Some musings from Roddy Doyle"

-Sad about Shane McGowan, isn’t it?
-Did yeh ever see the Pogues?
-No. Yourself?
-Years an’ years ago. In the SFX Centre. D’you remember the SFX Centre?
-I do, yeah. There used to be great gigs there – after the bingo.
-I don’t know if the Pogues were on after the fuckin’ bingo, but anyway – I was goin’ in and this fella in front of me says there was a rumour goin’ round tha’ Shane was goin’ to die onstage tha’ night.
-Wha’!?
-Swear to God. Must be nearly forty years ago. They were half-expectin’ him die.
-Cos of his lifestyle?
-Yeah.
-An’ he only died yesterday.
-Gas, isn’t it?
-Fair fuckin’ play to him.
-There’s hope for us all. Those Pogues songs, but – they get better as we get older, don’t they?
-Better an’ better.
-Rainy Night in Soho.
-Fuckin’ hell, what a song.
-An’ his voice is perfect in it.
-Perfect.
-Look what I got on me way here.
-A packet of fags? You gave them up fuckin’ years ago.
-I’m back on them – just for tonight. For Shane.
-An’ chasers with the pints.
-The Shane McGowan diet.
-Bang on. The man was a fuckin’ genius.