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Uncle Gaybo turned into modern art for the Turner Prize

In 1985 Gay Byrne confronted psychiatrist RD Laing about appearing intoxicated on his show. Now, it’s art. Watch it here.

Gay Byrne interviewing RD Laing in 1985
Gay Byrne interviewing RD Laing in 1985

WHATEVER YOU THINK of Gay Byrne as an artist of the telly variety, he’s now making art without even trying.

A clip of Uncle Gaybo interviewing famed Scottish psychiatrist and writer RD Laing on The Late Late Show in 1985 forms part of the exhibition of this year’s Turner Prize nominees at Tate Britain.

Artist Luke Fowler has made his third film in ten years about Laing, called All Divided Selves. The footage features Gay Byrne confronting the psychiatrist about appearing intoxicated on the show.

I can get the whiff of alcohol from you and you’re definitely slow, now why is that?
Knowing you were coming on a television programme, why would you knock back the booze?

Uploaded by AndroidsInAgony

Here’s Adrian Laing, son of RD Laing talking about Fowler’s film:

Uploaded by GlasgowFilmFestival

H/T to Una Mullally via Twitter/The Guardian

The three other nominees for the Turner Prize include Elizabeth Price with her video installation The Woolworths Choir of 1979, Spartacus Chetwynd’s installation Odd Man Out and Paul Noble’s technical series of drawings entitled Volume 3.

Check out all of the nominees here>

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About the author:

Emer McLysaght

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