Mark E. Smith
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Mark E. Smith | ||
|---|---|---|
| Background information | ||
| Birth name | Mark Edward Smith | |
| Born | 5 March 1957 Salford, England |
|
| Genre(s) | Alternative rock | |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, lyricist, songwriter, sometimes instrumentalist | |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals | |
| Associated acts |
The Fall | |
| Website | The Fall | |
Mark Edward Smith (born 5 March 1957) is the lead singer, lyricist, frontman, and sole consistent member of The Fall, a renowned and idiosyncratic offshoot from the UK post-punk popular music scene.
Contents |
[edit] Biography
Smith was born to a working-class family in Broughton, Salford, in Lancashire, England, moving to nearby Prestwich, in Bury early in his life. He formed The Fall (named after the novel by Camus) with friends after dropping out of college at the age of 19. He gave up his job at Salford docks shortly after to devote his full energies to The Fall, and has continued to do so ever since.
The Fall have continued for nearly thirty years to produce unpredictable and challenging music, varying richly in both character and quality, with the abrasive yet evocative lyrics and half-droned, half-ranted vocals of frontman Mark E. Smith providing the one constant note through a bewildering succession of personnel changes.
Smith has won much acclaim for his unique lyrical style, which mixes elements of social realism, surrealism, and absurdism, dwelling on subjects as far removed as unemployment and football violence to time travel and ghosts, all with the same wit, astute humour and precarious balance between brutalism and intellect. In interviews, he has cited Colin Wilson,[1] Wyndham Lewis, H. P. Lovecraft, and Philip K. Dick as influences.[2]
Outside of his work with The Fall, Smith has released two spoken-word albums: 1998's The Post-Nearly Man and 2002's Pander! Panda! Panzer!; however, the line between Smith's solo career and his work with the group remains blurry as both albums feature readings of Fall lyrics, samples of Fall songs and contributions from members of The Fall. Smith has also supplied guest vocals for the Inspiral Carpets, Elastica, Long Fin Killie, Mouse on Mars, Coldcut and others.
Smith has also appeared in an acting role in several television programmes and generally low-budget films. He made a brief appearance as himself in the Michael Winterbottom film 24 Hour Party People (2002).
Smith married Californian guitarist (and Fall band member, 1983-89, 1994-96) Brix Smith on 19 July 1983, though they divorced in 1989. He has since remarried twice. He married his present wife, Eleni (sometimes called Elenor or Elena) Poulou, in 2001, and she joined The Fall in September 2002.
When the popular English DJ and Fall champion John Peel died in 2004, Smith made a notorious appearance on the BBC's Newsnight show.[3] Regarded by many as a bewildering performance, Smith has made his appreciation for John Peel clear in several subsequent interviews. Nevertheless, the two were not friends and met only a handful of times.
Smith broke his hip while promoting the album The Real New Fall LP (Formerly Country on the Click) in 2004 but refused to cancel an upcoming American tour, instead choosing to soldier on in a wheelchair. Unfortunately the pain and medication caused a number of dates to be cancelled. But this is testament to the work ethic Mark has always endorsed in his interviews.
In January 2005, Smith and The Fall (described as "one of the most enigmatic, idiosyncratic and chaotic garage bands of the last 30 years") were the subject of a BBC 4 TV documentary, The Fall: The Wonderful and Frightening World of Mark E Smith. That August, Smith received the "Contribution to Music" award at the Diesel-U-Music Awards.
Smith is currently working with Manchester-based writer Austin Collings on an autobiography ("Renegade: The Gospel According to Mark E. Smith") that is due to be published by Viking Books in June 2007.
His next music project is Von Südenfed, a collaboration with Mouse on Mars. Their first LP is titled "Tromatic Reflexxions".
[edit] Bibliography
- Edge, Brian (1989). Paintwork: A Portrait of The Fall. London: Omnibus Press. ISBN 0-7119-1740-X
- Ford, Simon (2003). Hip Priest: The Story Of Mark E Smith And The Fall. London: Quartet Books. ISBN 0-7043-8167-2
- Middles, Mick & Smith, Mark E (2003). The Fall. London: Omnibus Press. ISBN 0-7119-9762-4
- Smith, Mark E (1985). The Fall Lyrics. Berlin: Lough Press.
- Thompson, Dave (2003). A User's Guide To The Fall. London: Helter Skelter Publishing. ISBN 1-900924-57-9.
[edit] Discography
For a detailed discography, see The Fall discography.
[edit] References
- ^ Marvin, Joe. "Mark E. Smith interview". Fanzine Interview. Retrieved on Error: invalid time.
- ^ Lee, Stewart (2004). "Mark E Smith, Man At His Best". Esquire Magazine. Retrieved on Error: invalid time.
- ^ Mark E Smith on John Peel BBC.co.uk. (2004) Retrieved on January 08, 2007.
