Culture That Made Me: Stevie G's selections include Marvin Gaye, Sir Henrys and Questlove
Cork DJ Stevie G: influenced by legends in Black music, and Cork club culture
Stevie G is a DJ, producer and radio presenter on Cork’s RedFM. He also hosts the Stevie Wonder[s] podcast.
- See: https://linktr.ee/steviegcork/.
The first alternative music that I got into as a teen was The Clash. Subconsciously – even though I was listening to Michael Jackson and Prince at the time – it was The Clash more than anyone who got me into what I call black music. For me, punk was never about haircuts – I never had a mohican – or anything. Punk was more of an attitude.
A lot of far-right idiots grabbed onto punk in the same way as what happened with soccer hooligans, but The Clash were very vocal about anti-racism, for example, because they knew their music came from black music and influences in Brixton, which has a massive immigrant population. All that stuff fascinated me.
They put me on to blues, soul, reggae and dub. The first time I heard of Lee 'Scratch' Perry was through The Clash. They seemed cool, although I was getting it second-hand – 10 years after their prime.
N.W.A., Public Enemy were big for me, but you’ve to understand where I’m coming from: if you're a white Irish teenager, A Tribe Called Quest spoke more my language. They were bohemian, racially open. I was never going to shout the N-word in a song. Politically, women weren’t disrespected in their lyrics. Musically, they were sampling a lot of the rock artists I grew up on like Lou Reed and Jimi Hendrix.
They also brought me into soul and jazz. As it happened, I got so into soul and jazz from them – and others – that many of the old soul artists they sampled, I ended up doing gigs with or bringing to Cork or interviewing over the years. Hip hop is something that brings you on a musical journey.
I’ve met big stars like Beyoncé and Kanye West – he was in The Pav nightclub when we were running it; I warmed up for him a couple of times – but one of the memories that has stayed with me is Questlove. He’s a drummer from The Roots. He does the music on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. He’s friends with the Obamas.
Back at the Witnness festival in about 2003, The Roots were playing. I was a nobody. I was only on a local radio station. We had a cabin near the stage. I was doing my show. I hadn’t arranged any interview with Questlove, but when he walked off stage, I put on a long song, went back stage – because I had a pass – and said, “Listen, I’m sorry for being an asshole here, but I'm live on air. Would you come in and say, ‘Hi’?”
In fairness to the guy, he came into the cabin and chatted away. It was cool of him – that he was willing to chop it up for 10 minutes like that.
Nothing ever spoke to me artistically like Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On. I did a documentary on him. I did a couple of tributes to him. It's 50 years this May the album was released. When you look at the lyrics, some of its themes are as relevant now.
I called my son Marvin after him. Now don't get me wrong, the guy was no angel. He went off the rails. He died young, but musically, he could do anything he wanted – political stuff, a bedroom album, disco. And his voice – he could probably sing the telephone book and make it sound amazing.
The best thing in the last 20, 30 years for me – since Marvin Gaye’s gone – has been Frank Ocean. He’s more alternative than soul. His voice and especially his song writing is fantastic. He’s already released two or three classic albums before hitting 30.
He's got Beyoncé on one song on his album, Blonde, which came out five years ago. You can hear her singing a tiny harmony at the end, but she’s not credited. If anyone else had Beyoncé on their record, she'd take it over, but this guy is so confident. He’s a massive influence.
When I was in school, the venue Sir Henrys emerged in Cork. It was a dream to go there. By the time I finished college in the mid-90s I was DJing there. Basically, I ended up in music because of Sir Henrys. The club’s DJs were big influences – Greg and Shane from Fish Go Deep, Donkeyman, Gina Johnson. A lot of it was the moment. The club scene was popping off at the time. It was a place where people from all backgrounds went.
Homosexuality was illegal in Ireland until 1993. A lot of the gay crowd used to go there, and to another club night at Zoe’s called Mór Disco, but we never batted an eyelid about it. The club scene is cool that way. It’s a safe space. It didn't matter what you wore. It wasn't a club where there was slow dances. People were coming from everywhere, old and young, from 18 to 40. No one cared.
It’s the way it should be.
When I was about 16 or 17, I got the autobiography of Miles Davis. It was a book that changed the game for me. I was into jazz at the time. I knew it was cool. I was buying one or two records. I knew about sampling, but I didn't really get the music properly. This guy started off giving out about all the older guys that he grew up listening to.
He was like, “I’m the new thing.” He had his drug problems, but he came back, kept changing his music. He influenced rock artists. Even in the 1980s – when he was in his 60s – he was comparing himself with Michael Jackson and Prince. He was working with rappers before he died. He was so forward thinking. It always struck with me – he never rested on his laurels. It was a big thing for me, musically, to be adventurous. His story made a massive impact on me.
Even when I didn't understand his music, I always respected the guy.
I’m really interested in this Irish artist, Mary Swanzy. I only discovered her a couple of years ago at IMMA in Dublin. She was peaking about a hundred years ago. I’m blown away by her paintings. It's like cubist, futurist stuff. I read up a bit about her.
It’s cool that she was from Ireland, this artist who was influential all over the world, and right at the cutting edge.
