It makes sense, the two o' them crossing paths. There's a definite bind twixt MacGowan and Doherty, as men fond of the waft o' the intoxicating fugg and as men blessed with an almighty way with a pen. Both have gone out of their way to add to the romantic mythology of their homesteads; Pete's unerring search for the Arcadian soul of yonder English spread, Shane's continuous feeding off of and revitalizing of a pre-Celtic Tiger Irish folk tradition.
And, of course, neither are on particularly good terms with sobriety.
Who at all knows, maybe Pete's fairly prolific way with a song or two will inspire Shane in some way to get back to the studio? He hasn't released an album since 1997.
(Interestingly, Pete's girlfriend, Kate Moss, was romantically entangled with Johnny Depp when he was hanging with Shane way back in the early nineties. Depp can be heard slapping power-chords round about throughout "That Woman's Got Me Drinking" from The Snake, and he also directed and starred in the promo for that raucous hell-hounded classic.)
Just shy of the millennium, The Pogues reformed, having realized that a couple nonsensical grudges are no reason at all for to deny the world a chance to hear "Turkish Song Of The Damned" being played by the fellas done etched it in vinyl way back when. It was supposed to be a one-off tour, but they're still on the road, and now even bassist Cait O'Riordan's rejoined, having ran off with Elvis Costello once the latter was done producing Rum, Sodomy And The Lash in 1985..
No new recordings have emerged, although last Christmas The Pogues appeared on various TV Shows for to perform "Fairytale Of New York" with Katie Melua. Still, there are whispers, oh aye, and if a fella could bear to allow himself to think it for a moment, he might find himself with the modest hope that maybe a new Pogues record with Shane MacGowan songs sung by Shane MacGowan might surface sometimes afore the end of the decade.
Dear God, what a man would give to hear such a thing.
"So tell me" says the gypsy with the half-moon eyes, having listened to this evangelical hyperbole for much of the past four hours. "Is the bastard thing better than Red Roses For Me or not?"
I take a sip o' my Red Bull and light another cigarette. "No", says I, "But what is? The next two Pogues albums, but what else? Scarcely a bastard thing. But it's better than you've been led to believe, and it's better than Peace And Love, although that record is still glorious."
Article comments
1 - -E
Congrats! This article has been selected as one of this week’s Editors’ Picks.
2 - Duke De Mondo
thank you!