The Fallen - first reactions

thought I'd post the first reactions to The Fallen on the back of a handful of circulating proofs. Printed copies will be available very soon and top of the list to receive one are Conway and this site, which proved a valuable mine of information during the book's research and writing and is referenced within the text on repeated occasions. The book will be on sale on the 18th September. Best wishes to all on here, Dave Simpson


"Three decades of personal stories, of social change, shifting cultural landscapes and musical minium wage slavery, seen through the eyes of a random collection of people, whose only constant is that at some point, for some reason, they were members of The Fall. A Canterbury Tales for the mp3 generation" - Stewart Lee


'Hot on the studded heels of K-Punk's splendid post on David Peace's The Damned Utd (a novel I devoured, some nights cutting into my precious parent-of-tiny-infant sleeptime, despite caring not much for football and knowing even less)in which Mark compares Brian Clough with M.E. Smith as husbander of talents and conjuror of esprit de corps, arrives the galley of a forthcoming book called The Fallen, in which ex-Melody Maker writer Dave Simpson tracks down and interviews every single former member of Team Fall. On a quick skim it looks like a right riveting read, all the different perspectives on the man(ager) of mystery, typically filtered through a murky prism of bitterness, grudging but unbudging affection, and abiding awe. 
 
And as it happens, a third of the way through Simpson, looking around for Smith precedents, alights briefly on James Brown, decides "the more I find out about him, the more he brings to mind a great football manager than a director of musicians", and concludes that the best parallel is "1970s Nottingham Forest and Derby County manager Brian Clough" and his extreme version of "carrot and stick".' - Simon Reynolds, Blissblog


who are The Fallen?

www.thefallenbook.co.uk

http://thefallenblog.blogspot.com/

Simpo - did you track down the original drummer? The alleged Tory who wrote a song called "Landslide Victory". Rumour has it that he is dead, so even a brief biog and a photo of his gravestone would suffice.

Have you got the phone numbers of the current Gruppe members? Just in case... y'know...

me birfday!
tops!!

I can't wait to read this, Dave.
Wonder if you found out what became of drummers "Dave" and Karl Burns.
It's all SO Spinal Tap...

Yes. I was less than enthusiastic at first,
but what does I know?
I can't fuckin wait myself....!!!

Do you expect any of the ex-members will feel misquoted [not intentionally] ?

re Karl, I'm saying nothing beyond what is on his current Wikipedia entry

The Fallen author will be on Radio 5 from midnight tonight, when he will attempt to argue that the Fall are better than the Beatles

Buy Kurious! will be listening!

PS - there is more in the book than just the collected wiki entries of former members, isn't there, Dave?

I liked this line that mysteriously appears at the end of KB's wikipedia entry;
"I lived with Karl for five years and we have a 21 year old son. I can confirm he is still alive."

I liked this line that mysteriously appears at the end of KB's wikipedia entry;
"I lived with Karl for five years and we have a 21 year old son. I can confirm he is still alive."

Does the son play drums?

How great it would be to have Burns Jnr on the Fall bongos!

Correction: "The Fall could have been better than Beatles".

tuning in for this! more power to ya!!

So Simpo, what's the book like? Is it slightly better than the cringe worthy Mick Middles book? There is a better project for you, which I'm sure BBC4 would be very interested in. Go around Rick Witter's home town "In search of Rick Witter" - like a video diary, going up and asking the locals if they know where he is nowadays. Top stuff!

I liked this line that mysteriously appears at the end of KB's wikipedia entry;
"I lived with Karl for five years and we have a 21 year old son. I can confirm he is still alive."

KB, or the son?

You'll find him onstage at the V Festival this year

I keep seeing Rick Witter at various bus / railway stations.

I had a piss next to Rick Witter at the height of his fame.

Annoyed I missed the interview. I'll probably read the book.

Blog updated - The Fall versus The Beatles

http://thefallenblog.blogspot.com/

Call yourself a bloody professional?

Nah...well done.

Now, you sounded particularly excited quoting English Scheme. But reasonably so. I would advise everybody to get, via their myspace, the fabulous and attractively packaged Woodcraft version of the song.

If it hadn't been for that charming 85-year-old lady, they would have got away with the silly notion that pop music started with The Beat-less.

Great stuff, I can't wait to read this. The Karl Burns mystery is intriguing in an age when it seems people demand to know everything at the drop of a hat.

Will try and listen in this evening..

Damn - fell asleepand missed the interview (I had been tramping the hills around Peebles for 14 miles in blistering heat and then relaxed with a bevvy, so I suppose it was to be expected) However I want to listen again on iPlayer. When was the interview in the show? I don't want to listen to all 4 hours!

I liked this line that mysteriously appears at the end of KB's wikipedia entry;
"I lived with Karl for five years and we have a 21 year old son. I can confirm he is still alive."

That bit has been removed from wikipedia now.

I guess it broke one of the housekeeping rules.

I'm really excited at the prospect of reading this, just in time for my holiday so sorry Grisham, not this summer.

I thought the English Scheme read-out was good, but also that you missed an opportunity to mention how Smith used Paul McCartney (and John Lennon) in "I'm A Mummy".

Look what happens when I walk up to somebody
I don't try to scare people
I really came back to meet Paul McCartney
But people run from me
Watch what happens when I walk up to somebody...

I used to think he was visualising Lennon (a 'Mummy's Boy/married a Mummy Figure) as the 'mummy'. It's the kind of fantastically jaundiced thing he's capable of.

And the Fall's 'A Day in a Life' cover!

And Virgin Trains and Steve Albini.