Born in Newry, Co. Down, G D Sweeney is a self-taught songwriter and musician who has had a long-standing love affair with bluegrass, folk and Country music. G D (Gavin David) has fronted a number of bands and performed and recorded with members of The Specials and Fun Lovin’ Criminals. The London-based singer plays banjo and guitar, mandolin and dobro. His first single The Night Before came out last month and features on his forthcoming debut album The Truth About Lies, out May 12.
What are you up to right now?
This month I release my first debut solo album and I am busy preparing for this launch. The album is a fusion of Country, bluegrass and Irish traditional music that I call Celtic Country.
Who are your heroes?
Singer-songwriters — Townes Van Zandt, Elvis Costello and Carole King. Actors and directors — Clint Eastwood and Daniel Day-Lewis. Comedian Bill Hicks, who was way ahead of his time and Woody Allen, a genius. Also John Hartford, a banjo legend and the artist Pablo Picasso.
What’s been the best decade of your life so far and why?
Probably my twenties. I started to play music from about that time and discovered a side to my personality that was pretty dormant until then. It was my enlightenment period and I also met some very influential characters that have changed the course of my life.
What song sends a shiver down your spine?
Indoor Fireworks by Elvis Costello and Ol’ 55 by Tom Waits both arrest me.
What is your favourite place in Ireland?
I’ve travelled a fair bit, and I really like Donegal, but I love Newry. It was where I was born and it is like no other place I’ve experienced. The people are so funny without even trying to be and apart from the silvery skies; the Mountains of Mourne are very picturesque.
What makes you angry?
Injustice, apathy and indifference make me angry and a lack of respect for the arts, but especially folks who have an innate sense of entitlement.
If you could change one thing in your life, what would it be?
I wish I had trusted my instincts sooner in life. I’ve since realised that more often than not, instincts are there to point me in the right direction.
What book influenced you most?
I like to read factual books, especially those about songwriting and lateral thinking. The Craft And Business of Songwriting by John Braheny and Lateral Thinking by Edward De Bono are the best examples of this.
Which local star in any field should the world outside Ireland know about?
I have a few friends who used to play alongside me on the music circuit when I lived in Leicester who ought to be very famous: Daryl Kirkland is Leicester’s answer to David Bowie and Martha Bean is the Leicester Kate Bush. Both of them are phenomenally talented.
What was the worst moment of your life?
I had a period in my life not so long ago when I lost my father and a close school friend shortly after. Most of my mental ability to function as a normal human being went and I almost lost my sense of humour too.
Can you recommend an interesting website?
Stevecarter.com — he has a dedicated section highlighting the worst album covers ever
created, or darrenpaul.com for amazing photographs.
What is the best lesson life has taught you?
Don’t believe in superstitions. You can carry a rabbit’s foot for luck, but remember — it didn’t work out so well for the rabbit!
Sweeney's favourite film is The Wizard of OzWhat is your favourite film and why?
The Wizard of Oz. It’s so surreal, especially for 1939. It was such a pioneering movie with the transition from black and white to an amazing colour scheme. It never quite feels like Christmas until it’s on telly.
What trait do others criticise you for?
Impatience.
What do you believe in?
If I could sum it up in song titles I would say I believe In Magic, I Can Fly, and Life after Love as well as the power of whiskey.
What are the best and worst things about where you live?
I live in Twickenham, so all that London has to offer is on my doorstep. The worst thing about here is that it can be like living in a big city bubble and easy to lose perspective that there are other great cities and places in the UK.
On what occasion is it OK to lie?
I’m from Ireland; we don’t lie — we embellish!
What do you consider the greatest work of art?
The Garden of Earthly Delights by Hieronymus Bosch. It was painted around 1500 AD, in which case it predated Surrealism by about 400 years. That’s pretty progressive and forward thinking. If a picture tells a thousand stories, then this one tells a million. The mushrooms must have been pretty powerful then!
What is your ultimate guilty pleasure?
Listening to Val Doonican’s Greatest Hits.
Who is the love of your life?
Officially — Megan Jane Arnold from a small town outside of Adelaide in the Riverland, South Australia. Unofficially — a 1991 Huber Lexington five-string banjo.
G D Sweeney’s new album The Truth About Lies is available from May 12
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