Today’s Booked Up guest is Allyson McCabe, author of the deeply felt, carefully researched book, Why Sinéad O’Connor Matters, which was published in May two months before the musician’s passing. Allyson interviewed Sinéad for NPR in 2021 in connection with her autobiography Rememberings. 

As guitarist and songwriter Vernon Reid wrote, “Acknowledging that Sinéad's life story can be a difficult, contradictory mess, McCabe painstakingly relates this magnificent, irreplaceable artist's tale to her own heartfelt story, showing us in the process how and why so many of us also connect with Sinéad.”

A little more on Allyson McCabe, who is decidedly Gen X. Before turning to writing, reporting and production fulltime, she taught in the English Department at Yale. You’ve definitely heard hermwork on NPR’s flagship showslike Morning Edition and All Things Considered. One example: “Willy Wonka-Inspired 'Candy Alchemist' Spins Sugar Into Pure Imagination.” Or more recently,“How artists and influencers set the stage for Hip-Hop's global rise.”

You’ve also seen Allyson’s byline in assorted places including the New York Times, New York Magazine’s Vulture, BBC Culture, Bandcamp, and Wired.

Contact Booked Up:
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Get More from Allyson McCabe:
Website | Author of WHY SINÉAD O'CONNOR MATTERS


Get More from Jen Taub:
taubjen on Threads| Money & Gossip  Substack | Author of BIG DIRTY MONEY