Shane MacGowan’s widow recalls living on “edge of some kind of actual destruction” with Pogues icon
Shane MacGowan‘s widow has recalled how it felt like she was living on the “edge of some kind of actual destruction” during her long-term relationship with the late Pogues icon.
The Irish musician died “peacefully” in hospital from pneumonia on November 30. He was 65 years old. His funeral took place in Nenagh, County Tipperary on December 8.
During a new interview with The Guardian, MacGowan’s wife Victoria Mary Clarke opened up about the impact of the singer-songwriter’s alcohol and substance abuse – which increased throughout their time together.
“He would do crazy things like take 100 tabs of acid in a day then jump out of the window of a moving taxi, or paint himself blue,” Clarke remembered.
“And he would quite often set fire to things. He set fire to hotel rooms that we stayed in – while we were in them – because of the acid. We were living very much on the edge of some kind of actual destruction.”
She went on to tell the publication that she would sometimes find MacGowan in bed with groupies. “I would be absolutely furious and I would punch him and run out and say: ‘Right, that’s it – I’m never coming back!'” Clarke said.
“But then I’d get my own flat and just wouldn’t be able to stay away. I would always come back and I think he just knew that.”
The interviewer then noted that Clarke would “smile” when recalling some of these stories, like the time MacGowan had taken heroin, crack and crystal meth in LA before jumping on someone’s exercise bike and “pedalling like crazy”.
She explained: “I thought: ‘He’s going to have a heart attack on an exercise bike!'”
Looking back to a period in the ’90s, Clarke remembered someone overdosing and subsequently dying on the living room floor of the couple’s “rundown” London property.
“[There were] plenty of people dying all the time,” she said. “There seemed to be a bit of an inevitability about that. And Shane always seemed to be the only one who was destined to survive. We all thought: ‘Well, Shane will outlive everybody’.”
Later, Clarke recalled being “properly suicidal” after MacGowan checked into the Priory for his heroin problems. She joined him in rehab to overcome her depression: “… I found it difficult to be in there with him because I always had this kind of fear of judgment and criticism and Shane was inviting it.”
Feeling the deep sadness today but I know it will be coming in waves. Sending love
to everyone in the world who is going through grief today
— @victoriamary (@Victoriamary) December 18, 2023
She also talked about her grief since MacGowan’s passing, saying: “I’ve actually been doing fine, because I feel like he’s still here.”
Additionally, Clarke – who is a journalist and writer – shared plans to one day release a book of “unpublished” songs by the late Pogues musician.
Clarke recently expressed her gratitude to Johnny Depp after the actor attended MacGowan’s funeral, describing him as a “tower of strength”.
Nick Cave, Glen Hansard and Irish President Michael D. Higgins were also among the guests in attendance at the service.
Meanwhile, it was revealed last week that MacGowan’s “last request” was to have €10,000 left behind the bar at a VIP wake after his funeral.
In other news, The Pogues’ ‘Fairytale Of New York’ has been released on a special seven-inch vinyl for charity. The classic single is currently in the race to become this year’s Christmas Number One.
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Tom Skinner
NME
