Man with a Mission

An exclusive interview with former North Shore resident and ace guitarist - Sean Clancy.

Given that the opportunities for entertainers are few and far between in Godzone, we should be perhaps a little generous towards TVNZ's "Show case".

Compared by the ubiquitous Ian Fraser, better known for his political style, the show relied on a tired format that pitched concert pianist against cabaret artist, flautist against rock band.

Despite the dated format, the show did have its brighter moments. It proved beyond doubt that New Zealand's wealth of talent is sacrificed for imported television material. The panel led by Sir Howard Morrison inevitably stopped short of advising New Zealand entertainers to emigrate, but the underlying message was omnipresent. It would be fair to say all the acts were worthy of television exposure and some were truly accomplished. However, for most of us it was a longhaired rock guitarist from Auckland who stole the show. He was so far out on his own that superlatives filled the air. Here was a performer who could play Hendrix better than Hendrix, swing the guitar round his head, catch it and continue playing and even improvise right hand with his teeth.

Needless to say he blew the opposition away and came back with totally different acts three times. The question that perplexed Aucklanders was why Sean Clancy had not surfaced before. Here was a talent that would eclipse most touring acts yet remained relatively unknown in his hometown.

Then out of the blue the Clancy name appeared in the Auckland City Council's music in the park series. On Friday February 14 the Miriam Clancy Band with Sean Clancy were performing a lunchtime set in Aotea Square.

Quite unlike the sanitized image on TV, Sean looked more like a skateboarder with baseball cap, ripped jeans and sneakers. His brief performance was truly amazing and was followed by Miriam and her band, who in terms of Kiwi rock are as good as they come. A similar musical genre to the Mutton Birds, Miriam fronted a tight band with powerful vocals. The entire gig was original material.

When asked what he thought of Miriam's act, Sean's face lit up. With considerable brotherly pride, he said "FANTASTIC". To anyone who meets Clancy for the first time it soon becomes apparent he is a superb communicator both on and off stage. At Aotea he went out of his way to greet everyone he knew with warm handshakes. Yet why was he Auckland's best kept secret?

The need to find out more was overwhelming.

Persistence was rewarded by an interview with Clancy at a Guitar Association of New Zealand evening at Ponsonby Cruising Club. Despite streetkid apparel, here was an articulate young man with a fascinating lifestyle. He happily discussed a wide range of music ranging from classical to rave and techno funk. Having started on piano, Sean alluded to Chopin as his first influence. Although he took up the guitar relatively late at the age of fifteen, the legendary Mark Knopfler was the main rock inspiration.

Asked just what Showcase provided in terms of openings. Sean said that by the time the series went to air, he had taken off for India to work with the Steiger organization in the setting up of Miracle House in Delhi for drug addicts and drop outs.

The phone continued to ring for weeks afterward but by the time Sean returned, interest had waned. He expressed little or no regret over a lost opportunity and said that fame was not an imperative. Although music was important, it was not the most important essential aspect of life.

"God has put me here for a purpose" he explained. His work for the Steiger organization particularly with young people took preference at this time. Music was a universal means of communication allowing him to relate to young people who were out of touch with mainstream society. Many had low self-esteem, but he wanted to let them know they were important to him.

He mentioned his forthcoming trip to Poland where he would be working on a "Youth in Crisis" project, which begged the question, Why Poland? Why not Hopetoun Street Auckland? "Young people in this country really do not appreciate how fortunate they are compared to the rest of the world" said a thoughtful Clancy.

To the suggestion that by pursuing fame in the musical world he could be more effective than in obscurity, he countered by saying that agents, managers, recording contracts and so on, came with restrictions. It was more important to him to have the freedom to choose for himself that to sell his soul to rock n roll.

That didn't mean top say he was losing interest in music, it was more a case of maintaining a sense of perspective. He is currently working on a project to put analogue sounds on to rave music. Having achieved the incredible feat five years ago of playing 1200 notes a minute, he could create some "real" input on digital tracks. He explained that an international guitar magazine had claimed in 1987 that 1200 notes a minute was physically impossible, yet at the age of 20 Clancy did just that.

So where did he see himself in 10 years? "I just want to get better and better. I am learning violin and am working on my singing. I just see my ability improving as time goes by."

Sean then excused himself, as he needed to prepare for the gig. He pensively exercised nimble fingers as he spoke. The main act at GANZ was met with trepidation by an audience convinced he was going to blast them of the planet! Taking time to balance the sound and the drums, bass and keyboards in a venue the size of an average family room, the treat of ear damage seemed likely. However, Clancy reassured the audience that he would do them no harm and delivered the most consummate rock performance imaginable.

Here was an audience of guitar aficionados riveted to their seats with mouths agape. The genius of electric guitar was firing torrents of well-rounded notes at machine gun pace into the air above them.

At the end of the 45 minute set, the charismatic Clancy invited questions particularly about technique. The spellbound audience were speechless apart from one guy who jokingly asked if there was anything the guitar guru couldn't do!

When asked about how he got started, Clancy said he had never received a guitar lesson in his life, but started by mentally transposing the piano keyboard to the guitar. To demonstrate, he retuned his stratocaster clone, then held the guitar flat and played Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata by running his fingers over the strings as if playing keyboards. This was met with incredulity and was followed by an encore of the "Startrek" theme with a line about Henderson being the final frontier. Clancy left the stage a Hero!

Sean Clancy knows how good he is and revels in delighting an audience. On stage everything he does is measured; the body language is economic yet devastatingly effective, the guitar licks are emphasized by a range of facial expressions and the quips are perfectly timed. Offstage, Clancy is a thoughtful and often serious individual.

Chances are that sooner rather than later, this legend in the wings will explode onto the world scene. When this happens, the opportunity to see him at close quarters, will be lost forever.

- Julie Carter (as printed in "The Shore" magazine, Autumn 1997)