Victoria Mary Clarke on new Shane MacGowan tribute album: "It's like people putting flowers on his grave"

A tribute album honouring the legacy of Shane McGowan titled 20th Century Paddy - The Songs of Shane MacGowan has been announced for November 13.

The album boasts a magnificent lineup, including renowned international acts like Bruce Springsteen, Tom Waits, Primal Scream, David Gray, and The Libertines, as well as Irish heroes like Hozier, Jessie Buckley, Amble, and The Pogues themselves, among many others.

The project was put together by MacGowan's widow Victoria Mary Clarke and her manager John Kennedy, with the first single, Springsteen's rendition of 'A Rainy Night in Soho' , being released today. It was another cover of the same song, performed by Nick Cave at MacGowan's funeral in 2023, that sparked the idea for the album in the first place.

"It was really very organic," Clarke says of the album's creation. "Bruce [Springsteen]was the first person on board and I suppose once we had him there was a bit of confidence in the project. Nick doing 'Rainy Night' at the funeral sparked the idea really. People were saying: 'Why didn't you record that?' because it was so good. So we thought, 'Well, maybe we could do an album.'"

Shane MacGowan and Bruce Springsteen. Credit: Victoria Mary Clarke

Recruiting artists went smoother than one might think.

"Not one person asked me who else is on it," Clarke says. "People just said yes. It was very kind, very loving of all of the artists, to do that. It felt really good. It's like people putting flowers on his grave. It's people paying tribute in a way that they can. Being musicians, the nicest thing they can do is to play his stuff."

The current list of names of those taking part is already at the 30+ mark, with more to be announced. Deciding who got to sing what was done on a first-come-first-served basis.

"The ones who were on board early got to have the choice of of all of the stuff," Clarke says. "There are still songs left. Even at the end, I mean there are still songs left that I think are important and that I'm really - I feel like fuck, that should have been on it.

"What the [artists on the album] have done is they've interpreted the songs and they've done them in their own style and their own way. Some of them have done really different versions. I like that because there's no point in just trying to replicate the original.

"They've all brought their unique voices, their own life experiences, their own emotions to it, and their own interpretation of whatever the story happens to be. I haven't tried to impose any guidelines at all. I just said 'Do what you want. Do it your way.'"

There will always be ones that get away - for now.

"I'd like Kneecap to be on the album," Clarke says. "I did ask them a few times, like a lot of times... They just didn't feel that they were going to be able to do it justice because they don't normally sing, which is a pity because I think they could do it. Nearly everyone else that I asked said yes. I think they were the only ones who hesitated!"

More importantly, 50% of artist royalties from the album will be donated to the Dublin Simon Community.

"Yeah, that is important," Clarke says. They're an organisation that Glen [Hansard] does a lot of work with with the Busk every year. Shane liked to go and do the Busk when he when he could. It's definitely something that was close to his heart - helping  homeless people. He just talked to them and gave them his time. I feel like he would approve of this choice and I think it's really great that they're involved."

Coming on November 13, the record is available for pre-order now here, including a limited edition Deluxe Bookpack featuring 3LPs, 2CDs and a 56-page book of memorabilia and liner notes.