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3rd September 2024
05:30pm BST
The singer and bass player of Irish band Hermitage Green has issued an explanation of a t-shirt that he wore that drew controversy during a performance in the US.
Barry Murphy, who used to play rugby for Munster, was the subject of backlash after he wore a shirt at a Kansas City festival portraying a picture of Chief Martin Brody from the film Jaws with 'size of that c*nt' written on it.
Taking to social media, Murphy explained that while some suggest it was 'politically charged' due to the upcoming US elections, it was not the case.
According to the musician, others took offence to the shirt simply because of the curse word use, which tends to take a harsher meaning in the US than in Ireland.
"I would like to address the complaints made against my t-shirt at the festival in Kansas City last night. It appears some people have taken massive offence to the slogan written over Chief Brody’s face but I must assure you no offence was intended," Murphy wrote in an Instagram post.
"Some have suggested that it’s a politically charged T-shirt and with the upcoming elections in the US this is clearly a polarised place right now and people are highly charged.
"As many of you might know, Jaws is my favourite film and the depth to its meaning and metaphor seem to have no end. This shot of Brody is taken after we get our first full look at the shark which amazingly doesn’t occur until 82 mins in.
"Although this was not Spielberg's initial plan and is largely down to the malfunctioning of the mechanical shark it is undoubtedly the most powerful play in the whole movie. In that 82 minutes the suspense built around the unknown and with the help of the incredible score from John Williams allows the shark to develop a personality which makes it all the more terrifying.
"This time also allows Brody in particular to develop his character and ultimately, for me, Jaws becomes a film about a father trying to protect his sons from the dangers of the world.
"He wants them to experience all the beauty in life and understands they will have to endure suffering but he is ever ready to save them from the monsters lurking in the deep. Brody is the best of us.
"I chose that moment for my T-shirt because it is when he first confronts the horror but he still keeps his cool. I didn’t choose the quote 'we’re gonna need a bigger boat' because it would be too obvious and then would just be another Jaws T-shirt.
"So I said to myself, if I was Brody what would I say? Well I’m Irish and I’d like to think I’m not easily scared or shocked so I would hope I’d keep my cool and say something very Irish like 'size of that c*nt'.
"Now, this is a jarring and polarising word but in my opinion it can be used in many ways, i.e. I've often described some of my favourite people in the world as 'good c*nts'.
"So when I say 'size of that c*nt' I'm purely referencing what Brody may have said about how big the shark was and that they might indeed need a bigger boat"
The musician finished his post by joking that there was 'merch incoming', with some commenters saying they would buy the shirt.
We're sure there would be a big queue for such merch, just maybe not much demand in Kansas.
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