Remembering Glen Hansard

The Irish great has left us at 56. Eleven varied songs in tribute.

Still free to subscribe to this nearly daily newsletter! Greg Mitchell is the author of fourteen books and director of five films for PBS since 2022. In a previous life, he was a longtime editor at the legendary Crawdaddy. His latest film “Woody Guthrie and The Ghost of Tom Joad Today” is now streaming everywhere via PBS.

Like many others, in shock over the sudden death of the great Glen Hansard today after a motorcycle crash back home in Dublin. He was 56 and leaves behind a wife and 3 year old child—and many grieving fans and especially fellow musicians who have long championed him for his songs and for his humanity.

Most people probably knew little or nothing about him until the little indie movie '“Once” slowly gained viewers and then became enshrined with an Oscar win for best song for “Falling Slowly” (and then a hit Broadway version). But I was already something of a fan of his rocking group The Frames, and had a couple of their CDs, when some considered then “the second best band in Ireland.” Of course, many of us had seen him earlier in his role as red-ponytailed band member in the hit movie “The Commitments.”

Anyway: post-”Once” we caught him in concert in NYC with Marketa as Swell Season, I bought later albums and followed him closely via YouTube concerts and his many guest appearances and frequent returns to busking. A few hurried highlights below.

Springsteen: “Here on E Street, we are heartbroken over the death of Glen Hansard. We met in Ireland many years ago and he was always nothing but a great musician, a good friend and a generous and gracious man. Always positive, smiling and ready to sing. God bless him and his loved ones.”

Bono: “To be utterly yourself by being more interested in others - a clue for any of us trying out different personas. He really was who you thought he was. He could never walk by a person living rough without checking they were OK… and more than that, he worked very hard so that less people had to live on the streets in the first place…

“The stage was a separation he wouldn’t recognize.. You sensed the street was his most favoured place to perform. And street people, his favourite audience. Voice of the streets. A choir of angels in one man. For me, he will always be everywhere I see a coin spinning into an open guitar case. May you rest in the peace you gave to so many.”

Brief scene in “The Commitments.”

“When Your Mind’s Made Up” scene from “Once.” The song had already appeared on a Frames album.

Busking his beloved Van Morrison

With The Frames back in the day, rocking “Revelate.”

In ballad mode, early Swell Season, “Sleeping”

…and just this year.

With Eddie Vedder last year:

And with other Irish friends maybe the best version ever of “Rainy Night in Soho.”

On going to the Woody Guthrie Musuem in Tulsa and being allowed to read a Woody journal leading to this cover of “Vigilante Man.”

Leading the singing of “Fairytale of New York” at Shane MacGowan’s funeral.

Singing “Drive All Night” with Bruce in Kilkenny, one of best ever guest spots with Springsteen.

Another with Marketa last year:

I watched this years ago but still fun and classic: Glen as young man meeting and finding the courage to sing with his indcrutable hero Van the Man.