Thirty years ago, Sinead O'Connor ripped up the picture on SNL

I have always applauded Sinead for her performance. Brilliant.

I agree and she was so brave

Yep, this defined her forevermore, and what a heroic way to be defined.

The Vatican alone is a big bad monster, but Irish Catholic institutions have a horrifying history of abusing children and women and Sínead has every right to protest it.

Turns out she was correct.

Madonna was so threatened by Sinead, she didn't even have to take her top off or sleep with DJs to get a record contract.

It's too bad Lorne Michaels won't let go of his anger and allow the clip to be seen. It's historic and quite powerful, especially in light of what we later learned about church cover-ups.

Most people hadn't a clue why she did it. There was no context.

But now everybody claims they applauded her and stood by her.

funny that.

Powerful moment. She was the original Dixie Chicks.

[quote].Most people hadn't a clue why she did it. There was no context. But now everybody claims they applauded her and stood by her.

True. I didn't see the show but I thought at the time it was impulsive and counterproductive, not that I was offended. I thought about it for maybe 5 minutes.

Ireland was the worst Catholic mafia shithole back then, but we didn't know that yet.

Sinead was indeed ahead of her time, like all true artists are.

"nothing about O’Connor ticked the 1980s pop commodity boxes; her celebrity was a means of amplifying her political voice as much as her singing voice.

A traumatic childhood made her tenacious in her support for vulnerable and voiceless people; it also made her sensitive to the criticisms targeted at her. It’s small wonder that she effectively torpedoed the stardom she never much wanted anyway."

She was always right.

I love now that the Pope is decrying the way migrants are treated How many is he housing on the vast Vatican properties? Hundreds? Thousands?

The vulnerability she brings to this. My favorite version of Don't Cry For me Argentina.

She had a flawless face.

I remember seeing it live and it was shocking. In that era you did not do anything so blatantly political if you were an 'entertainer'. Those worlds were separate < thus the shock

Everyone owes her an apology.

R15 If you watch the performance above, you'll see that the Pope photo thing followed a three-minute-long a capella song about racism. I saw it, too, and I only remember the photo part. The whole performance was radically political.

Interestingly, though, I'm sure most people watched it thinking "this is important. She's right. Racism is wrong. Prejudice is wrong. She's brave and bold." And then she pulled the rug out from under Catholics by calling the Pope "the real evil." Brilliant.

I have never understood it. I have grown to be appalled by all Catholic people over time. We've now had decades of one expected 'revelation' after another of Catholic clergy serially raping children, followed by the church protecting and sheltering those monsters. And Catholic people just "tsk tsk" and look away and keep giving their money to the church to subsidize the abuses.

To me, it's no different than people refusing to take a stand against slavery before and even after the Civil War, or Germans shrugging off the Holocaust because Germany's economy improved and they could be proudly German while acquitting themselves of the German government's abuses. When the Nazi party collapsed, all Germans felt the shame they had deferred. If the Vatican collapsed, I believe most Catholics would be overcome by guilt at the realization they underwrote the church's abuses—and for what, traditional services with incense and chanting?

r15 a few years later Rudy lost his shit over 'Yo Mama's Last Supper' and elevated a visual artist's (rather lame) works.

Piss Christ stirred a ton of outrage. Now it's a T shirt

Madonna supports the perverse?

and now she supports Muhammad

R17 but she subtly changed the lyrics in the song to make it about child abuse rather than racism.

The problem was most people watching likely didn’t know the original song and therefore didn’t understand O’Connor’s tweaks. Americans (or at least SNL viewers) also knew nothing about Ireland or the abuses of the church there. We also didn’t know that she took the picture from her dead mother’s belongings.

[quote] Americans (or at least SNL viewers) also knew nothing about Ireland or the abuses of the church there. We also didn’t know that she took the picture from her dead mother’s belongings.

And now a lot more people do, all because she did this.

Her three-minute-long career sacrifice did the victims of her country and the Catholic church a huge service.

When the Boston Globe published its exposé of the Catholic church's abuses, many people's first reaction was "well, DUH," and their second reaction was, "Remember when Sínead O'Connor tore up that picture of the Pope and the world turned against her?

What picture, OP?

I will never forgive Bob Dylan for not walking out when she was booed before his show and telling the audience to FUCK OFF. What a wuss, Mr. Tambourine Man.

Madonna's response in R20 is rich. Like she didn't build an entire career on desecrating images that "mean a lit to other people."

She was already a pariah before the Pope incident.

People forget that this incident was on the tail end of a lot of controversy that had surrounded her at the time. She caused outrage the previous summer when she didn't want the national anthem played before her shows. (Frank Sinatra publicly threatened to beat the crap out of her over this) Prior to that, she made news by boycotting the Grammys. Her meeting with Prince over the success of Nothing Compares to 2 ended badly. SNL had already spoofed her a couple of times with Jan Hooks playing a constantly pissed off, platitude spouting Sinead.

It was not surprising that she generated the reaction she did with this, even though she was right.

What made her convert to Islam?

Why would the national anthem be played before her show R27?

Good for Sinead. I hope she's doing alright. Mental illness is such a struggle.

Manifest destiny, R29.

HA R31

She may be crazy but I give her respect for standing up to that crowd and giving them an encore of her SNL performance at the MSG show.

It's painful to know something is wrong and harming people, try to bring attention to it and be called crazy and wrong by people. People who do it are far more heroic to me than anyone who fires a gun is.

R34 Artists who question and disturb the status quo are always punished. She is not the first. She will not be the last.

Actually, if you do not question the status quo, you are not an artist. One is an entertainer at best.

r19 So, did Sister Wendy.. she got censured for becoming too famous.

^ her views on marriage equality likely didn't help either.

... Given that she's the bride of a mythical being, her views, I believe, are a little bit skewed

Growing up in an extremely religious Carrie like household and sent to an abusive catholic school at time this made me so incredibly happy when it happened.

Now she's a Muslim? That blows any concerns she had about the Catholic church right out of the water. So all she did was exchange one abusive belief system for another. As if she were somehow better than the pope. Just as rotten rotten rotten. Pure evil.

In many Islamic countries, child marriages are common practice. Girls far below the age of puberty are often forcibly married to older persons (sometimes in their 50s and later), often for various personal gains by the girls' guardian or with the intention to preserve family honor by helping her avoid pre-marital sex. Islamic child marriages are most prevalent in Pakistan and Afghanistan, followed by other countries in the Middle East and Bangladesh. This practice may also be prevalent to a lesser extent amongst other Islamic communities, and is on the rise among the growing Muslim populations in many non-Muslim countries, such as the United Kingdom.

I'm surprised at Madonna's reaction given her then recent black Jesus burning crosses phase. She probably was just salty she didn't elicit the same rabid outrage with her own antics.

It wasn't understood. But it was a brilliant moment and how beautiful was this woman back then?

Madonna was furious. A beautiful and naturally talented woman who was able to illicit genuine outrage from an unscripted moment. JEALOUS.

Madonna was gearing up for her shitty Sex book to be released.

Sinead stood for something.

Madonna was just a cheap whore looking for more attention.

I love cheap whores, my favorite. But Sinead is more compelling.

She's just a few years before my time. I remember the Prince song, but not much else. Watched the doc, however. She's was a badass. And what a pop voice! Nothing quite like it before or since.

Disappointing she chose Islam after fighting against the system most of her life. Seems an odd pivot. Or maybe not, considering her mental health.

To be fair to her, playing the National Anthem before a concert, where neither the Head of State or their representative was present does seem like something that might happen in North Korea.

It doesn't happen in any other Country.

I never thought that much of Kris Kristofferson until I saw this video of him coming out and rescuing her and giving her comfort after being booed at Madison Square Garden.

I only kind of wish she hadn't been so elusively symbolic about it. Why not, "CATHOLICS PAY THE CHURCH TO RAPE THEIR CHILDREN" so there'd be no ambiguity.

I asked a coworker friend of mine who sent her kids to Catholic school while complaining that priests are pedophile rapists why she underwrites their rape factory. She didn't get it at first. She thought about it for years and she told me this year she stopped going to church before COVID and thinks she will never go back because she realized I was right: giving them money is funding ongoing abuses that she thinks are horrific.

She was badass without being a try hard like certain bitches in the industry.

The Islam conversion is certainly puzzling but if it brings her some meaning and peace, then I wish her well.

She was right and brave to do what she did. Sometimes being ahead of the times has its consequences.

We all know that making waves and disruptions results in a major campaign to blacklist and gaslight the celebrity in question for addressing topics that threaten to expose the complicity of the rest of Hollywood.

But occasionally stuff like the whole Weinsten affair does surface and becomes too hard to ignore.

Sinead should be celebrated and people (especially Lorne Michaels) should apologize to her for wrongfully condemning her and causing her such distress.

The only explanation I can think of for playing the anthem before concerts is that we were fighting in the Gulf war during the early nineties and the mood was extremely patriotic. It's odd to expect a non-American artist to participate in that though.

Jan Hooks did a pretty credible Sinead.

[Quote] Disappointing she chose Islam after fighting against the system most of her life.

r47 Not even surprising. Do you know certain type of white "activists" (not all activists) who "fight against the system"? They have gone beyond mental after all the outrage (maybe justified), hysteria, some breakdown, no longer critical thinking.

To them the system = evil = white western judeo christian society/establishment/rules made by white men or so. To them good = everthing opposite of those. Yes Catholic church/system and all the horrible things happened to her are bad. So they turn to what symbolise as better, so-called "anti-system" stuff, like Islam. Whatever. If mentally fragile Sinead can find peace in that way.

She's still thoughtful and interesting even if behaviorally erratic. Admirable woman.

Curious interview...

Who wore it better?

R58 Kanye 2022 = Sinead 1999

I loved the send up of this Madonna did maybe a few months later. Probably the last time she ever exhibited a sense of humor.

It wasn't a sendup, Madonna was seething with envy and mocked Sinead out of jealousy

Madonna was a huge bitch to Sinead and for a stupid reason. Remember, this was after her Sex book and she hit rock bottom. She was so desperate to get back on top any way she could. And of course when Sinead became targeted by the general public, Madonna joined in. She said (as others have posted on here) that Sinead should "talk about it" if she has a problem she wants to discuss (which is so ridiculous and hypocritical coming from her). She also made comments saying that Sinead wasn't sexy and was unnatractive. WTF does that have to do with anything? And the worst part? Sinead actually loved Madonna. She was asked how she felt about Madonna and she said "I love her". Madonna's mocking of Sinead's ripping the picture a few months later was in such poor taste and really did make a mockery of what Sinead did. Madonna's "feminism" is about as deep as a kiddie pool.

Madonna can profess she's a feminist and that women should stick together. Yet she showed NO support to Sinead and mocked her with the lame Joey Buttafuoco joke.

Madonna is a stupid cunt what else is new. Glad the cunt is now a complete laughingstock.

[quote] She also made comments saying that Sinead wasn't sexy and was unnatractive. WTF does that have to do with anything

Ohhh….a lot, honey.

R66, I think Sinead was actually very pretty at the time even though she clearly doesn't care to be "conventionally" attractive.

She was right, but people weren't aware of the horrible penal system that the Catholic Church in Ireland used. They also didn't know how deep the priest abuse went. A couple of years ago, a conservative Catholic who wrote editorials for the NY Times said she was right all along.

Strangely, Sinead got herself ordained a priest by a Bishop who was at odds with the Vatican over Vatican 2. And now she's a Muslim. She definitely has a restless heart. Hopefully she finds peace.

I remember the week after the Sinead incident Joe Pesci was the guest host, and he had a huge picture of the Pope displayed. He said "This is the way it should be!" and the audience erupted in applause. How times have changed.

So conversion to Islam as a way to reject and subvert the white judeo-Christian mores with which she was raised. Hmmmm, interesting analysis R56. I hadn't thought of it that way.

At the height of her fame, Sinead was gorgeous, like a Disney princess brought to life.

And while her fame felt very fleeting, from The Lion and The Cobra to this moment of infamy, it actually lasted quite a while, about 2.5 years was it? Which is a long time for a character like her to be in the spotlight. Did she release her 3rd album after the SNL incident? And the documentary doesn’t even mention when she withdrew from SNL because Andrew “Dice” Clay was hosting which really kind of put his career on the skids. Sinead was quietly in our faces the entire time she was in the limelight and for a country like the U.S. that is SO misogynistic - deeply ingrained and without the slightest awareness of it then - this SNL moment was like the final straw of a wave of animosity that had likely been building for a while. Sinead had silenced her critics with the sheer force of her talent and surprising commercial success but the response to this - and the incredible, almost sudden reference for the pope (who wasn’t even beyond criticism by Catholics since Vatican II) - was definitely misogynistic. It was like suddenly everyone, certainly in the media, revered the pope over Sinead as if that was the totality of any possible options: Sinead v pope. I mean, Sinead shaved her head to de-glamourise herself (mostly - and, lbh, it was partly the making of her) and yet people still called her “baldy”, including Frank Sinatra, as if there was still something to take away from her, as if they couldn’t accept or couldn’t understand that was her choice. If she hasn’t presented herself like that, they would’ve vilified and attacked her even more, if that were possible because there would’ve been more to take away from her. But for all the sincerity of her protest against the pope, after several years in the global spotlight, it felt self-destructive as well, the act of someone who found fame to be exhausting and just wanted it all to go away. She certainly went out with a bang. But even this moment couldn’t eclipse the genuine, global pop moment - which went on for at least a year - of Nothing Compares 2 U, which existed at a time when such a thing was possible (I’m not sure it would happen now or penetrate as deeply). It just hit everybody right in the gut and in the heart, and both the song and the video not only demanded attention, it required your full and complete attention - it was arresting in a way that brought the world to a stand still and sort of gently massaged a wound that we all carry. It acknowledge that there is indeed irretrievable, unbearable loss. Neither Madonna or Beyoncé have ever come close to that.

I know they think they have their reasons but the denial by the Prince estate and Sharon Nelson of the right to use the song in the documentary, whatever aggro existed between Prince and Sinead, makes them seem incredibly petty, especially given the size of Prince’s catalogue. He was no one-hit wonder. For all that spirituality is a part of Prince’s brand, it seems petty, spiteful and cruel to someone who has already suffered their fair share of cruelty. But it’s also a denial that Sinead OWNS that song and it will always be hers forever more, long after Sharon Nelson is gone. Given the incredible royalties his estate racked in for decades on that recording, it not only seems petty but indecent, especially from the estate of an artist who used to walk around with the word “slave” on his face. I like to think if Prince were alive, he would’ve cleared its use, just out of respect for her artistry and achievement - after all, it wasn’t a hit for him; I’m sure his accountant could’ve made clear their comparative success with it with a simple spreadsheet.

I hope I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got is still required listening. It’s a great album.

Madonna just causes randomly causes controversy for shock, attention and publicity 99% of the time.

Sinead brought up an important issue that she was genuinely concerned about without taking her clothes off.

Madonna like most narcissistic fakes are enraged by the humble real deal stealing their thunder and will do anything to insult, degrade or destroy them in retaliation.

It's a proven fact in psychology. A present day example would be Meghan and Kate.

People who are fake hate those who are the real deal because they are in danger of being exposed or being compared "unfavorably" to them.

In Madonna's twisted mind she was like "How dare she do what I've been doing and do it better than me!? This will not go unpunished!"

And now I need a drink after trying to get into the thought process of a malignant narcissist.

Madonna also hated Sinead because Sinead didn’t care about fame which, of course, Madonna lives for. She was probably more offended by that than anything to do with the poop in Rome. And Madonna’s inability to comprehend that made Sinead less of a person to her, more of an object, easy to ridicule.

R73 Yes! Exactly!

Her voice sounds completely different and completely shot in the recent clip at R57. What happened to her voice--sounds mannish and ragged.

Echoing R49, I've always loved Kris Kristofferson (and his music too)

Two weeks after the Saturday Night Live appearance, she was set to perform "I Believe in You" at the Bob Dylan 30th Anniversary tribute concert in Madison Square Garden.[76] She was greeted by a thundering mixture of cheers and jeers. During the booing, Kris Kristofferson told her not to "let the bastards get you down", to which she replied, "I'm not down."[77][78] The noise eventually became so loud that O'Connor saw no point in starting the scheduled song. She called for the keyboard player to stop and the microphone to be turned up, and then screamed over the audience with an improvised, shouted rendition of "War", which she stopped just after mentioning child abuse, emphasizing the point of her previous action. She then looked straight to the audience for a second and left the stage. Kristofferson then comforted her, as she cried.

But what merit does she now have being so brave ripping up the popes picture on SNL. Absolutely none. Brings her peace? The Catholic church brings peace to many people as well. She's nothing more than a piece of garbage and it seems she has been her entire life. Let her wear her hijab and then show a bit of her hair and let Allah in his holly wisdom have her beaten to death.

R77 is either Madonna or Lorne Michaels.

And now she's Muslim. And of course, Islam has no wrongs to be chastized for. SMH

That is what most people remember her for. That is her biggest claim to fame for millions. Not the music, not the suicide son. That bald head and a protest on SNL, instead of singing/performing on SNL like so many other singers and bands would dearly love a chance to do.

I used to listen to a cassette of her first album over and over. Daily. For over a year. I even bought her second or third recording. Now, I wonder why I gave her a second chance after she did this ^ on live TV. I shouldn't have because it wasn't worth it, in hindsight.

You speak for yourself, R80.

Great singers are a dime a dozen. Popular songs are a half penny a dozen.

One person standing up to arguably the most powerful global institution in history and actually, finally, changing public perception toward it is a once-in-a-century phenomenon. It took an entire team of editors and journalists at the Boston Globe and a documentary filmmaking team to bring as much attention to the abuses of the Catholic church as Sínead did in three minutes on a comedy sketch show. She made her mark and being remembered for getting a good jab at Goliath is an honorable way to be remembered.

It is weird that she decided to pull this stunt while promoting Am I Not Your Girl? Aside from the Loretta Lynn cover it’s fairly forgettable album and a bit early for Sinead to be pulling a Ronstadt.

She was absolutely right.

R70 another takeaway is that she’s not so much against systems that are abusive to people in general, but rather only to systems that have been abusive to her personally.

Why can’t Beiber or Ed Shhean do something like this and get cancelled forever? Why someone who is actually talented and interesting like Sinead?????

why are people talking about her converting to Islam like it's relevant to the Catholic Church? they're not in any way similar... there's no Muslim pope

Sinead was right but it didn't hurt the Pope or the Catholic Church in the least, it only hurt Sinead.

She was 100% right. I remember saying this at the time and getting pilloried for it.

r84 But people like her who got screwed over by one bad religion/culture/system run towards even worse one instead of other alternatives (if not that much better, at least not that worse) - idk atheism (too common?), buddhism (not interesting?), meditation/whatever spiritual stuff (too bland?)

She appears to be on the autistic spectrum, yet doesn’t seem to have support for it. Also based on her background it’s impossible to be untraumatized .

Now she's supporting a different religion that abuses both women and children.

I'm not Catholic and her gesture was made before the sex abuse scandals of the church were widely known.

Back then, I didn't understand why this gesture was made but I also didn't understand the outrage.

Freedom of speech, right?

Sinead ripped up a photo of the pope. Not a representation of Jesus Christ.Is the Pope a representation of Jesus Christ? A deity?

Are the same people outraged by a photograph being torn also outraged to learn priests known to assault kids were protected by the church?

Madonna is a hater and used Catholic symbolism inappropriately throughout her career. Madonna is famous for braying EXPRESS YOURSELF.

Why criticize someone else who is expressing herself?

[quote]She was absolutely right

…as a broken clock! Watch, she’ll do or say something to insult Islam and receive a Fatwah, because — attention.

She’s a crazy cunt.

It seemed to provoke a bigger reaction in the US than anywhere else (same as flag burning does), talk about easily offended?

It wasn't understood and angered because of the lack of comprehension

Isn't she bipolar?

Next thing you know, she’ll become a black Israelite.

I still love her Faith and Courage album (2000). Every track is excellent.

She's the original Britney. Only more intelligent and more talented.

No, aside from mental illness, there are no similarities between Sinead and Britney. Sinead has talent, especially as a singer. And Britney? Well, at least she knows how to smile when told.

The Britney and Sinead comparison is stupid. The thought of Britney covering "Nothing Compares" causes me to shudder uncontrollably.

Sinead was a real talent, Mandinka, Jump in a River, Nothing Compares to You. She was by no stretch a one hit wonder. The whole SNL incident now seems absurd since she was right. R77 might I suggest you view the movie "Spotlight" or read a newspaper about the Catholic Church.

A walking, talking advert(see photo below) for how very well her outspokenness has worked out.

Too bad she had kids, tho'. They sure suffered for the cause of her uniqueness.

God, I love her so much