Van Interviewed For 'So Hard To Beat' On BBC TV

Van breaks seven-year telly silence for Beeb

You may have thought there would never be Days Like This - but notoriously publicity shy Ulster music legend Van Morrison is set to put the record
straight - on telly!

In a major coup, BBC Northern Ireland has persuaded 'Van The Man' to give his first telly interview in years, in the new two-part documentary, So Hard To Beat.

Van, currently in the charts with his At The Movies album, reminisces about a wide range of subjects, including his early years playing in Belfast's
Maritime Hotel, making it big in the USA and his career today.

The 61-year-old east Belfast born singer agreed to break a seven-year telly silence - thanks to his friendship with BBC Northern Ireland's Head of
Programme Production Mike Edgar.

During the documentaries, written and narrated by noted broadcaster and journalist Stuart Bailie, Van admits that Northern Ireland still shapes his music and provides a constant inspiration for his work.

Said Van: "Any writers or poets that are from here, they do keep coming back in their imagination because it's like a source. They still have a sense of place."

Although Morrison remains a significant force on the music stage, he revealed that making music isgetting more difficult.

"The longer you do it, the harder it becomes to make it fresh. It's just simply the way things are. You can't do something a long time and expect it to be all the way it was when you started. You have to work harder at it," he said.

Other artists who talk about their part in the history of Northern Ireland rock over the past five decades include Snow Patrol's Gary Lightbody, Ash's
Tim Wheeler, Thin Lizzy's Gary Moore and Eric Bell and DJ/movie soundtrack composer David Holmes.

So Hard To Beat - produced by Tony Curry - will be shown on BBC ONE NI this Tuesday at 10.35pm and Wednesday, March 28, at 10.40pm.

Listen to the BEAT

Northern Ireland may be a small place, but over the years it has made a big noise in the world of music.

Over the decades, songs such as Have I Told You Lately?, Teenage Kicks and Chasing Cars have seeped into the consciousness of music lovers the world over and as a result Northern Ireland musicians as diverse as Van Morrison, The Undertones and Snow Patrol have become household names on a global scale.

So Hard To Beat, a new fast-paced, two-part documentary on BBC ONE NI, takes an in depth look at the exciting range of music to come from Northern Ireland which has made its mark on the musical map over the past five decades.

Written and narrated by broadcaster, music journalist and long-time supporter of local music Stuart Bailie, So Hard To Beat celebrates the musicians and figures who first started making a noise in the music industry in the 1960s, through to the exciting new up-and-coming artists who are only starting to make a name for themselves.

This two-part documentary covers the swinging sixties, the backdrop of the Troubles, the punk period, peace time Northern Ireland and the current music scene and features exclusive interviews with many of our musical legends and current superstars, including Van Morrison, Snow Patrol’s Gary Lightbody, Ash’s Tim Wheeler, Gary Moore, Eric Bell and Henry McCullough.

These world renowned artists talk about their careers, how being from Northern Ireland has impacted on their music and careers and what they think of their fellow Irish musicians.

Stuart Bailie says: “The story really hurtles along, from Baby Please Don’t Go to Chasing Cars. It was a joy to work on this and an honour to talk to so many of our musical legends. Most of them share a deal of pride to have come from here and most of them are happy to be part of a musical chain letter – passing on ideas, experience and inspiration. This is where we’re from, and documenting this history has been really great for the heart.”

The documentary also features plenty of unmissable archive footage from many of Northern Ireland’s biggest names.

The first So Hard To Beat programme, on BBC ONE NI on Tuesday March 27 at 10.35pm, starts in Northern Ireland in the 1960s when The Beatles and a new revolution in music were inspiring musicians here to pick up their guitars and start finding their own musical identities.

The documentary charts the buzz of Belfast’s The Maritime Hotel, where Van Morrison and his band Them, among others, would play their own brand of rhythm and blues and follows Van Morrison’s venture into a solo career with the acclaimed Astral Weeks and beyond.

Belfast music legend Terri Hooley fondly recalls one of the cities most famous music venues of the sixties: “The Maritime [Hotel] was a fantastic place, filled with sweaty bodies and bands that were very exciting and bands that were playing their own music, too.”

“The first time that I saw Them I thought the band were fantastic and Van was wearing an old army jacket and he came to the fore to play the saxophone. They really did blow my mind.”

Also in the first programme, Portstewart’s Henry McCullough talks his career as a world class guitarist, joining Joe Cocker at Woodstock and being part of Paul McCartney’s post-Beatles group The Wings.

Henry says: “I was nervous. I grew up with the Beatles, you know? When I was playing in showbands we were playing Beatles songs. I had about three pints of Guinness before meeting Paul just top settle myself. And we talked and stuff and jammed around for about three days and at the end of it he just said ‘Do you want to join a band?’ And that’s just how he said it, and who wouldn’t? I know about 12 players that would give more than one finger to play with Paul McCartney, and better men than me they would be as well.

“It’s the opportunity of a lifetime but once you get into it, you adapt to the lifestyle of the way it has to be, because you’re part of that team, you’re part of Paul McCartney’s group. You can get on a Lear jet and end up in bloody Morocco.”

We hear of the resilience of musicians from here playing during the dark days of the Troubles and the tragic killing of members of the Miami Showband in 1975;

Derry’s Phil Coulter tells of the hits he penned for the likes of Elvis Presley, Cliff Richard, Sandy Shaw and the Bay City Rollers; we are reminded of the brilliance of Rory Gallagher and Thin Lizzy’s Phil Lynott; the Horseslips talk of their experiences touring Northern Ireland; and we are taken back to the days of punk rock with The Undertones, the Stiff Little Fingers and Terry Hooley, among others.

Among the highlights in the second So Hard To Beat programme, on BBC ONE NI on Wednesday March 28 at 10.40pm are; following Van Morrison’s career further, from his collaborations with The Chieftans and Brian Kennedy to present day; hearing from the young acts making it big in music today, from Snow Patrol’s Gary Lightbody and Ash’s Tim Wheeler to the Divine Comedy’s Neil Hannon and Brian Kennedy; hearing from David Holmes, who, as well has making a name for himself as a musician, DJ and producer is now a stalwart in making Hollywood soundtracks; and getting a sneak peak into the acts making their mark on the current music scene, from Duke Special to Iain Archer.

So Hard to Beat captures the complete rich and exciting history of Northern Ireland music in two fast-paced, programmes jam-packed with exclusive interviews and archive footage which are essential viewing for music lovers from these shores.