A film to watch: Aidan Walsh – Master of the Universe
In the PopLives Q&A from the Irish Times today, I mentioned that I finally got to see the film Aidan Walsh Master Of The Universe thanks to it being on Volta.ie who have it for rent or download. I first wrote about the film four years ago. At that time, it was kind of lost to the switch between VHS and DVD and there was no copy available other than a few people on Thumped who offered a copy.
At the time, all I knew about him was that he put on gigs for young bands during the day, took photos of touring bands at night and talked funny. Shimmy Marcus’s film is well worth watching as it goes beyond the publicity stunts. The stunts are a great watch mind – witness Aidan astride a white horse entering the old Virgin Megastore on Dublin’s Quays led by Gerry Ryan, his performances on TV, his bizarre musical appearances and his rent-dodging stringently-secured recording studio.
The film delves into Walsh’s difficult life, growing up in an orphanage in Cork, witnessing physical abuse by priests, losing his family, finding them, only to lose them again. Despite all his troubles and adversity, he persevered and entertained people in his own unique way. You don’t need to wait til someone dies to celebrate them and Aidan Walsh is true Dublin character worth celebrating. A once off. Volta.ieSo go watch the film.
