It touched too close to home for a working musician and is ultimately really depressing. About six months ago, I figured out how to excavate the real man from inside the alcoholic bubble and the ideas have flowed since.
He was political, generous to a fault, and deadly afraid of slipping back into anonymity. Fame killed him. He drank too much and became a boor. But, oh, what a writer. Even re-reading 'Borstal Boy,' you still get the feeling that you missed out on so much. His plays broke new ground and, with the right reimagining, can be relevant all over again. Behan, of course, was never at a loss for words. He knew the Irish and he knew his audience, whatever their nationality, well.
My two favorite quotes from Behan are:. The Irish and the Jews have a psychosis. Of course, Brendan is most often remembered today with a smile. Years ago, there was a joke about an Irish homeless man begging on the streets of London. This very proper Englishman, with impeccable Saville Row suit, bowler hat and umbrella stops in front of him and is disgusted. Thanks, Brendan! He may be reached at dermotmcevoy50 gmail. Follow him at www. Comparing him with another alcoholic writer, Dylan Thomas, a friend said that 'Dylan wrote Under Milkwood and Brendan wrote under Littlewood'.
As before Behan's tragi-comedy deals with a closed world, in this case a Dublin brothel where the IRA imprison an English soldier, but Littlewood diluted the naturalism of the Irish version with interludes of music-hall singing and dancing. Behan's autobiographical Borstal Boy also appeared in , and its early chapters on prison life are among his best work. By then, however, he was a victim of his own celebrity, and alcoholism and diabetes were taking their toll.
His English publishers suggested that, instead of the writing he now found difficult, he dictate to a tape recorder. The first outcome was Brendan Behan's Island , a readable collection of anecdotes and opinions in which it was apparent that Behan had moved away from the republican extremism of his youth. Brendan Francis Behan was an Irish poet, short story writer, novelist, and playwright who wrote in both English and Irish. He was also an Irish republican and a volunteer in the Irish Republican Army.
However, there was also a strong emphasis on Irish history and culture in the home, which meant he was steeped in literature and patriotic ballads from a tender age.
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