[Music] Mark E Smith

[pearl]

Confirmed
https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/whats-on/whats-on-news/mark-e-smith-dead-reaction-14199592

some great reading on the link .... a crisp sandwich

 

[pearl]

60 is no age, cancer I believe, he certainly has looked awful for the past couple of years.

Couldn't get into all of their stuff but some of it was truly magnificent.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QzivmOQWkVQ

He actually wasn't bad looking in the 1980's was he? Pulled Brix anyway.

Saw The Fall when Brix was a member. MES tore into the band with such anger Brix ran off in tears

 

[Mr Banana]

Terrible news. Must have seen The Fall scores of times, since the very earliest bad jumper, shiny C&A shirt days of the 70s all the way through to the Old Market gig. The Fall formed the rolling soundtrack to many of our lives. Interviewed him twice, supported him once. Cantankerous *******, but he was OUR cantankerous *******. A true one-off. RIP MES.

Ha. How did you go with the interviews? I was meant to interview him loads of times, each one resulting in a call from a weary press officer/label rep along the lines of "I don't know where he's got to, I'll call you back in an hour." It never resulted in a chat, but I guess that's of a piece with the gigs

 

[pearl]

I loved Mark E Smith. R.I.P.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTLzOp3uTYw

off the 'disco' album

 

[pearl]

After the seemingly relentless death toll of 2016, last year was a relative reprieve. But already in 2018 we have Mark E Smith, Cyrille Regis, Jimmy Armfield, Peter Wyngarde, Dolores O'Riordan, Bella Emberg, Eddie Clarke and Simon Shelton Barnes (Tinky Winky)

and Hugh Masekela

 

[spring hall convert]

Listening to my mammoth Fall playlist at work. Getting a bit sad. Hard to explain why, I'm not normally like this, it's just weird thinking I'm not going to see The Fall again. And thinking this back catalogue won't be added to (even though it will....)

I'm at a show tonight and that's going to be weird I reckon.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Ha. How did you go with the interviews? I was meant to interview him loads of times, each one resulting in a call from a weary press officer/label rep along the lines of "I don't know where he's got to, I'll call you back in an hour." It never resulted in a chat, but I guess that's of a piece with the gigs

Think you were going about it wrong. Trick was to turn up outside the venue earlydoors, stand with your back to the venue and scan the horizon for the first pub within eyesight. That's where you'd find MES. Always worked for us. Ended up on the guest list loads of times. Me and me bruv did an interview that ended up in Zigzag that way. Just turned up at the pub with a cheapo cassette recorder. It helped that he was with his manager&girlfriend Kay Carroll at the time. Seemed to keep him fairly loved up, well by MES standards anyways, though at one point he did go off on a full-blown rant about the death of Ian Curtis and the "f****in' very cold callous Factory scene". Still got the tape somewhere.

 

[spring hall convert]

Ha. Reading this cheered me up a bit - https://www.theguardian.com/music/2...s-the-road-from-me?CMP=twt_a-music_b-gdnmusic

 

[Buzzer]

Hey THPP, remember that audience wirh MES thing at the old law courts?

What do you think of Brighton?

'Salright. Can get a bit annoying at times and that but I don't mind.

[10 minute monologue ensues]

That surprises me because you've always said you've hated Brighton in the past.


Brighton? I thought you said Brian. Brighton is full of wankers. Brian is alright though.

 

[Gwylan]

and Hugh Masekela

... and Ursula le Guin and Paul Bocuse

It's been a grim January

 

[Simster]

I loved Mark E Smith. R.I.P.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTLzOp3uTYw

That was off Infotainment Scan, one of my favourites albums ever.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Hey THPP, remember that audience wirh MES thing at the old law courts?

What do you think of Brighton?

'Salright. Can get a bit annoying at times and that but I don't mind.

[10 minute monologue ensues]

That surprises me because you've always said you've hated Brighton in the past.


Brighton? I thought you said Brian. Brighton is full of wankers. Brian is alright though.

That was good, that session, never even knew that place existed before. MES was in good form that day. Think the guy doing the one-on-one was doing it to promote his 'Renegade' book. Pretty sure MES went easy on him because the journo was patently painfully shy.

 

[Monkey Man]

Just feels like some of life's certainties have evaporated. No more Fall albums, no new Fall members, no more Fall gigs.

Very sad day but what a huge body of work to look back on. It should keep us going for at least one lifetime.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Just feels like some of life's certainties have evaporated. No more Fall albums, no new Fall members, no more Fall gigs.

Very sad day but what a huge body of work to look back on. It should keep us going for at least one lifetime.

Would have loved to have been able to get a book of collected MES lyrics. There's been two volumes, both from a fairly obscure publishing house. The first volume is painfully rare and eye-wateringly expensive, the second volume only slightly less so. Maybe one day.

 

[pearl]

Think you were going about it wrong. Trick was to turn up outside the venue earlydoors, stand with your back to the venue and scan the horizon for the first pub within eyesight. That's where you'd find MES. Always worked for us. Ended up on the guest list loads of times. Me and me bruv did an interview that ended up in Zigzag that way. Just turned up at the pub with a cheapo cassette recorder. It helped that he was with his manager&girlfriend Kay Carroll at the time. Seemed to keep him fairly loved up, well by MES standards anyways, though at one point he did go off on a full-blown rant about the death of Ian Curtis and the "f****in' very cold callous Factory scene". Still got the tape somewhere.

I saw The Fall at the Concorde (1) early 80s. MES was in the Doctor Brighton before the gig , sitting in a corner with a pint of bitter

 

[pearl]

Ha. Reading this cheered me up a bit - https://www.theguardian.com/music/2...s-the-road-from-me?CMP=twt_a-music_b-gdnmusic

yeah read that earlier.
Did you read about the little girl crying cos she'd lost her teddy bear? MES told her it had gone to join a rock band. The girl received post cards from Mark E Bear until she was 28

 

[marlowe]

some great reading on the link .... a crisp sandwich

Yes I quite liked this quote:
"the Fall’s contract to appear on Later … with Jools Holland included a clause stipulating that under no circumstances was the former Squeeze ivory tinkler to play “boogie-woogie piano anywhere near the Fall”

 

[CorgiRegisteredFriend]

Feeling sadder as news sinks in- although been expecting this since the cancelled dates last year. Going to miss watching him live more than anything. The knob twiddling, the gurning like grimaces between vocals, lyrics on screwed up A4 stuffed into pockets and carrier bags, singing from back stage, and so. Thanks for all this. Drink the long draft.

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

The only time I saw them was at Hammersmith Palais in around 1980. They were supporting The Birthday Party. All was pretty laid back. Then they did Hip Priest. OMG. I've seen a lot of live music but I will NEVER forget that. Jaw dropping moment.

 

[pearl]

Feeling sadder as news sinks in- although been expecting this since the cancelled dates last year. Going to miss watching him live more than anything. The knob twiddling, the gurning like grimaces between vocals, lyrics on screwed up A4 stuffed into pockets and carrier bags, singing from back stage, and so. Thanks for all this. Drink the long draft.

Enjoy what he's left behind, spent hours last night reading old interviews, he may have died, but he will never really go away