some 60 OFF ON A
QUITE RADICAL TANGENT AND ARE JUST MENTAL'
Speaking in tongues
Mark Robertson encounters a world of shark-women and bingo rebellion as Peter Wild explains how he edited short stories based on song titles by the Fall
I is always the first thing that strikes you. The song
titles. Before you even take the vinyl out of the
sleeve or the (‘D ottt of its jewelcase. it‘s those militant statements of verbosity. those acid-dipped. verbal conjugal visits. those florid. post-Beelheartian one-liners that grab your attention. l‘rom ‘liat Y‘Self‘ or ‘l.ie Dream of a (‘asino Soul‘ to 'Spoilt Victorian (‘hild‘ or ‘MoHUsc in 'l‘yrol‘. Mark li Smith has always had a knack for a snappy title. ()ften cryptic or surreal. and always intriguing. That‘s why :‘vlancunian author and journalist Peter Wild‘s fancy to construct a book of short stories by various authors all inspired by liall song titles — isn't such a daft notion.
Wild commissioned 23 authors to write a story each where they could take as much or as little reference from the song itself as they pleased. They run chronologically. from Niall (irifliths’ take on the band‘s debut single. l978's 'Bingo Master‘s Breakout‘. through to Rebbecca Raty"s stab at ‘I (‘an Hear the (irass (irow‘ from the band's recent album I'll/l Hem/s Roll. The Falls music has always been rooted in a SOs rockabilly sensibility bttt driven in varying directions by Smith‘s lyrical waywardness. He is the nobbly asteroid around which the musical ideas orbit and the book indicates that no matter how familiar a writer is
with their own back catalogue. there‘s a varied world of
possibilities to be conjured from these titles.
‘If anything. it shows just how personal music can be and how two peoples take on the same artist can be so radically different says Wild. Demand to be included was high once word of the project got ottt. "The response was amazing. and people began to approach
26 THE LIST f>~l€i Jul (200."
me. The l’all are a real authors‘ band obviously.‘ Matt Beaumont. Andrew Holmes. Helen Walsh and Nicholas Royle are among the contributors. all with varying approaches.
‘Some used the titles as mere jumping-off points into something completely different where others. like John Williams. for instance. who was friends with the band very early on in the late 70s. talks about his involvement with them. and others like (‘arlton Mellick lll go off on some quite radical tangents and arejust . . . mental.’ Mellick’s '(‘ity l-lobgoblins‘ is among the best
here and tells of a grimy Jeff Noon-ish future world of
love and lust between a man and a mutant liquorice- flavoured shark woman. In further contrast. Stewart l.ee deliberately wrote in the voice of Smith himself. a conceit that doesn't quite work but is still a valiant effort.
This book is far frotn a stand-alone tome however. with two sequels on the satne premise for Sonic Youth and the Smiths nearing completion. "The intention is to have six books with three bands from New York and three froin Manchester with Ramones. Joy Division and Velvet Underground completing the set.‘ explains Wild. For now the works of MliS and co are enough to keep us sated. ‘My hope is that the book works both ways.‘ says Wild. 'lt might get l‘all fans into reading
short stories and it tnight get fans of Michel Faber or
Nicholas Blincoe out buying l’all albums. That would be the tnost I could ever wish for.‘
Perverted by Language is out now, published by Serpent’s Tail
llit
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* Peter Wild (ad) Getting a disparate bunch of writers to script a story based on song titles from the Fall is probably easier than coping with Mark E Smith for five minutes. Perverted by Language is the result. See preview. left. Serpent's Tail.
=l¢ Woody Allen Over 25 years since Mr Konigsberg entertained us with his silly stories and surrealistic tales, he’s back with Mere Anarchy, a florid and funny collection of unadulterated daftness. See review, page 27. Ebury
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