The Medusa Fora

Shanes voice has undoubtedly gone through many changes over the years. Between the live shows I have from 85 and 88 his voice seems to deteriorate quite a bit; agree/disagree ? Anyway, do people think the deterioration would be due to overuse (I'm mean how many times could one perform waxies dargle without tearing up ones vocal chords ?) or drugs/alcohol/cigarettes or both or was it something else ? He seems to sort of be struggling to get the words out from a show from 88 I have, and for the matter on If I Should Fall From Grace .. and of course the next two albums.

ask the tom waits fan, here....

ever seen him without a smoke? ever seen him without a drink?
those two things will deeeestroy. plus, the beating the hell out of the chords, by singing. cords? chords? the vocal ones.
i can hear a change in my voice from said catalysts, and i've only been smoking for 6 years.
on a larger scale...compare rainy night in soho? or anything on RSatL. to... say... the snake. especially track 1.

if his transformation seems radical to you...buy the heart of saturday night, by tom waits... and then small change. 2 years of difference. compare.

some singers have their tea and ice cream, to prepare and protect.
other's have their booze cigarettes coffee...and so on.

did that clear anything up?

Tom Wade wrote:ask the tom waits fan, here....

And here...

you kinda need him to put things in perspective... i read a review of one of shane's more recent performances that said something about his voice being shot.

shot?! shot?!?! that's not shot....

you've got a much larger datebase

I'm not so much worried about his voice changing, as I am that I can no longer understand the man much of the time! There had been a rumor a year or two ago that he was going to get new teeth. This might help him in the recording studio.... ?

territa wrote:I'm not so much worried about his voice changing, as I am that I can no longer understand the man much of the time! There had been a rumor a year or two ago that he was going to get new teeth. This might help him in the recording studio.... ?

Can you imagine Shane with new teeth?

I'm trying hard.

I saw a recent picture somewhere of MacGowan with a set of false ones. I didn't have to cringe as much as usual when I saw it.

he always made due...
i've always wondered why such a huge deal is made about his teeth.
fortunetly, from recent recent pictures. i don't think he has any left on the top.

that would definetly have a lot to do with announciation?
but...i don't think he ever had it easy.

i know what you mean, though... i WOULD love the song Mexican funeral in Paris. IF i could understand anything but the title.

Speaking of Shanes teeth, does no one remember when during the Frank Skinner show he put a pair of false teeth in!!!!!!!!!

Shanes voice in stuff like "A Pair of Brown Eyes" is truly awesome, he does appear to be going through the motions now. He's gone from an angry youth with venom, to a "Shaun Ryder" fat middle age bloke with little "Bite", if you pardon the pun.

I truly wish he sober up for 6 months and release an album with the Pogues, but we can but dream!

Quitting drinking or even sobering up would probably kill him at this point !

you know...

i was on some random website, and it had a picture of shane from...2000 or 2002. and the caption was...if that's what he looked like then, imagine what he looks like now!

however, he had some sort of minor lifestyle change. he looks great, now. better than he has in years. lost some weight. his eyes focus on things. most importantly...there's life in his eyes again. i doubt he quit drinking, without medical help anyway. the violent seizures and what not. but a tip of the cap to him, thus far.

all i need now is a pogues show on the east coast (of the us.) and a new album. and we're square, he owes me nothing (as if he does, now)

Tiny Tartanella wrote:Speaking of Shanes teeth, does no one remember when during the Frank Skinner show he put a pair of false teeth in!!!!!!!!!

I think Shane's singing has improved quite a bit since the 1990s. When playing with the Popes he mostly sounded tired. Listen to Crock of Gold or the Montreux DVD. He is kinda singing 'through his nose'. With the Pogues however, he doesn't sound like he is phoning it in. So even if his voice cannot achieve the highs of his best singing (till about 1986) he still tries to make up for it, I think.

As for alcohol and fags affecting your voice (it's true, but): Bob Dylan has been living a rather healthy life in the last five or ten years. Still, his voice has deteriorated a great deal in these years. Van Morrison's voice hasn't gotten worse and I'm sure he's had his share of whiskey...

Tiny Tartanella wrote:Speaking of Shanes teeth, does no one remember when during the Frank Skinner show he put a pair of false teeth in!!!!!!!!

That was not funny at all.

I think that smoking has probably played the biggest role in it. Alcohol most likely has little to no effect, but smoking can do some bad stuff. Joe Cocker smokes(d), and his voice has done some similer stuff. Same with Bob Dylan. And I don't believe there is a singer out there who hasn't drank at least once or twice, so it's most likely smoking and aging.