A Furious Devotion

‘Definitive portrait of the former Pogue. Intimate, cooperative… the book’s strength is that he lets MacGowan speak, and speak on, perfectly capturing the lyrical, romantic rhythms beneath the rasped whisper.’ MOJO’A deep dive into the legacy of an Irish icon. Richard Balls serves up the most thorough account of the man - and myth - to date.’ Rolling Stone’A fascinating portrait of ex-Pogue and folk-punk pioneer’ Choice Magazine

Richard Balls is a die-hard music fan who stumbled upon The Pogues on their first nationwide tour in 1984. An established writer and rock biographer, Richard was a newspaper journalist for twenty years – almost half of which he spent in Ireland. His previous books are Sex & Drugs & Rock’n’Roll: The Life of Ian Dury and Be Stiff: The Stiff Records Story. He lives with his family in Norwich.