Phil Lynott by Rod Coyne

“Phil Lynott” is one of a series of paintings born out of Rod Coyne’s  passion for music. The original artwork is  oil on canvas and measures 70 x 100 cm (28″ x 30″ inches).

This depiction celebrates the Irish Rock Legend  as he fixes the viewer with one of his trademark stares. This ethereal portrait was originally titled “From the other Side” and treads a line between here and a nether world, it is  full of poise and energy. Rod Coyne’s Philo painting is the perfect addition to any home or office for art collectors and music fans alike. It is signed on the front and carries a date and inscription by the artist on the reverse.

Phil Lynott – Through a Boys’ Eyes

“For me growing up in Ireland during the 1970’s and Phil Lynott was a reason to feel proud to be Irish. In those days our sporting achievements were few and far between. Sure we had a proud history through traditional music, literature and theater, but it was exactly that; historical. Long before the Boomtown Rats and U2 it was”Philo” and Thin Lizzy who were tearing up the charts even before my teenage years. I remember seeing the band on Top of the Pops on our old black and white TV and not being able to comprehend that this guys was an Irishman. He looked like a seasoned rock ‘n’ roller, the real deal and so contrary to the conservative Ireland I was growing up in. His music, clothes and attitude were designed to send my parents up the wall and this made him the perfect hero for a young Roddy Coyne” – Rod Coyne.

Phil Lynott – Through the Painters’ Eyes

In 2009 I was contacted by a group of Philo fans who were organizing  an exhibition in Arklow, Co. Wicklow. They asked if I would create a piece for the show and I leapt at the chance. That was when I painted “Phil Lynott”.

During the build up to the exhibition the artists were brought to meet the rock legend’s mum, Philomena. A more remarkable lady I have to encounter, she was full of poise, dignity and charm. Later, at the exhibition we got to meet again.

Phil Lynott – Through Wikipedias’ Eyes

Philip Parris Lynott (/ˈlaɪnət/; 20 August 1949 – 4 January 1986) was an Irish musician and songwriter. His most commercially successful group was Thin Lizzy, of which he was a founding member, the principal songwriter, lead vocalist and bassist. He was known for his distinctive plectrum-based style on the bass, and for his imaginative lyrical contributions including working class tales and numerous characters drawn from personal influences and Celtic culture.

Lynott was born in the West Midlands but grew up in Dublin with his grandparents. He remained close to his mother, Philomena, throughout his life. He fronted several bands as a lead vocalist, including Skid Row alongside Gary Moore, before learning the bass guitar and forming Thin Lizzy in 1969. After initial success with “Whiskey in the Jar”, the band had several hits in the mid-1970s with hits such as “The Boys Are Back in Town”, “Jailbreak” and “Waiting for an Alibi”, and became a popular live attraction combining Lynott’s vocal and songwriting skills with dual lead guitars. Towards the end of the 1970s, Lynott also embarked upon a solo career, published two books of poetry, and after Thin Lizzy disbanded, he assembled and fronted the band Grand Slam, of which he was the leader until it folded in 1985.

Following Thin Lizzy, Lynott increasingly suffered drug-related problems, particularly an addiction to heroin. He had a final hit with Moore, “Out in the Fields”, followed by the minor hit “Nineteen”, before his death on 4 January 1986 from sepsis secondary to pneumonia. He remains a popular figure in the rock world, and in 2005, a statue in his memory was erected in Dublin.

Read the full article here.

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The Boys are back in Town!

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