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You Can Drum but You Can't Hide
Hands you an all-access areas pass to the back alleys and living rooms of the musical mavericks synonymous with the city of Manchester. As rival camps retreat to their own grudges, Wolstencroft is the humble bee who crosses borders and pollinates. With humor and candor, ""Funky"" Si's memoir recounts a life of drumming, parties, drugs, friendship, and a love of making music. Simon Wolstencroft is a musician from Manchester, England, best known for playing drums with The Fall between 1986 and 1997. Wolstencroft was original drummer in The Smiths and a member of The Patrol, an early incarnation of The Stone Roses. After leaving The Fall, he went on to reunite with Stone Roses singer Ian Brown, performing and co-writing on his Golden Greats album.
280 pages, Paperback
First published November 13, 2014
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About the author
Simon Wolstencroft
3 books6 followersSimon Wolstencroft is a musician from Manchester, England, best known for playing drums with The Fall between 1986 and 1997.
He was a member of The Patrol, an early incarnation of The Stone Roses with childhood friends Ian Brown and John Squire and was also the drummer for Freak Party which featured Johnny Marr and Andy Rourke. After leaving The Fall, he went on to reunite with Stone Roses singer Ian Brown, performing and co-writing on his Golden Greats album.
Simon's memoir You Can Drum But You Can't Hide is out now in paperback and e-book. Visit the publisher's website (Strata Books) to hear Si reading extracts from his book and other exclusives.
He was a member of The Patrol, an early incarnation of The Stone Roses with childhood friends Ian Brown and John Squire and was also the drummer for Freak Party which featured Johnny Marr and Andy Rourke. After leaving The Fall, he went on to reunite with Stone Roses singer Ian Brown, performing and co-writing on his Golden Greats album.
Simon's memoir You Can Drum But You Can't Hide is out now in paperback and e-book. Visit the publisher's website (Strata Books) to hear Si reading extracts from his book and other exclusives.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
November 1, 2017
I joined The Fall at the same time as Simon Wolstencroft. Admittedly, only as a fan in my case, at the time Bend Sinister, Funky Si’s first LP with the band, came out. I knew nothing then of his near misses with other, commercially bigger, Manchester bands, nor of his drug use. He looked such a clean living boy!
Those elements are covered in the book, in a straightforward, economical style reminiscent of his drumming. There are better rock autobiographies, even better ones about The Fall, but it is refreshing to hear about the band without the focus being entirely on its flawed singer and leader. And you can’t help rooting for the lad who nearly made it, twice, sort of made it once, blew it several times and keeps on striving.
Those elements are covered in the book, in a straightforward, economical style reminiscent of his drumming. There are better rock autobiographies, even better ones about The Fall, but it is refreshing to hear about the band without the focus being entirely on its flawed singer and leader. And you can’t help rooting for the lad who nearly made it, twice, sort of made it once, blew it several times and keeps on striving.
December 29, 2018
Dear Funky Si, thank you for taking the time to fill in so many mysteries for a yank who grew up an obsessive Fall fan. I even fantasized, being a guitar player, someday playing with the Fall. Of course, your Fall with Scanlon and Steve. I now know—also from Steve’s book—that I’d have probably been fed up in a few weeks if not days working with my heroes! Imagine that? You still took it all in stride and with good sportsmanship. Now when’s Karl and Craig gonna write? And how about those amazing ladies who he always managed to locate? Oh well back to the music that is still often the sound track of my life! Thanks again!
January 13, 2018
An entertaining read from another ex member of the Fall. Not purely about the Fall, also about Si's life before and after his time with a cult band. You learn about how he may have been in the Smiths and Stone Roses but admits that perhaps he wasn't good enough for them. His problems with drugs. The genius and madness of Mark E Smith. Simon Wolstencroft was there at the height of Madchester, on the verges looking in. Music is in his blood.
Ray Smillie
Ray Smillie
January 3, 2020
Three and a half stars. Enjoyable read.
July 1, 2022
Entertaining tales, both High and low, from great career. Book is fairly formulaic but enjoyed the read.
November 8, 2022
A fun read, but some parts could be "fleshed out" a bit more.
July 11, 2023
Great nostalgic read, Manchester music scene explored and shared by iconic Fall (amongst others) drummer Funky Si 😊
April 13, 2023
Another fascinating account of life in The Fall. It falls away a little following his quitting the band, but still a good read.
June 11, 2015
I read this straight after Steve Hanley's misery memoirs extraordinaire as I felt that I just could not disengage from the brilliant insanity that was/is The Fall. I re listened to Dragnet, in particular Bournemouth Runner, and felt shot through with the visceral energy of his performance. As probably the most grounded member of the band he trod an acute path of observation through their often hilarious get-your-back-up catalogue. It was a fine read.
Simon Wolstencroft's epistle treads very similar territory, with the addition of stints in The Smiths and The Stone Roses - a double Pete Best if you will. His work obviously inspired Steve Hanley to tell it like he saw it and many of the stories are in both books, entangled and interwoven. It is important to credit Si for the first feat of memory from which Steve seems to have gained so much. And yet...
Where Steve's writing invites empathy, Si's makes one bristle fairly regularly. As he recounts situations it becomes so clear that myopia and/or selective memory are involved. For sure he takes some admirably on the chin, i.e. His heroin habit, stories such as the dissolution of his second marriage or his disputes with neighbours just seem defensive and breezed over, in a take it or leave it way. And I suspect his versions of events are unreasonably one sided, i.e. I did nothing wrong and they still arrested me..! Etc.
Nonetheless, an interesting read if a bit name-droppy and with anecdotes that start and finish in the same two-line paragraph. In the acknowledgements, in true MES style, he alludes to his girlfriend solving any disputes between him and his co-writer. My instinct is that he should have just given in to the professional and also that the synonyms feature of Word has rarely been so over-used. I mean, really - I twatted him and concierge in the same novel - come off of it!
Simon Wolstencroft's epistle treads very similar territory, with the addition of stints in The Smiths and The Stone Roses - a double Pete Best if you will. His work obviously inspired Steve Hanley to tell it like he saw it and many of the stories are in both books, entangled and interwoven. It is important to credit Si for the first feat of memory from which Steve seems to have gained so much. And yet...
Where Steve's writing invites empathy, Si's makes one bristle fairly regularly. As he recounts situations it becomes so clear that myopia and/or selective memory are involved. For sure he takes some admirably on the chin, i.e. His heroin habit, stories such as the dissolution of his second marriage or his disputes with neighbours just seem defensive and breezed over, in a take it or leave it way. And I suspect his versions of events are unreasonably one sided, i.e. I did nothing wrong and they still arrested me..! Etc.
Nonetheless, an interesting read if a bit name-droppy and with anecdotes that start and finish in the same two-line paragraph. In the acknowledgements, in true MES style, he alludes to his girlfriend solving any disputes between him and his co-writer. My instinct is that he should have just given in to the professional and also that the synonyms feature of Word has rarely been so over-used. I mean, really - I twatted him and concierge in the same novel - come off of it!
November 14, 2014
im not going to lie, I have never heard of this Drummer, but, my brother is a drummer and I love (auto)biographies so why not! I was lucky to win this via a goodreads giveaway.
Well Well Well! is there anything this guy hasn't done! played all over the world and even turned down investing in a pie shop! most of this book had me in stitches, the 217 pages flew by! I don't know what else to say, I'm no good at reviewing none fiction, but I will say this, if your a drummer, or have a tenuous link to the field like me, I suggest this book, and expect to be annoying your friends with random giggling and your new found ability to start a conversation with ' ooo this is interesting.. did you know that Bez from the Happy Mondays owns a dry cleaning on Tib Street?'
Well Well Well! is there anything this guy hasn't done! played all over the world and even turned down investing in a pie shop! most of this book had me in stitches, the 217 pages flew by! I don't know what else to say, I'm no good at reviewing none fiction, but I will say this, if your a drummer, or have a tenuous link to the field like me, I suggest this book, and expect to be annoying your friends with random giggling and your new found ability to start a conversation with ' ooo this is interesting.. did you know that Bez from the Happy Mondays owns a dry cleaning on Tib Street?'
November 24, 2016
Sometimes the best stories are told from the peripheral characters point of view. Enjoyable and easy read about missed opportunities. I wonder if he drove Andy Rourke to the Meze on the night that I got to meet a Smith?
January 7, 2015
Unputdownable, heiter det visst. Mest for Fall-fans sjølsagt, men det var ikkje mange band frå åtti-og nittiåras Manchester og omegn som ikkje er nemte. Buzzcocks var med, men ikkje Magazine.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews