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LONGSTANDING NORTH DUBLIN band Aslan will play the first of two gigs this Friday in the Iveagh Gardens in Dublin.
The band is marking 30 years since the release of their iconic first album Feel No Shame.
Ahead of the gig, Aslan’s frontman Christy Dignam sat down with TheJournal.ie to discuss their music, the highs and lows of the band throughout the years, contemporary pop music, the upcoming gigs, and his own struggles with his health over the years.
While talking, Dignam used some strong language to lay into contemporary Irish society and how it treats addiction, the ongoing homelessness crisis and the widening gap between the rich and the poor.
“I’ve a thing about the whole addiction thing,” said Dignam.
“If we put a quarter of the money into treating addiction that we put into fighting addiction and putting people in prisons and stuff like that.
If we put a quarter of that money into treating addiction we wouldn’t need to be filling our prisons with people that aren’t criminals, that just have some sort of… they have mental illness you know? Treat it as such.
Dignam also took issue with the Welfare Cheats campaign which ran last year while then-Social Protection Minister Leo Varadkar was in office.
“For example, Leo Varadkar came out a while ago talking about people on welfare and all ruining the… bleeding the country dry,” he said.
“This country is not bankrupt cos some bloke is claiming a hundred euros or two hundred euro a week.
This country is bankrupt cos the bankers fucking bankrupted us. But they won’t say that, so what they do is they blame this girl who’s claiming unmarried mothers when she’s really living with her fella, they blame her and our attention goes to her.
“And we’re all fighting among ourselves down here while the bankers are still up here making millions.”
And then… we’ve 4000 kids living on the street and in hotel accommodation. It’s outrageous.
You can read and watch our full interview with Christy tomorrow evening on TheJournal.ie.
Aslan play the Iveagh Gardens this Friday 13 July and next Saturday 21 July. Tickets for Saturday’s show are sold out but tickets remain for this Friday’s gig.
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He speaks the truth.
@Paul Laing:
FG speak lies.
@Christy Nolan: indeed it does.
That’s capitalism for you. Rich get richer and the poor get poorer. There’s only so much to go around. I don’t mind people working hard and earning more as a result of working harder. But when there are individuals who are earning more money than GDP of a single country, something needs to be fixed.
@Liam Byrne: capital appreciates in an accelerating manner. Earned incomes remain static. Accommodation becomes more and more expensive.
@Liam Byrne:
That’s corporate cronyism not capitalism. Capitalism has pulled more people out of poverty than any other system.
@Native: and it has put many into heartless penury.
@Paul Laing: There is money to be made in homelessness. middle men who make a business out of peoples misery.
@Sean Conway: sadly and tragically true. The misery of some is the profit of others.
@Paul Laing:
No system is perfect, but it is the best we have. You tried Communism/Socialism yet?
@Native: false alternatives. There are other choices.
@Native: “No system is perfect, but it is the best we have”? You really believe that the current relationship between crony capitalism and the global neoliberalism paradigm now reigning in most countries, is the best we have? Communism is a polictical ideology. Don’t conflate it with socialism. And is wrong with healthy democratic socialism? Yes, we have tried Socialism, and it works.
@Native: It is neo liberal crony capitalism, which is the current economic system; and as you can see, it only works for the few.
@Ron O’Keefe:
Capitalism = Unequal amounts of wealth
Socialism = Equal amounts of poverty
@Ron O’Keefe: It depends how you define Socialism. It has been traditionally understood as a rejection of private property and one in which the state controls the means of production. It is a transitional period until the workers control the means of production such is Communism. The thing is the latter rarely happens and Socialism nearly always produces a totalitarian state which is more oppressive than any free market Capitalist society because power becomes centralised by the State which breeds corruption and oppression. Capitalism and Neoliberalism are flawed systems but Socialism has never worked, see Venezuela, North Korea, China under Mao, the USSR and East Germany. A better system is a mixture of both like what they have in the Nordic countries, that is, social democracy.
@Dainéil Ó hÍobhair:
Exactly, democratic Socialism paved the way for Venezuelas current state of totalitarian misery.
@Native: The current capitalist policies are workino only for a very few. For everyone else, it is a house built on sand. Capitalism is not bad. Capitalism run amok is bad. You are cynical about socialism.
@Dainéil Ó hÍobhair: I don’t believe a pure Socialist system is what is best. Buit there has to be a healthy does of socialism mixed with capitalism. Look to the New Deal. The biggest problem with socialism not working is because of corruption, not because of socialism in of itself.itreduces totalitarianism because that was always the goal of places like USSR, East Berlin, MaoIst China, etc.
Typo
Should read: it produced totalitarianism
@Dainéil Ó hÍobhair: I agree, social democracy works. Part of the problem is that the word socialism has taken on many forms. Many capitalists get turned off by the word socialism.
@Dainéil Ó hÍobhair: A better term is Democratic Socialist.
@Native: This is because of a healthy dose of corruption.
@Ron O’Keefe: Any pure system will lead to problems since it’s based more on ideology than pragmatism. Most western democracies have mixed systems even the US. The terms ‘socialism’ and ‘capitalism’ tend to have their actual meanings altered by those using such terms. Socialism does tend to lend itself more to totalitarianism than capitalosm even if it isn’t the principle intention of those advocating for it because ultimate power is handed to the State which in turn is more likely to abuse such power. Social democracy and democratic socialism aren’t synonyms. See: https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-difference-between-a-Democratic-Socialist-and-a-Social-Democrat
@Dainéil Ó hÍobhair: thanks for the link. Oddly enough, i have read the exact opposite, especially in regards to Sanders. There seems to be a lot of schools of thought on this subject now, and interchanging of these terms. I agree about socialism that lends itself to smoothing off the “rough edges” of capitalism. You are right, social democracy is a more benign form of socialism, and would be better received and more achievable. I. don’t understand why people think socialism leads to totalitarianism any more than capitalism does. Thanks for the info.
@Ron O’Keefe:
That’s the very reason that Socialism will never work, Human nature, on paper it looks all rosey and grand, but in reality it doesn’t. The regular excuse for when something goes wrong ie Venezuela, “It’s not the right kind of Socialism” or “It wasn’t implemented properly”.
Not too wrong Christy. The corruption in this country is sickening.
Which homeless charity is he donating the proceeds of concerts to?
@Phillip O’Brien: he has been massively generous.
@Paul Laing:
Christy is a Saint in my eyes, he never let’s the charities down. Certainly not like FG’s Senior Advisor Rehab Flannery.
@Paul Laing: To whom?
@Phillip O’Brien: thats nonsense , usual redherring response – why cant you give all your money away instead of calling out the problem -idiotic – you are entitled to speak out about the social injustices in ireland – especially when you get a media platform -doesn’t at all mean you have to give all your earnings away to whatever injustice you are highlighting – he is calling out some very honest truths – irish people have taken on the bank debts for a generation and as we build a recovery we have glaring injustices and incompetence in almost every major sector in ireland , housing , health , criminal justice -
@Phillip O’Brien: to 3 homeless charities and to 2 homeless families.
@Phillip O’Brien: Ask bono the guy who moved country with U2 so he could divert his tax to his charity at the same time paying his personal income tax in Eire.
@Phillip O’Brien:
What homeless charity are you donating to for be allowed to express your opinion?
Clown
@Bat Daly: Capuchin Centre, you?
@Dave Hammond: No one is suggesting he gives all his money away – the article needs more balance. If he has donated it should be mentioned because otherwise, as in this case, it comes across as preachy.
@Phillip O’Brien: he has donated and generously so but he does not blow his trumpet. I will not betray his privacy by revealing the details. He puts his money where his mouth is.
No white collar criminals in mountjoy. only the type that keep the judiciary in gravy.
@Sean Conway: David Drumm is in Mount Joy.
@Do the Bort man: pending relocation.
@Sean Conway: well said.
@Do the Bort man:
Is Bono in “Mount Joy”?
Hypocrite.
@Do the Bort man: What a dumb response. Ask yourself how many of those in Mountjoy will be coming home to a 4 mill euro pension, which is what Drumm will be getting. A pension he stole off of Anglo Irish customers.
@Ron O’Keefe: how is it a dumb response? David Drumm is currently there.
To this day…I still do not understand why Aslan never conquered the international market as a band….. they are in my opinion talented with a great frontman…. Christy dignam’s sings from his soul …….. honesty kills allszzzzzzzzzz…
@Edward Christie: I used to say the same, unfortunately I found out the answer. Christy was a heroin addict so it f’d it all up. Real shame
@Edward Christie: They would have broke America but the Drug issues came at the same time.. Unfortunate.
Our politicians and bankers are a disgrace.
@Tadhg: not a great time just before a performance. Most performers are very keyed up and trying to focus.
ranting and raving aside, he did not put any point forward how he would do it better had he the financial reins
@Rear Admiral: What is currently being done with the financial reins is only working for a very few; which is exactly what it is designed to do. It is pretty obvious what should be done; and that is not what is currently being done. What’s the saying, “it’s economy stupid”.
So right Christy…them and us …them well looked after ..us get the crumbs
The bankers and Lowrey . Lowery was found guilty and finedd 12,000 euros. It’s a joke. The normal now soap is sent mount job for petty crime.
Truth and justice will see its day and the 1% will be ripped from their decadent nests and cast out where the rest of us dwell… They will be cold!!!
@Marc Quinn: It wont happen, cause the Profit Before People Party (FG) will bail them out with our money.
Christ for the Aras
@Princess J.: he is a great supporter of President Michael D Higgins and has been a guest of the President. There is great mutual respect.
Democracy is suppose to change society.
@Marcus o Dhonnghaile: but democracy is controlled by the very wealthy who can only stay that way by keeping others poor, it’s not going to change so the only hope is to pull yourself up by working hard. A politician can say whatever in a mandate and forget it once elected. And what can you do? Nothing.
I totally agree with you 10.000 people homeless 4,000 children . Bankers did this and were still paying for it
A suspended sentence for Mr Drumm is not enough to deter Banksters from wrongdoing in the future. We have motorists jailed for motoring infringements, for God’s sake!
Tell us something we don,t know!
The Sinn Feiners are sitting on their fannies while the banksters and their facilitating politicians are keeping their fingers crossed hoping that enough time will be put between the woes of 2008-09 to ensure the mug working class forgets all about it.
@Moorooka Mick: Don’t worry, those woes (austerity)went on for 10 yrs. And they are still going on for most people now that everything has become even more consolidated since the financial collapse for those at the top of the pyramid. No one old will forget. Besides, we won’t be able to forget. The current system does not allow for any of us with half a brain to not see what is going on.
Good on ya Christy for speaking the truth about our rotten corrupt society.
Well said Christy.
Christy you might as well be talking to the wall the only way things will change in this Country is to get rid of Fine Gael, FIANNA Failed .
Very well said Christy!!
rabble rabble
@voice of raisin: yes you are.
@Margate:
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