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Martin

Come down from your altar and then baby I'll come down from my throne

About Me

MARTY MC COOL: Author, Journalist, Film/Music Reviewer, Poet. Writer for Choose Magazine (Ireland) and Mass Histeria Music Mag (USA) I write an inspirational column called 'Matters of the Spirit' in my local paper in Donegal the Finn Valley Voice...I've published my first book and more on the way...Timing is an important issue with books, I've learned...I am an incurable writer: inspiration don't just come 9-5 and sometimes it gives me a bit of insomnia, as unfinished ideas ricochet around your brain at night, sometimes you just got to get up and write...I write to inspire people, to challenge their ways of thinking and to give them new and refreshing possibilities for looking at things.... I'm Irish born and bred: from Donegal the wild west of Ireland; I've lived in Wexford over 7 years but these days I'm on the road promoting my books and I'm going so many different places you couldn't be sure where I am at any given time. Like to share the treasures of mythical, mystical Ireland with anyone who has the inclination to learn. Love listening to other people's stories also, especially to help me to write better. MY PERSONALITY: It takes time to get to the bottom of me. I've been told I have a "startling" appearance. A myspace friend just told me "You have a very impressive face." People consider me variously complex, brooding, dark, deep, different, gritty, intense, introspective, laconic, philosophical - seemingly paradoxical, whimsical. Clint Eastwood-like in some ways. Most people perceive me as an original sort of guy. This year one of my collaborators said of me: "When they made him they threw away the mould" so make of that what you will. The chances of seeing me dressed in any colour other than black is remote - yes I am a Johnny Cash fan! I like to stand up for those who are downtrodden and to try to help people who can't help themselves. The music of Michael Mc Dermott is central to my life. He is the best singer I've ever seen or ever will, he has changed my life and even saved me. His songs are a soundtrack to my life. Any girl who wants to be with me would need to like Michael McDermott's music in the same way I do because it's who I am in so many ways. "Dance with me, take my hand, I've become a person I don't understand/With you I can finally find a place to land if you dance with me" SO PEOPLE, WILL YOU DANCE WITH ME? There is a side to me that is fascinated by ghoulish morbidity - and this comes into my writing sometimes. I like the books of Stephen King and the movies based on them. I have spent some years in the media spotlight but I'm uncomfortable with it as I'm an antihero. These days I shun the limelight. I like giving praise, but I don't like accepting it. I've learned to confront the hard things in life head-on. Life is hard, life is tough and there's no point in pretending otherwise. So a lot of the songs I like are bittersweet or sad or hard-edged. MY BELIEFS: I'll admit to being a Catholic and I try to stay on the right path. I think that, without a spiritual element to our lives we are lost sheep. I love music, but I love movies even more. In fact I'd probably keep you up all night talking about movies. I am very purist in my views about how music, and especially movie music, is used. If I had my way I would ban the use of great songs and film themes as phone ringtones - that irks me. I've been told that I look like the actor Jim Caviezel: I can live with that. FAVOURITES QUOTES: "There is no greater love than for a man to lay down his life for his friends" "Just say the word and I shall be healed(Michael McDermott) "I am a scarce commodity" "All our heroes are dead" "Every passsing minute is another chance to turn it all around" "The one unchangeable certainty in this world is that nothing is certain or unchangeable" "Give me a beach and a girl and that's about as good as life can get" (John F. Kennedy) "Don't look for a happy ending. It's not an American story. It's an Irish one."(Brad Pitt in 'The Devil's Own') "A terrible beauty is born" (W.B. Yeats) "I'm broken glass and she's a jewel" (Michael Mc Dermott 'When it comes to You') "Take these broken wings and learn to fly again, learn to live so free" "Films are not reality. They are an approximation of reality" "You haven't seen enough movies! The answers to all of life's riddles are in the movies" "Before anyone did anything, Elvis did everything"

My Interests

Films are one of my biggest pursuits, and I could talk movies all night long. I think film is the ultimate vehicle for the communication of meaning because films present the entirety of life/Music - I play piano and tin whistle/Did I say the music of Michael Mc Dermott Active, outdoor; love running, swimming, skiing & oceanic activities/Guinness - the black stuff, lol! I like to keep my native language alive and I write, speak and teach a bit of Irish.

I'd like to meet:

People who are equally proud of their own country as I am of mine and have good stories to share/Antiheros - people who do most of the work yet take none of the credit/People who seek adventure/People who love movies and love to talk about them, endlessly/Anyone who wants to meet me/Musicians, especially anyone coming to Ireland; if I get to know you and I can help with promoting you I will /Jim Caviezel

Music:

MICHAEL MC DERMOTT: the greatest singer/songwriter in the world in my book...He pens songs of startling power and honesty. "One of the greatest singer-songwriters in the world" - Stephen King. In 2005 I discovered the music of Michael Mc Dermott and it virtually blew me off the face of the earth. I admire this guy so much because his songs are searingly honest and cut right to the heart of life's issues: love, loss, fear, pain redemption...Michael McDermott takes the cross of the world's troubles on his shoulders and carries it along the Via Dolorosa of his life...Give his music a chance and it will change your life as it has changed mine - that I guarantee you...We meet not only Michael McDermott in his songs but ourselves too and he distills the essence of our challenges and forges a brave path forward... URBAN HERMITS: Donegal's own, have made a real splash recently getting the slot on TG4 and a prestigious gig in The Cavern Club, Liverpool, rightful home of The Beatles...These guys sing salty true-to-life songs that exude real humanity and are devoid of any air of pretension. In other words Urban Hermits are the real deal. DARREN BYRNE: A trippy bodhran-wielding Irish folk singer much travelled, a troubador if ever there was one FILM MUSIC: The scores of Thomas Newman, John Debney, James Horner, Nino Rota, Bernard Herrmann

Movies:

THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST (my favourite film of all time) Abre Los Ojos, A.I., Almost Famous, American Beauty, American Psycho, Apocalypto, Braveheart, Carlito's Way, Carrie, Castaway, City of Angels, Coogan's Bluff, Dirty Harry, Duel, Fearless, Forrest Gump, Gangs of New York, Glengarry Glen Ross, Goodfellas, High Plains Drifter, Into The Wild, Magnum Force, Mighty Aphrodite, Million Dollar Baby, Misery, Mystic River, No Man's Land, North by Northwest, Once Upon a Time in America, Primary Colors, Raging Bull, Road to Perdition, Rounders, Russian Ark, Salem's Lot, Saving Private Ryan, Sleepy Hollow, Stand By Me, Taxi Driver, The Crow, The Dead Zone, The Fog, The Game, The Good The Bad and The Ugly, The Birds, The Majestic, The Others, The Outlaw Josey Wales, The Parallax View, The Pledge, The Shining, The Sixth Sense, 25th Hour, Unforgiven, Vanilla Sky, White Hunter Black Heart, Wild at HeartFAVOURITE ACTORS: Jim Caviezel, Sean Penn, Clint Eastwood, Al Pacino, Jeff Bridges, Brendan Gleeson, Richard Harris

Television:

TV has never been the same since The X-Files and Renegade went off but Irish channel TG4 has some fantastic stuff

Books:

'The power of The Passion of The Christ' by myself(based on Mel Gibson's film starring Jim Caviezel) REVIEW QUOTES on 'The power of The Passion of The Christ' "Martin McCool has written a book that is every bit as powerful as the film" - Paddy Daly, Donegal Democrat "I found myself totally engrossed by McCool's deeply heartfelt ruminations...McCool's total lack of cynicism coupled with his dogged determination to nail every aspect of the film impressed me greatly and kept me gripped throughout the book's 180 pages" - Jimmy Lacey, County Wexford Press "A truly remarkable book from the perspectives of content, comment and thrust. Much more than an objective clinical commentary. His personal engagement in sharing with readers his own convictions and faith-witness is inspiring" - Dr. Seamus Hegarty, Bishop of Derry “Pope John Paul II called for a new evangelization - a new and indeed renewed effort in spreading the Gospel, particularly to remind people what God has done for us. I see Mel Gibson's film as part of this 'new evangelization', and indeed Martin Mc Cool's book – ‘The power of the Passion of The Christ’ is very much part of this as well. Like Mel Gibson, who funded the film with his own money, Martin McCool went out on a limb to write the book and took over a year off work to do it. Mother Angelica, who began EWTN with just $200 just over 25 years ago, once said: 'God can't do the impossible if we're not prepared to do the ridiculous' and I think it’s true of this book. Martin McCool's book is more than an intellectual work but has a deep faith dimension, which helped me in understanding more of what Gibson's film was conveying. The book like the film needs to be looked at more than once - something new will always come to the fore. Simply Martin's book is like a 'key' to the power of the film.” – Fr. Rory Brady “Martin McCool’s book is a thoughtful analysis of Mel Gibson’s film. It will be of great assistance to all who wish to engage seriously with the issues raised by that film.” – Fr. Martin Hogan, Head of Scripture, Mater Dei Institute of Education "Martin McCool's amazing book gave me much pause for thought and reflection...He has written a truly beautiful devotional piece and done something few could manage - written an emotionally and spiritually honest book. 'The power of The Passion of The Christ' is a work utterly devod of cynicism in a darkly cynical age. It should be read by anyone with an interest in religion, in film or in postmodern culture" - Shane Dunphy, bestselling author of 'Wednesday's Child' and 'Last Ditch House' "A book remarkable for its sincerity and depth of compassion. A minute study of Mel Gibson's overwhelming classic...An admirable and readable study of the film" Nicholas Furlong, Wexford Echo “In reading ‘The power of The Passion of The Christ’ one encounters an author of consummate skill and, of course, one has a unique encounter with the subject of the book Himself. The incredible patience of Mc Cool in pursuing every incident, every nuance of the filming of the world’s most outstanding historical figure, and the organising and assembling of his findings in most readable English, bespeaks genius” - Michael P. Nolan, Serra International “I must say it's absolutely stunning. All that I felt from ‘day one’ is in this book - you have captured the magic of this film in a way I never thought was possible” - Bitte Assarmo, Film Reviewer, Sweden “I got absorbed in reading the book and couldn't tear myself away from it. An outstanding, scholarly, in-depth look at one of the most important movies ever made” - Rebecca Bryles, U.S.A. Webpage for 'The power of The Passion of The Christ' here: http://www.choicepublishing.ie/index_files/martinmccool.htm

Heroes:

My Dad (R.I.P.), Jesus, Jim Caviezel,

My Blog

Hearing the sounds of silence

Hearing the sounds of silence by Martin McCool The next time you find yourself in a moment of silence, relish that moment. Silence is a precious and often elusive prize in today's world where sound an...
Posted by Martin on Thu, 01 May 2008 10:05:00 PST

Sample of my book The power of The Passion of The Christ

Chapter One - 2004: The year of The Passion of The Christ Webpage: http://www.choicepublishing.ie/index_files/martinmccool.htm The year 2004 was remarkable for many reasons. It was the year when the...
Posted by Martin on Wed, 19 Mar 2008 07:00:00 PST

My letter from Tom Hanks

Yes guys, that's right...I received this letter from Mr. Forrest Gump last year due to my part in the Saving Private Ryan 10th anniversary project in Wexford where Private Ryan was made...The ori...
Posted by Martin on Tue, 08 Jan 2008 10:09:00 PST

"One day in South Carolina, I saw you in a cotton field"

This is an image from the Michael McDermott song 'I Shall Be Healed' off his latest album 'Noise From Words' and there is a very inspiring discussion currently going on on Michael's fan forum www.paup...
Posted by Martin on Sun, 06 Jan 2008 11:40:00 PST

The Christmas spirit

With the 8th December past the 'Christmas rush' is now in full swing.  There are so many tasks to be completed and so little time left.  Shoppers rush around; some even panic.  In some ...
Posted by Martin on Mon, 17 Dec 2007 12:13:00 PST