Remember Him-ah

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Remember Him-ah

Postby pomfob » Thu Jan 25, 2018 11:15 am

The Hip Priest has gone to the great pub in the sky, no doubt flinging a set of bongos at his granny on arrival and then storming off in search of John Peel to demand a session. And a couple of pints.

The most fitting quote is MES' own, on the death of Peel;

'When you look at some of these c*nts still walking around...'
Do it for the Butthole Surfers.
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Re: Remember Him-ah

Postby Rake » Thu Jan 25, 2018 12:17 pm

Just a couple of pints? If there is anything after what passes for this reality, I imagine Mark wetting himself at all the tributes (including mine), much deserved as they are.
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Re: Remember Him-ah

Postby TheAlex » Thu Jan 25, 2018 4:25 pm

I was never a fan of The Fall, but there's a version of Theme from Sparta FC that is one of my favourite songs.

Jeremy Vine said when he saw The Fall last year, Mark E. Smith didn't come onstage and sang from the dressing room.
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Re: Remember Him-ah

Postby Rake » Thu Jan 25, 2018 4:53 pm

Played some recent gigs strapped to a wheelchair I believe too. He lived the life alright.

Like Alex, I wasn't a huge fan of The Fall musically but was very fond of them / Mark E Smith, part of the soundtrack of my youth for sure (tracks like Mr.Pharmacist and Kicker Conspiracy especially). On their day they could be brilliant, often they were shambolic, but always entertaining. The Brix Smith years were probably the most 'polished' musically, you don't get compliments from Bo Diddly without being able to rock. But it was MES as a personality that was always the most interesting aspect and I'll very much miss his gob and the gems, insight, insanity and profanity that it spat out.
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Re: Remember Him-ah

Postby Salian » Fri Jan 26, 2018 12:57 pm

Strange week, I'm not a hardcore Fall fan by any means, I have most of the LPs, and I've seen them probably a few-teen times over 30 years of gig going, but they're one of the few bands who have bookended my gig life. 1987, Liverppol Poly ( I think, may have been the Uni) and I nearly didn't stick around after being so angry at the shit-ness of support band Ut. But stick around we did, and it was great, "US 80s-90s" was always ace live, and there was a bit of commercial polish.

Reading 1991 was a total lowlight, and I remember not being remotely arsed about them for several years following that, until a mate of mine dragged me along to (of all places, those of you with local knowledge) Jilly's Rockworld in Manchester, and in what I believe was Si Wolstencroft's last ever Fall gig, they were at their bizarre and shambolic best.

After that, a band you saw every now and again, on various bills with various other arguably more compelling bands. I saw them at Transformer in Manchester last May. My last Fall gig, he looked ropey and I was quite distressed by the wheelchair photos shared by a few folks from last Autumn, so the news from Wednesday was unwelcome, upsetting but not wholly unexpected or shocking. A friend phones yesterday to pass on his condolences, which was both funny, surprising and kind of sweet. His introduction was via a compilation tape I'd made him years ago, when we had flats on Deer Park Road in Whalley Range. "Fortress, Deerpark" has always been my favourite Fall record. I don't know anyone else who agrees with me that it's their best song.

I met MES once, a quiet Saturday afternoon, early pint in the Crown and Anchor, not long before the arse end of Piccadilly/Oldham Road became the Northern Quarter. We had a pint, me, him and my mate, I bought. He was funny, quick and really fucking unpleasant, not to us, bot scathing towards everything and everyone that came up in 15 minutes of conversation. I couldn't wait to get away to be honest, so made an excuse and we bolted. I suspect most people based in and around Manchester have made the same mistake at least once.
Last edited by Salian on Fri Jan 26, 2018 1:52 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Remember Him-ah

Postby pomfob » Fri Jan 26, 2018 1:07 pm

Salian wrote:so angry at the shit-ness of support band Ut.


Well, you're off the xmas card list my lad. Ut are one of my favourite bands, bought the reissue of their first two EPs just before xmas.

Having said that, they're not the easiest of listens, I grant you. Much like The Fall...
Do it for the Butthole Surfers.
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Re: Remember Him-ah

Postby Salian » Fri Jan 26, 2018 1:56 pm

I'm not sure I've knowingly listened to an Ut song since the mid 80s Pommy dear. Nominate a starting point and I'll have another go.
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Re: Remember Him-ah

Postby pomfob » Sat Mar 17, 2018 3:40 pm

Salian wrote:I'm not sure I've knowingly listened to an Ut song since the mid 80s Pommy dear. Nominate a starting point and I'll have another go.


Well, 2 months late, but here you go. A Peel session from 1987

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2MjZW-ueYk

Featuring the nearest thing they ever had to a hit, Evangelist. The LP from around this time, In Gut's House, is probably the most accessible of theirs, but that's not saying much. The follow up, Griller, received a 0 out of 10 score from NME...idiots.

Don't think that much is easily available, beyond the recent reissue of their first 2 EPs. Bizarrely, Ut have a live LP coming out on Record Store (Shop) Day. That's going to fly out like hot cakes, isn't it?
Do it for the Butthole Surfers.
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Re: Remember Him-ah

Postby pomfob » Sat Mar 17, 2018 4:11 pm

But the real reason I came here was to post up a link to an earlier thread in tribute of MES...

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=1036
Do it for the Butthole Surfers.
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