Growing up in a small Midwest town, it was often tricky to find many people into music that was considered "cool" or "strange" by most. Even when you could fall into such a group, there would still be a division of what music was either.
I didn't know all that many Fall fans in my teenage years but the ones I did know were seriously into them. As much as me, and some even more.
I could sit here and spill a million words what the Fall or, at least the name that the band's only constant member, leader, a grumpy old man even in his youth and cranky paragon Mark E. Smith meant to me. I could go on about how the band released 32 studio albums, just as many live albums along with tons of singles and compilation records. I could comment how a lot of those albums were brilliant and some very frustrating (often the same album, in fact.) I could mention how some of their albums were stinkers too.
Since reading the news on Mark's passing yesterday, I have looked at the many pieces written by people much more clever and a better way with words than me posted about his genius as well as his madness. About how he was brilliant. About how he was a philistine. You can find them yourself (though I will suggest the Quietus articles new and archived as a place for some great reading to start) because I will probably be spending my free time spinning the Fall records I've enjoyed.
It was hard to pick just one song as the Fall has so many ingenious moments. When Mark was married to Brix and she swayed him to have some "pop" moments are some of the most brilliant.
I read somewhere that Mark E. Smith never intended to push the envelope as he never knew one existed. Makes sense to me.
What are you listening to tonight?
