Mark E. Smith
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Mark E. Smith | |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Mark Edward Smith |
| Born | 5 March 1957 Broughton, Salford, England |
| Genre(s) | Post-punk Alternative rock |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, lyricist, songwriter, sometimes instrumentalist |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals |
| Associated acts | The Fall Von Südenfed |
Mark Edward Smith (born 5 March 1957) is the lead singer, lyricist, frontman, and sole constant member of English post-punk band The Fall.
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[edit] Biography
Smith was born to a working-class family in Broughton, Salford, in Lancashire, England, and moved to nearby Prestwich, in Bury early in his life. In his autobiography, Smith claimed that Alfred Henry Hook - a soldier who fought at Rorke's Drift - was an ancestor of his father, which led to the Smith family being invited as guests of honour to the Whitefield showing of Zulu, where the soldier was played by James Booth.[1]
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. Smith married Chicagoan 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.
Smith has won much acclaim for his 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,[2] Wyndham Lewis, Thomas Hardy[3] and Philip K. Dick as influences,[4] as well as H. P. Lovecraft, whose short story The Colour Out Of Space he read in Christmas 2007 for the BBC Collective website.[5] When British DJ and Fall champion John Peel died in 2004, Smith made a notorious appearance on the BBC's Newsnight show.[6] Regarded by many as a bewildering performance, Smith has made his appreciation for John Peel clear in several subsequent interviews. Nevertheless, the two only met a handful of times. Though he broke his hip while promoting the album The Real New Fall LP (Formerly Country on the Click) in 2004, Smith refused to cancel an upcoming American tour, instead choosing to perform in a wheelchair. Unfortunately the pain and medication caused a number of dates to be cancelled.
In January 2005, The Fall were the subject of The Fall: The Wonderful and Frightening World of Mark E. Smith, a BBC Four television documentary. The following August, Smith received the "Contribution to Music" award at the Diesel-U-Music Awards. Smith's autobiography, Renegade: The Gospel According to Mark E. Smith, recorded with Manchester-based writer Austin Collings, was published by Viking Books in April 2008. The latest studio album by The Fall, Imperial Wax Solvent, was released on 28 April 2008.
[edit] Work without The Fall
[edit] Music
Alongside his work with The Fall, Smith has released two spoken-word solo albums: The Post-Nearly Man (1998) and Pander! Panda! Panzer! (2002). Both albums feature readings of Fall lyrics, samples of Fall songs and contributions from members of The Fall, and the line between Smith's solo career and his work with the group remains somewhat blurred.
Smith has also appeared as a guest vocalist for Edwyn Collins, Inspiral Carpets, Elastica, Long Fin Killie, Mouse on Mars, Coldcut, and Ghostigital. Most recently, Smith has worked with Mouse on Mars on the collaboration project Von Südenfed, whose first album, Tromatic Reflexxions, was released on 21 May 2007.
[edit] Writing and acting
In 1986, Smith wrote the play Hey, Luciani based around the short-lived reign of Pope John Paul I. Smith has also periodically acted as guest contributor to publications including the NME. He has appeared in an acting role in several television programmes and films. He made a cameo in the Michael Winterbottom film 24 Hour Party People (2002), while his younger self was portrayed by UK actor Sam Riley in a section that was deleted from the final cut of the film, but is featured as a deleted scene on the DVD. In May 2007 Smith made an appearance on the BBC Three sitcom Ideal, playing a foulmouthed, chain-smoking Jesus.
[edit] Bibliography
- Smith, Mark E (1985). The Fall Lyrics. Berlin: Lough Press.
- 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
- Thompson, Dave (2003). A User's Guide To The Fall. London: Helter Skelter Publishing. ISBN 1-900924-57-9.
- Smith, Mark E (2008). Renegade: The Lives And Tales Of Mark E. Smith. New York: Viking Press. ISBN 978-0670916740
- Smith, Mark E (2008). vII. The Lough Press.
[edit] Solo discography
For a detailed discography, see The Fall discography.
- The Post Nearly Man (1998)
- Pander Panda Panzer (2002)
- Smith and Blaney (2008) (with Ed Blaney)
[edit] References
- ^ Smith, Mark E.; Collings, Austin (2008), Renegade - The Lives and Tales of Mark E Smith, Viking (Penguin), p. 12, ISBN 978-0-670-91674-0
- ^ Marvin, Joe. ""Mark E. Smith interview"". Fanzine Interview. http://www.jneomarvin.com/words/thefall1.htm. Retrieved on 2006-12-10.
- ^ Smith, Mark E (2008). Renegade: The Lives And Tales Of Mark E. Smith. New York: Viking Press. ISBN 978-0670916740
- ^ Lee, Stewart (2004). ""Mark E Smith, Man At His Best"". Esquire Magazine. http://www.stewartlee.co.uk/press/writtenformoney/2004-april-mark_e_smith-esquire.htm. Retrieved on 2007-07-28.
- ^ Storytime With Mark E Smith BBC.co.uk. (2007) Retrieved on December 21, 2007.
- ^ Mark E Smith on John Peel BBC.co.uk. (2004) Retrieved on January 8, 2007.
[edit] External links
- The Fall online formerly: The Official Fall Website (February 20, 199806); The Unofficial Fall Website (February October 20, 200607)
- Various interviews
- Guardian interview (2005)
- BBC Collective interview (2005)
- musicOMH.com interview (2008)
- Wire interview (1999)
- Wire interview (1996)
- Interview (1989)
- Video - Touch Sensitive directed by Graham Brown-Martin
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