Is/Was Shane McGowan masquerading as a drunk/druggie?

creeper1

I have a feeling that maybe he is/was putting on a show. I would feel terrible if he died or something soon but don’t alcoholics usually succumb reasonably quickly such as George Best?

Also his song writing has been said to exhibit something akin to high intellectual ability which is something he does not portray.

I don’t really care whether or not he is battling the bottle. Just curious if anyone else has their suspicions.

jharr100

creeper1 wrote: »

I have a feeling that maybe he is/was putting on a show. I would feel terrible if he died or something soon but don’t alcoholics usually succumb reasonably quickly such as George Best?

Also his song writing has been said to exhibit something akin to high intellectual ability which is something he does not portray.

I don’t really care whether or not he is battling the bottle. Just curious if anyone else has their suspicions.

It's all an act .. same as Keith Richards

con747

Yes, you hit the nail on the head with this thread.

There's an awful amount of people around him enabling him and taking advantage..

tdf7187

No, it's not an act.

Hangdogroad

This belongs in the conspiracy theory thread. Gemma couldn't come up with a better one.

Realt Dearg Sec

creeper1 wrote: »

Also his song writing has been said to exhibit something akin to high intellectual ability which is something he does not portray.

Brendan behan, flann o brien, and Patrick kavanagh all wrote some of the greatest literature in Irish history, and were all falling down, incoherent mumbling drunks that couldn't darken the door of most pubs in Dublin. Being a brilliant writer and being a walking catastrophe are not mutually exclusive. Mcgowan lived that life, it's real. Met him one time in a teppanyaki restaurant in rathmines and he was downing shots like they were water. He was also incredibly charismatic and charming. He's one of the great songwriters of his generation, and an absolute hedonist, with all that comes with it.

ceadaoin.

I dont think its an act. Hes not exactly the picture of health but not everyone dies quickly from drinking. Seems to be a genetic lottery. Some people can drink and/or smoke daily for most of their lives and live to a ripe old age.

Peregrinus

creeper1 wrote: »

I have a feeling that maybe he is/was putting on a show. I would feel terrible if he died or something soon but don’t alcoholics usually succumb reasonably quickly such as George Best?

This would presumably be a different George Best from the well-known footballer, who died at the age of 59 after nearly three decades of publicly-acknowledged alcoholism?

suicide_circus

I was in his company for a couple of shandys in a private club maybe 10 or 12 years ago. It's no act.

dashcamdanny

NOt an act the night I met him before a gig in the Olympia years ago. He was full as a lord back stage.

JasonStatham

creeper1 wrote: »

I have a feeling that maybe he is/was putting on a show. I would feel terrible if he died or something soon but don’t alcoholics usually succumb reasonably quickly such as George Best?

Also his song writing has been said to exhibit something akin to high intellectual ability which is something he does not portray.

I don’t really care whether or not he is battling the bottle. Just curious if anyone else has their suspicions.

Do you know if he's insures his remaining teeth?

Smee_Again

suicide_circus wrote: »

I was in his company for a couple of shandys in a private club maybe 10 or 12 years ago. It's no act.

I stocked his room before a performance years ago and cleaned up afterwards, he went through an unbelievable amount of booze.

Howard Beale

People are insanely jealous of Shane. Multi millionaire, wrote amazing songs and has brought joy to millions. Helps he doesn't seem to give a shyte

If he wants to drink and drug himself up now he's entitled to.

Only God knows how he can get away with it!

Realt Dearg Sec

Realt Dearg Sec wrote: »

Brendan behan, flann o brien, and Patrick kavanagh all wrote some of the greatest literature in Irish history, and were all falling down, incoherent mumbling drunks that couldn't darken the door of most pubs in Dublin. Being a brilliant writer and being a walking catastrophe are not mutually exclusive. Mcgowan lived that life, it's real.

I'm sure he did live that life but it's also probably the reason he hasn't released an album in 20 years, and hasn't released a truly good one since the Snake in the early 90's.

Guy:Incognito

creeper1 wrote: »

I have a feeling that maybe he is/was putting on a show. I would feel terrible if he died or something soon but don’t alcoholics usually succumb reasonably quickly such as George Best?

McGowan is 62. George Best died at 59. It's not like he was 35 or something

Richard Hillman

There is a chronic alcoholic that hangs around where I live. The chap has been drunk for at least 25 years and a member of the travelling community, who notoriously have a low life expectancy. Nobody has a clue about how he is still alive. The human body can be a miracle at times.

Invidious

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think Shane McGowan has written anything of note in the last 30 years.

Timberrrrrrrr

He used to be a regular in Eamon Dorans back in the day, used to find a quiet corner for himself downstairs and start drinking, many a time he would still be there at 5 or 6 in the morning still going strong.

piplip87

My old neighbor, a new age traveller hippy type used to brag about McGowan been a friend of hers, until he played the local Halloween festival here and called round to see her after the gig. I only spent about a half hour in his company.

I can confirm it is not an act.

gmisk

Invidious wrote: »

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think Shane McGowan has written anything of note in the last 30 years.

Of note or of quality?
..neither have the rolling stones or fleetwood mac ...what's your point?

Banana Republic 1

I met him once in the residence bar in jury’s ballsbridge. He spat on his hand before shaking mine I was 18, long before covid

Rhys Essien

creeper1 wrote: »

Also his song writing has been said to exhibit something akin to high intellectual ability which is something he does not portray.

You do realise he won a scholarship to Westminster school.

HBC08

I dont think its an act but....
I went to see Shane and the Popes at a hotel in the middle of nowhere in Mayo in 94,I was 15/16.
The hotel had a fire a couple of weeks before the gig was due to happen and was badly fired damaged,amazingly the show still happened.
They set up planks on empty beer crates as a bar,it was as gloriously mental as you might expect. The crowd were fairly wild and the whole burnt out hotel thing was adding to the rowdiness and giddiness.
Just before he was due on stage I went to go to the jacks and got a bit lost, ended up in a corridor and right there in front of me was Shane and some sort of security lad.Shane was going mad and giving out to him about how lax the set up was and that anybody could jump up on the stage etc.
I shuffled off back the way I came after eventually locating the jacks.About 3 mins after that he appears on stage slurring his words and hardly able to stand up.
I think we know it's not an act but maybe he plays up to it a bit.
It was a mad auld night though and great craic!

dd973

He's hardly been prolific since the last Pogues albums, the last couple of which were inferior to the mid 80's ones, then there's the cut of him, 62 going on 90.

Thelonious Monk

Howard Beale wrote: »

People are insanely jealous of Shane. Multi millionaire, wrote amazing songs and has brought joy to millions. Helps he doesn't seem to give a shyte

If he wants to drink and drug himself up now he's entitled to.

Only God knows how he can get away with it!

I don't know anyone who would be in the least bit jealous of him. Being constantly hungover and looking like you're about the die for the past 50 years or so, nein danke.

Frankie Machine

Thelonious Monk wrote: »

I don't know anyone who would be in the least bit jealous of him. Being constantly hungover and looking like you're about the die for the past 50 years or so, nein danke.

I think very many people are 'jealous' of him for the ultimate reasons - he's never worked a day in his life, and can afford to not give a f what anyone thinks of him, or his appearance.

More power to him.

Conversations 3

Yes, he has a lot of problems

Stone Deaf 4evr

In the words of the man himself,
'bleeaargggejswadsshgggadnbfjlkdsgfdskjhdlklghashhdwoihhshf;lk'

Frankie Machine

Stone Deaf 4evr wrote: »

In the words of the man himself,
'bleeaargggejswadsshgggadnbfjlkdsgfdskjhdlklghashhdwoihhshf;lk'

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EzJ5rtJhzTg

Dyr

creeper1 wrote: »

I have a feeling that maybe he is/was putting on a show. I would feel terrible if he died or something soon but don’t alcoholics usually succumb reasonably quickly such as George Best?

Also his song writing has been said to exhibit something akin to high intellectual ability which is something he does not portray.

I don’t really care whether or not he is battling the bottle. Just curious if anyone else has their suspicions.

He used to be cute enough to gam on a bit onstage while remembering every word, but its not an act, know a few people who'd know him well enough and he was a total dipso. Wound up on a night out a few times with one of McGowans old drinking buddies and he drank us all under the table