March 2001

Through four years of remarkable, frank and intimate conversations, this is the first-person history of the anarchic rock legend Shane MacGowan, and of his long-standing relationship with the writer Victoria Mary Clarke.

Born on a small farm in Tipperary, Shane won a scholarship to Westminister School, was rapidly expelled, became a 'face', and then grew to become one of the central figures at the birth of punk - and the hugely influential star of the Pogues.

MacGowan's music, innovative and powerful, is as distinctive as his chaotic, breakdown-scarred, alcohol-fuelled lifestyle. He continues to perform solo, in collaborations and with the Popes, his music part bar-room O'Riada, part Lou Reed, part Carolan, part Tom Waites.

But as this book show, the inspiration for his artistry and beliefs is as varied as his range of mind - embracing Ireland, religion, his family, esoteric philosophy and history.