The Fall - Wings (Perverted By Language, UK, 1982) 

In the 1860s? Wow.

Yep great song.Drums at 3.42 is best part..

Bit o' mock flock, love it, so unpretentious, or is it????

'Alcove'? You mean 'Nooks and Crannies'?

Sure is Peter, but its been totally done up since 83, glad its still going, just up the road from me.

Love alcoves - see 'in bruges' 😱😜😜😂😂😂

So ominous yet beautiful.

You're right. Brix looks so uncomfortable. Like Mark's informed her, disingenuously, that they're out somewhere nice, and then dragged her to HIS natural habitat (some grotty run-down old pub) and hasn't given her anything to do but sit there, overdressed and mute amidst the stink of spilled stale beer and cigs and moldering wallpaper, watching him tell his tall tale ("Wings" is a tall tale song) and light endless cigarettes and get progressively drunker. I don't think she liked English pubs very much, and besides, she doesn't even get to sing backup on this song, or do a goofy dance in the video (a video that's much more fun. with a much better vibe between Mark and Brix, is "Eat Y'self Fitter.") They probably are coming down from speed; Mark is, anyway. Mind you, they both manage to look pretty cool in this video. I think Mark looks kinda cool, dragging on his cigarette in deep disdain, and pouting. And I love Brixie's hair and her dress of sequin-spangled midnight blue. And I love this song, this crazy tall tale. People always bring up M.R James when talking about Mark E. Smith - only fair, because Mark's on the record as considering M.R James to be one of his greatest influences - but for me, the lyrics of "Wings" have something of a Mervyn Peake feel. If you want to know why, write back and ask me.

Elizabeth Hann Yeah, I would've loved to been a fly on the wall when these two were alone in a domestic situation, assuming that ever happened. You can just imagine Mark E. dragging Brix down to some dingy local to play pool just as she's ready to go to some glamorous party. And yes, I would like to know more about the Mervyn Peake influence here

Something bad might've happened to that cute "little" guy.

Drinking off the jitters until you can pass out. I've definitely been in their shoes before... not the ideal mindset for filming a "music video," but they pull it off.

You're right.

You sound like a bit of a kant yourself but you're dead on, mate.

The use of repetition of a simple musical idea why you espouse numerous complex ideas through lyricism is a much under-rated style. Smith basically did what the greatest exponents of Hip Hop have always done: get the band doing something simple but infectious while he narrates something ridiculously profound over the top of it all.

Funny that for a 'non-musician' he wrote or co-wrote more songs than most musicians have had hot dinners. Let's just call him a worker, a hard worker, who delivered the goods to a lot of extremely grateful people because he was fucking great at his job. ❤

I agree, and it’s easy to miss the details - like when Mark stops lip-synching and it slips into non-diegetic sound! You’re not supposed to do that, it pulls the rug from under the viewer!!

Mark E Smith is a genius!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It's from the Perverted by Language DVD on Cherry Red.

It"s also on the reissue cd.

Sean Bradley awe right i got ya... I'll get the crisps

The formula for time travel!

there is

Yes :)

Amanda Hoffman and there is a book of Corrections- by Jonathan Franzen

Trick? He was Mark E Smith.

As much as I adore the man for the body of work he created, he was without doubt a sociopath. Confidence and self assurance in what you set out to achieve can be very attractive features in a man. I'd advise anyone really interested in this band to see Brix's account of when she briefly fell under Smith's spell again in the mid nineties, and how quickly it wore off once she'd reacquainted herself with him.

@Dr. Crippen. A sociopathic pop star, who'd have thunk it? You're a Psychiatrist?

He was the big priest-ah

Creative output in a man is a turn on. But- usually comes with a heaping side dish of crazy and hard to live with. Trust me

here is a list of incorrect things

Everything is worse in Buenos Aires, the pubs, the pasta and even the rolling stones

@@Xavier-ty4jw even worst, patricio rey y los redonditos de ricota. the worst shit which came from argentine.