from: The Fall - Press Release

Are You Are Missing Winner

This November sees the release of 'Are You Are Missing Winner', the latest album by The Fall on their own label Cog Sinister. The album release falls in the middle of an extensive tour of the UK, continental Europe and the US, which kicks off in Leeds on 8 October. It will be available at all the shows before it goes in the shops

'Are You Are Missing Winner' is a superb album of new Fall numbers, which also includes a cover version of the Tamla Motown hit 'Gotta See Jane'. The Fall is probably the UK's most prolific band. The band's output since forming in 1976 amounts to anywhere between 25 and 35 albums (depending on who's counting) and all of them sound unique to everything else ever recorded. Over the years the band has undergone numerous personnel changes led by the irrepressively jaundiced Mark E Smith who, once again lends his distinctive vocal yelp to 'Are You Are Missing Winner'.

The Fall play:

Mon 08 Oct	Cockpit, Leeds, UK.
Tue 09 Oct	The Cluny, Newcastle, UK.
Wed 10 Oct	Liquid Room, Edinburgh, UK.
Thu 11 Oct	The Limelight, Belfast, UK.
Fri 12 Oct	Temple Bar, Dublin, Ireland.
Sat 13 Oct	University Of Liverpool SU, Liverpool, UK.
Mon 15 Oct	The Park, Peterborough, UK.
Tue 16 Oct	Victoria Inn, Derby, UK.
Wed 17 Oct	Bierkeller, Bristol, UK.
Thu 18 Oct	Princes Hall, Aldershot, UK.
Fri 19 Oct	VK, Brussels, Belgium.
Sat 20 Oct	Zaal Spuugh, Vaals, The Netherlands.
Mon 22 Oct	De Kade, Zaandam, The Netherlands.
Tue 23 Oct	Kantine, Cologne, Germany.
Wed 24 Oct	Logo, Hamburg, Germany.
Thu 25 Oct	Vega, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Fri 26 Oct	Sticky Fingers, Gothenberg, Sweden.
Sat 27 Oct	KB, Malmo, Sweden.
Sun 28 Oct	Festival@Berns, Stockholm, Sweden.(spoken word - afternoon) Kagelbanan, Stockholm, Sweden. (spoken word - evening)
Tue 30 Oct	Maria Am Ostbahnhof, Berlin, Germany.
Sat 10 Nov	The Forum, London, UK.
Tue 13 Nov	Knitting Factory, LA (The Fall)
Wed 14 Nov	Knitting Factory, LA (The Fall)
Thu 15 Nov	Knitting Factory, LA (spoken word)
Mon 19 Nov	San Francisco GAMH
Tue 20 Nov	Seattle Crocodile
Fri 23 Nov	Knitting Factory, NYC (The Fall)
Sat 24 Nov	Knitting Factory, NYC (The Fall)
Sun 25 Nov	Knitting Factory, NYC (spoken word)
Thu 29 Nov	Planet K, Manchester, UK.

Booking details below

The new EP "PRESENT" will be out soon on Voiceprint (COGVP128CD) and contains the tracks:

1. My Ex-Classmates Kids
2. New Formation Sermon
3. Distilled Mug Art

Mark's spoken word album, which may be titled "PANDER PANDA PANZER", will be along shortly. The Fall are currently polishing off their next album.

Voiceprint have a Fall Summer Special offer on all their Fall releases: 9.99 each or 25 quid for three.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Interview from VSIGN #2 fanzine, Stevenage, Herts., UK circa early 1980 (issue is absolutely undated, but contains a 1979 Best Of list). Typist's note: I left in most of the misspellings, punctuation and other errors, reflecting the spirit of the zine and times. The original was obviously typed up on a typewriter. Jim Hildreth Sep 2001

I only really took notice of the FALL with 'Bingomasters' maxi which I liked perversely but was nothing as good as the next 'It's the new thing' & 'Various Times'. When 'Live at the Witch Trials' came out I thought it was ok-as I heard more-brilliant. One of the few classic lps of the last couple of years. The FALL are maybe the only band formed in '76 who haven't weakened & have now released one of '79's best 45's 'Rowche Rumble'. Anyway I sent some boring questions to MARK SMITH & got some interesting replies.

THE FALL

WHEN DID THE FALL FORM & HOW HAS THE LINE-UP CHANGED?

Formed late '76. First gig May '77. Line-up changes once every while. Musicians go cranky once they get around a bit & start believing everything that's written about them. "I am a musician & I quit" (LOG SHIT) - any person's who's left the Fall.

WHAT WERE YOUR ORIGINAL REASONS FOR FORMING & HOW HAVE THESE CHANGED - DID YOU EXPECT TO REACH THE COMPARATIVE STRONG POSITION YOU'RE NOW IN?

The reasons I had for co-forming the Fall were - a) I'd wrote lyrics for about a year at work & had tunes in my head. b) Sex Pistols c) Had seen up & coming new wave bands (eg Slaughter, Buzzcocks, Eater, Nosebleeds, Warsaw) & knew could equal them and certainly do a lot better. d) It was about time a fairly intelligent roots working class band did something as opposed to art school types who pretended to be such thickhead moron bands who had previously (and still do )dominate the music scene eg.

"BRAINY" - Genesis Magazine Ultravox Mekons Roxy Eno Gang Of 4
<- THE FALL ->
"Not-Brainy"- Groundhogs ELP Eddie & Hot Rods Angelic Upstarts Shampoo 49 etc.
I've changed a bit, well quite a bit - found out that it's not just the biz that fucks music up, but also the musicians, people who want to be 'entertained' have seen much stupidity & lost most of my faith in human nature - notcha!
Didn't expect to get this far,honestly,though we're comparatively not so 'far'. eg. we're still skint.

WAS THIS GRADUAL PROCESS INTENTIONAL, ie. YOU'VE SURVIVED WHERE OTHER BANDS HAVE EITHER VANISHED OR BURNT OUT ?

I think we've lasted cos we're unique & the small ardent 'followers' keep us ticking over & like us disregard trends etc. The gradual progress was slightly intentional, but also due to personnel problems, indecision & bad decisions. I DON'T REGRET A THING.

WHY DO YOU THINK SOME CRETINS REALLY HATE THE FALL - IS IT COS YOU DONT CONFORM TO THE STEREOTYPED, EXPENSIVE, BONDAGE & LEATHER TRIVIA OR COS YOUR MUSIC ISNT SAFE & PREDICTABLE BUT HAS DIFFERENT TEMPOS & SOME OF THE LYRICS ARE A BIT TOO CLOSE TO REAL LIFE FOR THEM?

It's only some Londoners who 'really hate The Fall' but they're very Gang-ish down there & I feel pity & hatred for them. I think you're right about clothes as well - in London clothes are IT while in the North & other places people aren't all that interested (except perhaps Bzzckcs fans & Joy Division ha-ha nasty joke) but Birmingham & Midlands is like that too though - we got shock incomprehension at our appearance in Derby, Wolverhapton, B'ham etc. When we play Rochdale, M/CR & to a certain extent L'pool our audience comprises of Fall-fans, hippies, bikers, skinheads, teds, piss-artists (ie.journalists) etc. & no love lost.

WHAT DID YOU DO IN THE EARLY DAYS: IT'S ONLY FAIRLY RECENTLY YOU'VE HAD A LOT OF REVIEWS? SOME INTERVIEWS & ACCLAIM. HOW AWARE ARE YOU GETTING CAUGHT IN THE LONDON GIG CIRCUIT OF EXTORTIONATE PRICED, ESTALBLISHED VENUES-'PART OF THE MUSIC SCENE'?

We played the North mainly & still do play the north mainly, starved, argued signed on etc. ad nauseum. The second part of that question I take as a bit of an insult. It is obvious.

LIKE THE LYCEUM GIG WITH SLF/MEKONS/G:of 4 etc. WHAT DID YOU FEEL ABOUT THAT ?

LET - DOWN.

ALSO I THOUGHT YOU SUPPORTING GEN. X WAS FUNNY COS THE ONLY THING YOU'VE IN COMMON IS AGE & IT SEEMS YOUR SONGS ABOUT 'THE NEW LEATHER THING' ETC. COULD BE DIRECTLY APPLIED TO THEM. DID YOU SPEAK TO THESE UNIVERSAL SUPERSTARS OR WERE YOU DEEMED TOO DRAB? (I HATE GEN.X COS OF THE STAR SYNDROME THEY PERPETUATE & HOW PEOPLE THOUGHT THEY WERE NEW & RADICAL).

RE-Gen. I think they're a lot older than us, and we played with 'em a) because we thought contrast'd be good & we'd maybe get thru' to a few Gen.X fans, which we did.(people always say to us why don't we do those pseudy bloody bills like - Pop Group / Scritti / T. Gristle / Fireball XL etc. but what's the point ? of playing to mid-twenties intellectuals HUH?!!?! Not that I've anything against the above named bands (not much anyway))
We didn't even glance Gen.X as they had loads of bodyguards with 'em trying to protect them from the non-existent girl fans. They were hilarious. They really believe in it HA HA HA. We did go in their dressing room while they were on to nick some of their booze though.

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF FANZINES & THE MUSIC PRESS WHO'VE GIVEN YOU A VARIED REACTION TO SAY THE LEAST? ARE YOU PLEASED TO HAVE BEEN ONE OF THE FEW BANDS TO HAVE BAFFLED & UPSET PEOPLE?

Fanzines - there's a lot of shit about - a lot of fanzine writers are bad hacks who would love to work for the "rock press" somebody gave me this really SHIT glossy one from Derby (X something) which said thanks on the back to "all the PR people at EMI, Virgin, Polydor etc. etc." & all that shit with bad reviews of gigs, boring interviews (they did us - sample question: "What inspires you to write your songs" and "Defend your lyrics" Answer: "Touch my lyrics & I'll KILL you!") & free singles. Fanzines should THREATEN the rock press (as 'Alternative Ulster' did in Belfast, but that resulted in Sounds, NME etc. hiring all it's writers. I think the best ones I've read are 'City Fun'(M/CR'A.U.' 'Afterhours' & 'Slash' which is L.A./American but excellent. Find it hard to take the music press seriously & am amazed at the amount of kids I meet at gigs who know & BELIEVE every sentence they've learnt and read about us. We definitely upset a lot of these rags. I don't say they shouldn't exist but am shocked at the power they have, small though it is (only about 2% of the record buying public would you believe). But The Fall has been inadvertedly helped by 'em - 's of free publicity would ya believe & if it wasn't for them I probably wouldn't be writing to you now would I ?

DO YOU LISTEN TO ANY MUSIC & WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE NEW WAVE OR CURRENT BANDS INSPIRED BY IT HAVE PRODUCED OR COULD PRODUCE-FEW SEEM TO CARE MUCH NOW.

Most new wave I find much disappointing. Of it I like: Public Image,Echo & B'men, frantic Elevators, The Scars, Noise(Plymouth), The Worst (the greatest deceased) & bits of Good Missionaries. Also listen to: Lou Reed, The Seeds, K.Fowley, Residents, joke records esp. country & western Third Ear Band, R.L.Crutchfield (new-wave yank-v.good) & old rock n' roll.

HOW DO YOU GET ON WITH STEP FORWARD - I READ YOU'RE NOT ACTUALLY SIGNED TO THEM WHICH I THOUGHT WAS EXCELLENT. HOW COMMITTED ARE YOU TO BEING FAIRLY INDEPENDENT - HOW MUCH SAY HAVE YOU IN THINGS YOU DO?

S.Forward aren't too bad, they continuously owe us money, but that's the price you pay for freedom, we have final say in everything - art, ads (if any!!),tracks studio producer, Yvonne left a week before we started LP & we just rang S.Forward up & told 'em we'd do it without her & they didn't say a thing which is ok, y'know? Have heard some terrible horror-stories about bands on labels like Virgin eg. Penetration vinyl fuck-up, Members fuck-up any fuckin band that signs to Virgin fuck-up. Always been true - since CAN & CPT. BEEFHEART even. I think S.Forward'll either split up within 2 years or become another Virgin - dig??

HOW EASY IS IT FOR YOU TO DO MUSIC - IT SOUNDS QUITE SIMPLE AND REPETITIVE BUT LESS MONOCHROME NOW & YOU SHOUT - ESP. ON THAT FUNNY (TELL ME WHY/IS IT SO) BIT ON 'NO XMAS' - DO YOU THINK THAT INSPIRING OTHER UN-MUSICAL PEOPLE TO FORM BANDS IS ABOUT THE MOST POSITIVE THING YOU CAN DO?

I think I've got an advantage over musicians in that I know nothing about music & suspect I'm tone deaf. I have a plastic 4-string gtr. which I do a lot of writing on (eg.'NO XMAS') So simplicity doesn't embarrass me. Sometimes it's hard (esp. on old fingers) sometime it ain't!!!!!! Positive-mmm dunno - think all the best music for years has been done by "non-music" people eg. early Pistols / Velvets / Stooges / Elvis even to a certain extent ! /Residents etc. Phil Spector.

DOES IT TAKE YOU LONG TO GET THE SOUND YOU WANT & ARE YOU FUSSY ABOUT WHAT THE FALL PUT OUT - DOES THIS EXPLAIN THE GAP BETWEEN THE LAST SINGLE & THE NEW ONE.

The sound the band got now am pleased v. much with - for the first time in the Fall I can rely on their attitude & can now' break-loose' & flow myself without having to support other members.eg. Present band threatens me which is good (musically I mean !). Gap 'tween singles due to people leaving & nurturing new band to it's present form. Plus S. Forward are slow bastards & some bands bring out too many records anyway.

SOME OF YOUR LYRIX SEEM A BIT HARD (MOTHER-SISTER) THAT I REALLY LIKE BUT THE FUNNY INTRO. SEEMS TOO NEGATIVE & EASY. WHEREAS THE LP's TITLE TRACK IS POSITIVE.

You'd be amazed at how many people react to that 'Little & large' bit on 'Mother/Sister' That song was an attempt to use words as music more or less - I hate idea of 'LYRICS' on paper. If that was my job I'd be a poet or J.C.Clarke. One day I hope I'll drop words all together as they're inadequate & just make emotive word patterns Maybe!

WHAT ABOUT FREE GIGS ETC. I READ YOU WEREN'T TOO KEEN AS HAD BEEN ON THE DOLE SO LONG. WHAT ABOUT CHEAPER LP'S WITH HERE & NOW LIKE ATV DID? HOW MUCH DID YOURS COST TO MAKE & R.R.P.-THE COVER WASN'T GLOSSY I NOTED.

I think Here & Now do free gigs cos nobody'd pay to see them. Also, why should we be the only ones penniless at end of night? Rip-off clubs LOVE free gigs as they save on staff, don't have to give band anything & make a fortune on the bar. Also like a lot of the new wave & hippy movements, it means that only kids with loads of dough from mum & dad or jobs can get up & play OR form own record label. I get 15 a week which must be 50% lower wage than the majority of my audience. Witch Trials cost approx. 3,700 which is like EVERYTHING from our petrol to taking it to the shops. We paid half & S.Forward paid half.

WHICH ARE YOUR FAVOURITE SONGS & WHY?

Fall faves: V.Times/No Xmas /UG Medecin /2 Steps /In My Area. Off new LP- Muzorewi's Daughter /Spectre vs. Rector /Printhead. V.hard to be objective tho'?!!

The 'I Swear I Was There' documentary (ft MES, briefly) is being reshown on ITV on Thursday October 4th at 23:30.