Celebrity Jukebox #115: Shane MacGowan

When Shane MacGowan stayed at Bono's house, he did what only Shane MacGowan could do...

“Bono put in a glass roof and wall,” MacGowan explained in an interview with The Times. “I used to wave my willy at the train as it passed and hope that they thought it was Bono’s.”

Sad to say I must be on my way
So buy me beer and whiskey 'cause I'm going far away
I'd like to think of me returning when I can
To the greatest little boozer and to Sally MacLennane

I've been giving the Celebrity Jukebox a rest over the past couple of weeks. It's been nice to have a stretch without any big name deaths. But I've been worrying about Shane MacGowan a lot lately, hoping his time wasn't nigh. The pictures from his hospital bed didn't look great, and... I dunno... could we really stand to lose both Sinéad and Shane in the same year?

Another post then, written with a very heavy heart...

Let's start with a Canadian Irish band who owe their entire act to Shane...

Well, the next thing you know I was lying on the ground

I drank some more whiskey, you know I was feeling sound

I dreamt I met MacGowan and he bought me another round

And the two of us went drinkin' 'til the morning

The Mahones - Across The USA

And they're not the only ones in debt...

Last night as I slept

I dreamt I met Macgowan

That poetic old drunk

Who consumes me with his words

The romantic lines of verse

He writes down without effort

I pray the angels catch him

If he should fall from the grace of God

The Insyderz - The Snake

Meanwhile, back in Canada, a song about the new set of teeth Shane had fitted in 2015...

Matt Patershuk - Shane MacGowan 

Next, a tribute from German band Hasenscheisse which mentions Shane in the same breath as Elvis, Kurt Cobain, Jimmy Hendrix and Janis Joplin...

Ohne Feuerwasser kein Rock'n'Roll

Harald Juhnke ist mein Held 

Und Shane MacGowan ist mein Idol

...which translates thus...

There's no rock'n'roll without firewater

Harald Juhnke is my hero 

And Shane MacGowan is my idol

Hasenscheisse - Feuerwasser

And now a word from Sweden...

Hästpojken - Shane MacGowan

From Sweden to Devon, where the Black Anchors are searching in vain...

Another rainy night in Soho

Looking for Shane MacGowan

A barmaid with spider tatoos

Said he's not been around

And I'm coming down

The Black Anchors - Heavenly Lane

And a band featuring the bassist from The Libertines. Pete Doherty had nothing on Shane...

Yeti - Shane MacGowan

Finally, a bunch of grubby urchins who go by the name of The Dipsomaniacs. I'm sure Shane would approve.

The Dipsomaniacs - Shane MacGowan

It was Ben who alerted me to the new of Shane's death, and he was pretty certain the mainstream media coverage would hinge around that Christmas song he did with Kirsty. A fine tune (if over-played), but there's so much more to Shane's legacy. There were more great duets to start with. Such as this...

And this, which I no doubt posted back in July when Sinéad passed because it's a high point in both their careers...

Final word to Shane himself. I hope they follow his wishes to the letter...

Bury me at sea

Where no murdered ghost can haunt me

If I rock upon the waves

And no corpse can lie upon me

Let me go, boys, let me go, boys

Let me go down in the mud, where the rivers all run dry

Celebrity Jukebox #100: Sinéad O'Connor

To mark the hundredth edition of Celebrity Jukebox, I'd prepared a special tribute to Glen Campbell, the man responsible for my all-time favourite song. I figured I'd run that ahead of Tony Bennett and whoever else might leave us in the meantime...

And then we lost Sinéad O'Connor.

The thing about Sinéad is, at just 56 years of age, she was an artist from my generation. She was only 21 when she released her debut album in 1987, as I turned 15. Then, just three years later, the Number One hit that would cement her global fame was still in the charts on the day of my 18th birthday. So through all the tragedy and controversy that would follow, I always felt like she was one of our gang, and I felt closer to her because of that. I didn't follow her career religiously, but there were touchpoints over the years, and her last album, I'm Not Bossy, I'm the Boss... well, I really hoped that would be the beginning of a renaissance. Sadly, it was not to be. Hard to believe it's 9 years since I first heard this...

I didn't know what to expect from the Celebrity Jukebox, but I should have known Sinéad's influence ran far and wide, starting in her home country...

My Ireland needs to go back to the source
The initial trickle, a spring and tickle out its flow
My Ireland needs to let go
My Ireland saw Sinéad ripping up the Pope
And isn't able to cope

Stephen James Smith - My Ireland

...over into Europe...

Afeitada como la Sinéad O'Connor 
La vi dejar el pub envuelta en humo de moto. 

(which translates as...)

Shaved like Sinéad O'Connor
I saw her leave the pub enveloped in motorbike smoke.

Ana Belén - Nadie Sabe

...and across the Atlantic...

Mary was a good ol' gal
She didn't deserve this shit
She wrote her lines out one at a time
And she didn't complain one bit

She saw Sinéad cover Loretta on Saturday Night Live
Like every good virgin does
But she spent most her time just sittin' round wondering
Where in the hell Jesus was

Elizabeth Cook - Mary, The Submissing Years

Lovely John Prine tribute there. And as to Sinéad covering Loretta...

Sinéad sang that song on Saturday Night Live in 1992. Later in the show, she tore up a picture of the Pope in protest at the cover-up of child sex abuse in the Catholic Church. This action alone guaranteed her immortality in all manner of songs, including plenty of rebellious rap tunes...

I plead guilty, your honor
Cause I dissed the Pope more times than Sinéad O'Connor

Ice Cube - My Skin Is My Sin

...and, of course, in this...

I rip shit like Sinéad O'Connor
I wear my vag as a badge of honour

Pussy Riot - Straight Outta Vagina

But even without the controversy, it's clear that Sinéad O'Connor deserved her place in the pantheon of rock goddesses...  

Tori Amos, Liz Phair
Sinéad  O'Connor, Suzanne Vega
Jill Sobule, Melissa Etheridge
Tracy Chapman, Ani Difranco
Michelle Shocked, everyone of them has
Something kind of special that I like

There's an awful lot of women
In whose honor I would like to raise my glass to in a toast
Some of them are still alive
And some I hear their voices like a ghost

Dan Bern - Chick Singers

...and among the legends of Irish music...

I went backstage, I couldn't even think
Christy Moore, Sinéad O'Connor, somebody give me a drink

The Mahones - Queen & Tequila

Still, the best tribute I could find was this one...

Read a book by Sinead O'Connor
Stained the pages and stared out at the water
I took a note when she said that songs are ghosts
I guess if anybody knows she knows

Melanie MacLaren - Summer In Sweden

...a song which leads us nicely to my all time favourite Sinéad O'Connor performance. "She had the voice of an angel," is such a cliché... but when you hear this, it's pretty hard to dispute. Especially when she's duetting with an old devil like Shane...

Rest in peace, Sinéad. I choose to believe you're with the angels now.