February 16, 2011
By Staff Reporter
The Pogues front man, known as much for his legendary drinking as for his musical talent, was in bad shape just a few months ago. He broke a foot, then a leg, which forced him to use a wheelchair during his recovery. But, much to the dismay of his show biz pals, the steel wheels did nothing to curb his wild man antics. Sinead, a longtime friend, took him under her wing (or is that collar?) when things looked bleakest. Let’s put it this way — at the time, she wasn’t terribly optimistic about the wisdom of him buying green bananas.
“He is an angel near the end who needs support,” she mournfully told the press.
“He’s too far gone to stop drinking,” she said. “He has an illness that cannot be cured and as far as I can see the end is near for him. He has reached the stage where he physically can’t stop himself from drinking, it’s done him too much damage.”
Hit the fast forward button, and Sha-Zam! A relatively mobile, healthy and ostentatiously sober MacGowan made his first public appearance at a gallery opening in Dublin over the weekend. The singer still uses crutches, but he is able to move around without them for short periods of time.
To confirm his guardian angel’s healing powers, Shane paused in front of a portrait of Sinead that hung in the gallery, and threw down his crutches in front of the painting. We’re sure his fellow art lovers were suitably impressed by the near-miracle.