Talk:Shane MacGowan
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
This article is within the scope of WikiProject Biography. For more information, visit the project page. | ||
| Start | This article has been rated as start-Class on the project's quality scale. [FAQ] | ||
 |
This article is supported by WikiProject Musicians, an attempt to build a comprehensive and detailed biographical guide to musicians and musical groups on Wikipedia. | ||
 |
It is requested that a picture or pictures of this person be included in this article to improve its quality. Note: Wikipedia's non-free content use policy almost never permits the use of non-free images (such as promotional photos, press photos, screenshots, book covers and similar) to merely show what a living person looks like. Efforts should be made to take a free licensed photo during a public appearance, or obtaining a free content release of an existing photo instead. |
 |
This article is within the scope of WikiProject Ireland, an attempt to build a comprehensive and detailed guide to Ireland on Wikipedia. For more information, or to get involved, visit the project page. | |
| Start | This article has been rated as start-Class on the Project's quality scale. (If you rated the article please give a short summary at comments to explain the ratings and/or to identify the strengths and weaknesses.) |
|
| Mid | This article has been rated as mid-importance on the priority scale. | |
 |
An image is requested for this article as its inclusion will substantially increase the significance of the article. Please remove the image-needed parameter once the image is added. | |
[edit] Photo
How about a photo? —Preceding unsigned comment added by [[User:{{{1}}}|{{{1}}}]] ([[User talk:{{{1}}}|talk]] • [[Special:Contributions/{{{1}}}|contribs]])
[edit] Personal Life
What happened between him and Victoria, anyway? --JerryLewisOverdrive 23:15, 19 March 2006 (UTC)
He still hangs out with Victoria, including the Pirates of the Caribbean premiere, starrring his mate Johnny Depp, in Leicester Square. - added 19/07/06
Seems odd that he was born when his parents were visiting relatives in England, especially when they worked there. Bill Tegner 13:30, 8 March 2007 (UTC)
Seems odder still that his place of birth has suddenly become Co Tipperary. Has he been talking to Peter O'Toole? Note that the Internet Movie Database still says he was born in Kent. Doubtless someone will check official records soon. I won't.Bill Tegner 18:52, 20 March 2007 (UTC)
[edit] Backstage
Having followed the Pogues around Scotland for some time in the mid-late 80's, my friend and I finally were recognized by Shane and the lads and they dedicated a song "Bottle of Smoke" to me at their Barrowlands concert - what a lad!!! (Even got me a ticket for the sold out show!!!! Met the crew backstage a year later at the Edinburgh Playhouse when their Fairytale of New York single hit the number 2 spot because of some Pet Shop Boys catastrophe, ha ha. Joey Cashman, the tour manager, took pity on a couple of teenage girls who'd skipped school for the day to attend the show and let us come back after the gig. Shane had the Heineken in his hand at all times and was not slow to autograph my denim jacket with a curse relating to Mr John Lydon of PiL (I happened to have a PiL patch on my jacket!!!.........) - which had to be hidden from my mum upon returning home to Glasgow, ha ha!!!! Made the mistake of criticising the Pet Shop Boys and the fact that they stole the Christmas No.1 spot from my heroes to be told by Kirsty McCall, that her hubby produced the record..... she took it well and laughed, we turned bright red and hid - typical teenagers!!!! LOL!!! Anyway - in a nutshell, these guys were great! Warm and welcoming to their fans and with a great sense of humor - I even got a peck on the cheek from Shane - didn't wash my face for a week, ha ha!!! Great memories from a great bunch o' guys (n'gal, sorry Cait....)!!!!
Pauline ex. of Glasgow Scotland
[edit] "songs of astonishing beauty"
I believe you, but could you list a few examples here maybe, on the talk page? Njál 01:04, 23 December 2005 (UTC)
- I also agree with you, but it is essentially POV, isn't it? Essexmutant 10:09, 23 December 2005 (UTC)
- How about "songs that have been considered by many to be astonishingly beautful, such as...example, example."
[edit] BBC's "This Week" interview
Does anyone know what year the BBC interview w/ Jane Street-Porter that's referenced in the Health section took place? Would like to see that info added.
- Looks like June 2006, I'd like to find a better cite for it (and most of the rest of that section) so that it can be reintroduced to the article. Artw 00:30, 13 February 2007 (UTC)
[edit] Health & Teeth
This is a poor article and requires some cleanup the balance between the salacious stuff about his health & teeth is out of kilter with the section on his music and songwriting which should be what this article is about. Its and encylopedia entry not a gossip column. To that end I've added a POV check - --Gramscis cousin 12:20, 13 July 2006 (UTC)
i was actually curious to read about his teeth, me mum would pull out a picture of his everytime i said i would not brush.
The photograph included under this heading depicts Shane with a mouth full cigarrette butts. This one should be removed, and another should replace it to accurately depict his poor dental state.
Yes but I am talking about balance here. The guy is one of the most significant songwriters of his generation (he has written what is consistently voted as the most popular Christmas song of all time - Fairytale of New York - not even mentioned here) and we're talking about his teeth!! What next - Einstein's Haircut or Benjamin Franklin's baldness. Gramscis cousin 16:20, 8 August 2006 (UTC)
Yes, but it is important to remember what the name "Shane MacGowan" means to many people. "The man with the teeth!"
- I agree, to a certain extent.
- Overemphasis on one part of his career, or one aspect of his life, could make this article a bit offkilter.
- That being said, I still think there should be a significant section devoted to his declining health, and the corresponding decline in his career, especially after he and The Pogues parted ways.
Ruthfulbarbarity 23:36, 25 August 2006 (UTC)
"Many people" also see Einstein as the guy with the fuzzy hair does that mean we should have a lengthy section taking up nearly one third of the article in the Einstein section on his hair.
I agree that there should be a section on MacGowan's health & teeth but the current section is disproportionably long and salacious in style. Have a look at the webistes on other prominent drunkards such as Brendan Behan (a small paragraph) or Truman Capote (spread into other sections).
The Behan approach is I think the most appropraite in this case.
-- Gramscis cousin 08:09, 28 August 2006 (UTC)
-
- The length of the section should be governed by the amount of information to be included. If there is a lot of information on McGowan's health and teeth, the section should be long enough to include it. The section shouldn't be cut down just to make the rest of the article look longer in comparison. If there is more information to be included in the main article - include it! Shinji nishizono 15:50, 2 October 2006 (UTC)
The point is that the info in this section of the article is salacious gossip of the worst sort of tabloidese. It is irrelevant and disproportionate in a discussion of the life and career of a highly regarded songwriter. As I've said before compare it to how the Brendan Behan article deals with similar issues. I could fill that one up with similar anecdotal gossip but it would be inappropriate. --Gramscis cousin 13:01, 3 October 2006 (UTC)
- My own opinion would be that McGowan is almost as famous for his drunken presentation and substance abuse as for his music. His songwriting ability should certainly be the main focus of the article (and as someone who clearly knows a lot about him, you should make additions as you see fit) but it is of interest to the public to chronicle the state of his health too. He recently appeared with Spider Stacy on a BBC2 TV documentary about folk music and was practically incoherent. People who saw that show are likely to look to an article like this to find out why he was in such a bad state. Many musicians have drink problems, but few take self-destruction to such an extreme as McGowan, and the article should reflect that. Shinji nishizono 14:39, 3 October 2006 (UTC)
I fully agree with Gramscis cousin. McGowan's teeth are, at least to me, the least important of his qualities. The tone of the article is already compromised by weasel words and the extensive dental talk doesn't contribute much. Unsourced statements can be deleted; the rest can be added to the body of the Health section in a single line with inline citations. I'll go ahead and do that in a few days if nobody objects.Lowerarchy 06:12, 29 October 2006 (UTC)
- The article on George Washington includes a section on his teeth and the article on William Howard Taft discusses his weight. Wikipedia should not whitewash its subjects by ignoring ill health and hygeine. --Tysto 06:38, 13 October 2007 (UTC)
- The article should mention Shane's teeth and substance abuse. I fully agree that these should not overshadow the music, but many people (me included) are going to be coming to this article to find out about his health and teeth. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 87.224.71.191 (talk) 13:23, 18 December 2007 (UTC)
-
- While MacGowan's drink and drugs consumption is often emphasized it is not surprising. Much of his writing concerns drink, his sacking from the Pogues was due to drink and he has made a number of comments about the links between his ideas of Irishness and alcohol. For crying out loud... even his book is "A Drink with Shane MacGowan". Concerning the teeth, while it isn't as relevant it is worth recalling that one record cover issued in US actually had teeth airbrushed into the picture as the American distributors were worried about how the buyers might be turned off by his dental disarray. (83.13.39.98 (talk) 19:02, 1 January 2008 (UTC))
[edit] The Nips
There is no mention here of Shane's first band "The Nips" who were a moderately successful punk band. Gramscis cousin 15:43, 16 July 2006 (UTC)
- Hmmmm. There did used to be - I added it myself last year. I'll sort it. --Kurt Shaped Box 18:43, 16 July 2006 (UTC)
[edit] Quotes
Menken@xs4all.nl Quotes should only feature legitimate quotes by or about the subject that add to our knowledge of the subject --Gramscis cousin 21:07, 11 September 2006 (UTC)
[edit] Plastic Paddy?
Does this guy's English birth, education and accent qualify him for the above category? Bill Tegner 12:52, 5 March 2007 (UTC)
Hes part of the diaspora man --Rcseng2005 11:10, 18 March 2007 (UTC)
What does the above mean (in grammatical English)? Millbanks 09:11, 24 June 2007 (UTC)
Go raibh míle maith agat, deartháir. Sláinte. Liam Bill Tegner 08:41, 21 March 2007 (UTC)
Say that in English so I can understand you
Chan eil casan againn.Tha briogais aige.--90.194.186.53 18:01, 12 May 2007 (UTC)
[edit] CItes needed so that sections removed by WP:BLP can be restored
The Health and body abuse section of the site, present in this version of the article, has been removed to meet WP:BLP. Looks like it's all esentially correct, though it's going to take some digging to find cites to back it up.
If you;re not too familiar with the citing processs just put the URLs here and I'll drop them in.
I've already made a stard finding cites for other deleted sections, except for a bit about naked pictures which dosn't really seem like it needs to go back in. Artw 00:35, 13 February 2007 (UTC)
- Actually I have an URL for the naked thing. Looks like this blog might be a good source for cites for some of the other cites as well - though sources other than the blog would be preferable (even if it is by the man himself and publish by The Guardian. Artw 00:48, 13 February 2007 (UTC)
[edit] Infobox
I feel Shane is an important enough figure in contemperary music to warrant an infobox. Am I alone in this desire? Bogart1047 00:59, 16 November 2007 (UTC)
[edit] Alcohol and substance abuse
I have to say, I'm a bit surprised that an article about Shane MacGowan hasn't mentioned his problems with alcohol and substance abuse. Leaving aside the debate about his teeth above, surely these factors of his life are well-documented and significant enough to be worthy of mention?--203.87.117.133 (talk) 12:15, 15 December 2007 (UTC)
[edit] covered works of Shane MacGowan
Is it possible to include a list of works covered by other artists? For example, Christy Moore has covered "A Pair of Brown Eyes" ('Unfinished Revolution' album, I believe)"Fairytale of New York" and "Aisling" ('Smoke and Strog Whiskey') and I believe Tommy Makem recorded "Broad Majestic Shannon".(83.13.39.98 (talk) 19:08, 1 January 2008 (UTC))
[edit] Alcohol .. How I laughed!
Nothing about Booze. What a joke this article is. Mmmm. Let's pretend booze has had no influence on his output or career. PC brigade again. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 158.234.250.71 (talk) 13:09, 9 January 2008 (UTC)
-
- You know, his alcoholism really isn't so dire. People make way too much of a big deal of it. He drinks at concerts and on weekends and before he has to face publicity, but he's not finishing off three bottles of Jack every day. That doesn't make him an alcoholic, as anyone who has lived with alcoholics could tell you.--Bogart1047 (talk) 05:34, 1 March 2008 (UTC)
[edit] Missing contributions
Shouldn't he be listed as contributing to the Dubliners Milestones album from 1995? I could swear I hear his voice on Whiskey in a Jar. Was it just that the song was published on both albums? http://www.shanemacgowan.com/related.shtml Ryandsmith (talk) 22:55, 8 May 2008 (UTC)
