Mark E. Smith
Smith pictured on the cover of 50,000 Fall Fans Can't Be Wrong
Background information
Birth name	Mark Edward Smith
Born	5 March 1957 Salford, England
Genre(s)	Alternative rock
Instrument(s)	Vocals
Associated acts	The Fall

Mark E. 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/new wave music scenes. Image File history File links 50000fall. ... 50,000 Fall Fans Cant Be Wrong - 39 Golden Greats is a double greatest hits compilation album released by The Fall in 2004. ... March 5 is the 64th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (65th in leap years). ... Year 1957 (MCMLVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Statistics Population: 72,750 Ordnance Survey OS grid reference: SJ805985 Administration Borough: Salford Metropolitan county: Greater Manchester Region: North West England Constituent country: England Sovereign state: United Kingdom Other Ceremonial county: Greater Manchester Historic county: Lancashire Services Police force: Greater Manchester Police Fire and rescue: {{{Fire}}} Ambulance: North West Post... Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: God Save the King/Queen Capital London Largest city London Official language(s) English (de facto) Unification    - by Athelstan AD 927  Area    - Total 130,395 km² (1st in UK)   50,346 sq mi  Population    - 2005 est. ... A music genre is a category (or genre) of pieces of music that share a certain style or basic musical language (van der Merwe 1989, p. ... Alternative rock (also called alternative music[1] or simply alternative) is a genre of rock music that emerged in the 1980s and became widely popular in the 1990s. ... A musical instrument is a device constructed or modified with the purpose of making music. ... Ercole de Roberti: Concert, c. ... The Fall are an English post-punk group, formed in Manchester in 1976. ... March 5 is the 64th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (65th in leap years). ... Year 1957 (MCMLVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... In music a singer or vocalist is a type of musician who sings, i. ... A lyricist is an author of song lyrics. ... Frontman (also front man) is a term referring to the lead singer or band leader of a music group. ... The Fall are an English post-punk group, formed in Manchester in 1976. ... Post-punk was a musical movement beginning at the end of the 1970s, following on the heels of the initial punk rock explosion of the mid 1970s. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

Biography

Mark Edward Smith was born to a working-class family in Broughton, Salford, in Lancashire, England, moving to nearby Prestwich, near 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. Working class is a term used both in academic sociology as well as in ordinary conversation. ... Broughton is a district of the city of Salford in Greater Manchester, England, to the north of Manchester city centre. ... Statistics Population: 72,750 Ordnance Survey OS grid reference: SJ805985 Administration Borough: Salford Metropolitan county: Greater Manchester Region: North West England Constituent country: England Sovereign state: United Kingdom Other Ceremonial county: Greater Manchester Historic county: Lancashire Services Police force: Greater Manchester Police Fire and rescue: {{{Fire}}} Ambulance: North West Post... Lancashire is a county in North West England, bounded to the west by the Irish Sea. ... Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: God Save the King/Queen Capital London Largest city London Official language(s) English (de facto) Unification    - by Athelstan AD 927  Area    - Total 130,395 km² (1st in UK)   50,346 sq mi  Population    - 2005 est. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Statistics Population: 60,718 Ordnance Survey OS grid reference: SD805105 Administration Metropolitan borough: Bury Metropolitan county: Greater Manchester Region: North West England Constituent country: England Sovereign state: United Kingdom Other Ceremonial county: Greater Manchester Historic county: Lancashire Services Police force: Greater Manchester Police Fire and rescue: {{{Fire}}} Ambulance: North West... Albert Camus (pronounced ) (November 7, 1913 – January 4, 1960) was a Algerian-French author and philosopher. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ...

The Fall have continued for nearly thirty 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. For other uses, see Music (disambiguation). ...

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. An album is a collection of related audio tracks distributed to the public. ... The Inspiral Carpets is an alternative rock band from Oldham in Greater Manchester, England formed by Graham Lambert in 1986. ... Elastica were a Britpop band who were popular in the 1990s, formed by Justine Frischmann after leaving Suede in 1991. ... Long Fin Killie was a Scottish band. ... Mouse on Mars are a duo from Germany (Jan St. ... Coldcut: Jonathan More (left) & Matt Black Coldcut is a duo comprising English DJs Matt Black and Jonathan More. ...

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). Film is a term that encompasses motion pictures as individual projects, as well as the field in general. ... Winterbottom at the Toronto International Film Festival. ... 24 Hour Party People is a 2002 film about Manchesters popular music community from 1977 to 1997, and specifically about Factory Records. ...

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 and humour. In interviews, he has cited Colin Wilson,^[1] Wyndham Lewis, H. P. Lovecraft, and Philip K. Dick as influences.^[2] A Diego Rivera mural depicting factory workers in Detroit Social Realism is an artistic movement, expressed in the visual and other realist arts, which depicts working class activities as heroic. ... Indefinite Divisibility 1942 Surrealism[1] is a movement stating that the liberation of our mind, and subsequently the liberation of the individual self and society, can be achieved by exercising the imaginative faculties of the unconscious mind to the attainment of a dream-like state different from, or ultimately ‘truer... Absurdism is a philosophy stating that the efforts of humanity to find meaning in the universe will ultimately fail because no such meaning exists (at least in relation to humanity). ... An 1837 political cartoon about unemployment in the United States. ... This article or section needs a complete rewrite for the reasons listed on the talk page. ... Time travel is a concept that has long fascinated humanity—whether it is Merlin experiencing time backwards, or religious traditions like Mohammeds trip to Jerusalem and ascent to heaven, returning before a glass knocked over had spilt its contents. ... This article is about the paranormal. ... Colin Henry Wilson (born June 26, 1931) is a prolific British writer. ... Wyndham Lewis in 1916 Percy Wyndham Lewis (November 18, 1882 – March 7, 1957) was a Canadian born British painter and author. ... Howard Phillips Lovecraft (August 20, 1890 – March 15, 1937) was an American author of fantasy, horror and science fiction. ... Philip Kindred Dick (December 16, 1928 – March 2, 1982) was an American science fiction writer. ...

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. This article is about the U.S. state. ... A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. ... Brix Smith is an American singer and guitarist, best known for introducing a pop influence to The Fall, and as lead singer with The Adult Net. ... July 19 is the 200th day (201st in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 165 days remaining. ... 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the year 2001. ...

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. Nevertheless, the two were not friends and met only a handful of times. This article is about the English as an ethnic group and nation. ... For other meanings of DJ, see DJ (disambiguation). ... Autobiography John Robert Parker Ravenscroft, OBE (30 August 1939 – 25 October 2004), known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey, radio presenter, and journalist. ... For other uses, see BBC (disambiguation). ... Newsnight is a British daily news analysis, current affairs and politics programme broadcast between 22:30 and 23:20 on weekdays on BBC Two. ... Gavin Esler (born Glasgow, February 27, 1953) is a BBC television presenter. ... Autobiography John Robert Parker Ravenscroft, OBE (30 August 1939 – 25 October 2004), known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey, radio presenter, and journalist. ...

Smith broke his hip while promoting the album Country On The Click but refused to cancel the tour instead trying to soldier on in a wheel chair. Unfortunately the pain and medication caused a number of dates to be cancelled. But this is testimont to the work ethic Mark has always endorsed in his interviews.

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. BBC Four is a BBC television channel available to digital TV (Freeview, satellite and UK. Contents // Categories: Stub | BBC television channels | British TV channels ...

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

During an interview with a UK music magazine, Smith explained that he keeps all of his earnings in cash in his personal residence, as he "distrusts" banks.

Smith is currently working with Manchester-based writer Austin Collings on an autobiography that will be published by Penguin Books in early 2007.

Bibliography

For more, see entry on The Fall The Fall are an English post-punk group, formed in Manchester in 1976. ...

• 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.

Discography

For a detailed discography, see The Fall discography. Rock band The Fall have released a large number of recordings since their inception in 1976; often inviting use of the tag prolific. Their first release as a group was the EP Bingo-Masters Break Out! (1978), and they have released a studio album at a rate of almost...

References

3. Maple Leaves - Jens Lekman December 10 is the 344th day (345th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, 21 days before the next year. ... 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... December 10 is the 344th day (345th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, 21 days before the next year. ... 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

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