Drink the long draught, Dan: What did The Fall mean by ‘Hip Priest’?
In 1976, Mark E. Smith, Martin Bramah, Una Baines and Tony Friel decided to form a band, thus creating the wonderful and frightening world of The Fall. The initial foursome had insatiable inclinations towards hard drugs and literature. Hence, one could often find them locked in at Prestwich boozers, discussing their admiration for H. P. Lovecraft, Raymond Chandler and Malcolm Lowry. Such discussions frequently spiralled into heated debates, an early one centring on the choice of band name.
After agreeing to name the band after an Albert Camus book, Smith suggested The Outsiders, while Friel sided with The Fall. Ultimately, the band outvoted Smith, naming itself The Fall after the French philosopher’s 1956 novel translated from La Chute. As fans will know, bandleader Smith was very seldom overruled thereafter. He was famed for his propensity to fire bandmates with immediate effect, often over trivialities.
For example, Smith dismissed Marc Riley, who joined the band as a bassist in 1978, from The Fall in 1982 after allegedly seeing him dance to Deep Purple. It’s safe to say that Smith was an uncompromising and often cantankerous man, owing partly to his complicated relationship with drugs and alcohol through the years.
Despite a few broken hearts and noses along the way, the continual reshuffle of The Fall made for some interesting musical developments. They became one of the most prolific bands of the post-punk era, releasing 37 studio albums across a four-decade recording history. John Peel, whose favourite band was The Fall, famously said, “They are always different; they are always the same.” Though contradictory, this statement makes bucketloads of sense.
As a keen reader of poetry and prose, Smith established a unique way with words and a delivery style distinguished by its “uh” inflexions. This style remained mostly unchanged throughout the four decades, coupled with plenty of refrains and recurring themes. Otherwise, The Fall explored and expanded a rich tapestry of post-punk instrumentals, consolidating Manchester’s position on the musical map.
The Fall catalogue is a tough beast to tackle, with newcomers often struggling to find the first corner to lift. However, after the umming and aring, listeners usually begin with the 1978 debut Live at the Witch Trials, the early masterpiece Hex Enduction Hour or the commercially leaning 1985 titan This Nation’s Saving Grace.
As a somewhat seasoned Fall fan, Hex Enduction Hour is the album I return to most, thanks to Smith’s beautifully bizarre lyrics and some affecting instrumental ideas in stand-out tracks like ‘The Classical’ and ‘Hip Priest’. The latter is a crawling marvel of creativity truly unique in its day, which Jonathan Demme saw fit to soundtrack Buffalo Bill’s creepy abode in The Silence of the Lambs. Since its inclusion in the 1991 movie, fans around the world have enjoyed ‘Hip Priest’, but what on earth does it mean?
“He is not appreciated,” Smith sings in a strange, high-pitched wail during the introduction. Here, Smith refers to the titular “Hip Priest,” who is, by some interpretations, a projection of Smith himself. Later, addressing a character named Dan (perhaps used for its similarity to “down”), he demands that he “drink the long draught”. This assertion of power evokes a religious leader, but instead of communion wine and a wafer, it’s a pint of draught ale.
Some interpret the draught to be “long” due to the involvement of LSD, which would undoubtedly help elongate Dan’s trance. The line, “And drunk from small brown bottles since I was so long,” could refer to the medicinal dropper bottles that liquid LSD tends to be stored in, supporting the interpretation. Meanwhile, “purple psychology” maintains the recurrence of colours throughout the track (“white collar”) and could also pertain to the psychedelic experience.
Discussing the song during a 1982 appearance on BBC Radio 1, Smith seemed to convey that his bandmates were the priests. “It was a bit of a joke on the group cos they’re all like Catholics,” he laughed. “It’s meant to be a bit of a funny song…I have an image of Johnny Cash or somebody, I don’t know why … or South America.”
According to Paul Hanley in his book Have a Bleedin Guess, “The ‘Hip’ part of the title is a pun, referring to the hipster-priest type that Mark casts himself as.” The author also suggests that it is an acronym for ‘Hypnotic Induction Process’. The phrase refers to the act of putting someone in a state of hypnosis. This is more directly alluded to in the lyrics of ‘Just Step S’ways’ later in the album, in which Smith sings, “This is an important aspect of Big Priest / His hypnotic induction process / His commercial last chance”.
This theme seems to permeate the album and is ostensibly related to the misspelt “Enduction” in the title. Smith seems to hold nefarious power over his audience, casting hypnosis and quite possibly a hex over them as he yells his commands-uh.
As ever, Mark E. Smith maintained an elusive edge in ‘Hip Priest’. As a discerning poet, he never liked to give too much away, leaving his creations open for audience interpretation.
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