Mark E. Smith

"Is there any Manchester area notable more notable than Mark E. Smith? Not in my book, anyway." (25 November 1995 (BFBS))
Mark Edward Smith (05 March 1957 - 24 January 2018) was the lead singer, lyricist, frontman, and only constant member of the English post-punk group The Fall. Alongside his work with the Fall, Smith had written a play called Hey, Luciani in 1986 and music for a Michael Clarke Dance Company ballet in 1988 called I Am Curious, Orange.  Apart from that, Smith had released two spoken-word solo albums, The Post-Nearly Man (1998) and Pander! Panda! Panzer! (2002).  Smith had also appeared as a guest vocalist for the likes of Edwyn Collins, Elastica, Gorillaz, Long Fin Killie, Mouse on Mars, Coldcut, Ghostigital and finally the Inspiral Carpets, with whom he collaborated on their 1994 UK Top 20 hit called I Want You.  Smith worked with Mouse on Mars on the collaboration project Von Südenfed, whose first album, Tromatic Reflexxions, was released on 21 May 2007. Smith also provided guest vocals on the Gorillaz album Plastic Beach, on the song "Glitter Freeze", and joined the group Shuttleworth to record the World Cup song England's Heartbeat. 
==Links To Peel==
As a fan of The Fall and Mark E Smith, Peel regularly played his music and collaborations. In addition, Smith appeared on This Is Your Life contributing a positive appraisal of Peel's effect on his career: Peel recalled, "Mark E. Smith appeared on film, looking very odd indeed. In a way, I was quite glad that he wasn't there in person, 'cos I think I should have been overwhelmed." (23 December 1995 (BFBS)). However, Smith was also critical of Peel when interviewed for Loaded magazine in 1997. Peel responded in a generous manner on his show on 27 November 1997 (BFBS):
"If you ever get to see the laddish magazine 'Loaded', there was an interview in a recent issue with Mark E. Smith out of the Fall, and in the course of it, already trying to pick a fight with the interviewer and stub a cigarette out in his face, and also bumped into members of Ash and claimed, most aggressively actually, that he'd started their career off. They did challenge him on this, but in the course of the interview, he also said something along the lines of, I was the worst DJ in the world, even worse than Tony Blackburn, which I thought was a bit hard, and one or two other things besides which I probably shouldn't say on this programme. But a hostile opinion of me, I have to say, but nevertheless, bearing in mind that he's not in perfect working order at the moment, and the band have given me intense pleasure over the years, I still love 'em madly."
When the Serbian radio station MTB seemed to assume that JP and Smith were friends, John replied, " I've only met him a couple of times, so he's hardly a friend. When I do see him I never know what to say to him anyway, so we just punch each other on the shoulder in a manly way and go our separate ways." 
After Peel's death, Smith was invited on BBC's Newsnight to talk about the death of Peel, where he complimented JP and John Walters. However, critics did question his behaviour, especially the unusual facial expressions he made on the programme. 
==Festive Fifty Entries==
*1994 Festive Fifty: I Want You #01 (with the Inspiral Carpets)
*1995 Festive Fifty: Plug Myself In #44 (with D.O.S.E.)
*1995 Festive Fifty: Heads Of Dead Surfers #10 (with Long Fin Killie)
*1999 Festive Fifty: How He Wrote Elastica Man #06 (with Elastica)
==Peelenium==
*Peelenium 1994: I Want You (with the Inspiral Carpets)
*Peelenium 1995: Heads Of Dead Surfers (with Long Fin Killie)
==Other Shows Played ==
(The list below was compiled only from the database of this site and Lorcan's Tracklistings Archive. Please add further information if known.)
;1990
*23 April 1990: Theme From Error-Orrori (v/a album - Home) Sheer Joy
*16 December 1990: 'Theme From Error-Orrori (Compilation LP-Home)' (Sheer Joy) (credited to all members of the Fall in discogs.com)
;thumb|right|335 px|'I Want You' with the Inspiral Carpets, #01 in the 1994 Festive Fifty1994
*21 January 1994: I Want You (CD single) Mute (with Inspiral Carpets)
*22 January 1994 (BFBS): I Want You (tape preview) (JP before track: "Now this next one, well, it's for all of you, dear listeners. And what it is, I was given a tape, of this unexpected collaboration between two Manchester area bands. Or one band and one other artiste. And I was given it on condition I didn't play it on British radio for several weeks. And I said, yes I'm quite happy to do that. But I didn't say anything about not playing it on BFBS. So this is a kind of preview I suppose.. It won't take you to long I suspect, to identify the protagonists...")
*January 1994 (5) (BBC World Service): I Want You (CD single) Mute (with Inspiral Carpets)
*29 January 1994 (BFBS): I Want You (CD single) Mute (with Inspiral Carpets)
*05 February 1994 (BFBS): I Want You (CD single) Mute (with Inspiral Carpets)
*February 1994 (1) (BBC World Service): I Want You (CD single) Mute (with Inspiral Carpets)
*19 February 1994 (BFBS): I Want You (CD single) Mute (with Inspiral Carpets)
*February 1994 (2) (BBC World Service): I Want You (CD single) Mute (with Inspiral Carpets)
*Peel Early 1994: I Want You (12") Mute (with Inspiral Carpets) (JP - 'come on record of the 90s of course it is!')
*23 December 1994: I Want You (CD single) Mute (with Inspiral Carpets) FF#01
;thumb|right|335 px|'Plug Myself In' with D.O.S.E., #44 in the 1995 Festive Fifty1995
*14 April 1995: (JP: "You probably read in the papers about the track Long Finn Killie recorded with Mark E Smith. I've had a cassette of it in the front of my car for three or four weeks now and I'm fed up with not being able to play it on the radio, so from the cassette here it is. I think it's pretty neat of course, but then Mark E Smith reading the telephone directory would go down a storm with me.") Heads of Dead Surfers (single) (with Long Fin Killie) (Too Pure)
*09 September 1995 (BFBS): 'Theme From Error-Orrori (Compilation CD-Home)' (with Martin Beddington, Stephen Hanley & Simon Wolstencroft) (Sheer Joy)
*17 November 1995: 'Plug Myself In (CDS)' (with D.O.S.E.) (Coliseum Recordings)
*24 November 1995: Plug Myself In (EP - Plug Myself In) (The Spoonful Of Sugar Mixes) Coliseum Recordings
*25 November 1995 (BFBS): 'Plug Myself In (12")' (Coliseum Recordings) 
*01 December 1995: 'Plug Myself In (CDS-Plug Myself In (The Spoonful Of Sugar Mixes))' (with D.O.S.E.) (Coliseum Recordings)
;thumb|right|335 px|'Heads Of Dead Surfers' with Long Fin Killie, #10 in the 1995 Festive Fifty
*05 December 1995 (Radio Mafia): Plug Myself In (The Nero Mix) (with D.O.S.E.) (7", Coliseum)
*16 December 1995 (BFBS): Plug Myself In (The Nero Mix) (with D.O.S.E.)  (7", Coliseum)
*18 December 1995 (BBC World Service): Plug Myself In (The Nero Mix) (with D.O.S.E.)  (7", Coliseum)
*29 December 1995: 'Plug Myself In-Nero Mix (7 inch)' (with D.O.S.E.) (Coliseum/PWL International) FF #44
*30 December 1995: 'Heads Of Dead Surfers (7 inch)' (with Long Fin Killie) (Too Pure) (JP: 'Could Mark E. Smith be the first person to appear in the Festive Fifty in three different ensembles?')
*30 December 1995 (BFBS): 'Heads Of Dead Surfers (CD-Houdini)' (with Long Fin Killie) (Too Pure) FF #10 (JP: 'I think I would have played that record even if it hadn't had Mark E. Smith on it: of course, having him on there makes all the difference.')
;1996
*16 February 1996: ‘Plug Myself In [Intensive Care Mix] (12 inch )’ (with D.O.S.E.) Coliseum Records
*25 February 1996 (BFBS): 'Plug Myself In (2Pointblanc - Intensive Care Mix) (with D.O.S.E.) (12"-The Stomach Pump Mixes)' (Coliseum Recordings) 
*February 1996 (BBC World Service): Plug Myself In (12" 2 Pointblanc Intensive Care Mix) (CD - Plug Myself In (The Spoonful Of Sugar Mixes)) Coliseum 
;1997
*02 September 1997: Seventies Night ( (guest vocal on Edwyn Collins) album - I'm Not Following You) Setanta SETCD039
*11 September 1997 (BFBS) / 11 September 1997 (BFBS) (repeat): Seventies Night ( (guest vocal on Edwyn Collins) album - I'm Not Following You) Setanta SETCD039
;1998
*16 September 1998: I Want You (CD Single) (with Inspiral Carpets) Mute
*16 September 1998: The Caterer (CD - The Post Nearly Man) Artful
*20 September 1998 (BFBS): 'I'm Bobby Part 1 (CD-The Post Nearly Man)' (Artful)
*20 September 1998 (BFBS): 'Typewriter (CD-The Post Nearly Man)' (Artful)
*23 September 1998: Enigrammatic Dream (CD - The Post Nearly Man) Artful
*24 September 1998: Typewriter (CD - The Post Nearly Man) Artful
*30 September 1998: Dissolute Singer (CD - The Post Nearly Man) Artful
*01 October 1998: The Horror In Clay (CD - The Post Nearly Man) Artful
;thumb|right|335 px|'How He Wrote Elastica Man' with Elastica, #06 in the 1999 Festive Fifty1999
*14 January 1999: Inch (12") (with Inch) Regal REG 27
*28 January 1999: Inch (12" -Val Hooligan Mix) (single) (with Inch) (Regal)
*03 February 1999: 'Inch (Dose Remix)' (EP 'Inch') (with Inch) Regal
*04 February 1999 (Radio Eins): Inch (Dose Remix) (with Inch) (CDS) Regal
*08 July 1999: How He Wrote Elastica Man (6 Track EP) (with Elastica) Deceptive Bluff
*14 July 1999: How He Wrote Elastica Man (6 Track EP) (with Elastica) Deceptive Bluff
*21 July 1999: How He Wrote Elastica Man (6 Track EP) (with Elastica) Deceptive Bluff
*22 July 1999 (Radio Eins): How He Wrote Elastica Man (CD - 6 Track EP) Deceptive (with Elastica)
*28 July 1999: How He Wrote Elastica Man (6 Track EP) (with Elastica) Deceptive Bluff
*03 August 1999: 'KB (6-Track EP)' (with Elastica) (Deceptive)
*18 August 1999: How He Wrote Elastica Man (6 Track EP) (with Elastica) Deceptive Bluff
*12 August 1999 (Radio Eins) (with Elastica): KB (6 Track EP) Deceptive Bluff
*26 August 1999: (JP: "This is Elastica... with him.") How He Wrote Elastica Man (6 Track EP) (with Elastica) Deceptive Bluff
*31 August 1999: I Want You (with Inspiral Carpets)
*26 October 1999: I Wanna Be Your Dog (guest vocal with Clint Boon Experience)
*04 November 1999: I Wanna Be Your Dog (guest vocal with Clint Boon Experience)
*11 November 1999 (Radio Eins): I Wanna Be Your Dog (guest vocal with Clint Boon Experience)
*27 December 1999 (BFBS): How He Wrote Elastica Man (6 Track EP) (with Elastica) Deceptive Bluff
*29 December 1999: How He Wrote Elastica Man (6 Track EP) (with Elastica) Deceptive Bluff FF #06
;2000
*06 January 2000: I Want You (7 inch)' (with Inspiral Carpets) (Cow/Mute)  Peelenium 1994
*11 January 2000: 'Heads Of Dead Surfers (7 inch)' (with Long Fin Killie) (Too Pure) Peelenium 1995
*23 November 2000: Fistful of Credits (7") (with Mildmanjan) Switchflicker
*23 November 2000 (Radio Eins): unknown
*29 November 2000: Fistful of Credits (7") (with Mildmanjan) Switchflicker
;2001
*14 January 2001 (BFBS) : 'Fistful Of Credits (7")' (with Mildmanjan) (Switchflicker)
;2002
*15 October 2002: PPP / Sport Duet (LP - Pander! Panda! Panzer!) Action
*16 October 2002: Lakeland Opus 1 (LP - Pander! Panda! Panzer!) Action
*17 October 2002: Enigramatic Dream (Pander! Panda! Panzer!) Action
*22 October 2002: Idiot Joy Showland (LP - Pander! Panda! Panzer!) Action
*23 October 2002: Appraisal Skill (LP - Pander! Panda Panzer) Action
*24 October 2002 (Radio Eins): PPP/Sport Duet (album - Pander! Panda! Panzer!) Action
*24 October 2002 (Radio Eins): Enigramatic Dream (album - Pander! Panda! Panzer!) Action
*20 November 2002: PPP (LP- Pander Panda Panzer!) White Label
*26 November 2002: Pander Panda Panzer (LP - Pander! Panda! Panzer!) Action
*05 December 2002: Who Are You And How Did We Get Here? (LP - Pander Panda Panzer) Action
;Other
*The Wonderful and Frightening World of Mark E. Smith
*Best Of Peel Vol 18: 'Theme From Error-Orrori (Compilation LP-Home)' (Sheer Joy) (credited to all members of the Fall in discogs.com)
*John Peel Remembered: Inch (short snippet)
== See Also ==
* 120 Minutes
*November 2000 (Peel's Record Box)
*October 2002 (Peel's Record Box)
==External Links==
*Wikipedia
*Discogs
Category:Artists
Category:Featured Articles