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Boozy Pogues star's shock declaration
Hard-drinking Pogues star Spider Stacey this week admitted: "My boozing wrecked my marriage." And in an amazingly frank interview, he told Sunday World: "We shouldn't be allowed to get away with being drunk on stage."
The Pogues second front man revealed how, he has now separated from his beautiful American wife, Terri. Asked why they split, Spider nodded to the can of lager in front of him and confessed: "Too much of this. I don't blame her for not putting up with my drinking. It was perfectly amicable. She just couldn't handle any more."
They say that singer and gifted Shane McGowan - heading to Thurles next weekend for Feile '91 - is a changed man. Instead of knocking back enormous quantities of hard liquor, these days they say he's guzzling wine. In Shane's world, wine is not REAL drink. The chronic alcoholic refuses to pack in the booze, despite the fact he's been told it will probably kill him. Asked recently if he was a reformed alcoholic, Shane responded. "No, but I'm doing my very best to stay alive as long as possible." Spider was reluctant to comment on Shane's current drinking habits. "You'll have to judge for yourself," he told me. Like many Pogues fans I've watched Shane stagger around the stage during their shows, unable to remember the words of his songs.
Spider himself admitted how, just before Christmas, he walked off the stage in Glasgow after five numbers "because I had over-estimated my capacity (for booze) during the day." He acknowledged: "It's not a nice thing to do (get drunk before a show) because people have paid good money to come and see the Pogues. If they want to go and watch drunks they can just walk down the street."
But don't the Pogues get away with being drunk in charge of musical instruments because of their image? "There are generally enough of the components working that we do get away with it. But we shouldn't get away with it. It would be a lesson to all of us if once people went 'This is f...in' bullshit' and went home."
Is there anyone to slap their wrists? "Well, only ourselves. Contrary to appearance, we are actually grown adults. You know when you've f...ed up and you should admonish yourself. I've walked off stage thinking 'jez, what a f...in' idiot' You don't enjoy yourself. And there are times when you're so drunk you don't realise you're making a complete dick of yourself."
Prior to their recent appearance at the Fleadh '91 in London's Finsbury Park, The Pogues had taken a break from touring. "Everybody really wanted to get away from the pressure for a while," Spider revealed. "We found that we had manoeuvred ourselves into a position where we were constantly having to work by sheer economic demands. We have managed to get out of that position and we took the opportunity to take it easy."
Are they now financially secure? "We might be financially secure shortly, but that depends on a lot of things." Spider revealed that there will be a Pogues greatest hits album on the market in the autumn. It will also feature a couple of new tracks.
Speaking about the Trip to Tipp for Feile '91 next weekend, Spider pointed out: "In Ireland it's very easy to get distracted from your main reason for being where you are. I've come back from Irland after a week feeling like I've spent a month in New Yo4rk. It seems it's not very often we do good gigs in Ireland because we are all f...in' langered. It's a very hard thing to avoid in Ireland. People's hospitality can be a bit over-whelming when they won't let you leave the pub."
Shane will be going back to his roots. "Well, yeah, he grew up in Borrisokane. I'm really looking forward to it. I'm sure we'll be stumblin' out on stage in a terible condition."