Shane MacGowan: dun drinkin'
PA
It appears that a life of drugs and booze may not be a long one. The Pogues' frontman, Shane MacGowan, has died at the age of 65.
As a proud Irishman, he tried to keep his birth in England, as the son of Irish immigrants, quiet. And, as an Englishman myself, I can't say I blame him really.
RIP you old sot. And here's to you singing Fairytale of New York with Kirsty again, the way it should be!
A legend built on lies
The Pogues' seminal Christmas song includes the lines:
The boys of the NYPD choir Were singing Galway Bay
But both the song and its accompanying video lied to us. Firstly, the NYPD doesn't have a choir; instead, the role was played by the NYPD's Pipes and Drums band. Secondly, they didn't know the words to Galway Bay, substituting it with the theme song to The Mickey Mouse Club.
Still, manly me has got over the deceit.
Hep 'n' happenin' twentysomethings would consider 65 to be ancient. But hep 'n' happenin' twentysomethings are hardly likely to be reading any blog, let alone this one.