Mark E.  Smith -  An awkward encounter with Che - 16.02.1989
Channel: chemento
Date: 2018-01-25

When I'm dead and gone
My vibrations will live on
In vibes on vinyl through the years
People will dance to my waves

"Psykick Dancehall" - The Fall


January 24, 2018. It’s in the news. Mark E. Smith died, aged 60. The only guy who ever made sense of Punk music, someone wrote. True. We’ll miss him greatly. 

He was kind of famous for being Mr Grumpy - as much as he was a good laugh and really nice guy when cameras were not rolling. In front of a mic he immediately turned out his trademark cynical and sarcastic self. 

Please note: There is a small discrepancy with the sound in this clipping - we had dire technical problems recording that night… Thus - the „you’re the man with the problems…“

Before and after this short, awkward encounter in this video, which took place after The Fall’s gig at the off beat Night in Munich, Februar 16th in 1989, we had spent several hours talking about music, about his home in Manchester and specially the clubs there, some of which I new, because my sister used to live there for some time. 

Mark was a man of the word. We had a lot of beers later that night. He seemed to like being in Germany, he knew a lot about this country’s history. I admired that, too. 

After two divorces, he met Eleni Poulou in Berlin and later - I think in 1995 -  married her. She is the band's last keyboard player. 

With one of the titles The Fall played that night in 89, „Totally Wired“ he sure did predict the world we live in today... 

May he Rest in Peace!

This, btw. is The Falls website - it’s been around for a long time: http://thefall.org/

Disclaimer: I own no rights to the Song „Totally Wired“ - if you hold any rights to this song and feel offended or your right infringed by this showing (both of which I do not intend), please let me know.