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As those of you who have followed Shane's career closely over the years know,I was associated with Shane as a musician from the latter days of the Pogues, when I stood in for the great drummer Andy Rankin on a tour of Europe, and I played on "the Snake" AND "Crock of Gold" albums.
During that time, I found Cashman to be at best inept, and at worst a LIAR. If you were at the Liverpool gig or the Newcastle gig on the Crock of Gold tour, when he got Shane to those gigs 2 hours late on stage,you will understand where I'm coming from. Of all the cities in England,to be so dis-respectfull, the Liverpool show was the beginning of the end for me personally. WHY? Cashman had the audacity to come on stage and LIE to the audience, that the reason for their late arrival was that Virgin Trains had been badly delayed and there would be "a few quid off ticket prices next time round" What a joke ... in fact they were seen in the Adelphi Hotel at around four-thirty that afternoon ... I could not believe my ears ... After the humiliation of bieng covered in beer, spit and christ knows what else, by the way, that is about the only time Cashkeeperman was NOT doing his utmost to get on the stage-you know-his pathetic lighting of Shanes cigarettes, we only had enough time to play a 35 minute set. To add insult to injury, Shane managed to whack some poor guy round the head with his mic stand, resulting in a serious head wound ... he spent the night in the tank for that ...
After the "show" I confronted Cashman and his responce was such that I threw my sweaty drummers towel in his skinny face. He jumped up, grabbed a beer bottle, tried to break it and came at me. I was on him in a flash, raining blows from all angles, only for Bob Dowling and Tommy McMannamon to leap in and pull me off him. Shame.
The following January, after performing on VH1, the Late Late Show, and shooting a video for a single, I was told by Cashman I would not be getting paid for that work. "What!!!? Why?" I asked... His reply was that Shane had no money!!! What a joke!!! If it had been mentioned before, maybe I could have swallowed it, but to say nothing tasted highly suspect. I got straight on the blower to Shane and argued my point... nothing was said about a lack of money, and as an independant musician, not signed to Shanes record label, I expected payment. I had a hungry six month old son to feed, and as I had kept myself available to Shane as a drummer I took no other work. "Ok OK" said Shane, "come over now". I arrived at Shanes place in Gospel Oak within the hour, to be greetwd by one of the saddest sights I've ever seen. After about 20 minutes, Shane answered the door in a terrible state,& I've seen him in some bad states, believe me! There was food and puke all down his front, and his clothes were full of burn holes. Inside was a chair where had been for days-sitting, eating, sleeping, drinking, drugging, smoking and stinking. To say I was shocked would be an understatement. He invited me to sit down, I declined and asked for what I was owed. "All right, all right, but don't tell the others!" he said. I thought, you crafty old bastard, and held out my blistered hand. He rummaged around the pile of empty and half full pill and Martini bottles & thrust £600 at me. " I'll send you a cheque to cover the rest" he spluttered and said AGAIN... "do NOT tell the others" I took what I was owed and left with a bad taste in my mouth. I heard nothing from anyone for weeks, untill my friend Laurence from Liverpool called me to say they had been using a different drummer.
After seven years loyalty, I had been sacked without being told, and to make matters worse Shane told the other band members that I had said "fuck the band" when he had said he couldnt pay THEM!!! In spite of all this, I was still asked back to bail out the band when the 3rd drummer after me broke his arm trying to keep up with the "BEAST" Tommy, during a mammoth Jack Daniels session... I duly obliged and showed em all what they had been missing, but things were never quite the same. Sad. I went to see the guys play a xmas gig at the Astoria in London, where Cashman did his best to make me feel uncomfortable at every oppertunity. Well, fuck you Cashkeeperman, the tide is turning, and you've been sussed. I still have the greatest respect for Shane, he has a great family and is a TRULEY TALENTED song writer... its about time he woke up and smelled the coffee and got rid of that LEECH before he is dragged down to meet the "Rake at the gates of hell" feel free to mail me at dannyjheatley@hotmail.com if you want! cheers and thanx for all the GREAT times around the world....
signed Danny"POPE"heatley SHEPHERDS BUSH LONDON 6th March 2004