I remember it well, we were watching it! My jaw dropped, seriously. I thought the backlash... and especially how personal the attacks were on her....was a bit OTT but in any case it was memorable indeed.
Sinead O’Connor Dead at 56
- Thread starter bag-mania
- Start date
TPF may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, and others
Well yeah, if she held up the pic of PJP during rehearsal she wouldn't have been able to perform. It was a strong statement for victims of abuse. The banning, the remarks from celebs that followed were cancel culture. Joe Pesci went on a rant when he hosted saying he would have "gave her such a smack" if he had been there
I said what I said.
Yes I remember watching that at the time thinking WTH? Back then there was not social media to use as a platform. It was so shocking at the time. The audience silence after just underscores that.
It was very personal to her. She had been abused by her mother. The photo she tore up on the show had been hanging in her mother’s house and she took it when her mom died. She said in her book that she always intended to destroy that photo of the pope and she was waiting for the chance to do it. The backlash was harsh but nobody knew back then why she did it.
She also spent 18 months in a Magdalene home. Terrible places.
Exactly right. No one knew why she did it at the time. And even though there were abuse scandals in the church, people did not put it together and were left thinking "why is the Pope her enemy?" without proper context.
Anyone who’s been molested as a child would deem it important and I applaud her for it. I’m one of those and have the utmost respect for anyone who stands publicly to voice their anger. Robbing a child of their innocence is a lifelong sentence and yes, in some ways, Sinead paid the price for her actions.
Her statement was likely more important to her than her career. What a sad life she had, the loss of her son, a lot of pain to bear. It's impossible to remain indifferent to her incredible voice. As someone else said, it gives you goosebumps and a lump in your throat. I hope she has found peace.
"A Rebel At Heart"
She was such an icon in the 90s. Her music brought me back to my university years and she'll always be apart of my college collective memory.
But she was a tortured soul. The abuses she went through as a child and the pain she suffered as an adult scarred her terribly, but gave that extra soul/ life in her voice. This is why her voice is so haunting, so powerful, and so expressive. No one can compare to her.
I hope she finds peace ultimately, and finds her son. I hope she remembers pockets of joy from her earthly life and the deep love her fans felt for her. Condolences to her friends and family. This is just too sad for words...
But she was a tortured soul. The abuses she went through as a child and the pain she suffered as an adult scarred her terribly, but gave that extra soul/ life in her voice. This is why her voice is so haunting, so powerful, and so expressive. No one can compare to her.
I hope she finds peace ultimately, and finds her son. I hope she remembers pockets of joy from her earthly life and the deep love her fans felt for her. Condolences to her friends and family. This is just too sad for words...
Last edited:
Authentic. Complicated. Brilliant. Difficult.
RIP.
RIP.
The whole thing was taken out of proportion. SNL were in no real danger as they have plausible deniability and besides controversy usually pays double.
It was just a bizarre thing to get that upset about too- If she’d torn up a photo of Pamela Anderson no one would be saying she was frothing with hatred for her and that it was too far- they’d say she was just making a statement about beauty standards . Pamela would be expected to take it on the chin. And of course it goes without saying pamela hasnt done anything wrong she’s a symbol- certainly nothing as remotely wrong as the Catholic Church has done of which the pope is a human symbol.
Whereas the pope is apparently both much more powerful than any of them but seemingly incredibly vulnerable to the slightest symbolic gesture. (Also even before the abuse scandal was finally acknowledged the Catholic Church was still known to have done immoral things which were swept under the rug.)
The incident was actually more effective because it was on a tv show for people who want to not think about the dark side of institutions. Most people prefer entertainment to incredibly depressing documentaries but it actually got people to talk about her view when they otherwise wouldn’t have engaged with it.
It was just a bizarre thing to get that upset about too- If she’d torn up a photo of Pamela Anderson no one would be saying she was frothing with hatred for her and that it was too far- they’d say she was just making a statement about beauty standards . Pamela would be expected to take it on the chin. And of course it goes without saying pamela hasnt done anything wrong she’s a symbol- certainly nothing as remotely wrong as the Catholic Church has done of which the pope is a human symbol.
Whereas the pope is apparently both much more powerful than any of them but seemingly incredibly vulnerable to the slightest symbolic gesture. (Also even before the abuse scandal was finally acknowledged the Catholic Church was still known to have done immoral things which were swept under the rug.)
The incident was actually more effective because it was on a tv show for people who want to not think about the dark side of institutions. Most people prefer entertainment to incredibly depressing documentaries but it actually got people to talk about her view when they otherwise wouldn’t have engaged with it.
I'm of the MTV generation. RIP with the beautiful voice.
