Trivia / The Pogues

• Acting for Two: "A Pair Of Brown Eyes" has two separate narrators, both voiced by Shane.
• Creative Differences: this band could start a fight with a brick wall.
  • Hostilities emerged between the band and producer Elvis Costello, especially once he started dating bassist Cait O'Riordan.
  • Cait O'Riordan drew a lot of flack from the rest of the band for her unreliability, especially after she skedaddled during a 1986 American tour, aided and abetted by Elvis Costello. She left the band for good soon after.
  • And all of this was a mere precursor to the band's escalating issues with Shane McGowan, whose drunkenness and unreliable attendance at gigs became such an issue that the band kicked him out in 1991.
• Promoted Fanboy: Numerous examples.
  • Cait O'Riordan had been a big fan of Shane McGowan when he was the lead singer of the Nipple Erectors/the Nips, and then joined his new band. Phil Chevron was an early fan of the Pogues and knew some of the members: he snuck into the band by offering to replace banjo player Jem Finer for a European tour (even though he didn't kow how to play the banjo) and managed to become the guitarist.
  • Darryl Hunt was the band's roadie for years before being promoted to bassist. And Joe Strummer was a fan of the band who first became an occasional guest member (standing in for Phil Chevron on some American tour dates, playing live with the band at some recorded gigs), then produced one of their albums, and then became the lead singer for a while following Shane McGowan's departure.
  • This also happened in reverse: the band, whose whole existence was inspired by the Dubliners, got to record a song and play live with them. Joe Strummer joining the Pogues was also a moment like this for many of the band, who had been fans of The Clash.
• Role-Ending Misdemeanor: Shane McGowan was kicked out of the band in 1991 for his unreliability due to his crippling alcoholism and drug use. He would rejoin the band a decade later.
• Throw It In!: Kirsty MacColl was only supposed to record the guide vocal for the female part on "Fairytale of New York" - a favour to her husband, who was producing the track. But the band, who were between female vocalists at the time, fell in love with her performance.
• What Could Have Been: In one article about the band from soon after when Philip Chevron joined, there's mention that the band are planning on doing a cover of Philip Chevron's song Faithful Departed (previously released by his old band, the Radiators from Space) and of Redemption Song by Bob Marley. Neither were ever released, although Redemption Song turned up on a bootlegged demo...

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