Every day brings a new story. And each day contributes to the art of story telling -- in prose and poetry, in music, on the stage, on the screen, and, of course, in books.
Today is the story of December 25th.
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It is the 359th day of the year, leaving six days in 2021. It is also Christmas Day.
Although born in England, MacGowan was the son of Irish immigrants. His mother, Therese, was a traditional Irish dancer. MacGowan's early influences were the pioneering punk group The Clash and Irish poet and playwright Brendan Behan.
MacGowan rearranged and sang traditional Irish tunes, and wrote and sang songs of Irish nationalism, drinking and gambling, and sentimental ballads. He is known for his heavy drinking and a stage presense of drinking on stage, slurring his words, and being late for concerts. Still, he is a popular artist whose vocals are praised.
His best-known composition is the Christmas song, "Fairytale of New York." Its opening line is pure MacGowan -- "It was Christmas Eve, babe/In the drunk tank." The video shows MacGowan being roughed up and hauled to a jail cell,
But the duet with Kirsty McCool has proven to be powerful and popular. The song premiered in 1987, and went to No. 2 on the charts in the United Kingdom -- being kept from the No. 1 song by a Pet Shop Boys' cover of "Always on My Mind." But it regularly hits the Top 20 in the UK around Christmas time, including every year from 2005-2017.
The song tells a story about two former(?) lovers who bicker, in a call-and-response form, about their failed relationship, their dreams crushed by alcoholism and drug addiction. Yet the song ends on a hopeful note, with MacGowan singing that he hasn't crushed her dreams.
"I kept them with me babe
"I put them with my own
"Can't make it all alone
" I've built my dreams around you."
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