NUIG Rock Society to host the Irish Premiere of 'Bob and the Monster'

I recently spoke to committee members Jane and Graham about this big event....

Jane: The documentary is about Bob Forrest who was the first roadie for The Red Hot Chili Peppers, huge in the music scene in LA in the seventies, eighties, nineties, even now. He’s worked with every artist from Josh Klinghoffer to John Waits. A real ‘man behind the curtain’, he always had beautiful women around him and always had the musicians but never quite made it there himself, through drug use and all that kind of thing. The documentary is about his battle with drug addiction and his life in the music scene. There are a lot of different artists speaking in the documentary like Courtney Love and Anthony Kiedis about the influence that Bob had on their lives and their families and just all the things that he’s done for them.

Bob himself is even coming over for this screening and Sean Wheelers and Zander Schloss are going to perform. We really are very excited and at the moment we’re trying to get a special guest performer too.

Graham: Nothing has been ruled out. We’ve been talking to the director and one of the producers of the documentary and there are three options at the moment, Josh Klinghoffer, John Frusciante or Courtney Love.

Jane: It is pretty insane but also quite difficult when we are publicising the event and we’re mentioning these names and people don’t’ recognize them but once you explain it to them they realize how huge this is for the society and for NUIG.

Graham: And as a provisional society we will be relying on the ticket sales to fund this. As we are inexperienced to a degree, this is a learning curve for us and we really want it to happen so we want people to realize how major an event this is, it is no small deal for what is definitely going to be the Irish, if not the European premiere of the documentary.  It’s going into the Galway Film Fleadh too and hopefully we will get some more media attention as time goes by.

Jane: A member of a dedication site to John Frusciante who lives in the States emailed me yesterday and told me he’s booked his ticket to come here for the screening.

 I don’t think people realize what an opportunity this actually is.

Graham: It is a piece of history that’s going to happen right here on campus. It’s the first time the Bailey Allen is going to hold a rock concert and hopefully it won’t be the last! If this goes well, other people may be enticed to come over; this is where it should start. 

'Bob and the Monster' - NUIG Bailey Allen Hall - July 8th