Tommy Tiernan Show recap: Saw Doctors on their love for the stage and a quiet post-gig pint
The Saw Doctors sppoke about their break from 2013 to 2022, their return to performing, and the importance of maintaining connections with audiences.
Saturday night’s episode of the Tommy Tiernan Show touched on the return of one well-known Irish band, the importance of living life to the fullest, and the impact of Riverdance across the globe.
Tiernan’s guests included Leo Moran and Davy Carton of the Saw Doctors, comedian Kyla Cobbler and composer Bill Whelan.
Saw Doctors members Leo Moran and Davy Carton were Tiernan’s first guests of the night.
The pair spoke about their break from 2013 to 2022, their return to performing, and the importance of maintaining connections with audiences.
They discuss their songwriting process and the importance of giving their best at every performance.
Carton said that when touring, they have to treat each performance as if their audience were hearing them play for the first time.
“These are new people every day and they deserve the best you can give”, he said.
They spoke about their love for a quiet drink after a gig, how their songwriting is “pure luck” a lot of the time, and their approach to choosing topics to write about.
Moran, who continued to gig in the US while the pair took a break from performing together, spoke about the popularity of house concerts and his experience playing more intimate gigs in private homes.
Sharing stories about the different types of house concerts and the varying levels of professionalism and hospitality involved, he described it as a “very intense” experience.
“You’d be surprised how many people you’d fit in a sitting room with the right furniture,” he said.
Carton said you’re also very exposed because they don’t have their band with them but described them as enjoyable experiences also.
“You sit down then for dinner after the gig with them, and we’re all talking about the songs - it’s great,” he said.
Touching on the ‘vagabond minstrels’ lifestyle of the Saw Doctors, they spoke of their love of performing in various settings, traveling, and meeting new people.
Speaking about returning to performing after some time, Carton said: “I didn’t want to go out and not be as good as I was. So, I was thinking to myself, have I got this, are you okay? And when I went out gigging again, it was no problem. It was just like getting back on a bike.”
He said that once he got a bit of confidence from playing again, he was fine.
When asked about future plans and why they don’t worry about the future, Moran said: “The only worry I’d have now is we have our first gig in Scotland in May. So, we want to be good for that. We haven’t played since December… but even if we’re bad, we’ll be fairly good.”
The pair touched on how they plan their set lists and how their newer material blends with their legendary songs.
“I would love for us to have a song that people would still be singing in one hundred years,” he said.
The pair sang their popular song Red Cortina in the studio before Tiernan wished them well in all of their future ventures as a band.
Stand-up comedian Kyla Cobbler, who had done some work with Tiernan recently, was the second guest to appear on the show.
In what was her TV debut, Cobbler discussed her recent sold-out shows at Cork Opera House, where she debuted a new comedy show titled Not My Lemons.
She spoke about her life in Barcelona and her experience gigging across Europe, describing it as “exciting” but said she is “wrecked” from travelling so much.
”It’s been a busy beginning of the year but my career has moved and now I need to just get in front of people.” She spoke about how lying with her granny as she was passing away made her realise she just really wanted to live her life.
“She just created this incredible life. She was the first woman in her parish to wear trousers - super cool. I come from a matriarch. I was just sitting there thinking ‘I’m going to go for it [comedy], because I’m going to die.” Cobbler touched on her experiences with online dating and the differences between Italian and Irish men.
She also spoke about the importance of therapy, yoga, and meditation in her life, describing them as essential tools for personal growth.
“Going to therapy teaches you that you are responsible. There has to come a certain point in your life where you have to take responsibility for how you navigate in the world,” she said.
She touched on the power of continuing to show up and make genuine choices, which she said leads to opportunities and success.
Describing Cobbler as “a very inspiring woman”, Tiernan thanked her for coming onto the show.
Award-winning composer and creator of Riverdance Bill Whelan was Tiernan’s final guest of the night.
Whelan discussed the 30th anniversary of Riverdance, the impact of Riverdance across the globe and his current US tour.
He reflected on his musical history, growing up with a musically inclined family, and his early exposure to various genres.
His father was a self-taught harmonica player who played rhythms on a press, while his mother was a talented pianist.
He described his upbringing as a middle-class Limerick upbringing, with his parents owning a newsagent's shop.
He shared that both of his parents died in their early 70s, missing his higher-profile career, which he said is “a regret” for him as they both loved music immensely and that it would have been a thrill to share his successes with them.
He emphasised the importance of rhythmic complexity in his compositions, influenced by his father's rhythms and his own interest in jazz.
“From a very early age, I didn’t see any borders, I didn’t notice any borders in music,” he said.
He reflected on how the death of his parents affected him, the acceptance of death, and the concept of legacy and the continuation of his parents' traits through his grandchildren.
Whelan spoke about the unexpected emotional impact of his music on others, recounting a touching story of a couple in London who thanked him for the slow air for the pipes in Riverdance, which helped them grieve for their son.
He reflected on the evolution of Riverdance and its impact.
He discussed the conflict between the business aspect of Riverdance and its original soul, emphasising the importance of staying true to the original vision, and shared his experiences working with various ensembles, as well as the lessons learned from mentors such as Noel Helen and Jim Doherty.
Whelan said that when Riverdance “took off”, he was under enormous pressure to create Riverdance 2 but that he resisted.
“I resisted it because what made Riverdance the original Riverdance could never be repeated,” he said.
He said he will be doing a concert for his 75th birthday in November with the National Symphony Orchestra, for which he is writing a new piece.
Whelan spoke about the fantastic young talent in Ireland and said one of the great joys in what he does is seeing “what’s now coming”.
Closing out the show were the Saw Doctor and the RTÉ Concert Orchestra with a performance of Same Oul’ Town.
