Review: The Shane McGowan Story on TV

Subject: RE: Review: The Shane McGowan Story on TV
From: GUEST,Chirs B (Born Again Scouser)
Date: 26 Mar 07 - 07:30 AM

Presumably if any of them were any good we'd be more familiar with them, then.

Subject: RE: Review: The Shane McGowan Story on TV
From: Jean(eanjay)
Date: 20 Mar 07 - 11:12 AM

"A Mexican Funeral in Paris."

He has actually written quite a lot of songs in the last 15 years.

Subject: RE: Review: The Shane McGowan Story on TV
From: GUEST,Chris B (Born Again Scouser)
Date: 20 Mar 07 - 10:43 AM

Can anyone actually name a song that Shane McGowan has written in the last 15 years?

Subject: RE: Review: The Shane McGowan Story on TV
From: Dave Hanson
Date: 20 Mar 07 - 06:56 AM

Actully Shane did choose to become a shambling alcoholic, he was told many times what was happening to him but his reply was always the same, " it's my life, my decision "

eric

Subject: RE: Review: The Shane McGowan Story on TV
From: Folk Form # 1
Date: 20 Mar 07 - 06:44 AM

Yes, and very good it was, too. I actually rate McGowan quite highly as a songwriter in the folk tradition, but as a singer, he is awful.

Subject: RE: Review: The Shane McGowan Story on TV
From: GUEST,padgett
Date: 20 Mar 07 - 05:37 AM

Was it here that Ronnie Drew sang the song about the bodies buried in the sand dunes (see thread Folk Hibernia also)

Cheers
Ray

Subject: RE: Review: The Shane McGowan Story on TV
From: GUEST
Date: 19 Mar 07 - 01:07 PM

He is a human train wreck. I'm sure noone chooses to be a chronic alcoholic and for all his detractors can you think of anyone who writes better lyrics in this particular genre.

Subject: RE: Review: The Shane McGowan Story on TV
From: Maryrrf
Date: 19 Mar 07 - 09:09 AM

This thread inspired me to pull up some clips of Shane on You Tube. Although he may have written some good songs, he makes my skin crawl. I'm sorry, but he's like a human train wreck!

Subject: RE: Review: The Shane McGowan Story on TV
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 19 Mar 07 - 08:40 AM

And, curiously, a man from a family with some quite upper middle class ramifications.

Subject: RE: Review: The Shane McGowan Story on TV
From: Leadfingers
Date: 19 Mar 07 - 08:37 AM

A total waste of talent - he HAS written some very good songs , but thats as far as it goes !

Subject: RE: Review: The Shane McGowan Story on TV
From: bubblyrat
Date: 19 Mar 07 - 08:27 AM

If Satan is deliberately trying to engender chaos and anarchy in the folk world, then McGowan is surely his Archangel of Destruction. A drunken ,uncultured,rough,foul-mouthed, tuneless ,raucous, shambolic symbol of all that is wrong with modern musical genres since the appearance of "punk". Shameful !!!

Subject: RE: Review: The Shane McGowan Story on TV
From: Grab
Date: 19 Mar 07 - 06:12 AM

Sorry, I don't think he's a genius. He *was* a decent songwriter but not a genius IMO, and he pissed even that away. And I don't think he was ever worth a damn as a singer - he was just another punk shouting down a mic. Like the Sex Pistols, the only "genius" on display was for self-publicity.

Assuming it's the programme I'm thinking of, I saw this when it was first on. They did the most devastating thing imaginable - showed what he *actually* sounded like singing. They played his latest song (big production values, all the bells and whistles) whilst showing him in the studio, then cut straight to a direct recording of him. The direct recording showed that he was utterly unable to do more than croak in time on a monotone, and the singing in the final production was 100% the work of the studio engineers.

Graham.

Subject: RE: Review: The Shane McGowan Story on TV
From: GUEST,patty o'dawes
Date: 18 Mar 07 - 01:34 PM

There are some who recognise genius while it still lives. Some recognise it when they are gone. And some never recognise it. Each to their own.

I belong firmly in the first camp regarding the marvellous Shane. In 100 years time people will still be singing his songs. God bless him and congratulations on his forthcoming nuptials.

Subject: RE: Review: The Shane McGowan Story on TV
From: Jean(eanjay)
Date: 18 Mar 07 - 01:25 PM

I would like to have seen it but I think it was on BBC4 and we don't get that. I love Shane McGowan so no matter how boring he was I would still have enjoyed it.

Subject: Review: The Shane McGowan Story on TV
From: Folk Form # 1
Date: 18 Mar 07 - 01:23 PM

Anyone in Britain see the Shane McGowan story last night? It was interesting, mainly because there were contributions from Ronnie Drew, Nick Cave, Sinead O'Conner, and a few others. Unfortunately, we had to put up with some rambling drunk who spoke so slowly and carefully (in the way that only someone who is completely drunk can)that I kept falling asleep. Shane McGowan bored me. The best bit was when McGowan was in the pub. He started spontaniously singing and everyone in the pub was going shush to everyone who carried on talking so they could hear him. Why? He just sounded like an old drunk signing. Which, I suppose, is what it was. I'm surprised the Landlord didn't either tell him to stop singing or else get out. Apart from that, it was good.