“O sweet Jesus
What have I gone and done?
While they nailed you to a cross
I was out runnin’’round havin’ fun
Now lord
Won’t you tell me
How I can ever make amends
And I’ll never touch another whore
Or chase a drink again…”
‘Ballad of The Pissed Apostle’

Michael J Sheehy is a funny man. Not many people know that. It is though a fact. His third solo album ‘No Longer My Concern’ should, if the world is a sensible place, confirm that fact. The final piece of a trilogy started by ‘Sweet Blue Gene’ and continued by ‘Ill-Gotten Gains’ this new album conveniently bookends a run of themes that occupy Mr. Sheehy. As he says, ”There are constant themes running through all three albums and this latest one is a summation of sorts, I mean how many more albums can I write where drinking, fucking and tragedy are the over riding inspiration? I probably need to take up some slightly more leisurely pursuits!” (he said laughing).

Michael wrote the album between June and September 2001. He writes in the summer and claims not to have written a song since then. He had reservations about recording and releasing this material, saying, ”Some of it is very personal and I was worried about hurting people and laying myself bare. I’ve thought many times since laying it down about scraping it all…The world doesn’t need another confessional heartbreak album, but here it is and I can’t apologise for it.’”

“It was summer I was ten, a family trip along union canal I was a miserable fucker then and I’m still one now”
‘Pigboy’

“It’s okay to laugh when bad stuff happens’ says Sheehy ‘and I think it’s crucial to be able to take the piss out of yourself when you’re writing songs of a slightly miserable nature, I hope that comes across on this album.’” He needn’t worry. The album is full of wry dark humor (see song notes), with the first single ‘Donkey Ride Straight To Hell’, ‘Ballad Of The Pissed Apostle’ and ‘Teardrop Time’ showcasing his ability to tell tales of woe with his tongue placed firmly in his cheek. ‘No Longer My Concern’ is in fact a fully realised album reflecting the maturity of an artist who can laugh at himself and the world at large while at the same time tackling the pain and disappointment of real life.

Recording the album was ‘fairly easy’, taking three weeks to make. ”I didn’t give the musicians much time to think about what they were doing, some of them were hearing the songs for the first time when they arrived at the studio.” As for the future, Michael says “I’ve recorded three albums in three years so I think I’m going to rest up for a while. I may do a covers album, I don’t know. I need to reinvent things, try to come at it from a different angle…”

Meantime Michael is set to continue touring both Europe and the USA where he recently completed a solo six week tour supporting Peter Murphy (ex Bauhaus). It was an experience he enjoyed, ” I travel alone most of the time and It can be quite romantic in that travelling troubadour kind of way but it can also be quite lonely. On the US tour there were some great slanging matches between myself and some sassy Murphyites, some nights it took everything I had to get up there and see out the show. I think you have to be made of pretty stern stuff to open for someone who has achieved iconic status amongst his fans when it’s just you armed with a guitar and some cheap gags.” Ever the self deprecator, Sheehy should rest assured that with the release of ‘No Longer My Concern’ and the completion of a trilogy of albums he has set an impressive benchmark for himself.

Chris Carr (August 2002)