In a state of disillusionment, Cathal Coughlan walked out of the wonderful and melodically rich - but lyrically barbed - Microdisney and formed the Fatima Mansions, setting up stall in 1989. His former Microdisney partner, Sean O'Hagan, went off to form the High Llamas and perfected his obsession with 'Smile'-era Beach Boys drenched tunefulness but Cathal had other ideas and there were times when the Mansions' screaming indignation and eclectic belligerence went off the scale.
Underneath it all was his dry and off-centre humour that many may have missed in highlights like the viciously compulsive rant 'n' roll epic 'Blues for Ceausescu' and the truly schizoid 'Angels Delight'. Other tracks veered in all kinds of unpredictable directions and styles - savage electronics, pure dance pop, soaring balladry, scabrous industrial noise, acoustic grandeur, hellish Wagner-esque vaudeville, crazed psychobilly, traditional folk, etc.... The Fatima Mansions at their mightiest were an incredible tour de force that simply refused to be pigeonholed! Indeed, very few bands at the time were in quite the same league.
Aided and abetted by a chillingly intense group of musicicans including Andreas O'Gruama, Nick Allum, Nick Bagnall, and Hugh Bunker, the Mansions captivated, thrilled, provoked and confounded through 3 full albums and a couple of mini albums. Their live gigs were often equally cathartic rituals which met with critical approval and rave reviews. They even scored an unlikely hit [on the back of the Manic Street Preachers' cover of the Theme From M*A*S*H] with their irreverently skewed take on Bryan Adam's eternal number 1 hit Everything I Do (I Do It For You).
Since their demise in 1995/6, Coughlan has been recording and performing solo and, with a much more acoustic and controlled sound allied to his ever caustic lyrics and fantastic voice, remains a true one-off. He is still awaiting a more widespread critical appraisal and overdue recognition that his rare talent truly deserves.
Bertie's Brochures
The Fatima Mansions Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In rainy Ireland in the 50's
There outside a pink farmhouse door
A small Bertie, playing at digging trenches,
asks, "Daddy, what's the blowtorch for?"
He said, "The torch will cut the cars to turn them into sculpture
so I can express what I feel. The college men may laugh,
Come look at Bertie's brochures
You'll be enchanted, I am sure
The whole world's in Bertie's brochures:
All the wisdom, the smiles of dear friends
Through freakshow Britain, through the Eighties
Bertie works in labs, though his father's aims still endure
though only at night does he do his real work
Learning, writing his brochures...
for he still believes that everyone's a poet
and that all he has to do is to set it down
and so transform the milkman,
the waitress and the gunman into immortal ART!!
Now they're laughing at Bertie's brochures
Detectives with crowbars and skewers
They see things in Bertie's brochures:
Their own hatred of all other races and their fear
Don't laugh at Bertie's brochures
He would not if they were yours
So what if your enemy is there?
Bertie's an artist, so why should he care?
It's the north European peasant experience
The Fatima Mansions's song, Bertie's Brochures, is a powerful commentary on the life of a troubled artist, Bertie, who lives his entire life aspiring to be an artist like his father. The song opens with a news reporter detailing how a crowd wants to tear Bertie's head off for his alleged role in the murder of two soldiers in a public lavatory. The lyrics then transport the listeners to rainy Ireland in the 1950s, where a young Bertie is curious about his father's usage of a blowtorch. His father explains to him that a blowtorch will cut cars, turning them into sculpture so that he can express his emotions. He tells Bertie that while the college men may laugh and the farmers persecute him, he should always do things for himself, just like his father did.
The song then jumps to Bertie's adult years as he works in labs throughout Britain during the 1980s. Bertie's father's aims still endure through him, but only at night does he do his real work - learning and writing his brochures. Bertie is a believer that everyone is a poet and by setting down their stories, he can transform the mundane into immortal art. The song takes a dark turn as Bertie becomes the subject of ridicule and hate, especially from the detectives investigating the murders he is accused of. They see themselves in Bertie's brochures, their own hatred of other races, and their fear. The song concludes with a plea to not laugh at Bertie's brochures because he would not laugh at yours; he is an artist, and he doesn't care about his enemy's presence in his work.
Overall, Bertie's brochures is a powerful commentary on the struggles of an artist in a society that doesn't understand or appreciate art's value.
Line by Line Meaning
In rainy Ireland in the 50's
The beginning of Bertie's story is set in the rainy countryside of Ireland during the 1950s.
There outside a pink farmhouse door
Bertie was in front of his pink colored farmhouse when he asked his father a question.
A small Bertie, playing at digging trenches,
As a small child, Bertie was playing outside digging trenches.
asks, "Daddy, what's the blowtorch for?"
Bertie asked his father what the blowtorch was for and why he needed it.
He said, "The torch will cut the cars to turn them into sculpture so I can express what I feel. The college men may laugh, the farmers persecute me, but I do for myself. So should you."
Bertie's father explained to him that he uses the blowtorch to create art by cutting cars and turning them into sculptures, even though he knows that some people ridicule him for his artwork, and Bertie should also create for himself and not worry about other people's opinions.
Come look at Bertie's brochures
The song invites the listener to take a look at Bertie's brochures that are full of Bertie's work.
You'll be enchanted, I am sure
The song promises that looking at Bertie's brochures will be an enchanting experience.
The whole world's in Bertie's brochures:
The song claims that Bertie's brochures contain the wisdom and smiles of friends from all over the world.
All the wisdom, the smiles of dear friends
Bertie's brochures are filled with insights (wisdom) and images of happy moments with friends (smiles).
Through freakshow Britain, through the Eighties
Bertie lived in Britain during the 1980s, which the song describes as a freakshow, perhaps because of the political and cultural changes happening at the time.
Bertie works in labs, though his father's aims still endure
Bertie works in labs, but he still maintains his father's artistic ambitions and creates art in his free time.
though only at night does he do his real work
Bertie's real work as an artist is only done at night since he has a day job.
Learning, writing his brochures...
Bertie spends his time outside of work learning and writing, which informs the content of his brochures.
for he still believes that everyone's a poet
Bertie believes that everyone has poetry in them.
and that all he has to do is to set it down
Bertie thinks his job as an artist is to record that poetic spirit and set it down on paper.
and so transform the milkman, the waitress and the gunman into immortal ART!!
Bertie believes that by capturing the poetry of everyday people in his brochures, he is turning them into immortal works of art.
Now they're laughing at Bertie's brochures
In the present, people are laughing at Bertie's brochures, which suggests that his artistic vision is no longer appreciated.
Detectives with crowbars and skewers
The detectives with crowbars and skewers are likely symbolic of the authorities who don't appreciate Bertie's artistic vision and want to destroy his work.
They see things in Bertie's brochures: Their own hatred of all other races and their fear
Despite Bertie's artistic intentions, some people see in his brochures their own bias and fear towards other races.
Don't laugh at Bertie's brochures
The song urges listeners not to ridicule Bertie's brochures even if they don't appreciate his artistic vision.
He would not if they were yours
Just as Bertie doesn't ridicule other people's art, the song suggests that Bertie wouldn't laugh at someone else's brochures, even if he didn't appreciate their art.
So what if your enemy is there?
The song is suggesting that even if someone dislikes Bertie as a person or doesn't agree with his artistic vision, they can still appreciate the artistic work he creates.
Bertie's an artist, so why should he care?
As an artist, Bertie shouldn't worry too much about what other people think of his art, instead the focus should be on creating art that reflects his artistic vision.
It's the north European peasant experience
The song implies that Bertie's artistic vision is informed by his experiences as a North European peasant, giving insight into his artistic style.
Contributed by Madelyn K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
AnimaDon24
I had the honour of seeing these guys live a couple of times.Coruscating stuff I still remember it fondly twenty years on
David Cooke
The most under rated Irish song ever, thanks for posting.
Paul Stevens
One of the greatest melodies ever written
John Power
Absolute classic.
Will Slattery
love it
JustinMShaw
Maybe I'm too literal-minded but I always wondered about the narrative of the song. Is it that he really assaulted a couple soldiers in a public bathroom, or just that he drew or wrote a piece featuring two soldiers that they took offense to?
gerard lynch
Its about conservatism threatened by the underclass.Art and liberalism are ok as long as they remain in the domain of the inept middle classes who are ineffective and inoffensive, But if the underclass realise their power and intelligence well the establisment don t like that.
Fletcher901
@JustinMShaw The narrator is not the certain little Irish writer within. I think it's a story about a man with a particular vision of the world that began with brochures and ended with the "mortal damage to two soldiers".
saxfreak01
Another great post. Thanks.
ANDY KING
oh my days