
What’s on your smartphone playlist at the minute?
I don’t have one.
What are your favourite lyrics?
Any of Dylan’s songs: Desolation Row I believe is his finest. But I could name dozens of other songs from various artists.
The Planter’s Daughter is an intriguing song that you wrote. What’s the story behind it?
It’s a song I wrote about my wife. It tells the story of how we met, trying to find a decent chat up line, and after many failed attempts she eventually agreed to meet me for a coffee.
We were together for 50 years. I’ll always love the planter’s daughter.
What are your Irish roots?
My family roots are in Galway, but I was born in Banagher, Co. Offaly. The family left there when I was 6, and have lived in Dublin and surrounding areas since.
What is your favourite place in Ireland?
A place I would find moving in an historical and atmospheric way would be the Feather Beds in the Dublin mountains. I always find it very calming and it just sits there unchanged in silence looking down over Dublin.
What would you say has been your proudest moment on stage over you many decades of singing?
Any night can be your proudest night, but the next night can be a disaster. I wouldn't change a thing.
McEvoy's new album Both SidesWhat has been your favourite venue?
The Gaiety Theatre in Dublin, when I walk into the Gaiety even now 60 years after I first performed there the smell alone brings back a thousand memories.
Have you a book that has been a major influence on you?
Sean O’Casey's autobiography.
Which living person do you most admire?
Any man or woman who deals with addiction and comes out on top.
Which trait in others do you most admire?
I would admire loyalty most.
What would be your motto?
Everything begins and ends at exactly the right time and place, would be something I live by.
What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given?
Do your job and do it to the best of your ability....that was from my dad.
In terms of inanimate objects, what is your most precious possession?
A portrait of Michael Collins that was given to me by my wife the day we got married.
What’s best thing about where you live?
The sea.
And the worst?
The DART.
What do you believe in?
I’m growing to believe in myself.
What do you consider the greatest work of art?
For me Michelangelo’s David.
Who is the greatest love of your life?
Odette, my wife, was the love of my life.
www.johnnymcevoy.com
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