On November 30, 2023, Irish singer, songwriter and poet Shane MacGowan died at the age of 65. A number of well-known colleagues paid tribute to him on social media.
MacGowan’s The Pogues colleague Spider Stacey expressed his sadness, writing on X (formerly Twitter) alongside a stage photo: “O Captain! My Captain! “Our fearful trip is done”
Glen Matlock, former bassist for the Sex Pistols, also spoke up. “A big round of applause for the legend Shane MacGowan, who is unfortunately no longer with us. It was a pleasure to have known you. RIP buddy. “
German metal queen Doro Pesch also paid tribute to MacGowan. “Rest in peace, Shane MacGowan! We will miss you! “That’s me with the Broilers, who performed the old Pogues classic ‘Fairytale Of New York’ last Christmas,” she writes.
Tim Burgess: “Living life to the fullest”
Tim Burgess, singer of The Charlatans, writes: “Farewell to Shane MacGowan. A life to the fullest. A lyrical genius. An inspiration to so many of us who wanted to play in bands. I followed The Pogues to far away places, met Shane a few times and saw some of the most exhilarating shows I have ever experienced.”
Against Me frontwoman Laura Jane Grace also expressed her sadness in a post: “I am forever grateful that I had the opportunity to open for the Pogues years ago. Shane was and always will be a lyrical god to me.”
“I just landed from a 10 hour flight to Hong Kong to hear the news from Shane MacGowan. Sad. We had the honor of being on stage once, Christmas 2012. One of the greats of all time. RIP,” writes Frank Turner.
Amanda Palmer on Shane MacGowan: “Sláinte, Shane”
Amanda Palmer wrote a lengthy post reflecting on MacGowan. “Shane. Like a painting of the time. His sparkling eyes that beg you to feel joy; his teeth like threatening daggers, daring you to beg him to change. Just try it. I, like many other artists, have sung “Fairytale of New York” at many performances with many duet partners, and you can physically feel the light-darkness of Shane’s entire being flowing through you when you sing that song. The interplay of magnanimity and nihilism. I have a feeling it will be on the airwaves all holiday season and it will feel right. My favorite story about Shane comes from my old A&R colleague David Bason. Apparently he saw Shane day drinking at a bar in New York, he ran out to buy a pen and paper to get an autograph, and Shane was lenient with him…and misspelled his own name. Sláinte, Shane. I thank you. Your smile and your music are still there, and we won’t let them go,” her post reads, among other things.
Irish politician Gerry Adams writes: “Shane MacGowan died today. Ireland has lost a great patriot, a poet and friend of the oppressed and marginalized.
Shane’s generosity and solidarity, his wonderful music and his lyrics have touched millions of people over the years and will continue to do so in the future. Tá sé ar slí an fhirinne anios.”