I only saw them once, in '96 at the Filmore, a few months before their first break up. Shane had been out of the group for five years at that point, but somehow, ended up touring with the band during their US leg. He was drunk enough to be noticeably slurring during the show, but not so drunk that he didn’t show up on time (or at all), or have to stop half way through, so that was mostly a win.
Very sad. So loved the Pogues and I believe Shane was a genius. I read a critic once who asked if the Pogues were a Celtic band that played punk, or a punk band that played Celtic. Both I suppose.
Rum, Sodomy, and the Lash and If I Should Fall from Grace with God are both masterpieces.
I saw the lads in Philly years ago at the Electric Factory. Shane was shit-faced and in good voice. They started with an instrumental which they later repeated—my unconfirmed theory was that they couldn’t locate Shane for a bit. Was exactly what you’d hope for in a Pogues concert—just tremendous.
R.I.P., Shane.
The Pogues were my favourite band since I first heard them on KXLU in 1984. I saw them three times at The Coachhouse in San Juan Capistrano, and once at The WIltern in L.A. (with Joe Strummer filling in for Shane – He was with Shane at The Coachhouse once). Last time I saw them was in South Seattle. I think it was 2009. I’ll have to check my T-shirt. I have all of their studio albums, most on vinyl and CD, Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah on CD at least, a miniature CD (‘CD single’?) of something, and a… coloured vinyl LP? Not to mention The Nips ‘n’ The Nipple Erectors Bops, Babes, Booze & Bovver.
I never saw Shane not drunk. I bought If I Should Fall from Grace - The Shane MacGowan Story in the middle of 2003. In the comfort of my home, without crowds and extraneous noise, I still thought it needed subtitled.
His death is not unexpected – I’m surprised he’d made it this long – but it is still a loss of a great singer and songwriter.
In what way was Shane McGowan a genius? My first impression of McGowan was formed when I saw The Pogues performing on Saturday Night Live in 1990 and it was pretty negative. I saw a guy on stage whom I thought was drunk, with bad teeth, mumbling verses into the microphone I couldn’t understand. Even in studio recordings, like Fairy tale in New York, I can scarcely understand McGowan when he sings.
I’m not asking to be rude here, obviously many people hold McGowan in high esteem, but I just don’t understand why and I’m genuinely interested in learning why.
Well, his songs were really, really good. Like, some of the best songs I’ve ever heard.
What sort of an answer are you looking for, here?
Yes, me, too. I got an email from Amanda Palmer’s blog this morning which is how I heard. Haven’t listened to the Pogues in a little while. Need to listen today.
I don’t know. Something like, “Here’s how his work changed music” or something I guess. As LoPan once told me, this is just one of those things I’ll have to accept I wasn’t put on this Earth to get.
Granted, the SNL performance wasn’t their best. I still liked it; but if you didn’t, it’s nothing to judge their body of work on.
You could say the same thing about The Dickies or The Sex Pistols. Still great bands.
I don’t recall a fusion of Punk and Celtic music before The Pogues (and Boiled In Lead shortly thereafter). And now we have The Dropkick Murphys and Flogging Molly.
Sadly no. It was 1994 and they were touring with neither Joe nor Shane. The Clash may be my favorite band, but the closest I came to seeing them live was a B.A.D. show in 1995 (which, still, is likely in my top five shows ever).
Here’s an article that contains some statements from the president, taoiseach, tanaiste of Ireland on the cultural importance of Shane MacGowan to Ireland. Statements from other musicians don’t seem to have come in much, yet, but I expect they’ll be voluminous.
This is my Nelson Mandela moment: I could have sworn that he died from alcoholism 15-20 years ago, and that I read obituaries about him then. So weird.
Hven’t seen The Pogues live but I did hear Mojo Nixon sing this while climbing the light towers at the Winnipeg Folk Festival.
I was lucky enough to see the Pogues live - and I really mean lucky. A piece of pure good fortune.
Somewhere in that crowd are me and the missus. It was a recording of Friday Night Live, which always had a couple of bands on, and it wasn’t until we turned up (with our free tickets!) for the recording that we found out that they were The Christians and The Pogues. Disbelief!
Fiesta is far from my favourite Pogues song; but they also played Streets of Sorrow/Birmingham Six, which was blindingly good. They went into the commercial break with it, but you can hear a piece of it preserved for posterity in this (much inferior quality) video, starting at 4.24 (I think I’ve managed to set it up at that.)
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I’ll drink to that.
My favorite concert review was for a show just like this, maybe even the show you were at: “A Bar-room brawl with instruments”
Prost! 
I’ve seen them once live (including Shane), and it seems there are recordings of the show.
Shane actually looked the youngest of the bunch, but I guess shoe polish rubbed in the hair does the trick.
RIP Shane. Last of the idols of my youth, I guess.
If I should fall from grace with God
Where no doctor can relieve me
If I’m buried 'neath the sod
But the angels won’t receive me
Let me go, boys
Let me go, boys
Let me go down in the mud
Where the rivers all run dry
Dark news. But what a bright legacy.
Because I am goin’, I am goin’
Any which way the wind may be blowin’
I am goin’, I am goin’
Where streams of whiskey are flowin’
Oh, the words that he spoke
Seemed the wisest of philosophies
There’s nothing ever gained
By a wet thing called a tear
When the world is too dark
And I need the light inside me
I’ll walk into a bar
And drink 15 pints of beer
I’m saddened but not surprised. He and died like a drunk, but he was a brilliant singer and writer, and unlike that other dead “celebrity” in the news (whose death will get much more attention, people being what they are), Shane actually meant something in, and added something to, my world.