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

James Brown

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.

I know for a fact he drinks a huge amount. He'll have two or three drinks, (schnapps etc.) each round.
Can't say if he can turn it off or not, but he defo drinks a lot.

Boggles

Is current affairs the new dumping ground for what every batshít nonsense pops into someones mind?

Realt Dearg Sec

Change The Tune wrote: »

Guy's a fking joke. 'But muh romantic drunken poet!!!!' No he's just a sad old piss head. Deal with it.

He'll never achieve what you have.

Rothko

It's an act but he's a method actor.

Invidious

gmisk wrote: »

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

The Stones' Blue and Lonesome (2016) got great reviews. And they're significantly older than MacGowan, who was four years old when the Rolling Stones formed.

My point is that MacGowan was a spent creative force by his early 30s, largely because of the effect that alcohol has had on his life. Those who romanticize his alcoholism, saying that it goes hand-in-hand with his creativity, ignore the fact that he hasn't created much worth talking about in decades.

Realt Dearg Sec

Invidious wrote: »

The Rolling Stones' Blue and Lonesome (2016) got great reviews. And they're significantly older than MacGowan, who was four years old when the Rolling Stones formed.

My point is that MacGowan was a spent creative force by his early 30s, largely because of the effect that alcohol has had on his life. Those who romanticize his alcoholism, saying that it goes hand-in-hand with his creativity, ignore the fact that he hasn't created much worth talking about in decades.

But he wouldn't have created the things he has created without alcohol either.

marieholmfan

Rhys Essien wrote: »

You do realise he won a scholarship to Westminster school.

Did he? I thought his father (a successful dentist) paid the fees.

Invidious

Realt Dearg Sec wrote: »

But he wouldn't have created the things he has created without alcohol either.

How do you know that?

Realt Dearg Sec

Invidious wrote: »

How do you know that?

Because they're overwhelmingly about drinking culture. No teetotaller could ever write streams of whiskey.

Realt Dearg Sec

Invidious wrote: »

How do you know that?

I mean you could ask the same question amor your assertion that alcohol is the reason his output declined later. How do you know that's the reason? What evidence is there that he would be banging out the tunes if he stuck to ginger ale?

Boggles

marieholmfan wrote: »

Did he? I thought his father (a successful dentist) paid the fees.

Hardly? :pac:

Obvious Desperate Breakfasts

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.

Not all. There’s one alcoholic in my family. Only one but he’s a rager. He’s in his 70s. His health has been affected in only really the last five years.

tipptom

piplip87 wrote: »

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.

Ah jaysys,thought you were going to have a great story of said hippy been marched up to McGowan and he say something incoherent like" Fuk off hippy,never seen you before in my life"!!!

Still confused on if it was idle bragging or not.

Effects

JasonStatham wrote: »

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

He got a whole new set a few years ago. Even has one of them in Gold.

Invidious

Realt Dearg Sec wrote: »

I mean you could ask the same question amor your assertion that alcohol is the reason his output declined later. How do you know that's the reason? What evidence is there that he would be banging out the tunes if he stuck to ginger ale?

Relatively few successful songwriters produce little of note after their early 30s. Bob Dylan just released an acclaimed album of new original material at age 79.

It's self-evident that MacGowan's destructive drinking has seriously affected his career. The man for years has struggled to string two coherent sentences together let alone write songs.

Effects

Invidious wrote: »

It's self-evident that MacGowan's self-destructive drinking has seriously affected his career. The man for years has struggled to string two coherent sentences together let alone write songs.

It doesn't really seem to bother him much though.

Amazingfun

This thread is hilarious, and yet tragic too---two elements that often accompany alcoholism in lived experience.

Like a few here I also had the good fortune of a fun night of drinking with him (after a Pogues gig), lol, many many moons ago now---and its no act. Was no act for me either as I am sober a long time now

I think he still looks quite ill in most of the vids/photos I've seen of him, and probably (as anyone who has lived with/dated/loved an alcoholic will know too well) what you experience in public is a far cry from what it's like to be close with anyone who suffers from it. He's also not unique in having a partner who seems to have undying loyalty to him, and is likely another factor in why he's been able to keep going. The AA text even includes a line referring to this, it's that common:

How my wife kept her faith and courage during all those years, I'll never know, but she did. If she had not, I know I would have been dead a long time ago. For some reason, we alcoholics seem to have the gift of picking out the world's finest women. Why they should be subjected to the tortures we inflicted upon them, I cannot explain.

-https://anonpress.org/manu/drbob.htm

Joe_ Public

Invidious wrote: »

Relatively few successful songwriters produce little of note after their early 30s. Bob Dylan just released an acclaimed album of new original material at age 79.

It's self-evident that MacGowan's destructive drinking has seriously affected his career. The man for years has struggled to string two coherent sentences together let alone write songs.

Little of note after their early 30s? Can't go along with that tbh. Off top of head, Ry Cooder and Leonard Cohen did or have done some of their best work late on. I like Neil Diamonds late work too and while of variable quality, i think the likes of Van Morrison, Tom Waits and Neil Young are still well able to produce it. Why shouldn't age and wisdom bring even more material to an ageing artist? Love Dylan's latest too, very playful and deep, echoing Cohen's last works. As for shane, have no idea, obviously has his own reasons and entirely up to him.

Rhys Essien

marieholmfan wrote: »

Did he? I thought his father (a successful dentist) paid the fees.

This is on his Wikipedia page :


MacGowan earned a literature scholarship and was accepted into Westminster School.[3] He was found in possession of drugs and was expelled in his second year.[4]

Invidious

Joe_ Public wrote: »

Little of note after their early 30s? Can't go along with that tbh. Off top of head, Ry Cooder and Leonard Cohen did or have done some of their best work late on. I like Neil Diamonds late work too and while of variable quality, i think the likes of Van Morrison, Tom Waits and Neil Young are still well able to produce it. Why shouldn't age and wisdom bring even more material to an ageing artist? Love Dylan's latest too, very playful and deep, echoing Cohen's last works. As for shane, have no idea, obviously has his own reasons and entirely up to him.

You're picking me up wrongly, I think. Many writers, poets, and songwriters have had lengthy and distinguished careers. You name a few examples above, and there are many others.

Shane MacGowan was a creative force in his twenties, but drink and drugs got the better of both his songwriting talents and his ability to perform. These days, I'd say he'd struggle to write a shopping list, let alone quality song lyrics.

Beechwoodspark

Years ago he played a provincial night club. He was in a wheel chair at the time.

I was in said night club.

Loads of ppl bought him drinks after the gig. Mainly whiskey and Coke but some vodka and gin etc too.

So he drank during the gig and presumably had a few earlier in the day.

I saw him lash into maybe 8 of the shorts then he offered them around to ppl nearby.

He was well drunk but he seemed with it. It’s no act, he drank an awful lot and did so for years.

Beechwoodspark

Invidious wrote: »

The Stones' Blue and Lonesome (2016) got great reviews. And they're significantly older than MacGowan, who was four years old when the Rolling Stones formed.

My point is that MacGowan was a spent creative force by his early 30s, largely because of the effect that alcohol has had on his life. Those who romanticize his alcoholism, saying that it goes hand-in-hand with his creativity, ignore the fact that he hasn't created much worth talking about in decades.

Blue and lonesome is fantastic

It’s mainly covers so the material is good and the playing and singing excellent

Beechwoodspark

Has Sligo joe contributed?

He knows Shane well going from his posts - he will give a good steer on it

Beasty

This is not a "Current Affairs" topic