10. The FallGrotesque (After The Gramme)
Grotesque is an incredible album, especially for the song ‘English Scheme’. Maybe there’s an ideal level for Mark E. Smith. Maybe it’s just between the sixth and the seventh pint. Wherever it is, he hit that sweet spot on that song. That little keyboard part that Marc Riley wrote and everything. There’s just something about that song. Trying to describe The Fall is like trying to fight the wind. It’s of no use to anyone and it’ll just make you look like you need urgent help.
My love of The Fall was reawakened recently by reading Steve Hanley’s book The Big Midweek which is a lovely read on so many levels because there’s that love of rock & roll that just floods from the pages despite the fact that he was surrounded by people at the time who, frankly, if I was in a band with them I would be in prison now for murder. I’d recommend it to anyone with even a passing knowledge of The Fall.
When Mclusky were signed to Beggars Banquet the only really good thing that came to us from that was being able to go into the warehouse and take free records. That’s what happens when you sign to a record label. Somebody gives you records. They don’t give you any fucking money or support so you may as well have some free records. I only knew The Fall in passing and I ended up picking up some of the records like The Frenz Experiment and Kurious Oranj which you can probably get into once you’ve established you’re a fan.
We played a couple of times with The Fall. That’s all I’m going to say about that. I’ve got Fall anecdotes but I’d rather keep them for the low-selling autobiography I’ll write in seven years.
