Pogues on YouTube

The Winter Solstice season would not be complete without Shane MacGowan singing my favorite song of the season, Fairy Tale of New York. Recently I watched the 2001 documentary of the decline of Shane MacGowan's teeth

“If I Should Fall from Grace - The Shane MacGowan Story” (Sarah Share)

which is worth watching if you have a fondness for the Pogues. Guest appearances by Johnny Depp, Elvis Costello, Sinéad O'Connor, Nick Cave (brushing over MacGowan's heroin addiction), Matt Dillon, some footage of Shane MacGowan pogo dancing at a Sex Pistols show (teeth intact), Shane MacGowan's parents and family (he still lives with them in rural Ireland sometimes), etc. The man is quite talented as a writer and songwriter, but perhaps has a wee substance abuse problem. Ahem.

Perhaps not fair to mention MacGowan's teeth, but in all the musical footage, his mouth is prominent, sings with his head slightly back, exposing his mouth. The camera also seems to linger on the center of his mouth, one cannot help but marvel at such an impressively punk-rock maw. Also, MacGowan's laugh is beyond parody: sort of a guttural hacking sound.

“The British press have been giving me six months to live for the past twenty years - they must be getting pissed off interviewing me by now.” “I'm just following the Irish tradition of songwriting, the Irish way of life, the human way of life. Cram as much pleasure into life, and rail against the pain you have to suffer as a result. Or scream and rant with the pain, and wait for it to be taken away with beautiful pleasure.” “The most important thing to remember about drunks is that drunks are far more intelligent than non-drunks. They spend a lot of time talking in pubs, unlike workaholics who concentrate on their careers and ambitions, who never develop their higher spiritual values, who never explore the insides of their head like a drunk does.”

(from) Anyway, to celebrate the season, here's a few YouTube moments.

The Pogues with Kirsty MacColl / Fairytale of New York