Liam Maher RIP

[Backstage With Slowdive]

The singer with Flowered Up has died. There's a story on the 6 Music site, but it doesn't say more than that.

[Serge]

We played 'Weekender' in the shop, being a bunch of men of a certain age. My boss tried to claim that 'Weekender' was a better 12" than 'Fools Gold', but then overplayed his hand by claiming it was better than 'Blue Monday'. I still have my copies of 'Weekender' and 'Weatherall's Weekender', not to mention 'A Life With Brian'. Sad - he can't have been much different in age from me.

[weekender]

Shit.

I never met him, never knew anything about him, obviously.

Flowered Up were one of those bands that I loved, though.  I got into them when a mate played me a couple of tunes when they'd just got started.  I never clicked with 'Phobia' to start with, but 'It's On' had me hooked.  So a few months later I got 'Life With Brian', and I was greeted shortly after with a fucking ace album. 

When they released 'Weekender', I loved it.  Then, a year or two later, put fucking bluntly, I was going through puberty at quite a quick rate, and I had to make choices about my A-Levels.  I actually made my A-Level choices whilst listening to 'Weekender' - I just thought "Fuck it, I'm going to study what I want".

I ended up doing Mathematics, Philosophy and Business Studies.  My parents wanted me to do Mathematics, Economics and Physics, and to this day I do not regret the choice I made.  Sure, I might have been in a better career at this point, but I studied a whole load of philosophy which I fucking enjoyed, got into a university and had a fucking good time.

This is really when I became detached from my parents and became an alcoholic.  I learnt about having a good time, and 'Weekender' was a part of that.  Call it growing up, call it going wanton and fucking everything, call it whatever.  The point is that somehow through extremity, I LIVED.  Man, did I live.  All-day sessions, late-night depravity, you name it, I tried to do it.  Mostly, I succeeded, as well.  Unless you've lived it, you can't really imagine what this is like.  Let me tell you - it's fucking fun and in 100 years time no-one will remember what I did.  I never harmed anyone, I never raped anyone, I just had a fucking good time with loads of female students who were after the same thing.  'Weekender' was the soundtrack to my life at this point.

At some point in this period I signed up to CaB, and chose 'weekender' as my username.  It must have been when I foolishly moved back in with my parents after graduating - I remember I chose the name as my favourite song, and also because I only used to post at weekends (weeknights I was in my local pub, obviously).  Clever, obviously.

After graduating, I got an office job in the end, and am somehow still here 10 years later.  I still listen to 'Life With Brian' regularly.  It's a reminder to me of what once was, but also what still could be. 

Between 1999 and 2006-ish, I met purple_tentacle.  I'd paid £20 for a copy of the 'Weekender' video from eBay, PT was kind enough to rip the video for me, and I still have his copies of the video.  Whatever happened in the past between him and this site, I'd like to thank him.

Whenever I meet obstacles from twats, like I have done today, I sometimes need reminding that I'm just doing the best I can with a short life, so I might as well enjoy it.

"Weekender, whatever you do, just make sure what you're doing makes you happy".  That's not bad advice, if you're prepared to go to the extremes of living.  I have done, and I'm sure Liam has done.  I don't regret it, I bet he doesn't.

That's how I will remember Liam Maher.

A great singer in a great band who released an honest 'Fuck You' statement to a fucked-up world, via a fucking good album.

[Neville Chamberlain]

We played 'Weekender' in the shop, being a bunch of men of a certain age. My boss tried to claim that 'Weekender' was a better 12" than 'Fools Gold', but then overplayed his hand by claiming it was better than 'Blue Monday'. I still have my copies of 'Weekender' and 'Weatherall's Weekender', not to mention 'A Life With Brian'. Sad - he can't have been much different in age from me.

I don't think he overplayed his hand at all there! As much as I love Fool's Gold and, even more, Blue Monday, Weekender would get my vote every time out of all three. Phobia, It's On and Take It were all damn good tracks too.

Anyway, sad news, obviously. I heard he worked in Camden Market for a while, but what became of him after that?

[morgs]

Weekender, that was really eloquently put, one of the best posts I have read in a long time.  I adored 'Weekender' and 'It's on' amongst others, and yesterday blasted them around the house.  I saw them at Madstock in... 1992?  By then, I too was enjoying my uni days to the full... and now I look back fondly and wonder if I've become so settled in life.  Age I assume.  Liam Maher RIP.

Anyway, thought you might like this article :

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/musicblog/2009/oct/21/liam-maher-flowered-up

[Ambient Sheep]

What a terrific post, weekender.

_{^{I did Maths, Physics & Chemistry at A-Level; if I'd done my only other practical choice of Maths, Physics & Economics instead, I'm convinced my life would have turned out very differently, as (a) I might not have fucked it all up due to having a useless twat for a Chemistry teacher, and (b) the Economics might have taught me how the world works many years before I learnt the hard way.}}


RIP, Liam.