Funny, honest, brilliant and opinionated, A Drink with Shane MacGowan is the highly-acclaimed memoir of a true music icon.

'One of the freshest, most original biographies I've ever read' - Lynne Barber, Observer

'His candour, coupled with an acerbic wit, makes him an ideal guide through an unmistakably colourful life' - Time Out

Shane MacGowan was an intensely talented songwriter whose band, The Pogues, merged punk with Irish folk music to create a sound uniquely their own. An anarchic hellraiser with the soul of a poet, he is forever associated with Christmas after the chart-topping success of 'Fairytale of New York', his duet with Kirsty McColl.

He grew up on a small farm in Tipperary, won a scholarship to Westminster, was rapidly expelled, became a rent boy, then a central figure of punk and the hugely influential star of The Pogues - until his bandmates got so fed up of his behaviour they kicked him out for a time. MacGowan's music, innovative and powerful, is as distinctive as his chaotic, breakdown-scarred, drug and alcohol-fuelled lifestyle.

Written with his girlfriend (and later wife) Victoria Mary Clarke, A Drink With Shane MacGowan is a joyful celebration of a charming musician with a remarkable perspective on the world.

'An enormously vivid and descriptive picture of his life and dramatic times' - Irish Times

'This endearing memoir . . . is Irish rock distilled' - Sunday Times

Hell-raiser Shane MacGowan's acclaimed and surprisingly lucid memoir.

About the Author

Shane MacGowan, who died on 30 November 2023, was an Irish musician and singer, best known as the lead singer and songwriter the Pogues. He was fired from the band in 1991 and went on to form The Popes before being reunited with the Pogues in 2001. He was the co-author, along with his long-time girlfriend Victoria Mary Clarke, of the autobiography A Drink With Shane MacGowan.

Victoria Mary Clarke spent her childhood in west Cork, with hippy parents, no running water and no telly. At 18 she moved to London, fell in love with Shane MacGowan and into a life of debauchery. She has written for numerous newspapers and magazines, including the Sunday Independent and Paris Vogue, and is the author of Angel in Disguise?

Reviews
He weaves raucous stories with esoteric musical, historical and literary references . . . MacGowan comes across as lucid and funny -- Sunday Times
One of the freshest, most original biographies I've ever read . . . Buy the book, it's great. -- Lynn Barber, the Observer
A refreshingly intimate read -- Guardian
A truly fascinating insight into a genuine creative maverick. Untramelled by convention, and, in the aftermath of all that hellraising, MacGowan on his own terms is astronishgly articulate and intelligent -- Big Issue
All human life is here -- Q Magazine
A brilliant and compelling read, and deserves the widest recognition . . . What strikes you is his honesty, artistic integrity, courage, lack of pretension and refusal to conform -- Record Collector
Probably the most illuminating drink you'll have with anyone in a while -- Mojo



Book Information
ISBN 9780283072048
Author Victoria Mary Clarke
Format Paperback
Page Count 400
Imprint Sidgwick & Jackson Ltd
Publisher Pan Macmillan
Weight(grams) 503g
Dimensions(mm) 234mm * 156mm * 29mm