When Great Voices are Silenced

My brother had a blast at the Pogues concert in NYC this weekend and I even got the t-shirt to prove it. Couldn't help but start relistening to Shane McGowan's whiskey soaked growl. Woke up this morning with a "Fairytale of New York" earworm and kept thinking about the song all morning -- how it takes me straight back to my days prowling Katonah Avenue in the Bron-ix with my sister and one of my best friends. As pathetically evocative as Shane's lyrics are, anyone whose ever heard "Fairytale" knows that the song would be no where near as brilliant without Kirstie Macoll's perfect harpy lament, "you scumbag, you maggot, you cheap lousy faggot, happy Christmas you're ass, I pray God it's our last..." seguing into an oh so melodic refrain. Kirsty died in 2000 in the worst possible way a talented musician can perish -- by accident. She was swimming in Mexico and some rich bastard in a speedboat slammed into her in front of her two kids!!! Now everyone knows that the Mexican government would never accept a bribe, so there has to be some reason why they haven't been able to figure out who was actually piloting the boat. Kirstie's 80 year old Mom is still fighting to make sure someone pays for playing with his toy in a swimming area and snuffing out the life of her daughter.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcfour/documentaries/features/kirsty-maccoll.shtml