Irish Kisses

Along with the leprechaun and the unicorn, the Pogues are creatures of Irish myth and legend. Unlike the diminutive, bearded pranksters and the horny, winged horses however, the Irish folk/punk pioneers really do exist.

As anyone familiar with the band's volatile Guinness and whiskey-soaked history will tell you, it's best not to look too far ahead when the subject is the Pogues. The Pogues' recent fall U.S. tour consisted of only 11 dates on the West Coast. The band's management knows better than to keep the group on the road for too long. In the past, marathon tours led to alcohol abuse, which led to infighting, which led to a breakup.

As to the band's current state of health, different storytellers tell different stories. Some reviews of Pogues concerts talk of shows of unparalleled power and elegance, others of performances marred by incoherent drunkenness. Guitarist Philip Chevron is currently on "medical leave" and not performing with the group. The focal point of contradiction is always Shane MacGowan — singer, songwriter, and enigmatic leader of the group — the man who's equally responsible for the Pogues' greatest achievements as well as its occasional downfalls.

MacGowan is considered by many critics to be one of the greatest rock lyricists to ever live, but recent profiles portray him as a blathering old drunk whose talent has long since been sidelined due to drugs and alcohol. As the very least, he is an intriguing figure, a man who at 49-years-old apparently enjoys embodying all the excessive clichés of the drunken Irish romantic/philosopher/poet.

MacGowan's drinking is mentioned in, if not the focus of, nearly every article and review ever written about the Pogues. One wonders if it could all be a ruse — the mischievous MacGowan playing the part, and delighting in how many people fall for it. There's no doubt that alcohol and drugs were a problem for MacGowan in his youth, but recently he's argued that tales of his ongoing inebriation are exaggerated.

"It's a story," MacGowan said in a November 2004 interview for British newspaper The Guardian. "Every time I pick up a drink there's a photographer and it becomes, 'Oh look, Shane's pissed again.'"

Still, he doesn't always fight preconceptions — in the 2006 Johnny Depp film, The Libertine, MacGowan has a bit part playing a drunken minstrel.

Amidst the boozy distractions, it's easy to forget the music — vivid, politically charged lyrics set to a unique blend of punk rock and traditional Irish folk — that established the Pogues in the first place.

By the early '80s, MacGowan and his friend Peter "Spider" Stacy (tin whistle) had been kicking around London's punk scene for a few years, achieving moderate success in various bands. In 1981, they joined with James Fearnley (accordion) to form Pogue Mahone, which is an Anglicization of a Gaelic phrase that translates to "kiss my ass." The trio began playing traditional Irish tunes in London pubs and streets, eventually adding Jeremy "Jem" Finer (banjo, guitar), Andrew David Ranken (drums), and Cait O'Riordan (bass) to round out the band.

The group began performing more and more of MacGowan's original songs, and used traditional instruments like the mandolin, concertina, dulcimer, and bodhran to further distinguish its sound. The unique combination of Irish folk instruments played with punk attitude clicked, and the band soon earned a reputation as an exciting live act.

Shortening their name to the Pogues, the group released an independent single, "Dark Streets of London," in early 1984 and supported the Clash on a summer tour. Later that year, they signed with Stiff Records and released their critically acclaimed debut Red Roses for Me.

Early in 1985, the band added guitarist Philip Chevron and recorded Rum Sodomy and the Lash with producer Elvis Costello. The album was an underground success and helped broaden the Pogues' fan base in the U.S., where they were becoming college radio staples.

By 1988, O'Riordan, who had left the band to marry Costello, was replaced by Darryl Hunt, and banjoist Terry Woods had joined the group. The Pogues signed to Island Records and released the Steve Lillywhite-produced If I Should Fall From Grace With God. The album remains the group's best-selling, and contains their only bona fide hit single, "Fairytale of New York," a melancholy Christmas themed duet featuring the late Kirsty MacColl.

The Pogues recorded two more albums (1989's Peace and Love and 1990's Hell's Ditch), but the drinking and drugging of MacGowan, Stacy, and other band members was taking its toll on the group. Depending on which version you believe, MacGowan was either fired or quit the band in 1991.

The group carried on, with Stacy taking over vocal duties. Two post-MacGowan albums met a lukewarm response, and other members fell away from the group. MacGowan formed another band, the Popes, with which he released three albums. In 1999 singer Sinead O'Connor reported MacGowan to the police for snorting heroin. It was a wake-up call that helped him kick his habit.

The classic eight-man line-up of the Pogues reunited in 2001. While there's been no new music from the group, they've matured enough to stay together for six years, even if just for the occasional tour.

For his part, MacGowan says he still enjoys performing, and despite the rocky road he's traveled, he has no regrets.

"I like the pay. I like performing on stage. I'm a poser," he says. "I took a 10-year break and it is exciting again. I mean, you are as young as you feel. I don't wish I had done anything different."