Pete Doherty pays tribute to “bulletproof” singer Shane MacGowan

Pete Doherty has paid tribute to Shane MacGowan, remembering him as among the best lyricists of “the final 30 or 40 years”.

The Pogues frontman died yesterday (November 30) following a number of months receiving hospital therapy. He was aged 65. The information was confirmed in a joint assertion by his spouse, Victoria Mary Clarke, in addition to his sister Siobhan and father Maurice.

MacGowan had been ailing for a while and had been discharged from hospital final week, the place he had been staying since June after being admitted to intensive take care of an unspecified well being problem. He was hospitalised in early December 2022 with encephalitis.

Now, following information of his passing fellow musician and good friend Pete Doherty has paid tribute to the “bulletproof” singer, and recalled the years of recollections they’d collectively.

“I knew he was ailing however I assumed he was bulletproof,” The Libertines’ frontman informed BBC World Service’s Newshour final night time (November 30). He additionally added that he not solely “beloved and revered” MacGowan, he additionally thought of him “up there within the high three or 4 lyricists within the final 30 or 40 years”.

“[He was] sort of an previous romantic, who informed tales, informed tales in songs, robust characters. He painted lots of photos and fairytales,” Doherty added, additionally praising him for his “present for melody”.

“For a very long time I used to be sitting at his toes in awe… In sure tough occasions of my life, I may communicate to him. Once I was in jail, he knew some folks, who knew some folks and he helped me out of some spots and I simply felt near him.”

Elsewhere within the interview, the singer recalled assembly MacGowan throughout the time he was courting supermodel Kate Moss. His reflection of The Pogues frontman additionally arrives lower than a yr after Doherty appeared on The Final Leg to carry out a piece of The Pogues‘ ‘Soiled Previous City’ in Ukrainian.

The second occurred to mark one yr since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and noticed Doherty finish the efficiency by exclaiming “Slava Ukraini!” which interprets as “Glory to Ukraine!”

Previous to the looks on the Channel 4 present, the 2 bands carried out collectively quite a few occasions throughout the 2010s.

This included MacGowan becoming a member of The Libertines on stage in Dublin again in 2015 for a rendition of ‘Don’t Look Again Into The Solar’, and a slot supporting the indie veterans at Hyde Park that very same yr. Discover footage of the previous beneath.

Doherty isn’t the one member of the Libertines line-up to share his condolences on the lack of MacGowan. Taking to Instagram yesterday, Carl Barat additionally shared his recollections of the singer-songwriter.

“So saddened to listen to about Shane’s passing as we speak. His storytelling enriched our worlds no finish as did the nights we spent with him,” the caption learn, additionally sharing a photograph of the band with MacGowan. “As an artist, he was untouchable and can all the time be with us. Our hearts exit to all who knew him.”

Different well-known faces to have paid tribute to MacGowan included songwriter and shut good friend Nick Cave, who yesterday described the artist as “a real good friend and the best songwriter of his technology”.

MacGowan was additionally shut with Johnny Depp, and recalling how he instantly “fell in love” with the singer (Per The Irish Mirror), Depp stated: “Once I met Shane he was negotiating a pool desk. There was a drink on this hand, a pint, and on this hand, there was a guitar and he was teetering, balancing forwards and backwards making an attempt to barter which solution to fall. I watched him try this for about quarter-hour.”

Different tributes have poured in from the likes of Tim Burgess, Bobby Gillespie, Frank Turner. You’ll be able to learn extra of these right here. 

Followers have since been rallying to get The Pogues’ ‘Fairytale Of New York’ to Christmas Quantity One after the information of his dying broke. Footage of his remaining concert events with The Pogues as a solo artist have additionally been shared.

One in every of his remaining interviews has additionally resurfaced, wherein Shane MacGowan mentioned his love of life and the legacy of The Pogues.