Tribute to Shane MacGowan, featuring Sheldon Zoldan

Shane MacGowan, the  frontman and main songwriter for the Pogues, led a life of addiction. He co-founded the band in 1982, mixing punk rock with traditional Irish music. Nine years later, he was kicked out of the group because of his drug use and drinking but returned in 2001 and remained with the Pogues until they disbanded. 

This tribute is one of 44 stories about significant figures in the music industry who died in 2023. After MacGowan's passing, Michael D. Higgins, the President of Ireland, described him as "one of music's greatest lyricists." 

MacGowan's "Fairytale of New York" has become one of the United Kingdom's most popular Christmastime songs. To hear it, and watch MacGowan and English singer-songwriter Kirsty MacColl act out the story,  go to this video.

In this episode's chapters, you can go right to the tribute by skipping my intro; feel free to skip my closing remarks too. Both are there to provide context for those who haven't listened to the other tributes. 

Also in the chapters, you'll see the cover of "A Drink with Shane MacGowan," written by MacGowan and his wife, Irish journalist Victoria Mary Clarke. It's available in paperback on Amazon.

Speaking of tributes, Clarke wrote a moving one to MacGowan. Here's a link. 

Sheldon Zoldan, a longtime writer and editor, wrote and recorded the tribute in this episode and the others in the series. Sheldon also writes Song of the Day, a music-related story sent daily to an email list of subscribers. To get on his subscriber list, email shzoldan@comcast.net with the subject line ADD ME TO SOTD.

Audio engineer/musician Mike Villegas edited all the audio for this series. Hope you enjoy these intriguing glimpses into the lives of the people who made some of the music we love.

This is Kate Jones. Thank you for listening to my show!

Available on Apple, Spotify, Audible and in other podcast directories, and on YouTube.

Transcript

Kate:
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Hello, and welcome to Everyday Creation. This is

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your host, Kate Jones, with one of 44

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tributes

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to significant figures in the music industry

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who passed away in 2023.

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My guest Sheldon Zoldan,

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a longtime writer and newspaper editor,

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wrote these short biographies

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and recorded them.

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Each one is an intriguing

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glimpse into the life and impact of someone

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who contributed

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to the soundtracks of our lives. Here's what

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Sheldon has to say in this tribute.

Sheldon:
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Shane MacGowan didn't have the luck of the

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Irish

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even though he was Irish through and through.

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Irish history

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and Irish current events

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influenced his

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lyrics and music.

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The frontman and main songwriter for the Irish

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group the Pogues

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died of pneumonia November 25th in Dublin, Ireland.

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He was

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65.

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MacGowan lived a life of addiction.

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He said his drinking started when he was

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5 when his uncle would bring home to

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him two bottles of Guinness every night.

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He added hard drugs as an adult.

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MacGowan loved to read and write as a

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child.

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His New York Times obituary

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quotes MacGowan telling his biographer,

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"I was good at writing, I can write,

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I can spell, I can make it flow

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and when I mixed it up with music,

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it was perfect."

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He co-founded the Pogues in 1982,

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mixing punk rock with traditional

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Irish music.

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He was the face of the band for

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nine years

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until he was kicked out because of his

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drug use and drinking.

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He returned to the Pogues in 2001

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and remained until they disbanded in 2018.

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He was never a picture of good health.

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He was infamous for his bad teeth. He

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had a nine-hour procedure

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to replace all his teeth in 2015.

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That same year he fell and broke his

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pelvis

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and survived pneumonia.

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He used a wheelchair

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the rest of his life.

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MacGowan wrote our Song of the Day, 

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"Fairytale of New York," in 1985.

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It would be another two years

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and several iterations later before the Pogues recorded

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it.

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The song about a couple's conversation

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around Christmas

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has become one of the United Kingdom's

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most popular Christmastime songs.

Kate:
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This is Kate again. Please go to the

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description for more information and to hear the

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song that Sheldon referenced.

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If you enjoyed this tribute, please check out

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the rest of them. Although some of the

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names are not as familiar as others, the

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biographies

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are equally intriguing.

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Thank you for listening to Everyday Creation.

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Please share this episode with anyone who might

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enjoy it.