The story of music - Fergus O'Farrell
Fergus O'Farrell was an incredibly talented singer, songwriter, artist who founded the cult Irish band Interference three decades ago. He suffered from muscular dystrophy, ended up in wheelchair in his twenties, not being able to play the guitar or piano as the time passed, his voice was the only thing that remained. And without doubt his voice was his greatest gift.
It's hard to point out just one thing that called my attention, probably the powerful lyrics O'Farrell writes, philosophical lyrics that don't just pass you by, you have to think while you're listening, Ferg's voice stands above it and immediately captures your heart. The voice sounds so natural and if you imagine what condition he's in, it constantly amazes you what you hear. Fergus was always known for seeking perfection in everything, in his music as well as in his paintings. Over the years the paintings became his way of expressing himself after losing the ability to play instruments. The perfectionism might explain the fact that the making of the new Interference album, The Sweet Spot, took seven years. but let me quote Glen Hansard here: "My attitude would be to go and play the song live and I would learn so much about it from playing in front of an audience, but Ferg would wait and wait and hone and whittle it,and get it to a place where he was absolutely sure of it, and when he played it live for the very first time, it would be a masterpiece already."
Why should you listen to Interference? Because we need inspirational people in our lives. We need someone who makes us stop and think. Not only these in-depth tunes will stay with you but musically this is a group of amazing talents who create pure magic when they get together. For so many reasons it's pretty hard to choose a few songs that stand out, each and every one of them is special in its own way but for me personally the most beautiful songs are:
Sail on
and Dark days
Fergus passed away last February but everyone who loved him knows his spirit will always remain in his songs and in his story itself because it's an inspirational story of not giving up against all the odds and living your life to the fullest. A fighter. One of the strongest people I've ever met. It was such an honour to spend time in his company, to call him my friend. Miss him so much to this day...
