{"id":143514,"date":"2024-08-22T03:25:42","date_gmt":"2024-08-22T02:25:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/gamefootballmobileanimeiphone.com\/?guid=48b51dae6b8e177b4914a275483419d9"},"modified":"2024-08-22T03:25:42","modified_gmt":"2024-08-22T02:25:42","slug":"kneecap-there-was-no-word-for-cocaine-in-irish","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gamefootballmobileanimeiphone.com\/index.php\/2024\/08\/22\/kneecap-there-was-no-word-for-cocaine-in-irish\/","title":{"rendered":"Kneecap: \u2018There was no word for cocaine in Irish\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"
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I<\/span>t\u2019s April, and after an early flight to Belfast, I\u2019m taken to the Falls Road. I\u2019m here to interview Republican-Irish rap trio Kneecap: Mo Chara (Liam \u00d3g \u00d3 Hannaidh), M\u00f3gla\u00ed Bap; (Naoise \u00d3 Caireallain) and DJ Pr\u00f3va\u00ed (JJ \u00d3 Dochartaigh), stars of their own eponymous biopic. Its Brit director, Rich Peppiatt, is also in the room. Specifically, I\u2019m in the Cult\u00farlann, the Irish language cultural centre co-founded by M\u00f3gla\u00ed Bap\u2019s (or Naoise\u2019s, as he introduces himself ) father in the early 1990s. The Cult\u00farlann is made of old red brick, with a Palestine flag anchored outside blowing in the Belfast breeze \u2013 as I understand it, a pre-October 7th fixture of the centre. It\u2019s home to a cosy caf\u00e9 and bookshop, yet upstairs, where I interview Rich and the lads separately, there is a theatre and classrooms where they took their six months of acting lessons.<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause we\u2019re doing something involving non-actors playing themselves, we just wanted them to feel very relaxed and that meant allowing them to speak how they speak, which is, you know… every other word is a \u2018cunt\u2019,\u201d says writer\/director Peppiatt. Kneecap have courted controversy over the years for their incisive yet provocative condemnations of British dominion in the North of (or, Northern) Ireland, whether that be unveiling murals of on-fire police cars, or their BBC theme tune sampling anthem \u2018Get Your Brits Out\u2019 (featuring an illustrated cover of our late Lizzie, mammaries dangling). Kneecap (the film) is as frenetic and political as the band\u2019s lyrics, with a sharp and hilarious voiceover commentary from Mo Chara, whose refusal to speak English to the police when arrested in possession of drugs catalyses the film\u2019s narrative (DJ Pr\u00f3va\u00ed, who works at a local language school, is roped in as the translator), to scenes of drug binges portrayed in claymation or sweaty close-up.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe film itself is not far from the storyboards,\u201d Peppiatt continues. \u201cRyan [Kernaghan]\u2019s a brilliant cinematographer. My favourite part of making this film was the two months we spent together in my kitchen. There\u2019s over 1,000 storyboards for the film. Every transition, everything was planned, I just gave those storyboards to the editor and said, \u2018Gimme that assembly\u2019.\u201d But for the self-control required of the director, what was it like working with three unruly rappers? \u201cThey were very disciplined… for the most part. It was certainly a challenge for them, as they are ultimately laws unto themselves, and I wouldn\u2019t want it any other way. The time they really let loose was when Michael Fassbender was in town.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kneecap is what Peppiatt describes as a \u201ctri-protagonist\u201d film, with Mo Chara\u2019s relationship with his protestant girlfriend propelling his arc, where Provai\u2019s secret musical endeavours with some wayward drug dealers are in opposition to his life as a school teacher and his relationship with law-abiding language activist girlfriend, Caitlin (Fionnula Flaherty). Fassbender plays M\u00f3gla\u00ed Bap\u2019s father, a militant republican named Arl\u00f3 aka Bobby Sandals, who has faked his own death and left his son and wife (played by Simone Kirby) suspended in purgatory back in West Belfast.<\/p>\n

Once I\u2019ve shuffled down to the next classroom, I ask the band how they handled the structure of a film set and also what it was like to work with Michael Fassbender. \u201cI loved it,\u201d says Mo Chara. \u201cIt was such an exciting seven weeks. Reality kind of fucking disappears, you\u2019re up every morning and it becomes its own wee fucking world. I fucking loved it, it was pure therapeutic.\u201d M\u00f3gla\u00ed Bap adds, \u201cIt\u2019s the first time we\u2019ve had a schedule in years. We were just waking up at 1pm every day, smoking a joint, doing some music and back to bed.\u201d<\/p>\n

M\u00f3gla\u00ed Bap, who has the most scenes with Fassbender of the three, tells me Bobby Sandals liked to watch YouTube videos on set. DJ Pr\u00f3v\u00e1i, slightly older than the two rappers, and usually donning a balaclava, tells me that one night he drank a whole bottle of cr\u00e8me de menthe and threw up in the pub toilet: \u201cIt looked like Predator, all this green stuff,\u201d \u201cThat\u2019s disgusting,\u201d I say reflexively. \u201cYeah, imagine how we felt!\u201d M\u00f3gla\u00ed Bap replies laughing. \u201cThen,\u201d Pr\u00f3v\u00e1i continues, \u201cI look up and see Fassbender and Neil Lennon, the Celtic manager, looking down at me, and he says, \u2018Happens to the best of us\u2019. I thought to myself: \u2018Fuck this is a weird time in my life\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

Prior to Kneecap, and true to the film, DJ Pr\u00f3v\u00e1i was an Irish language teacher known as the \u2018Justin Bieber\u2019 of the language locally. His character has the most transformative shift away from his demure life as an educator to an (often) coked-out DJ. \u201cWhen we tested with audiences, Pro\u0301va\u0301i was the favourite,\u201d Peppiatt recalls. \u201cBut you have like Simone Kirby who\u2019s my Ma in the movie, and Jess [Reynolds], and Josie Walker, all these class actors who all brought different talents to the movie\u201d, Mo\u0301glai\u0301 Bap chimes in after the cre\u0301me de menthe story. This is before I could ask if the female foils to their characters were an intentional corrective to their raucous hypermasculine image. \u201cThe women that were involved, they brought such a depth to the whole story. They changed it around because it would have been just a load of smelly boys running around misbehaving.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Mo Chara is quick to tell me, \u201cFassbender was incredible, but they were the ones that really changed the story. You know what I mean?\u201d Pro\u0301va\u0301i continues, \u201cIt was the women who were always the forerunners, they\u2019re forgotten in history in fuckin\u2019 Irish Republicanism, they were the ones out banging the bin lids whenever the British army was trying to come into the areas.\u201d \u201cThankless fucking job back in the day. Any of the emotional scenes in the film is driven by the female characters.\u201d Mo Chara rounds out. The end card of the film is a dedication to Irish mammies, in particular, Mo\u0301glai\u0301 Bap\u2019s mother who died by suicide. The band\u2019s 2021 single \u2018MAM\u2019 raised money for Samaritans.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

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From here, the conversation flows, and the lads \u2013 who are swelling with pride over their film \u2013 start telling me what they think makes it so special. \u201cSomething I think that\u2019s class that most other films don\u2019t have is like, the psychology of language and how it can be used as a weapon,\u201d Mo\u0301glai\u0301 Bap starts. Throughout the film there\u2019s a tension between the characters of Mo\u0301glai\u0301 and Arlo, with the latter refusing to speak Irish to his son because he feels his drug use and lifestyle brings shame to the republican cause. \u201cThe language, for it to live, it has to progress. Whatever is in English has to be in Irish, there\u2019s hip-hop with profanity and drug references in English so it has to be in Irish because the young people are going to try to find it.\u201d \u201cThere was no word for cocaine, it\u2019s not a native plant in Ireland,\u201d he adds. \u201cAnd then MDMA and ketamine, they all existed in English, but we didn\u2019t have them in Irish, so we\u2019d translate these words before Kneecap, representing this new subculture that involves the Irish language and modern youth culture.\u201d<\/p>\n

Peppiatt takes up the thread: \u201cIn terms of Irish language cinema, there\u2019s a sense of, \u2018Oh you\u2019re doing a film in a language that people see as being archaic\u2019, so you set it during the famine, or in the past, or in a rural location. But no, we\u2019re gonna do an Irish language film that is urban and present, and no-one\u2019s done that. It\u2019s not very often you find yourself in a position where you\u2019re making something that no one else has done.\u201d Like all good biopics, Kneecap mythologises the band\u2019s origins. The trio met at an Irish language culture festival to which they all contributed, not a police station (as suggested by the film). Yet the vitality of the message is the same.<\/p>\n

Over the course of our conversation, I learn that the first Irish primary school was started in 1972, with no secondary school until 1981 and that Kneecap firmly believe the language belongs to the people of the land, not the people of any religion or political movement. \u201cProtestants from around the North who always wanted to learn something about Irish were denied the opportunity because there was no legislation that schools had to provide it. Everything here comes from Irish, and I think everybody deserves that education\u201d says Mo\u0301glai\u0301 Bap. The young men talk at length about the Skaino Centre and people setting up Irish language courses and schools in the largely Protestant East Belfast, \u201cLinda Ervine. She\u2019s a fucking legend,\u201d Mo\u0301glai\u0301 Bap tells me. \u201cShe had Orangemen come and protest her Irish classes at the start\u201d.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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When Mo Chara tells me that as few as 15 years ago, it would be unimaginable to have this level of support for the language, I say that equally it might feel inconceivable to have such a groundswell of support for Palestine too, a cause they\u2019ve been vocal about. \u201cIt\u2019s always been solidarity with Palestine and Ireland, but particularly up North in Belfast. We done a lot of fundraising for the AIDA refugee camp a few years ago and we helped raise funds to build a gym there, because his brother runs a gym in Cork\u201d.<\/p>\n

Mo\u0301glai\u0301 Bap\u2019s brother now runs the ACALI\u0301 Palestine gym, \u201cHe was overwhelmed by how bad the situation was. There’s a lot of amputees over there, a lot of people who have lost limbs and that was his speciality, training people with disabilities.\u201d He tells me a lot of equipment sent there was confiscated by Israel, so they had to be sent through different countries piece by piece.<\/p>\n

They talk about the awkward necessity of making statements on Palestine during their live shows in America, messages that slot in between songs about getting plastered and being on the dole. The conversation flows along to Irish-Americans: \u201cWe can\u2019t forget Irish Americans oppressed minorities when they got to America, and because they were white they were able to rise through society by joining the police,\u201d, Mo Chara says, almost unprompted. \u201cPeople get comfortable and forget about oppression,\u201d says Pro\u0301va\u0301i.<\/p>\n

Due to Covid, their debut album \u2018Fine Art\u2019 was a long time in the making and was only released in June of 2024, just ahead of the film. It meant that the album ended up having some influence on the film. \u201cWe started writing \u2018Sick in the Head\u2019, and that whole scene with the 808 in the classroom, is based on that tune from the album.\u201d Mo Chara says.<\/p>\n

Before I leave, and when I\u2019ve stopped recording, Mo Chara tells me he was surprised to be asked directly about Palestine, as it\u2019s something they often have to bring up independently. The film features a flash of the Palestine flag hanging from the flat of a tower block, one of the many political frames in the film amongst shots of the famous Falls Road murals. On my way out the door before my flight back to the belly of the beast, I tell them I\u2019m off to get a filled soda, so off I went.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

The post Kneecap: ‘There was no word for cocaine in Irish’<\/a> appeared first on Little White Lies<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Mo Chara, M\u00f3gla\u00ed Bap and DJ Pr\u00f3va\u00ed, better known as Kneecap, (plus director Rich Peppiatt) give the lowdown on the creation of their raucous quasi-biopic, which captures the formation of their rap trio in Belfast and the ongoing fight to save the Irish language.<\/p>\n

The post Kneecap: \u2018There was no word for cocaine in Irish\u2019<\/a> appeared first on Little White Lies<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1749,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"site-container-style":"default","site-container-layout":"default","site-sidebar-layout":"default","disable-article-header":"default","disable-site-header":"default","disable-site-footer":"default","disable-content-area-spacing":"default","footnotes":""},"categories":[6166],"tags":[61,122,127,129,124,128,125,132,131,133,126,130,123,66,94,88,97,56,64,65,60,112,6188,6181,40,75,95,6191,6189,104,6196,6206,6183,6186,33,120,6185,105,101,6199,6190,6193,6202,6195,6204,98,115,30,29,41,86,70,69,68,72,71,26,118,108,87,46,55,48,52,54,51,50,83,6197,62,58,57,6177,109,6201,35,59,63,85,79,82,96,80,27,81,114,44,42,43,45,38,39,6205,6198,6187,6200,6192,6194,6203,110,117,6184,100,111,116,73,89,90,92,91,6180,93,84,78,37,6182,102,34,36,77,67,74,99,113,119,28,121,6179,6178,32,47,49,53,103,31,76],"class_list":["post-143514","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-movie","tag-airpods","tag-anime","tag-anime-characters","tag-anime-cosplay","tag-anime-edits","tag-anime-merchandise","tag-anime-movies","tag-anime-news","tag-anime-recommendations","tag-anime-reviews","tag-anime-series","tag-anime-streaming","tag-animes","tag-app-store","tag-app-store-samsung","tag-appgallery","tag-appgallery-oneplus","tag-apple","tag-apple-music","tag-apple-tv","tag-apple-watch","tag-bbc-sport","tag-behind-the-scenes-footage","tag-best-comedy-movies","tag-best-mobile-games","tag-bixby","tag-bixby-xiaomi","tag-box-office-hits","tag-celebrity-interviews","tag-champions-league","tag-cinema-history-and-evolution","tag-cinematic-virtual-reality-experiences","tag-classic-romance-movies","tag-critically-acclaimed-dramas","tag-cyberpunk","tag-cyberpunk-2077","tag-family-friendly-movies","tag-fantasy-football","tag-fifa","tag-film-director-profiles","tag-film-festival-highlights","tag-film-industry-news","tag-film-production-techniques","tag-film-soundtracks-and-scores","tag-film-inspired-travel-destinations","tag-football","tag-formula-1","tag-fortnite","tag-free-fire","tag-free-mobile-games","tag-freebuds-pro","tag-galaxy-a52","tag-galaxy-note-20","tag-galaxy-s21","tag-galaxy-watch-4","tag-galaxy-z-fold-3","tag-game","tag-games","tag-golf","tag-harmonyos","tag-how-to-backup-iphone","tag-how-to-factory-reset-iphone","tag-how-to-reset-iphone","tag-how-to-restore-iphone","tag-how-to-unlock-iphone","tag-how-to-unlock-iphone-5","tag-how-to-unlock-iphone-6","tag-huawei","tag-in-depth-film-analysis","tag-ios","tag-ipad","tag-iphone","tag-latest-movie-releases","tag-live-soccer","tag-local-cinema-listings-and-showtimes","tag-lol","tag-macbook","tag-macos","tag-mate-40-pro","tag-mi-11-lite","tag-mi-home-security-camera-basic-1080p","tag-mi-home-security-camera-basic-1080p-huawei","tag-mi-smart-band-6","tag-minecraft","tag-miui","tag-mlb-scores","tag-mobile-game-design","tag-mobile-game-development","tag-mobile-game-marketing","tag-mobile-game-monetization","tag-mobile-games","tag-mobile-gaming","tag-movie-adaptations-of-books","tag-movie-merchandise-and-collectibles","tag-movie-reviews-and-ratings","tag-movie-ticket-discounts-and-offers","tag-movie-trailers-and-teasers","tag-movie-trivia-and-facts","tag-movie-themed-quizzes-and-games","tag-nba-scores","tag-nba-standings","tag-newest-horror-films","tag-nfl","tag-nfl-scores","tag-nhl-scores","tag-one-ui","tag-oneplus","tag-oneplus-9-pro","tag-oneplus-buds-pro","tag-oneplus-nord-ce-5g","tag-oscar-nominated-films","tag-oxygenos","tag-p40-pro-plus","tag-poco-x3-pro","tag-pokemon","tag-popular-action-films","tag-premier-league","tag-pubg","tag-pubg-mobile","tag-redmi-note-10-pro","tag-samsung","tag-samsung-pay","tag-soccer","tag-sports","tag-steam","tag-steeam","tag-top-10-anime","tag-top-rated-movies-2023","tag-upcoming-hollywood-movies","tag-valorant","tag-when-do-the-iphone-7-come-out","tag-when-does-the-iphone-7-come-out","tag-when-is-the-iphone-7-coming-out","tag-world-cup","tag-xbox-series-x","tag-xiaomi"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gamefootballmobileanimeiphone.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/143514","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gamefootballmobileanimeiphone.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gamefootballmobileanimeiphone.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gamefootballmobileanimeiphone.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1749"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gamefootballmobileanimeiphone.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=143514"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/gamefootballmobileanimeiphone.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/143514\/revis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