I talk a lot about Ireland here, so it should surprise no one that I was a big fan of Glen Hansard. Beyond that relationship, his music and the film Once were intertwined with several of my personal relationships. It’s a bit complicated to get into here, but someone burned a copy of an album by Glen’s band, The Frames, and mentioned he’d be in a movie coming out shortly thereafter. I wound up seeing Once a couple of times in the theatre, bought the DVD as soon as it was released, saw the touring Broadway play here in Maine, and caught Glen perform live, too. He and his wife were leaving the same bar I was entering right before the show — we were within feet of him moments before going on stage.
While many know him from Once, he started his band, The Frames, in 1990. In fact, Once was directed by former bassist of The Frames, John Carney. Additionally, he appeared in The Commitments, a movie I’ve seen many times, at the age of 20. It always felt as though he had a tenuous, reluctant relationship with acting, but he was a natural.
He’ll be missed.
I was hooked from the opening scene of Once:
From the play:
Not my video, but here he is in Maine:
Trailer for the documentary The Swell Season
The Frames:
The Commitments:
Funny story: I didn’t listen to much pop music in the early 2000s. I had no idea Everytime was a cover when I heard this, but I appreciate that he covered both Britney and Justin.
Stephen Quirk 