@michael-marra
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Michael's latest theatre project is NAN GARLAND - The Opera. You can visit the project website by clicking [color=orange]HERE!
[size=14]Michael recently gave an interview to Kenny Farquharson of the Sunday Times about the Opera - here is what he had to say on the subject - Michael Marra walks into the foyer of Dundee Rep and peers around anxiously, a meerkat of a man wearing a beret. His nervousness is easily explained. For the past six months he has not seen much of the world outside the makeshift recording studio in his Newtyle home. There, working every day, he has been consumed by a project that marks a radical departure f or Scotland�s most celebrated songwriter. �I was beginning to worry about the isolation,� he says once we find a seat and some black coffee. As my wife pointed out, I get strange.� The voice is unmistakable � a rich growl that sounds as if someone has set his throat on fire then put the flames out with a tumbler of Laphroaig. Up close it seems a big voice for such a small man. Marra, 52 next month, has an air of vulnerability about him. Yet the clear eyes in the pockmarked face are mischievous and hold your gaze, and as he smokes his roll-ups he talks with the conviction of a man who knows he is at the height of his powers. A sign of this confidence is his new project � an opera. The choice may raise some eyebrows among those who cherish Marra for his mastery of the perfectly whittled four-minute song, finding the extraordinary in ordinary Dundonian experiences. But he says the time seemed right to try something on a bigger scale and to build on his experience of theatre writing. �I wanted something complicated,� he says. Marra�s guiding lights will be Guys and Dolls, Gilbert and Sullivan, West Side Story and Puccini. �I�m pitting myself against those standards,� he says with a nervous laugh. �People like Puccini wanted big hits and they were writing tunes that have stood the test of time. I want it to be solid.� Due to be finished at the end of this month, the opera has the working title of Nan Garland. �It�s about a group of truants � plunkers as we call them in Dundee � who, as they get older, just keep it up. They hide in the forest and keep it going into adulthood. And they start their own society. �People come and join them. Some of them go out to work in the normal world, pretending to be members of society but only to get funds to keep their own society going. There are complications because the police come looking for one of them, but basically their society prevails because of how they conduct it.� The working title is the name of the central character. �I�ve never met a woman called Nan that I didn�t like. And it�s also a name that women are not given these days, and I like that.� The plot is not Marra�s � he asked the Irish writer Michael Duke, formerly associate director of the Dundee Rep and now in charge of Tinderbox theatre in Belfast, to come up with a synopsis. The result has been a liberation for Marra, who describes his usual songwriting process as �a blur� and �a scuffle�. Writing to somebody else�s plot has been a release. �The job is clearer. You know where you are heading. There is no fight about it. I find it quite a calm process, which is strange for me.� Commissioned by Dundee Rep and featuring a Dundonian choir called Loadsaweeminsingin, the opera will make a virtue of not being rooted in any one place � even if for Marra it is �hovering above a perfect part of Angus�. Also due for release is a book of short stories called Karma Mechanics, adding yet another aspect to Marra�s artistic output. It is being published by an old friend, Mick McCluskey, who runs a firm called Intro2 from his home in the Sidlaw Hills above Dundee. Marra now lives in Angus, but the city on the Tay remains his touchstone, its pubs, history, footballers and failings lovingly chronicled in songs that can veer off into magic realism. This is seen in songs such as Frida Kahlo�s Visit to the Taybridge Bar, when St Peter at the pearly gates sends the Mexican painter to one of Marra�s favourite howfs. �For any artist Dundee is just the perfect place to look at the rest of the world,� he says. �Charles Mingus had a book called Beneath the Underdog. I always thought they should put that under Dundee on the sign outside the city.� Dundonians, he says, are the ultimate tough crowd. �The last thing you do in Dundee is try to impress. It�s absolutely not on. That for any artist is a great place to be � you work harder.� The reason for these attitudes, he says, is the city�s curious social structure. �I just cannot think of any place else where there is more or less one class of people.� If there is a Dundonian middle class, I point out that most of them are probably here in the Rep eating lunch. �Aye, and we can deal with them,� he growls. �They�re not giving us any trouble.� Copyright 2004 Times Newspapers Ltd.[/size]
To celebrate Midsummer we have put together
Volume Ten of the Marra collection featuring various tracks, some old, some new but all original Marra compositions with the exception of a couple of covers and one fan's homage to Michael.
A collection of interesting photographs of Michael and his musical and acting friends.
Michael in The Hollywood Room Buxton 2004 - Photo by Blumacjazz
Jake Mackenzie - Blumacjazz - with Michael, Jake is Mayor of Rohnert Park, California and a fan.
Michael in York 2004 - Photo by Blumacjazz
Relaxing on the set of Danger Doyle's Doos
The Storyteller from Beauty and The Beast
[img]http://www.musical1.com/uploads/1/[marra_gerbil_jpg[/img]
Above photo copyright Margaret McIntosh
Michael reads the famous Daily Record headline " Savage Gerbil Ruins Family Life"
Alan McGlone
Brian McDermott
At Viz Studios
Doogie Martin
Fishing trip
Gary Clark and Christopher Marra
The Lads in the Taybridge Bar
Gig Poster - Note that students were required to signed in by a member of the General Public.
Michael and Gus Foy
Posing
Michael in USA
A smiling Mr Marra
Peter McGlone
Anither pose
The ticket for 1983 exhibition of Michael's drawings
[img]http://www.musical1.com/uploads/1/YoungMichael_jpg[/img]
Photo copyright Stewart W. Sutherland
A young Michael Marra
An International group of compilers came together about three months ago to start work on the 'Michael Marra Christmas Special'. Originally, the Website Special had planned to go 'Live' for only one week, between Christmas and New Year, but after numerous requests to let the Special run longer than just the Christmas week, the group decided to run 'Marra Music Month'.
Here's a list of the people involved in bringing you the content of 'The OFFICIAL Michael Marra Website'...
Michael Craig
John Shanyinde
Elizabeth Knight
Caleb Knight
Mick McCluskey
and of course the wonderfully talented, Michael Marra
Website facilities were provided courtesy of 'Intro2 Creative Internet Group' -
Michael's fabulous 13 piece band The Gaels Blue Orchestra live at the Bonnar Hall, Dundee. The cream of Dundee's musicians appeared in the line up Dougie Martin, Gary Clark, Peter and Alan McGlone, Mick McCluskey, Mark Fletcher, Ged Grimes. Donny Coutts .... on this occasion the wonderful Rab Noakes joined them for a couple of songs
Here is sax player Mick McCluskey's set list for the gig with his notes re song jeys etc. >
Michael has performed on many radio shows often composing songs specially for these. Programmes like Only An Excuse, The Usual Suspects, Hugh McDiarmid's Birthday
From the Glasgow herald courtesy of Keith Bruce plus another article from The Scotsman courtesy of Simon
Pia.
Marra focus
For his many fans, any recognition has never been significant enough of Michael Marra, bard of Tayside, and one of Scotland's foremost songsmiths. So it's good news that BBC Radio Scotland has a Marrathon planned for December 30 to January 1. There's a documentary, Hermless, at 1.05pm on Hogmanay. Produced and presented by Billy Kay, it has lots of anecdotes and eulogies by Barbara Dickson, Liz Lochhead etc as well as great songs.
Mick is also appearing on Travelling Folk on Thursday December 30 and will be joining his old friend and fellow Dundonian, St Andrew, on the Janice Forsyth Show on New Year's Day at 10am a riot in the making, with Wout Slaughterhouse (Mick's wee brither, guitar) and one Mitch Porgy (M Marra himself, if Billboard is not mistaken). St Andrew's CD, The Word on the Pavey, is one of Janice's most frequently requested items, apparently
Copyright © 2004 Newsquest (Herald & Times) Limited. All Rights Reserved
The princess and the Arabs
SIMON PIA
ITS a tale worthy of Christmas itself, about the night a princess came amongst the Arabs - though most of them were from Dundee if you catch our drift.
It was Princess Grace of Monaco, no less, the legendary film actress Grace Kelly, who was supporting FC Monaco "in a European tie in the howling rain". The vignette features in the Radio Scotland tribute to legendary Dundonian songwriter Michael Marra on Hogmanay. Monaco were playing Dundee United, who have been affectionately referred to as the Arabs since nineteen-canteen as the surface at Tannadice was so poor they always used to play on sand.
Marra tells us it was easy to spot the glamorous Grace, as she was wearing a white turban ... "and no monie Dundee women wore white turbans in those days."
It is hardly surprising this story surfaces, as mine host is Billy Kay, another well known Arabist, who is conducting the celebration of Marras work with fans, musicians and fellow artists like Liz Lochhead and Barbara Dickson.
The vignette is called Hermless? A Portrait of Michael Marra, and Kays Dundee United leanings have seen him include Marras epic Hamish the Goalie, about United legend Hamish McAlpine which includes that night in Monaco, another tangerine dream.
Its up there with the night Liz Taylor joined Celtic fans in Budapest in 1972, when they were playing Ujpest Doza in the European Cup quarter-final.
Liz and Richard Burton joined players and fans at the hotel bar to throw a champagne-and-caviar party.
Jock Stein said it was the clubs finest moment in Europe since Lisbon, but this might have been because he was spotted doing the cha-cha with Liz while Richard was trapped at the bar.
Copyright@The Scotsman
Michael Marra spent several weeks in Tobermory in April 2003 to work on a collection of songs as part of The Interface project - a series of music and visual art commissions using 'The interface of extremes' as a starting point. Previous commissions include Inshore by Ian Stephen, Photons In Vapour
by Corrina Hewat, Treasure Island by Dinu Li and In Dreams by Alicia Hendrick.
was the name given by Michael to the collection of songs,
Acknowledgements: Fiona MacLean, Trish Haworth, Donna Hutchison, Roy O'Neil, Pibroch Mackenzie,
Miss Cooney, Mister Phraser, Martyn Bennett, The staff of Gannet's, Posh Nosh, Ross Baird,
Russell MacKinnon, Nicole Taylor, Martin Low, Sandy Brechin, Speechless, Lesley Duncan,
Jessie, Tony Cox, Rev Donald MacNicol of Dalmally, Lillias Campbell of Achlian, Blind Alfred Reed,
Ben Potter, Vojtech Vesely, Kirsty MacLeod, The Breakfast Boy at The Secret Kitchen.
Special thanks to Gordon, Sheena and Peggy Peace.
Also thanks to Derek Wilson, Helen Leplar, Glengorm Castle, Phillips Rigal, Kentallen Farm, Ach Na Craoibh, Damon Baxter, Dr Ian Parsons, Gillian Shaw, Helen Jamieson, Highland Fesuval, East Grange Loft, SEALL.
Commissioned by An Tobar; the Tobermory Arts Centre, with help from SAC National Lottery and Argyll & the Islands Enterprise.
Michael Marra spent several weeks in Tobermory in April 2003 to work on a collection of songs as part of The Interface project - a series of music and visual art commissions using 'The interface of extremes' as a starting point. Previous commissions include Inshore by Ian Stephen, Photons In Vapour
by Corrina Hewat, Treasure Island by Dinu Li and In Dreams by Alicia Hendrick.
All music and words © 2003 Michael Marra (Copyright Control).
Radio excerpts - 'Eck' (Speechless), 'Time Of Your Life' (Taylor), 'The Mull Fair' (trad).
Recorded in Tobermory, April 2003.
Engineered by Gordon Maclean.
Produced by Michael Marra.
Design by MusicScotland.
TOB Records TRCDOI4
An Tobar - www.antobar.co,uk
Michael Marra - www.marra.me.uk
MusicScotland - www.musicscotland.com
"The wind that blows is all that any body knows"
Henry David Thoreau