Irk the purists indeed!
Steve Pringle, author of the magisterial volume on The Fall, ‘You Must Get Them All’, swung by the virtual SF studios recently to record an interview for Sombrero Fallout. He took us through first attending a Dylan concert with his dad at St James’ Park, Newcastle (where I myself have witnessed a few Newcastle v Coventry clashes with my own dad) to gigs at Newcastle City Hall (where I once saw PIL).
There’s some classic SF fare on offer starting with a raucous I heard her call my name by The Velvet Underground. However, the the climax of the show will surprise a few people who might have Steve pigeonholed as yer classic Fall fan, because it turns out that there is no such thing ….
… take a look at the last three tracks here. Rod the Mod! Springsteen! Marillion!!!
Steve is a man of utmost authenticity and the reason he opted for Irk the Purists for his Half Man Half Biscuit choice is because he believes there is no such thing as a “Guilty Pleasure”. So impassioned is he on the subject (and bear in mind there were rumblings of Supertramp, prog and the New Wave of British Haevy Metal inter alia) that he spurred me on to produce a Vinyl Maelstrom episode (our sister podcast) on that very subject of Guilty Pleasures.
It was a great pleasure to chat with Steve and he is the most affable of music men. I hope one day that our virtual chats can become actual over a real life pint. In the meantime, we’ll have to settle for this.
