THE BIG MIDWEEK: LIFE INSIDE THE FALL PDF, EPUB, EBOOK Steve Hanley,Olivia Piekarski | 448 pages | 15 Jul 2016 | Route Publishing | 9781901927658 | English | Glasshoughton, Yorks, United Kingdom The Big Midweek: Life Inside the Fall PDF Book I love The Fall and MES is clearly a genius imho however it takes a brilliant book by the unsung Steve Hanley to really drive home the contribution of the many other band members over, as MES would say himself, "the long, long days of our youth. Absolutely crushing. A wonderful reminder of what it once meant to be in a genuinely dangerous and groundbreaking group. Utterly essential for The Fall fan in your life. Humorous and engaging. Mar 06, Jay Green rated it liked it. Hanley suffers; all The Fall suffers. One of the best books on music I've read in a long time. Other editions. Also a shout out to Colin, their Scottish roadie, whose proclamations Hanley writes phonetically, very funny. Following along and listening to their discography chronologically while reading was a revelation - would have appreciated an epilogue, though! Mainly this was because of the personality of Mark Edward Smith, one of the more obtuse characters to emerge from the nexus of northern punk. There are priceless Smith quotes that sound verbatim to anyone familiar with his turn of phrase. No trivia or quizzes yet. Nice to see Marc Riley come out of it well. The Fall always give you something other than what you expect: this superb book is just another example of this from the sufficiently, occasionally sober bassist who lived to tell the tale. How this guy didn't wind up in jail I don't know. I mean, he cultivated a dickish life cuz he felt that's what it took to express his brilliance. Show 25 25 50 All. Why should you read this , well its funny , wise , heartbreaking and offers a light on Mark E Smith which always is useful. Details if other :. The book received widespread acclaim for its intelligent, engaging, conversational style, revealing insights, and dry, stoical humour. Olivia Piekarski Olivia Piekarski is a writer with a passion for contemporary fiction and music. Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read. An excellent read. Route TV In conversations, launches, trailers and video playlists for books. Authors Our authors and their books. And the unusuals I didn't know: skint with band funds, forcing the band to clean all the stray gaffing tape off the stage, haranguing Steve about his having kids, womanizing well, that, I kinda could figure out He is quite honest, but there are some misteries in there. He WAS th This is a good book. Articles Interviews. The problem with this book is that it represents all too well how it is to be in a rock band. Penderyn Music Book Prize Nominee Along the way, he has a family, but Recommended, even for non Fall fans. Steve Hanley. As a fan of The Fall, knowing Hanley was the last long term member to leave, I knew his story would be interesting. The Big Midweek: Life Inside the Fall Writer But, of course, this review is one of Steve's complaints: everything always comes back to MES. The problem with this book is that it represents all too well how it is to be in a rock band. If you like The Fall, you probably like Steve Hanley. We may never know what was going on in MES' head. Thanks for telling us about the problem. But he was erratic, and wanted the band to be in constant chaos, and submissive. Its fantastic if you dont like the fall it might be difficult to accept why hanley did all this but stick with it you will enjoy. Highly recommended Smith in there didn't help. He has lots of good stories and paints a picture that is easy to capture in the imagination -- cramped quarters, odd gigs, triumphs and disasters, with more of those coming towards the end of his tenure with the band. Morrissey take note 'Penguin classic' indeed! Of equal mirth are Smith's Captain Queeg-style rants about The Smiths "They're taking the piss out of me by naming themselves after me! Some substance abuse is named, but swept under the rug as quickly as it is brought out. A control freak whose gift for subverting everyday language in surreal cut-up lyrics made him a genuinely radical post-punk voice, Smith was a man who'd rebelled against — but also internalised — the berserk discipline of a bullying father. Hanley's assessment of Frank Zappa's music sounding like two different jazz bands playing at the same time is hysterical, and h One of the greatest rock books ever written, and am I the only one who thinks this is the punk rock version of Hell's Kitchen? But I don't think that's necessarily true You get a good idea of what it was like to WORK in this band, not what the critics thought but how the music was conceived and what the relationships were like for one of the few constants in the band. If The Big Midweek at times reads like the testimony of a prison-camp survivor, it's because Smith ran the Fall like his own miniature army, subjecting ever-replaceable musicians to awful treatment — mainly psychological but occasionally physical not least during Hanley's last ever show in New York. Jun 05, Lee Eddy rated it really liked it. In case of the Fall, having Mark E. The Big Midweek: Life Inside the Fall Reviews Spoiler alert: Smith becomes a lot kinder and gentler with the advent of Brix, but then Steve Hanley. I loved working with Steve — he was my rock for all the years I played in The Fall, but I never knew what he was thinking. These vividly drawn scenes give unprecedented insight into the intense, highly-charged creative atmosphere within The Fall and their relentless work ethic which has won them a dedicated cult following, high-art respectability and a unique place in popular music history. Reuse this content. What you will get is a very well told story of working relentlessly in a band for little reward, and under very trying circumstances. Average rating 4. How this guy didn't wind up in jail I don't know. He has friends come and go from the band; he dodges Smith's bastardy maneuvers. Sep 08, Jonathan Norton rated it really liked it. The book details the Fall's steady rise to prominence in the late and early 80s, their song writing techniques, his approach to bass playing, and Smith's often acrimonious relationship with other core Fall members. Moderately interesting history of The Fall from the author's perspective, for the period that he was a member. No trivia or quizzes yet. Community Reviews. Also, the ending is way more depressing than any other ending to any other rock book I've read. I didn't judge - when it would have been easy to - it just told the story with a keen eye and a warm spirit. Highly recommended This book is mostly from his own experiences and includes very little external information, which is the main reason why I dig this book so much. Of equal mirth are Smith's Captain Queeg-style rants about The Smiths "They're taking the piss out of me by naming themselves after me! Just as I am with the fall in general, I just wish there was more. With Peter Hook , Andy Rourke and Gary Mounfield , he is considered one of the most important bassists of his generation. The author was born the same month, went through the same formative gig-going experiences in early 70s Manchester Mott The Hoople, then moving on from glam in to punk and New Wave. Even though his tale of his time in the Fall skips and hops and seems clunky and times I found the point. God bless Steve Hanley for every one of those years. The Fall are my favorite group, so this was an easy read. You won't find much insight into the ineffable mysteries of songwriting here--though perhaps presenting it as a working routine is an insight in itself. Which, to me, makes for an interesting book. It perhaps helps that I'm a big fan of The Fall and therefore have the context of the music as a background but I really don't think that matters. Just fantastic. He didn't have to tell everything. She does now, for the band's long-serving bass guitarist has, with the assistance of Olivia Piekarski, written a long and detailed account of exactly what it was like for him to live "inside" the indie-rock institution that John Peel famously enshrined as "the mighty Fall". Humorous and engaging. A wonderful reminder of what it once meant to be in a genuinely dangerous and groundbreaking group. The walk-offs, the pissed-pants appearance on stage, the shittiness of late lyric style. Endless ribbing by people like the newsagent, that very particularly British way of making sure you don't get above your station. There's a lot more here: songwriting info, centrality of "the others" to the sound, etc. There are many well-drawn characters besides Smith--Karl Burns, Brix, Marc Riley, many others- -and their dramatic and unpredictable interactions are what give the story its energy. How he dealt with Mark E Smith for so long without killing the miserable fuck is one question the book doesn't answer although he thanks Smith at the end "for the opportunity" so clearly he took the good with the very bad.