The Fall
By Ari Sass

I have to ask about this. The last time The Fall played in NYC a few years ago you had two scheduled shows. I saw the first and there was some serious internal tension with you and the band and some spouts of violence. The next night the venue had a flyer on the door that read 'show cancelled due to Mark E. Smith being in jail". What happened?
You, of course, are going on about the New York show of May 1998. Since then The Fall are much re-built. As Jim Watts, our new guitarist, said to me just yesterday. As regarding the question - I did not play the show.

Is this the reason you've had 30+ members of The Fall over the entire career of the band?
How could our second new guitarist Brian Fanning know this?

So is The Fall really just Mark E. Smith and you just have a supporting cast?
Obviously not!

Why release a solo record if The Fall is really Mark E. Smith?
One is both and both is the same. What is this solo record?

What or who is “The Post Nearly Man”? To me it sounds like an adjective to describe a man who really doesn't know how to describe himself.
You are a man who cannot work out 9pm, 10pm U.S. time or 12:18pm, 2pm U.K. time, so speak for yourself.

It seems to me that Europe has much easier access to The Fall than Americans. Here, CDs are mostly imported (hence expensive), The Fall have played only twice in several years, and there is very little in the way of interviews in U.S. publications. Is this intentional or just a series of unfortunate circumstances?
Ed Blaney (Fall manager): I understand your question, but the same can be said with most countries. However, as you know, we are coming over so things are already happening in that direction. With regards to "import CDs", we are looking into releasing an album with a U.S label.

What happened with the deal with Matador?
We were originally signed up with Atlantic Records with whom we got on okay. Then it seemed too disparate for our needs.

The Fall have been on lots of different labels - Rough Trade, Beggars Banquet, COG Sinister, Artful, Jet, et cetera. Why is that?
The Fall are autonomous.

Lately, there have been many CDs of live Fall shows released - many with almost the same cover art. I heard that these are not authorized albums. Is this true?
Th..... Unutterab...... I can't say it.

What album would you say you are most proud of and why? To me, Light User Syndrome is the most 'underrated' Fall album released. What album to you deserved more attention than it received?
Why not ask the bands who are "influenced" by Brian Fanning (fashion A/C guitar consultant).

In many interviews you have claimed (rightfully so) that there are a ton of bands that have been heavily influenced by The Fall. Are they any of those bands that you particularly like or does this concept of stealing someone else's style offend you?
As a drummer, formerly of Bad Man Wagon / Intastella, I tried to jump off the first and avoid the rising star of the second. Spencer Birtwistle. Drums. This is a great question, Ari. To work it out and fit into the Skyscraper scenario, I need to read no, no, no, no, no, no. I understand and I hate it! The many interviews you have claimed, claimed, claimed, claimed plagiarism effects all countries that are starved, emanating from the United Kingdom. As regarding your remaining questions... hey, have you been in touch with Aylin' Babe? New guitarist Jim Watts. We’ve not started yet! Not by a long shot! Ben Pritchard, The Fall’s rhythm guitarist.