Shane’s shocker! Not everyone in my songs is an angel!
WITH his appearance on the cover of the Christmas edition of Ireland’s Own, Shane MacGowan has been officially anointed a Poor Ould Fella, of the highest rank.
And sure enough his first task in that new position was not a happy one — essentially he had to explain one of the basic workings of the world to the modern lads who were raising a flag about Fairytale of New York, and its use of the word “faggot”.
And so, somewhat in the spirit of Bertie Ahern talking about Brexit on Claire Byrne Live, it fell to Shane to point out quietly but firmly, and no doubt with a certain sadness for all humanity, a few of the realities of life on earth to those who are not familiar with them.
“The word was used by the character because it fitted with the way she would speak and with her character,” he wrote. And later: “Not all characters in songs and stories are angels… sometimes characters in songs and stories have to be evil or nasty in order to tell the story effectively…”
Admirable in its restraint, it has the clarity of a Ladybird book in which a kindly old man is describing the wonders of the human mind, how at some mysterious point in time we begin to understand that if a bad person in a story says something bad, not only is that not necessarily a bad thing, it can actually be good!
Because the child is now associating this bad thing — such as the use of foul and abusive language — with the dark side of human nature. And thus the child may start to form the impression that it is better to avoid the use of that word, if he or she wishes to be a good person.
Now there is actually no Ladybird book which lays out these fundamental truths, perhaps because it was never imagined that a time would come when children of all ages would be confused about such things — and that a time would come when some poor ould fella, after all his days, would have to tell them that it’s all right, that you can make things up in which people say the wrong things, but it’s all right.
That time is now.