I’ve always had Shane down as simply drunk as a brewer’s fart.
This book, a chat over drinks with his wife Victoria, brings out some of the kind, human, down-to-earth, honest and very Irishly funny qualities of the lead singer of The Pogues (and former member of the Nipple Erectors).
Lynn Barber, in The Observer, says of the book, ‘One of the freshest, most original biographies I’ve ever read.’.
Some morsels for you on sex, drugs, marriage, and definitive Irish nurturing.
‘She gave him a handjob on the beach, the first day they went out for a date, so he fell in love with her.‘
Okay, it’s not funny. Well, maybe just a bit short of very.
‘Why do you think you take drugs?‘
‘Cos I like them.‘
And on coming out of rehab, ‘Very strange… very strange. Very strange.‘
On getting spliced…
‘Tom, don’t marry Monica. For God’s sake!‘
‘Why do you say that?‘
‘Cause she’ll make you have a bath! … And she’ll try to make you go to bed early and stuff like that.‘
So what cultivates a great songster?
‘And that’s how John McCormack learned to sing, you know.‘
‘How?‘
‘By being beaten, and fucking going to church.‘
‘Is it?’
‘Yeah. Classic Irish upbringing.‘
Thank god it’s Friday. I’m off to the beach.
Thanks for being here.
Buy A Drink with Shane MacGowan (free delivery, cardboard wrapping)
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