Shane MacGowan Has Shuffled Off This Mortal Coil..
 

That clever song writer and handsome devil crammed a lot of life into his 65 years. Make some time to listen to The Pogues today.

One of a kind, surely.

Here's Shane and the late great Kristy MacColl with a performance of a classic Cole Porter song as part of the "Red Hot And..." charity campaign:

[url]https://vimeo.com/11432395[/url]

Comprehensive British coverage:

[url]https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12809585/tragic-story-fairytale-new-york-shane-macgowan-kirsty-maccoll.html[/url]

Sigh.

I saw the Pogues at the 9:30 in DC maybe 15 years ago. My bar tab was around $400. I have no idea how I made it home.

But I'd like to tell you a little story:

I was raised Catholic, up until about the age of 10 when my mother decided the hellfire and brimstone wasn't how she wanted us raised.

So we were given a choice: Go to Mass or read O. Henry's "Gift of the Magi". It was a wise decision by a lady, a professor, and a doctor, and my hero.

When I got a good deal older I started substuting in my mind "Fairytale of New York". There was something about it that invoked the gritty O. Henry, and yet the gentleness of life. It's a truly amazing song.

Thanks for listening. You have my permission to open a bottle of whiskey.

Had a pretty strong drink and put "The Body of an American" on the record player last night. That guy was something else, can't believe he made it to his 60s