POLL: Favorite Former Member of The Fall

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Names culled from here: http://www.visi.com/fall/bio/biography.html
I eliminated some producers, session musicians, and guest spots to fit within poll protocol.

Poll Results

OptionVotes
Brix Smith 11
Craig Scanlon 10
Steve Hanley 9
Marc Riley 7
Karl Burns 5
Granny On Bongos 4
Julia Nagle 2
Martin Bramah 2
Marcia Schofield 2
Ben Pritchard 1
Gavin Friday 1
Una Baines 1
Tim Presley 0
Dave Milner 0
Allan Pellay 0
Yvonne Pawlett 0
Adam Helal 0
Lucy Rimmer 0
Neville Wilding 0
Jim Watts 0
Dave Tucker 0
Steven Trafford 0
Kate Themen 0
Kier Stewart 0
Simon Spencer 0
Simon Wolstencroft 0
Simon Rogers 0
Eric McGann 0
Orpheo McCord 0
Tommy Crooks 0
Coldcut 0
Dave Bush 0
Jonnie Brown 0
Ed Blaney 0
Spencer Birtwistle 0
Charlotte Bill 0
Rob Barbato 0
Ruth Daniel 0
Steve Davies 0
Chris Evans 0
Mike Leigh 0
Karen Leatham 0
Kenny Brady 0
Tom Head 0
Paul Hanley 0
Tony Friel 0
Adrian Flanagan 0
Brian Fanning 0
Simon "Ding" Archer 0


Fox Force Five Punchline (sexyDancer), Wednesday, 25 February 2009 18:28 (seventeen years ago)

for me it's split between Karl Burns and Steve Hanley.

Fox Force Five Punchline (sexyDancer), Wednesday, 25 February 2009 18:30 (seventeen years ago)

Smith quoted sometime in the early 80s: "Steve Hanley is The Fall." Or words to that effect.

fit and working again, Wednesday, 25 February 2009 18:32 (seventeen years ago)

Steve Hanley.

Dr. Johnson (askance johnson), Wednesday, 25 February 2009 18:35 (seventeen years ago)

Yeah, it has to be S. Hanley.

I always liked Simon Wolstencroft though.

Kent Burt, Wednesday, 25 February 2009 19:31 (seventeen years ago)

Would have once said Hanley, but I'm going for Scanlon. Responsible for the beauty of The Fall.

Abbe Black Tentacle (GamalielRatsey), Wednesday, 25 February 2009 19:33 (seventeen years ago)

Voted for Scanlon also, but really wanted to vote for Brix.

Chris Barrus (Elvis Telecom), Wednesday, 25 February 2009 19:49 (seventeen years ago)

Voted for Scanlon also, but really wanted to vote for Brix.

Chris Barrus (Elvis Telecom), Wednesday, 25 February 2009 19:49 (seventeen years ago)

karl burns. total drum genius.

Dr X O'Skeleton, Wednesday, 25 February 2009 21:38 (seventeen years ago)

scanlon

juicy sweet are (electricsound), Wednesday, 25 February 2009 23:30 (seventeen years ago)

Karl Burns aka "Scottish man, the fuckin animal on drums"

"You be witness to this!"

Fox Force Five Punchline (sexyDancer), Wednesday, 25 February 2009 23:38 (seventeen years ago)

Marc Riley because I like The Creepers more than The Fall.

drunk dudes NOTM (james k polk), Thursday, 26 February 2009 00:31 (seventeen years ago)

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

System, Thursday, 12 March 2009 00:01 (seventeen years ago)

agreed mostly with everybody here...ie Steve Hanley wins , with Karl as close second (and Scanlon somewhat unjustly as third) also really like Paul Hanley, played drums on New Face in Hell, y'know...

These Fall polls are grebt.

drugs wish they could be as cool as MBV (Drugs A. Money), Thursday, 12 March 2009 00:49 (seventeen years ago)

Steve Hanley is my fav bassist evar so him.
But Scanlon and Burns and other Hanley and Brix I'd all like to hug too

turtles all the way down (Face of Wolf), Thursday, 12 March 2009 06:51 (seventeen years ago)

Oh come on, Martin Bramah for sure.

deedeedeextrovert, Thursday, 12 March 2009 07:20 (seventeen years ago)

you crazy

turtles all the way down (Face of Wolf), Thursday, 12 March 2009 07:38 (seventeen years ago)

gotta be scanlon

w/ sax (electricsound), Thursday, 12 March 2009 07:47 (seventeen years ago)

woops i already said that

w/ sax (electricsound), Thursday, 12 March 2009 07:47 (seventeen years ago)

Hard to argue against S. Hanley + Scanlon. But for work outwith The Fall, Bramah + Baines obviously. All things considered, Steve gets my vote.

Free the Northampton 1 (Tom D.), Thursday, 12 March 2009 10:44 (seventeen years ago)

Would have been interested to hear the Granny on Bongos line-up, couldn't imagine mine taking much shit off Mark E Smith either.

Dom Cry For Me, Passantino (NickB), Thursday, 12 March 2009 10:53 (seventeen years ago)

I'm slightly shocked Marc Riley doesn't get more love...he was like the John Cale of the Fall...(he's still tied w/Brix for 5th in my eyes, but still...)

drugs wish they could be as cool as MBV (Drugs A. Money), Thursday, 12 March 2009 11:32 (seventeen years ago)

is st just his goofy disc jockey career thats obscuring this?

drugs wish they could be as cool as MBV (Drugs A. Money), Thursday, 12 March 2009 11:32 (seventeen years ago)

John Cale never became a goofy DJ and comedy sidekick, afaik

Free the Northampton 1 (Tom D.), Thursday, 12 March 2009 11:38 (seventeen years ago)

question answered

drugs wish they could be as cool as MBV (Drugs A. Money), Thursday, 12 March 2009 11:38 (seventeen years ago)

MES's various stories about Marc Riley undermine him too, I think

Free the Northampton 1 (Tom D.), Thursday, 12 March 2009 11:38 (seventeen years ago)

being an Amerikan, I have had fortunately little exposure of his DJ/comedy routines...all I know is the version of Man Whose Head Expanded that he played on in the In a Hole album is dramatically different and quite possibly better than the single version...

drugs wish they could be as cool as MBV (Drugs A. Money), Thursday, 12 March 2009 11:40 (seventeen years ago)

xpost...yes but its not like MES has anything nice to say about any of these guys (at least nowadays)

drugs wish they could be as cool as MBV (Drugs A. Money), Thursday, 12 March 2009 11:41 (seventeen years ago)

(guys = guys + girls)

drugs wish they could be as cool as MBV (Drugs A. Money), Thursday, 12 March 2009 11:42 (seventeen years ago)

Riley is great but look what he's up against

Isn't Scanlon the only one he claims he shouldn't have kicked out?

turtles all the way down (Face of Wolf), Thursday, 12 March 2009 11:43 (seventeen years ago)

Actually MES is pretty complimentary about S. Hanley and Craig Scanlon in his book. I think MES' claim, in the same book, that Marc Riley wanted to play "Container Drivers" while wearing a cowboy hat may have helped knock a few points off.

Free the Northampton 1 (Tom D.), Thursday, 12 March 2009 11:43 (seventeen years ago)

rofl I really have to read that book...

drugs wish they could be as cool as MBV (Drugs A. Money), Thursday, 12 March 2009 11:45 (seventeen years ago)

i never knew MES was so into psychedelics until i read it

turtles all the way down (Face of Wolf), Thursday, 12 March 2009 11:48 (seventeen years ago)

really? had no clue huh? say, Jawbone and the Air Rifle or Wings didnt tip you off just a little bit?

sing everybody deutsche deutsche (Drugs A. Money), Thursday, 12 March 2009 11:50 (seventeen years ago)

(sry dude thats snarky, but MES definitely always seemed like a traveller to me...)

sing everybody deutsche deutsche (Drugs A. Money), Thursday, 12 March 2009 11:50 (seventeen years ago)

well, yeah, i figured he was into them
but halfway through the book and it's the only drug he really talks about (and quite a bit) which i was surprised by

turtles all the way down (Face of Wolf), Thursday, 12 March 2009 11:53 (seventeen years ago)

wow I really have to read this book...

sing everybody deutsche deutsche (Drugs A. Money), Thursday, 12 March 2009 11:56 (seventeen years ago)

Whisky takes over, in a big way, in the second half

Free the Northampton 1 (Tom D.), Thursday, 12 March 2009 11:56 (seventeen years ago)

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h279/juicyfrt/0595321984.jpg

damn...wrong one.

sing everybody deutsche deutsche (Drugs A. Money), Thursday, 12 March 2009 11:58 (seventeen years ago)

Steve Hanley is a nice sensible answer but unfortunately I saw Ark live and thus cannot vote for anyone involved.

No Kay Carroll? For shame! (I know you guys seem to be going for proper musical reasons and all but I'm probably going to vote based on who intrigues me most in bios etc)

a passing spacecadet, Thursday, 12 March 2009 14:23 (seventeen years ago)

burns, scanlan and hanley, s. should walk this between them. i'd vote for martin bramah more for the blue orchids than his contribution to the fall

Dr X O'Skeleton, Thursday, 12 March 2009 14:43 (seventeen years ago)

I vote Karl, purely for being more mad than Mark E.

(Tony Friel seems a nice bloke)

Mark G, Thursday, 12 March 2009 15:46 (seventeen years ago)

Mike Leigh did well for himself

Free the Northampton 1 (Tom D.), Thursday, 12 March 2009 15:49 (seventeen years ago)

different Mike Leigh!

Fox Force Five Punchline (sexyDancer), Thursday, 12 March 2009 16:44 (seventeen years ago)

Marc Riley

(not that I remember many of these names bsides Brix)

Dr Morbius, Thursday, 12 March 2009 16:49 (seventeen years ago)

different Mike Leigh!

I am aware of that

Free the Northampton 1 (Tom D.), Thursday, 12 March 2009 16:53 (seventeen years ago)

Mind you, check pictures! They do look identical!

Mark G, Thursday, 12 March 2009 16:58 (seventeen years ago)

Marc Riley. For playing on tons of brilliant Fall songs; for The Creepers who had tons of ace material and were great live despite some patchy albums; for being part of Oink Comic; for the Smith/Riley animosity which was entertaining and possibly inspired a few good songs etc; for bringing the world's attention to Yeah Yeah Noh, Rote Kapelle, Gaye Bykers On Acid etc via Intape Records; for Mark & Lard who were hilarious for a time and played good music; for the two or three Shirehorses songs that are funny; for liking Cardiacs and having them on his BBC6 show a bunch of times.

everything, Thursday, 12 March 2009 19:55 (seventeen years ago)

Also, for zinging Paul Weller 2 decades before y'all.

everything, Thursday, 12 March 2009 20:03 (seventeen years ago)

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

System, Friday, 13 March 2009 00:01 (seventeen years ago)

WOAH! Didn't expect that one! And what is Hanley doing in third place???

I Harbour Multitudes (Bimble), Friday, 13 March 2009 00:03 (seventeen years ago)

What happened? I'm confused.

turtles all the way down (Face of Wolf), Friday, 13 March 2009 00:05 (seventeen years ago)

and what's up with the Virgin Prunes fan who hates The Fall

turtles all the way down (Face of Wolf), Friday, 13 March 2009 00:10 (seventeen years ago)

meh

brix probably gets the most name recognition votes

w/ sax (electricsound), Friday, 13 March 2009 00:14 (seventeen years ago)

missed voting but i worked in art dept of a school for the blind until last year and steve hanley was the caretaker, lovely bloke

straightola, Friday, 13 March 2009 10:14 (seventeen years ago)

Oh man I had no idea this came up yesterday because of its ending bump, I thought it started yesterday and I had another week to think about it. Would probably have voted Una Baines, for reasoning listed above and for her dayjob bringing us Psychomafia.

Whose was the website that had 70s letters from MES scanned on it until he had to take them down? Spent a good few hours poking round that, which wins the owner instant love from me regardless of any musical input...

a passing spacecadet, Friday, 13 March 2009 11:41 (seventeen years ago)

think that was on tony friel's page. it was fascinating stuff.

Dr X O'Skeleton, Friday, 13 March 2009 11:58 (seventeen years ago)

Thought it was MBramah's? (according to the "Fallen" book)

Mark G, Friday, 13 March 2009 12:04 (seventeen years ago)

i remember looking at them. they were letters from a young mes to tony friel. the site was atomic soup, but they got taken down within days

Dr X O'Skeleton, Friday, 13 March 2009 13:06 (seventeen years ago)

white boots walk to victory.

Dr Morbius, Friday, 13 March 2009 14:03 (seventeen years ago)

WOAH! Didn't expect that one! And what is Hanley doing in third place???

― I Harbour Multitudes (Bimble), Thursday, March 12, 2009 8:03 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

sing everybody deutsche deutsche (Drugs A. Money), Friday, 13 March 2009 23:34 (seventeen years ago)

(actually WHOA'd out loud foax...mom said what?)

sing everybody deutsche deutsche (Drugs A. Money), Friday, 13 March 2009 23:35 (seventeen years ago)

one year passes...

I recently read "The Fallen" - the book which tracks down most of the ex-Fall musicians. I thought it was a good read for Fall fans but not particularly well written. Certainly the worst attempt at gonzo-style writing I can recall. The author seems like a nice guy but he's really not part of the story so it's just irritating that he continually tries to frame the whole thing as part of "his" obsession etc. The absolute nadir is when he drives to a remote house where Karl Burns might be living but then decides to not bother ringing the bell and instead drives home. That's not a fucking story, that a tragedy. It ends up being really detrimental to the whole concept, which is quite an excellent one.

My other gripe is that he is not a particularly insightful interviewer. He goes into every interview with very fixed opinions: that MES is a genius/tyrant, that The Fall is the weirdest band ever and that everyone who was ever in the band suffered severe mental problems as a result. That most of the interviewees contradict these assumptions (most say they'd rejoin anytime, many say he's friendly) fails to alter his agenda. He paraphrases a lot which prevents the ex-Fall members personalities from getting through.

Still worth reading just to hear these people talk for once.

everything, Wednesday, 19 May 2010 19:46 (fifteen years ago)

kinda wanna hear julia nagle's testimony (I think I voted for her in this poll, being as she was the main spur behind the insaniacked fucknoise of '97-'00)

glouis? (acoleuthic), Wednesday, 19 May 2010 19:59 (fifteen years ago)

I read this at the weekend; it's an enjoyable book.

fit and working again, Wednesday, 19 May 2010 20:02 (fifteen years ago)

V enjoyable, agree that it's v annoyingly written tho.

GamalielRatsey, Wednesday, 19 May 2010 20:05 (fifteen years ago)

What did you guys think of Mick Middles' Fall book?

Is it far? Is it far? Is it far? (Jon Lewis), Wednesday, 19 May 2010 20:09 (fifteen years ago)

I'm currently part-way through MES' autobiography fwiw

it's awesome and is only deepening my <3

glouis? (acoleuthic), Wednesday, 19 May 2010 20:10 (fifteen years ago)

I've only read Simon Ford's book which good on the early years, then trailed off a bit.

fit and working again, Wednesday, 19 May 2010 20:14 (fifteen years ago)

was good

fit and working again, Wednesday, 19 May 2010 20:14 (fifteen years ago)

I want to get MES's book too.

Julia's chapter in The Fallen is actually one of the best and most enlightening (if true) as that was one of the most turbulent times for MES and The Fall.

Which reminds me that another thing that bothered me was that he shied away from was addressing MES's alcholism more directly. It's brought up over and over by ex-members describing how he drinks hard all day every day and of course there's dozens of drunken incidents, fights, broken relationships, bad business decisions etc where booze is implicated.

But instead of concluding "okay - so he's an alcoholic then" there's a certain amount of trying to get around it by suggesting that he's less like a normal human who needs food and water and a bit more like that robot on Futureworld who is programmed to be boozed up continually and that it actually normalizes him. Many of the wacky business choices or performance disasters are then rationalized as being part of his creative process rather than as the predictable work of a chronic alcoholic.

everything, Wednesday, 19 May 2010 20:14 (fifteen years ago)

Re: Mick Middles.

He's obsessed with the word braggadocio, but I liked this one probably the most out of all the third party books since Paintwork - worth it for the interview with Smith's mum alone. Plenty of faults as well of course, and curiously Nabokovian in its unreliable feeling in places.

GamalielRatsey, Wednesday, 19 May 2010 20:16 (fifteen years ago)

Yeah, the Mick Middles book is definitely in the self-aggrandizing 'gonzo' style, but passably so, and as Middles is actually a sort of friend of MES it works out to be pretty satisfying. I never picked up the Simon Ford one, it just sounded too book-report dry to me. The article from which The Fallen was expanded was crap so I haven't been moved to check that out but y'all are making it sound kinda interesting. Renegade I will def read at some point, after swallowing 8 oz of salt.

Is it far? Is it far? Is it far? (Jon Lewis), Wednesday, 19 May 2010 20:18 (fifteen years ago)

hahahahaha Renegade doesn't seem THAT unreliable

well maybe

but hey it makes a damn good written accompaniment to the music of The Fall which is the only truth I need sometimes

glouis? (acoleuthic), Wednesday, 19 May 2010 20:21 (fifteen years ago)

Another thing about The Fallen: the author is so obsessed with the idea of continual turbulence that he cannot ever acknowledge that for long periods the core membership of the band was pretty stable. Or that the turnover could've been fairly natural. I realize that The Fall are an extreme example but lots of bands that have been going for four decades have a couple of dozen ex-members, especially if they had a few early line-ups before really getting going.

everything, Wednesday, 19 May 2010 20:21 (fifteen years ago)

The Fallen author wrote a decent Quietus article about how his own fortunes had mirrored those of The Fallen. Very self-indulgent but pretty enjoyable nonetheless.

glouis? (acoleuthic), Wednesday, 19 May 2010 20:23 (fifteen years ago)

That's all mentioned in the book.

fit and working again, Wednesday, 19 May 2010 20:24 (fifteen years ago)

Or at least in the second edition I have.

fit and working again, Wednesday, 19 May 2010 20:24 (fifteen years ago)

I ended up hating the guy by the end of the book. I almost cheered when his girlfriend dumped him.

everything, Wednesday, 19 May 2010 20:27 (fifteen years ago)

xpost

Oh yes, it's a total work of fiction. I must admit I kind of found the tone a bit monotonous - an interview extended over the course of a book. It's amusing of course, but I prefer him as a singer/songwriter/artist whatever. It's a shame in a way, because some of the stuff he wrote himself back in the 80s (Hot Dogs in the Far Out Zone eg) for the NME and suchlike was really good. But not really sure he's up to that sort of thing these days, so I guess the ghost writing was kind of necessary.

The Simon Ford book is boring and neither for the expert or the novice. Kinda pointless.

lol everything, same here.

GamalielRatsey, Wednesday, 19 May 2010 20:28 (fifteen years ago)

four years pass...

Hanley's book is being released in September.
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41kUmmZ7pGL._SY300_.jpg

fit and working again, Wednesday, 21 May 2014 00:26 (eleven years ago)

Cannot fucking wait!

Khamma chameleon (Jon Lewis), Wednesday, 21 May 2014 02:05 (eleven years ago)

yeah this sounds great

KrafTwerk (sleeve), Wednesday, 21 May 2014 02:45 (eleven years ago)

Yessssss

#zolo (Drugs A. Money), Wednesday, 21 May 2014 03:36 (eleven years ago)

two years pass...

Recommend. It's Animal Farm reimagined as a rock bio.

everything, Friday, 3 February 2017 06:24 (nine years ago)

MES - Napoleon obv
Kay Caroll: Old Major
Martin Bramah: Snowball (twice)
Boxer: S Hanley
The cat: Karl Burns
The goat: Riley
The donkey - Scanlon
Clover/Molly: Brix
The piglets: the Fall members after all that lot bailed or were killed off.

everything, Friday, 3 February 2017 07:03 (nine years ago)


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