Frank McCourt

Uh, Angela's Ashes was my role model.

Frank McCourt.

By the way, i- in all fairness, I should mention that I, I read Angela's Ashes around the time I started thinking about the book, about writing a book like that.

And then I read the story of this Irish boy, young man, who comes to America at age 20, and parallels my story in many ways.

And what grabbed me is the masterful way Frank McCourt tells that story from the perspective of a five-year-old, a seven-year-old, a 12-year-old.

And I was looking at it as, "I wonder if I can do that." So the competitive juices started flowing a little.

And not that I ever pretend to reach.

So one of them was Call the Midwife, which is quite famous now by Jennifer Wirth.

And another one was Frank McCourt's story, Angela's Ashes.

So I looked at how they had written their stories And I looked at crafting a style which would be engaging.

So one of the things we found was there's no shortage of material from our life in Samoa.

Chris, did you know who this is?

No, I thought it was like McCourt, but I don't think that's right

rightWell, if you were playing, you would have been correct.

Ooh.

It is Frank McCourt.

Oh, it is Frank McCourt.

Okay.

Of course.

Mm-hmm.

And you've picked two hugely influential novels about very difficult childhoods from the 1990s and the 2010s, Frank McCourt's Angela's Ashes and Emma Donoghue's Room, and a beloved American bestseller about small-town life in eastern Colorado.

But before we get to those, Donal, let's start with that quote from Sebastian Barry that you're the king of the new wave of Irish writers.

Do you feel kingly?

Mythification of Childhood and that situation.

Yeah.

Let's look now at your next pick of influences, Donal, and this is a memoir that became a massive global publishing phenomenon, Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt, a multimillion-selling coming-of-age story about growing up in extreme poverty in both Brooklyn and Limerick.

So what's the influence of Angela's Ashes on your novel Where Are The Kings?

But, uh, if it ever starts affecting the Dodgers, I will probably try to understand it.

Uh, but in the mean- but still, like, uh, what's his name? The old Dodge- Frank McCourt, uh, before that, the, the Fox ownership that, that traded Piazza away.

Like, there's been some bad ownership, and this ownership, say what you will, they're committed to putting a winning product on the field, and I appreciate that.

Um, let's see.

Yes.

I would recommend the Frank McCourt memoir trilogy, starting with book one, Angela's Ashes.

Oh, that's good.

um i'm gonna pick something way more fun um and i'm gonna pick something sorry that was rude um ashes is fucking depressing yeah i'm gonna so then i will say not more fun but a little bit more um uplifting although ironically i um have read this book several times now and i cry every single time i read it which is Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson.

But, you know, it isn't true.

You know, the guy who wrote Angela's Ashes wrote that in his 60s, Frank McCourt.

A lot of great writers started to write when they retired.

Yeah.

Father Mulcahy, as you pointed out before, was played by Rene Auberginois, but originally...

Altman wanted Malachi McCourt, the younger brother of Angela's ashes, author Frank McCourt to play the role because he wanted somebody that came across as a authentic Irish priest, somebody that had a little more experience, but Altman was overruled by the producers.

And so we got Aboriginal law.

And another thing that almost happened, Alan is that the movie almost got entirely changed or may not have even gotten made because the executives were had 10 pages of notes with all kinds of changes and edits for Robert Altman after they saw the initial cut of the movie.