What's your very first memory of hearing the Pogues

[territa]

My spelling was much better in the olden days of manual and electric typewriters, before computer keyboards and spellcheck spoiled me. I also can't get speedy on these wiggly computer keys.

My first memory of the band was watching them on Saturday Night Live in 1990. I had no idea who they were. I thought they were very good at what they did, but it was like nothing else I'd ever heard. I became distracted by Shane's teeth as the camera focused on him, but by the end of Body of an American the band had pulled me back into the music.

A few years later, I had my epiphany with Gentleman Soldier playing. Watching a loaned copy of the St. Patrick's Night video made me realize there was more to be had of the band than the CDs we owned. And after collecting the memorabilia and memories of others for years, I finally have my own.

[Shaz]

Glastonbury. Must have been 1986. A friend wangled some press tickets for us and we travelled down there in an ancient Mini with lousy suspension. The said friend was a naice middle class girl from Surrey and had never been to this sort of event before. She emerged from the loos and said in tones of great outrage: "There's no toilet paper in there!"

We had great fun spotting the undercover plods, all of whom seemed to be wearing pristine white trainers and jeans with an immaculate crease down the front.

The friend's other half wanted to see Psychedelic Furs. My mate was a Housemartins fan. At the time I wasn't that fussed about music, as I was too busy playing sport in my spare time. I quite fancied seeing Billy Bragg (I possessed a handful of CDs, of which BB was one and Janis Ian was another!)

And then this band came on and I couldn't take my eyes off them. Asking people around who they were told me they were The Pogues. I lived in rural Wiltshire at the time, and when I got home on Monday I had to go to the nearest big (well, these things are relative) town where I tracked down RS&tL and ordered RRfM.

I date my record-buying addiction from that day

[left]

uh I was listening to Pogue Mahone, and I had a flashback about that...

The first time I heard The Pogues I was like 10 years old and my sister bought the Pogue Mahone cd...and I was immediately shocked by the music they were playing..
I remember that I was persuaded that the beautiful riff on "Living In a World Without Her" was played by an orchestra, and I stayed in my bed with the headphones on, listening to this song again and again and again, miming the gestures of an hypothetical conductor of a virtual orchestra

Then some time after I heard Fiesta on the radio..and discovered the alchool-blessed voice of Shane...and discovered that they have others beautiful songs...and...oh you all know how it works then

[RICHB]

uh I was listening to Pogue Mahone, and I had a flashback about that...

The first time I heard The Pogues I was like 10 years old and my sister bought the Pogue Mahone cd...and I was immediately shocked by the music they were playing..
I remember that I was persuaded that the beautiful riff on "Living In a World Without Her" was played by an orchestra, and I stayed in my bed with the headphones on, listening to this song again and again and again, miming the gestures of an hypothetical conductor of a virtual orchestra

Then some time after I heard Fiesta on the radio..and discovered the alchool-blessed voice of Shane...and discovered that they have others beautiful songs...and...oh you all know how it works then

Wow imagine discovering the pogues that way round. Listening to the later stuff which is ok and cut above most other stuff first and thinking it was cool and then getting hold of the stuff when Shane was there and having your mind blown. Happy Days

[Billie]

ah well. I first heard of the Pogues reading a book of an Italian novelist (Enrico Brizzi. The title of the book is "Tre ragazzi immaginari", which is the translation of "Three Imaginary Boys", y'know, the Cure song). A part of the book was set in what I think was the last Pogues' appearance in Italy, a gig in Bologna. Thinking, now...I heard of them even before...in another Brizzi's book ("Jack Frusciante è uscito dal gruppo" - "Jack Frusciante quit the band")...where the main character talks about "Sunnyside of the street" a lot. So my first Pogues' songs were "Sunnyside of the street", "Wild cats of Kilkenny" and "The old main drag". Then a schoolmate of mine made me a copy of "Red roses for me"...and by then I was totally in love with the Pogues, though my favourite stuff comes in "If I Should Fall From Grace With God", "Poguetry in motion" and "Rum, Sodomy and the Lash".

[MacMahon]

Twas about fifteen years ago when I asked my friends to get me some Oirish music and, luckily, it was HELL'S DITCH, and i just got down in this ditch

it was a copy of original cassette with original booklet in, i read the lyrics and the lyrics were great, i was fucked up completely, oi mean it, u know...

the rest is the history

[tyler]

The first time I heard the Pogues, I was about 14 or so (4-5 years ago) and I was watching the BlackLabel skate video "Label Kills." In this video, Matt Hensley used "Sunnyside of the Street" for his segment and I lost my mind trying to figure out who recorded that song.

[Eric V]

The first time I heard the Pogues, I was about 14 or so (4-5 years ago) and I was watching the BlackLabel skate video "Label Kills." In this video, Matt Hensley used "Sunnyside of the Street" for his segment and I lost my mind trying to figure out who recorded that song.

I didn't know that, and its a damn good thing to hear.

[shipbuilder]

Red Roses For Me in 1985 - I borrowed the vinyl lp off my mate John and was 15. I had to play it quietly at home as my mum hated swearing. I taped it on a blue TDK then out RSATL on t'other side when it came out. Didn't have much money for vinyl in those days. I remember when my brother bought 'Nazi Punks Fuck Off' by the Dead Kennedys - that went down well with Mum!

[HellsDitchForever]

Greetings fellow Pogues fans, I figured for my first post I would discuss how I discovered The Pogues, and how Hell's Ditch probably changed my perspective of music forever. This was probably 1992 or so. At a young age (around 6) I remember hearing this different music from the stereo every so often, I was too young to really have a fond love for music, I must have focused on Super Mario Bro's or whatnot at that age... but I always appreciated it, some nights I'd hear some Celtic, other nights standard rock and roll from say, The Beatles, The Stones, The Who, and some nights I'd hear The Pogues... but lets rewind about a year

My dad had just bought the stereo system after saying bye bye to vinyl. My mom at the time had heard Fairytale of N.Y and was pretty much begging for "That Irish band with the Christmas song on the radio" ... not ever hearing of them my dad searched some of the higher chain CD stores, to not much avail... then he stopped by the local CD shop and picked up a copy of Peace and Love (The SECOND CD he bought for his new CD Player) figuring the song might be on there... it obviously wasn't. However my father actually really enjoyed the album, so much so he purchased Hell's Ditch. (The Third or Fourth CD he bought for his new CD Player)

Years had gone by and the same old routine, I'd hear stuff I'd enjoy, but not pay much mind, in fact the only song I actually knew by the Pogues WAS Fairytale of NY, and Sunny Side of the Street (My dad finally picked up the right album after buying the third album a few months after Hell's Ditch ) and I pretty much considered them a one or two hit wonder... Then 2003 hit, I was in Grade 11 at the time and summer was approaching. I loved (and still do!) classic rock. I never ever listen to Rap, C&W (unless you count Warren Zevon as C&W), or Metal... and was even a little reluctant of Punk... though I DO like The Clash. That summer I went on a camping trip with this buddy of mine, and this being a first camping trip in a while I decided to throw some new stuff on my portable CD player (after being tired of hearing the same stuff over and over again). My dad said "Hey Nick, why not take along Hell's Ditch?", having not heard "Sunny" in a long time, I agreed, figuring that was all I was going to bother playing on my CD Player...

That first night I put it in and it started with Sunny... then Sayonara (Which I still consider one of their greatest songs)... Ghost of a Smile, Hell's Ditch, Lorca's Norvena (might by my favorite song of all time), Rain Street, House of the Gods, Wake of the Medusa. Basically, I fell in love. Summer had just begun and I had found a new band to thoroughly enjoy. Then I listened too a greatest hits album, (being disappointed at the fact there weren't very many Hell's Ditch tunes on it ) then Peace and Love, soon enough I had heard enough of them and made my own compilation... which eventually I gave to my older cousin to enjoy after he first discovered them. (The guy has heard barely anything from Hell's Ditch!) I consider to this day The Pogues to be one of the greatest bands of all time, along with Van Morrison... and Shane is a living legend. Today, at 20, I am soon going to learn to play the Acoustic guitar, so through the years on these camping trips (I still go to them annually) I can play some songs in front of the fire that have meant so much too me.

I hope you enjoyed reading this and hopefully I didn't bore you too much.

- Nick

[firehazard]

I hope you enjoyed reading this and hopefully I didn't bore you too much.

Not boring, no... it's always good to hear how someone got started with the Pogues. And especially as starting with Hell's Ditch is probably a different way round from many of us. Oh, and welcome to the fora!

[idlebagger]

I can't really remember... It was around the time of Rum, sodomy... I know the song was Sally MacLennane, and it was during either a feature or a news report about the band, probably on The Tube or somesuch programme... Shane was jumping around alot, as I recall, and I was a fan straight away.

I'd grown up with my moms Dubliners and Chieftains lp's being played constantly, and, much as I loved those acts, The Pogues immediately felt like my band, they were relevant to me...

[philofbelloni]

Senior year of high school - about 3 yrs after FONY was released. The local alt station FNX played that tune from Thanksgiving eve until New Years Day (wonder why?). I was an all-knowing-youth with a wildly distorted sense of liberal social awareness. The "feikin" F-bombs in "Bottle of Smoke" and the tragic tale of "Streets of Sorrow" drew me in.

[Apachetear]

And now you must buy Hell's Ditch, post a thousand posts, drink two bottles of whisky in one week, and .....well, at that point we'll tell you what to do next. Welcome!

I now have Hells Ditch, and waiting for the herb to boot...

the whisky, well...I've failed to deliver there...

but Hells Ditch is helluva good album

[ohAonghusa]

I'd like to think I'll be returning when I can.