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CROCK OF GOLD: A FEW ROUNDS WITH SHANE MACGOWAN (2020)
Crock of Gold poster

FEATURING
SHANE MACGOWAN
GERRY ADAMS
VICTORIA MARY CLARKE
JOHNNY DEPP
BOBBY GILLESPIE
MAURICE MACGOWAN
SIOBHAN MACGOWAN

WRITTEN BY
JULIEN TEMPLE

EDITED BY
CAROLINE RICHARDS

CINEMATOGRAPHY BY
STEVE ORGAN

MUSIC BY
JOCELYN CAMPBELL
JC CARROLL

PRODUCED BY
JOHNNY DEPP
STEPHEN DEUTERS
STEPHEN MALIT
JULIEN TEMPLE

DIRECTED BY
JULIEM TEMPLE

GENRE
DOCUMENTARY
MUSIC

RATED
AUS:MA
UK:18
USA:NA

RUNTIME
124 MIN

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Crock of Gold: A Few Rounds with Shane MacGowan image

Julien Temple’s documentary on the artistry and excess of songwriter Shane MacGowan is a visual and story rich feast, with Crock of Gold: A few Rounds with Shane MacGowan the ultimate exploration of a life undone by addictions, yet built upon a legacy of song.

To witness Shane MacGowan today is to see a man severely altered by his addictions. Confined to a wheelchair and almost incomprehensible in his speech, the famed singer, songwriter, and front man of The Pogues has clearly seen better days. Yet while his body is in a disintegrated state, there is no denying the soul, spirit, and intellect of this proud Irishman, whose songs have influenced generations and been praised by the likes of Joe Strummer and Nick Cave.

Director Julien Temple (The Ecstasy of Wilko Johnson) successfully taps into that very much present side of MacGowan in his presentation of the man’s life and work, and the debauched excess that was ingrained in it.

Based upon a series of interviews between Temple and MacGowan over the years, not to mention a smattering of archived footage and taking head testimonials, MacGowan’s story is presented as a warts and all exploration of a life of patriotic fervour not only towards his Irish heritage, but to the 1970s London punk rock scene in which MacGowan became an unofficial mascot. The blending of both resulted in MacGowan’s own musical output, in which he wanted to give rich Irish folk music a “kick in the arse”. This resulted in the birth of a once in a generation musician, with some even labelling MacGowan as a “poet”, which he correctly swats away as a pretentious title of little value.

MacGowan was born on Christmas day, an irony not lost on the deeply Catholic Irishman, who reminisces fondly on his childhood in rural Ireland, in which he was raised in a culture of drink, smoke, and song. When his beloved aunt wasn’t teaching him the Catholic Catechism, his incredibly irresponsible parents allowed a 6-year-old MacGowan to down two Guinness a night. It is no wonder he would go on to become an alcoholic abomination.

Temple for his part somewhat glorifies MacGowan’s monstrous benders (among other things) through animation sequences that are as crude as they are entertaining. Mixed with archive footage, a soundtrack of The Pogues biggest hits, and MacGowan’s unique Irish brogue providing narration, and Temple has delivered as lively and entertaining a documentary you will find.

The fact that MacGowan is still alive is indeed a miracle, and of course the Crock of Gold in the title is symbolic of MacGowan himself. His decades of song about drink, characters, pain, and the history and pride of the Irish people makes him a national treasure.

Punk. Poet. Rock legend. There is only one Shane MacGowan, and Crock of Gold captures that legacy.

****

 

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