10/04/06 If I Should Fall From Grace: The Shane MacGowan Story

If I Should Fall From Grace: The Shane MacGowan Story (2001), directed by Sarah Share

watched w/ Leslie (partially); DVD rental (Netflix) @ home; suggested by Jack F.

This is another musical documentary that had been suggested to me by a friend a few years ago, and upon my year-long Challenge has made a viable resurgence into movie suggestion making. It's just one of those titles that has been lost in the pack for too long, and finally I've taken the initiative to plop down in front of a TV and try my best to decipher (with a little help from the subtitles) the ramblings of this musical maniac that is Shane MacGowan. As lead singer for the seminal & raucous Irish punk rock band The Pogues, MacGowan may come across to many as a blithering idiot that has horribly bad teeth and a slight drinking problem. However, upon further review with this enlightening journey into the man's world and mind...one true fan can see that he is quite the opposite...simply a blithering genius that has extremely horribly bad teeth and a heavy drinking problem. With tons of archival footage of their stage performances, behind the scenes fights and partying, and intimate interviews with loved ones, and the man himself...the story weaves a complicated tale of success and turmoil in a very simplistic style of storytelling. Something that Irish culture is based on I suppose, along with the heavy drinking and loud music involving strings and horns (I can say this of course because I am of proud Irish descent). If you don't know the Pogues' music, look into it...you will love it. That is of course if you like good ol' rowdy drinking music sped up so that you can't understand a lick of what they're saying...bands of today that owe them a debt of gratitude include favorites like Dropkick Murphys and Flogging Molly. The music is what drew me in, and it's the intriguing story of MacGowan's life that will keep you hooked in. However, the filmmaking itself does seem a bit rough around the edges (probably an obvious nod to MacGowan's own persona), but it does what it needs to. There are some erratic elements of interviews interspliced with live concert footage that seems to just play on as if it were a concert movie (not that I'm complaining), but it would have been nice to see more about influences on him and vice versa. It really opens your eyes to a rather under-appreciated punk legend...with all the tragic elements that make it a compelling story. And that scratchy evil laugh, half-smoked cigarette dangling between dirty fingernails and wild bug eyes that he's got...how can you pass that up?!

4 out of 5 stars