Reviewed by Rama Gaind.
Writer/director: Julien Temple, Pivot Pictures.
It’s taken him a while to get to it, but Julien Temple has delivered a thought-provoking documentary on Shane MacGowan, an English-born Irish singer, songwriter and musician.
The critically acclaimed film, documentary and music video director has an impressive and diverse filmography to his name to include The Great Rock ‘n’ Roll Swindle, Absolute Beginners, Joe Strummer: The Future Is Unwritten and The Filth And The Fury.
The ‘wild and roving life’ of Ireland’s most beloved punk poet is the focus of Crock of Gold. The subject is best known as the lead singer and songwriter of Celtic punk band The Pogues, who brought Celtic flavor to the punk-loving masses and reached international prominence in the 1980s and 1990s.
The film maps MacGowan’s childhood in Ireland through his years on the punk scene in London, covering his “passions, humour, and deep knowledge of music, history, spirituality, and popular culture”.
“The film is a vision of the world through the eyes of the great punk poet himself and an intimate cast of close friends and family members, all channelled through Temple’s inimitable and eternally vibrant lens.”
MacGowan is said to be the ‘tormented vocalist who famously combined traditional Irish music with the visceral energy of punk rock’. Growing up in a culture of strong anti-Irish sentiment in Britain, the proud son of Irish immigrants has lived life to the hilt and beyond, putting every atom of his humanity on the line with his raw and unflinching brand of music, which melds Irish traditionalism with the fire of punk.
With fascinating insights, the film shows previously unseen footage of the band and the frontman’s family. This is a stirring, lively and heartbreaking feature documentary that also celebrates MacGowan’s musical legacy – as well as his miraculous power of survival.
