Mark E. Smith | |
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Mark E. Smith performing live at the Knitting Factory in NYC on 9 April 2004. |
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Background information | |
Birth name | Mark Edward Smith |
Born | 5 March 1957 Broughton, Salford, England |
Genres | Post-punk Alternative rock |
Occupations | Musician, lyricist, songwriter |
Instruments | Vocalist, Piano, Synthesiser, Guitar, Bass, Violin, Continuum, Percussion, Mandocello |
Associated acts | The Fall Von Südenfed |
Mark Edward Smith (born 5 March 1957) is the lead singer, lyricist, frontman, and only constant member of the English post-punk band The Fall.
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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] Originally a Labour supporter, he then joined the Socialist Workers Party[2].
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; his second wife was Saffron Prior who used to work for The Fall's fan club. He married his present wife, Eleni (sometimes called Elenor or Elena) Poulou, in 2001, and she joined The Fall in September 2002.
When British 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 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, Your Future Our Clutter, was released on 26 April 2010.
Smith has won acclaim for his lyrical style, which mixes elements of social realism, surrealism, and absurdism addressing diverse topics such as drug use, unemployment, football violence, time travel and the supernatural.
In interviews, he has cited Colin Wilson,[4] Wyndham Lewis, Thomas Hardy,[5] Philip K. Dick as influences,[6] as well as Edgar Allan Poe, Raymond Chandler,[7] and H. P. Lovecraft, whose short story "The Colour Out of Space" he read in Christmas 2007 for the BBC Collective website.[8]
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, Elastica, Gorillaz, Long Fin Killie, Mouse on Mars, Coldcut, and Ghostigital. His contribution to the Inspiral Carpets' 1994 song I Want You won UK top 20 recognition, topped the Festive Fifty[9] and resulted in Smith's first appearance on the classic UK TV show Top of the Pops.[10] 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. Smith more recently provided guest vocals on the new Gorillaz album Plastic Beach, on the song "Glitter Freeze", and joined the group Shuttleworth to record the World Cup song England's Heartbeat.
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.
He has also appeared in several films made by the artist Mark Aeriel Waller, including "Glow Boys" and "Midwatch".
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