Alain's recollections of "Our Frank"

UPDATE July 31: From Alain's Facebook:

6 months before I joined Morrissey I would see the poster for Our Frank everywhere. I walked in a pub or in a restaurant I would hear Suedehead. Turn on the radio Our Frank. I loved this song mainly because of the outro lyrics. Somebody please stop me from thinking all the time. I went to a careers office they asked me what I wanted to be. I said I want to be a rock star, well of course the guy said I can't help with that i.e. dream on pal. Quite rightly so. I was tired of dead end hard working jobs. All the careers opportunities office could help me with is cleaning up Wembley Stadium. I was depressed out of my mind. I couldn't drink my pain or drug my pain away thankfully I'm not like that. I wished I didn't think so deeply but I do and that song epitomized exactly how I felt about life. Why can't I be shallow. I went for a walk in a really off the beaten park, on the ground below me someone had written out Morrissey set in concrete. It was crazy it was like an omen for what was ahead. Now back to this video. I never saw this as I don't think it ever got released and I'm glad because these type of Skinheads were really bad news back in the late 80's. in fact I don't like this video because of the skinheads in it. The amount of times I had to run for having a quiff from 5 or 6 skinheads was comical. In the 80's in London it was tribal and rough. You have no idea. My friend and I would be walking along Finchley Rd, a bus full of Everton supporters started flipping us off whilst driving past us so of course we flipped them back. Well the bus parked and out came running 50 mob of football hooligans wanting to kill us and boy did we run lol. Anyway I love the lyrical couplet in this song Our Frank you're frankly vulgar in the red pullover, such a fantastic sound a like lyrical couplet. It's a shame we, Gaz,Boz,Spen and I never got a chance to work with Clive Langer or Stephen Street. I thought Stephen did a marvelous job with Morrissey and The Smiths. Our Frank is a brilliant tune and song and lyrically it really spoke volumes to me and at that time, too many Universal things were pointing me towards Morrissey, so that is why it's my favorite song. I also used to love playing this live even though we would execute it better now. Somebody please stop me from thinking all the time.

 

[Anonymous]

All bullshit. Alain is a nice guy and left because he had a nervous breakdown following the strains of touring.

 

[marred]

We got seven Moz albums from Alain Whyte. I think we did pretty well.

 

[Ben Budd]

We got seven Moz albums from Alain Whyte. I think we did pretty well.

That's pretty much the best way to look at it, I reckon.

 

[Sidnettle]

'...stuck in a bucket, we trust you to wreck it...'. .

Foot in a bucket

 

[SeniorLife]

Foot in a bucket

Thank you. You are correct.

 

[SeniorLife]

I really like this post but ultimately I think I disagree with you with regards to Alain's live departure. I really do not think it is as complicated a what you describe re: Alain's support amongst fans, I think Alain was genuinely ill in 2004 and was replaced by Lil Barrie and then Jesse. From there, Jesse got into the inner circle and Morrissey simply preferred him in a live sense. There's pictures of Alain working with the band in the studio for Ringleader, and he is clearly listed in the credits, so he was around. I simply think there was no room for two lead guitarists, and Jesse got the nod simply out of ease. He's the last person doing the gig, so why change it? Not totally sure it's a slight on Alain.

Having said that, I vividly remember a recording/bootleg from the US tour in 2004 (Jesse's first leg) where a crowd member shouts "where's Alain?" to which Morrissey responds "speaking of which, The World is Full Of Crashing Bores...." May very well be a reference to the heckler, but sadly I doubt that.

I believe the Alain getting the boot in the studio car park story, but I find it very distateful Morrissey using demos from musicians but not allowing them to actually play on it. I'm not a musician (I wish!) but if I had taken the time to craft a piece of music that is being recorded and released, I'd be damned if I weren't playing on it.

Saying that, the lads were guilty of this on the Your Arsenal album with YGNSOYS and IKIGHS.

Yeah...I agree. I believe there was some illness. What source, doesn't and shouldn't matter to us, although I remember hearing he had some back issues at one point.

Which is why it's refreshing to see him looking quite healthy these days. He looks rejuvenated. Nobody knows all, which is the way it should be.

Whatever the reason, best wishes Alain. You truly did contribute to some of Morrissey's greatest solo work.

 

[ZOOM FROM GLOOM]

All bullshit. Alain is a nice guy and left because he had a nervous breakdown following the strains of touring.

 

[ZOOM FROM GLOOM]

As someone else has mentioned, Morrissey wrote the lyrics to those 'stinkers'. You can't blame Alain for repeating the same line over and over and over again, ala, Best Friend on the Payroll. Or blame Alain for rhyming '...stuck in a bucket, we trust you to wreck it...'. That's not on Alain, that's on Morrissey.

And Southpaw, in my own personal opinion is one of Morrissey's greatest solo songs. While lyrically light, what is said, only Morrissey could have created. 'The girl of your dreams is here and all alone'. Genius. Classic. And musically, on Southpaw, Alain's talent could put even the most inattentive fool into a blissful trance of tranquility.

Alain started becoming too popular for Morrissey's taste. People on here are complicating things more than need be. It's the simplest answer. Something's not right above the shoulders for Morrissey to praise all glory to Mr. Tobias, while Alain garners more attention by putting 2 minute clips on YouTube. Jessie could put 2 hour clips on You Tube of him playing 'Kiss Me A Lot' and I would rather re-read my divorce papers.

Be well all.....

'Alain started becoming too popular for Morrissey's taste.' ?

that's why he was 'sacked' ? Are you saying that Alain was trying to nudge Morrissey out of the picture and take over ?

 

[ZOOM FROM GLOOM]

You are delusional. Or lack intelligence. Strangely, which is a topic in itself, outside of his lyrics, Morrissey tells it like it is from his distorted view. Don't confuse the two. I'll give you the benefit of the doubt.

You're delusional.

'Morrissey tells it like it is from his distorted view'


if that were true, then don't we all ? you're far from immune.

 

[Anonymous]

You've got it all wrong, SeniorLife. You are the one having delusions, per your dementia. Morrissey's view is crystal clear. You think Moz misinterpreted Alain's question about the expression, "Rome Wasn't Built in a Day"?

You are delusional. Or lack intelligence. Strangely, which is a topic in itself, outside of his lyrics, Morrissey tells it like it is from his distorted view. Don't confuse the two. I'll give you the benefit of the doubt.

You're delusional.

 

[SeniorLife]

'Alain started becoming too popular for Morrissey's taste.' ?

that's why he was 'sacked' ? Are you saying that Alain was trying to nudge Morrissey out of the picture and take over ?

Not at all. But if you're an ego maniac, which most great song writers and musicians have to be; just the thought of someone becoming a little too popular might frighten them from losing some of the attention they need and seek, as it is transferred to someone else.

We are looking at this through our eyes. When you try to look at it through someone who thinks like Morrissey does, or some people believe he does, it makes more sense to feel insecure about someone taking your spotlight.

 

[SeniorLife]

You've got it all wrong, SeniorLife. You are the one having delusions, per your dementia. Morrissey's view is crystal clear. You think Moz misinterpreted Alain's question about the expression, "Rome Wasn't Built in a Day"?

When it came to my reference of Morrissey's distorted view, as you quote, said 'he tells it like it is'...I was more thinking distorted along the lines of calling a race a sub-species, or making insulting comparisons to tragedies such as the Holocaust.

Not trivial things that he puts in his own Autobiography about hair gel.

You've received enough of my time and attention. I'd rather have meaningful conversations with people like Ketamine, that while we don't always agree, they don't hide.

 

[ZOOM FROM GLOOM]

Not at all. But if you're an ego maniac, which most great song writers and musicians have to be; just the thought of someone becoming a little too popular might frighten them from losing some of the attention they need and seek, as it is transferred to someone else.We are looking at this through our eyes. When you try to look at it through someone who thinks like Morrissey does, or some people believe he does, it makes more sense to feel insecure about someone taking your spotlight.

'When you try to look at it through someone who thinks like Morrissey does, or some people believe he does'

So all of us that come to this site can only form opinions based on what each of us imagines what M must think, but we all must realize (or I hope we do) that we not being him could never know what he really thinks. And so, we could only assume(not know), speculate(not know) and form opinions(not know) which are not the truth until he explains in words exactly what he meant by saying what he said or doing what he did.

You can imagine why he said this and that, and I can imagine why he said this and that, and all that we both have are different opinions, but that does not bring us to why he actually said this and that. Such as the 'sub-species' comment and his comments after certain terrorist attacks. I just don't see it as fair that there are those who lurk here who want to see him sent to the electric chair based on their mere opinions(distorted views).


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