Teaser // The Fall: SHIFT WORK with John Tottenham

Summary

Jokermen Podcast: Teaser // The Fall: SHIFT WORK with John Tottenham

Date: February 18, 2026
Hosts: Evan, John Tottenham

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Episode Overview

This teaser episode of Jokermen dives into Shift Work, the 1991 album by post-punk legends the Fall, with returning guest John Tottenham. Setting aside the podcast’s usual Beach Boys focus, the hosts discuss why Shift Work remains underrated and explore its context in the band’s discography, touching on personal stories, the album’s artwork, and Mark E. Smith’s complicated romantic and financial legacy.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

The Fall’s Shift Work – An Underrated Gem (01:40–02:22)

• John calls Shift Work an “underrated album,” sparking agreement from Evan, who notes a trend of the band's early '90s outputs being undervalued.
• The era of the album is identified as “particularly ignored in the oeuvre,” with both hosts acknowledging its overlooked status.

Setting the Narrative: Correcting the Record (02:22–03:34)

• John references an Instagram project by Matthew Higgs (White Columns Gallery), who is listening to every Fall record on vinyl.
  • Higgs’ lukewarm take: “I appreciate that this album will have its fans… But I’m not one of them. Produced by Craig Leon… this one feels muted, lifeless, even.”
  • The hosts set out to challenge and complicate Higgs’ assessment.

Production and the Craig Leon Influence (03:34–05:30)

• Producers: Evan recalls that multiple producers contributed, but Craig Leon gets credit for the sound.
• John praises Craig Leon, mentioning his reputation for “a really great cycle of… electronic instrumental music” inspired by “the myth cycle of some ancient culture” called the Nomos.
  • Notably, Fall recordings incorporate snippets of Leon’s tracks, such as “Donkey Bearing Cups.”
  • The live collection Mollusk in Tarol is highlighted as a sample of this influence.

The Bricks Smith Breakup and Album Timing (05:30–06:18)

• Evan seeks clarification on Mark E. Smith’s divorce timeline with Bricks Smith.
• John points out that Extricate (the prior album) is the real “breakup record,” referencing its title and material (“Sing Heartbeat”).
• Comparison is made to confusion over which Bob Dylan album is the actual breakup record—Blood on the Tracks or Street Legal.

Mark E. Smith’s Legacy and Will (06:18–08:10)

• Discussion of a 2025 Daily Mail report on Mark E. Smith’s will:
  • His girlfriend (“soulmate,” as quoted) was left out of the inheritance.
  • Instead, he left money to his mother, four sisters, and a neighbor.
  • The total estate is debated (500,000 pounds, roughly $700,000).
  • “At this point in his life, it’s possible he was maybe a bit cynical when it comes to the longevity of soul mates.” (John, 08:10)
• Evan jokes about the instability of Smith’s relationships: “Soulmate, a cellmate, a stalemate. From cellmate to stalemate, from jail bait to stalemate.” (08:27)

Album Artwork and Pascal Legrasse (08:36–09:40)

• Both hosts celebrate the Shift Work cover by French artist Pascal Legrasse, who contributed to several Fall projects, including Code: Selfish.
  • The two albums are dubbed “companion pieces” from the same era.
  • Live Fall releases often feature Legrasse’s prolific artwork.

Personal Fall Stories and Fandom (09:45–10:44)

• John reflects on his failed attempt to see the Fall play live, having bought tickets for a five-night run cut short by Mark E. Smith’s death.
  • “They were going to do five nights and I was going to go to every one of them. And he died before that could happen.” (John, 10:07)
• Evan teases John’s dedication, comparing it to following Bob Dylan on tour.
  • The appeal of seeing Dylan live is debated—“It’s such a source of revelation if he does a different number… if he even addresses the audience.” (Evan, 10:23)
  • John: “He does it different ways, it’s always different, is it? It’s always, always different. Always the same. That’s what they say about Bob Dylan.” (10:45)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the album’s reputation:
  “I’m just gonna say right off the bat, underrated album. Would you agree?”
  — John (01:40)

• Challenging the critical consensus:
  “I appreciate that this album will have its fans. It’s a Fall album, after all. But I’m not one of them… this one feels muted, lifeless, even.”
  — Quoting Matthew Higgs (03:08)

• Paying tribute to an overlooked producer:
  “He’s got this really great, like, cycle of… electronic instrumental music… The Fall have used that.”
  — John (04:47)

• On Mark E. Smith’s will:
  “At this point in his life, it’s possible that he was maybe a bit cynical when it comes to the longevity of soul mates. Yeah. Or so the idea in general.”
  — John (08:10)

• Wordplay on “soulmate”:
  “Soulmate, a cellmate, a stalemate. From cellmate to stalemate, from jail bait to stalemate.”
  — Evan (08:27)

• Lamenting missed opportunities:
  “They were going to do five nights and I was going to go to every one of them. And he died before that could happen.”
  — John (10:07)

• On seeing Dylan live:
  “He does it different ways, it’s always different, is it? It’s always, always different. Always the same. That’s what they say about Bob Dylan.”
  — John (10:45)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• 01:40 – Shift Work as underrated and its early '90s context
• 02:22 – Correcting the record, referencing Matthew Higgs
• 03:34 – Craig Leon’s production and influence
• 05:30 – Bricks Smith divorce and album chronology
• 06:18 – Mark E. Smith’s will and personal life
• 08:36 – Album artwork and Pascal Legrasse
• 09:45 – Personal Fall anecdotes and live show stories
• 10:23 – Dylan fandom, the experience of live performance
• 10:45 – “Always different, always the same”—the Bob Dylan paradox

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Tone and Style

The episode is conversational and playful, occasionally drifting into irreverent or dry humor. The hosts share a deep affection for the Fall—and bands like Bob Dylan—while gently poking fun at obsessive fandom and the messiness of celebrity legacies.

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In Summary

This Jokermen teaser offers both fans and newcomers a lively, personal look at the Fall’s Shift Work. By blending critique, context, trivia, and offbeat humor, Evan and John Tottenham frame the album as a work worth revisiting, respecting the Fall’s mystique while humanizing the chaos behind the music. For those curious about the album—or the band’s legacy—it’s a compelling, insightful taste of what’s to come.

Transcript

[Podcast Host]

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[Evan]

We're gonna have a real good time together.

[John]

We'Re gonna have a real good. Nana.

[Evan]

We're gonna have a real good time together. Hangover. Is it on?

[John]

Yeah, we're doing another fall episode. It's myself, it's Evan, and with me, as always, pretty much always, is John.

[Evan]

It's John.

[John]

On these fall episodes that we do today, we're talking about shift work from 1990. What? 92. 1. Yeah, that's what this says anyway. On. On the disc. On this? Yeah, yeah, the album. This is a underrated record. I'm just gonna say right off the bat, underrated album. Would you agree?

[Evan]

I mean, it seems like every fall record from that era is considered underrated. The early 90s being particularly ignored in the oeuvre.

[John]

I think specifically this one. I mean, we. I was kind of. We. We've wanted to do this one for a long time, but I noticed there was a. Recently a post on Instagram that kind of made me feel like, okay, we've gotta correct the record here. Matthew Higgs of White Columns Gallery has been posting on Instagram. He's listening all the way through. He's doing a chronological listen to every fall record. And impressively, he has every fall record on vinyl.

[Evan]

Oh, nice.

[John]

He went through the trouble to get this on vinyl.

[Evan]

He's an original copy.

[John]

Yeah, respect it. Respect to that. What he had to say was, I appreciate that this album will have its fans. It's a fall album, after all. But I'm not one of them. Produced by Craig Leon. Unlike its thrilling predecessor, Extricate, which is among their best, this one feels muted, lifeless, even. Beginning of the Pascal Legrasse artwork era.

[Evan]

Yeah, rebuttal. I got the impression it was produced by more than one person. I think there were about three different producers on it.

[John]

Well, it's got Craig Leon.

[Evan]

Producer Craig. He produced the Ramones record.

[John]

He has, as I've mentioned before, he's got this really great, like, Cycle of Oh yeah. Electronic instrumental music based on like a. A myth. Like the myth cycle of. Of some ancient culture. I forget the nomos. It's about these like beings from space. But it's, you know, just all instrumental. But it's really great. And the Fall have used that. Like there's a lot of recordings where you can hear that playing in like distorted form in the background or as part of the mix of stuff. That's a little snippet from Mollusk in Tarol, featured on the Seminole Live Collection, which features or samples the Craig Leon track called Donkey Bearing Cups. That's something they got from their association with Craig Leon.

[Evan]

Now was this the first. I can't figure out when his marriage to Bricks Smith ended. Is this the first record after they broke up or was that the one before?

[John]

That would have been Extricate, hence the title, I think, because that's got Sing Heartbeat on it. And yeah, there's a few that says.

[Evan]

Divorce palpably break up songs on this record. I guess it's kind of like Dylan. Everyone think you can't tell which the so called breakup record is. Everyone thinks it's Blood on the Tracks. But this. Maybe it's Street Legal or maybe it's singing about.

[John]

It's Street Legal, Street Locals, that New Pony.

[Evan]

But maybe he's singing about another woman by then. It's all very complicated. I mean, Smith got through a lot of different wives and girlfriends too.

[John]

Yeah, you just recently you pointed out that there's a recent piece in some.

[Evan]

British rags, the Daily Mail. It wasn't that recent. I just came across from last year. Was it?

[John]

Yeah, it was 2025. So I guess only recently did his will. His will become public that he didn't leave anything to his. At the time, his girlfriend, who.

[Evan]

His. His soulmate.

[John]

She. She was quoted as referring to herself.

[Evan]

She was quoted as referring to herself as soulmate. Yeah, his latest soulmate.

[John]

No Money Left. Wasn't that much money though. It was like $500,000 and he has.

[Evan]

Like three sisters and was it only 500?

[John]

Yeah, they were like his size. 500,000 pounds, which is what, like a million?

[Evan]

Half of it was from the sale of the house.

[John]

Is that like a million and.

[Evan]

No, it's like 6 or 7,000.

[John]

No, 700,000. Yeah, I mean like I don't know that that's like even.

[Evan]

I would call that a substantial sum.

[John]

But not when you have like a lot of exempt family members. He'd be like.

[Evan]

He would, yeah.

[John]

If you were going to divide that up five ways, you Know. I mean, I don't know. It's.

[Evan]

Well, I was surprised his mother's still alive.

[John]

Well, he only was 60.

[Evan]

Well, he was 60.

[John]

Yeah, he was 60 going on.

[Evan]

His mother could have been in her 80s. So he did have four sisters.

[John]

Yeah. And he left. Said that he left it to his sisters, his mother and a neighbor.

[Evan]

A neighbor of his mother or his neighbor.

[John]

I don't know. Yeah, just someone's neighbor, I guess it could have been anyone.

[Evan]

Right.

[John]

But not to Pamela.

[Evan]

They weren't together very long.

[John]

No. And I think that at this point in his life, it's possible that he was maybe a bit cynical when it comes to the longevity of soul mates. Yeah. Or so the idea in general.

[Evan]

A soulmate.

[John]

This seems to.

[Evan]

Soulmate, a cellmate, a stalemate. From cellmate to stalemate, from jail bait to stalemate.

[John]

Wow. This record has a few songs about romance deferred or stymied. We'll get into that. I guess. It's got the best album. This is one of my favorite album covers ever.

[Evan]

Yeah. It's a good one of any.

[John]

Anyone? It's a beautiful album cover.

[Evan]

Yeah, it sure is.

[John]

And it's by Pascal Legrasse, who did many.

[Evan]

Did he do Code Selfish? He did.

[John]

He did so many, I think of.

[Evan]

Code Selfish and Shift Workers being companion pieces for some reason.

[John]

I have the same era telling them.

[Evan]

Apart like the next one.

[John]

And then he. Also the same French artist, he did pretty much all the. The like countless pieces of artwork for the countless live album. I mean, it's not really fair to even call them albums. Live fall show releases. Sometimes it's great.

[Evan]

But the early stuff's great. Yeah, I mean, totally turns and all that.

[John]

I was in this very situation the other day. I went to Counterpoint and I. I've been buying a lot of CDs and I. There was nothing by the fall except for this one 2001 live show on CD. And I didn't buy it, but it had a good set list.

[Evan]

But you never got to see them, did you?

[John]

No. I've said this story, I'm sure, many times on the podcast. But. Yeah, that I bought tickets. They were going to do five nights and I was going to go to every one of them. And he died before that could happen.

[Evan]

You don't do things by halves, do you?

[John]

Well, when I had.

[Evan]

When it comes to going to shows, my goodness, you must seen Dylan do the same show over and over again if you've seen him every time. So many occasions for the last five years.

[John]

Yeah. Yes.

[Evan]

You see exactly the same show. I mean, it's such a source of revelation. If he does a different number, if he even addresses the audience.

[Podcast Host]

But if he.

[John]

He does it different ways, it's always different, is it? It's always, always different. Always the same. That's what they say about Bob Dylan.