Can you tell us a few things about him please?

Anthony mac Carthy is a writing, recording & a spoken word artist. He has released a fair number of recordings & books. He is a native of West Cork in Ireland.

Tell us a little about his early beginnings?

He first began dabbling in art in the mid 1980s. He did solo spoken word slots and self-released a couple of recordings including a cassette only album of prose & poetry under his real name of Anthony mac Carthy.

When did he first use the De Confidence moniker?

In the late 1980s he formed the spoken word over music group named Anthony & De Confidence. They did theatrical type shows and shortened the name to De Confidence in the 1990s. Keyboard player Dan Crafty Hallissey also played a key role during this period.

Name the key De Confidence recordings?

Their debut single Dropout was issued in 1990. Song for Luggi was the title of the follow-up. Both showed up in gatefold sleeves and these vinyl originals are now collectors items. The 8-track, CD, Ned Kelly Was a Gentleman was put on the market next and that was followed by two more CD’s, namely the mini-albums Tribute to Billy the Blob & Life Squares 111. And not forgetting the following CD EP’s, the yuletide inspired Its the Xmas Yukks and the one that took no note of time I Love Leonard Cohen.

www.youtube.com/dropout/deconfidence

What material by De Confidence can be purchased now?

Their download only compilation album Best of Light Vol 1 can be bought at the likes of iTunes and amazon music. It is also available for streaming at the likes of resso, tik-tok, pandora & youtube music. It contains most of their better known tracks that were digitally remastered by Ger Williams at Trend Studios, Tallaght, Dublin. It was originally released back in 2012 by the small american company cdbaby. Their most popular number Such is Life (ned Kelly song) was also re-issued on download as a stand alone release.

What did the critics make out of their spoken word over music creations?

They have being dubbed all sort of things by the media: leading lights of cyberculchie surrealism by In Dublin, intruiging experimentalists by Hot Press, makers of art that rocks, plobs and bobs by the Irish Examiner and good & different by RTE’s Dave Fanning who played tracks by De Confidence approx. 50 times on 2fm. They were also played by the likes of the late John Peel on BBC radio 1 and by Mike Edger on BBC radio Ulster.

Tell us about the books of Anthony mac Carthy?

His debut paperback Driving my Car was self-published in 2001. The follow-up The Rise & Fall of Billy the Blob hit the Irish book stores during 2006. The third of his quirky guidebooks was put out in 2014, in conjunction with Inspire, entitled New York City, a Guide, a bit Irish, the Light & the Blob. It came with a map of Manhattan and it’s now the most sought after of the lot of them.

What’s Anthony mac Carthy doing now?

He continues to plug away. Vinyl Dip his latest spoken word thing is ongoing, his  4^th book is out now and a 25 track, digitally remastered compilation CD was also layed before the public of late entitled The Very Best of Anthony Mac Carthy & De Confidence. For more in fo on how to order his  physical material go to the contact page.