I LOVE science!

I was catching up with one of my oldest friends, Sandy, today on the phone and we got to talking about seeing The Pogues in Detroit back in 1995. How they had reformed, were touring again, and whether it was the full old band or the new one… I’ve already missed them here, I know. I guess Cait O’Riordan is the only one who isn’t in this recent reformation of The Pogues, although everyone else is supposedly in… (and what IS Cait doing now anyway? “She left the Radiators and was replaced in February 2006 by Jesse Booth, and went on to form a band of divorcées named Prenup with Hothouse Flowers guitarist Fiachna ó Braonáin. They are currently recording their debut album for release in 2007.” – Wickipedia)

 
Anyway, we started talking about the ’95 show because we actually had the pleasure of meeting Shane and his girlfriend at the time, Victoria Clarke (“the girl with green eyes”) in the old restaurant/bar/dive next door. Saint Andrew’s Hall (St. Andy’s) is a three-level venue still located on Congress Street in Detroit, Michigan. They have smaller shows in The Shelter (the lower level) and bigger shows on the main floor (St. Andrew’s Hall), which has a balcony, and there was the upper level – The Burns Room, which was mostly used for the touring bands’ green room, but I’d also DJ’d up there several times in the 90s for a night that a friend started called “GO Sound”. It’s one of the main venues to play in Detroit.

When I say meeting Shane was a pleasure, Sandy and I were talking about how he should absolutely be dead by now, with all of his wanton lifestyle choices taken into consideration. Even that night, I remember he was on stage and looked like he was going to fall over during their set (white as a sheet, pale as a ghost) and even had to leave the stage at one point for more alcohol and medication, I’m guessing.

Apparently he had a toothache that was just killing him and he was on tons of meds for it. Also the fellow’s been announced nearly dead so many times in the press, it wouldn’t have been half surprising seeing him fall off the stage right then and there! For this show in particular, we were able to meet Shane beforehand (my friend Kevin was interviewing him for his print ‘zine, called Scataphobia at the time), and I remember he was lying with his head in his arms, on a table near the front of the bar (literally snoozing half-asleep/half-awake and in a puddle of his own drool), barely coherent and mumbling, and looking like death itself. A pint still clutched in his hand, and his girlfriend clucking over him like a mother hen while Kevin attempted to get a few “usable” quotes out of him.

Earlier in the afternoon, Kevin had also gotten some quotes and talked to members of the band touring with The Pogues. It was The Waltons (Lik My Tractor, was their big album, and Jason Plumb from the band actually ended up going solo finally years later when I booked him in a local venue in town). The Waltons were a weird mix to be touring with The Pogues. They were a Canadian indie band, with an alt-country kind of twist similar to that of Blue Rodeo or The Skydiggers of that time. Kev’s first question to The Waltons was to find out what they thought of touring with The Pogues – How was it going for everyone? And The Walton’s automatic answer was of course to slam Shane – “Oh, it’s a regular nightmare, he’s late all the time for soundcheck, always drinking…” blah-de-blah-de-blah…

So Kevin, not even thinking that it was Victoria Clarke who was going to introduce him to Shane starts going on about how The Waltons are bad-talking touring with The Pogues, not really having the best time, etc. Next thing you know, Sandy recounts “Don’t you remember?!! …,”

“We were standing in line and The Waltons were loading their gear OUT of the front of St. Andrew’s Hall because they had been KICKED OFF THE TOUR!”

Amazing. So much for first impressions! It was confirmed a few days later that Kevin had indeed gotten The Waltons kicked off of the tour because of his off-the-cuff “anecdotal” remarks to Victoria. Ah, The Press! Did anyone see The Pogues show here recently?