By placing American cities alongside Irish towns in “Night Train,” how does Deco’s lyrical improvisation notion towards a broader Transatlantic community? Does the audience’s cheers at the Irish entrance into the sphere of African-American identity validate the authenticity of participation in the transatlantic community?
What does Joey the Lips’s resentment towards jazz say about the Commitments’ mission to replicate and relate to authentic African-American experience and music? When Joey criticizes Dean for trying to branch out into music which he deems to be too “thoughtful,” does he imply that soul is the only way to properly express the African-American experience?
What does the band’s quick dissolution have to say about their attempts to don the cultural persona of an African-American soul band? If “soul is community,” as Joey the Lips claims, does the Commitments’ constant infighting and implosion negate the claims that their style is authentic Dublin soul?
