Following Mark's comments in the Stool Pigeon interview...

I mind a little bit, but it won't keep me from reading it. I wish he would have written it by himself, but I'm not surprised that he had help. Just because he can write good lyrics doesn't mean that he can write a good book by himself.

My ideal would have been for him to not only have written it by himself, but for him to have taken some stylistic chances, a sorta mish-mash of autobiography, band history, fiction, rants, essays, etc. I'd much rather read his thoughts on pre-cognition, ghosts and his favorite literature than just another rehash of the Fall's history.

He said in Mojo not long ago 'I'm supposed to be writing it myself' so I reckon the ghost writer fella will just give it some coherence/structure.

I honestly think that a full book of MES would be hell. I struggled through Beckett's Trilogy and even i don't think i'd manage 200-400 (i hope) pages of him alone.

I would like a book by someone else with a certain amount of unadulterated MES though.

That's what I would want--that sorta pure MES hell-but I can understand why a publisher wouldn't.

I hope that it's mostly Mark's words and not the ghostwriter's. To be honest, I don't really know what I expect of this book. I don't really read autobiographys in general but I'm definitely curious about this one.

"The Real Frank Zappa book" was done with a ghost, but it is very much Frank's book. The first draft was based on interviews, and then Frank got hold of it and made it Frank-like - whether you like it or not, it does have a lot of him in it.

I would hope that MES's book is more like this than the anonymously-written autobiographies of footballers and the like.

Writing a proper autobiography would be as hard as writing any other kind of book; only a few people could do it, and make it readable.

as long as JoNn is the ghostwriter, all will be well.

Er, thank goodness I say, I'd stand more chance of getting any sense out of Underowld.

I don't mind it being ghostwritten, as long as you still get the authentic Smitty voice, but with added structure and cohesion.

Has everyone on her read that thingy of the Marshes Peel (partlyauto)biog? I always got the impression that Sheila Ravenscroft had been given a ghostly helping hand with her part of the book. None the worse for it.

110% spot-on

The Presence of a ghost writer is probably for the best with regard to actually getting it done- apart from anything else, where would MES find the time to write it?

Any Idea who the Ghost Wrier may be?
Any bet on long standing Mick Middles?

No its not MM-the ID of the Ghost was mentioned at the start of this thread? or another thread before server crash?

I mind that he isn't writing it himself. I mind a lot! But then I've never really understood what a ghost writer does, where the lines are drawn. What is the difference between a book written by a ghost writer and an authorised biography?

It can't be that hard to write an autobiography, see: 'Black Beauty - An Autobiograhpy of a Horse'. A belting read!

:lol:

I'd prefer Mark to write it himself, then to hand it over to a top-class editor to knock it into shape.

At this point, I honestly dont think MES could write it himself.

It seems like MES used to like to write prose quite a bit in the 70's/80's. Lots of references to letters, copious lyrics, stuff scrawled all over the albums, articles written for publications. If there was a time for him to attempt an autobiography, that was the time. Now he seems pared down to punchy phrases and one liners. Reading his interviews en masse nowadays is more in line with following a stand up comedian from date to date. It's all the same material, just slightly moderated and punched up from interview to interview. "I distrust musicians" is pretty much his "respect, I don't get no respect" at this point.

He's still a clever bastard, still witty and irascible, but effusive he appears no more. Then again, perhaps in conversation over a pack of cigarettes and a few holsten pils he still rattles like the halcyon days of MES lit.

Agreed... so agreed.

A tree is blockin', the waters flowin'...

I imagine some help won't hurt, but rather help, in this case...

I imagine it will still read somewhere half between Mingus' Beneath The Underdog & Burrough's most cryptic & cutup...

That would make me so happy.

"Your autobiography is ghostwritten..."

Isn't that an Elvis Costello lyric?

add to that a touch of go-fast and the recording could make for good reading-granted

The problem with using a ghostwriter is that it enables MES to disown the book at some point in the future. If he later decides he doesn't agree with something in the published tome, he can always claim that the ghostwriter added that bit.

I do find it a bit sad that this great writer didn't go it completely alone for this book.

Personally I'd prefer he put his main efforts into making songs.

And then he sells the 100% MES book .. it's a winner!

We Fall fans always want the upgrade... the layer closer to our obsession . :lol:

But this is how he has run his career.
Having "unlearned" ;) guitar & piano, he has been dependent upon conveying the stuff in his head to artisans to produce the goods.

Ghost writer, or subject ghost editor adding human punctuation to dark and drunk fearie magickal warblings? Because what really went on there has no excerpt...

No vote