It wasn't quite the Irish version of "American Idol," but Mark Dignam did start his musical career with a high-profile gig in Ireland. Almost every day, he and fellow musicians -- including Glen Hansard, who would find success with The Frames and Swell Season, and win an Academy Award for the song "Falling Slowly" from the movie "Once" -- would take to the streets of Dublin to busk for spare change. You think those kids on "Idol" have pressure performing for Simon Cowell⢠Try making a living catching the attention of hundreds, if not thousands, of passersby who have better things to do.
Dignam arrived in Pittsburgh in 2000 and has since been performing at various stages and venues. He's opened for musicians including Billy Bragg, Swell Season, Joan Armatrading, Richard Thompson and Tim Finn. He also spends time in New York's East Village with the Fairplay Collective, collaborating with fellow Irish musicians Brendan O'Shea and Michael Brunnock, and Pittsburgh native Jenna Nichols. Dignam currently is ensconced in Treelady Studios in Turtle Creek, working on a new album, "Monumental Way," which he hopes to release early in 2010.
The star who would play me in the movie version of my life and why:
Kate Winslet, so I could spend hours in her trailer, on set ... coaching her!
Childhood hero and why:
Pluto, a fun and friendly dog, yet lousy as a planet, it seems
Pick your favorite captain:
A. Kirk
B. Kangaroo
C. Crunch
D. Jack Sparrow
A. Kirk (great at picking up aliens), followed by Jack Sparrow
If the TV is on at 2 a.m., I'm watching:
I burned my TV in a now-legendary explosion of neo-pagan fervor.
Three people I'd love to have dinner with:
The president, Billy Bragg, Ani DiFranco. The conversation would be intense.
After a long day, I like to relax with a (pick one):
A. Martini
B. Cold beer
C. Cabernet
D. Herbal tea
E. Hot chocolate
F. Red Bull
E. Hot chocolate, followed by Guinness!!!
My quirkiest inherited trait:
An ability to understand humor in America and Western Europe
Pick one:
A. "American Gladiators"
B. WWE
Comment: Both are the reasons I burned my TV in the now-legendary explosion of neo-pagan fervor.
My favorite sandwiches, plus fixings:
Grilled veggie sandwich with Swiss cheese on marble rye with Russian dressing
One word your mother would use to describe you:
Unprintable ...
Celebrity crush:
Kate Winslet
The oldest thing in my refrigerator:
A frozen banana (just checked ... still there!)
My required snack in a movie theater is:
Popcorn and chocolate
When I was 10, I wanted to be:
A doctor
Exercise I hate most:
Sit-ups
I'm deathly afraid of:
Fire
If I were auditioning for "American Idol," my song would be:
"I Fought the Law and the Law Won," either The Clash or Bell X1 versions
The first band I saw in concert (when and where):
Grand Slam (Phil Lynnot's band when he left Thin Lizzy, shortly before his death). SFX Theater, Dublin, 1985.
The person I'm most often mistaken for:
Johnny Depp. Well, OK ... not really!
Choose one:
A. Dogs
B. Cats
B. Cats! Strong individualism, and they often turn around and sock it to bad dogs now and then. ... Right on!
I own 4 pairs of shoes. My favorites are:
Chuck Taylor red high tops and Keen shoes
In high school, I was:
Bright and bored out of my mind
The most famous person I ever became friends with:
My friend, since we were teens -- Glen Hansard of The Swell Season/The Frames. Though I did get to jam with Bono and watch a movie with Joan Baez at her house once.
Choose one:
A. John
B. Paul
C. George
D. Ringo
A. John -- the songs, the glasses, the beret, the attitude
My most recent eBay purchase:
Danelectro amplifier
The movie that always makes me cry:
"It's a Wonderful Life"
My most treasured fashion accessory:
Chuck Taylor red high tops!
What you'll always find in my glove compartment:
CDs with mixes on them and chocolate
My most embarrassing junk food:
FunYuns!
If I weren't a musician, I'd be:
A psychologist
The last book I read:
"A Long Day's Journey Into Night" by Eugene O'Neill
It's not pizza without:
Mushrooms and spinach
My favorite Web site:
www.myspace.com/markdignam or www.motherjones.com
My most memorable fashion mistake:
Very long, disheveled hair, in the late '80s. I was so much older then. I'm younger than that now!
Pick a Bond:
A. Sean Connery
B. Timothy Dalton
C. Pierce Brosnan
D. Daniel Craig
A. Sean Connery, still the epitome of suave
If I could live my life as someone else, it would be:
Bob Marley or Che Guevara. Celebrated revolutionaries on T-shirts all over the world ... forever!
My childhood nickname was:
Sparky
My favorite "bad" movie:
"The Life of Brian" (1979, Monty Python)
My best karaoke song:
"Sweet Caroline," Neil Diamond
My first job:
Factory in Dublin, making transformers (no, not the toys)
My worst job:
Every one that didn't involve music
My favorite cable channel:
Sundance
The song that always gets me out on the dance floor and why:
"Praise You" by Fat Boy Slim. Such great dance-floor music, and so easy to learn the lyrics! (Grin)
Life would be better without:
The machismo game-playing involved in political arenas
If I could tour with any two bands, they would be:
The Swell Season (done!) and Dylan. ... Still my heroes!
I never travel without my:
iPhone (hate to admit it!)
People would be surprised to know that I:
Am an NPR junkie ... and I have never kissed Kate Winslet
