An absolute wordsmith, 'a pair of brown eyes' is as close to a perfect song. Novels of thousands of pages haven't told a story as deeply as that song. His version of the Band played waltzing Matilda is one of the most moving songs I've ever heard - and amazingly wrote fairytale of New York as a bet, when Elvis Costello bet him he couldn't write a Christmas song.
Wordsmith is correct and a man with abundant talent. There's a great fairly recent documentary about his rocky life called Crock of Gold.
Regarding his aptitude for song writing there's a interview with Nick Cave where he covers a Pogues song... Cave describes spending time with Shane McGowan and him having a pile of songs in a mound on the floor. Picking them up he sees there are beautiful songs just lying there most destined for oblivion. A prolific song writer to say the least. You'd wonder how many gems were lost to his irreverent nature.
I saw Shane and the Popes (and a great New York band Black 47) open for Elvis Costello in NYC many years ago. Shane walks on stage and immediately hocks a loogie in the face of a random audience member standing up front. ‘Twas a hell of a show.
From a lot of points of view the surprising thing is not that he died now it's that he lasted this long. I remember seeing the Pogues back in the 90s in the Joe Strummer period and they were awesome but it was "common knowledge" back then that Shane was extremely ill and not long for the world.
Saw the Pogues play about 10 years. Shane was offstage most of the time and was brought on to stage in a wheelchair for a couple of songs to just sort of sit there and wave. It was sad and I thought he had days to live at the time.
I saw the Pogues in Brixton too, and I couldn't believe Shane could stand - I think I remember that when he was dancing during the break or outro of Fairytale, he DID fall down! He looked like a pickled piece of fish in a glass jar. He made noise, but it wasn't singing.
I saw the 1991 Xmas gig at Brixton Academy with Joe. They played a few Clash songs (London Calling, I Fought The Law, Brand New Cadillac, IIRC). I'm sad to say ... I did not see Shane.
(if they) ...stick (him) in a box ... and shove (him) in the ground ... (I'm sure he'll) stick (his) head back out and shout "we'll have another round"
It's easy to underestimate his erudition and intelligence, probably because of his always seemed to impaired by booze.
Decades ago I was on a train in Ireland and he was sitting at the table opposite to him. Like most on the train carriage, I recognised him but left him alone. Eventually someone walking through the carriage saw him and approached to quickly express his admiration/gratitude for his music and asked if he minded that he had a question about the lyrics of one of his songs. He seemed genuinely happy to engage in a conversation.
I listened, of course, and for the next 30 minutes or so, was treated to a whirlwind but fascinating tour of his ideas covering politics, philosophy, history as well as literature. He was extremely well-read. I wish I could remember the details. Maybe this transcript - https://thequietus.com/articles/09277-mark-e-smith-nick-cave... - captures the tone of the conversation.
He attended Holmewood House prep school and attained a scholarship to Westminster School. They are both very prestigious institutions in affluent areas. I think it surprises people to learn he had an excellent education and he came from a middle class (but probably not highly affluent) background.
One summer evening drunk to hell
I stood there nearly lifeless
An old man in the corner sang
Where the water lilies grow
And on the jukebox johnny sang
About a thing called love
And its how are you kid and whats your name
And how would you bloody know?
In blood and death neath a screaming sky
I lay down on the ground
And the arms and legs of other men
Were scattered all around
Some cursed, some prayed, some prayed then cursed
Then prayed and bled some more
And the only thing that I could see
Was a pair of brown eyes that was looking at me
But when we got back, labeled parts one to three
There was no pair of brown eyes waiting for me
And a rovin, a rovin, a rovin I'll go
For a pair of brown eyes
I looked at him he looked at me
All I could do was hate him
While Ray and Philomena sang
Of my elusive dream
I saw the streams, the rolling hills
Where his brown eyes were waiting
And I thought about a pair of brown eyes
That waited once for me
So drunk to hell I left the place
Sometimes crawling sometimes walking
A hungry sound came across the breeze
So I gave the walls a talking
And I heard the sounds of long ago
From the old canal
And the birds were whistling in the trees
Where the wind was gently laughing
And a rovin, a rovin, a rovin I'll go
A rovin, a rovin, a rovin I'll go
And a rovin, a rovin, a rovin I'll go
For a pair of brown eyes
For a pair of brown eyes
And a rovin, a rovin, a rovin I'll go
And a rovin, a rovin, a rovin I'll go
And a rovin, a rovin, a rovin I'll go
For a pair of brown eyes
For a pair of brown eyes
I've always maintained this is the greatest set of lyrics ever put together. Love, loss, war, ptsd - it is up there with the finest poems and sonnets ever composed.
Gutted to see Shane gone even though we all knew it was coming. He was the poet laureate of the Irish in Britain and indeed throughout the world, who had incredible humanity and an unflinching eye for the life of the underdog. His heroes were the nameless working class people who made Britain tick as much as his literary heroes like Behan and James Clarence Mangan. Good luck Shane, I hope you don't find heaven too boring!
I found this interview with Shane MacGowan... something. Maybe touching? Two excerpts:
> I didn’t, of course, expect him to look like the gangly youth with the terrible teeth who looked as if he’d bleed adrenalin. I knew that the terrible teeth, or at least a lot of the terrible teeth, had gone. But I didn’t expect him to look like this. He has, it’s true, been ill. He has, apparently, had gastroenteritis. (The doctor said he could only eat clear liquids, which MacGowan, unfortunately, took to mean gin). But the man sitting opposite me, behind a table covered with packets of pills and cigarettes, reminds me both of a hobbit and a china doll. His hair is wild. His skin is pale. His lips cover gums where there should be teeth. But his eyes are clear, bright, piercing, beautiful blue.
and
> I’m not quite sure how to follow this, so I ask what ambitions he’s got left. This time there’s no pause. “To live as long as I possibly can, and to come to terms with dying before I do.”
> For a moment, we’re both quiet. For some people, this might seem like a small thing. But when you’ve drunk as much as Shane MacGowan (and not all that many people have drunk as much as Shane MacGowan) then staying alive isn’t a small thing at all.
"It was not until he formed Pogue Mahone (a variant of Irish phrase póg mo thóin, which means "kiss my a*se"), that he was finally able to mix the rawness of punk with the Irish poetry and sentimentality of his lyrics, to huge critical and commercial acclaim."
I saw Christy Moore (another great singer-songwriter who pushed the boundaries of Irish traditional music and has had his own share of drink-related health issues) play on Wednesday night. Before singing his version of “Fairytale of New York”, he reminisced about a night spent drinking and playing music with Shane. If I remember correctly, he acclaimed Shane as one of Ireland’s finest songwriters – if not the greatest. Great praise coming from someone of Christy’s stature – and retrospectively poignant.
Was very glad to have discovered (and seen live at the pub/venue down the street from where I was living!) during a semester in Ireland in the mid-90s. Never saw Shane/Pogues though.
"The most important thing to remember about drunks is that drunks are far more intelligent than non-drunks. They spend a lot of time talking in pubs, unlike workaholics who concentrate on their careers and ambitions, who never develop their higher spiritual values, who never explore the insides of their head like a drunk does." - Shane MacGowan, Melody Maker interview 1991
I love Shane, I love the Pogues, but I think it's well overdue for us as a culture to stop romanticizing chronic alcoholism. It destroys people, it destroys families.
I agree but would caveat by saying that there are a lot of things in the world that destroy people and families. A lack of romance and escape being another of them.
I think there is stark difference between being the victim of an alcoholic abusive relationship one cannot escape and, "a lack of romance and escape" Mr. Contrarian.
yeah for sure, I understand the hurt. I guess that I feel bad because I like a drink or four and I don't think I hurt anyone else but feel like I should be guilty all the time.. so I stop boozing and then I really miss it.
In simpler times I'd live in the pub I think, I might be happier for it!
He claimed alcohol was a mystic sacrament, in an interview I read long ago. That's an awfully destructive spirituality, but it was very much his choice, whether rationalized addiction or not. Personally, I've seen that destruction too closely to find it anything but tragic, but I'm grateful for his poetry.
Beautiful analysis by Michael Brendan Dougherty: “MacGowan was able, as an Irish-Londoner, to take Irish music in hand with a joy, pride, and inventiveness that seemed impossible for the native Irish who either revered their musical tradition too much to experiment with it, or disdained it as a kind of false Paddyism.”
"I'm sad to say I must be on my way
So buy me beer or whiskey, 'cause I'm going far away"
Farewell Shane.
My first concert was the Pogues in late 1986 or early 1987. "Boys from the county hell", "Dirty old town" and "Waltzing Matilda" (the last two, he didn't write, but made his) are some of my favorite songs ever.
I managed to see him perform several times around that era.
One concert I recall Shane managed to sing only three or so songs. He fell backwards, and was eventually dragged off stage. The rest of the band carried on.
Another, Shane made it about half way, but noticeably inebriated, and then just disappeared. The rest of the band just carried on.
The concert with the Popes, Shane had to carry the show, so he made it all the way through a couple of hours.
There are very few artists that have the gift of writing great songs and reinterpreting the songs of others in such a way that they make the song their own.
Shane MacGowan was one of those artists. When I first heard the Pogues in the late 1980's, I knew that "Dirty Old Town" was a Ewan MacColl song and "Waltzing Matilda" was an Australian bush ballad. It didn't matter because his interpretations stamped those songs with his personality. And it's hard to believe that "Fairytale of New York" was written on a bet. It's a song that has so much life and spirit; I could listen to it hundreds of times and never get tired of it.
Famous Irish band's singer that was big in the 80-90s. If you have ever been in an Irish themed pub that plays music, you have probably heard one of their songs:
Shane was the lead singer for their heyday and was eventually kicked out of the band due to his drinking while touring. He went solo (pretty good) and the band tried to go on without him (so so). He was a famous wild man whose health has been in decline for many years. Many people were surprised he was still alive! RIP.
If you're not familiar with The Pogues, The Sunny Side of the Street is the song (and the album, Hell's Ditch it was released on) are the quintessential sound (for me).
Incredible and unique music that doesn't imitate or try to be anything other than what it is.
To me it's the album Rum, Sodomy, & the Lash. It was produced by Elvis Costello and his goal was to capture the Pogues in their live glory, which I think he succeeded at doing in spades. That's really classic Pogues at the peak of their powers. If I Should Fall from Grace with God is also a great album and is the sound of them cresting the wave. After that I'm afraid it was all downhill, mostly because of a lot of problems involving substance abuse and alcoholism.
It's honestly a miracle he survived as long as he did. He was definitely a character and the man had his own so voice style that would be recognised straight away.
Ozzy Osbourne is still alive, at 74. He was as much of an alcoholic as MacGowan ever was, if not worse (although I don't think Ozzy ever did heroin?)
Dick van Dyke is still around at 97(!) in spite of many years of chain-smoking and alcoholism (he stopped drinking in his late 40s, and smoking in his 70s). Look, I like Dick van Dyke and I wish him many more years, but he ought to have died decades ago.
“ Over the past forty years, I've been loaded on booze, coke, acid, Quaaludes, glue, cough mixture, heroin, Rohypnol, Klonopin, Vicodin, and too many other heavy-duty substances to list in this footnote. On more than a few occasions I was on all of those at the same time.” - Ozzy Osbourne
Genetics seems to count for a lot. Lifestyle is proven to have a huge effect on quality of life and the risk of certain ailments, but doesn't seem to be the main factor in longevity. As my dad used to fatalistically say: "When you're gonna go, you're gonna go." (Ironically, his lifestyle has resulted in him living under 24/7 care, but he's still alive.)
That's probably a bit too simplified; if you're a smoker and get lung cancer at 65 then it's very conceivable you would have lived longer if you never smoked (not certain: lots of things can cause lung cancer). It's even more clear-cut with things like asbestos.
Heroin surprisingly doesn't have a lot of long term effects to health (so long as you don't OD). It's the use of needles and blood born illnesses that can really well: kill you. Hepatitis, HIV, etc.
He also stopped doing heroin 45 years ago (self reported).
In Shane's case, is it any wonder that a chronic and extreme drinking problem eventually kills you? His quality of life has been impacted for almost as long as Keith Richards has been off the needle.
GP's comment that MacGowan was a partier is correct. But there was a terrible misdiagnosis in the case of Sinéad. She was never bipolar but was prescribed medication for it, after she had a mastectomy which caused hormonal unbalances.
Depressed and maybe borderline she was, but above all devastated by the preventible suicide of her son. (which is a huge story of Ireland's health service momumental fuckups on its own.)
I would say that people in pain are in a privileged place to understand other's suffering and sometimes able to do something about it. Even if they are unable to fix their own ghosts. Some of the O'Connor problems, like having an abusive mother, can't be directly attributed to her. Other are.
:) Yeah Sinéad saved him more than once. It was said at the time of her passing a few months ago that is was ironic she should go before him. Not ironic at all if you're getting saved by Sinéad.
In their wonderful duet "Haunted", she aptly sings about him "you've got a way of talking".
Not a bad writer herself if you read her autobiography.
I heard someone comment earlier: "MacGowan and Kissinger were both people who outlived repeated prophesies of their deaths. Odd that they died on the same day"
Fare the well, gone away, there's nothing left to say
With a slainte Joe and Erin go my love's in Amerikay
The calling of the rosary, Spanish wine from far away
Meta: what's the historical reason HN titles their obituary articles this way? Just a name, "has died" (a very kurt but passive line, many articles typically say "passed away", or at least "dead at X age"), no clarification of the person like any news article would do.
I don't think this is in any rules I read, so probably faster to ask than deep dive through 15 years+ of history.
I'm not convinced it's a good thing, anyway (beyond maybe stripping out controversial descriptions, which is more likely to be a problem for Kissinger than MacGowan)
I'm sure there are plenty of HNers who don't instantly recognise the name who would be much better placed to decide whether the article interested then if the title was in its original form.
