July 14, 2012
Last night my mates and I went to watch “Good Vibrations”, an Irish made movie at the Galway Film Fladh (festival). The man I’m pictured with here is Terri Hooley, a record store owner and God father of the Belfast punk scene. The biopic movie chronicled the life of Terri while he was living in Belfast during Northern Ireland’s civil war in the 1970s & 80s. “Some people called it a revolution, others called it the “troubles”, an equally useless word” as Terri would say. The civil war essentially pitted Catholics against Protestants, and violence ensued from differences in religious and political outlooks.
Terri’s father was a socialist politician, a man who sought “alternatives”, yet after twelve campaigns he never won one election. Terri however, was more of a pacifist and sought escape from Northern Ireland's political cruelties through music. His self-given title and day job as “Belfast’s #1 DJ” never lasted, but it did lead him to his future wife one night in a bar.
Terri’s father was a socialist politician, a man who sought “alternatives”, yet after twelve campaigns he never won one election. Terri however, was more of a pacifist and sought escape from Northern Ireland's political cruelties through music. His self-given title and day job as “Belfast’s #1 DJ” never lasted, but it did lead him to his future wife one night in a bar.
Soon after he married, the pressure to join a side in the civil war had put his own life in jeopardy. Many tried to push his family and friends out of Belfast, and in a bold attempt to stay permanently he started a record shop in one of Belfast’s most dangerous areas. Terri’s shop, “Good Vibrations”, experienced the hardships most new businesses see. It wasn't until the youths of Belfast pulled him in with their progressive punk-rock scene and brought him a new wave of clientele that his business began to boom.
Terri began supporting local bands, which gained national recognition under his self-made label, “Good Vibrations”. Through these bands he became a prosperous label owner and the community came to treat his shop with unprecedented respect and love. The last dialogue in the movie takes place during an epic concert at the Ulster Hall venue. During the bands final song, Terri gets on stage and exclaims, “New York has their haircuts, London has their treasures, but Belfast has the reason!” Terri had succeeded in helping a generation escape their countries hard ships through a new way of life fueled by rock music.
After the movie, the actual Terri came on the Galway stage to say a few words to congratulate the director and actors of the movie, during which he spilled half his beer trying to grab the microphone. He said there were times he had to get up and leave, “to cry me eyes out”. He also commented on getting up, “I also grabbed a pint, I’m not that fucking stupid”.
After his short speech we began walking out of the theater and once we got to the main lobby I noticed the man of the hour was standing right next to me. I patted his shoulder and said I wanted to come to the record shop and check out his collection. He replied, “Ah, you gotta make an appointment these days, but if you have your phone I’ll give you my number”. I told him I had no phone, but that I’d still try and stop by. I asked if he would take a picture with me and he slurred, “Sure, anything but a blowjob!”
From only the briefest of conversations I could tell the film got his character spot on. I never got to visit Belfast or Terri’s shop, but I’ll be the first in line when “Good Vibrations” hits the states.
"Victory doesn't always look the way other people imagine it"
-Terri's Father
From only the briefest of conversations I could tell the film got his character spot on. I never got to visit Belfast or Terri’s shop, but I’ll be the first in line when “Good Vibrations” hits the states.
"Victory doesn't always look the way other people imagine it"
-Terri's Father
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