Goats Don’t Shave
There are fair few people in Ireland who for 20 years have called me “Goats Don’t Shave”. As it’s a mouthful for a name it frequently gets shortened to just “Goats”.
Yes, as I saunter up to the bar in my local pub in Dublin (I’m given to sauntering), it’s not uncommon for a voice to cry out something along the lines of “Goats Don’t Shave, have you seen anything of Ambrose lately?”
It’s not because I look like a goat, or indeed a plurality of goats. Nor is it because I don’t shave. It’s because of Donegal.
Many years ago at a festival in Donegal I was among a small band of men who took shelter in a hotel from a filthy rain. On bar stools as it happens. As our pints of Guinness settled in front of us I turned to the lads and gestured at the front door, where despite the dark clouds it was still techically bright outside - it being almost noon after all.
-Isn’t it odd to think that the whole planet will revolve all the way around so that we’ll go through to darkness and on into brightness again, and all the time we’ll still be in here supping pints?
And we were.
And somewhere in there, around 5 in the morning, I was involved in an incident with the guitarist from the Donegal band Goats Don’t Shave. And my adult name was born.
I’ve mentioned Goats Don’t Shave before, and I’ve been meaning to talk about them for a long time - they being 2nd only in popularity to The SawDoctors when the lads from Tuam were at their peak of chart success.
Las Vegas in the hills of Donegal was their biggest hit going something like:
If I could
I’d build a wall
around old Donegal
The north and south
to keep them out
by god I’d build it tall
Casinos, chicken ranches
I’d legalise them all
And we’ll have our own Las Vegas
in the hills of Donegal
But hey, have a listen yourself - from the Gay Byrne era of The Late Late Show
The guitarist in question was that fella on the left end with the lovely hair, and the guitar as it happens. I should add that the relevant incident involved no violence. Nor anything illegal - if you ignore the fact that we were drinking 5 hours after last orders.
Goats Don’t Shave were probably unlucky in their timing, and didn’t achieve anything like the commerical success of The Saw Doctors, but every once in a while I hear, directly or indirectly, from somebody who has bumped into their music. And the most recent edition of Kansas City’s Irish radio show, Celtic Crossings, includes a track from them.
So if you didn’t hear it live, why not have a listen to the podcast where you can hear it, as well as interviews with Kevin Ryan of Governor Stumpy’s just in advance of their Celtic Block Party, and Devin Cooley about KCGAC goings on, and a brief interview with Gerry O’Beirne from when he played at Eddie Delahunt’s Cafe &, and loads more.
See Other Stuff, Kind of Related:
• A Celtic rock Assault on England
• Paddy Rock Radio Top 25 CDs 2005
• Pub Crawl Memories
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