Tony duggins biography

By Matt Wood in Arts & Entertainment on Mar 7, 2007 8:00PM

For the record: Tony Duggins knows people may think of his band as just another imitator to the Pogues' crown.

Not surprisingly, Duggins also doesn't care.

Tony duggins biography

"They're my heroes, you know," he says. "We get compared to them a lot, and that's cool by me. But no one's ever come up and said, 'Dude, fuck you — you ripped off the Pogues.' I'm sure they're thinking it, though.

"Hell, I'd probably say the same thing."

In the past 14 years of existence, the Tossers have certainly paid their dues.

From their South Side Irish roots, the band has built from basement shows and VFW halls in the south 'burbs to gigs at the Fireside Bowl and Metro. The band is essentially the Chicago precursor to the more well-known Irish-rock bands like Flogging Molly and the Dropkick Murphys.

In spite of this, Duggins says they still get slagged off as johnny-come-latelys to the Celt-punk scene.

"Yeah, we get