| FALL OF A LEGEND Out of control - Shane is surrounded by hard drugs - Family fear for his life - Pals want manager fired By DAMIEN LANE Irish Daily Mirror Hellraiser Shane MacGowan is on a downward spiral to a hard drugs hell, friends fear. They claim he is back on a slippery slope to self-destruction and his music career is in tatters. A close friend revealed: "Drugs are all around him. He is in a rut and needs to get out of it. If he is to survive he must rediscover his first love, music." Last night his dad Maurice, who lives in Tipperary, urged his son - once arrested for heroin possession - to turn his back on his seedy lifestyle. He begged Shane - famed as much for his hard-drinking lifestyle as his chart success - to dump his manager, Joey Cashman, who he believes is doing nothing for the career of the man considered by many to be Ireland's greatest ever songwriter. Heartbroken Maurice said: "Shane is stuck in an unsavoury circle. Music is not the main interest with that lot. "I can't hold anyone else responsible for his health. It's in his own hands. I would like to see him out of that circle. It would help Shane by giving him a fresh start. "It would be the best thing he could do. And good for the others too." The latest concerns for Shane's health come five years after Irish singer Sinead O'Connor contacted British police, fearing he was killing himself though heroin abuse. At the time, O'Connor said: "I love Shane and it makes me angry to see him destroying himself selfishly in front of those who love him. His illness has been a gimmick for too long. "While he has every right to kill himself if he wishes, we that love him have every right to stop him. It wasn't about grassing. I went to the police out of concern for his life." Detectives later raided his home and allegedly found him slumped unconscious in a chair. Shane claims to have been an alcoholic since the age of 14, and once told a journalist that he took up to 50 tabs of acid a day. He joined the Popes in 1991 after being asked to leave the Pogues because of the amount of drink and drugs he was taking. Last week former Popes member, box player Mick O'Connell, further fuelled the controversy over Shane's lifestyle. He told the Shane MacGowan website: "I respect Shane and like him and he knows that. I never had any problem with Shane. "Shane needs people around his business that don't do drugs and drink, just do a professional job and treat the band with respect." Dad Maurice is spearheading a petition urging Shane to ditch manager Cashman so he can rebuild his career. So far more than 2,100 fans, including singers Damien Dempsey and Eamonn Campbell of the Dubliners, have signed up. MacGowan's sister Siobhan, also a singer, also approves. Dad Maurice said: "The numbers signing are increasing all the time. We are good mates, me and Shane. This petition has nothing to do with our personal relationship. This is a business matter. "Shane is now at best a middle-ranking artist, and declining all the time, when he should be up there with the majors. "He still has the huge talent that brought him fame. It just needs to be unlocked and a fresh start with a new set-up might be the key." The fans revolted against Shane's management following the last-minute cancellations of gigs last June in Holland and Belgium. Fans blamed Cashman for calling off the gigs, which would have included a collaboration between Shane, Ronnie Drew, Eamon Campbell and former Pogue Terry Woods. Maurice added: "The disastrous decision to cancel the dates, approximately two weeks after confirmation by Shane personally, is symptomatic of weaknesses in the current set-up, such as financial control and gig management. "The fans went mad. As long as Shane remains with his current management his career will continue to decline." Shane's fans are also unhappy at being kept waiting for up to two hours for him to come onstage at gigs. They also say there is insufficient information about his touring dates due to lack of communication between management and the official website. The petition - which is on the website www.shanemacgowan.com - says: "There are times when we have felt ripped off. Yet, we have continued to support you. We now feel that things have gone too far. "Many fans have stopped attending your shows. The pattern is destined to continue unless something changes. "It's up to you Shane. Please get the management your undoubted talent deserves." Other fans say Shane has only himself to blame for his current predicament and that blame should not be heaped on Cashman's shoulders. Some are also unhappy at the drunken state in which he appears for gigs. One fan wrote on the website: "Shane is very unprofessional, undependable. "It's not all down to Joey. People who say Shane's got what he deserves may not be too far off." Cashman has managed Shane since the early 80s. When he left the Pogues in 1991, he helped him launch a solo career. Yesterday, repeated efforts to contact Joey Cashman by telephone failed. We also tried to talk to Cashman and Shane at the Hilton Kensington Hotel on Holland Park Avenue in West London. Cashman is booked in there, but neither he nor Shane were available for comment when a reporter called around. The only response to the controversy from Shane's management came last week when his organisation issued a statement to Hotpress magazine. It read: "There has been some vindictive campaign circulating in the press and on the internet, from some misinformed and disgruntled people, calling themselves fans, trying to persuade Shane to sack his long-term manager and friend Joey Cashman. "They have about as much chance of making this happen as they have of Shane replacing Bryan McFadden in Westlife! "One of the reasons that Shane and Joey have worked together for so many years is that Shane can trust Joey implicitly to have his best interests at heart. "Above all, they are lifelong friends. To put the record straight, there have been no cancellations whatsoever of live dates that have been arranged by Joey and his organisation. "The 'fans', as they call themselves, who are trying to sabotage his shows are failing miserably. "The last tour has been a sell-out! Shane's real fans are still right behind him and thrilled that he is doing so much at the moment. "Shane will be talking to the press in person about this once he has completed his next batch of shows, and he is not happy about it!" damien.lane@irishmirror.ie |