'RIP our Captain'... Kells musician Ollie Cole remembers his dear pal Glen Hansard and some great North Meath gigs

What can I say about my friend Glen, well, everyone’s friend Glen. A man who managed to always make time for everyone. A man who rubbed shoulders with both the powerful and the meek and went to great lengths to make sure both were seen and treated equally.

I have a hundred stories, as does everyone else. I first met him when my friend Enda Burns took me busking in Dublin. I watched Glen and Mic Christopher blasting out the songs. Their voices boomed and bounced up and down Grafton St. Of course he invited us to join him and shared the money we made because it was never about money for Glen. It was about the music and the moment.

I remember watching his stardom rise as the leader of The Frames. He would pop up on the chart show on RTE with Beautiful Dancer with that big mental head of hair of his, engine running full steam like he was going to burst out of the television. It was around this time (1992) that an outdoor gig in the back of Monaghan’s Pub in Kells took place. Glen came to town with an army of raggle taggle musician gypsy's in tow. Of course, his soul mate Mic Christopher was on the bill with his band, The Mary Jane’s. Local acts included the much loved Van Winkles and the first rendition of my band which were called Skin Machine that day but later that week would become Swampshack. It was the first of many many times we would share the same stage.

Glen was a believer with huge courage. He pushed you, questioned you, encouraged you. He was always so positive about my song writing and we would discuss all things songwriting into the small hours on many occasions.

Later when I was in the band Turn he took us on tour with The Frames and introduced us to his army of fans. He loved Turn, he loved all wild music that came from the heart. Frames fans welcomed us warmly on Glens recommendation and remain with us to this day.

We were regulars in the same bars in the city. We could play each other songs we were working on and talk about them easily and comfortably. He sang my songs, I sang his, we recorded songs together. He was a true artist and it honestly felt amazing to be held in such high regard by him, although, he would hate me saying that. He was our very humble king. He was a do-er, with the courage of his convictions. He shared his knowledge and his stage. Always there with a hand up for anyone who needed it.

I haven’t even mentioned his charity work with the homeless or his mad idea to take over Apollo House in Dublin and give it to the homeless, bringing in top chefs to cook for them and treating them like kings. That was Glen. When he made the call, everyone jumped to action.

Lastly, he was wild and he was funny. Another friend reminded me recently of a gig we played in Oldcastle in August 2000. They couldn’t get us off the stage. We had played for about 3 hours. We were playing AC/DC covers and any covers we could think of, we were really cutting loose. They had turned on the house lights, and we were still going. Glen didn’t care about stage times, the gig was over when it was over, no matter how long that took. That night the gig ended when he held his guitar up like a bow and arrow and took aim at me. I, of course stood opposite and took aim back and one by one we pulled the strings off the guitars as the amps squealed and the people cheered. We fell off the stage laughing.

It’s so hard to believe he is gone. Anyone who came in contact with him will have so many stories. A force of nature, a man of honesty and integrity, a very, very kind and brave soul.

RIP our Captain