Rating: 
Summary: The last word of a deluded genius
Review: MacGowan is a great storyteller, that's obvious from some of those ballads he wrote with the Pogues. But does this capacity for meandering rambles & colourful situations really translate well into the biographical form? Well, yes & no. This book is highly entertaining and filled with a number of interesting facts & anecdotes that shed light onto the rock-star's troubled up bringing and day-to-day life. However, the problem lies in the number of glaring contradictions that arise due to Shane's bending of the truth, rewriting of history & no doubt inebriated demeanour during much of this book's creation. From this, we're never entirely sure what is fact and what is fiction... & although this does heighten the enjoyment of the book as work entertainment, we never really get a full or true picture of the man who wrote such enduring classics as Fairytale of New York, A Pair of Brown Eyes & If I Should Fall From Grace with God.
The fault of the book lies not with the Q&A format that many have found difficult, but for me, has more to do with Victoria Clark as the choice of interviewer. She's too close to MacGowan to actually draw out anything that he isn't willing to talk about. For example, the arduous final years with the Pogues or his problems with Elvis Costello during the production of their classic album, Rum Sodomy & the Lash, are practically glossed over. Sure, we get a few snippets & some contradictory statements in which Shane professes to hate the Pogues & Costello in one chapter, only to later proclaim then as geniuses as the interview moves to yet another pointless location, but we never get the consistent truth. MacGowan seems to answer whatever questions he wants & those that he doesn't feel comfortable with aren't asked again in a different way... they're merely dropped & forgotten. I for one would have liked more information on the actual writing & recording of the albums and how the band would approach such an endeavour... but MacGowan, in his drunk and deluded state, would sooner see himself as the full controller of the Pogues, who wrote all their best material, spear-headed the marketing & even played all the instruments.
This is, of course, completely untrue, & it is rather sad to see Shane so desperately clinging to the glories of the past. However, as I mentioned above, this isn't an entirely bad book... it just isn't really a successful MacGowan biography. As a work of fiction though, Shane is up there with the best of the Irish storytellers, here casting his cynical & (surprisingly, for those who've written him off as a toothless Irish yokel) highly intelligent eye over a number of topics, from religion, to politics, to music, to films, to Ireland (both historical & contemporary) & of course, finally, a few relevant passages about the booze. It's all pretty good to pass a few hours of boredom and does act as a definite insight into the great man on a superficial level... though one would certainly hope that there will be a more definitive Shane MacGowan biography - one that gives us an in depth look into HIS life, HIS music & HIS inspirations (as apposed to a series of evocative rambles) - set to arrive in years to come. For the time being though, this pleasing little Q&A session will have to suffice.
Rating:
Summary: Amazon Reviewer Devours a Plate of Chips, Hungrily.
Review: On your first read-through, I highly recommend taking your editing pen and marking out Victoria Mary Clarke's dribbling of adverbs. You'll be thankful you did the next time you dip into A DRINK WITH SHANE MACGOWAN. And trust me -- despite my grousing -- you'll want to read this book numerous times. Like other reviewers, I've absolutely no problem with the interview style of the book as it produces some splendid results and Ms. Clarke gets some wonderful details from Mr. MacGowan again and again. This is an absolute must for fans of the Pogues, the Popes and Irish literature especially.
Rating: 
Summary: The Unrepentant Paddy
Review: Shane does an excellent job of explaining what a true Paddy is and how he has celebrated that tradition in his music to the delight of all his fans over the years. This was particularly insightful to me as an American who grew up far from the Irish enclaves. His commentary on how a real Paddy views popular Irish writers like Yeats was extremely insightful. I hate to see him killing himself the way it appears he insists on doing, laying it all off on the culture of the Paddy as some sort of excuse or artistic endeavor rather than the tragedy it is for an artist as visionary, bold and well read as this one. The book is "written" by his wife who tape records a series of interviews which meander horribly at times and badly need the help of a good editor. I found every other sentence of Shane's ending with, "you know what I mean," extremely annoying. There is some good stuff here, but I feel this was a project his wife and maybe the publisher wanted more than Shane. It has the feeling of someone trying to get coherent words out of another who may not be capable of speaking coherently, or at all, in the future.
Rating:
Summary: "It's not that difficult, forcing a door."
Review: Shane MacGowan is sort of a thinking man's hooligan, or a hooligan's thinking man. Due to this rare combination, one would expect that he has some terrific stories to tell, and this book doesn't disappoint in that respect. It ranges all over the map, from his fascinatingly unusual childhood to his London punk days to his time with the Pogues and to the present; from discussions of literature to history to music to religion.The book is a transcription of taped question-and-answer sessions he had with his wife (Victoria Mary Clarke). There are two problems with this: First of all, Clarke seems to not know when to shut up and let Shane go. He's often in the middle of some great story, and when he pauses seemingly to take a breath, she interrupts with some unrelated question. This leads to another great story, of course, but the reader is left with the feeling that there was much more to the first one, which will now never be heard. The second problem is that Clarke periodically interrupts the transcription with italicized comments about the current setting of the interview (e.g. that they are in the airport during the taping, or that Shane picks up a pack of cigarettes, or whatever). This wouldn't be so bad, except that she has a horrible habit of treating these as opportunities for self-aggrandization: stuff like "Victoria looks resplendent as she sips her wine", or "Victoria daintily smiles, glorious as always". Perhaps these are meant as self-effacing sarcasm, but they sure come off as ridiculously obnoxious. After a while, I found myself skipping any text in italics. Other than those things, though, this is a fun book; though she seemingly tried, Clarke simply could not take the fun out of MacGowan's stories.
Rating: 
Summary: Shane MacGowan Rocks!
Review: This book is a series of interviews/chats conducted by Shane's wife(Victoria Mary Clarke). The format allows for some great storytelling about his past and family and helps to understand how he is the way he is. Great read for any fans of the shane MacGowan, the Pogues, or Ireland in general.
Rating:
Summary: Shane MacGowan Rocks!
Review: This book is mostly done in interview form, and provides interesting insights into the childhood, youth and views of Shane MacGowan, former lead singer of the Pogues. I last saw him perform in Chicago at the Vic, and quite a show it was! I recommend this book to fans and non-fans of the Pogues and the Popes. MacGowan is quite possibly one of the best lyricists of the 20th, and hopefully the 21st, century, providing his drinking doesn't do him in.
Rating:
Summary: A Pair of Brown Eyes
Review: This book is mostly done in interview form, and provides interesting insights into the childhood, youth and views of Shane MacGowan, former lead singer of the Pogues. I last saw him perform in Chicago at the Vic, and quite a show it was! I recommend this book to fans and non-fans of the Pogues and the Popes. MacGowan is quite possibly one of the best lyricists of the 20th, and hopefully the 21st, century, providing his drinking doesn't do him in.
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