Sinead O`Connor - Arsenio Hall 1991

nominated for 4 of those Awards let's let her talk about it please welcome Sinead O'Connor [Music] [Applause] I'm sure everybody has heard about this thing and sometimes we get distorted views and missed quotes why don't you explain why you don't want to go to mom and it's not too late for me and you to get some tuxes and go you know I'll take with you good night well first of all I want to point out that it's not just the Grammys that are pulled out of the English Awards as well the English equivalent the reason that I wanted to pull out was because I believe very much that the music industry as a whole operates mainly it's concerned mainly with material success and a lot of artists do I think are responsible for encouraging the belief among people the material success will make them happy and I think one of the ways that the industry encourages commercial success materiality is by having award ceremonies which very much honor those who have achieved material success rather than people who have told the truth or who've done anything to pass information to people or to inspire people or to you know just be truthful about anything that makes sense that makes sense because I guess in the past different people like Jimi Hendrix and Bob Dylan who probably had never received Grammys well I mean Bob Dylan I think received a Grammy for a good vocal performance well exactly like him Bob Dylan sang I mean he's brilliant you know I mean he should receive Grammys for being brilliant and for speaking the truth and for fighting for the things that he fought for you know the same as IceCube shooter the same as Van Morrison shorter people like that and John Lennon has to die before he gets a Grammy you know I'm just some rappers that aren't even gonna go tomorrow night or something apparently the rush management apparently have pulled their people at the question in a lot of minds is probably because you know you and I did the MTV Awards together and and you went to the AMAs why those and not this one well first of all I went to the AMAs purely to confirm everything that I've been thinking anyway I've been thinking about this for a long time before that I wanted to go there and see I wanted to know whether in the light of their being a world war happening which is happening because we as a race are concerned with material success rather than each other we don't love each other we don't care about each other we kill each other we allow each other to starve to death you know we censor each other you know we rape each other we beat each other up we abuse our children in every way possible and here's me and so in the light of their being a world war which i think is happening because of all of those things I wanted to see if any artists would say anything when they had the platform about the war and about how tragic it was and nobody said a word other than you know peace in the Middle East but I don't know what that means when you're dressed in a suit that's made of the American flag you know to me so I wanted to base kind of like this [Music] [Applause] there's one thing that must be pointed out is that you know it's it's very easy and a lot of people have done this I don't have any problem with America or with American people and it's simply a lie for anybody to say that I do if I did I wouldn't live in this country and I'd hardly even be sitting here speaking to anybody the fact is that I don't agree with segregation of any kind whether it's in music or whether it's to do with nationalism or patriotism of any kind of believe in having a sense of pride in your country and where you're from but I believe in the human race I don't believe in sections or you know sections of music I believe in art you know do we know don't believe in segregation of any kind so and basically I went to the American Music Awards because I wanted to see whether anybody would have the guts to say anything you know like how tragic it is that the war is on and nobody did so that's when I decided that you know I didn't want to be part of the whole thing what do you think about the positive efforts that have come out of the music industry like the we are the world thing and Live Aid things like that I think that's brilliant I think that on the part of the artists that were involved it was brilliant but if you look at the record companies and how they behaved when all that was going on record companies were putting adverts out in newspapers saying you know buy this record as seen on the Nelson Mandela show or as seen on Live Aid using the whole thing for promotion which is disgraceful using it to make money for themselves you know I don't know how much of it went to the firm and a relief you know yeah this has become an international issue with you isn't there a DJ that said I mean in England who said you should be spanked or something yeah give me his number in case y'all work it out I'd like to do the spanking yeah let's get busy [Music] [Applause] who is this guy I just want to give you your time now and I get my time later [Music] this DJ called Jonathan King who is in he's the producer of the English equivalent to the Grammys which is called the BPI words and he was very upset at the fact that I refused to accept the British award for Best International female and what he did was he showed a video of Whitney Houston singing the American national anthem and this was supposed to insult me and he did an interview recently with music week and billboard where he said that I needed to be taught some manners and that artists in general shouldn't be allowed to become bad mannered that they should have received a good spanking just as a parent spanks a child he said Sinead O'Connor should be spanked for being so bad mannered so hmm I know all this must get to you because I know negative stuff about me seems to surface and get to me quicker than positive positive response it seems like people who like you never write or anything like that you know but I hope you know there are a lot of people that support you there was a wonderful article in The New York Times there was something in Time magazine and there are a lot of people who not only supports you but support you're right I think that there are a lot of people whose were at the end of the day like what have I said what I've said is that I believe that the human race is is concerned mostly with money and you know that we are concerned more about money than we are about each other like at the end of the day that's what I've said and I think there probably every person in this room and on the planet agrees with us that money basically is the cause of every sort of problem that we see happening in the universe and I think what people disagree with and half the problem with is when the media gives the impression that I'm some sort of anti-american and I don't know where they get it from or where you know they drove the whole thing from but you know it's it's the very people that I'm talking about the very people that are responsible for being so greedy and for encouraging the whole thing they're the ones that have the problem you know something I don't think that it's actual real people you know the people you've come in contact with other than this DJ there how about DJ's here how about musicians how's the industry responded to you I wouldn't say that it's responded enormous enormous leap favorably to me because I'm criticizing it you know I mean I think if there's one thing I fail to point out is that there are a lot of people involved in the industry who are not greedy and who are not initially simply to make money and use people but I'd say that 80% or no and the 80% that are of course have been very vociferous in their disagreement with me and how they're very patronizing of course and how you know Who am I to talk since I've only had one hit record and even that was written by Prince and I eat and I only have it the only reason I'm in the music business is because I've shaved head that kind of thing you know that's basically the response from people there hasn't been an awful lot of support from people within the industry know did you see this show the night sting was on no I didn't he said so I'm gonna get you to get your tape of that when you're feeling down you have to watch that I heard that's time I got a letter from Raquel Welch as well which is great I'll send that to my dad cause he really fancies herself nothing happens you know we'll have a laugh will you tell them to mail it to you no I have said that if I win I won't accept it and I wouldn't want it I wouldn't want to near me I wouldn't it's as far as I'm concerned it represents everything that I despise about the music industry there what people don't really understand is that when you stand on the stage for example singing there's there's one of you and there's five thousand or whoever however many people in the audience and whatever it is that you're giving out to people they're getting back to you you're getting it back five thousand times and that's worth an awful lot more to me than a piece of metal is you knows me so I don't want anything to do with that aspect of things you know it's not really why I'm doing what I'm doing here yeah I was talking to you once and you said something and I started to ask you then more about it because it kind of stayed with me I we were talking about somebody's response to you was if you're so unhappy why don't you go in your response to me when we were discussing it is you said maybe I will just sometimes does it get you down sometimes you want to quit and just it does it's very difficult to close get me down I mean you know there are things that I really like but this kind of thing that it's not easy to be the bush of an awful lot of venom and hatred that gets directed at you merely because you've said that you're sorry over the fact that there's a war happening you know and that you'd like to do something about it you know ii mean there are millions and millions of people who feel exactly the same as i do if you forget that i'm in any way a public figure you know there are billions of people to feel exactly the same as i do and they don't have the opportunity to say how they feel and just people like us do and spend we should do as far as i'm concerned but it's very very difficult just as a 24 year old girl like to be the but as I said of such an enormous amount of hatred and venom and personal abuse you mean it really gets to be a bit of strain so sometimes you feel like you you know that cave is looking good you know that farm in Africa yeah is that where you'd like to go live sometime I would I think so when you voted by Rolling Stone readers best and worst something in the same category best female singer and worst female singer so it's obviously getting through it's obviously going according to plan is that according to yeah I mean I think it's a it shows that whatever it is you're trying to do it's it's definitely getting through not that I have any idea what it is I'm trying to do but not anyone else does either sometimes you say things that amaze me I wonder if you even believe them you said that you were ugly and hideous everybody feels that that I mean every girl goes through phases of feeling like a dog in that day you felt ugly and hideous hideous today as well stop don't you realize that you can't cut your head bald and and look this beautiful if you're ugly and hideous you're a very attractive woman you can't believe you I feel better now since you think I'm attractive there because some people are beautiful because of the hair have you seen these girls in the clubs and it's like this and he said she's attractive oh wait a hell is she with you know everybody can't do this no it's just I think it's cuz I'm Irish a lot of Irish people me included we have problems with our bodies you know problems with feeling good about ourselves you know but it takes someone as gorgeous as yourself you also said something else that was interesting you said all men are foolish even guys clever see right why did you say that um well first of all I love man I mean who doesn't but I think that what I meant by that was that I think that men have a very hard time expressing themselves I think they find it very very different I mean they're very anal that you know I think so they're anal retentive erotic which means perfectly and I think that men and I think it lost the time it's it's the fault of women because we tell our little boys not to cry because big boys don't cry so they grow up being completely unable to express themselves and they hate themselves for it and they because they can't express how bad they feel because they can't express themselves they were beat up women are they drink or they you know they're obnoxious or whatever but you know but as far as being fully concerned I think it's just because they just tell me lies all the time something you know just so they can sleep with you and you'd sleep with them anyway you know like say if you said to me you know have it off with me I'd say yes you wouldn't have the time you love [Applause] hypothetically of course I invited you out once I asked you if you want to go to a Laker game you didn't give me a date well they're on the road now oh you know we can travel come on I can't go but as soon as they come back yeah but what I'm thinking now is I could have gone to a Laker game with my partner John I don't even have to tell you that I could have just went not gonna go look I want them boots and no not that was baby no but I actually agree with you because guys are guys you know guys don't need to tell us you love us okay you know we want to have it all with you it's fine yeah I agree guys the dogs I just want to see how you articulated it you know and you don't mean as if I'm some manager cuz I love man I think that the men have their together sometimes know a lot more than women do yeah in different areas not if I'm gonna be in trouble with the family if for some reason somebody finds out that we have been hanging out am I gonna have your purple badness come on my doorman if you wear this jacket though I work out the Wardrobe thing is your purple bag that's gonna be mad at me I wouldn't know I don't I'm speaking of prints because you know these you know these articles have been out and I don't know what's true well I don't I don't think that on a person that is the photo of in anyone's mind is being dishonest or being a liar see I never know whether the quote in the paper is true according to a newspaper I read the man got pretty vicious with you I did but I don't really think that this is the time or the place to go into it okay well that's move Oh I always tell you whatever you have to whatever you have to do you do it now go with it you know I know bidness is first I mean be careful you're gonna do a song I'm gonna attempt to do a song and what's the name of the song it's called Irish ways and I are close okay I think that explains it we'll take a commercial and we'll come right back and she'll do a song for you all a very unique song [Applause] performing the Irish waves and Irish laws please give it up for Sinead O'Connor once upon a time there were Irish ways and Irish villages average blood [Laughter] odd waking to the mall wakin to the more then the Vikings came [Music] turn is open turn us down all started building boats and tall homes may trying to change our living trying to change crumble and as soldiers came started centuries of share but they could not make us turn [Music] we are river flowing we're floor again again the soldiers came burn our houses star ground shut the farmers and their fee feels working for working for [Music] 800 years we have endured the secret on the water side is captive spirit of above the paint is sander bum the paint [Music] today in this struggle carries on I wonder will I live so long the city can't spin up alone up to our people and their freedom people on their freedom um once upon a time there were Irish ways and Irish village is a fire [Music] we can to the morning wake into [Music] [Applause]

Channel: oldTOtaper

Views: 1,925,558

Keywords: Sinead, O`Connor, Arsenio, Hall, 1991, Irish, rare

Id: mAf7fGEeRQs

Length: 20min 36sec (1236 seconds)

Published: Wed May 04 2011