cryptogon.com

“Smoking, drinking, partying — that’s why I’ve stayed alive as long as I have,” the hard-boozing MacGowan told Britain’s Daily Mirror, while flat out on his back in a trashed London hotel room.

“And I’ve got better with age, that’s what’s meant to happen. I party my way through life, it’s what I like to do.

“To be honest, I never thought too much about getting to 50. But if everyone keeps making bets that you are going to die at 4:30 tomorrow afternoon, you just tend to think ‘F(expletive) it, I’m not going to die as long as those f(expletive) are alive’.”

The Irishman said in the interview published Monday that he planned to celebrate his Christmas Day birthday in trademark style.

“I’ll just drink wine, cider and gin — and anything else I can find,” he said.

Irish folk-rock group The Pogues’ 1987 festive hit “Fairytale of New York” has been in the headlines recently after the BBC Radio 1 station bleeped out the words “slut” and “faggot”, before reversing the decision in the face of criticism.

The furore helped propel the song to number four in the British music charts this Christmas.

“That’s just typical of the way this country is going down. I mean, it’s practically a police state,” MacGowan said.

The frontman reckoned boozing was good for his voice.

“I was actually four when I started drinking,” he said.

“There have been loads of times when I was doing loads of acid when I didn’t drink so much, but I don’t like not having a drink around.”

MacGowan said he does not have own mobile phone, a computer or an iPod, but might treat himself to some teeth in the new year. MacGowan’s mouth is rock’s most notorious dental disaster zone.