There's a movie called "Pass The Ammo" which features Tim Curry as a money hungry television preacher who does the work of the Lord in order to keep the finances pouring in. Bill Paxton decides to steal back the money that was "stolen" from his girlfriend. They enter the studio to rob it, one thing leads to another and they end up on television. Seeing as how he's backed into a corner, Bill Paxton decides to take advantage of the situation by trying to bring Tim Curry and his religious program down while he's on the air doing his robbery thing. He bashes the program while he's in the spotlight thinking it will ruin everything and Tim Curry says something about improving his ratings because, as he points out, everyone loves a train wreck. I mention this because that's the impression I got while watching this release. I've never really been a fan of The Pogues. But, I was totally into this release because, well, I love a train wreck just as much of the next guy and Shane MacGowan, as successful as he was, is a train wreck. Many people consider him to be a musical genius and, from what I've seen and heard, I can't argue with that. But, during 90% of this film, he's totally wasted. Half the time I couldn't even understand what he was saying and, hell, there's a scene on here where he's talking about one thing or another and he's damn near drooling and you can see him suck the spit back into his mouth. Rock 'n' roll excess, baby...gotta love it. This is the "Behind The Music" that VH1 only dreams of making. I saw the one on Ozzy Osbourne, who's a perfect example of rock 'n' roll excess, and that couldn't even compare to this release. But, it's not all about Shane being a drunk who sounds like Ernie from Sesame Street when he laughs. This release also shines a light on the music he created and how it came to be by way of interviews, live footage and a music video or two. Plus, there's interviews with Nick Cave, Phillip Chevron, even Paul Simonon makes an appearance. He seems like a nice enough guy. Even though he's wasted in this release...and lacking a nice set of dental work...he's the kind of guy you wanna hang out with when you're down in the pub. Friendly, sensitive, charming. Just a regular Joe, like you and me...only difference is that he's managed to make his mark in the world and we're still reading and writing about rock 'n' roll. If you're a fan, you're obviously gonna enjoy this release. If you're not...well, it's still interesting to watch. Like I said, this is the "Behind The Music" that VH1 wishes they could make. None of the stuff they did even comes close, man. This is a true rock 'n' roll documentary! http://www.musicvideodistributors.com

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