Creation Records founder coming to Mullingar

Alan McGee, one of the biggest names of the music industry of the last 30 years, will doing an exclusive Q&A session in Mullingar on Saturday October 19. The genius behind Creation Records who signed, managed and championed the likes of Oasis, Primal Scream, Teenage Fanclub, My Bloody Valentine, the Jesus and Mary Chain, and Libertines, will be in conversation with Ronan Casey at The Stables.

Special guests on the night are Cronin and Matt McManamon of the Dead 60s, followed by a Creation Records DJ set till late.

McGee penned his acclaimed autobiography Creation Stories – Riots, Raves and Running a Record Label, a tell-all, no-holes barred, behind-the-scenes story of rock and roll.

With a biopic on his life out next year, which McGee calls ‘Trainspotting meets Creation’ story, it’s an exciting time to see McGee in the flesh.

“I’m looking forward to it because I’ve no idea where I’m going, so that’s going to be quite interesting,” McGee told the Westmeath Examiner of his upcoming appearance in the town.

“I’m looking forward to it, I don’t really know Ireland all that well – I’ve been to Dublin, Belfast, Cork, Waterford and that’s it.

“I like Ireland as well because I’m Celtic – I’m Scottish – Ireland is close to my heart,” says the Glaswegian, who left Scotland at the age of 19.

“My family’s based in the Welsh borders – I don’t really live there that much any more because I’m in London doing music all the time, but I mean that was very, very rural.

“I lived there for nine years bringing up my daughters, Wales is Wales – it’s not like Ireland, but it’s similar in the sense that it’s very rural.”

Life story

Turning 59 this week, Alan says: “I have loads of stories to tell. Because I’m old, I’ve been around, and I’ve stored them up.

“Really, I’m just a background boy that just kinda stayed around because I was good at it,” he said.

Mostly people want to hear about the music, the more excessive rock and roll stories, or what it was like to work with Oasis, and two of the most volatile brothers on the planet.

“Every day I get asked when are Oasis reforming, to be honest. It’s like The Beatles.”

Alan launched his new record label Creation 23 last year and signed Irish band The Clockworks, who are from Galway, while also managing a number of acts including The Happy Mondays and Cast.

“Yes, I’ve got an Irish band now on my new little label, Creation 23, a young band from Galway – they’re very tall. The guitarist is six foot five, the bass player and the drummer are both six foot three, and the singer is six foot – so what is going on in Ireland that you’ve all these boys that big? These are giants!”

After a hiatus from the industry, what made McGee return with Creation 23?

“I always said I wouldn’t do Creation Records again, because I didn’t want to be disrespectful to the people that helped Creation Records.

“But everybody identifies me with Creation, so I just called it Creation 23.”

Biopic

Ewen Bremner is to play McGee in the upcoming biopic of his life, Creation Stories.

“The film is about my book and they’ve put it on the screen. Ewen Bremner is playing me, Danny Boyle’s producing it, Nick Moran’s directing it, and Irvine Walsh is writing it – so it’s Creation gets Trainspotting, if you know what I mean.

“It’s a buzz, though, you know, it’s quite exciting – Ewen Bremner playing me, which is going to be weird, you know. I’m not even going to be famous for me, I’m going to be famous for somebody playing me.”

On the night in Mullingar, Cronin will be taking to the stage, whom Alan met in London’s Boogaloo in Highgate recently.

“Cronin – they’re good boys, brilliant. It was a strange thing that, Johnny Depp and Shane MacGowan having a few drinks at the bar, and the Cronin brothers playing – it was a bit Twin Peaks. And me standing, like this little man going ‘What the f***’s going on?!’.”

McGee promises plenty of anecdotes and rock ‘n’ roll tales, as well as a few pearls of wisdom on the night

“Well I can guarantee they’ll have a good laugh – some of the bizarreness of my life... I’m good with the wisdom sometimes.”