--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I play Irish popular music, yeah? Calling…" description: "\"I play Irish popular music, yeah? Calling it folk is like putting it in a box. It's a living tradition, you know?\" — Shane MacGowan" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/04f/shane-macgowan-22194_boxes_i-play-irish-popular-music-yeah-calling_1351814.jpg" --- # I play Irish popular music, yeah? Calling it folk is like… ![“I play Irish popular music, yeah? Calling it folk is like putting it in a box. It's a living tradition, you know?” quote by Shane MacGowan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/04f/shane-macgowan-22194_boxes_i-play-irish-popular-music-yeah-calling_1351814.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/04f/shane-macgowan-22194_boxes_i-play-irish-popular-music-yeah-calling_1351814.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/04f/shane-macgowan-22194_boxes_i-play-irish-popular-music-yeah-calling_1351814.jpg) > “I play Irish popular music, yeah? Calling it folk is like putting it in a box. It's a living tradition, you know?” [Shane MacGowan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-macgowan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Folk music is a living, evolving tradition, not a static genre. **In simple terms:** Music evolves constantly. Key Takeaway Embrace fluid musical identities. Themes culture tradition evolution Mood enthusiastic thoughtful Type cultural philosophical When to use this quote - music festivals - education - recording - performance Key Concepts ethnomusicology genre theory Questions to Reflect On - How does tradition stay relevant? - What defines a genre? A Different Perspective Risk of losing cultural roots. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Folk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/folk/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music/) [Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play/) [Popular music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/popular-music/) [Tradition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tradition/) ## Related quotes > [I'm not so much a rock star, d'ya know what I mean? I play Irish music. There's really no age when you stop playing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-macgowan/i-m-not-so-much-a-rock-star-d-ya-know-what-i-mean-i-play-irish-music/) [Shane MacGowan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-macgowan/) > [I don't really listen to pop-country, but I like really, really old country that's closer to folk. Like Johnny Cash, who is considered country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitski/i-don-t-really-listen-to-pop-country-but-i-like-really-really-old/) [Mitski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitski/) > [We play our Irish songs a bit more loosely.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-corr/we-play-our-irish-songs-a-bit-more-loosely/) [Caroline Corr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-corr/) > [“There are no folk like hobbits after all for a real good talk.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-r-tolkien/there-are-no-folk-like-hobbits-after-all-for-a-real-good-talk/) [J.R.R. Tolkien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-r-tolkien/) > [Da world's a best place bcoz of folk like u Who take da time 2 do nice thingz Da way u alwayz do. Thank You](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/babloo/da-world-s-a-best-place-bcoz-of-folk-like-u-who-take-da-time-2-do/) [Babloo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/babloo/) > [The way popular music is categorized and formatted cuts down on everyone's options. And although people don't talk about it, there are a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-chapman/the-way-popular-music-is-categorized-and-formatted-cuts-down-on/) [Tracy Chapman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-chapman/) > [In the United States, many people said you can't have folk music in the United States because you don't have any peasant class. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-seeger/in-the-united-states-many-people-said-you-can-t-have-folk-music-in/) [Pete Seeger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-seeger/) > [I have always loved composers who have been connected with folk traditions of popular music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludovico-einaudi/i-have-always-loved-composers-who-have-been-connected-with-folk/) [Ludovico Einaudi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludovico-einaudi/) > [I particularly enjoy cello music because our daughter plays the cello. 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It's useful because it addresses the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-cohen/the-basic-function-of-popular-music-is-to-create-an-environment-for/) [Leonard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-cohen/) > [Popular music is popular because a lot of people like it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irving-berlin/popular-music-is-popular-because-a-lot-of-people-like-it/) [Irving Berlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irving-berlin/) > ['Next To Normal' is rock music. It's a rock opera. 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Where's his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-macgowan/the-only-politician-anybody-ever-believed-was-kennedy-anyway-kennedy/) [Shane MacGowan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-macgowan/) > [Cram as much pleasure as you can into life, and rail against the pain that you have to suffer as a result.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-macgowan/cram-as-much-pleasure-as-you-can-into-life-and-rail-against-the-pain/) [Shane MacGowan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-macgowan/) > [I'm not so much a rock star, d'ya know what I mean? I play Irish music. There's really no age when you stop playing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-macgowan/i-m-not-so-much-a-rock-star-d-ya-know-what-i-mean-i-play-irish-music/) [Shane MacGowan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-macgowan/) > [I'm just following the Irish tradition of songwriting, the Irish way of life, the human way of life. Cram as much pleasure into life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-macgowan/i-m-just-following-the-irish-tradition-of-songwriting-the-irish-way/) [Shane MacGowan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-macgowan/) > [What I do is I'm a bandleader, frontman, entertainer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-macgowan/what-i-do-is-i-m-a-bandleader-frontman-entertainer/) [Shane MacGowan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-macgowan/) > [With The Pogues, at least the first three albums I'll stand by completely, yeah? Because I was in artistic control then, yeah? 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