At The Mike Stand With... Terence Mulligan

By Mike Fitzpatrick

Where does one start with Terence Mulligan? Well, we could go back to olden times and tell you of his childhood in Brooklyn, but, well, we've only a page, and that'd take, good grief, at least one-and-a-half (he's not been around quite that long you see).

So, the founder of the annual CraicFest event, a yearly (hence the word 'annual', you've noticed) supply of film, music and, well, all-round craic in New York City, is clearly excited about this year's occasion.

The former stand-up comic, bartender, college hockey coach, waiter and doorman (and man with a very similar name to one of our favorites, see Spike Milligan's real name is Terence Milligan, but we digress, and we're not even sure what digress means) excitedly tells us that this year's Craicfest, is expected to sell out all of its shows.

Having moved the films to Tribeca and added open-bar parties in order to raise the profile of the event, the craic this year, should, as the old saying goes, be mighty, with the likes of Duke Special, The Tossers and Mark Geary performing, as well as screenings of 'Perrier's Bounty' (starring Brendan Gleason and Cillian Murphy), Conor McPherson's 'The Eclipse,' a special night of chat with Gabriel Byrne and the US premiere of the Liam Clancy documentary, 'The Yellow Bittern' all on offer.

For more information on this wonderful festival, check out Mr. Mulligan's site, www.threcraicfest.com. Terence, welcome to At The Mike Stand.

What would you like your own tribute act to be called?
CraicHead!

When's the last time you laughed out loud?
Every day.

What act would you like to have seen perform live?
Sinatra (in the 60s), The Clash, The Ramones & Janis.

What team(s) do you support?
USA baby!

What period in history would you most like to have visited?
The era of the Pagans (they were some interesting cats).

What song would you most like to have written?
God Bless America

Who or what, would make you want to leave a room?
Monica Belluci (actress).

What decade rules (and why)?
The one we are in now. We have a lot of work to do. I like to live in the NOW.

What cover version do you most enjoy performing?
MLK (U2 track from Rattle and Hum).

What movie role would you like to have played?
Paul Newman's role in 1977's 'Slap Shot'.

Have you ever been told you looked like somebody?
Harry Connick Jr.

What's the first album you remember buying?
Richard Pryor's "That N*gger's Crazy" (I still have it).

Who's your favorite Beatle?
Never heard of 'em.

What's your favorite Christmas song?
Adam Sandler's Hannukah song

Who's the most rock and roll person who ever lived?
Janis (Joplin), she was real. Bono to me is an act. Janis was rock'n'roll.

What artist/song/genre do you secretly enjoy listening to?
Disco (though I guess it's not a secret anymore).

Who would you most like to meet/have met?
I've met Bono & Sting so I would say Mick (Jagger). The holy trinity in my book.

What book can you read again and again?
Sun Tzu's 'The Art of War'.

What's the greatest album ever recorded?
'That N*gger's Crazy' by Richard Pryor (I started looking at things differently when I heard that at 10)

What artists would you most like to have played with in the band of your dreams?
Led Zep in the 70s they just killed it back then.

What do few people know about you?
I wanted to be a professional hockey player.

What sitcom character can you most identify with?
Jerry in 'Seinfeld'. He's observant, like me.

What movie can you watch over and over again?
Any James Bond movie with Sean Connery.

Who's your favorite cartoon character?
Bugs Bunny.

What's the greatest place you've visited?
Been to a lot of places brother but the Italian Riviera is amazing (the food and wine).

What's mankind's most wonderful invention?
Flight.

What's mankind's most irritating invention?
The blackberry.

Who's the funniest person who ever lived?
Richard Pryor (they all stole from Richard!)

Who's your favorite namesake?
MULLIGAN!