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Green Suede Shoes: An Irish-American Odyssey

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Larry Kirwan has been a fixture in NYC for over 20 years. He has plenty of stories to tell. He does that in his songs with his band Black '47. This book takes the songs even further along and really gets to the root of each song. This book starts off with Kirwans early days in Wexford. You will see how Kirwan was drawn into music at such an early age. Playing with showbands and his familys wide range of music has helped Kirwan to where he is at today. You also get to know how early on politics played in Kirwans life and still does to this day. This book tells the story of Bridie from Black '47's most known song "Funky Ceili". Should Kirwan have stayed and married her or was going to NYC to become a playwright the right move? Some of these songs that Kirwan have wrote have movie written all over them. Read about Gerty in "Czechoslovakia" and imagine this whole thing playing out on the big screen. There are also very touching moments throughout this book especially the relationships that Kirwan had with his family. When you are away you have so much time to think about your loved ones back home. This book tells the story of how Black '47 was formed and also some real funny stuff with co founding member of Black '47 Chris Byrne. Did you know that Black '47 once had the whole town of Hoboken closed down? This book also deals with pre and post 9/11. Kirwan goes very in deep talking about this tragedy. One of the most touching lines from this book was when Black '47 was performing a few weeks after 9/11. People would often bring pictures of loved ones that they lost and show them to Kirwan and ask them to sing that persons favorite song. Kirwan was hit with sorrow when he recognized the face and hit even harder when he did not. He felt that this person knew so much about him and the band, yet he didn't even know the face. Kirwan also touches on the late Father Mychal Judge and his trips to see the band. One of the saddest and greatest songs I have ever heard is "Mychal" and that song is really explained in this book. Tears, laughs and pure enjoyment make this book a must!

In his latest book, Larry Kirwin details the events of his life from growing up in sexually suppressed and religiously repressive Wexford, Ireland to becoming a playwright and rock musician in New York City in this moving, entertaining and informative memoir.

Filled with great and sometime hilarious stories of the many characters of his life, this book is hard to put down. In addition to slap your knees funny accounts such as when Larry and his uncle, a Catholic priest, venture into Northern Ireland with the purpose of converting the Rev. Ian Paisley, there are also very moving accounts of friends and relationships that have been lost. His accounts of witnessing the events of September 11 first hand will bring tears to the eyes of even the most jaded reader.

This book is of course a must for any Black 47 fan, as it provides deep insight into many favorite Black 47 songs. However, even for a casual fan or anyone who is interested in the music business, as it were, Green Suede Shoes provides an unique persepctive into the every day life of a rock and roll veteran, and done with much more sensitivity and lyricism than most run of the mill rock biographies you will find.

I throughly enjoyed this book from cover to cover. Larry Kirwan takes us on a journey from his boyhood in Wexford ,Ireland in the late 50's and 60's,through the wild New York City of the 70's and 80's,to the formation of Black 47,which has been referred to as the "only rock band that really matters", and finally to the day that changed the lives of everyone in the United States. It's a 40 year odyssey and it has been one hell of a ride.
There are parts in this book that are laugh out loud funny and others that will bring a tear to your eye.

You don't have to be Irish or a Black 47 fan or even a rock 'n roll fan to enjoy this book.

I can only speak from the perspective of a fan of Black 47 who saw them a bit in their early years at Paddy's and someone who has most of their music. Green Suede Shoes is an extremely entertaining memoir by Larry Kirwan, the lead singer and driving force behind the band. The book covers his early years as a rocker/rebel/socialist/republican finding himself as a young man Ireland, to his journey to New York where he becomes a musician and playright, and then to the founding of Black 47, the capstone of his musical career. In between there are stories of loves lost, and lots more of alcohol consumed, and lots of colorful characters along the way, including some well known characters in the annals of music and New York City. Kirwan is the real deal: he and his bandmates are committed to their music and their fans, and that bond has made them "New York's House Band" for fifteen years; they respond to requests shouted out, to e-mails sent, and mingle with the crowd after the show. That passion comes across in the book. The story also involves his relationship with his parents and touches on the universal immigrant experience of never being able to go home again.

Certainly for any fan of Black 47, or even someone who is just familiar with their music but shares the New York Irish American experience, this is a great read; it rekindles interest in their music, but speaks to an era through the eyes and experiences of one of New York's all time great artists.

The book as a biography, has a solid enough premise and just the right amount of appealing grit to the cover, that I would have picked it up off the book shelves even if I'd never heard of the band, Black47.
It's reads easy and pleasant,like a letter from an old friend letting you know what they've been up to. Smart but not "over your head" intellectual, poignant yet witty.
Mr. Kirwan's writting style I liken to Eric Burdon's in his book,
"I used to be an Animal but I'm all right now".
That book has been on my shelf for years, it's all dog eared and the pages are held to the binding by scotch tape and rubber bands.I can easily see Green Suede Shoes right beside it in years to come.
The CD Elvis Murphy's Green Suede Shoes is good but not necessary to enjoy the book,
so well written, it speaks for itself.

This is such a superb work of literature that one can come to it from a number of different angles and find a wealth information and emotion. Whether one is a devotee of Larry Kirwan's life's work, or a follower of Black 47 music, or simply an Irish-American - or any-American - here one will find a work of literature that is honest, bold and sensitive. Like much of Larry Kirwan and Black 47's work, parents can share it with their own children, and children should share it with their parents. My personal arrival at this memoir was from being a devoted follower of Black 47's music, and there was much in here for me to learn. I strongly suggest obtaining the companion Black 47 CD to enhance the pleasure that this book has to offer.

beautifully written book that explains the modern irish immigration story better than any other book out there.
As an immigrant from dublin in the early 80's this book has put into words my own feelings about being an immigrant.
I really felt the book speak to me and was almost like chatting with an old friend.
His chapter on being in New York on 9/11 and the feelings that terrible day brought out really hit home for me
I've been in America now over half my life and consider myself American and Larry touches on that as well
and coming to terms and being proud of becoming an american citizen
Great book from a talented writer and highly recommended

Larry Kirwan, the driving force behind Black 47, is a rarity in the world of rock and roll. His talent is just as apparent on the page as it is in song. GREEN SUEDE SHOES is a collection of stories about his life, from his youth with his grandfather, a sculptor of monuments in County Wexford to the wild days in NYC as a struggling rocker. Each section is introduced with the lyrics of one of his songs; songs that offer a slightly distorted reflection of what really happened. A classic example of this method is "Funky Ceili" where the song tells of a young man forced to leave Ireland because of the very unhappy father of his pregnant girlfriend and the real story is more of two people in love but both afraid to give up what they really want for the other. This story and others show the relationship of life with art in Kirwan's music and gives the reader insight into the creative process. Kirwan tells the stories of his youth with humor, passion, and poetry with each piece crafted lovingly; his ability to pull you into his stories is incredible. You get the feeling he's sitting in the room with you "spinning his yarns" as you sit with rapt attention. The book does bog down a bit when Kirwan's career does and this time period becomes a bit of a chore to read through, but the overall pleasure of reading about this intriguing life more than make up for the few less exciting entries. It's the rare occasion when a musician's written work can match his musical ability; Kirwan's GREEN SUEDE SHOES is a fine example of when it does.

Green Suede Shoes is much more than the stories behind the songs that start each chapter of this book, whose author is the driving force behind the Irish rock band Black 47. The subtitle is "An Irish-American Odyssey," which is a tip-off to the true nature of this book. Kirwan takes you from his upbringing in Wexford to his insane early days trying to make it in New York, to the rise of Black 47 and beyond. Refreshingly suspicious of fame and celebrityhood, Kirwan is indeed a true artist---however presumptuous he or his old friends back in Ireland might regard the claim---who is passionately motivated by his music and by his uncompromising commitment to tell political and moral truth in his songs. But don't read this book---just as you wouldn't listen to Black 47---because of Kirwan's idealism, politics, or good intentions. Read it because it's a great story, told with formidable narrative momentum and artistry, filled with humor and emotion and all kinds of behind-the-scenes craziness.

This is a delightful book! Larry Kirwan has a wonderful way with the English language. I swear he could write the ingredients in a box of cereal and make it a joy to read. He has a real knack for sharing experiences with a sense of humor and a lack of pretentiousness. I'm buying a second copy to give as a gift- I won't be parting with MY copy (I got it autographed). This book is a great read & and a refreshing, insightful look at modern America and the New York music scene.