Mark E. Smith

Mark E. Smith (born March 5, 1957) is the lead singer, lyricist and hub of The Fall, a renowned and idiosyncratic offshoot from the UK post-punk/new wave music scenes.

Biography

Mark Edward Smith was born to a working-class family in Broughton, Salford, Greater Manchester, England, moving to nearby Prestwich, also in Greater Manchester, early in his life (although, at the time, both places were in Lancashire). 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 over twenty-five years to produce unpredictable and challenging music, varying richly in both character and quality, with the abrasive lyrics and half-droned, half-ranted vocals of frontman Mark E. Smith providing the one constant note through a bewildering succession of personnel changes.

As well as his work with The Fall, Smith has released the spoken-word albums The Post-Nearly Man (1998) and Pander! Panda! Panzer! (2002). He has 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 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. In interviews, he has cited Wyndham Lewis, H. P. Lovecraft, and Philip K. Dick as influences. [1]

Smith married Californian guitarist (and Fall band member, 1983-1989, 1994-1996) Brix Smith on 19 July 1983. 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 much-loved English DJ (who championed The Fall), John Peel, died in 2004, Smith made a notorious appearance on the BBC's Newsnight show (BBC interview transcript), interviewed by Gavin Esler. Regarded by many as a bewildering performance, Smith has made his appreciation for John Peel clear in several subsequent interviews. Neverthless, the two were not friends and met only a handful of times.

In January 2005, Mark E 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.

In August 2005, Mark E Smith received the "Contribution to Music" award at the Diesel-U-Music Awards.

Bibliography

For more, see entry on The Fall

• Ford, Simon (2003). Hip Priest: The Story Of Mark E Smith And The Fall. London: Quartet Books. ISBN 0704381672
• Middles, Mick & Smith, Mark E (2003). The Fall. London: Omnibus Press. ISBN 0711997624
• Smith, Mark E (1985). The Fall Lyrics. Berlin: Lough Press.

Discography

For a detailed discography, see The Fall discography.

External links

• The Fall - Official Website
• The Fall - Unofficial Website
• Interview