Nothing Compares

As "Nothing Compares" (2022 release; 95 min.) opens, Sinead O'Connor is announced at some show and upon hitting the stage, she is widely booed by much of the arena. We then go back in time, and in a voice-over, Sinead tells us that "I got into music as therapy" and how she was suffered from an abusive mom for years... At this point we are less than 10 minutes into the documentary,

Couple of comments: this is the feature length debut of writer-director Kathryn Ferguson, who previously directed Sinead's 2013 music video "4th & Vine". Here she reassesses the rise and fall of the fiercely independent and non-conformist Irish singer. All of the hot topics are examined including the infamous SNL scene exactly 30 years ago this month where she shreds the Pope's picture (to protest against the Catholic church's sexual abuses). The bulk of the movie covers 1987 to 1993, when Sinead was only 21-27. Watch how she resists immense pressures to give in on this and that (when her music label found out she was pregnant as she recorded her debut album, they "suggested" she have an abortion--she refused). And what about the music, you might ask? Well, if you are expecting to hear "Nothing Compares 2 U", don't waste your time. Prince's estate (led his half sister Sharon Nelson) refused the use of the song in the documentary, apparently because in Sinead's 2021 memoir "Rememberings", she had some unflattering comments about Prince. Talk about being petty and small-minded, if not vindictive. But as the last 10 min. Of this wonderful and moving documentary shows, Sinead was right all along, but simply YEARS ahead of her time and hence not understood or worse. (And if you haven't read "Rememberings", I'd readily suggest you do.) Back to the documentary's opening scene: it was from Bob Dylan's 30th Anniversary concert at Madison Square Garden in late October, 1992, 3 weeks after the pope picture incident. As someone in the documentary pointedly observes: "They are at a BOB DYLAN show, what were these people thinking?" (referring to the sell-out crowd booing Sinead). Then look how Sinead handles the situation...

"Nothing Compares" premiered recently on Showtime. I watched it on the SHO streaming app last night, and I was surprised how great this documentary turned out to be. Whether you like Sinead's music or not (I'm a casual fan at best), this documentary is so much more than that, and I'd readily suggest you check it out and draw your own conclusion.

I remember Sinead O'Connor being a pretty big presence in the British music press of the early 90's. She would be hitting the front covers of the Melody Maker, Sounds and the NME on a regular basis. I did recall the fallout of her appearance on American telly where she ripped up a picture of the Pope and then thinking back to it now, she did seem to drop off the radar somewhat massively. This doc doesn't so much give us the biography of O'Connor from start to finish, it instead focuses her mid 80's rise in the music industry until her fall from the spotlight in 1992. There's little detail on her earliest years and pretty much nothing from the past 30 years. This isn't a bad thing necessarily, as it allows us to zoom in and look at the period where she made her most iconic music and made the biggest impact on the culture overall. There is a reminder of just how good her debut album The Lion and the Cobra is and there is unforgettable footage of her appearance at the Bob Dylan 30th Anniversary show where she was abused by large swathes of the audience for her Pope protest..somewhat ironic coming from those attending the celebration of one of the world's foremost protest singers. A lot of excellent footage has been unearthed to put this film together, which adds a lot, even if Prince's estate refused use of the song which gives the film its name - pleasingly, the film-makers address this in the end credits to explain this obvious elephant in the room. Overall, this is a very good music bio, as there is plenty of grit and drama to go along with some top tunes.

Being ahead of one's time can be a dual-edged sword. On the plus side, it can get you noticed. And, on the downside, it can get you noticed, but not necessarily in a positive light. Such was the experience of Irish pop star Sinead O'Connor, who exploded on the music scene in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The musical sensation became known for one of the most distinctive set of pipes in the business, with an ability to jump octaves in a single bound and to be able to go from a soft whisper to a banshee scream at the drop of a hat. But, as director Kathryn Ferguson's new Showtime documentary illustrates, O'Connor underwent a fall from grace that unfolded almost as quickly as her stratospheric rise, a change driven by a string of unpopular public protests against the Roman Catholic Church, American and Irish government policies, and cultural practices that ran afoul of her views about militarism, abortion rights and other hot button issues. She became a pariah, unable to get airplay for her new music and even facing death threats. Her gestures were seen as acts of career suicide, none of which fazed her, given that she couldn't in good conscience stay silent. But, as she faded into obscurity, her views gained ground, eventually leading to changes in line with those opinions. Indeed, she truly was ahead of her time, and this film examines that history in detail through archive footage, interviews with the artist and observations from those who knew her during her meteoric rise, her subsequent fall and her resurgence as both a performer and social activist. And, as the film capably shows, in the end, nothing truly compares to her.

Nothing Compares (2022) by Kathryn Ferguson is beautifully crafted tribute to one of the most iconic singers of my generation. Sinead's story is both epic, tragic as well deeply inspiring and the director here captured the true value and respect she so rightly deserves. The film gives us a greatly balance montage of performances by Sinead and the political environment surrounding her career and whether you are new to Sinead's work or a lifelong fan honestly i'd say this is a film to see. If you are gonna see one doc this year let it be this one. It's certainly has revitalised my interest in Sinead and well frankly I am in awe of her bravery and passion. Well done to the director, I look forward to her future projects, I know they will be equally as worthy. 8 0ut 10.

I saw this really interesting documentary yesterday for the CPH-DOX festival in a packed cinema hall.

I myself have a couple of old and dusty Sinéad O'Connor albums, but they have unfortunately like Sinéad herself been forgotten with time .... And that's a shame, well almost a sin, as she and especially the 3 amazing albums from 1987-92 deserve to be heard! I got several songs, some new ones too, on repeat in my head after seeing the film, "Mandinka" among others.

I was looking forward to the super hit with over 200 million plays on Spotify, which, however, was not included in the documentary due to the rights holders! (Prince Estate!)

Apart from the music, the film took me back in time to my own youth and was both interesting, touching, funny and really really thoughtful especially with the eyes of today.

It deserves to be seen, and Sinéad deserves to be heard.