There are few faces or voices more instantly recognizable within the world of U.K. music than that of Shane MacGowan. The Irish frontman of The Pogues, The Popes and more has led the kind of tumultuous life and career that R-rated biopics are made from, and now he fittingly has a documentary all his own. You can see the first trailer for that film, Crock of Gold: A Few Rounds With Shane MacGowan, below. It’s scheduled to hit cinemas in limited release on Nov. 20, and DVD and digital on Dec. 7.
MacGowan was born to Irish parents in England but raised in both Ireland and England, developing an appreciation for the whole of the U.K. (and its many pubs) in the process. In 1982, he founded The Pogues, who would go on to become luminaries in the expanding Irish punk scene, fusing traditional Irish folk music with influences such as The Clash and the emerging U.S. punk scene. The band went on to persist for decades, even during the periods when MacGowan was exiled for his notoriously rowdy behavior and substance abuse issues. During the interim, in 1992-2005, MacGowan fronted the band The Popes, putting out several more albums.
Obviously, Crock of Gold will no doubt be tackling MacGowan’s well publicized and lifelong struggles with alcohol and drug abuse, which included a heroin addiction broken with help from Sinead O’Connor in the early 2000s. Somehow, MacGowan managed to survive it all, and has reportedly managed to become sober from even alcohol in recent years. In 2018, in fact, MacGowan was honored with a concert gala for his 60th birthday at the National Concert Hall of Dublin, where Irish president Michael D. Higgins presented him with a lifetime achievement award.
It seems safe to say there there will be something in Crock of Gold likely to inspire just about any music fan. Check out the full trailer below.
