metro Arts & Entertainment life Half Three Heroes In Town Tonight Dublin Youth Theatre presents a bleakly comic play by Emmet Kirwan about teenagers who make a stand when some of their fellow students are deported. Directed by Willie White Until Sat, Project Arts Centre, 39 East Essex Street D2, 8.15pm, 12 to 15. Tel: (01) 881 9613/4. www.project.ie Indigo Girls Thanks to their knack for coupling honey-sweet harmonies with politically-engaged songwriting, Amy Ray and Emily Saliers are one of the worlds most fted folk rock outfits Tonight, Vicar Street, 58-59 Thomas Street D8, 8pm, 28.50 to 31.50. Tel: 0818 719 300. www.indigogirls.com Gabriel Rosenstock Salmon Poetry, The Pearse Centre and Poetry Ireland present Gabriel Rosenstock reading from his new book of poetry Uttering Her Name. Work by Pakistani artist Mohsin Shafi will also be on display Tonight, The Pearse Centre, 27 Pearse Street D2, 6.30pm, free. Tel: 065 708 1941. www.poetryireland.ie Book Now Lady GaGa She aint no lady but GaGa has spent 2009 proving that shes a surprisingly potent pop icon. The first real suggestion came back in February, when she showed off her undeniably gutsy vocals (and bonkers fashion sense) with a cameo during the Pet Shop Boys Outstanding Achievement performance at the Brit Awards. Since then shes ramped up the raunchy attitude, won over the crowd at Oxegen, boldly built an empire on an electro-pop album with only three really strong songs on it (of which Paparazzi is the finest) and generally given the impression that shes just getting started. Join her when she hits Dublin as part of her Monsters Ball tour. Tickets go on sale tomorrow Feb 20, The O2, East Link Bridge, North Wall Quay D1, 6.30pm, 36.10 to 44.20. Tel: 0818 719 300. www.ladygaga.co.uk ME, ME, ME... Inside the minds of celebrities Music Interview Sean Millar Meet the peoples f you were asked to compile a list of Irelands top singer/songwriters its unlikely the name Sean Doctor Millar would feature in your top five. But then Millar has long been the recipient of a curious accolade: the greatest Irish tunesmith youve never heard of. Although hes been a singular voice on the Dublin music scene for over 20 years, the Doctors heart-felt, guitar-led numbers have never troubled the charts and his success has been almost entirely critical rather than commercial. While his debut album The Bitter Lie and its follow-up The Deal are frequently name- checked as modern masterpieces, he has had to content himself with a small but dedicated fanbase and gushing critical praise (Le Monde went so far as naming him the greatest living Irish songwriter). Ive never performed as a stepping stone towards wealth, the singer explains, and Ive always known that money wouldnt make me happy. Today I switched on the radio and a DJ was playing my song Raised Like Brothers. Having people hear the music means more to me than clocking up album sales. From anyone else, this might come across as glib but Millar seems genuine when he claims hes never been fame hungry. His lyrics invariably deal with Dublins working class and this fascination and empathy with the hoi polloi is reflected in the title of his latest EP, Of The People Part One (part two I follows next year), a poignant collection with a biographical bent. I grouped the songs in such a way that each EP contains a few sociopolitical tracks and a few that are personal, the 45-year-old explains. Of course it doesnt hurt Millars songwriting craft that he has first-hand experience of blue-collar Dublin; after years spent living in Bray he moved to the Iveagh Trust (a social and affordable housing unit) near Kevin Street. I moved in there ten years ago after one of my children was born and things got tough financially, he says. Both my parents grew up in the Trust and that helped me get a flat there. Living in that area allowed me to get back in touch with my inner-city roots and the people I met during that time have fascinated me. That environment has clearly informed Of The People, a paean to his family and neighbours. Because these Dubliners dont come from a literary or intellectual culture, you dont often hear their lives reflected in music or art, he says. The EP certainly goes some way towards righting that wrong. The aforementioned Raised Like Brothers is a terse, affecting number about two of Millars uncles faced with their own mortality while elsewhere Blue Chip is concerned with an ageing transvestite whos running scared after becoming involved with a manipulative younger man. T he latter isnt Millars first foray into writing about sexuality though. He also provided music for Silver Stars, a song- cycle based on the lives of older gay men that was recently revived and rapturously received as part of the Dublin Recession isnt really a factor for people whove been finding it hard to make ends meet through good times and bad The fame-shy musician praised for his inspirational albums talks to Daragh Reddin about finding the voice of the people 12 metrolife Thursday, October 29, 2009 10% Scotland 60% effin and blindin 30% booze The hoTTesT TickeTs in Town We have two pairs of tickets to see Lady GaGa Feb 20 at The O2 For a chance to win, e-mail your answer to the question below to life@metroireland.ie by noon today with Hot Tickets in the subject line. With your answer please include your name, address and a number where you can be contacted between 1pm and 3pm. Strictly one entry per person; entrants must be age 18+. Q. Which of the following was a huge hit for Lady GaGa? A Dog Face B Poker Face The winners of yesterdays tickets to see Julian Casablancas are: Orla ORegan & Niamh Donnellan Today: Frankie Boyle, from his recent autobiography On school: I didnt hate everything about school. I only hated the teachers, the pupils, the lessons, the building, the food, the smell, every second I spent there... The journey to school involved taking a bus and then walking for a couple of miles. The walk always had the sun directly in front of me the Mayans couldnt have aligned this thing any more directly with the f**king sun. On becoming a teacher: I was never much of a teacher. I sat [the unbearable] kids together so that if I felt the need to fart I could walk casually by their table. Kids never really think of teachers as farting, so theyd go absolutely nuts at each other. On being a stand-up: A least its now a really good time to be a topical comedian with a dystopian worldview. Never has everything seemed to be going to f**k with quite such alacrity. On taking up tae kwon do: The whole thing is built on Indomitable Spirit, an ability to never give in. I found that I had a Defatigable Spirit and gave in. I really miss it, actually. Theres just no way that being able to do a rowdy gig in Hull makes you cooler than somebody who can punch their way through a wall. On his first marriage: I was drunk for the courtship, proposal, wedding and most of the year-long marriage itself... drunkenness is quite a good way to approach marriage. On panel shows: One of the peculiarities of panel shows is the way that we are all expected and encouraged to shout over each other. On many shows you are given Red Bulls in your dressing room, sometimes even on set, without asking. I have long accepted the real possibility that I will have a massive stroke while guesting on a David Mitchell-hosted celebrity news quiz. Sharon Lougher My Sh*t Life So Far is published by Harper Collins, priced 21 index.html2.html3.html4.html5.html6.html7.html8.html9.html10.html11.html12.html13.html14.html15.html16.html17.html18.html19.html20.html21.html22.html23.html