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Please see below the response co-written by the website and Maurice MacGowan to the statement released by Shane MacGowan's "organisation" to 'Hot Press' on 25th March. Please note that Ingrid Knetsch did not write this. She is currently not working on the website due to her father's death. We would ask that you do not e-mail her with reaction to it.
In case there are some innocents out there who might be impressed by the use of terms like "The Shane MacGowan Organisation" and "Joey and his organisation" and be led to believe that Shane's career is in safe hands being steered by a team of professionals, it is important to point out at the outset that "organisation" in the first term means Joey, holder of many imaginary jobs, and Liz Lenten, a sort of secretary/clerk, and in the second term just Liz Lenten.
The latest statement released to "Hot Press" on 25th March 2004 is very unsatisfactory. The "organisation" have either not read, or are choosing to ignore, the text of the petition and the statements made by Maurice MacGowan. In their responses to date the "organisation" have declined to mention or discuss the issues which the fans petition and Maurice's statements have raised. Instead they have chosen to label the whole thing as a "vindictive campaign" from "some misinformed and disgruntled people calling themselves fans".
To be fair they have got one bit right. The people behind this petition, and those who have signed it, are "disgruntled". They are disgruntled with the way Shane's "management" have treated them in recent years. The people behind this action are certainly not "misinformed". They are uninformed. Uninformed about Tour Dates, uninformed about Shane's other work, uninformed because they have had no proper feedback from Shane's "organisation" to the issues raised by the petition and on the website. To label those behind, and by implication, those who support the petition as "so called fans" is ludicrous. Have they not looked at who has endorsed the Petition? There are fans, long time friends of Shane, and members of his immediate family. To call Ingrid Knetsch, the person behind "Friends Of Shane" and the website, who has worked voluntarily on Shane's behalf for years "a so called fan" is an insult. Do Shane's family who have spoken out against the "organisation" fall under the same category?
Unfortunately, it is true that Shane trusts Joey "implicitly". Where money is involved such a level of trust is most unwise. The result is that Joey obtains large, or very large, sums of cash from gig fees contrary to normal practice for artists of Shane's stature nowadays. In fact he very often receives the full fee (after commission) in cash. He is not required by Shane to produce to a Chartered Accountant (or equivalent) acting for Shane an account for each gig, shortly after the gig, showing the amount received by him and any expenses and appending supporting documents such as the promoter's settlement document and receipts. Nor is he required to pay the balance after expenses, shortly after the gig, into a business bank account in Shane's name or Shane's personal bank account or to a Chartered Accountant (or equivalent) acting for Shane.
A long awaited attempt by Shane's external accountants (O.J Kilkenny & Co.) to install a proper accounting system incorporating strict financial controls did not survive the first gig after it's installation (Toomebridge 12th December 2003).
No plausible explanation has been forthcoming for this retrograde step from Shane's point of view.
The claim that Joey is a "lifelong" friend of Shane is wrong. It is fair to say that Joey has worked with Shane since 1986 when he was drafted in as a member of The Pogues road crew. Shane would have been approaching 29 then. If there is anyone in Shane's current set up that Joey could claim to have a long running friendship with it is Paul McGuinness. Their association dates back to the late 1970's when they played together in Dublin bands DC Nien and Tokyo Olympics.
The declaration that there have been "no cancellations whatsoever of live dates that have been arranged by Joey & his organisation" is simply untrue. Here are some examples of cancelled dates since 2002:
15th May 2002: Toronto.
16th May 2002: Detroit.
17th May 2002: Chicago.
These American and Canadian dates are those which ex -Popes accordion player Mick O'Connell referred to in his posting to our website Forum.
8th September 2002: South, Tramore, Co. Waterford, Ireland.
29th and 30th December 2002: The Olympia, Dublin, Ireland.
The incidents surrounding these dates are testament to many of the recent criticisms of Joey Cashman. Joey told Therese MacGowan that there were no dates booked for Christmas at the Olympia. Shane was astounded when he found this out as he generally does live dates in Ireland around Christmas. Joey proceeded to advise Shane, the Popes, and the MacGowan family that the above dates were organised. As a result of this many people were told they would take place. Joey then told everyone that the dates had been cancelled but they had never been put in by MCD who are the Olympia's promoters.
19th April 2003: Sydney, Australia.
Shane & Joey were due to leave London for Australia on Wednesday 16th April. Because Joey not be got out of his room at the Adams Trinity Hotel, Dublin, Shane & Joey did not get to Dublin Airport until 7.30pm on Thursday 17th April for a flight to London. The flight from London to Australia was scheduled to leave at 10.10pm. As a result this gig was missed.
27th April 2003: Canberra, Australia.
No reason is known as to why this date was cancelled.
9th June 2004: Ghent, Belgium.
10th June 2004: Den Haag, Holland.
11th June 2004: Hellendoorn, Holland.
12th June 2004: Amsterdam, Holland.
The above dates were agreed by Shane and The Hellfire Club's agent Jim McKee by phone on January 23rd. Shane was staying in the Quality Hotel in Glasgow at the time. Shane was very enthusiastic about the idea saying to Jim McKee that "I want in". On 26th January 2004 Jim McKee rang Nigel Morton who acts as Shane's agent for UK and European dates to check if the proposed dates conflicted with anything else in the schedule. Jim was advised by Nigel that no other dates were booked for Shane for the period in question.
There has been no attempt by anyone involved with this petition to "sabotage" shows. Yes, there has been jeering of Joey Cashman at the recent dates. A show is a public performance. Members of the public attend them. The public are perfectly entitled to express themselves as long as they don't break the law. You don't hear football managers complaining that their team is being "sabotaged" because the fans "boo" a particular team member!!
Everyone associated with this website wish Shane well and support him. The audiences at the last Tour were comprised of many of the 2000 (and rising daily) people who have signed the Petition. The fans' reviews on the website of the dates were largely favourable. This website is run by and visited by many of Shane's "real fans" ie: people who buy the records, merchandise (when it's available), and concert tickets. It is worth pointing out that the number of signatures on the Petition would be much greater if more people had access to the Internet. Many fans at the shows did not know of the website. This is not surprising as Shane's management did not include the address of the site on the artwork for the live album. Most managers make a point of ensuring that the official artist website address appears on recording artwork, concert posters etc. This is to enable them promote the artist and sell merchandise. Shane's last studio album was in 1997 when the website was in it's infancy.
The Statement claims that the recent tour was a "sell out". It is easy enough to sell out the venues Shane has been doing in recent times. The real tragedy is that he should be doing larger venues like The Point in Dublin (instead of two nights at The Olympia) or The Brixton Academy in London.
As to Shane's spots with Johnny Depp and Jools Holland they are friends of Shane and he would get these spots even if Mr. Bean were his manager.
We eagerly await the details for the "next batch of shows". Past experience would suggest that we are unlikely to get them from Shane's "organisation". Equally we look forward to Shane's press conference as we would dearly love to hear his insight on the current situation. However, considering the fact that Shane's "organisation" pulled the plug on an interview with "Hot Press" scheduled for 16th March it would not be unreasonable to assume that this promise of a press conference is a stalling tactic by them.