Shane McGowan, the frontman of Irish punk and folk rockers, The Pogues, has stunned friends by booking a dental appointment to have his teeth out.
McGowan, 61, underwent a nine-hour operation in 2016, during which he had an entire set of teeth in titanium implants fitted, but they've been giving him no end of trouble ever since.
The singer also claims both his and The Pogues' popularity has dwindled since the teeth were fitted.
Said McGowan, through an interpretor:
"The fans loved the fact that I had a rotten set of teeth. They could relate to it. Nowadays, I look like some fucken Hollywood movie star with a perfect set of tushy-pegs, which doesn't really help much when you're singing raucous, beer-fuelled Irish protest songs."
McGowan says he is considering going back to his earlier look of having just a few gammy-looking black teeth protruding from rotten gums.
"It was so much more comfortable," he laughed. "And I don't eat that much, so I don't need teeth."
'The Fairytale of New York' is climbing the charts again.
Shane McGowan was born on Christmas day.
