Sinéad O'Connor
On friday July 20th I was honoured to perform by specific request of the Mayfield family, at the 70th birthday tribute concert held at The Lincoln Centre, for the late, great, Curtis Mayfield.
I performed 2 songs. Jesus and Billy Jack.
All reviews of the performances were stellar. Though in my own opinion Jesus, being a terrible fecker of a difficult song, didn't go as well as Billy Jack, which kicked major butt.
All the singers present, most of whom are very well known, aged and seasoned professional soul singers, were extremely moved by my work, as I was by theirs.
Outside of Ireland and particularly in America, when I go to work I am treated with an enormous amount of respect, as an artist.
While understandably I am fair game for comment on my lifestyle, my 'eccentricities', controversies, scandals, etc.. remarks are made honestly, yet respectfully, and prejudice about my lifestyle or personality is not held against my work. They have the intelligence and respect to separate my work from whatever else they may feel about me and let my work stand alone.
Above all, they do not use my mental health issues as something with which to disrespect me. In fact, quite the opposite, is my experience.
When they refer to anything at all about my lifestyle or personality they do not neglect to mention my live work is always stellar. And that they are greatly moved by it.
In Ireland this is absolutely not the case. And sometimes in England.
Media tend in Ireland not to bother referring to my work, despite reviews being widespread and available to them.
They use my mental illnesses (bi-polar disorder and PTSD) and the fact of my being 'unusual' as an Irish woman, as excuses to scorn and mock me, and make utter disregard of my live work by never mentioning it, because if they did they would have to agree it is stellar.
The U.K Daily Mail yesterday, instead of reviewing the Curtis show, or my live work, made fools of their ghost-faced selves, by calling 'bizarre' (a word only used for women) my mixing of priest shirt with camouflage pants.
This of course they did without actually asking me anything about why I wore them. That would have been thorough journalism and the Mail don't bother with that.
Curtis Mayfield always wore camouflage pants. That is the main reason I wore those. If the Mail's offices weren't pallid someone would have known that.
But also, since the Mail chose to disrespect my struggle with the Catholic church, I may mention the following..
As a woman and an artist, and the mother of a young woman, I elect myself to challenge what roles patriarchy dictates I may or may not play, simply because I am a woman.
I don't take no for an answer and I don't sit around waiting for men to give me permission to be what God already made me.
I see myself in that regard as militant. I therefore see it as quite fitting to wear my priest shirt with army pants. This outfit is an artistic statement as much as anything else.
I am a spiritual fighter. That does not mean I am a holy or good person all the time. I believe to fight evil one must have evil within one.. otherwise one cannot recognise it in others. I do not claim to be anything but a fighter. On behalf of the Holy spirit. That is my choice in life and it is my full right before God, to have made such a choice.
I am an artisitc terrorist. I have no shame about that. It is between me and God.
I am part of the Rastafari movement. we are NOT a religion, but a MOVEMENT.
It isn't about being black and having locks. Its about how you see God and religion.
We wish to rescue God from religion.
We believe religion holds God hostage,
We see ourselves as 'soul-Jahs' and music is our priesthood.
Everything we think, do, say, feel, or wear, while working, is about that priesthood and that militancy of rescuing God from religion.
It is therefore more than appropriate, that I wear what I now wear when I am singing. My music is my priesthood and my priesthood is a militant act. And all of the above can be laid at the door of the Rastafari people who are my passionate love.
As a member of the Rasta movement I am interested and inspired by the idea of claiming back the Catholic Church in Ireland, for the Irish people. As is my right, and the right of any other human being who cares enough about the church to see it deserves better. As more importantly, does the Holy Spirit.
We have a curia who could cure nothing.
We have church leaders who think so little of the rape of children that they list as equal number ones, paedophilia and female ordination on their list of the worst abominations Catholics could commit.
Some things are worth fighting for. even though you become the subject of abuse or mockery.
I believe the honour of God is worth fighting for. And I don't care what gets lost in the battle.
I'm tired of musical stars waving around their grammies and mtv awards, thanking God for their lump of something. Then when there's a pitched battle in the street for the honour of God, there's no one to be found.
Tumbleweed.
If fighting for the honour of God is crazy, if loving God is crazy, if not caring what the career or reputation costs are of standing for spirit in a spiritless arena is crazy.. then I'm proud as fuck to be the craziest bitch that ever lived.
I want the keys. I want the church given over to the people. I stand for that in all I think, do, say, feel, and wear, as an artist. That is my entitlement and there is nothing 'bizarre' or insane about it.
These things matter. Certainly in my country. Of which the U.K Mail display scant understanding.
Spirit matters. And if artists don't represent spirit then the whole world is in trouble. Because religion (apart from Hinduism) is not representing spirit well at all.
When spiritual systems are failing, artists must become small lights.
The Mail, is a spirit-less, ghost coloured patriarchy, and so hadn't the grace nor intelligence to find out for themselves what I mean by what I wear.
Nor had they the grace to watch my performances, wherein they would have learned from the lyrical content of the songs, the outfit was even more appropriate.
The Mail allowed a comment suggesting I am schizophrenic. Because I am 'religious' and am passionate about rescuing my church. This remark should be removed from their site immediately. It is false. And also enforces ignorance as to the nature of schizophrenia.
I reject with laughter, the suggestion that a person being in love with, and inspired by, and wanting to stand for, God in all its forms, is in any way mentally unsound. The Mail should remove remarks which suggest this.
Many of their remarks enforce dangerous stigmas around mental illness. these stigmas cause deaths. full stop. The Mail should act more responsibly when allowing any remark be published concerning mental health.
'Crazy' or 'schizophrenic' should not be terms of abuse by anyone. Especially leading newspapers.
The proof to me, that religion has failed, is that people think you're crazy if you believe in God! How funny can it get???
Of course those who work for papers, who like to consider themselves intellectuals, though they haven't the intellect to contact their subjects before judging them, must when they don't understand something, call it 'bizarre' or 'crazy'.
No. Its just you guys are stupid. And take not the care to educate yourselves before you make irresponsible remarks which re enforce stigmas against women, and those who suffer from mental illnesses.
Needless to point out The Mail is a spiritless arena, just as the music business is. It is natural you will mock anyone who chooses to represent the Holy Spirit in a militant, uncontrolled by patriarchy, fashion.
One does not have to be perfect to be a priest. One doesn't even have to be ordained to take up music as a priesthood.
All one has to have is faith and courage.
And yes, anyone standing for spirit with faith and courage throughout history, has been called 'mad'. but in fact later were shown to have been wise beyond belief.
One does though, have to prepared to be the butt of abuse when one is a woman choosing to laugh at and flout the rules set by men.
But one does then have the right to voice one's self in reply.
I am not a person who (unlike the Mail) is going around doing harm as an artist. there is no logic, seemingly, to the level of abuse and mockery I am subjected to.
But it is the case that I am powerful as a female freedom fighter and must be brought down, if possible. So that women generally, remember their place and continue to take no for an answer. For fear if they don't they will become the subject of the type of disgraceful treatment women like myself are.
It doesn't go un -noticed that these papers usually make the women writers write the shit about women. This keeps the women writers in their place.
In future any un educated hack may feel free to e mail me at Iamwonderful@me.com to discuss issues before printing dangerous, stigma enforcing, prejudicial, nonsense.