When the Shillelagh Meets the Hood: Part Seven

When the Shillelagh Meets the Hood 

Part Seven: A Bundle of Contradictions 

I'm a little black boy 

and I don't know my 

proper place 

I'm a little black boy, 

get my head in its 

space 

I'm a little black boy, 

I just play my bass 

I'm a little black boy, 

it's no disgrace. 

-- Thin Lizzy, "Black Boys on the Corner" (1973)

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I considered presenting a paper at next year's Pop Conference, but for various reasons, decided against it. See below for my proposal. Frankly, I don't think it would've made the cut, and Phil Lynott means too much to me to risk it. At some point, I'll write something up for this site, but I still have a lot of reading to do. 

Over the past year, I've acquired Stuart Bailie's The Ballad of the Thin Man and Mark Putterford's The Rocker, but haven't had any luck tracking down an affordable copy of Philomena Lynott's out-of-print My Boy, and it's an important piece of the puzzle that was Phil Lynott, since his mother cast a big shadow over his brief life.  

[video]

Thin Lizzy - "Whiskey in the Jar" (1972) [short version] 

Vagabond of the Western World: The Rise, Fall, and Rise of Phil Lynott 

Black, white, Irish, West Indian, bastard, bass player, punk, poet, ladies man, husband, drug addict, and dad. The late Phillip Paris Lynott (1949-1986) was all that and more: A bundle of contradictions. All of which served to shape his music, both solo and as the leader of Ireland's enduring Thin Lizzy. Nowhere are those contradictions more apparent than on 1973's Vagabonds of the Western World, an album that tanked upon release, despite the fact that it arrived in the wake of one of Lizzy's biggest hits, a prog-rock version of Irish traditional "Whiskey in the Jar" (now part of the album, it was originally only available as a single). The staggeringly diverse recording also features an ode to Lynott's grandmother Sarah, ballads influenced by heroes Elvis Presley and Van Morrison, trade- mark—downright silly—stomper "The Rocker," and the heaviest funk jam of his entire career, "Black Boys on the Corner." All of which is to say that Lynott's work was the product of a specific time, place, and sensibility, yet continues to gain resonance with each year, from the inclusion of his songs in literally hundreds of movies and television shows, and even an upcoming big screen biopic. By taking a song-by-song look at Vagabonds, I will outline the contradictions that defined Phil Lynott—and make his music more relevant than ever.

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I am your main man if you're looking for trouble

I'll take no lip 'cause no ones tougher than me 

If I kicked your face you'd soon be seeing double 

Hey little girl, keep your hands off me 'cause I'm a rocker.

--Thin Lizzy, "The Rocker" (1973)  

Endnote: Part six in a series. Click here for previous entry. I also have many CDs yet to explore. In the past year, I've picked up Vagabonds (natch), Jailbreak, and Solo in Soho. And of course, I own Johnny Thunders' heartbreaking So Alone, on which Mr. Lynott—along with his pals in the Pistols—lends his expertise. Card image and lyrics from Lynott's official website, The Roisin Dubh Trust, T-shirt design from DJ Tees, and video from YouTube.