Garry McCarthy/GMC Beats
Music Producer, Songwriter and Rapper
Garry McCarthy/GMC Beats, is a music producer, songwriter and rapper based in Cork city. He also runs creative workshops in song writing, rap, recording, music technology, video and podcasting for schools and youth groups.
Full Episode
In our conversation, recorded in June 2020, Garry talks about his musical influences, the artists who inspire him and why being creative is so important for all of us.
The podcast includes extracts from some of Garry’s own songs, including Haircut, composed when Garry was 11 years old, Not Tonight (Bouncer Song), Focus and Chasing Shadows.
We hope you enjoy!
Some teacher reflection questions
00:00 - 12:00 | Early Influences
Q. Garry was inspired to make music from an early age. What music did you enjoy growing up? How important was music to you at that time?
Q. Garry wrote his Haircut song aged 11. If you had written a song at that age, what would it have been about?
Q. Can you think of any song lyrics or lines of poetry that expressed exactly how you felt at a given time?
13:15 - 19:00 | Inspiration and ideas
Q. Garry mentions rap artists who have inspired him. Who inspires you?
Q. Creating something quickly is often more effective than ‘overthinking’ it, according to Garry. Do you agree?
Q. How do you capture your own ideas?
22:30 - 28:00 | The creative process
Q. Garry prefers the initial stages of the creative process rather than the finishing stage. He also likes working to deadlines. What is your preference? What do you find most challenging?
Q. Could the 5-word challenge further inspire your creativity?
Q. According to Garry, giving himself time to be creative is really important. How do you give yourself time to be creative?