Best known as the cofounder of the Irish band The Pogues, Shane MacGowan
has become a cult figure on the alternative-music scene. His achingly
beautiful lyrics, as well as his legendary lifestyle of excess, have
earned him an avid following that packs his shows and buys his albums.
One of the most unusual memoirs to come along in quite a while, A Drink
with Shane MacGowan is structured as a series of interviews between
MacGowan and his wife, Clarke. The singer recounts his experiences
growing up on a farm in Ireland, where his family began giving him two
pints of Guinness a night at the tender age of five and his father took
him to hang out with bookies and drunks at the local pub. He tells of
moving to London and becoming part of the London club scene in the
mid-1970s, just as punk was beginning to emerge, offering a firsthand
portrait of a seminal time and place in music history. MacGowan also
provides his own, strongly opinionated views on The Pogues' success and
the reasons for his abrupt departure from the band. As he invites us
into this fascinating world, MacGowan tells many hilarious stories and
riffs on a wide range of subjects, from Irish history and politics to
literature, film, religion, his own substance abuse, and much more.
Sometimes maddening, sometimes charming, often brilliant, and always
honest, A Drink with Shane MacGowan is an enjoyable romp with a truly
unique personality. PRAISE FOR SHANE MACGOWAN: "MacGowan can be a
dazzling songwriter, channeling his unruliness into rambunctious tales
of drinking, sporting, drinking, fighting, and drinking."--Los Angeles
Times
