Gavin's NYC

It being St. Patrick's Day, I dialed up a few of my favorite Irish bands on YouTube today, notably the Virgin Prunes, Thin Lizzy, the Boomtown Rats, Stiff Little Fingers, The Undertones and a couple of others. In the course of same, I uncovered this great little documentary clip on one of my favorites, Gavin Friday. Gavin was lead singer of the Virgin Prunes back in the early 80s (I wrote lengthily about my favorite album of theirs here) before starting an equally awesome yet wildly different solo career. If you're not familiar with his three solo albums, you should seek them out immediately, particular 1989's Each Man Kills the Thing He Loves. You'll thank me later.

In any case, the clip below finds Gavin in NYC during the summer of 2001. He was in town with his pals in U2 for a prestigious art show by their friend and fellow-former `Prune, Guggi. Herein, Gavin & Bono wax rhapsodic on their feelings about Lypton Village (the bohemian collective from whence sprang both U2 and the Virgin Prunes) and New York City. Included is some lovely footage of just pre-911 Manhattan, notably a drive up the Bowery featuring a fleeting cameo by CBGB (where I first saw Gavin perform in `89) and a trip inside the Chelsea Hotel. Even if you don't care about the artists in question, it's a nice little view of New York City. Check it out.