Musician BP Fallon has shared memories of his friend Shane MacGowan, as he recalls the singer's 'eccentric' personality.
BP Fallon was invited by Frank Murray, The Pogues manager, to see the band live in Carlow.
The musician was taken aback by Shane's talent when he finally sat down to listen to the lyrics.
READ MORE: Remembering Shane MacGowan: Unraveling the magic behind 'Fairytale of New York'
Talking about the late singer, BP recalled the crazy stories he had heard about Shane: "This was the guy who has supposedly had his ear bitten off at a Clash gig.
"He was a chap that everyone liked, this eccentric fellow."
The musician remembered the unusual and bold name choices chosen by Shane for his bands.
Shane first had the Nipple Erecters, which shortened their name to The Nips, and BP said: "Later Pogue Mahone changed their name to The Pogues - sometimes shortness is swifter."
BP was surprised by the unusual behavior of The Pogues band members upon his first time seeing them live, but it all changed when he got the chance to listen more carefully.
Talking on Ireland AM, he said: "You sit down and listen to the lyrics and you go 'Good god, these lyrics are incredible' - you'd be sitting with Shane ... and you'd be looking at him and going 'it's quite amazing that this chap writes these incredible songs.'"
He continued in his praise for his friend, noting that Shane's talent and intelligence set him apart from the rest.
"He had a magic gift from heaven, very very intelligent gentleman, incredibly intelligent. Things would be going on and he'd be taking it all in- and you're not necessarily aware of it."
BP went on to liken Shane to Seamus Heaney, noting that his writing was both lyric and poetry.
He said: "There's a difference in lyric and poem, and Shane was both."
The musician went on to note how The Pogues manager has a keen eye for the talents of the group of eccentric group.
BP said: "Frank Murray their manager was so foresighted, because here you had ... [what looked like] a bunch of loonies and he saw how they could be famous and successful.
"He did amazing on pushing them and allowing them to grow ... without him there would not have been The Pogues."
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