In the wake of the death of former Pogues frontman Shane MacGowan on Thursday at age 65, a variety of noteworthy artists have shared tributes to the lauded U.K.-born Irish singer/songwriter. Among the noteworthy musicians who have paid homage to MacGowan are U2, Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea, and Nick Cave.
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On U2’s social media pages, the Irish rockers posted an abstract caricature that Bono apparently drew of MacGowan that includes some lyrics from The Pogues song “Rainy Night in Soho”. The drawing is accompanied by a brief note that reads, “Shane MacGowan’s songs were perfect so he or we his fans didn’t have to be…”
[RELATED: Shane MacGowan, Singer of the Influential Band The Pogues, Has Died at Age 65]
Flea, meanwhile, posted a longer message that included a recollection of a humorous encounter he had with MacGowan.
“And now I say, god bless the great Irishman Shane MacGowan,” Flea wrote. “Everytime I heard him sing I heard the truth, and my heart filled up with humanity.”
He then recalled hearing him sing with The Pogues during the late 1980s and was so moved that he was “reduced to tears,” so he decided to approach MacGowan and tell him how much he appreciated his performance.
“[I] gushed, ‘Man that was so beautiful, thank you etc…’ He looked at me and burst into laughter, accidentally spitting beer in my face,” Flea shared. “[A]nd it was not thoughtless or mean at all, he was just so humble and being a dude singing it seemed absurd to him to be elevated, like I was doing to him. I have never been a church going man or a religious man, but if I ever felt [baptized], it was that beer and spit in my face that did it. [I’m] so grateful he sang his songs for us.”
Cave, who had been a good friend of MacGowan’s and had performed with him live several times over the years, paid tribute to him during an Intelligence Squared discussion event in London on Thursday.
“Shane was an incredibly kind … generous, pure spirit, and just an extraordinary person. An extremely funny guy, and just … in my view, at least, the songwriter of his generation,” Cave said. “I don’t know too much about Irish music … but I would say he’s sitting up there … within the whole historical context as one of the great … Irish songwriters, and greatest songwriters in general.”
Cave added that MacGowan had “a genuine compassion towards people,” noting that “even though he was caustic and sort of had this rough edge to him, he was enormously generous and kind to ordinary people.”
MacGowan, who had struggled for many years with alcoholism and drug abuse, had been very ill during the last year. In December of 2022, he was hospitalized with encephalitis, and he subsequently was admitted to intensive care this past June with an unspecified illness. After being discharged from the hospital last week, he passed away early Wednesday morning with his wife, his sister, and his father by his side, according to a message from his family.
Here are tributes to MacGowan from a number of other musicians:
Pogues co-founder Spider Stacy: “O Captain! My Captain! Our fearful trip is done.” (A quote from poet Walt Whitman)
Billy Bragg: “Sorry to hear of the demise, after a long illness, of one of the greatest songwriters of my generation, Shane MacGowan. The Pogues reinvigorated folk music in the early 80s and his songs put the focus onto lyric writing, opening doors for the likes of myself and others.”
Sex Pistols bassist Glen Matlock: “A big round of applause for the legend that was Shane McGowan who is now sadly no longer with us. A pleasure to have known you. RIP matey.”
Ex-Jam frontman Paul Weller: “What a life mate, love ya.”
Former Pogues bassist Cait O’Riordan: “Please sing a song for Shane today and send Victoria Siobhan and Maurice your love, Spider Jem Terry and James too. I’m off to St Patrick’s to light a candle.”
