Written by:
Mark E Smith
Initial release:
The Light User Syndrome
Date:
10 June 1996
Group on initial recording:
Mark E Smith – vocals; Brix Smith – guitar, vocals; Steve Hanley – bass;Julia Nagle – keyboards, guitar; Simon Wolstencroft – drums, programming; Karl Burns – drums, guitar, vocals
Commentary:
Keyboards in a military sounding tune. The story told in the lyrics is characteristically obscure. One of the lesser tracks on The Light User Syndrome.
A tale about Karl Burns or a nod to the musician Johnny Drummer? Who knows? Is Ballard wrongly spelled or is the dystopian Sci-Fi writer somehow connected? Who knows? Speculation is rife but at the end of it all probably pointless.