James Fearnley is a musician and writer whose literary work often delves into themes of music, friendship, and life on the road. He transforms his experiences from the music world, particularly from the punk rock and Irish folk music eras, into engaging stories with a distinctive style. His writing stands out for its authenticity and raw honesty, drawing readers into the atmosphere of his memories.
Callum the Clashfearn Bus is a children's picture book, based on the adventures of Callum as he cheerfully goes about his work in and around Clashfearn. Clashfearn being a fictitious place loosely set in the highlands of Scotland. Callum is a very grand, but elderly bus and is much loved by all his passengers young and old alike.
“Everything a really great music memoir should be.” —Colin Meloy The Pogues injected the fury of punk into Irish folk music and gave the world the troubled, iconic, darkly romantic songwriter Shane MacGowan. Here Comes Everybody is a memoir written by founding member and accordion player James Fearnley, drawn from his personal experiences and the series of journals and correspondence he kept throughout the band’s career. Fearnley describes the coalescence of a disparate collection of vagabonds living in the squats of London’s Kings Cross, with, at its center, the charismatic MacGowan and his idea of turning Irish traditional music on its head. With beauty, lyricism, and great candor, Fearnley tells the story of how the band watched helplessly as their singer descended into a dark and isolated world of drugs and drink, and sets forth the increasingly desperate measures they were forced to take. James Fearnley was born in 1954 in Worsley, Manchester. He played guitar in various bands, including The Nips with Shane MacGowan, before becoming the accordion player in The Pogues. Fearnley continues to tour with the band and lives in Los Angeles.