“The matter is being discussed on the news and we learn I am banned from NBC for life. This hurts me a lot less than rapes hurt those Irish children.”
I remember when Sinéad O’Connor ripped up the photo of Pope John Paul II on Saturday Night Live. Not because I watched SNL – too late for me, at the time, and hit or miss in the funny department – but it doesn’t matter because everyone remembers that. It was the news at the time, though why she did it should have been the news. I remember thinking, “That’s brave!” It was impressive. She wasn’t murdering anyone, and even though I didn’t know the exact symbolism for what she was doing, I knew it had to be important to her to do it.
Rememberings is a wonderful read if you love Sinéad O’Connor. It’s a wonderful read if you love music. It’s a wonderful read if you love autobiographies. I love all three, so it’s triple wonderful!
Sinéad O’Connor’s autobiography is honest, funny, punk rock, spiritual, innocent, painful and at times difficult to read if you ache for the child’s voice she uses to describe many things early on in the book. Some parallels in my own life felt eerie and triggering, but she doesn’t roll out information in a way that’s meant to make you feel sorry for her or make you want to do anything but understand who she is; why she is. It’s an artist’s take on this alien experience we all navigate. She’s just a friend telling you what she is remembering, all the while conveying hope and imparting a new or deepened respect for Ireland, Irish people and Lou Reed.
“My intention was to put all the pieces of the jigsaw that was me out on the floor and see if I could put it together. To be understood was my desire. Along with that was my desire not to have the ignorant tell my story when I’m gone. Which was what would have happened had I not told it myself.”
Amen!