When Abbeyfeale man, Mikey Mahony, travelled to America, little did he know that he was about to embark on a world-wide tour with that well-known punk rocker and founder-member of The Pogues, the colourful Shane MacGowen.
The way Mikey tells it, he was this night in a bar in The Bronx enjoying a Bud with a few mates when he was introduced to MacGowen`s Road Manager. During the course of the evening the manager let slip that MacGowen was starting off his world tour with a gig in Boston at the weekend and they were looking for someone to do a few odd jobs, such as moving and setting up the equipment, selling tee-shirts and tapes, fine-tuning the bodhran and keeping some semblance of order among any attending groupies.
Mikey, who is a graduate of the Spike Murphy Academy of Excellence and Opportunism, immediately volunteered his services, and the following morning he flew to Boston where he met up with MacGowen and his entourage. The concert was a great success and MacGowen was so impressed with Mikey that he invited him to join the tour permanently.
And so it was that for the next several weeks Mikey found himself criss-crossing the United States and visiting such diverse places as New York, Chicago, LA, Dallas, Vegas, Nashville, Baton Rouge and all points in between. He travelled first-class, stayed in the best hotels, partook of the finest food and wine and enjoyed all the trappings associated with a successful rock tour.
Eventually, the American leg of the tour came to an end and the crew headed for Europe. Mikey`s proudest moment came when MacGowan played in Dolan`s Warehouse in Limerick last month and he was able to procure complimentary tickets for all his family and friends. MacGowan also made a less than impressive appearance on the Late Late Show at this time, but Mikey put that down to tiredness and jet lag. "That guy works sixteen hours a day," he explained. "and when he`s not performing and writing songs, he practices continuously and also gives numerous press interviews. He was totally shattered that night on the Pat Kenny Show."
Shane MacGowen has a cult following in many countries and his classic best-seller,Fairytale Of New York, is still selling and receiving extensive air play, particularly at Christmas.
Mikey claims that MacGowan`s reputation as a hell-raiser and a heavy drinker is greatly exaggerated. "I`d spill more in one night, than he wouldn`t drink in a week!" he claims, loyally.
There was also the rumour that Mikey took over from MacGowan during a gig in Rhode Island when the singer wasn`t feeling too well ,and that he gave his own inimitable rendition of A Rainy Night In Soho.
"That never happened." said Mikey. "I went on stage during the gig all right – but only to connect up a couple of wires that Shane had pulled out of the microphone. A local newspaper published a picture of me on stage and that`show the rumour got started. I sang the backing vocals for The Irish Rover that night, but there were five thousand people in the auditorium and they all sang along as well, so it didn`t really count!"
Mikey will be off on his travels again in a few weeks time, when the tour heads for Australia and the Far East. No doubt he will have many strange tales to tell when he returns and, hopefully, he will share some of them with us.
Meanwhile, as they say in all the best showbiz circles – break a leg, Mikey!