Calum Bruce's story of his life as a Pogues fan is a work of dedication, a chronicle of penury, injury, devotion, death, marriage, self-denial, stupidity, the vaulting of seemingly insurmountable obstacles, dare-devilry, drunkenness, comradeship, and random acts of kindness. It's de rigueur, nowadays, for the rock and roll musician to write a memoir or an autobiography. I think memoirist musicians could do no better than to read such a one, but of the rigours of being one of their fans. - James Fearnley