Glen Hansard honored the memory of his close friend and busking partner Mic Christopher by taking a crucial role in completing Christopher's debut album, "Skylarkin'," after Christopher's tragic death in 2001.
Christopher, a prolific songwriter who met Hansard as a teenager, died in hospital in Groningen, Netherlands, at age 25, about two weeks after a freak accident in November 2001. He fell down steps while touring and hit his head. Hansard was present with Christopher's family when his life support was turned off.
At the time of his death, Christopher's solo album was nearly complete. Hansard and other friends discussed how to bring the project to fruition. "We're the creatives – we can do whatever needs to be done on the album," Hansard and a friend told Christopher's sister, Maureen. "But we need somebody with a kind of admin head that can pull it all together and keep everybody in check."
Maureen Christopher initially offered to hire someone but was told by the musicians that she was the one to manage the project. "Me in my naivety said, 'Who have you got in mind? I'll approach them, I'll pay whoever it is to look after everything.' They just looked at me like I was a bit crazy, like, 'Well, it has to be you.'"
"Skylarkin'," released a year after Christopher's death, went on to win best Irish album at the Meteor Awards. It was later voted number 14 in Hot Press readers' poll of the Top 100 Irish Albums of All Time.
Hansard maintained a close connection with the Christopher family for over 25 years. He organized tribute concerts and frequently performed Christopher's songs, often seeking permission from Maureen before using his music. "He would always check in with me to ask 'Is it OK if I do this?', whether it be doing a gig, using a song, whatever it may be," Maureen said.
He also showed kindness to a young neighbor with learning difficulties who was a fan of Christopher's music. Hansard invited the boy on stage during his birthday performance and arranged for him to perform with him at Vicar Street. Maureen recalled Hansard once sending the boy a gift: a belt with an Elvis buckle, similar to ones worn by both Christopher and Hansard in their youth.
Christopher's musical style evolved significantly after a serious motorbike accident a few years prior to his death. The recovery period renewed his passion for songwriting, leading him to pen tracks like "Heyday" and "Kid's Song." Maureen described this period as a wake-up call, after which her brother realized his own mortality and began writing about more positive themes.
Maureen expressed her grief and shock at Hansard's recent death, which occurred in circumstances similar to her brother's. "I just couldn't take it in," she said of the days following Hansard's passing. "I'd think I was okay for a few minutes and go to do something, and then just go to pieces again." She described Hansard's recent memorial service as both "heartbreaking" and "beautiful."