“I choose to believe that there is good in people and that everything is a lesson. Our place on Earth is to go deeper, to somehow get wiser. To have spirit.” - Glen Hansard

A few days ago, the news came crashing onto me: Glen Hansard, rest in peace. How? I mean what the hell? I only recently saw him at a show, and I’ve been seeing him on his socials, what gives? And then it came careening into me. Irish musician dead from motorcycle riding accident. Hard to believe that he’s gone. I mean, he’s only like the only singer-songwriter that I’ve followed, listened to and believed in the past twelve years.

It’s hard to look at the internet. People have been posting about it. News articles of the accident have been pouring in. It’s like I am in the grip of the algorithm where everything I look online just brings me to Glen Hansard.

It couldn’t be helped. I looked too hard. I took every bit of video that Glen had to post and consumed it. I poked too hard.

Well who wouldn’t? Every bit of singer-songwriter stuff that he’s posted since “Once” I’ve taken in and I’ve fancied myself as his biggest supporter. I’ve bought his albums: The Frames, The Swell Season, his solo stuff over the years (I mean I’ve reviewed them here) that I consider myself his biggest fan, in the truest sense of the word.

And just this year, just this April, I watched my first Glen Hansard show in New York. I thought that this would be a yearly thing from then on. As long as I’m here, and as long as I can ride a train to NYC, I’m there! I even bought a shirt, man!

I’m just mad at the man these past few days. What a stupid way to go, I mean motorbike? Really? But as I went, I noticed that I’m taking in details. I’m listening differently to his songs. I’m constantly made aware of his presence.

Glen Hansard was a singer, songwriter and actor, but more than that he was Ireland’s modern day version of a bard. He poured every ounce of his heart and soul into every note he played. Throughout the years, he has stood as the heart of Irish folk and rock. “A troubadour whose worn acoustic guitar, cathartic vocal delivery and unfailing spirit embodied the spirit of Dublin.”

From a 13-year-old school dropout busking on Grafton Street to an Academy Award-winning international icon, Hansard bridged the gap between traditional Irish storytelling and modern indie-rock grit. Following the success of “Once,” the movie he starred in with Marketa Irglova (with director John Carney), Glen Hansard established a thriving solo career that spanned solo albums such as “Rhythm and Repose” (2012) and “Didn’t He Ramble (2015) to name a few, highlighted his mastery of folk, soul and roots music. His songs “High Hope,” the soulful “Love Don’t Leave Me Waiting,” and “Song of Good Hope” sampled this and along with “Winning Streak,” “Paying My Way,” and “Her Mercy” are praised for their intimacy, warmth and unvarnished emotional honesty.

Glen Hansard’s tragic death last July 29, at the age of 56 following an accident in Dublin, Ireland sent shockwaves throughout the global music community. As tributes poured in from fellow artists, world leaders, and the generations of musicians and listeners he inspired, Hansard’s enduring influence on Irish culture and folk-rock music remains incalculable.

“We lost a good one today.”

Thank you Glen. Rest in peace.