Biography
Industry observers, above all certain predatory journalists, held scant hope that Shane MacGowan (b. 25 December 1957, Kent, England, though raised in County Tipperary, Eire) would outlive, let alone record after, his exit from the Pogues in September 1991. He surfaced again the next December, sharing vocals with Nick Cave on a festive reading of Louis Armstrong’s ‘What A Wonderful World’. After the advance single ‘That Woman’s Got Me Drinking’ (‘she must have been employed by the brewing industry’, as one wag in the press noted), MacGowan introduced his fresh ensemble, the Popes, together with the first solo album, The Snake, in October 1994. The Popes comprised Paul ‘Mad Dog’ McGuinness (guitar), Berni France (bass), Tom ‘McAnimal’ McManamon (banjo) and Danny Heatley (drums). Predictably, given MacGowan’s history of partnerships, an assortment of guest players appeared, among them members of the Dubliners, Jem Finer and Spider Stacy of the Pogues, and the actor Johnny Depp, who both helmed and appeared in the clip for ‘That Woman’s Got Me Drinking’ while adding rudimentary guitar to the recording. The Snake was jointly produced with Dave Jordan across London and Ireland and displayed MacGowan’s customary breadth of styles, from the rowdy cowpunk of ‘A Mexican Funeral In Paris’, which would have suited any Pogues release, to quieter traditional pieces such as ‘Donegal Express’. The album returned the following year augmented by further cuts, among them the Sinéad O’Connor duet ‘Haunted’, which entered the UK Top 30. The same chart achievement arrived the year after with his lone rendition of the perennial ‘My Way’, aided by its placement in a Nike commercial.
Bob Dowling later took France’s place in the Popes. MacGowan, for his part, again defied commentators who had already declared his demise via 1997’s The Crock Of Gold, with the song ‘St. John Of Gods’ offering particular proof that his compositional gifts remained intact. MacGowan has since parted ways with ZTT Records, leaving one of the UK’s most accomplished recent songwriters without a deal. In December 2001 he resumed performing with the Pogues on a string of concerts and maintained regular work with the group in subsequent years.
Bob Dowling later took France’s place in the Popes. MacGowan, for his part, again defied commentators who had already declared his demise via 1997’s The Crock Of Gold, with the song ‘St. John Of Gods’ offering particular proof that his compositional gifts remained intact. MacGowan has since parted ways with ZTT Records, leaving one of the UK’s most accomplished recent songwriters without a deal. In December 2001 he resumed performing with the Pogues on a string of concerts and maintained regular work with the group in subsequent years.
Albums