The Night Sinéad O’Connor Ripped Up the Pope & Refused to Stay Silent
In 1992, Sinéad O’Connor tore up a photo of the Pope live on Saturday Night Live and paid the price for telling the truth. Booed at Madison Square Garden. Silenced by the industry. Mocked by the media.But what if she was right all along?In this episode of The Last Mixed Tape, we revisit that moment not as scandal, but as protest, an act of defiance rooted in Ireland’s painful history with the Catholic Church. From the SNL performance to the Bob Dylan tribute, and all the backlash in between, we trace the legacy of Sinéad’s bravery through the artists carrying her torch today: Kneecap, CMAT, Pillow Queens, Radie Peat, Boygenius and Dua Lipa, who just honoured her live in Dublin.This is not just a music story.It’s an Irish story.And it still matters.00:00 Intro00:30 Sinéad O’Connor01:06 Performance as Protest01:38 Ripping Up The Pope03:22 The Legacy of Catholic Ireland07:08 Booed at Bob Dylan Tribute Show09:34 Why it matters16:34 Sinéad O’Connor’s Legacy 18:18 Final Thoughts19:24 Sinéad
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20:08
Kneecap, Mo Chara & The Irish Voice Britain Still Can’t Silence
In this episode of The Last Mixed Tape, we break down the powerful courtroom moment when Kneecap’s Mo Chara demanded to speak Irish during his trial in London and why that decision echoes far beyond the courtroom.From The Pogues to Johnny Rotten, Shane MacGowan to Fontaines D.C., this is a history of Irish voices using British stages to express defiance, identity, and survival. Mo Chara’s stand isn’t new, it’s the latest verse in a long rebel chorus.The Last Mixed Tape is hosted by Stephen White00:00 Intro00:28 Mo Chara01:54 Kneecap, Mo Chara & The Courts02:24 Mo Chara Vs The Crown04:19 The Irish Voice07:12 Voices From The Past09:44 Thoughts21:49 Future 23:18 Outro
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25:38
Fontaines D.C., Blindboy & Ireland’s Lost Generation | In the Modern World
Ireland’s housing crisis. The ghost of Dublin. The music of frustration. In this episode of The Last Mixed Tape, we dive into Fontaines D.C.’s “In The Modern World” and explore how it captures the voice of a generation let down by their country.With echoes of Gertrude Stein’s “Lost Generation”, this episode connects the cultural disillusionment of Hemingway and Joyce with Ireland’s own Generation Perdue, the artists and outsiders shaping our modern protest music.Featuring a key moment from Blindboy almost a decade ago, this is an exploration of art as identity in exile.00:00 Intro00:29 Blindboy 02:01 Gènération Perdue 04:17 Fontaines D.C In The Modern World09:46 Surviving 202511:28 Reflections20:30 Ghost Towns21:50 Your Comments?22:29 Outro
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23:09
Francis Bacon & Why Gilla Band Might Be the Most Influential Band of the 21st Century
Gilla Band are not the most commercially successful band of their generation but they might be the most influential.In this deep dive from The Last Mixed Tape, through the lens of Franics Bacon I explore how this uncompromising Dublin four-piece rewrote the rules for noise, post-punk, and experimental rock and why their contorted, chaotic sound is being echoed in a new wave of artists like Fontaines D.C., Black Midi, IDLES, Sprints, and more.Featuring analysis of key releases (Holding Hands with Jamie, The Talkies, Most Normal), their creative ethos, influence on the Irish scene, and personal reflections from their landmark 2019 comeback show, this episode makes the case for why Gilla Band may just be the most important underground band of the 21st century.The Last Mixed Tape is hosted by Stephen White00:00 Intro00:25 Francis Bacon01:26 Gilla Band 03:15 The Contorted Soundscape 08:20 Echoes in the Noise10:09 The Most Influential Band of the 21st Century?20:30 Future Shapes21:28 Your Thoughts?23:13 Outro
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23:54
Kanye West, Through the Wire & the Problem of Loving Art by Problematic Artists
This week on The Last Mixed Tape, I explore my personal connection to Kanye West’s Through the Wire, a song that helped me survive a near-fatal accident 20 years ago and reckon with what it means to love a piece of art when the artist behind it becomes indefensible.Kanye West’s most recent release, featuring praise of Hitler, crosses every line and forces a deeper conversation about artistic intent, freedom of expression, and what we do with the work left behind when creators betray their own legacy.This episode is about survival, memory, and the uneasy space between loving a song and condemning the person who made it. It’s also about choice and why it should be ours, not the state’s, to make.00:00 Intro00:25 Through The Wire02:21 Kanye04:25 The Road to Ye07:26 20 Years Later09:35 The Art & The Artist23:13 Moving On24:52 Conclusions 25:37 Outro🔔 Subscribe for weekly deep-dives into music, culture, and creative legacy.🎙️ Hosted by Stephen White | The Last Mixed Tape#KanyeWest #ThroughTheWire #ProblematicArtists #MusicCriticism #TheLastMixedTape
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