by philipchevron Sun Dec 27, 2009 1:07 pm
Seems to me that where people are not applauding the addition of "Metropolis" to recent shows, they are bitching about the alleged same-old-same-old quality of the set, proving you can never adequately please all of the people all of the time. We cannot reintroduce "Young Ned Of The Hill" for three or four consecutive shows without taking flak for then "dropping" it again. So, as I mentioned before, we tend to please ourselves. We've always understood that if, in pleasing ourselves, we cease to please our audiences, well, they will simply stop coming to see us and that, friends, is the bargain every single person who goes into the show business accepts from the moment they step on a stage. Fortunately, we have, for the most part, been blessed with a following which understands that when I, or somebody else in the band, makes the claim in an interview that what we play is living, breathing words and music that exists anew for us each time we play it, it is not a bullshit claim but a reaffirmation of the essential timelessness of the Pogues' songs.
However, all of this is, in some ways, beside the point. The original poster wanted to know why we continually short-changed him/her by playing the same songs over and over again for almost 30 years/almost 10 years, which was apparent to me from the original question, even if the poster believed s/he was disguising it by asking whether the BAND ever got bored of playing the same songs. And quite simply, a dishonest question does not merit an honest answer. By the time the poster, masquerading as usual as "Guest" had gotten around to letting us know what was really on his/her mind, s/he had, inevitably, descended into the customary yed-be-nothing-without-Shane-and-yer-all-a-shower-of-breadheads-anyway rant, a feature of which we have all, by now, become strangely and unaccountably fond. I for one would feel the year had not been celebrated fully had we not heard from our curmudgeonly friend, though I do suggest he/she save this reply for posterity, as it is the only one he/she will ever get. Perhaps "Guest" can drag it up from the Medusa archives every year for reappraisal until such time as, say, boredom sets in from the endless repetition.
Seems to me that where people are not applauding the addition of "Metropolis" to recent shows, they are bitching about the alleged same-old-same-old quality of the set, proving you can never adequately please all of the people all of the time. We cannot reintroduce "Young Ned Of The Hill" for three or four consecutive shows without taking flak for then "dropping" it again. So, as I mentioned before, we tend to please ourselves. We've always understood that if, in pleasing ourselves, we cease to please our audiences, well, they will simply stop coming to see us and that, friends, is the bargain every single person who goes into the show business accepts from the moment they step on a stage. Fortunately, we have, for the most part, been blessed with a following which understands that when I, or somebody else in the band, makes the claim in an interview that what we play is living, breathing words and music that exists anew for us each time we play it, it is not a bullshit claim but a reaffirmation of the essential timelessness of the Pogues' songs.
However, all of this is, in some ways, beside the point. The original poster wanted to know why we continually short-changed him/her by playing the same songs over and over again for almost 30 years/almost 10 years, which was apparent to me from the original question, even if the poster believed s/he was disguising it by asking whether the BAND ever got bored of playing the same songs. And quite simply, a dishonest question does not merit an honest answer. By the time the poster, masquerading as usual as "Guest" had gotten around to letting us know what was really on his/her mind, s/he had, inevitably, descended into the customary yed-be-nothing-without-Shane-and-yer-all-a-shower-of-breadheads-anyway rant, a feature of which we have all, by now, become strangely and unaccountably fond. I for one would feel the year had not been celebrated fully had we not heard from our curmudgeonly friend, though I do suggest he/she save this reply for posterity, as it is the only one he/she will ever get. Perhaps "Guest" can drag it up from the Medusa archives every year for reappraisal until such time as, say, boredom sets in from the endless repetition.
