Why Sinéad O'Connor Matters by Allyson McCabe

O'Connor was immediately castigated for her politics, which were already radical, and her career has suffered ever since.

Support us: Bonus Episodes on Patreon Donate on Paypal You're Wrong About Spring Tour Buy cute merch. You can find Allyson's book Why Sinad O'Connor Matters here. Here's where to find Allyson online here. This is the book her admirers and defenders have been waiting for. In 1992, she infamously tore a picture of Pope John Paul II on Saturday Night Live to protest the sexual abuse committed by priests and covered up by church authorities. Fiery singer-songwriter Sinad OConnor became a star in the MTV era, rewriting the rules while courting controversy. This week, we fight the real enemy with Allyson McCabe. In an era when popular understanding of mental health has improved and the public eagerly celebrates feminist struggles of the past, it can be easy to forget how O’Connor suffered for being herself. A journalist herself, McCabe exposes how the media distorts not only how we see O’Connor but how we see ourselves, and she weighs the risks of telling a story that hits close to home. She compares O’Connor to Madonna, another superstar who challenged the Catholic Church, and Prince, who wrote her biggest hit and allegedly assaulted her. McCabe details O’Connor’s childhood abuse, her initial success, and the backlash against her radical politics without shying away from the difficult issues her career raises. Addressing triumph and struggle, sound and story, Why Sinéad O’Connor Matters argues that its subject has been repeatedly manipulated and misunderstood by a culture that is often hostile to women who speak their minds (in O’Connor’s case, by shaving her head, championing rappers, and tearing up a picture of the pope on live television).

Why Sinéad O'Connor Matters by Allyson McCabe