The Pogues’ Shane MacGowan, who died Thursday at age 65, fancied himself in the tradition of great, doomed Irish poets. He was right on both accounts.
Shane MacGowan seemed like the stuff of legend even at the height of his powers in the 1980s, the decade in which he fronted Irish folk-rock outfit the Pogues. MacGowan, who died Thursday at age 65, styled himself as part of a long lineage of Irish writers and singers, revitalizing traditional sounds and themes for a post-punk world.
Initially, MacGowan played punk, singing with the Nips until they flamed out early in the 1980s. At that point, he discovered his voice within folk music, forming the Pogues with a bunch of similarly minded punk refugees. The Pogues may have sounded traditional, but their spirit was vulgar and vital, a bracing departure from the glitz of new wave and a needed counterpoint to the dreariness of the Thatcher era.
For a few years, MacGowan’s flame burned brightly. The Pogues’ albums “Rum Sodomy & the Lash” and “If I Should Fall From Grace With God” overflowed with inventive, evocative songs that propelled MacGowan into the front ranks of songwriters. Due to persistent battles with alcoholism and other personal demons, MacGowan couldn’t maintain this level of creativity. After the Pogues kicked him out in the 1990s, he released only two albums of original material. But that brief flurry of Pogues songs — bold, profane, colorful and humane — retained their power and revealed their depths over the years.
Here are 10 essential Shane MacGowan songs.
1. The Pogues, “Streams of Whiskey” (1984)
On “Streams of Whiskey,” MacGowan positions himself directly in the Irish literary tradition, recounting a conversation he had with writer Brendan Behan while in the throes of a dream, and finding answers where the wind blows and whiskey flows. It’s a romantic notion that’s upended by the gallop of his bandmates, who play this ramble with urgency.
2. The Pogues, “The Sick Bed of Cuchulainn” (1985)
Teeming with allusions to Irish legends — ancient mythology intertwines with figures who loomed large in the country’s contemporary lore — “The Sick Bed of Cuchulainn” is a dizzying example of MacGowan’s prowess as a writer.
