Live performances have a theatrical style inspired by Vaudeville and music hall, and often incorporate 78s played on an old-fashioned gramophone, or sound effects from a transistor radio. He is most often accompanied by percussionist "Temperance Society" Chip Bailey, who plays cheese graters and egg whisks, a Stumpf fiddle and a Shruti box, as well as the more typical drums and cymbals. Other musicians who perform with Wilson from time to time include Paul Pilot (guitar), Réa Curran (trumpet, backing vocals, accordion), Ben Castle (clarinet, saxophone), Ben Hales (bass guitar), Gareth Williams, "Professor" Ger Eaton (keyboards), Dan Donnelly (mandoline, backing vocals) and Serge Archibald III (saxophone, "ethereal background sounds", vibes).
From beginning solo performing in 2002, his albums include Adventures in Gramophone (2005), Songs from the Deep Forest (2006), both of which were nominated for the Choice Music Prize, I Never Thought This Day Would Come (2008), Little Revolutions (2009), The Silent World of Hector Mann (2010), Mother Courage and Her Children (2010), Under the Dark Cloth (2011) and Oh Pioneer (2012).
Music was all he ever wanted to do. He learned piano as a child and sang traditional Irish songs in churches and community centres with his sisters. Soon he began writing his own songs and played in some local rock bands with little success.
Under his pseudonym 'Duke Special' he recorded two limited EPs (Lucky Me, My Villain Heart) and sold them at hundreds of concerts across Ireland, the UK and Germany. He supported Aqualung, Rufus Wainwright, Paddy Casey, Gemma Hayes, cDavid Ford, The Divine Comedy Snow Patrol and many others over the last years. More than 6,000 copies of the EPs were sold, and Duke re-released the two EPs as an album (Adventures in Gramophone). In 2005 the "Your Vandal"-EP was released.
Special credit must be given to his onstage partner Chip Bailey, who greatly amuses with self-made percussions formerly known as kitchenware.
Duke Special's second album (and debut on V2 Records) Songs From the Deep Forest is out now and received very good reviews. A limited vinyl box set with six heavyweight 7" in a wooden box is also available. The first single from the album was "Freewheel".
A special two disc edition of "Songs From the Deep Forest" was released on October 1st 2007. Amongst other bonus live tracks is the latest single "Our Love Goes Deeper Than This" with Neil Hannon (The Divine Comedy) and Romeo Stodart (The Magic Numbers).
Duke Special released his album I Never Thought This Day Would Come in the UK in April 2009. A more immediate and visceral collection than the previous multi-platinum selling Songs From The Deep Forest, the new album’s many moments of beauty and hope are juxtaposed with a dark, brooding edge- the trademark twist of the Duke. Recorded between Wapping, London; Champaign, Illinois and Culleybackey, Northern Ireland, I Never Thought This Day Would Come was produced by long-time collaborator Paul Pilot and mixed by Nick Terry, best known for his work with The Klaxons and The Libertines. In a deliberate attempt to push outwards, Duke Special undertook many writing collaborations for this album including sessions with Daniel Benjamin - drummer with German punk band Jumbo Jet, Paul Pilot, Phil Wilkinson and Bernard Butler. The wind, brass and percussion of the RTE Symphony Orchestra, under the stewardship of the inimitable David Brophy, add a swirling carnival flavour to the proceedings.
Since the release of Songs From The Deep Forest, Duke Special has toured across Ireland, the UK and Europe. From headlining a packed-to-the-rafters Shepherds Bush Empire in London to stage diving at Electric Picnic, hosting five nights back-to-back at Belfast’s Empire Music Hall to appearing as a special guest performer at the Cannes Film Festival, Duke Special has come further than he ever imagined he might. Crowded House invited him along on their first tour in ten years. He gave a little-known Welsh singer called Duffy her first ever shows, guested for the legendary Ray Davies in London and performed at The Irish Film Boards Oscar Wilde event in LA.
Duke Special’s immense creative talents have seen him writing the theme tune for Sesame Tree - the Northern Ireland edition of Sesame Street - where he also got to sing with The Muppets in the final episode. He has hosted a night at the Belfast Film Festival where he performed as a puppet of himself. He created a night of song and theatre in the Spiegeltent for the Dublin Fringe Festival and performed his songs accompanied by a 60 piece strong RTE Symphony Orchestra at a sold out show in Dublin’s National Concert Hall.
Scandal
Duke Special Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Who checks in an old hotel
When he picks up the phone to call his girl at home
He gets the opera singer down the hall
It's not a scandal
Just a misunderstanding
You're not who I thought you were at all
Hector Mann goes to check his appearance
He thinks there's something funny with the mirror
But really it's a jewel thief wearing the same suit
And staring back from outside a window
And two doors down
He can hear the opera singer cry out
Someone call the manager
There's been a break-in, my necklace has been stolen
I need it for tonight's performance
He was a man in a white suit and moustache
You catch him in the act then he's a dead man
Now it's a scandal
Just a misunderstanding
I'm afraid that you've got it all wrong
And pretty soon it's hard to say
Just what is what, who is who
Everybody running round
From room to room, up and down
Is this just a case
Of the right time in the wrong place
I'm a man with good intentions
How did you get the wrong impression?
Usually he's keen to keep his suit clean
Now he's in a hurry to get it dirty
From the kitchen to the chimney
The fireplace to the furnace
Until he's no longer who he once was
It's not a scandal
Just a misunderstanding
This kind of thing just happens to me
Word spreads from the deskclerk
To the bellhop to the valet
To the policeman down the alleyway
Hector Mann is standing
In a black suit in the open
He's pointing, saying I think that he went thataway
Hector Mann plays a businessman
Who checks out of an old hotel
He's done with the double takes, pratfalls and acrobatics
You can tell he's done with them for good
It's not a scandal
Just a misunderstanding
It's not a scandal
Just a misunderstanding
And in the last frame
It closes on twist of his moustache
And you know he's had enough
The lyrics of Duke Special's song 'Scandal' describe a comical and confusing scene that takes place in an old hotel involving a businessman, an opera singer, a jewel thief, and a series of misunderstandings. Hector Mann, the singer, checks into the hotel and tries to call his girlfriend, but instead gets an opera singer from down the hall. He then goes to check his appearance and notices something strange in the mirror, only to find out it is a jewel thief wearing the same suit. Meanwhile, the opera singer cries out about a stolen necklace, accusing a man in a white suit with a mustache. As the confusion intensifies, Hector becomes unrecognizable, going from a clean suit to a dirty one, until he decides to check out of the hotel for good.
The song's lyrics provide a humorous and ironic commentary on the nature of scandal and misunderstanding. Despite the chaotic events that happen in the hotel, the characters continue to insist that it is not a scandal, but simply a misunderstanding. The chorus repeats this line, emphasizing the absurdity of the situation and suggesting that sometimes the truth can be difficult to discern in the midst of chaos.
Line by Line Meaning
Hector Mann plays a businessman
The character Hector Mann is a businessman in the story.
Who checks in an old hotel
Hector Mann checks in to an old hotel.
When he picks up the phone to call his girl at home
Hector Mann uses the phone in his hotel room to call his girlfriend at home.
He gets the opera singer down the hall
The sound of an opera singer from a neighboring room can be heard through the phone.
It's not a scandal
The situation is not scandalous.
Just a misunderstanding
The situation is merely a misunderstanding.
You're not who I thought you were at all
The person on the phone is not who Hector Mann thought they were.
Hector Mann goes to check his appearance
Hector Mann checks his reflection in the mirror.
He thinks there's something funny with the mirror
Hector Mann suspects that the mirror is not working properly.
But really it's a jewel thief wearing the same suit
The reflection in the mirror is actually a jewel thief who is wearing the same suit as Hector Mann.
And staring back from outside a window
The jewel thief is outside the window, looking in.
And two doors down
Two rooms down the hall from Hector Mann's room.
He can hear the opera singer cry out
Hector Mann hears the opera singer yelling.
Someone call the manager
The opera singer wants someone to call the manager.
There's been a break-in, my necklace has been stolen
The opera singer's necklace has been stolen during a break-in.
I need it for tonight's performance
The necklace is needed for the opera singer's performance that evening.
He was a man in a white suit and moustache
The thief was wearing a white suit and had a mustache.
You catch him in the act then he's a dead man
The thief will be in trouble if he is caught.
Now it's a scandal
The situation has turned into a scandal.
Just a misunderstanding
Despite the scandal, it is still just a misunderstanding.
I'm afraid that you've got it all wrong
The opera singer is afraid that someone has misunderstood the situation.
And pretty soon it's hard to say
As more things happen, it becomes difficult to understand what is really going on.
Just what is what, who is who
It becomes difficult to distinguish between events and characters.
Everybody running round
Everyone is busy trying to sort out the mess.
From room to room, up and down
People are moving around the hotel trying to solve the problem.
Is this just a case
The situation might be simply a matter of circumstance.
Of the right time in the wrong place
Perhaps everything that happened was just because they were in the wrong place at the wrong time.
I'm a man with good intentions
Hector Mann believes himself to be an honest person.
How did you get the wrong impression?
Hector Mann is confused how others could have gotten the wrong idea about him.
Usually he's keen to keep his suit clean
Hector Mann normally takes good care to keep his clothes clean.
Now he's in a hurry to get it dirty
Hector Mann is so busy with the situation that he does not care about the condition of his clothing.
From the kitchen to the chimney
Hector Mann is running around the hotel through various locations.
The fireplace to the furnace
Hector Mann is moving around various machinery in the hotel.
Until he's no longer who he once was
Hector Mann has become so involved in the situation that he has lost his original identity.
Word spreads from the deskclerk
News about the situation is shared from the hotel receptionist.
To the bellhop to the valet
Other hotel staff members learn about the situation and pass it on.
To the policeman down the alleyway
Even the police become involved in the situation.
Hector Mann is standing
Hector Mann is present at the scene.
In a black suit in the open
Hector Mann can be easily spotted due to his black suit.
He's pointing, saying I think that he went thataway
Hector Mann is trying to direct others where to look and what to do.
He's done with the double takes, pratfalls and acrobatics
Hector Mann is done with the confusion and chaos of the situation.
You can tell he's done with them for good
It is clear to others that Hector Mann does not want to be involved in such situations again.
And in the last frame
Near the end of the story.
It closes on twist of his moustache
The story ends with a close-up image of Hector Mann's mustache as he reflects on what has happened.
And you know he's had enough
It's clear from the way the story ends that Hector Mann has had his fill of such situations.
Contributed by Lucas N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
LondonRocks2008
Love it! Great video of a great performance of a great song :-)