Culture That Made Me: Dec Pierce on Guns N’ Roses, Cillian Murphy and his DJ heroes
Dec Pierce, DJ and musical director of Block Rockin' Beats. Pic: Glen Bollard
Dec Pierce, 45, grew up between Ringsend and Sandymount, Dublin. In 1995, his breakthrough as a DJ started with pirate radio station Pulse FM. He launched Block Rockin’ Beats on Today FM in 2017, which airs Friday and Saturday nights. He formed a new dance label, 95 Records, with Rubyworks last year. Block Rockin’ Beats will perform at the Galway International Arts Festival, 20 July. See: www.giaf.ie
My grandparents were massively into music. My memory of being five to 10 years old was music and sing-songs in the house constantly. My granddad was a phenomenal singer. He listened to the likes of Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, all that crooner era. It was a common thing for me to come back from school, and to find my grandparents waltzing around the living room. I grew up with a wall of music around me.
I remember buying by Guns N’ Roses around 1987 and eating that album alive. I was obsessed with it, and . I loved the tracks 'Rocket Queen' and 'Patience' on those records. There was something about their style. Guns N’ Roses — with, say, 'Sweet Child O’ Mine' — were poppy in a rock world. They did heavy metal stuff, but they made it accessible. It wasn't screaming into a microphone and bashing guitars around. Even the vocal range of Axl Rose — sometimes he sounded like a gifted female singer. I loved sometimes he could do a track and his range would go off the charts, going somewhere completely different from the start. Their rebelliousness, the bad language, appealed as well to me as an 11-year-old.
When The Prodigy came into my world with I was instantly drawn into that album, the likes of 'Charly', 'Out of Space', 'Everybody in the Place', and 'Death of the Prodigy Dancers'. I loved that The Prodigy was an act. There was Liam Howlett, the brains of the operation; Keith Flint, The Prodigy dancer; Leeroy Thornhill; and the emcee Maxim. They were a band in an electronic world, with personality, that you could follow like a football team.
I loved how unique the dance scene was in the 1990s. It was easy for me to fall in love with the rave scene because it was different. I enjoyed the fact it was underground. I enjoyed that commercial radio didn't play it; they played rock, R.E.M., U2, Sinead O’Connor and these kinds of acts. I had to do a bit more research to find the music. I had to find it on pirate radio. That made me feel special, like I was part of a club.
Faithless were a huge part of my life in the 1990s. I remember hearing 'Insomnia' for the first time in 1995. A friend of mine, Andy Preston, a guy who's now my best friend, who I didn't know at the time but he was a DJ, played it in a club in Stillorgan, Dublin.
I remember I was on the dance floor and I came running around, going, “What the hell is that?” It was on a white label at the time, and then I found 'Salva Mea'. I became obsessed with Faithless.
My DJ heroes were people doing it in Ireland in the 1990s. I was obsessed with the Irish scene, not with London or Essex or Manchester. The likes of Mark Kavanagh and Tim Hannigan, aka Mr Spring, were doing what they were doing in the UK, but in Ireland. They were championing it. I used to buy cassettes of their gigs. They were pioneers in Ireland.
I wouldn't be a massive fan of U2, but I went to see you U2 at Slane Castle in 2001. I remember being blown away by that gig for different reasons. Bono’s father had passed away the week before and he did a version of 'Kite', from the album , and he dedicated it to his dad. I still get goosebumps when that comes on the radio. That was a gig I loved.
is a classic. I loved the escapism of it. Matthew Broderick was phenomenal in it. There was a couple of songs in it as well I loved. There’s a scene where they are staring at some artwork in a museum in Chicago, and Dream Academy’s 'Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want' is playing. I could listen to that song 20 times in a row and get goosebumps every time. I love slapstick movies like that.
I'm a massive fan. Cillian Murphy is phenomenal in it. It’s rare a programme will capture my imagination like that one did. I was obsessed with the style of the characters and how they all played out, and the haircuts and fashion. It was an extremely slick production.
I loved the recent series, Guy Ritchie's production, . I love Guy Ritchie’s style of directing, and how he shoots scenes, is genius and quirky. Vinnie Jones is in it. I've been a fan of his since he was a dirty footballer and went on to become an actor, and I still am.
My favourite podcast is the podcast. They are two inner city lads from Dublin, Calvin O'Brien and Terence Power. They have big guests from the worlds of sport, music and politics. They address everything from trivial matters to serious topics. My wife is a teacher in a Youthreach school. Some of those kids are on various, different journeys. Some might be involved in drugs, but they listen to the podcast because the lads speak their language. These guys are phenomenal characters. The podcast is brilliant.
I loved reading Paul McGrath’s . It’s a phenomenal story. It's a raw story about Paul's life — the big highs and massive lows. I ate it up from start to finish. Paul is one of my heroes. I've been lucky over the years to become good friends with him. I'm happy to say that Paul is in a wonderful place at the moment. He’s living in Wexford and loving life. I'm an Aston Villa fan. I've been over to see a couple of Villa games with Paul. Arriving at Villa Park with Paul McGrath is an experience like no other. He’s known as “God” in Villa Park.
