Cultural Picks from the celebrated singer-songwriter.
Mark Geary is a Dublin born musician who has split his time between Ireland and New York City for the last 20 years. He spent his early years performing in NYC at the famed Sin-e Café alongside his friend Jeff Buckley, and has shared bills with talents as diverse as Joe Strummer, Coldplay and The Frames. His latest album is entitled The Fool, and he plays live at Phil Grimes in Waterford on Sunday, March 18th and in Levis' Bar in Ballydehob, West Cork on Saturday, March 24th
Film
I've been kinda on the go since the new album was released - I haven't seen the inside of a cinema. The last one I went to was Dunkirk. I made a special effort to go to the an IMAX cinema and got the full-on experience. I absolutely loved the film. Just the sheer spectacle and the soundtrack - really what these big movie places are for.
Music
Again, I'm kinda lost in a vacuum - trains and planes and subways. Managed to listen to the new Lost Brothers album - it's absolutely beautiful - and Glen Hansard's new one, Between Two Shores. The War On Drugs' album (A Deeper Understanding) has been a joy to dive into, too.
Book
There is a joy of a seven-hour journey on a train through Switzerland into Italy (really, there is). I bought John McGahern's That They May Face The Rising Sun in Listowel when I was down playing a gig and wandering around the town. My brother Karl (who just released his debut novel, Montpellier Parade) was at me to get some of his books, it was such an incredible read, the beauty and brutality of everyday life, his description of rural life in Ireland and his ear for dialogue is just so impressive, I felt I was sitting at the table with these people. Astonishing book.
Play
Hand on heart, I've not been to the theatre in a year- and even that was treat for me. My friend Glen treated me as something different to do - Harold Pinter plays. I think when you play music there's a lazy thing, at least for myself, to stay and focus on the music that's around me. It's something I'm aware of, to try and break out of that track and go see something from a different field. As I think of it, sometimes just standing in a field works too.
TV
This will reveal what happens when you've travel time and hotels at 3am. Just finished Season 3 of Fargo. Then there's The Crown, Mindhunter, Unabomber, Black Mirror... yup - I did them all.
Gig
Honestly - I wouldn't even know who or where anyone is playing !!! I've not looked at a schedule apart from my own.
Art
Just left Rome - walked the streets in that utterly overwhelming city. Walking on history. It's almost hard to comprehend - all my reading of history, and suddenly I'm there. I found little churches and walked the Colosseum at night, saw incredible murals in little districts - a wonderful time.
Radio/Podcast
Jarlath Regan has a fantastic podcast called An Irishman Abroad. He interviews all kinds: sports people, musicians, actors, writers- even me! It's one of the most enjoyable interviews I've done, the podcast is an hour and thirty minutes long, so you really get to some of deep places, the way he guides you and asks his questions - you're talking to someone whose aware and awake and interested. So wonderful.
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Tech
Please - as a disclaimer! I'm sorry - if it were another way, I'd happily have it so. But there is not. There just isn't, I need to be honest. The only app I have on my phone is called Bean Hunter - it tells you where the lovely roasters and hipsters all go for their coffee, all around the world - you could be a block away from all the waxed mustachioed types, and with the app you'd never know. I love my coffee, I find little places, buy a bag of beans and pop it in my suitcase.
The Next Big Thing...
Jesus. I'm still dealing with the last big thing, what was that again. I'm honestly just trying to focus on a day at a time. I never had much interest or compulsion to try to see where the wind was blowing - only that I have the appropriate clothing to survive it.
