THE POGUES, BY THE GRACE OF GOD
“I was in London talking to a friend of mine,” recounts Joe Strummer, clutching a bottle of beer, “and I decided that it would be good to give up drinking for a few months. Then I went home and the phone rang, and it was (Pogues manager) Frank Murray asking me if I wanted to go on tour with the Pogues on Saturday.”
THE POGUES, BY THE GRACE OF GOD
FEATURES
by Harold DeMuir
“I was in London talking to a friend of mine,” recounts Joe Strummer, clutching a bottle of beer, “and I decided that it would be good to give up drinking for a few months. Then I went home and the phone rang, and it was (Pogues manager) Frank Murray asking me if I wanted to go on tour with the Pogues on Saturday.”
The former Clash frontman’s sobriety effort is on hold for the time being, as he’s here in the States performing with his pals the Pogues, filling in for ailing rhythm guitarist Philip Chevron. The spectre of the demon alcohol looms large in the Pogues pantheon, both as lyrical subject matter and recreational activity. But we’ll save that for later.