And he stones us to our souls: the Van Morrison interview

Described as a ‘regular cat’ — even ‘a soulful cat’ , Van Morrison is not one for interviews, so it was a coup for Clive Davis to land an interview with the media-phobic Maestro , exclusively for the Irish Examiner.

Skip to the end of his new album’s last track, a jaunty encounter with the American blues and roots master Taj Mahal, and there it is, the unmistakable sound of Van Morrison laughing. Yes, laughing.

There are so many stories about Van the Man snarling at the world — no one, with the possible exception of Lou Reed, has enjoyed such an antagonistic relationship with the media — that it comes as a shock to be reminded that he is capable of having fun.