With many incarnations, The Fall (1976-2018) were one of the most influential bands to emerge in the British Post-Punk Scene. Their unique sound and distinct iconography have had a lasting impact on music fans and performers alike. This book disassembles The Fall's significant contribution to music. Based on up-to-date original research, the book separates fact from fiction and offers a thorough investigation into The Fall and their founder/leader Mark E Smith, in particular. Given The Fall's complexities (their wide range of influences; multiple line-ups and 'anti-music' stance), the book draws upon a wide range of academic disciplines, including ethnomusicology, sociology, literary theory, linguistics, journalism, cultural studies, and film and media studies, in order to unpack the group's influence and legacy.
Eoin Devereux is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Sociology at the University of Limerick, Ireland and Adjunct Professor in Contemporary Culture at the University of Jyvasklya, Finland. Martin J. Power is a Lecturer in the Department of Sociology at the University of Limerick, Ireland.
Foreword: (Gavin Friday) Introduction: Mr Sociological Memory Man (Martin Power and Eoin Devereux) Chapter 1: Spoiling all the Paintwork: Mark E. Smith, Art Renegade (K. A. Laity) Chapter 2: Suzanne Smith in Conversation with Eoin Devereux Chapter 3: 'A letter so simple, yet disgusting in a stroke': writing-out the (typo) graphic strangeness of The Fall (Paul Wilson) Chapter 4: Psykick Dancehall - the paranormal world of Mark E. Smith and The Fall (Ben Lawley) Chapter 5: 'You can leave me on the shelf': The death of The Fall and Mark E. Smith (Martin Myers) Chapter 6: Dead Beat Descendant: Mark E Smith's Life, Death and Mourning as a Cult Hero (John Fleming) Chapter 7: "What's a computer?" Corpus linguistic software v the complete Fall lyrics. (Matt Davies) Chapter 8: Searching for the right word or phrase that would put a chill up the spine... Investigating the lyrics of Mark E. Smith using thematic and corpus-based discourse analyses. (Elaine Vaughan, Brian Clancy and Eoin Devereux) Chapter 9: I Am Damo Suzuki Lost In Music. (Mike Glennon) Chapter 10: Remembrancer/Rememorator/Amorator: Oblique Tactics and Clear Intentions in The Fall's The Remainderer EP. (Samuel Flannagan) Chapter 11: Literary Perversion. (Kieran Cashel) Chapter 12: The Fall In Ireland (Michael Mary Murphy) Chapter 13: Montagu Lomax and The Fall: 'The Madness in My Area' (David Meagher and John McFarland)
