Home | About BP | Books by BP | Photography | Articles | Contact | Archive | bpf.radio

IT'S A REHAB REHAB REHAB WORLD!
SHANE & BP GIVE IT TO YOU! continued...

From the very start, DJ Shane MacGowan has the engines racing and the joint a-jumpin’, from McCartney’s shout of “One, two, three, fuh!” into The Beatles I Saw Her Standing There and The Sex Pistols Bodies with the audience joyfully baying the “Fuck this and fuck that!” refrain and we’re off… Chan Romero Hippy Hippy Shake The Big Three Some Other Guy Brendan Bowyer And The Royal Showband The Hucklebuck… the bauld Brendan himself was at The Pogues gig earlier, where Aisling Bowyer - Brendan’s daughter - sang Kirsty McColl’s part beautifully in Fairytale Of New York… unreleased Clash Brand New Cadillac live from Bond’s Casino New York City Heptones Book Of Rules… Dylan Love Minus Zero Blondie The Tide Is High The Paragons The Tide Is High Al Jolson I’m Sitting On Top Of The World… The Heartbreakers Chinese Rocks Deep Purple Black Night with Shane lost in solemn air-guitar to Richie Blackmore’s twanging… Little Eva The Locomotion Little Richard Get Down With It Temptations Psychedelic Shack Bo Diddley Who Do You Love with Shane balancing BP’s pint glass of water on his head… Little Richard Long Tall Sally Junior Walker Road Runner Thin Lizzy from Live And Dangerous majestically powerful on The Boys Are Back In Town and now Shane's feeding the outstretched tentacles of the multitude with CDs of Fairytale Of New York as eager hands grab at the treasured trophies, this "Aw, shucks" messiah dispensing benediction to the clamourous masses… Dobie Grey The In Crowd Rory Gallagher Bullfrog Blues and the temperature’s rising fit to blow a fuse and Led Zeppelin Whole Lotta Love and David Bowie ‘Heroes’ and it’s transcendental now and Shane and BP are right into each other faces singing along to Dion’s Runaround Sue and laughing and then the “Duh, duh, duhduh” of The Troggs Wild Thing and whoooosh! The Pogues joyous mayhem of Rain Street and Shane, chuckling to himself, he’s gone. “Rehab changed my life!” Shane shouts into the mic and as he leaves the stage, he’s still chucking as behind him the audience are howling for their hero.

And now BP's wacked on Get It On and Marc Bolan is teasing “You’re dirty and sweet, oh yeah!” and we can’t go any higher than this, it’s a done deal. Everyone at Rehab tonight has just enjoyed the best cure of their lives and it’s the talk of the town. Just brilliant. Music is the massage. Thank you and good morning. Yes.

Postscript: we wake up on Christmas Day and the re-released Fairytale Of New York by The Pogues and Kirsty is No. 3 in the UK charts and it’s not a dream and it’s Shane’s birthday too as well as Jesus. And all the children boogie.

REHAB thanks John Foley and Toxic Promotions, Kate and Lorraine, Thor on phat sound and staging. Barney. Dermot and Eddie Doran and all at Voodoo. The Pogues. Victoria Clarke, Gerry O Boyle, Sean Fay and Joey Cashman. Ross. Sue and the staff of MCD. The Point. Louise Fenton. Laura Coffey at Warner Music. Jade, Sally Ride and Slava. And Annie. And Hedge. Geoff & Erica & David at Micromedia. Shine on brightly.

Photos: Shane MacGowan & BP Fallon on stage by ShowBizIreland | DJ Shane at CD box + Shane and chums by BP using Fuji FinePix S9500 | Look Out! Shane & BP relaxed and paying attention by Brendan Carr on BP's camera

Poster by Barney

"We twa hae run about the braes

And pou'd the MacGowan's fine"

-adapted with respect from Auld Lang Syne by Rabbie Burns [1759-1796]

<< home