The Medusa Fora

Posted: **Wed Apr 13, 2005 7:43 pm**

Doesnt neone think it is strange that origianlly Spider and MacGowan were gonna be singers in the Pogues but everyone didnt want Spider in cos he couldnt sing good enough but MacGowan was like nah come on let him in so he played whistle. Then... When MacGowan gets kicked out Spider replaces him as singer?! This seems like madness. Why didnt Chevron become lead singer if all the members didnt like Spider's singing at the start?

Posted: **Wed Apr 13, 2005 7:45 pm**

By the way, I dont think Spider's singin is bad! Just that I heard that story about early Pogues sumwhere.

Posted: **Thu Apr 14, 2005 7:16 am**

Tempora mutantur, et nos mutamur in illis... Everything changes, even tastes and/or voices.

Spider took vocal techniques lessons, working selflessly and hard, putting all energy which remained after doing his best at whistle (i would say putting the whole soul). Breathing gymnastics, tremolo, glissando, legato... It was not easy, sweat and blood. But perseverance won. Now he is considered to be the best pupil of Mr. Pavarotti... Montserrat Caballe used to flap away tears remembering him... BTW it's him who had to perform Barcelona with Montserrat, but he was too busy in 1993. The Pogues is above all !!!

P.S. Legends in the title tempted me and I've fallen. Mea culpa...

Posted: **Thu Apr 14, 2005 12:12 pm**

spider says in the liner notes of the new album that he lost his voice at the first gig because he was nervous so shane stepped in. i guess if the others didnt like his voice they wouldnt have got as far as the first gig without saying something...unless he's a real hard nut and they are all scared of him!

Posted: **Thu Apr 14, 2005 12:14 pm**

oh yeah, and phillip didnt join the band for a couple of years later so he never would have been lead singer. alsdo he's not anywhere near as charasmatic as shane or spider

Posted: **Thu Apr 14, 2005 2:55 pm**

guest wrote:oh yeah, and phillip didnt join the band for a couple of years later so he never would have been lead singer. alsdo he's not anywhere near as charasmatic as shane or spider

bah! thats only your opinion :wink:

Mr. C's got so much charisma he bottles and sells it.

Posted: **Thu Apr 14, 2005 3:11 pm**

and ive bough a bottle of his charisma! philip loves us--and he shows it--

Posted: **Thu Apr 14, 2005 8:55 pm**

Check the merchandise section on this site for "Mr. C's Bottled Charisma"

Posted: **Fri Apr 15, 2005 7:03 am**

But beware of FCS (Fatal Charisma Syndrome) !

Posted: **Wed Apr 27, 2005 11:15 am**

spider is the man!

Posted: **Wed Apr 27, 2005 11:38 am**

yeah, i suspected something like this...

Posted: **Thu Dec 22, 2005 2:03 pm**

back to the original topic; what i heard was that spider started on vocals and shane on guitar, but spider was so hellraising at their first gigs that the rest of the band wanted him out, and it was shane that persuaded them to keep him on condition he took up vocals and spider learned whistle. Spider does say on 'completely pogued' "I learned the whistle because i thought it looked easy."

I will add that this version of events is only from another unofficial web page, and is therefore no more reliable than the others.

Posted: **Tue Dec 27, 2005 1:14 pm**

That is half true. The original idea was that shane and i would share lead vocals but the fact was that in those days couldn't really sing. I guess i didn't really have the confidence also my behaviour on stage at that first show was somewhat boorish, which i think jem and james might have found a bit much. so, what else is new?!

Posted: **Tue Dec 27, 2005 3:04 pm**

Like on 'Waxie's Dargle' and 'Down In The Ground' where you share vocals. It has a great effect, you should do it again ... like say on the NEW ALBUM you have to make :shock: