Some time in December of 1976 Shane MacGowan created his first and only fanzine, Bondage. He charged an exorbitant 50p per copy for people to read his scrawled, handwritten opinions on the Sex Pistols’ shocking appearance on live television and its aftermath, their first single, Anarchy in the UK, shows by Eater and The Jam, and Chelsea's disbandment, becoming Generation X with new frontman, one Billy Idol.
MacGowan would soon front a new band himself, with the Nipple Erectors. The Nipple Erectors (later just The Nips) were formed by Shanne Bradley, who would play bass from their inception to the last days, with Shane the only other consistent member of an ever-changing lineup.
I was interested in the story of Shane's zine with the intention of beginning a kind of historical anthology, its working title, The Sprawling History of Zines & Comix, highlighting notable and intriguing examples of self-published work. With Bondage being a one-shot, I assumed it would be an easy first installment. But when creating context around Shane's life at the time, I became completely enamored with his story, Shanne Bradley's influence, and how important they both are in the history and evolution of punk rock and its legacy.
I knew The Nips’ music already, and of course, I know Shane's work with The Pogues. I am a lifelong Pogues fan. The character I write the most about on this site, and in zines and comics, Cuchulainn, was directly inspired by Irish myths that I would be blissfully unaware of without Shane's songwriting with them. My creative life was hijacked by this guy, and the more I look into his past, the less I see the Nipple Erectors as pre-Pogues and the more The Pogues seem to be post-Nips. I'm tired of people dismissing The Pogues’ punk status when their origins are just as aligned with punk as they are with trad-Irish folk. I think my heart is, too.
I'm doing my best to research young Shane, Shanne, their band, the zine, and what it all means to punk rock and the culture around it. I don't know if I'll get out of this rabbit-hole anytime soon, so The Sprawling History of Zines & Comix doesn't have a second installment in the works, and this one merits a category of its own. There's a great story to be told here. Maybe it will erect a nipple or two.