1 00:00:00,160 --> 00:00:03,400 Speaker 1: This episode contains content that may be disturbing to some listeners. 2 00:00:03,840 --> 00:00:08,319 Speaker 1: Please check the show notes for more information. Disgraceland is 3 00:00:08,320 --> 00:00:25,239 Speaker 1: a production of Double Elvis. This is a story about 4 00:00:25,280 --> 00:00:28,840 Speaker 1: a rock stars, rock star and his band. A band 5 00:00:28,840 --> 00:00:32,040 Speaker 1: that made Ireland proud, a band that makes me want 6 00:00:32,040 --> 00:00:35,080 Speaker 1: to drive fast and break things. A band that some 7 00:00:35,159 --> 00:00:37,960 Speaker 1: of you, for some reason, think I hate, but I don't. 8 00:00:38,400 --> 00:00:40,919 Speaker 1: A band born belly up in a bar filled with 9 00:00:41,120 --> 00:00:44,720 Speaker 1: bad men. A band who never really broke in America 10 00:00:44,760 --> 00:00:48,800 Speaker 1: the way they should have. A band named Thin Lizzie, 11 00:00:49,560 --> 00:00:54,200 Speaker 1: A band that made great music, unlike that music I 12 00:00:54,280 --> 00:00:56,280 Speaker 1: played for you at the top of the show that 13 00:00:56,480 --> 00:00:59,400 Speaker 1: wasn't great music. That was a preset loop from my 14 00:00:59,440 --> 00:01:03,880 Speaker 1: melotron called roll me over and do what Now? MK two. 15 00:01:04,760 --> 00:01:07,039 Speaker 1: I played you that loop because I can't afford the 16 00:01:07,080 --> 00:01:10,480 Speaker 1: rights to December nineteen sixty three, Oh What a Night 17 00:01:10,720 --> 00:01:13,600 Speaker 1: by the Four Seasons? And why would I play you 18 00:01:13,640 --> 00:01:17,560 Speaker 1: that specific slice of Jersey Boys Cheese? Could I afford it? 19 00:01:19,000 --> 00:01:22,120 Speaker 1: Because that was the number one song in America on 20 00:01:22,200 --> 00:01:25,480 Speaker 1: March twenty sixth, nineteen seventy six, And that was the 21 00:01:25,600 --> 00:01:29,360 Speaker 1: day that Thin Lizzie released their sixth studio album Jailbreak, 22 00:01:29,720 --> 00:01:32,559 Speaker 1: featuring the hit single the Boys Are Back in Talent, 23 00:01:32,959 --> 00:01:36,840 Speaker 1: a song that changed everything for them, for better and 24 00:01:36,920 --> 00:01:41,920 Speaker 1: for worse. On this special Saint Patrick's Day episode a 25 00:01:42,040 --> 00:01:45,639 Speaker 1: rock Stars, rock Star, Bad bad Man in the Pride 26 00:01:45,640 --> 00:01:51,080 Speaker 1: of Ireland, Thin Lizzie, I'm Jake Brennan and this this 27 00:01:51,200 --> 00:02:24,320 Speaker 1: this great sign. You're Saint Patrick, the primary patron Saint 28 00:02:24,400 --> 00:02:28,080 Speaker 1: of Ireland. You're the reason why barb An Accounting Where's 29 00:02:28,120 --> 00:02:31,839 Speaker 1: Green to the office each year on March seventeenth. You're 30 00:02:31,880 --> 00:02:34,800 Speaker 1: also the reason why on that same day, the lad's 31 00:02:34,880 --> 00:02:37,120 Speaker 1: knock back pints of guinness down at the pub at 32 00:02:37,160 --> 00:02:42,000 Speaker 1: an ungodly hour, typically frowned upon for drinking. But although 33 00:02:42,040 --> 00:02:44,880 Speaker 1: people around the world drunkenly celebrate you once a year, 34 00:02:45,280 --> 00:02:47,760 Speaker 1: they don't really know you. They don't know that you're 35 00:02:47,800 --> 00:02:51,160 Speaker 1: not even Irish, or that your name isn't actually Patrick, 36 00:02:51,639 --> 00:02:55,160 Speaker 1: your real name is Mainwin or something. But it doesn't matter. 37 00:02:55,520 --> 00:02:58,880 Speaker 1: The point here is that you, Saint Patrick, are not 38 00:02:59,160 --> 00:03:01,680 Speaker 1: who everyone thinks you. They don't know that you were 39 00:03:01,680 --> 00:03:04,600 Speaker 1: born in Britain, or that when you were a teenager 40 00:03:04,760 --> 00:03:07,880 Speaker 1: around four hundred and eighty ars so you were kidnapped 41 00:03:08,040 --> 00:03:10,640 Speaker 1: by pirates who took you to Ireland and made you 42 00:03:10,680 --> 00:03:13,760 Speaker 1: a slave. You toiled in the fields as a shepherd 43 00:03:13,760 --> 00:03:17,640 Speaker 1: boy for six long years, and then the voices started, 44 00:03:18,200 --> 00:03:21,680 Speaker 1: voices inside your head. They told you to leave this place, 45 00:03:22,120 --> 00:03:24,680 Speaker 1: flee your captors, make a break for it, and go 46 00:03:24,800 --> 00:03:28,120 Speaker 1: back to the motherland. And so you did. For two 47 00:03:28,200 --> 00:03:32,520 Speaker 1: hundred miles straight. You ran. Your chest was pounding, your 48 00:03:32,600 --> 00:03:35,520 Speaker 1: knees were weak. You made it to the Irish coast, 49 00:03:35,600 --> 00:03:38,000 Speaker 1: where you convinced a group of sailors till you board 50 00:03:38,040 --> 00:03:41,720 Speaker 1: their boat headed to Britain, but the seas were too rough. 51 00:03:42,440 --> 00:03:45,800 Speaker 1: The vessel shipwrecked near the coast of France. You were 52 00:03:45,880 --> 00:03:49,160 Speaker 1: starving and the food was all gone, so the sailors 53 00:03:49,200 --> 00:03:52,080 Speaker 1: began to pray. And this is when you found out 54 00:03:52,200 --> 00:03:55,640 Speaker 1: that the sailors were Pagans, because they were praying to 55 00:03:55,720 --> 00:04:00,360 Speaker 1: their pagan gods, which got you all buckus. They turned 56 00:04:00,400 --> 00:04:03,080 Speaker 1: to you and they said, hey, why don't you try 57 00:04:03,120 --> 00:04:06,480 Speaker 1: praying to your Christian God. So you did, and do 58 00:04:06,520 --> 00:04:09,880 Speaker 1: you know what happened? Suddenly a herd of pigs appeared 59 00:04:09,880 --> 00:04:13,040 Speaker 1: out of nowhere, which you, for one, were thankful for 60 00:04:13,160 --> 00:04:15,280 Speaker 1: because it meant you no longer had to worry about 61 00:04:15,320 --> 00:04:18,880 Speaker 1: becoming a meal for a boat full of starving heathens. 62 00:04:19,320 --> 00:04:22,559 Speaker 1: Hold up, did this really happen? Did Saint Patrick pray 63 00:04:22,720 --> 00:04:26,400 Speaker 1: pigs into existence? Probably not. But this is where the 64 00:04:26,480 --> 00:04:29,480 Speaker 1: larger than the life myth of Saint Patrick begins, a 65 00:04:29,480 --> 00:04:32,400 Speaker 1: myth which includes the story of how he later returned 66 00:04:32,400 --> 00:04:35,440 Speaker 1: to Ireland, this time not as a slave, but as 67 00:04:35,480 --> 00:04:38,479 Speaker 1: an apostle to preach the good word, fight for the 68 00:04:38,600 --> 00:04:41,440 Speaker 1: end of human bondage, and drive all the snakes out 69 00:04:41,440 --> 00:04:44,640 Speaker 1: of the country. And since it's likely that Ireland never 70 00:04:44,680 --> 00:04:47,360 Speaker 1: actually had snakes in the first place, that part of 71 00:04:47,400 --> 00:04:50,239 Speaker 1: the story, just like the pigs thing, it probably isn't 72 00:04:50,240 --> 00:04:54,000 Speaker 1: true either. But if Saint Patrick didn't drive out actual snakes, 73 00:04:54,360 --> 00:04:59,040 Speaker 1: he did drive out demons from Ireland, real demons, namely 74 00:04:59,080 --> 00:05:03,039 Speaker 1: through his work as an anti slavery activist. Thus, Saint 75 00:05:03,040 --> 00:05:06,400 Speaker 1: Patrick's spirit and legend loom large, just like a forty 76 00:05:06,440 --> 00:05:08,680 Speaker 1: seven foot statue of him now looms large on the 77 00:05:08,680 --> 00:05:14,040 Speaker 1: western coast of Ireland. These days, it takes about three 78 00:05:14,080 --> 00:05:16,440 Speaker 1: and a half hours to drive from that huge statue 79 00:05:16,440 --> 00:05:18,960 Speaker 1: of Saint Patrick all the way across to the opposite 80 00:05:19,000 --> 00:05:22,839 Speaker 1: side of the island, specifically to Dublin, where a different 81 00:05:22,839 --> 00:05:27,200 Speaker 1: statue celebrates a different patron. Saint of Ireland Philip Linett, 82 00:05:27,360 --> 00:05:30,839 Speaker 1: lead singer, bassist in the primary songwriter for the band 83 00:05:31,320 --> 00:05:34,640 Speaker 1: Thin Lizzie, which formed right there in Ireland's capital back 84 00:05:34,640 --> 00:05:38,479 Speaker 1: in nineteen sixty nine. Like Saint Patrick, Phil Leneck was 85 00:05:38,520 --> 00:05:41,240 Speaker 1: born in Britain and later came to Ireland, in this 86 00:05:41,400 --> 00:05:45,400 Speaker 1: case at seven years old. But unlike Saint Patrick, Phil 87 00:05:45,960 --> 00:05:49,719 Speaker 1: was Irish on his mother's side. Phil's father, who left 88 00:05:49,720 --> 00:05:53,400 Speaker 1: when Phil was born, was from British Guiana. So, as 89 00:05:53,400 --> 00:05:56,160 Speaker 1: Phil said in his own words, he was Irish, and 90 00:05:56,200 --> 00:05:59,120 Speaker 1: he was black, and he was a bastard, which meant 91 00:05:59,120 --> 00:06:02,279 Speaker 1: from the jump growing up he had cultural, social, and 92 00:06:02,360 --> 00:06:06,359 Speaker 1: even psychological barriers that made his personal struggle unique. He 93 00:06:06,440 --> 00:06:08,400 Speaker 1: once said that if he couldn't make it as a singer, 94 00:06:08,560 --> 00:06:11,800 Speaker 1: as a rock star, well then he couldn't make it period. 95 00:06:12,960 --> 00:06:16,560 Speaker 1: Phil was motivated by these insecurities, just as Saint Patrick 96 00:06:16,680 --> 00:06:19,200 Speaker 1: was motivated by those voices in his head. And I 97 00:06:19,240 --> 00:06:22,120 Speaker 1: believe it's those insecurities that inform Phil's code as a 98 00:06:22,120 --> 00:06:26,640 Speaker 1: professional musician, a code which insisted that one you always 99 00:06:26,680 --> 00:06:30,560 Speaker 1: be professional, two you never lose your cool, and three 100 00:06:31,080 --> 00:06:34,120 Speaker 1: you always remain in control, which is why in the 101 00:06:34,120 --> 00:06:37,080 Speaker 1: early nineteen seventies, when Thin Lizzie was starting to make 102 00:06:37,120 --> 00:06:40,120 Speaker 1: their mark, Phil Lynett kept his transgressions out of the 103 00:06:40,120 --> 00:06:43,159 Speaker 1: public eye at a tucked away joint that only those 104 00:06:43,360 --> 00:06:46,919 Speaker 1: in the know knew about. Oppa set of backstairs, passed 105 00:06:46,960 --> 00:06:50,440 Speaker 1: some tough geezers standing lookout, and finally passing through the 106 00:06:50,480 --> 00:06:56,000 Speaker 1: door into a place called the show Biz. The show 107 00:06:56,040 --> 00:06:58,800 Speaker 1: Biz or the Biz if you're into that whole brevity 108 00:06:58,800 --> 00:07:01,200 Speaker 1: thing was an after hour his bar attached to a 109 00:07:01,240 --> 00:07:05,680 Speaker 1: hotel in Manchester, owned and operated by Phil Linet's mother, Philhimina. 110 00:07:06,400 --> 00:07:09,040 Speaker 1: Inside you get to rub elbows with the so called 111 00:07:09,279 --> 00:07:13,440 Speaker 1: Quality Street Gang, a loose collection of scrappers and safecrackers, 112 00:07:13,680 --> 00:07:17,320 Speaker 1: used car salesmen and other con artists. Guys with pickled 113 00:07:17,320 --> 00:07:20,120 Speaker 1: faces and long rap sheets, the kind who may or 114 00:07:20,160 --> 00:07:22,640 Speaker 1: may not have a concealed weapons smuggled into their fancy 115 00:07:22,680 --> 00:07:25,920 Speaker 1: tailored suit. On any given night at the Biz, you'd 116 00:07:26,000 --> 00:07:29,400 Speaker 1: run into guys like Jimmy the Weed, named so because well, 117 00:07:29,760 --> 00:07:32,880 Speaker 1: he grew on you. Jimmy the Weed was an underworld zelig, 118 00:07:33,160 --> 00:07:37,000 Speaker 1: busted for fraud, for drugs, even for murder, but somehow 119 00:07:37,000 --> 00:07:40,640 Speaker 1: eluding conviction every time. And then there were the local 120 00:07:40,680 --> 00:07:44,960 Speaker 1: heroes like George Best, a legendary Irish footballer a winger 121 00:07:45,000 --> 00:07:48,520 Speaker 1: for Man United. It was this crowd of famous and 122 00:07:48,680 --> 00:07:52,080 Speaker 1: infamous faces that Phil Line and his Thin Lizzie bandmates 123 00:07:52,160 --> 00:07:55,640 Speaker 1: guitarist Eric Bell and drummer Brian Downey were hanging out 124 00:07:55,680 --> 00:07:59,480 Speaker 1: with on one particular evening in nineteen seventy two. Just 125 00:07:59,600 --> 00:08:02,440 Speaker 1: hours earlier, they'd performed as the opening act for the 126 00:08:02,440 --> 00:08:06,240 Speaker 1: popular glam rock band Slade. While Phil thought that then 127 00:08:06,240 --> 00:08:09,240 Speaker 1: Lizzie's set had been pretty good, he was shocked when, 128 00:08:09,440 --> 00:08:13,520 Speaker 1: just minutes after they finished, Slade's manager, Chaz Chandler, was 129 00:08:13,560 --> 00:08:16,720 Speaker 1: all up in his face. Normally Phil would welcome such 130 00:08:16,720 --> 00:08:20,119 Speaker 1: an interaction, seeing as Chazz had previously served as Jimmy 131 00:08:20,120 --> 00:08:22,840 Speaker 1: Hendrix's manager, and to Phil, Jimmy was a god. But 132 00:08:23,160 --> 00:08:26,880 Speaker 1: Chaz Chandler was not in a compliment giving mood. In fact, 133 00:08:27,320 --> 00:08:31,960 Speaker 1: Chaz was pissed the fuck was that. He asked Phil that, 134 00:08:32,200 --> 00:08:35,160 Speaker 1: of course, referring to Thin Lizzie set, you're here to 135 00:08:35,200 --> 00:08:37,960 Speaker 1: wake the crowd up, not put them asleep anymore. That 136 00:08:38,000 --> 00:08:40,200 Speaker 1: ho hum bullshit on stage and you're off the tour. 137 00:08:43,240 --> 00:08:47,440 Speaker 1: Phil then carefully watched Slade's headlining set, focusing specifically on 138 00:08:47,480 --> 00:08:50,800 Speaker 1: the group's front man, Naughty Holder, his flashy manner of dress, 139 00:08:51,160 --> 00:08:54,720 Speaker 1: his wild charisma, every move calculated to put the audience 140 00:08:54,720 --> 00:08:58,280 Speaker 1: in a fist pumping trance, and he understood exactly what 141 00:08:58,400 --> 00:09:01,640 Speaker 1: Chaz was saying up there, and simply playing the songs 142 00:09:01,720 --> 00:09:05,160 Speaker 1: wasn't enough. Bowie knew this, Rod the Bod knew this, 143 00:09:05,640 --> 00:09:08,920 Speaker 1: and now Phil Lyne did too, just like he knew 144 00:09:08,960 --> 00:09:12,440 Speaker 1: that to truly succeed, he and Thin Lizzie would have 145 00:09:12,480 --> 00:09:15,000 Speaker 1: to do better than Whiskey in the Jar, their version 146 00:09:15,000 --> 00:09:16,920 Speaker 1: of an old folk song that was currently sitting at 147 00:09:16,960 --> 00:09:19,360 Speaker 1: number one on the charts in Ireland. It was the 148 00:09:19,400 --> 00:09:21,960 Speaker 1: band's first bona fide hit, but Phil thought it was 149 00:09:21,960 --> 00:09:24,720 Speaker 1: a joke. It was kind of a novelty song. Wasn't 150 00:09:24,760 --> 00:09:28,360 Speaker 1: even his song. Phil's own songs reflected his life, and 151 00:09:28,400 --> 00:09:31,680 Speaker 1: Whiskey in the Jar was not his life, not like 152 00:09:31,720 --> 00:09:34,360 Speaker 1: his mother's Hush Hush Bar, the Biz and the men 153 00:09:34,400 --> 00:09:38,120 Speaker 1: who haunted it, the quality street gang. Sitting there in 154 00:09:38,160 --> 00:09:41,720 Speaker 1: Manchester's best kept secret, he looked around the room, this 155 00:09:41,800 --> 00:09:46,880 Speaker 1: little speakeasy sorts overrun with footballers, gangsters, actors from hip 156 00:09:46,960 --> 00:09:50,240 Speaker 1: British television soaps, Jimmy the Weed in the Corner making 157 00:09:50,280 --> 00:09:53,080 Speaker 1: Man united to George Best nearly snort logger out of 158 00:09:53,080 --> 00:09:55,400 Speaker 1: his nose with a joke. And it was at this 159 00:09:55,480 --> 00:09:58,880 Speaker 1: moment that the Thin Lizzy we know now truly began 160 00:09:59,000 --> 00:10:23,959 Speaker 1: to take shame. Before I go any further, I need 161 00:10:24,000 --> 00:10:26,760 Speaker 1: to clear something up. I have no idea how this 162 00:10:26,960 --> 00:10:31,240 Speaker 1: rumor started online that I personally am not into Thin Lizzy, 163 00:10:31,679 --> 00:10:33,840 Speaker 1: But nice work to all you guys, guys who have 164 00:10:33,880 --> 00:10:37,720 Speaker 1: been keeping the joke alive. It is ludicrous. I love 165 00:10:38,080 --> 00:10:40,600 Speaker 1: Thin Lizzy, and I pretty much have from the first 166 00:10:40,600 --> 00:10:45,080 Speaker 1: moment I heard them. But don't take my word for it. 167 00:10:45,520 --> 00:10:48,839 Speaker 1: Everyone from Huey Lewis to Sid Vicious loved Thin Lizzy. 168 00:10:49,400 --> 00:10:52,360 Speaker 1: Phil Lynett even called both of those dudes his friends. 169 00:10:52,960 --> 00:10:55,760 Speaker 1: And to paraphrase Henry Rawlins, there's a Thin Lizzy song 170 00:10:55,840 --> 00:10:58,520 Speaker 1: for everything, whether your head over heels in love or 171 00:10:58,640 --> 00:11:02,720 Speaker 1: crushed halfway to death by breakup. Plus just look at them, 172 00:11:02,880 --> 00:11:06,360 Speaker 1: or actually just look at Phil. The platonic ideal of 173 00:11:06,400 --> 00:11:10,600 Speaker 1: a rocker, high heeled boots, black leather pants, big hair, 174 00:11:11,040 --> 00:11:16,120 Speaker 1: sharp mustache, mister Johnny Cool himself, those long legs spread 175 00:11:16,120 --> 00:11:19,160 Speaker 1: in a power stance, his Fender pe bass shooting straight 176 00:11:19,240 --> 00:11:21,560 Speaker 1: up in the air like a craw rocket. It's a 177 00:11:21,600 --> 00:11:25,040 Speaker 1: move that says this bass is a giant weapon, and 178 00:11:25,120 --> 00:11:29,080 Speaker 1: also this bass is a giant penis, which is about 179 00:11:29,080 --> 00:11:31,600 Speaker 1: his rock and roll as it gets. But again, it 180 00:11:31,640 --> 00:11:35,120 Speaker 1: didn't begin that way. It began when Jimmy Hendrix's former 181 00:11:35,200 --> 00:11:38,040 Speaker 1: manager Chas Chandler red Phil Line at the Riot Act. 182 00:11:38,400 --> 00:11:41,679 Speaker 1: And then when Phil recognized that the true inspiration for 183 00:11:41,720 --> 00:11:44,560 Speaker 1: his biggest hits and thus the image of Thin Lizzie, 184 00:11:44,679 --> 00:11:47,520 Speaker 1: those below the table badasses at the heart of incredible 185 00:11:47,559 --> 00:11:50,280 Speaker 1: songs like the Boys Are Back in Town and Jail Break, 186 00:11:50,559 --> 00:11:52,880 Speaker 1: We're all sitting around him at his mother's tiny pup 187 00:11:52,920 --> 00:11:56,800 Speaker 1: in Manchester. And then when Thin Lizzie's original guitarist Eric Bell, 188 00:11:57,240 --> 00:12:00,600 Speaker 1: exhausted from touring from the non stop partying the communal 189 00:12:00,640 --> 00:12:03,240 Speaker 1: house where the band lived, from the hamster wheel of 190 00:12:03,280 --> 00:12:06,520 Speaker 1: promotion to make the suits that Decca records happy, distraught 191 00:12:06,559 --> 00:12:09,280 Speaker 1: over his girlfriend running off to Canada with their young son, 192 00:12:09,760 --> 00:12:12,280 Speaker 1: taking one too many bad trips himself, by which I 193 00:12:12,320 --> 00:12:17,120 Speaker 1: mean LSD getting paranoid, Eric finally melted down halfway through 194 00:12:17,120 --> 00:12:20,040 Speaker 1: a show in nineteen seventy three, threw his guitar on 195 00:12:20,120 --> 00:12:24,480 Speaker 1: the stage and quit the band. Eric Bell clearly was 196 00:12:24,600 --> 00:12:27,439 Speaker 1: unable to adhere to phill Line A's strict code. He 197 00:12:27,559 --> 00:12:31,679 Speaker 1: was not in control, and he most definitely lost his court. 198 00:12:32,240 --> 00:12:35,199 Speaker 1: Phil on the other hand, was very much in control, 199 00:12:35,559 --> 00:12:37,360 Speaker 1: which meant that he was the one who was left 200 00:12:37,400 --> 00:12:40,000 Speaker 1: to pick up the pieces, and he did because he 201 00:12:40,080 --> 00:12:43,360 Speaker 1: was built for this. He was born against all odds, 202 00:12:44,520 --> 00:12:46,839 Speaker 1: and he didn't ask for help to do it, just 203 00:12:46,880 --> 00:12:48,760 Speaker 1: as he didn't ask for help back when he was 204 00:12:48,800 --> 00:12:51,480 Speaker 1: the only black kid in his school. This time he 205 00:12:51,559 --> 00:12:55,160 Speaker 1: got not one but two guitarists, and not for artistic reasons, 206 00:12:55,160 --> 00:12:59,040 Speaker 1: but for insurance. When asked why he hired Brian Robertson 207 00:12:59,080 --> 00:13:03,000 Speaker 1: and Scott Gorm Scotsman in a Californian, respectively, to replace 208 00:13:03,120 --> 00:13:05,920 Speaker 1: Eric Bell, Phil said, and I quote, the next time 209 00:13:05,920 --> 00:13:08,200 Speaker 1: one of those cunts walks out, there'll be another one there. 210 00:13:08,400 --> 00:13:11,400 Speaker 1: I'm not going to be caught out again. Failure for 211 00:13:11,440 --> 00:13:15,360 Speaker 1: Phil Line was not an option. Remember, if he couldn't 212 00:13:15,400 --> 00:13:17,760 Speaker 1: make it as a singer, as a rock star, then 213 00:13:17,760 --> 00:13:23,199 Speaker 1: he couldn't make it period. The thing is. Phil Linet 214 00:13:23,320 --> 00:13:25,560 Speaker 1: had no idea that the choice he just made would 215 00:13:25,600 --> 00:13:29,200 Speaker 1: lay the groundwork for Thin Lizzy's breakthrough innovation and push 216 00:13:29,280 --> 00:13:35,800 Speaker 1: them higher than he ever could have imagined. If you 217 00:13:35,840 --> 00:13:38,720 Speaker 1: know Thinn Lizzie, you know what I'm talking about. That 218 00:13:38,800 --> 00:13:43,000 Speaker 1: harmonized twin guitar attack an integral part of Thin Lizzie's sound, 219 00:13:43,040 --> 00:13:46,240 Speaker 1: which began on their fifth studio album, Fighting, released in 220 00:13:46,320 --> 00:13:50,720 Speaker 1: nineteen seventy five. But the twin guitar thing wasn't planned. 221 00:13:51,120 --> 00:13:54,640 Speaker 1: In fact, it was a mistake. It happened like this. 222 00:13:55,360 --> 00:13:58,680 Speaker 1: Brian robertson Robbo was laying down his guitar part in 223 00:13:58,679 --> 00:14:02,920 Speaker 1: the studio, some nice melodic stuff, unaware that the engineer 224 00:14:03,080 --> 00:14:06,360 Speaker 1: had absentmindedly left an echo or delay effect on what 225 00:14:06,440 --> 00:14:08,480 Speaker 1: he was playing on guitar, so the guitar begins to 226 00:14:08,480 --> 00:14:13,200 Speaker 1: feedback on itself and thus harmonizing with itself. Scott's guitar 227 00:14:13,559 --> 00:14:16,600 Speaker 1: was harmonizing with Scott's guitar, and then when I start 228 00:14:16,640 --> 00:14:19,200 Speaker 1: hearing it in the playback, they're all freaking out. The 229 00:14:19,240 --> 00:14:21,760 Speaker 1: engineers like fuck. He leaps from his seat to fix 230 00:14:21,840 --> 00:14:23,800 Speaker 1: the issue, worried that he's gonna get his ass fired. 231 00:14:23,840 --> 00:14:25,920 Speaker 1: But He's shocked when he hears the guys in the 232 00:14:25,920 --> 00:14:28,400 Speaker 1: band say no, man, don't touch anything that's awesome. This 233 00:14:28,480 --> 00:14:31,480 Speaker 1: is great, and thus was born in the process by 234 00:14:31,520 --> 00:14:34,880 Speaker 1: which Robbo and Scott wrote out harmonized lead guitar parts, 235 00:14:35,200 --> 00:14:37,120 Speaker 1: which yeah, I know, weren't new at the time. The 236 00:14:37,160 --> 00:14:39,280 Speaker 1: Allman Brothers for Want had been doing it for a minute, 237 00:14:39,320 --> 00:14:42,720 Speaker 1: but the way Thin Lizzie did it was fresh because 238 00:14:42,760 --> 00:14:46,360 Speaker 1: it truly was an attack, written and performed like duel 239 00:14:46,400 --> 00:14:49,000 Speaker 1: of switchblades. It snapped open in the middle of the song. 240 00:14:49,480 --> 00:14:53,640 Speaker 1: This sound perfectly complimented Phil's songs about tough guys, about 241 00:14:53,680 --> 00:14:57,120 Speaker 1: cowboys and escaped inmates, powering the big hits on their 242 00:14:57,120 --> 00:15:01,080 Speaker 1: beloved nineteen seventy six album Jailbrey, both the aforementioned title 243 00:15:01,120 --> 00:15:03,680 Speaker 1: track and the Boys Are Back in Town, the band's 244 00:15:03,680 --> 00:15:07,720 Speaker 1: biggest hit in America, and Man, oh Man, what a 245 00:15:07,760 --> 00:15:12,600 Speaker 1: song When that song was climbing the charts in the 246 00:15:12,600 --> 00:15:15,680 Speaker 1: summer of seventy six. Then Lizzie were forced to cancel 247 00:15:15,760 --> 00:15:18,680 Speaker 1: the second half of their American tour, which was supposed 248 00:15:18,720 --> 00:15:21,160 Speaker 1: to finally break them in the States after seven long 249 00:15:21,240 --> 00:15:25,920 Speaker 1: years of making music. Instead, Phil Lynett, who had quickly 250 00:15:25,960 --> 00:15:28,120 Speaker 1: fallen under the spell of a sex, drugs, and rock 251 00:15:28,120 --> 00:15:30,600 Speaker 1: and roll lifestyle, looked in the mirror and saw that 252 00:15:30,640 --> 00:15:35,520 Speaker 1: his eyes had turned orange hepatitis. He told a friend 253 00:15:35,560 --> 00:15:37,760 Speaker 1: he probably got her from shooting up with a dirty needle, 254 00:15:37,920 --> 00:15:40,120 Speaker 1: and though it should be noted, at this point, Phil 255 00:15:40,200 --> 00:15:43,760 Speaker 1: was merely dabbling in heroin, with cocaine, marijuana and alcohol 256 00:15:43,800 --> 00:15:48,120 Speaker 1: being more central to his drug diet regardless. Instead of 257 00:15:48,160 --> 00:15:51,680 Speaker 1: conquering America, Phil watched from a hospital bed in Manchester 258 00:15:51,800 --> 00:15:54,040 Speaker 1: as a pre taped performance of The Boys Are Back 259 00:15:54,040 --> 00:15:56,080 Speaker 1: in Town played on top of the Pops from a 260 00:15:56,080 --> 00:15:58,520 Speaker 1: tiny television set on the wall. While back in the 261 00:15:58,640 --> 00:16:01,800 Speaker 1: US the singles slow only slipped back down the charts 262 00:16:01,800 --> 00:16:06,880 Speaker 1: after peaking at number twelve. Just months later, it happened again. 263 00:16:07,440 --> 00:16:10,360 Speaker 1: Thin Lizzy were set to conquer America a second time, 264 00:16:10,640 --> 00:16:13,040 Speaker 1: only to once again be forced to cancel when Robo 265 00:16:13,120 --> 00:16:16,040 Speaker 1: got in a fight at a London nightclub, severing tendons 266 00:16:16,040 --> 00:16:18,040 Speaker 1: and an artery in his hand when he tried to 267 00:16:18,040 --> 00:16:21,880 Speaker 1: deflect a broken bottle. It seemed that Americans were destined 268 00:16:21,880 --> 00:16:25,840 Speaker 1: to never truly know Thin Lizzy. Breaking America, of course, 269 00:16:25,960 --> 00:16:28,400 Speaker 1: was the dream of any band from across the pond, 270 00:16:28,680 --> 00:16:31,200 Speaker 1: and for Thin Lizzy and Phil Line, it wrong plays, 271 00:16:31,240 --> 00:16:40,320 Speaker 1: wrong time quickly became an unfortunate reality. Dublin, August twentieth, 272 00:16:40,520 --> 00:16:44,680 Speaker 1: nineteen seventy seven, hometown heroes Phil Line and Thin Lizzy 273 00:16:44,800 --> 00:16:47,200 Speaker 1: were back to headline the Capital of Ireland's first open 274 00:16:47,200 --> 00:16:51,040 Speaker 1: air rock festival. But that was tomorrow. Today or tonight 275 00:16:51,360 --> 00:16:53,960 Speaker 1: was Phil's twenty eighth birthday, and he was celebrating in 276 00:16:54,080 --> 00:16:58,520 Speaker 1: style at Castletownhouse, a lavish mansion owned by the Guinness family, 277 00:16:58,800 --> 00:17:03,120 Speaker 1: specifically Esmond Guinness, second son of Brian, the famous brewer 278 00:17:03,200 --> 00:17:05,880 Speaker 1: and heir to the Guinness beer empire. But I digress. 279 00:17:08,240 --> 00:17:10,359 Speaker 1: The doctors had told Phil to avoid these sorts of 280 00:17:10,480 --> 00:17:13,240 Speaker 1: environments where the booze and the coke floated like well, 281 00:17:13,480 --> 00:17:15,320 Speaker 1: you can imagine the deluge of booze and coke and 282 00:17:15,400 --> 00:17:18,000 Speaker 1: a party happening at a Guinness mansion in nineteen seventy seven. 283 00:17:18,040 --> 00:17:21,680 Speaker 1: It was simply too dangerous given the complications from his hepatitis. 284 00:17:22,280 --> 00:17:25,760 Speaker 1: Phil however, didn't look to doctors as role models these days. 285 00:17:25,760 --> 00:17:28,200 Speaker 1: He looked up to the great Freddie Mercury, whom Phil 286 00:17:28,200 --> 00:17:31,080 Speaker 1: had witnessed during a recent tour when thin Lizzy opened 287 00:17:31,080 --> 00:17:35,760 Speaker 1: for Freddy's band Queen Freddy was decadence in Carnie. The 288 00:17:35,800 --> 00:17:39,920 Speaker 1: hotel suites, the entourages, the willing enabled groupies, the piles 289 00:17:39,920 --> 00:17:43,840 Speaker 1: of illicit substances served on silver platters. Everything was bigger 290 00:17:43,840 --> 00:17:46,560 Speaker 1: for Freddie Mercury and Phil Lynett wanted to reach that 291 00:17:46,760 --> 00:17:50,640 Speaker 1: hallowed ground where Freddy and Queen now found themselves. Followed suit. 292 00:17:51,520 --> 00:17:54,920 Speaker 1: In Freddy, Phil even saw a reflection of himself, someone 293 00:17:54,960 --> 00:17:57,520 Speaker 1: who had his own set of insecurities to overcome simply 294 00:17:57,560 --> 00:18:02,560 Speaker 1: based on who he was. Freddy's gave Phil confidence and hope, 295 00:18:02,760 --> 00:18:05,760 Speaker 1: But any feelings of hope or of birthday joy were 296 00:18:05,840 --> 00:18:09,000 Speaker 1: suddenly dashed when the front door of the Castletown mansion 297 00:18:09,040 --> 00:18:13,359 Speaker 1: flew open into the party, barged the gardener at the 298 00:18:13,359 --> 00:18:16,159 Speaker 1: State Police Force of the Republic of Ireland. They were 299 00:18:16,160 --> 00:18:19,080 Speaker 1: here on a tip that they'd find musicians and thus drugs, 300 00:18:19,520 --> 00:18:22,600 Speaker 1: and they did. A ton of blow and weed was seized. 301 00:18:23,080 --> 00:18:24,679 Speaker 1: But one of the many things Phil Line had had 302 00:18:24,760 --> 00:18:26,960 Speaker 1: learned from a guy like Freddie Mercury was how to 303 00:18:27,040 --> 00:18:29,280 Speaker 1: keep your vice as a secret, which is how Phil 304 00:18:29,320 --> 00:18:31,480 Speaker 1: had managed to get someone else to hold onto his stash. 305 00:18:31,600 --> 00:18:34,240 Speaker 1: The party when he was stopped and searched by the Garda. 306 00:18:34,720 --> 00:18:39,639 Speaker 1: He was clean. Two days later, however, the headline on 307 00:18:39,680 --> 00:18:42,639 Speaker 1: the front of the Irish Independent newspaper read six held 308 00:18:42,640 --> 00:18:45,639 Speaker 1: in drugs raid on pop party, and none other than 309 00:18:45,640 --> 00:18:49,440 Speaker 1: Phil Lenett's name was right there in the mix. Phil 310 00:18:49,640 --> 00:18:53,720 Speaker 1: was furious. Was he using that night? Sure? But was 311 00:18:53,760 --> 00:18:56,760 Speaker 1: he holding? He wasn't that stupid, at least not on 312 00:18:56,800 --> 00:18:59,880 Speaker 1: that particular night. The police hadn't found anything, and now 313 00:18:59,920 --> 00:19:02,439 Speaker 1: here he was being branded public offender number one by 314 00:19:02,480 --> 00:19:05,359 Speaker 1: the press. He walked over to the paper's office and 315 00:19:05,400 --> 00:19:08,080 Speaker 1: paid a personal visit to the editor, whom he berated 316 00:19:08,119 --> 00:19:11,359 Speaker 1: in front of the entire staff. My grandmother saw that. 317 00:19:11,480 --> 00:19:14,119 Speaker 1: He shouted, it's not fucking true what you printed. I 318 00:19:14,160 --> 00:19:19,480 Speaker 1: didn't have any fucking drugs. It was just as Freddy said, 319 00:19:20,000 --> 00:19:22,600 Speaker 1: It was all about what you showed them, what they 320 00:19:22,720 --> 00:19:27,520 Speaker 1: saw the controlled narrative. Phil Lineing for one, locked down 321 00:19:27,560 --> 00:19:30,080 Speaker 1: his private life even as it began to spin out 322 00:19:30,080 --> 00:19:39,879 Speaker 1: of control. Behind locked doors, We'll be right back after 323 00:19:39,960 --> 00:19:51,439 Speaker 1: this word word word. Sid Vicious, bass player for the 324 00:19:51,480 --> 00:19:54,520 Speaker 1: Sex Pistols, stumbled out of Phill Linett's bathroom with his 325 00:19:54,520 --> 00:19:57,680 Speaker 1: girlfriend Nancy sponge and hanging off his track mark Daram 326 00:19:58,560 --> 00:20:01,159 Speaker 1: behind them. They left their own blood splattered on the 327 00:20:01,160 --> 00:20:05,320 Speaker 1: bathroom wall. The junk was coursing through their veins, now 328 00:20:05,640 --> 00:20:09,040 Speaker 1: slowly animating them like stop motion skeletons. Down the hall 329 00:20:09,119 --> 00:20:11,200 Speaker 1: to the living room, where they collapsed on a couch 330 00:20:11,320 --> 00:20:13,880 Speaker 1: next to Phil, who was watching an old Elvis Presley 331 00:20:13,920 --> 00:20:18,320 Speaker 1: movie on a giant TV. Hey, Sid, Phil said himself 332 00:20:18,520 --> 00:20:21,000 Speaker 1: high on one substance or another at the moment, when 333 00:20:21,000 --> 00:20:22,560 Speaker 1: are you gonna let me show you a few things 334 00:20:22,600 --> 00:20:26,080 Speaker 1: on the base? Mate? Sid scrunched his face in disgust. 335 00:20:26,640 --> 00:20:29,280 Speaker 1: I'm not interested in that crap. I'm in the fucking 336 00:20:29,359 --> 00:20:36,320 Speaker 1: Sex Pistols. It was the summer of nineteen seventy eight, 337 00:20:36,640 --> 00:20:40,280 Speaker 1: so actually Sid's math, or more likely, his mind, was off. 338 00:20:40,720 --> 00:20:43,520 Speaker 1: The Pistols had broken up earlier that year after releasing 339 00:20:43,600 --> 00:20:46,439 Speaker 1: one studio record which sent shockwaves through the rock and 340 00:20:46,520 --> 00:20:50,200 Speaker 1: roll world. Things were changing, and changing fast, all because 341 00:20:50,240 --> 00:20:52,639 Speaker 1: of bands like the Sex Pistols taking the piss out 342 00:20:52,680 --> 00:20:56,040 Speaker 1: of the status quo. Phil Linett and Den Lizzie were 343 00:20:56,080 --> 00:20:58,520 Speaker 1: not exactly status quo when it came to rock and roll, 344 00:20:58,560 --> 00:21:02,520 Speaker 1: but they were close enough. Phil knew that adaptation was 345 00:21:02,640 --> 00:21:05,520 Speaker 1: essential for survival. If you can't beat him, join them 346 00:21:05,520 --> 00:21:08,600 Speaker 1: in all that, which is how Phil found himself moonlighting 347 00:21:08,640 --> 00:21:12,040 Speaker 1: in the Greedy Bastards, a supergroup of sorts that featured 348 00:21:12,080 --> 00:21:15,240 Speaker 1: Sid Vicious, Steve Jones and Paul Cook from the Sex Pistols, 349 00:21:15,359 --> 00:21:18,200 Speaker 1: plus Brian and Scott from Thin Lizzie, Bob Geldoff from 350 00:21:18,240 --> 00:21:22,040 Speaker 1: Dublin's own Boomtown Rats, and more. They played sets at 351 00:21:22,040 --> 00:21:24,679 Speaker 1: places like the Electric Ballroom in Camden, and a version 352 00:21:24,680 --> 00:21:27,000 Speaker 1: of the group even appeared as the Greedies on Top 353 00:21:27,040 --> 00:21:29,600 Speaker 1: of the Pops. And it wasn't just the punks in 354 00:21:29,640 --> 00:21:32,639 Speaker 1: England who are taking a film over in America. In 355 00:21:32,720 --> 00:21:35,560 Speaker 1: New York City, Johnny Thunders was sitting in his room 356 00:21:35,600 --> 00:21:38,240 Speaker 1: at the Chelsea balancing some Heroin on his guitar pick 357 00:21:38,280 --> 00:21:40,760 Speaker 1: to kill time, waiting for his fix, and waiting on 358 00:21:40,800 --> 00:21:44,040 Speaker 1: a friend. That friend being Phil Lightning, who wound up 359 00:21:44,040 --> 00:21:46,200 Speaker 1: playing bass on a bunch of the tracks on Johnny's 360 00:21:46,200 --> 00:21:52,159 Speaker 1: classic nineteen seventy eight solo record So Alone The Thing Is. 361 00:21:52,600 --> 00:21:55,479 Speaker 1: Nineteen seventy eight was supposed to be huge for Thin 362 00:21:55,600 --> 00:22:00,879 Speaker 1: Lizzy Punks or No Punks. This is the year that 363 00:22:00,880 --> 00:22:04,000 Speaker 1: they released their double live album Live and Dangerous, a 364 00:22:04,040 --> 00:22:07,160 Speaker 1: record which not only featured Phil's very unpunked buddy Huey 365 00:22:07,240 --> 00:22:10,040 Speaker 1: Lewis on harmonica, but is widely considered one of the 366 00:22:10,040 --> 00:22:12,840 Speaker 1: greatest live albums of all time. It was a huge 367 00:22:12,920 --> 00:22:15,720 Speaker 1: hit for the band, also number two on the UK chart. 368 00:22:16,280 --> 00:22:17,960 Speaker 1: This is the kind of record you pull out when 369 00:22:17,960 --> 00:22:19,520 Speaker 1: the aliens land and they want to know what a 370 00:22:19,640 --> 00:22:23,080 Speaker 1: killer rock show sounded like in the nineteen seventies. Fuck 371 00:22:23,320 --> 00:22:26,800 Speaker 1: Brampton Comes Alive. Live and Dangerous has got the goods 372 00:22:27,480 --> 00:22:30,160 Speaker 1: as amazing as it is. However, Live and Dangerous by 373 00:22:30,200 --> 00:22:32,760 Speaker 1: Thin Lizzie has a dirty little secret, and I'm sorry 374 00:22:32,760 --> 00:22:34,600 Speaker 1: to be the one to tell you, but your favorite 375 00:22:34,600 --> 00:22:37,960 Speaker 1: live album probably shares the same secret, and it's this 376 00:22:38,840 --> 00:22:43,200 Speaker 1: Live and Dangerous is not live, at least not entirely. 377 00:22:44,160 --> 00:22:47,919 Speaker 1: Here's what I mean. Thin Lizzie's producer, Tony Visconti, was 378 00:22:47,960 --> 00:22:51,040 Speaker 1: tasked with assembling a cohesive listening experience from a ton 379 00:22:51,080 --> 00:22:53,639 Speaker 1: of concert tapes taken from shows the band played throughout 380 00:22:53,640 --> 00:22:56,359 Speaker 1: Europe and North America. A lot of live albums are 381 00:22:56,400 --> 00:22:58,919 Speaker 1: made this way. You cherry picked the best versions of 382 00:22:58,960 --> 00:23:01,200 Speaker 1: the songs you want to win from an entire tour, 383 00:23:01,640 --> 00:23:04,480 Speaker 1: but Tony Visconti had a problem. The tapes were all 384 00:23:04,560 --> 00:23:08,400 Speaker 1: different speeds, different formats, and in various shades of quality. 385 00:23:08,760 --> 00:23:12,040 Speaker 1: He couldn't edit together a consistent balance sound based solely 386 00:23:12,080 --> 00:23:14,560 Speaker 1: on what he had in his hands. So the solution 387 00:23:14,920 --> 00:23:17,600 Speaker 1: was to have Thin Lizzy come into the studio and 388 00:23:17,680 --> 00:23:21,040 Speaker 1: re record some of their parts. But once they started 389 00:23:21,080 --> 00:23:23,960 Speaker 1: the overdubbing process, they thought, well, instead of just re 390 00:23:23,960 --> 00:23:26,720 Speaker 1: recording the bass part or that vocal part, why not 391 00:23:26,800 --> 00:23:30,800 Speaker 1: re record the whole thing. By producer Tony Visconti's estimation, 392 00:23:30,920 --> 00:23:33,879 Speaker 1: about fifty percent of Live and Dangerous is not live 393 00:23:34,040 --> 00:23:38,600 Speaker 1: and is therefore not dangerous, but instead it's a studio recreation. 394 00:23:39,240 --> 00:23:42,159 Speaker 1: Some of the audience noise isn't even from Thin Lizzy shows, 395 00:23:42,359 --> 00:23:44,920 Speaker 1: but instead from the tapes for David Bowie's so called 396 00:23:44,960 --> 00:23:48,919 Speaker 1: live album Stage, which Tony Visconti was also working on 397 00:23:49,000 --> 00:23:54,440 Speaker 1: at the time. The true backstory of Live and Dangerous 398 00:23:54,520 --> 00:23:56,640 Speaker 1: was just as much of a secret as was Phil 399 00:23:56,720 --> 00:23:59,679 Speaker 1: lein It's life. These days, no one on the outside 400 00:23:59,760 --> 00:24:02,000 Speaker 1: knew it, and many on the inside didn't either. But 401 00:24:02,320 --> 00:24:05,439 Speaker 1: in addition to cocaine to marijuana, Phil was continuing to 402 00:24:05,440 --> 00:24:09,200 Speaker 1: do more heroin or whatever he could get on tour. 403 00:24:09,240 --> 00:24:11,200 Speaker 1: In New York, he checked in on Sid and Nancy 404 00:24:11,240 --> 00:24:13,639 Speaker 1: at the Chelsea Hotel while his limo driver drove up 405 00:24:13,680 --> 00:24:16,000 Speaker 1: to Harlem to score some dal hit, which he melted 406 00:24:16,040 --> 00:24:19,439 Speaker 1: down and shot up. Two weeks later, Nancy bled out 407 00:24:19,480 --> 00:24:21,919 Speaker 1: from a stab wound to her abdomen and the cops 408 00:24:21,920 --> 00:24:23,960 Speaker 1: fingered Sid for the job, but just a few months 409 00:24:24,000 --> 00:24:27,760 Speaker 1: later he was dead too. And the reason Phil's own 410 00:24:27,800 --> 00:24:31,080 Speaker 1: transgressions were never salacious front page news like his friends, 411 00:24:31,200 --> 00:24:33,439 Speaker 1: and when they were like the bust at the Guinness Mansion, 412 00:24:33,480 --> 00:24:35,360 Speaker 1: the reason he was so adamant to shut them down 413 00:24:35,720 --> 00:24:38,520 Speaker 1: was because of the strict code he lived by. He 414 00:24:38,560 --> 00:24:41,840 Speaker 1: was always professional, he never lost his cool, and he 415 00:24:41,920 --> 00:24:45,200 Speaker 1: was always in control. And now he was a family 416 00:24:45,240 --> 00:24:48,320 Speaker 1: man with a wife and two daughters. If someone wanted 417 00:24:48,320 --> 00:24:50,840 Speaker 1: to get at the real truth, the whole truth, that 418 00:24:51,000 --> 00:25:00,119 Speaker 1: had to come and get him. November nineteen eighty the 419 00:25:00,119 --> 00:25:02,760 Speaker 1: doorbell rang at one of Phil lene It's houses, not 420 00:25:02,880 --> 00:25:04,879 Speaker 1: the one in his beloved Ireland, but the one at 421 00:25:04,920 --> 00:25:07,240 Speaker 1: one eighty four Q Road, and took it to England, 422 00:25:07,280 --> 00:25:10,520 Speaker 1: where he lived with his young family. He answered it 423 00:25:10,600 --> 00:25:13,200 Speaker 1: and was greeted by employees from the gas company, there 424 00:25:13,200 --> 00:25:16,960 Speaker 1: to carry out a routine inspection. Phil was confused. No 425 00:25:17,000 --> 00:25:19,359 Speaker 1: one had told him anything about an inspection, but it 426 00:25:19,400 --> 00:25:23,240 Speaker 1: was possible he'd missed the letter in the mail. These days, 427 00:25:23,240 --> 00:25:25,320 Speaker 1: Phil had a lot more than usual on his mind, 428 00:25:25,800 --> 00:25:28,560 Speaker 1: two small girls and a wife to provide for his 429 00:25:28,680 --> 00:25:32,439 Speaker 1: band than Lizzie constantly touring all over Europe, Australia and Japan, 430 00:25:32,720 --> 00:25:35,800 Speaker 1: despite their latest album, Chinatown, getting some of the most 431 00:25:35,880 --> 00:25:39,240 Speaker 1: lackluster reviews of their career. And last, but not least, 432 00:25:39,520 --> 00:25:42,240 Speaker 1: was the constant turnover in the band, with Gary Moore 433 00:25:42,320 --> 00:25:45,280 Speaker 1: replacing Scott Robertson on guitar and then Gary replaced in 434 00:25:45,320 --> 00:25:49,240 Speaker 1: short order by Snowy White. Phil struggled to keep it 435 00:25:49,240 --> 00:25:52,080 Speaker 1: all together. He chalked up this gast thing as something 436 00:25:52,119 --> 00:25:55,159 Speaker 1: he'd overlooked and welcomed the men inside his home. They 437 00:25:55,200 --> 00:25:57,399 Speaker 1: began to look around, but not where the furnace or 438 00:25:57,440 --> 00:26:00,760 Speaker 1: the piping was. Phil watt as one of the men 439 00:26:00,840 --> 00:26:05,720 Speaker 1: walked into the master bedroom, which was odd. Suddenly, Phil 440 00:26:05,800 --> 00:26:09,320 Speaker 1: began to panic. Paranoia set in the kind of paranoia 441 00:26:09,400 --> 00:26:12,359 Speaker 1: that his old friend Eric Bell thin Lizzie's original guitarist 442 00:26:12,359 --> 00:26:14,679 Speaker 1: once experienced just before he threw his guitar to the 443 00:26:14,680 --> 00:26:17,560 Speaker 1: stage and walked away for good. But there was no 444 00:26:17,680 --> 00:26:21,320 Speaker 1: walking away from this for Phil. He was surrounded, and 445 00:26:21,359 --> 00:26:26,960 Speaker 1: not by gas men, but by Philip Line. Phili spun 446 00:26:27,000 --> 00:26:29,240 Speaker 1: around to see the so called gas man who'd entered 447 00:26:29,240 --> 00:26:32,480 Speaker 1: the master bedroom standing there. He was holding two wrap 448 00:26:32,560 --> 00:26:35,399 Speaker 1: packages of cocaine in one hand. In the other he 449 00:26:35,440 --> 00:26:38,880 Speaker 1: was holding a badge, not a gas man badge. These 450 00:26:38,920 --> 00:26:42,960 Speaker 1: guys were the drug squad. Philip linon the phony gas 451 00:26:43,000 --> 00:26:48,959 Speaker 1: man said again, you're under arrest. In addition to the 452 00:26:48,960 --> 00:26:51,560 Speaker 1: coke which had been stuffed into one of Phil's jackets, 453 00:26:51,640 --> 00:26:54,520 Speaker 1: the narks found grass and Phil's Mercedes and a cannabis 454 00:26:54,560 --> 00:26:57,639 Speaker 1: plant growing inside his house, And that next summer, on 455 00:26:57,680 --> 00:27:01,400 Speaker 1: his thirty second birthday, August twentieth, nineteen eighty one, Phil 456 00:27:01,440 --> 00:27:04,200 Speaker 1: Linett stood before the judge who sentenced into a two 457 00:27:04,280 --> 00:27:07,880 Speaker 1: hundred pounds five It was a lenient penalty, but only 458 00:27:07,920 --> 00:27:10,280 Speaker 1: because Philip convinced one of his rodies, a guy they 459 00:27:10,280 --> 00:27:12,760 Speaker 1: called Big Charlie, to take the fall for the drugs 460 00:27:12,800 --> 00:27:15,080 Speaker 1: and swear under oath that the jacket belonged to him 461 00:27:15,280 --> 00:27:18,360 Speaker 1: and not to Phil. It was a page taken right 462 00:27:18,359 --> 00:27:23,520 Speaker 1: out of Freddie Mercury's book Keep your Secrets, Control your narrative, or, 463 00:27:23,560 --> 00:27:28,200 Speaker 1: as Phil Linett's own code instructed, always be professional, always 464 00:27:28,320 --> 00:27:57,919 Speaker 1: be in control. Sean O'Connor couldn't believe his luck. His 465 00:27:58,080 --> 00:28:01,600 Speaker 1: Dublin based band The Lookalikes had managed to score an 466 00:28:01,640 --> 00:28:05,320 Speaker 1: opening slot on Thin Lizzie's tour, and though you didn't 467 00:28:05,320 --> 00:28:06,960 Speaker 1: have to look into a crystal ball to know that 468 00:28:07,000 --> 00:28:09,560 Speaker 1: their best days were now behind them. For any Dublin 469 00:28:09,840 --> 00:28:13,560 Speaker 1: or dub as the local parliaance goes, Thin Lizzie were it. 470 00:28:14,119 --> 00:28:16,680 Speaker 1: The rest of the world can have Saint Patrick give 471 00:28:16,800 --> 00:28:21,359 Speaker 1: us Saint Phil. Lizzie were a source of tremendous national pride. 472 00:28:21,720 --> 00:28:24,480 Speaker 1: Sean O'Connor in particular was stoked to be able to 473 00:28:24,480 --> 00:28:27,720 Speaker 1: support such legends night after night, and he knew what 474 00:28:27,840 --> 00:28:31,480 Speaker 1: came with the territory. The parties, the women, the revolving 475 00:28:31,520 --> 00:28:34,120 Speaker 1: door that was Phil line It's private room, so many 476 00:28:34,160 --> 00:28:37,239 Speaker 1: women coming and going that, despite Phil's relationship status at 477 00:28:37,280 --> 00:28:40,280 Speaker 1: the time, earned him the nickname Phil Line him up. 478 00:28:41,200 --> 00:28:44,280 Speaker 1: And then there were the drugs. They were everywhere, dealers, 479 00:28:44,400 --> 00:28:46,880 Speaker 1: hangers on, guys looking for a one way ticket to 480 00:28:46,920 --> 00:28:51,280 Speaker 1: the big show with a little bagging. One night backstage, 481 00:28:51,480 --> 00:28:54,040 Speaker 1: one of these dudes approached Sean, flashing his ready supply 482 00:28:54,080 --> 00:28:58,040 Speaker 1: of cocaine. Well, Sean thought went in Rome, but before 483 00:28:58,040 --> 00:29:00,720 Speaker 1: he could indulge, out of the shadows, wrong Phil Line. 484 00:29:01,280 --> 00:29:03,360 Speaker 1: He put his hands on the dealer's arms, pushing him 485 00:29:03,360 --> 00:29:06,000 Speaker 1: away from Sean and violently slamming him up against a wall. 486 00:29:06,040 --> 00:29:09,240 Speaker 1: Head first. The dealer felt like his brain was oozing 487 00:29:09,240 --> 00:29:12,400 Speaker 1: from his ears. With one hand, Phil held him in place, 488 00:29:12,440 --> 00:29:14,240 Speaker 1: and with the other he stuck on his finger and 489 00:29:14,280 --> 00:29:17,800 Speaker 1: pressed it against the dealer's chest. If you ever offer 490 00:29:17,880 --> 00:29:25,200 Speaker 1: Sean Cooke again, I'll fuck it. Have you killed? This 491 00:29:25,360 --> 00:29:28,160 Speaker 1: was just one side of Phil Lint, the side that 492 00:29:28,280 --> 00:29:30,760 Speaker 1: fancied himself a character down at the pub with the 493 00:29:30,840 --> 00:29:34,160 Speaker 1: Quality Street gang, a badass, a jail breaker, a no 494 00:29:34,320 --> 00:29:36,920 Speaker 1: shit taker, one of the boys who is back in 495 00:29:36,960 --> 00:29:38,960 Speaker 1: town and who's going to fuck you up for turning 496 00:29:39,000 --> 00:29:42,160 Speaker 1: this young grasshopper here on the dope. And then there 497 00:29:42,240 --> 00:29:45,240 Speaker 1: was the other side, the gentler side, the more vulnerable 498 00:29:45,280 --> 00:29:48,760 Speaker 1: Phil Line, the self described black Irish bastard from Dublin 499 00:29:48,920 --> 00:29:51,880 Speaker 1: who successfully drove out his own insecurities in order to 500 00:29:51,920 --> 00:29:54,960 Speaker 1: realize his dream of rock stardom, just as his fellow 501 00:29:55,040 --> 00:29:59,120 Speaker 1: Sat Saint Patrick once drove the Snakes out of Ireland allegedly. 502 00:30:00,120 --> 00:30:02,160 Speaker 1: But there was no one protecting Phil Lionett the way 503 00:30:02,200 --> 00:30:05,400 Speaker 1: Phil Line was now protecting Sean O'Connor. No one to 504 00:30:05,400 --> 00:30:07,840 Speaker 1: step in when he showed up again at Johnny Thunders's 505 00:30:07,920 --> 00:30:10,200 Speaker 1: room at the Chelsea, this time with a bag of 506 00:30:10,240 --> 00:30:12,600 Speaker 1: heroin in his hand, or when he was stopped at 507 00:30:12,640 --> 00:30:15,720 Speaker 1: the Doublin Airport with more junk grass and methadone in 508 00:30:15,760 --> 00:30:18,760 Speaker 1: his possession. Not just because he ignored his own advice 509 00:30:18,840 --> 00:30:21,200 Speaker 1: and the advice of doctors, but because he did so 510 00:30:21,240 --> 00:30:26,480 Speaker 1: while delving further into his addictions in secret. Phil's longtime bandmate, 511 00:30:26,640 --> 00:30:30,200 Speaker 1: guitarist Scott Gorm, also struggling with a heroin addiction, got 512 00:30:30,280 --> 00:30:33,880 Speaker 1: himself under control, using neuroelectric therapy to kick his habit. 513 00:30:34,720 --> 00:30:38,920 Speaker 1: Unlike Scott, however, Phil wasn't so lucky. On January fourth, 514 00:30:39,080 --> 00:30:43,000 Speaker 1: nineteen eighty six, at just thirty six years old, his heart, liver, 515 00:30:43,320 --> 00:30:49,920 Speaker 1: and kidneys gave out. It was just about seven years 516 00:30:49,960 --> 00:30:52,880 Speaker 1: since Phil's old friend Said Vicious died from a hot shot, 517 00:30:53,200 --> 00:30:55,840 Speaker 1: and roughly five years After Phil's death, another one of 518 00:30:55,840 --> 00:30:58,840 Speaker 1: his friends, Johnny Thunders, would also die from an overdose. 519 00:31:00,320 --> 00:31:02,560 Speaker 1: Phil's buddy from the other side of the musical tracks, 520 00:31:02,600 --> 00:31:05,719 Speaker 1: Huey Lewis looked around at all the carnage, all this 521 00:31:05,840 --> 00:31:09,320 Speaker 1: talent and promise wasted, a handful of his friends gone 522 00:31:09,520 --> 00:31:13,640 Speaker 1: or on their way out. Huey, for one, wanted a 523 00:31:13,680 --> 00:31:17,600 Speaker 1: new drug, one that wouldn't make him sick, one that 524 00:31:17,680 --> 00:31:19,680 Speaker 1: made him feel the way he felt when he listened 525 00:31:19,680 --> 00:31:22,800 Speaker 1: to the rich musical legacy of Thin Lizzy, which is 526 00:31:22,800 --> 00:31:29,000 Speaker 1: to say something like Grace, I'm Jake Brennan and this 527 00:31:29,000 --> 00:31:54,080 Speaker 1: this Disgrace man, all right, happy Saint Patrick's day, everybody. 528 00:31:54,120 --> 00:31:57,640 Speaker 1: This week's question of the week is which Irish artist 529 00:31:57,840 --> 00:32:00,960 Speaker 1: or band is your favorite? And why is it? In 530 00:32:01,120 --> 00:32:05,160 Speaker 1: Lizzie You two the Undertones Cranberry's who is it? Which artists? 531 00:32:05,200 --> 00:32:07,160 Speaker 1: And why? Let me know? Six one seven nine oh 532 00:32:07,200 --> 00:32:09,600 Speaker 1: six six six three eight, Leave me a voicemail, send 533 00:32:09,640 --> 00:32:11,280 Speaker 1: me a text. We'll get into it in the after 534 00:32:11,320 --> 00:32:13,680 Speaker 1: party this week. You can also reach me at Disgrace 535 00:32:13,760 --> 00:32:17,320 Speaker 1: lampod as well on Instagram, X and Facebook, and do 536 00:32:17,440 --> 00:32:20,040 Speaker 1: me a favor if you're an Apple podcast listener. Make 537 00:32:20,080 --> 00:32:23,440 Speaker 1: sure you're following Disgraceland and have automatic downloads turned on 538 00:32:23,760 --> 00:32:25,720 Speaker 1: so that you are guaranteed not to miss one of 539 00:32:25,800 --> 00:32:28,760 Speaker 1: our episodes. 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