Mark E. Smith

For a physicist, see Mark Smith (physicist).
Mark E. Smith
Smith performing in 2006
Smith performing in 2006
Background information
Birth nameMark Edward Smith
Born(1957-03-05)5 March 1957
Broughton, Lancashire, England
Died24 January 2018(2018-01-24) (aged 60)
Prestwich, Greater Manchester, England
Genres
Occupations
  • Singer
  • songwriter
Years active1976–2017
Formerly of

Mark Edward Smith (5 March 1957 – 24 January 2018) was an English singer-songwriter. He was the lead vocalist, lyricist and only constant member of the post-punk group The Fall. Smith formed the band after attending the June 1976 Sex Pistols gig at the Lesser Free Trade Hall in Manchester[1][2] and was its leader until his death. During their 42-year existence, the Fall's line-up included some sixty musicians, with whom Smith released 32 studio albums and numerous singles and EPs.[A][3]

Smith had a difficult and complex personality and was a long-term alcoholic.[4][5] He was known for his biting and targeted wit, evident in interviews, for which he was much in demand by music journalists throughout his career. He was suspicious of the trappings of fame and largely avoided socialising with people associated with the music scene, including other Fall members. The dark and sardonic aspect of his personality often appears in his lyrics; he especially derided music industry people.[B] Smith's approach to music was unconventional and he did not have high regard for musicianship, stating that "rock & roll isn't even music really. It's a mistreating of instruments to get feelings over."[6]

The Fall are regarded as one of the most important and influential post-punk bands of the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s. Although Smith was difficult to work with, he was revered by fans and critics, and was described as a "strange kind of antimatter national treasure."[7]

  1. ^ Nolan, David (2016). "They Swear They Were There: Sex Pistols at the Lesser Free Trade Hall". bbc.co.uk. BBC. Archived from the original on 6 June 2016.
  2. ^ Edge (1989), 8.
  3. ^ Youngs, Ian. "Mark E Smith: British rock's cult hero." BBC, 24 January 2018. Retrieved 24 January 2018
  4. ^ Kaufman, Gil. "Fall Singer To Enter Alcohol Treatment Program[dead link]." MTV, 15 April 1998. Retrieved 4 April 2021
  5. ^ Smith, Mark E. "Mark E. Smith on drinking alcohol (transcript included)." Youtube. Retrieved 4 April 2021
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference TP was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Maume, Chris. "The Fall's Mark E Smith has become a strange, antimatter national treasure." The Independent, 5 March 2016. Retrieved 17 March 2017


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