‘As long as it’s fun, then I’ll do it’: The Pogues’ rogue frontman Shane MacGowan isn’t going anywhere

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In a newly posted interview with George Stroumboulopoulos, Pogues frontman Shane MacGowan talks about surviving his famously debauched rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle and, yes, the state of his choppers.

MacGowan, with the Pogues from 1982–1991 and then again since 2001, was a heroin addict into the 2000s, and is still known to binge drink even while headed toward his 57th birthday. Asked by Stroumboulopoulos — who met up for this talk at a Tipperary pub — if he was surprised to have survived, MacGowan says: “No. No, no, no. It’s fun, and as long as it’s fun for me and the band, and for the audience, then I’ll do it.”

MacGowan later addresses the issue of his dentures, which were missing for the Stroumboulopoulos interview. He’d previously gotten a new set of false teeth, but only kept them in long enough for a press photo. McGowan also famously made a public call last year for help with his dental issues.

In their hey day, the Pogues released a string of well-received albums that melded folk, Celtic styles and punk, including 1985’s Rum, Sodomy and the Lash, 1988’s If I Should Fall From Grace With God and 1989’s Peace and Love. Their most recent original release was 1996’s Pogue Mahone, with post-MacGowan vocalist Spider Stacy — who earlier helped the group to its biggest-ever U.S. chart success with 1993’s “Tuesday Morning.” 1987’s “Fairytale of New York,” featuring MacGowan and guest vocalist Kirsty MacColl, remains a holiday favorite in many parts of the world.

A live project Pogues In Paris: 30th Anniversary Concert At The Olympia arrived in 2012. A limited-edition release of the Pogues’ collaboration Live with Joe Strummer will be released as part of Record Store Day on April 19, 2014. The Pogues will then take part on the Forest Live Concert Series in the UK’s Thetford Forest, to be held on June 14, 2014.

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