The Shane MacGowan Story

By Irish America Staff
February / March 2003

Sundance Channel will celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with the U.S. television premiere of If I Should Fall From Grace: The Shane MacGowan Story. This riveting theatrical feature, directed by Sarah Share, is one of five films that Sundance Channel will air as part of the cable network’s new weekly documentary series DOCday, that launches Monday March 3 and continues every Monday from noon until midnight with a weekly feature premiere at 9:00 p.m.

Taking its title from the Pogues classic album “If I Should Fall From Grace with God,” the film celebrates MacGowan’s astonishing talent without shying away from the more painful aspects of his famously chaotic life. This unflinching, music-driven documentary provides the first real insight into the background and career of the legendary Irish artist who, as lead singer and songwriter for the Pogues, became a worldwide punk icon. If I Should Fall From Grace demonstrates why, despite years of serious drug and alcohol abuse, MacGowan is still widely regarded as one of the most gifted songwriters of his generation.

Director Share captures both the highs and alarming lows of MacGowan’s career creating an insightful and unforgettable profile of the artist. All Music Guide calls MacGowan “A transcendent singer-songwriter and two-fisted gutter poet whose notorious drunken behavior, rotten teeth and drug-fueled excesses threatened to eclipse his reputation as a performer.”

The 90-minute film features rare early footage, video clips and live performances interspersed with contemporary interviews that trace MacGowan’s path from his first forays into London’s punk scene with his band The Nips through five legendary albums with the Pogues. We are privy to his controversial departure from the group with which his name is synonymous and with which he is now reunited. The piece includes extensive interviews with MacGowan, his former bandmates, longtime girlfriend Victoria Clarke, his parents and fellow musicians Nick Cave and Elvis Costello. ♦

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For more information on Sundance Channel’s programming see www.sundancechannel.com.

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