Mark E. Smith facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mark E. Smith
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Smith performing in 2008
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Mark Edward Smith |
| Born | 5 March 1957 Broughton, Lancashire, England |
| Died | 24 January 2018 (aged 60) Prestwich, Greater Manchester, England |
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| Years active | 1976–2017 |
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Mark Edward Smith (born March 5, 1957 – died January 24, 2018) was an English singer and songwriter. He was best known as the lead singer and main writer for the post-punk band the Fall. Mark Smith started the band after seeing a Sex Pistols concert in Manchester in 1976. He led the band for 42 years until he passed away. During this time, over sixty different musicians played in the Fall. They released 31 studio albums and many other songs.
The Fall is seen as one of the most important and influential post-punk bands. They were popular from the 1980s to the 2000s. Even though Mark Smith could be difficult, fans and critics admired him. After his death, he was called a "strange kind of antimatter national treasure."
Contents
Mark Smith's Early Life
Mark Smith was born in Broughton, Salford, England. His parents were Irene and Jack Smith. He was the oldest of four children. He had three younger sisters: Suzanne, Caroline, and Barbara. His sister Suzanne later painted the cover for the Fall's 1980 album, Grotesque (After the Gramme).
Mark Smith didn't get interested in music until he was about 14 years old. His first single was Paranoid by Black Sabbath. His first live concert was the Groundhogs in Manchester. He went to Sedgley Park Primary School and then Stand Grammar School for Boys. He left school at 16. After that, he moved in with his girlfriend, Una Baines, who later played keyboards for the Fall. His first job was in a meat factory. Then he worked as a shipping clerk at Salford docks.
The Fall Band History
The band The Fall got its name from a book by Albert Camus. Mark Smith started the band with his friends Martin Bramah, Una Baines, and Tony Friel. Mark Smith left his job to focus on the band. The band's early members were part of the punk rock movement.
The Fall's music style changed a lot over the years. This often happened when new musicians joined or left the band. The Fall had a long career of 40 years. Their history can be split into five main periods based on who was in the band.
Mark Smith married American guitarist Brix Smith in 1983. They met in Chicago during a Fall tour. Brix joined the band and helped write some of their popular songs. She brought a more mainstream, pop sound to the group. She stayed with the Fall until they divorced in 1989.
Mark Smith married two more times. His second marriage ended in 1995. He married Eleni Poulou in 2001. She joined the band in 2002 and left in 2016. They divorced in 2016. At the time of his death, his partner was his manager, Pamela Vander.
Mark Smith often changed the musicians in the band. He said he only fired about half the people he was rumored to have dismissed. He sometimes let musicians go for small reasons. He once dismissed a sound engineer for eating a salad. He said he changed musicians so they would not get lazy.
The Fall never became hugely famous, but they had a very loyal group of fans. Many people thought Steve Hanley, the bassist, was one of the best of his time.
Other Projects and Collaborations
Besides his work with The Fall, Mark Smith also released two spoken-word albums. These were The Post-Nearly Man (1998) and Pander! Panda! Panzer! (2002). On these albums, he read Fall lyrics over electronic music.
Mark Smith also sang as a guest on songs for other artists. These included Gorillaz, Elastica, and Coldcut. His singing on the song "I Want You" by Inspiral Carpets in 1994 was a big hit. It even led to his first appearance on the TV show Top of the Pops. He also worked with Mouse on Mars on a project called Von Südenfed.
In 1986, he wrote a play called Hey, Luciani. It was about the short time Pope John Paul I was pope. Mark Smith also appeared in the movie 24 Hour Party People (2002). He also had a small role in the BBC Three TV show Ideal in 2007, playing Jesus. A song by The Fall, "Hip Priest" (1982), was used in the 1991 movie The Silence of the Lambs.
Mark Smith's Personality
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Mark Smith had a strong and sometimes difficult personality. He was very proud of being from Northern England. He often disagreed with other musicians, producers, and people in the music industry. He had a working-class background and was interested in literature.
During his later concerts, he would sometimes walk off stage. He also sometimes changed the instruments of the other musicians.
Mark Smith said his favorite things were "Scottish people, cats, Coronation Street, and Can." He loved football and was a lifelong fan of Manchester City. He even appeared on the BBC show Final Score to read football results. He admired unique people like George Best, a famous football player.
He used to support the Labour Party in politics. But he changed his mind during the Falklands War, which he supported. He later became unhappy with Labour. In 1997, he voted for the Conservative Party. He also supported Brexit, which was Britain leaving the European Union.
Death and Tributes
Mark Smith died on January 24, 2018. He was 60 years old. He had been sick for a long time with lung and kidney cancer. He was a heavy smoker and had problems with his throat and breathing. Even when he was sick, he kept working hard. He released a new album almost every year.
Many artists and famous people shared their sadness after his death. These included Brix Smith, Liam Gallagher, Gorillaz, and Pixies.
Mark Smith's Legacy
Mark Smith had mixed feelings about his own legacy. He often criticized the music industry for focusing on trends. He once said that The Fall was listed between Mozart and Puccini in a poll of the best artists. He was proud of this. He was influential and praised throughout his career. This was partly because he didn't try to follow trends.
He also refused to look back. When recording, he made sure The Fall didn't repeat their old styles. When playing live, he didn't like to play old songs. This is also why he often changed band members. The famous British DJ John Peel said, "The Fall are the group against which all others must measure themselves." When asked which Fall albums he would recommend, he said "all of them." In 2005, a TV show called The Fall: The Wonderful and Frightening World of Mark E. Smith was made about him.
Many alternative rock artists have mentioned Mark Smith in their songs. The Jazz Butcher released "Southern Mark Smith" in 1983. The German band Tocotronic sang "I dreamt I went to eat pizza with Mark E. Smith." Elastica released "How He Wrote Elastica Man" in 2000, which was a reference to a Fall song. In 2014, Fat White Family released an album called "I Am Mark E Smith." The band Sonic Youth covered three Fall songs. Cedric Bixler-Zavala, a singer from American bands, said Mark Smith was a big influence on him.
See also
In Spanish: Mark E. Smith para niños
