Ronnie Kelly

By Lee Yarosh editor of the New York Times

A CONVERSATION WITH RONNIE KELLY

Dubliner Ronnie Kelly has listened to thousands of stories from
thousands of people. That's just the way it is when you tend bar to
pay the bills. With the release of his debut album, New York Behind
Bars, one can now hear his stories. Kelly has recorded ten original
songs that explore life in The City, images of his native Ireland and
a life in love with traveling.

Q. You say it's nice to have a home for these songs. Where were they
born and when? Some are New York-inspired, others aren't. Fill us in.
A. Well, I have many songs that never made it this far - onto an
album - and many are now lost. I'm just happy to have these songs
saved, so I feel I have done them justice. They are from all over and
about a lot of people and places and times.

Q. Grew up in Dublin. Lived and worked in Germany. Now a good bit of
time in New York. A fair bit of travel too. What's behind it?
A. When I was 21, I went to Germany and worked in bars and all had
live music every night. I met a lot of musicians and found not a lot
of them wrote their own music. I thought that if I put as much time
into writing my own songs as people did with learning cover songs,
who knows, after a few years maybe I could write a good song, maybe
even a great one.
As for the travel, after six years in Germany, I visited the U.S.,
and a friend said any time I feel like a change come over, so I did.
Now I feel like another and I'm moving to Crete to buy a bar. I
always enjoy working bars around music and people. It's like playing
songs, you finish one and move on to the next one. I have spent a lot
of time traveling all over the world and love it. It feeds the soul.


Q. You certainly don't hide your accent. If I were from Ireland,
could I tell where you were from? Perhaps, even, right down to the
neighborhood?
A. People have told me they can hear my accent in my songs. I don't
do it on purpose. I can't help it, I don't notice it and couldn't
change it if I tried. The Dublin accent is a hard one to lose. But to
be honest, I wouldn't even want to. ;-)

Q. Songwriter, musician, bartender. Got a favorite?
A. I like them all. Bartending pays the bills and doesn't break the
back. The rest are hobbies. But I don't think I'd do bartending for
free, if you put it that way.

Q. You could probably buy your own island if you had a dime for every
story you've heard, every bit of advice you've dispensed. How much of
this shows up in these lyrics?
A. I have written a lot of songs based on stories people have told
me. I think it is easier to write about other peoples' experiences.
While I can be more honest and critical, and put in my own views, I
try not to point the finger too much. Because, as they say, there
are always three fingers pointing back at you.

Q. Where do you go when you have a story to tell or need some advice?
A. That's a hard one. Not a lot of places, I am a bit too honest and
always seem to say too much so I just sort it out myself. I have a
few close friends of course, and am very close to my family.

Q. Who is Francis Hughes?
A. Francis Hughes was from the north of Ireland, a south Derry town
called Tamlaghtduff. He and eight others died in prison during an I.
R. A. hunger strike in 1981 in The H-Blocks prison. They believed
they were P.O.W.s, not criminals, and refused to don prison clothes
and instead wore only blankets. As punishment, the guards would not
empty their toilets so they had to spread (it!) on the walls. They
felt they had no choice but to fight back like so many others in
Irish history. So, like the Lord Mayor of Limerick and others, they
went on a hunger strike.
But my song is more on a personal note. I tried to put myself in his
shoes, so to say, and to know how much pain your family and friends
were feeling. And more and more I saw it as a father and how a father
would have understanding of his son's choices and hope that he's
right and hope that he will be all right, and will always miss him.

Q. You've got your own distinctive sound. But is there any music or
are there any musicians who inspire you?
A. There's too many to mention and I hear new songwriters I like all
the time. You can't keep a good song down and maybe I'm just into
lyrics, but I love simple songs with meaning, not big productions. A
good song can be broken down and done on one guitar and still be
great.

Q. Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
A. I have no idea, and that's the way I like it. Roll with the
punches, go with the flow and enjoy my time, and keep my eyes open.

Q. Ireland, Germany, New York. Got a favorite?
A. I always enjoy wherever I am at the moment and always loved
wherever I've been.

Q. Give us your thoughts about New York. How does it compare to
everywhere else you've been. Is it all New Yorkers say it i - New york times