Nick Cave has written a eulogy for the Pogues’ Shane MacGowan, who passed away late last month at age 65. Cave performed “A Rainy Night In Soho” at MacGowan’s funeral a couple weeks ago, and the tribute to his late friend was just published by The Guardian.
“I first met Shane in 1989 when the music paper NME thought it would be a good idea to bring us two together alongside Mark E Smith from the Fall for a so-called ‘summit meeting,’” Cave began. “I was excited because I was a fan, completely in awe of Shane’s songwriting.”
“Unfortunately, it was my first day out of rehab, and it probably wasn’t the greatest idea to spend the day with two people who were not known for their moderation,” he continued. “It was pure mayhem from the outset. Not the most auspicious start to a friendship, but Shane and I did become close friends soon afterwards.”
“At the end of the day, though, it is his genius we should remember rather than all the other stuff,” Cave wrote later on. “He wrote a bunch of songs that are truly great. That’s a hell of a lot more than most songwriters manage.”
Read the full obituary here. Cave previously shared a remembrance of MacGowan shortly after his passing. This coming Monday, Christmas Day, would have been MacGowan’s 66th birthday.
