The Punk Poet

November 30th 2023. The world lost a truly brilliant musician. A man and musician like no other. The word enigma gets thrown around a lot but Shane MacGowan really was one.

A love of literature, booze and brilliant song craft made him a musician the likes of which we had never seen before and the likes of which we probably won’t see ever again.

Inspired by Punk and his childhood. He would help write and shape some of the most beautiful, soulful and heartbreaking pieces of music of the 1980s and 1990s. Irish Music was given even more emotion with every snarl fuelled jig and every heartbreaking that the Pouges ever wrote.

Of course many know Shane as the drunk man in the legendary Christmas Song, ‘Fairytale of New York’ arguably his most famous moment, and one of the very best Christmas songs of all time. It looks likely that 2023 will be the year the song hits Number One for the first time. However Shane was so much more than the drunk man in ‘Fairytale of New York’.

A truly brilliant songwriter and a real pioneer. He would tackle Irish Nationalism, the history of Ireland and even find beautiful in the seedy undertones of London. Shane and his band the Pogues have even been claimed to help aid Irish people during the troubles, with many claiming that they experienced less racism.

The songs are masterpieces too of course I’ve mentioned his most famous song but the bands version of ‘Dirty Old Town’ helped propel them to the masses. Along with the album ‘Rum, Sodomy & Lash’ which contained the songs ‘Sally MacLeanne’ ‘The Old Main Drag’ and ‘The Band Played Waltzing Matilda’ 

The Pogues were a force to be reckoned with. A follow up in 1987 ‘If I Should Fall From Grace with God’ which contained ‘Fairytale Of New York’ and ‘Thousands Are Sailing’ and ‘The Irish Rover’ 

These albums would both go on to become some of the most loved records of the 1980s and some of the best work from that period too. ‘Thousands Are Sailing’ in particular is an extraordinary piece of music, about the struggles Irish people faced when moving to America. A real heartbreaking yet hopeful affair. A song only Shane MacGowan could have written!

Away from his songwriting. We all know Shane had his struggles with addiction in particular alcohol. Yet that doesn’t take away from him in anyway. It was who he was.

A real unique person and musician and his life can best be summed up, by one of his own quotes. ‘the Irish way of life, the human way of life. Cram as pleasure in and rail against the pain you have to suffer as a result.

‘Some people left for heaven without warning’