A Furious Devotion cover art

A Furious Devotion

The Life of Shane MacGowan

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A Furious Devotion

By: Richard Balls
Narrated by: Dan Calley
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About this listen

Punk protagonist, legendary drinker, Irish musical icon. The complete and extraordinary journey of the Pogues' notorious front man from outcast to national treasure has never been told - until now.

A Furious Devotion: The Life of Shane MacGowan vividly recounts the experiences that shaped the greatest songwriter of his generation: the formative trips to his mother's homestead in Tipperary, the explosion of punk that changed his life, and the drink and drugs that nearly ended it.

As well as exclusive interviews with Shane himself, author Richard Balls has secured contributions from his wife and family and people who have never spoken publicly about Shane before: close associates, former girlfriends, and the English teacher who first spotted his literary gift. Nick Cave, Aidan Gillen, Cillian Murphy, Christy Moore, Sinead O'Connor, and Dermot O'Leary are on the rollcall of those paying tribute to the gifted songwriter and poet.

©2021 Omnibus Press (P)2021 Tantor Entertainment & Celebrities Celebrity

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All stars
Most relevant  
did the narrator ever meet an Irish person or think it may be an idea to listen to an album or 2. The book was spoiled by the constant failure to pronounce irish names and places correctly. -

Have you ever met an Irish person (narrator) ?

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I've been a huge Shane McGowan fan since my dad played 'Rum , Sodomy and the Lash' all those years ago and I haven't stopped adoring the great man & his work and indeed himself ever since .
This is a truly exceptional biography. I've read nearly all there is to read on shane . To be honest I just wanted something to listen to almost like back ground chatter while I'm at work but it really didn't take long for me to realise that this is a wonderful book . perhaps it has a wee bit more sway than other books as it takes in the witness accounts from more than usual suspects source. Shane's teachers, ex-partners and so on .... it feels like a more rounded account of Shane , his wondrous tallent with words and touches on some of the demons that have lead him into those long destructive bouts . It's not entirely perfect as I think that the author has a lot of love for Shane and so there might be one or two biased explanations but then if you are dealing with a character like Shane's it must be pretty hard to be subjective as he is a hugely likeable individual.... to my family , my freinds and my self at least ..... If you are a fan I think there's alot here to love . peace&love!!!!
'Tiocfaidh ar la'

unmissable!!!!!!!

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I absolutely loved the Pogues, the Popes and anything else Shane Macgowan was involved in. Chaotic, exhausting to read, but some absolute classics which will live on. Shame the narrator hadn’t researched a number of the pronunciations. Maybe give him a break on Maclennane, but Cillian and Cerys !! No excuse. I did wonder if I could hang in there until the end of the book, - and square away his support for the IRA - but this was no problem. And I’m happy this doesn’t include the last year or so. It helps his legacy e on. Stuart

The chaos behind the genius

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It is not hard to tell an incredible story. This story is incredible.

Very disappointed at how many Irish words and terms are mispronounced in this audio book.

Shane

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Hard to listen to all the cod accents and mispronunciations. I think a little more thought should be given to the choice of reader ☹️

Great content, woeful delivery.

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Absolutely excellent account of a genuine troubled genius very well put together- well worth the read, loved it and can certainly recommend

Trouble king greatness

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Great story. what a genius. pity about the narrator's accent. very dodgy in places

The story of a true genius

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Interesting and informative particularly around Shane's early life, but by the end of the book the tone becomes very sycophantic. Pronunciation of Irish placenames and given names throughout is terrible, Howth and Cillian Murphy are just two examples that the narrator destroys repeatedly ; I mean if you are narrating a book that deals so much with Ireland and Irish culture the least you should do is find out how to pronounce any Irish words in the text. Cillian should be prounced Killein no Sillein as is done here.

Pity about the terrible pronunciation

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Enjoyed the book but the narration was shockingly bad. I read the negative reviews before hand & genuinely thought it wouldn’t bother me but it was just pure lazy.

A sad, troubled, unglamorous life. A waste of talent

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A very good book that tells the fierce tales of a true songwriting genius! However the narrator butchers a lot of the Irish dialect and language and there’s no need to imitate accents when narrating an audiobook. Overall a really enjoyable experience!

Great schtuff!!!

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