Shane MacGowan

Shane MacGowan is an Irish musician. He was singer and one-time leader of The Pogues, an Irish punk/folk band popular in the Eighties.

His first band was called The Nipple Errectors. He combined strong song writing skills (including an eye for the Irish Celtic folk melody structure) with a rough yet appealing vocal style. His lyrics also were more poetry than pop and he acknowledged a host of Irish writers.

He also had a physical look - complete with missing teeth - all of his own. His personality was and remains abrasive, akin to that of other punk groups, despite the fact that McGowan himself grew up in what he describes as an idyllic and traditional Irish homestead with a stable family life and good education (although he spent part of his formative years growing up in London). He's fought against drugs and alcohol during what (based on his lyrics) often sounds like a difficult life. His biography, A Drink With Shane MacGowan, explains all and was written by his partner.

After leaving The Pogues, he set up a new band - Shane McGowan and The Popes - but this has so-far failed to reach the popularity and cult following of The Pogues. His sister is Siobhan MacGowan, a songwriter in her own right as well as painter.