Shane MacGowan

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Shane MacGowan

Background information
Birth name Shane Patrick MacGowan
Born December 25, 1957 (1957-12-25) (age 49)
Origin Tunbridge Wells, Kent, UK
Genre(s) Folk, Rock, Punk, Celtic
Occupation(s) Singer-songwriter, Musician
Instrument(s) Vocals, Guitar, Banjo, Bodhran
Years active 1977–Present
Associated
acts		 The Pogues, The Nipple Erectors
Website ShaneMacGowan.com

Shane Patrick MacGowan (born December 25, 1957) is best known as the original singer and songwriter of The Pogues, and is considered one of the most important and poetic Irish songwriters of the last thirty years,[citation needed] often echoing his influences such as Irish playwright Brendan Behan and songwriter Dominic Behan in his writing style.[citation needed]

Contents

MacGowan was born in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, UK to Irish parents. His parents lived in many parts of the south-east of England, including Brighton and London, but MacGowan spent the first six years of his life at his mother's family home in Carney, near Nenagh, County Tipperary. Despite his early years in Ireland, to this day he still retains a North London accent. Whilst in Ireland, he became completely immersed in the traditional music of Irish culture. His mother was a singer and traditional dancer and had worked as a model in Dublin. His father was very interested in literature and writing. In 1971, Shane earned a musical scholarship and was accepted into Westminster School, a renowned English public (that is, fee-paying) school close to the Houses of Parliament. Shane was found in possession of drugs and was expelled in his second year[1]. MacGowan got his first taste of fame when, in 1976 at a Clash concert, his earlobe was bitten by a girl he had previously been kissing. A photographer snapped a picture of him covered in blood and it made the papers[2], with the headline "Cannibalism At Clash Gig". Shortly after this, he formed his own punk rock band, The Nipple Erectors, later renamed to the "The Nips". He also tried busking at Covent Garden but found little success. He also wrote the well-known Christmas song, Fairytale of New York with Kirsty MacColl accompanying MacGowan.

MacGowan drew on his Irish heritage when founding The Pogues. Many of his songs are influenced by Irish nationalism, Irish history, the experiences of the Irish in London and the U.S. and London life in general. MacGowan has often cited the 19th century Irish poet James Clarence Mangan, as well as playwright Brendan Behan, as influences.

After leaving The Pogues, in the 1990s he formed a new band, Shane MacGowan and The Popes.

In 1997, MacGowan appeared on Lou Reed's "Perfect Day", covered by numerous artists in aid of Children in Need. The single entered the charts at number one.

The Pogues and MacGowan re-formed for a sell-out tour in 2001 and re-formed again in 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007 for further tours, including headline slots at Guilfest (UK) and the Azkena Rock Festival (Basque Country). In 2005, the Pogues re-released "Fairytale of New York" to raise funds for the Justice For Kirsty Campaign and Crisis At Christmas. The single was the best selling festive themed single of 2005, reaching #2 in the UK Singles Charts.

In 2006, he was voted 50th in the NME Rock Heroes List. He has been seen many times with former Libertines and current Babyshambles singer Pete Doherty. Many have drawn strong comparisons between the two and they are close friends; MacGowan has joined Babyshambles on stage.

Other famous friends of Shane include Johnny Depp, and Joe Strummer, who referred to MacGowan as "one of the best writers of the century," and occasionally joined MacGowan and the Pogues on stage.

His sister is Siobhan MacGowan, a journalist, writer and songwriter, who released her own critically acclaimed album, 'Chariot', in 1998. She has written her first novel, 'Etain's Dream,' a children's novel.

In early March 2007 it was confirmed MacGowan was set to marry his long time girlfriend Victoria Mary Clarke.

In 2000, Tim Bradford wrote a humorous book about the Irish in Britain titled, Is Shane MacGowan Still Alive?.

  1. ^ Rogan, Johny. "Rebel yell", The Irish Post, 1998-09-26. Retrieved on 2007-02-13. 
  2. ^ Fortnum, Ian. "It's a long way from Tipperary", VOX, 1997-01. Retrieved on 2007-02-13. 
  3. ^ "imdb", 2002-12-09. 

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:
Persondata
NAME MacGowan, Shane Patrick Lysaght
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Shane MacGowan
SHORT DESCRIPTION Irish singer; lead singer of The Pogues
DATE OF BIRTH 1957-12-25
PLACE OF BIRTH Tunbridge Wells, Kent, United Kingdom
DATE OF DEATH
PLACE OF DEATH
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shane_MacGowan"
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