http://lineout.thestranger.com/2006/09/a_man_you_dont_meet I'm just following the Irish tradition of songwriting, the Irish way of life, the human way of life. Cram as much pleasure into life, and rail against the pain you have to suffer as a result. Or scream and... Copyright 2008 Tue, 26 Sep 2006 17:53:48 -0800 Wed, 27 Sep 2006 11:58:36 -0800 http://www.movabletype.org/?v=3.34 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Also, musicianship. Unlike those bands you mention whose records are already gathering dust in my collection, the Pogues could really play the shit out of their instruments. Plus, the marriage of punk-rock fervor to traditional styles and instruments is a natural. Once you've heard folk music played with this kind of reckless passion and accompanied by biting, well-written lyrics (which aren't just expressing weird nostalgia for the olden days of mine disasters and public hangings,) it's hard to imagine how that sensitive Judy Collins stuff managed to become synonymous with "folk" in most people's minds.

]]> flamingbanjo http://lineout.thestranger.com/2006/09/a_man_you_dont_meet#c470033 http://lineout.thestranger.com/2006/09/a_man_you_dont_meet#c470033 Wed, 27 Sep 2006 10:50:58 -0800 this is great news, thank the stars for rhino. even when a shambling mess, macgowan's (dare i say) poetic beauty is rarely matched. chris mccann, you nailed it.

i saw the pogues perform on st. patrick's day in london, at the brixton academy, in the late '80's. it was, as you would expect, a raucous affair, made all the better by having an irish boyfriend at my side and a good three inches of beer on the venue's floor.

years later, macgowan and the popes performed at the showbox. shane was an absolute mess but the songs were still strong and the music uplifting.

afterward, while backstage with my friend spencer moody (the murder city devils had opened the show), i was introduced to macgowan. he mumbled incoherently and looked like a dazed, drunk deer in the headlights.

i thanked him for the show, and added that the last time i had seen him perform was at the aforementioned show in brixton. almost like a switch had been flipped, he snapped to attention and smiled sweetly (as sweetly as a man with about three teeth can muster).

"that was a long time ago now, a long time," he said. wistfully, he added, "you haven't aged much and here i am, all these years later. life is a funny old thing, innit?"

the look on his face was one i can still recall; suddenly, macgowan was absolutely lucid. i could almost see the reel of past adventures he was clearly recalling playing in the far away look in his bleary eyes.

chris mccann, thank you for reminding of one of my favorite moments and of one of my favorite bands. i hope the re-issues will allow a whole new generation of folks to see the hard scrabble beauty of this magnificent band.

]]> kerri harrop http://lineout.thestranger.com/2006/09/a_man_you_dont_meet#c470035 http://lineout.thestranger.com/2006/09/a_man_you_dont_meet#c470035 Wed, 27 Sep 2006 10:51:30 -0800 See this movie! See this movie!!
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0362751/

]]> KELLY O http://lineout.thestranger.com/2006/09/a_man_you_dont_meet#c470086 http://lineout.thestranger.com/2006/09/a_man_you_dont_meet#c470086 Wed, 27 Sep 2006 11:58:36 -0800