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“People Tell Me We're Political”

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“People Tell Me We're Political” 1977 1977 MBER ECE OOCTOBERCTOBER – %°11BERD - 41PA The Fall atatThe The Ranch,Ranch,11311'-'16P Manchester'sfirstManchester’s first punk r club,onAugustitimmiclub, on August 18, 1977: (I-r)UnaBaines,Martin(l–r) Una Baines, Martin / . Bramah, Karl BurnsBurns(drums), (drums), “PeopleVecirile tell.tell meii MarkEMark E Smith and and Tony Friel MM DECDrErCo 31n3t1m1 Introducing, natnromdaurcki nim, from fitrho mfaMr Manchester, amnoc hree snit euritThe Ti -hfeacFeatleldTthheaynaTrhee,Fall. They are, insists insists we'rewe’re ppolitical”471litical" theirMMtheir frontman Mark Smith, far more multi-faceted than The Clash. AUTUMN-THEWORLDUTUMn – THe WORLd a a copper copper- - are makingmaking theirtheir firstfirst recorded foray with an glint inin her eye, as sheshe did did tilltill atat leastleast halfwayhalfway gold shade of dying? Nuclear EP onon Manchester’s Manchester's NewNew HormonesHormones label, through thethe interview,interview, when when wewe finally Aomni-destruction -the– the shrieking shrieking which will probably appear next month and decided we we liked liked each each other. other. I Iwas was gladglad she she tumble of the Bomb beforebefore thethe fallout?fallout? feature “Repetition”,"Repetition", "Frightened"“Frightened” (a (a slower, slower, didn’tdidn't knowknow that only a fewfew monthsmonths beforebefore I’dI'd Woman and man'sman’s expulsion from ParadiseParadise inin more thoughtful, menacing menacing number, which been one ofof thethe reviledreviled studentstudent breed. the Christian fairytale? Or the topplingtoppling of relentlessly grinds out its evocation of But do all of you standstand on thethe left? capitalism by revolution?revolution? paranoia), “Bingo-Master’s"Bingo -Master's BreakBreak-Out!”, -Out!", Martin: "Yeah,“Yeah, well none of us are fascists.”fascists." As The Fall say,say, their their name is soso evocativeevocative and “Psycho"Psycho Mafia”–Mafia" -the the last being the song Not everyone outside thethe leftleft is is aa fascist…fascist... that it'dit’d be be almost almost criminalcriminal to to select select any any one which has hauntedhaunted meme mostmost inin the the twotwo monthsmonths “Yes,"Yes, theythey are,”are," retortedretorted Una Una in her meaning and evict allall others. The The new new bandsbands since I!first first sawsaw them. laconiclaconic monotone,monotone, “They’re"They're justjust watered-watered- certainly seem seem to choose better names names than MarkMark Smith’sSmith's intonation is is always intenselyintensely down fascists. We’reWe're talking about the the old -– I mean, TheThe Beatles,Beatles, thethe Rolling cynical (if that’sthat's possible) and usually same mentality.”mentality." Stones? The Fourmost?Fourmost? What kind of names deliberately tuneless,tuneless, and both those traits You reckon?reckon?! I don’tdon'tat at all...all… are those? come intointo theirtheir own inin thisthis fragmented fragmented Mark: “They’ve"They've got no mentality.”mentality." The FallFall hit hit hard. hard. Not Notwith with the sledge- warning about the Thought Police of the That exchange makes themthem seem veryvery hammer superficiality of of the the sub-Ramones sub-Ramones present.present."Psycho “Psycho Mafia"Mafia” was was probably one of confident, bothboth in in themselves and inin theirtheir clones/drones, butbut ingeniouslyingeniously- – intellectually, the songs thatthat ledled toto themthem beingbeing brandedbranded an views, and that’sthat's just how theythey appear on II suppose.suppose. TheirTheir attackattack is moremore cerebralcerebral onon all exclusively political political band band – -thethe first firsttime time they stage –-they they allall implicitly express express aa distance fronts thanthan isis usual withinwithin thesethese street-gutstreet -gut ever appeared in print it it was was asas a totallytotally from punk by wearing nondescript casual casual shores. TheirTheir lyrics (nearly all indiscernibleindiscernible in committed socialistsocialist band who, likelike HenryHenry gear (when's(when’s the last time you you saw saw a new waver concert) areare oblique, and occasionally Cow, wouldwould havehave trouble trouble coming to terms wearing aa sweater?). esoteric enough to necessitate explanation; with a commercialcommercial artart form.form. Una lookslooks icilyicily uninterested, a a fully paid paid-up -up they all look very sharp, yet cool and detached,detached, They were grossly misrepresented, they they say, say, member of the Tina WeymouthWeymouth detachment especially the blond axisaxis of of vocalist/lyricist vocalist/lyricist though tales ofof UnaUna furiouslyfuriously beratingberating otherother school; and Mark reminds meme visuallyvisually ofof aa Mark Smith and organist Una Baines; andand theirtheir Manchester musicians backstage over their committed but but cynical cynical streetstreet-level -level activist. music is probably probably cleverclever beforebefore it’sit's powerful.powerful. sexism, as wellwell asas exchanges exchanges Yet when Mark sent me That “cleverness”"cleverness" isn’tisn't meant toto suggestsuggest likelike thethe following,following, show thatthat thethe lyrics to “Hey"Hey Fascist!”Fascist!" a linklink withwith artart rock,rock, that that brightly brightly contrivedcontrived they come from quite aa long laterlater on, hehe didn’tdidn't seem at fringe, thoughtThethought The Fall Fall havehave intelligence and way left.left. I’dI'd mentionedmentioned to “The"The Clash set up all confidentconfident of thethe worthworth a readinessreadiness toto experimentexperiment with form inin them that I’dI'd heard they things and knock of his work,work, headingheading it common with that genre. used toto refuserefuse all collegecollege with “Pretentious"Pretentious Garbage Even theirtheir formal adventurousness, gigs,gigs,and and to sing “Oh"Oh ’em'em down –- likelike the IncInc 1977".1977”. though, is ofof anan entirely entirely different different order from, Student!”Student!" instead of “Hey"Hey Martin, Karl Karl andand Tony say, TalkingTalking Heads’ Heads' clinical clinical variationvariation –-The The Fall Fascist!”.Fascist!". Una:Una: “I"I didn’tdidn't police,police, employers”employers" (Friel,(Friel, their bassist,bassist, who'swho’s on take thethe repetitionrepetition andand the monotonous think we’dwe'd been goinggoing longlong thethe brink of leaving) agree vocals whichwhich havehave flooded flooded thethe country in the enough to have a history,” history," thatthatthey're they’re lessless politicallypolitically past year andand developdevelop themthem intointo something (it’s(it's only eight monthsmonths since since Una Una andand committed than than the the other other two two and and are are inin it positive and exciting. drummer Karl Burns joined and the band’sband's lifelife more for the music. “Well"Well what d'youd’you think They even havehave a a song song called called “Repetition”, "Repetition", began in earnest).earnest). we’rewe're in ititfor?" for?” said said Una, Una, on the attack again. perhaps their finest, which which is ambitious Mark:Mark: “One"One of the reasons we changedchanged thatthat II dunnodunno –-to to communicate a politicalpolitical belief? despite revolving entirely around around anan was thatthat it’sit's becomebecome veryvery trendytrendy to bash Una: “No"N o way way – -thethe music’s music's very very important.” important." omnipotent two two-chord -chord corecore-thread, -thread, Martin students. The sentiment’ssentiment's still there maybe, Martin: "People“People try to to tietie usus down too Bramah’sBramah's guitarguitar twangingtwanging trebly inin a but the main reasonreason wewe changed changed it itto to “Hey"Hey much –-we've we’ve got other things besides the calculatedly tackytacky radioradio-signal -signal sound –-the the Fascist!”Fascist!" was thatthat wewe thought thought it more relevant.”relevant." political angle. angle. We'reWe’re not in this band to put closest reference point is is probably Buzzcocks'Buzzcocks’ So what does the song say now? “It’s"It's an over the beliefs of any politicalpolitical party oror eveneven "Boredom",“Boredom”, though though I'm I’m not not exactly exactly sure sure why.why. anti-fascistanti -fascist song,”song," saidsaid Una,Una, “what "what elseelse isis there there our own politicalpolitical ideas exclusivelyexclusively –-though though KEVIN CUMMINS GETTY/ LikeLike Buzzcocks withwith “Spiral"Spiral Scratch",Scratch”, TheThe Fall to say?”say?" SheShe glaredglared atat meme withwith aa challengingchallenging in ourour political songs songs we we meanmean whatwhat wewe 112 I| HISTORY OF ROCK 19771977.
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