At The Mike Stand With... Oisin Leech

By Mike Fitzpatrick

You know, it's not easy tracking down rock stars these days. Why only last February (around lunchtime), we spent four hours trawling through a hedge unsuccessfully seeking out one of the lads from Kajagoogoo (he may well have been 'Too Shy' to make an appearance).

So, as you can imagine, the last thing one may have wanted to do when encountered is answer a dozen or so incredibly interesting questions from the likes of us, but, you see, Oisin, the multi-instrumentalist from The Lost Brothers, is a tad more polite than most of those musical types.

Navan man Oisin, and his bandmate, Mark McCausland (from Omagh), fresh off their recent tour with Glen Hansard and the recording of their third album, 'The Passing of the Night', will be appearing on March 8th, at the Mercury Lounge (217 Houston Street) in Lower Manhattan as part of the annual Craic Fest, with the show starting at 9pm.

Before all the craic begins however, we caught up with Oisin, who was quite content indeed to join us 'At The Mike Stand'.

What would you like your own tribute act to be called?
The Hat and Glasses.

What song would you most like to have written?
Bob Dylan's 'Boots of Spanish Leather'.

Who's your favorite namesake?
Oisin Kelly, the sculptor.

Who's your favorite character from literature?
Hamlet.

What's the greatest place you've visited?
Sicily.

Who would you most like to meet/have met?
Bob Dylan.

When's the last time you laughed out loud?
Recently while watching 'Spaceballs'.

What act would you like to have seen perform live?
Creedence Clearwater Revival.

What team(s) do you support?
Liverpool.

What period in history would you most like to have visited?
New York in the 1950s.

Who or what, would make you leave a room?
Candy floss, I can't stand it.

What cover version do you most enjoy performing?
'Tennessee Blues' by Bobby Charles.

Have you ever walked out on a movie?
No, good question though!

What movie role would you like to have played?
Tom Cruise's part in 'Top Gun'.

Who do people say you look like?
Kurt Cobain wearing Woody Allen's glasses.

What's the first album you remember buying?
Beck's 'Mellow Gold'.

Who's your favorite Beatle?
Ringo.

What's your favorite Christmas song?
Elvis Presley's 'Blue Christmas'.

Who's the most rock and roll person who ever lived?
Jimmy Stewart in 'It's a Wonderful Life'.

What artist/song/genre do you secretly enjoy listening to?
Dire Straits' first album.

What book can you read again and again?
'This Wheel's On Fire: Levon Helm and the Story of The Band' by Levon Helm.

Who Would Be In Your Supergroup?
Levon Helm on drums, Paul McCartney on bass, Prince on electric guitar, and I'd have Mark from The Lost Brothers as the frontman, and I'd stand at the back and play maracas.

What movie can you watch over and over again?
'Chinatown'.

Who's your favorite cartoon character?
Bugs Bunny.

What's mankind's most wonderful invention?
The hot-air balloon.

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

What actor would play you in a movie about your life?
Gene Hackman.