Shamrock! – Part 3

“April is the cruelest month.”

 – T.S. Eliot, The Waste Land 

I like all the Pogues’ albums- even the last two without Shane MacGowan- and each one has special memories for me particularly the later albums which helped me get through some tough times during my college days in New York. People say Ireland is green and beautiful- I’ve never been there- but the pictures I’ve seen remind me of April in New York which for me is a miserable time of year and used to make me depressed when I lived there (for 25 years). The cold, damp air, the rain, the clouds, the bare tree branches, the soggy grass- it all made me long for May.

Perhaps like me Shane MacGowan- with his Irish blood and poet’s heart- is genetically predisposed to that uniquely Irish depression which seems to attack and thrive in springtime and maybe it takes one Irishman to console another after the joy of Saint Patrick’s Day has faded and summer seems so far away. That time for me is the Waste Land. That’s when I listen to the Pogues. 

In college I used to listen to the Pogues while working on my novel and for me it was great inspirational music to have playing while typing away in my bedroom. I like the way- in addition to geography- the Pogues are always good for a history lesson and Shane MacGowan is a gifted storyteller. “Turkish Song of the Damned” is a rousing ghost story that still terrifies me and “The Band Played Waltzing Matilda” still brings tears to my eyes. Here are some more of my favorites. Enjoy!

The Pogues and James Joyce

01. The Pogues – “A Pair of Brown Eyes” (1985)

02. The Pogues – “Down All the Days” (1989)

03. The Pogues – “Tuesday Morning” (1993)

04. The Pogues – “Misty Morning, Albert Bridge” (1989)

05. The Pogues – “The Old Main Drag” (1985)

06. The Pogues – “If I Should Fall from Grace with God (Live)” (1991)

07. The Pogues – “Turkish Song of the Damned” (1988)

08. The Pogues – “Bottle of Smoke” (1988)

09. The Pogues & The Dubliners – “Mountain Dew” (1987)

10. The Pogues – “The Band Played Waltzing Matilda” (1985)

Listen to the playlist on Spotify...

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